Chapter 9: Skill Evolution
When I next woke I seemed to be sitting on a throne. The cultists were nowhere in sight and I had no idea where they left me. I was strong enough to walk on my own but I decided against it. Instead I decided to use my perception to see inside my body and mana core. If I focus my mind with my eyes closed I am able to see the inside of my body. Looking inside myself I noticed my mana flow is much stronger than before. I can see it trying to permeate every single cell in my body, almost as if it was trying to make me a being made of mana. But because of the mana my every bone, muscle and even organs were strengthened. I wonder if this is something everyone goes through or if its specific to me.
Next I checked my mana core. There I saw a empty sea bed with a tall stone pillar in the middle and at the top was what looked like a temple. The doors to the temple were open and there was a throne inside. On the throne was what looked like me but transparent, it was sitting cross legged on the throne and was meditating. There was a seed floating in the middle of the hall with chains binding it in a sphere. The seed was black and white and keeps switching between them. I'm guessing the man on the throne is my soul and the seed is the piece of divinity from the god or gods who gave it to me. Outside of the temple at the top of my mana core is what looks like a cloud made of mana. It must be mana wisps that I have gathered before, also I can tell that more mana wisps are being pulled in from the outside without me having to do it myself.
I reopened my eyes and decided to ask the system to show me the divinity skill. Since I saw it was level 10 and I'm wondering if I can still use it without two of me being here to connect together.
<Ding... Showing skill description>
<Unity lvl 10: Increases stat and mana core growth speed by double. Can connect to another beings soul to increase growth further. Can be evolved>
Hmm okay, it doesn't show that I need another person anymore but I wonder what will happen to it if I evolve the skill. System please evolve Unity.
<Ding...Skill evolving please hold>
<10%...27%...60%...89%...100%>
<Skill successful evolved showing new skill>
<Subordinate Bond lvl 1: Increases stat and mana core growth speed by triple. Allows host to choose 8 people to bond with giving them an increased stat and mana core growth speed of 1.5x. 1/4 of the mana they gather will be given to you through the bond. Also makes the bonded people unable to betray or harm you in any way unless you allow it.>
Damn this skill is very broken. With this I wont even have to bother with gathering mana myself anymore. Also I know the exact people to use this on. If the cultists wanted to turn me into an incarnation of their god then I will make sure to use them to my fullest advantage.
I had noticed a cultist nearby and I made a few noises. Right after they ran off to go get the elders to let them know I am awake. Once the elders were gathered I decided to speak with them.
Hello elders. I have received a gift from your god and I would like to share it with you. Will each of you please come closer so I may grant it to you? Just then all 8 elders came close to me and kneeled in front of me. I touched each one one at a time and activated <Subordinate Bond> each one gained a small diamond like mark on their foreheads and I could feel a small link forming between them and the soul in my mana core. I decided to check it out and saw a change in the temple. A thread of black and white energy was connected from my soul to 8 ghostly figures surrounding the throne. The figures were very faint but I could see it was the elder cultists. I could tell that the amount of mana that was coming into my body increased in speed since each of them passively gathered mana I was getting a lot more mana joining the clouds up above and making it larger.
All of the elder cultists looked at me with a hint of reverence in their eyes as they thanked me for the gift. Just then I received a quest from the system
<Ding...>
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone