SoK Chapter 207

Immediately after saying it, TJ felt a surge of slight discomfort at calling these people his children. After all, though he was a grown adult in his 30s, many of these people were at least a decade his senior, so say nothing of the several elderly people like Gertrude that’d followed him after becoming disillusioned with Sven’s leadership. Regardless of any lingering discomfort, he’d called these people “children” and it felt right when he said it. All too often, he found himself doing and saying things that didn’t come from him, but instead from the System or the path he was walking. Though he found that uncomfortable, it was his life now, and every day, TJ found himself less unwilling to do what the System prompted him to do. Beyond that, any awkwardness he’d experienced didn’t seem to be echoed by the people he’d addressed with it. Instead, those who hadn’t participated in the pyramid dedication ceremony applauded for a short time before they walked forward to see what the big deal was with the pyramid. Even Sarah, the most likely person to have given him a hard time about calling them his children, merely nodded and winked in obvious support.

With nothing else to take his attention, TJ turned his attention to the several leveling notifications that he’d ignored in the process of creating his knife and now his pyramid.

Occupation: Savage Shaman (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 35.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +5, Agility +5, Endurance +5, Vitality +5, Toughness +5, Wisdom +12, Intelligence +12, Perception +12, Willpower +12, Fixation +12, Free Points +15. Additional Free Points currently available.

Race: Semi-Divine Human (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 33.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +8, Agility +8, Endurance +8, Vitality +13, Toughness +8, Wisdom +8, Intelligence +13, Perception +8, Willpower +8, Fixation +13. Additional Free Points currently available.

Slowly exhaling in surprise, TJ shifted his attention to his Status sheet. He distributed the Free Points to even out each Attribute to a multiple of ten, then used 30 of the remaining 38 to bump Fixation, Intelligence, and Vitality by 10 each. The last 8 he left to be used some other time, liking the look of the nice, even numbers more than an extra 8 in any Attribute.

Status Sheet

Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV

Race: Semi-Divine Human – lvl 33

Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte lvl 31

Occupation: Savage Shaman lvl 35

Level of Divinity: Copper (I)

Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan

Health Points (HP): 7460/7460

Mana Points (MP): 8150/8150

Stamina: 6420/6420

Attributes

Strength: 380+25(+76)

Agility: 360+20(+72)

Endurance: 510+30(+102)

Vitality: 590+38(+118)

Toughness: 430+35(+86)

Wisdom: 480+35(+96)

Intelligence: 650+35(+130)

Perception: 480+20(+96)

Willpower: 560+35(+112)

Fixation: 670+35(+134)

Free Points: 8

Skill List: Hidden

Titles: Irregular
Nascent Deity (Copper (I))
Elite Hunter (Copper (I))
Evolutionary Frontrunner

Current total maximum Divine Transformation time: 12:13:30
(End+Vit+Will+Fix)/4 Current cooldown: 0:00

Status Sheet

Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV

Race: Storm Coatl – lvl 33

Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte lvl 31

Occupation: Savage Shaman lvl 35

Level of Divinity: Copper (I)

Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan

Health Points (HP): 14,540/14,540

Mana Points (MP): 15,950/15,950

Stamina: 12,540/12,540

Attributes

Strength x2.5: 950+25(+190)

Agility x2: 720+20(+144)

Endurance x2: 1020+30(+204)

Vitality x2: 1180+38(+236)

Toughness x2.5: 1075+35(+215)

Wisdom x1.5: 720+35(+144)

Intelligence x2: 1300+35(+260)

Perception x2: 960+20(+192)

Willpower x1.5: 840+35(+168)

Fixation x2: 1340+35(+268)

Free Points: 8

Skill List: Hidden

Titles: Irregular
Nascent Deity (Copper (I))
Elite Hunter (Copper (I))
Evolutionary Frontrunner

Divine Trial Records (Copper (I)):
2 Minor, 0 Moderate, 0 Bitter, 0 Celestial

TJ‘s eyebrows raised and he nodded appreciatively at the increase in Attributes. At the highest, he’d gained 109 in Fixation from the 5 Occupation levels and 3 Racial ones, and even in the lowest increases, he’d gained at least 49. Now, being a level 31 Neophyte along with the other levels he just gained, TJ could feel the changes in his body from the growth he’d just experienced. It was interesting to note that the System dictated that what he’d done, as in creating this pyramid and addressing these people, was something perfectly tooled towards his own path as a Shaman and his path as a Deity. The original description of the Occupation had called Shamans the leaders of their communities, and TJ supposed this was one of the greatest examples he’d had of demonstrating leadership since he’d taken the Occupation. Other than rallying the people in Pine to prepare and fight against the Boss of the Tutorial.

