With less than five minutes remaining before he could leave the Origin Battlefield, Michael wanted to set up some last-minute defenses around the Universal Cornerstone.
Though he hadn't encountered any life-threatening incidents, and had even been bold enough at times to accept ranking challenges, he still wasn't quite used to this dog-eat-dog world.
Better to return home for a bit and handle a few things before ing back.
Of course, he wouldn't leave this place unguarded.
But before all that, there was one more thing to address.
His reward.
After going through the Universal Cornerstone's functions, a new panel appeared before him.
[Reward Distributed]
Congratulations. Reward Successfully Claimed.
Obtained: Awakening Temple Blueprint
Michael blinked and exclaimed in surprise.
"A blueprint?!"
His eyes immediately lit up.
"Finally, I can see what the Structure function is for."
Under Territory Management, there had always been a greyed-out section labeled Structures. According to the Universal Cornerstone, structures created through it were buildings or constructs with magical effects.
Unfortunately, the Trade Hub had contained no blueprints when he checked it earlier. Originally, Michael had assumed he would need to upgrade the Universal Cornerstone before acquiring one.
Structures required blueprints. Without a blueprint, there was nothing to construct.
Michael couldn't help smiling.
"This saves me quite a bit of time."
He had expected this function to remain unavailable for quite a while. Instead, the Origin Will had directly rewarded him with his first blueprint.
Awakening Temple Blueprint.
Unfortunately, there was no description of what the Awakening Temple would actually do. Fortunately, there was one additional line beneath it.
Special Notice The first structure constructed using this blueprint will require no additional construction cost.
Michael's brows rose.
"No cost?"
Based on the information he had received regarding structures, every blueprint normally required something before the Universal Cornerstone could manifest it.
The stronger the structure, the greater the cost.
However, this reward pletely bypassed that requirement. His first Awakening Temple would be built entirely free of charge.
Michael couldn't help nodding.
"The Origin Will really does reward pioneers."
If he had to guess, the reward wasn't merely the blueprint itself. It also included a one-time exemption from the construction cost.
Otherwise, with his current balance of only two hundred and thirty-nine Origin Points, there was a strong chance he wouldn't have been able to build it even if he possessed the blueprint.
Curiosity immediately overwhelmed him. Without hesitation, Michael opened the Structures section beneath Territory Management.
This time, the previously greyed-out interface illuminated.
Structures Available Blueprints: Awakening Temple ×1
Only a single blueprint rested inside the empty interface. Michael reached out and selected it. Immediately, the Universal Cornerstone began processing.
A panel appeared before him. Unlike the previous ones, this panel didn't contain words alone. It displayed a plete projection of his territory.
A bird's-eye view of the entire Level 3 Region unfolded before him. Mountains, forests, rivers, plains, and valleys were all represented in remarkable detail.
At the very center stood the Universal Cornerstone, shining like a miniature sun. A small golden marker pulsed above it.
Then another notification appeared.
"So I can choose where it will be built. Quite convenient."
[Structure Placement]
Please select the construction location for: Awakening Temple Michael studied the map for a few moments. Although the territory was enormous, he had no intention of constructing anything far away for now.
Since the Universal Cornerstone was the absolute core of his territory, keeping the Awakening Temple nearby was undoubtedly the safest decision.
Without much hesitation, Michael reached out and tapped a location roughly three hundred meters from the Universal Cornerstone.
Immediately, the selected location began glowing.
Location Confirmed.
Another notification followed before Michael could do anything else.
Special Reward Detected.
First Structure Construction Reward Applied.
Construction Cost: Waived.
Construction Time: Reduced to Maximum.
Estimated Construction Time: Instantaneous.
Michael's eyebrows rose.
"Instantaneous?"
The moment the final word appeared, the map vanished.
BOOOOOOM!
The Universal Cornerstone suddenly released a dazzling pillar of golden light that shot into the sky. The entire territory trembled.
Mana from every direction surged toward the selected location like countless glowing rivers. The surrounding air distorted as the earth rumbled.
Then an even brighter light erupted. Michael instinctively narrowed his eyes. For several seconds, his vision was consumed by nothing but radiant white.
The light continued growing stronger before suddenly collapsing inward.
Silence followed.
Michael slowly opened his eyes.
Standing where there had once been empty ground was a building.
It wasn't particularly large. The structure resembled a pristine white temple fashioned from flawless crystal and pale stone.
Elegant pillars supported its entrance while intricate golden runes covered every surface, glowing faintly with a sacred brilliance.
Despite its modest size, an indescribable aura surrounded it. It wasn't oppressive. Nor was it majestic in the conventional sense. Instead, it inspired instinctive reverence.
A gentle stream of pure mana continuously flowed between the Awakening Temple and the Universal Cornerstone, forming an invisible connection that linked the two together.
Almost immediately, another panel appeared before him.
Structure Successfully Constructed.
Awakening Temple Status: Active
A translucent panel simultaneously unfolded before him.
Awakening Temple Status: Active
Building Level: Level 1
Structure Function: Allows classless intelligent lifeforms to undergo the Trial of Awakening. Those who successfully plete the trial will awaken a class.
Michael's breathing paused.
"…What?"
He reread the panel. His eyes gradually widened.
"This is just like a Class Scroll, except…"
The difference was enormous.
A Basic Class Scroll was a consumable. Once used, it disappeared forever.
This was an entire structure. A permanent one. Anyone who met the requirements could enter it. If they passed the trial, they would awaken.
Michael couldn't suppress the excitement rising inside him.
"So as long as the temple remains… people can continue awakening."
This was fundamentally different from consuming a priceless treasure. It was an establishment.
One capable of continuously producing awakeners.
pared to the Class Scroll, Michael felt this building was even more valuable, at least in terms of long-term influence.
He quickly continued reading.
Unfortunately, his excitement gradually settled.
"As expected… there really is a catch."
Several additional lines slowly appeared beneath the previous description.
Awakening Temple Origin Energy: 100%
Michael wasn't disappointed. If anything, this made far more sense. A structure capable of granting classes without any restrictions would have been absurd.
"But what's with this Origin Energy? Even the Mausoleum of Endless Dominion requires it. Is it something all treasures at the legendary grade level need?"
It did seem to be the case.
In any case, even if he couldn't actively gather the energy right now since he didn't yet understand what it was, having a full tank of it was good news.
All he needed to know was the consumption rate per use.
Would it cost more than one percent to awaken someone, or less?
That was yet another thing only the future would answer.
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