Nice!
From the looks of it, the item shop will have more selections once I upgrade it!
Phew. Good to know.
And just like the Construction Shop, upgrading it costs 100 points—which feels way out of reach right now. I still don't know how to earn more points besides achievements, and 100 seems like a lot.
Sigh...
Do I really have to get struck by lightning ten more times? Wait—does that even work? What if the achievement was only for the first strike?
Aaaaa—
Either way, I hope I find another way to earn points soon.
Now, the last shop left was the Castle Core Shop. The name didn't give much away, so of course, I was super curious.
But from what I saw earlier when browsing the previous shops, upgrading both the Construction Shop and the Item Shop requires a Level 1 Castle Core.
Alright, time to open the Castle Core Shop!
WOOSH!
The shop materialized before my mind's eye. And as I looked inside, I finally found a clue about what I really am.
***
Castle Core — Current level: 0
Description: A castle core is the heart of your very being, where your soul resides. It's buried deep under the foundation of your castle itself so that it can be well protected. The higher the level and the stronger your core gets, the stronger you will become.
Currently, due to being low-level, your castle skills and abilities are very limited. So try to level up as soon as possible!
Warning: If the castle core is destroyed, you will die!
***
Wow! So I'm really a magic castle that can grow! This is amazing!
And not only that, now that I knew about the castle core's existence, as I focus ed my mind, I could feel it!
My core… it's literally a small ball of energy buried deep within the earth!
If I had to guess, the diameter was really, really small, perhaps just the size of a tennis ball.
Still, it's pulsating, pumping some kind of mysterious energy into my walls and... That energy... it's powering every brick, every torchlight! It's really like a heart!
Now then, I wondered, how do I upgrade this core?
There's a big button on the screen that says "Castle Core Upgrade."
I looked into it.
HOLY SHIT!
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!
***
By upgrading to Level 1, you will gain:
Unlock Skill: Generator – Generates 1 point a day.
Hell yeah! So I really have a way to generate points now!
One point a day is, honestly, a really small amount. But as a castle, I have all the time in the world!
However, the upgrade cost was...
ONE HUNDRED FREAKING POINTS?!
COME ON!
I only had 10 points now, and without the Generator skill, it would take forever to gather the remaining 90 points! Because I could only rely on achievements—which is an utterly unreliable way to get points!
However, just as I was about to get mad...
DING!
A surprise notification appeared!
The upgrade button suddenly flashed gold, and then...
Time left: 5 seconds!
WHATTT?!! FIVE SECONDS?!
I knew for sure that this was the system messing with me again, prompting me to spend my precious points.
But the sale timer was too short...
I couldn't even think!
DAMN IT!
"Alright, system, you win! Spend 10 points to upgrade my core!"
And just like that, all my remaining points were wiped!
Suddenly, I felt sleepy.
I could sense something happening inside my core. It felt a little hotter and pulsed more rapidly.
But that's all I could feel... before I lost consciousness.