LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Lyerin found himself standing in a wide, open space—a single-acre expanse of grass and dirt, nestled within the sanctuary. His gaze wandered across the land, taking in the oddly serene environment. He mumbled to himself, "Too big… but it'll do."

The city, with its animal sanctuary, struck him as strange for having something like it in the middle of the city. But considering that the national culture revered white horses as sacred, it wasn't surprising.

The sanctuary was, in a way, a reflection of their values. However, Lyerin decided not to dwell on the oddity of it. He had more important things to do. His tribe was growing, and now it was time to erect another symbol of its power.

He needed a statue.

Spotting a massive rock formation on the edge of the sanctuary, Lyerin made his way towards it.

The boulder stood like a sleeping giant in the open, solid and unyielding. But to Lyerin, it was just raw material. He flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle hum of power that coursed through his veins.

Eldren Mana, the power to control one's adrenaline, comes out from his pores to coat his hands.

Without hesitation, Lyerin clenched his fist and swung it towards the rock.

THWACK! CRACK!

His bare fist smashed into the boulder with immense force, splitting it with the sound of shattering stone.

The sharp echo reverberated across the sanctuary, startling birds from nearby trees. He drew his arm back and attacked the rock again, each blow ringing out like a cannon shot.

BAM! SMASH! THUD!

With every strike, pieces of the massive rock shattered into smaller chunks. Dust and debris clouded the air as his punches sliced through stone, reducing the once-imposing boulder to scattered slabs of rubble.

Lyerin's face remained impassive as he worked, his breaths steady, each motion fluid and precise.

It wasn't long before he had several large, finely cut stone slabs lying at his feet. He stood back, surveying his work. For a moment, he allowed himself a faint smile. "This will do."

The Eldren power, which had given him the strength to crush stone with his bare hands, thrummed through him like an endless river. Being a fifth-stage Eldren Warrior gave him the ability to manipulate the Adrenaline or the Eldren Mana from his body far beyond what was considered human.

The fact that even a peak Eldren Apprentice could match the strength of an adult elephant made him all the more confident in his craft.

Satisfied, Lyerin bent down and began piecing the stones together. His hands moved with the precision of a skilled artisan, stacking and shaping each slab into the form of the statue he had in mind.

The statue took shape rapidly, resembling the totems and statues of the ruined magical world he had once known.

Once the statue stood tall and imposing before him, Lyerin stepped back and let out a long breath.

Now came the most critical part—the invocation.

He closed his eyes and lowered himself to his knees, placing his hands on the ground before the statue. His voice, low and reverent, began to hum in the air, weaving together words of prayer.

"Great spirits of the land, of the earth and sky… I call upon you to hear my voice," Lyerin began, his voice barely a whisper. "I offer this tribute, these stones from the earth, shaped by my hand, imbued with my will…"

The wind seemed to shift as his prayer gained momentum.

Lyerin continued, with the sound of his voice growing louder and more impassioned with each word. "Let this statue stand as a beacon of power, a symbol of the tribe I have built! May it call forth the strength of the ancestors, of the great beasts who roamed this land, and the spirits who once protected it!"

WHOOOOSH!

Suddenly, a gust of wind stirred around him, and the earth beneath the statue trembled lightly.

Lyerin's eyes snapped open as he felt a strange energy seeping from the ground. Black goo began to bubble up from the earth beneath the statue, thick and oily, oozing upwards and wrapping around the base.

Lyerin didn't flinch.

Instead, he closed his eyes again and continued to pray, his voice now booming through the sanctuary. "Let this effigy be blessed by the forces of creation and destruction! I call upon the primordial essence of the earth, the unyielding power of the stone, and the untamed spirit of the wild!"

The black goo continued to rise, creeping over the stone as Lyerin's voice grew louder. SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! It slathered itself across the surface of the statue, inching up its form until the entire stone structure was encased in the inky substance.

Lyerin pressed his hands harder into the ground, feeling the strange energy around him intensify.

The air grew thick with power, heavy and almost oppressive. Eldritch particles began to swirl around him, shimmering like dust caught in sunlight. His breath quickened as the pressure mounted.

"Let the power of this land flow through this effigy!" Lyerin shouted, his voice now almost frantic with intensity. "May the tribe be protected by the ancient spirits, the great guardians of this world and the next! Let the strength of the Stonehooves rise from the ashes of the old world and claim their place in the new!"

As his words reached a fever pitch, the earth beneath him trembled violently.

RUMBLE! CRACK! BOOM!

The ground split open in jagged cracks beneath the statue, and beams of light shot out from the fissures. Each crack glowed with different hues of light—one a vibrant green, another a deep crimson, and yet another a radiant gold.

The colors swirled and pulsed with energy, casting a surreal glow across the sanctuary.

Lyerin could feel the energy within the earth coursing up through his body, making his skin tingle and his hair stand on end. The lights seemed to pulse in time with his own heartbeat, each pulse growing stronger and more intense.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the phenomenon ceased. The cracks sealed themselves shut with a final THUNK! and the glow dissipated, leaving the ground looking as though it had never been disturbed.

Lyerin stepped back from the now-solidified statue, his chest heaving with exertion.

The black goo had completely enveloped the effigy, giving it an almost obsidian-like sheen.

For a moment, the statue stood silent and still. But then…

WHOOSH!

A swirling vortex of smoke erupted from the base of the statue, twisting and coiling in the air like a living thing. The smoke grew thicker and denser until it began to take shape, forming into the outline of a massive figure.

Within moments, the shape became clear—a centaur-like creature, with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a muscular man. Its chest and arms bulged with muscle, and atop its head were two enormous horns, spiraling up into the air like twisted branches. Its eyes glowed with a fierce, golden light, and its presence radiated raw, unrelenting power.

Lyerin smiled, a wide, maniacal grin stretching across his face as he beheld the spirit before him. His chest swelled with triumph. This was it. This was the beginning.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Lyerin's laughter echoed through the sanctuary, starting as a soft chuckle but quickly growing into a full-throated roar. "Finally!" he shouted, his voice filled with a manic glee. "Finally, the tribe in the real world has been established!"

His laughter continued, louder and more frenzied with each passing moment. "This world… this world will be mine!" he screamed, his eyes blazing with ambition. "I'll turn this apocalypse into my paradise! I'll bend the earth and sky to my will! There will be no more suffering! No more pain!

Only power! Only triumph! Creatures of this Eldritch Universe will now down before me!"

The centaur-like spirit stood silently beside him, its golden eyes watching him with a stoic gaze.

Lyerin finally calmed, with his breath still ragged from the intensity of his laughter. He looked back at the statue, now fully imbued with the spirit's presence, and felt a surge of satisfaction wash over him. His tribe was growing. His power was growing. And nothing would stand in his way.

Just as he was about to turn away, a sudden system notification flashed before his eyes.

Stonehooves Eldritch Tribe Established!

Would you like to level it up?

Lyerin grinned, he hoped for his leveling up ability to appear, but he never expected that it would really appear, now his eyes couldn't help but gleam with excitement. "Let's begin," he whispered.