A small part of him lamented the lack of new Skills offered at level 35, but TJ supposed he was grateful that he’d qualified to get as many Skill selection opportunities while he was Copper as he had. Now, his next goal was going to be becoming Silver sooner rather than later, as that would give him more Skill selections at Silver than would be available after he crossed some external threshold. Looking at it, getting these higher tiered Skill opportunities combined with earlier evolutions would be what separated the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. He supposed he’d say level 100 would be the point where the weakest Bronze would evolve, because that was the level that the System told him that everyone would evolve to Silver by. He shook his head and turned his attention away from his Status and instead looked at the other System notifications.

You have established a home base. Your followers and pantheon will now consider this location to be one to be protected above most everything else. More than inhabitants, worshipers, or anything else, you have dedicated the Ziggurat of the Nascent Storm Serpent as the center of this new home base. Members of your pantheon as well as your worshipers will gain a fraction of a percentage of a level for every day that they live within the bounds of this homebase. While defending your home base from attackers, you and any residents of your home base will gain a 5% increase in all your Attributes.

With a grunt, TJ read and then dismissed the description. He found he was somewhat unimpressed by a 5% increase in his Attributes. He knew that his opinion on this was skewed, and any additional increase to his Attributes was a great benefit. Sure, this general bonus meant that if he ever wanted to attack somebody else’s home, they’d have something like this, but he doesn’t want to be a conqueror anyways, so that was no negative. Regardless, he’d allowed himself to think that the bonus from this “home base establishment” would be something bigger. Then, realizing his own pride and foolishness, he laughed at his own ingratitude, and the strange obsession he had with getting more and more percent increases to his Attributes, he instead turned his attention to the final notification.

Ziggurat of the Nascent Storm Serpent (Gold (III)): From the beginning of your journey towards the Divine Throne, you have been disadvantaged while turning that disadvantage into an advantage. You were Integrated to a mountain, stranded miles away from the nearest Participant, you fought for your life and for the opportunity to perhaps, one day become worthy of ascending. Then, in a city that considered you suspicious and dangerous, you rallied the people and created an organized force that could confront the accelerated difficulty Tutorial that you inadvertently created. Under your leadership, Tutorial 107.48.891 managed to achieve success beyond what was considered possible. Beyond the Tutorial, you gathered followers and devotees with every step you took, and though others stepped onto the path of dominance and godhood faster than you, you stepped into the shadows they cast and twisted what they did into an advantage. You created a small but individually devoted following which has wholly thrown the power of their worship to you. Now, every one of your followers has truly become one who worships the Nascent Storm Serpent, and with their devotion to you, a temple was created. You have hallowed the ground that the temple stands up upon with your own blood, and your worshipers willingly gave their blood as well to mark this land as yours and yours alone. From the outcast and forgotten, you have created a religion that will follow you into and through every difficulty that falls on you. As a result, this, the first temple created in your honor, has transcended your grade by two tiers.

All temples have a potential for growth, given the growth of their deity, as well as the addition of greater, more valuable materials. This temple was created with the express intention of being used to facilitate the rituals of and protection for the Nascent Storm Serpent and his chosen people. As such, any ritual cast through the usage of those circles carved into this Ziggurat will see a decrease in required channeling time up to 25% and an increase in potency, up to a 100% increase. In addition, any ritual cast using this Ziggurat as a tool will, without expenditure of any additional resources, be increased in longevity by 50%. Any excess energy, resources, or effort left over from the use of any ritual through the Ziggurat can be stored for future use.

“How much of this is visible to people who appraise this?” TJ whispered, not in any attempt to keep a secret, but in awe.

The first paragraph is publicly available, while the second is hidden, only revealed to those whom you have shared it with.

TJ rubbed his eyes, trying to calm himself enough to understand what he’d just done. The fact that this temple was Gold was already insane, to say nothing of the effects that came applied on every ritual he used the temple for. Besides the fact that his rituals would grow stronger and faster by using the Ziggurat, he intrinsically understood all the other benefits his temple would offer. Basically, not only was the temple something that would strengthen all of his rituals, it was also a battery. And, given that it increased the potency of Ritualistic Transfer, there were extra resources generated, just by moving the resources around! Then, if any excess resources weren’t used, he could just shunt them into the Ziggurat to use some other day! It was the mythical perpetual motion machine or infinite battery that science had always chased, and he had it now. As a level 35 Copper.

Finally, he’d done everything he wanted to help ensure that when the damned thunderbird Boss returned, he’d be ready to get more people in the air and kill the bastard. Until then, there were more levels to gain and monsters to kill.

[Zig POV]

She’d incorporated herself into this New Republic, knowing that logically, TJ’s group was probably the better option. However, despite everything else, Zig couldn’t bring herself to follow him. He wasn’t malicious, he’d meant nothing by it, but TJ was responsible for Charlie’s death. She couldn’t follow him, not again, not when she had another choice. 

“I am he who will be God! If you follow me, if you kill my enemies, I will bring you under my wing and lead you to a new world! I will grant you Classes and Occupations, victories and safety, levels and experience! Follow me or die! Follow me and live! I am the Sky Devouring Dragon!”

Before, she’d wished she’d made another choice. Now, there was no other choice.