Adam observed as Marcus's gaze latched onto the veteran he had assaulted earlier. 

The flicker of hesitation was quickly smothered, replaced with a hard, determined glint.

Grasping the spear, Marcus pushed himself up, his voice echoing in the silence, "To hell with you and your kingdom."

His attack was swift, lunging towards the veteran who evaded the spear's bite with superior agility. 

"You traitor," the man spat, avoiding the relentless thrusts Marcus aimed at him.

This spectacle was beginning to grate on Adam.

He needed this to end. 

With a pointed gesture towards the veteran, he used [Soul Severance III].

An unnatural stillness captured the man, providing the opening Marcus needed. 

He lunged again, this time the spear found purchase, puncturing the man's throat.

Marcus appeared shocked, taken aback by his own violent act. 

The veteran's hands clung to the spear shaft, but it was an effort in vain. The life faded from his eyes.

Marcus released the spear, stumbling backwards. "No. No. I didn’t..."

Adam took in the scene, a lesson impressing itself upon him. No matter his strength, arrogance was a pitfall. A mere tier 0 soldier, with a dose of luck, had managed to down an awakened tier 1 warrior in a single attack.

"Marcus." He called, but was met with silence. 

Marcus was absorbed, his gaze locked onto his own bloodied hands. 

Adam attempted again, "Marcus."

His voice went unheard. Marcus was caught in his own world.

The man was trapped in a cyclone of shock and disbelief, and Adam brought him crashing back to reality with a firm smack.

"Marcus," he began, his voice steady. 

"I need you to calm down. If you want to make it in this place, you have to forget everything you knew about 'normal' back on Earth."

The man named Marcus could only stammer in response, "But... I killed a man. I’ve never killed before."

Adam did not blink, did not waver. "And?" 

"It’s survival of the fittest here. So you took a life. You should be less concerned about what you've done and more about what you have to do to survive. Remember, you'd be dead or worse right now if it weren't for me."

Leaving the shaken man behind, Adam pivoted towards the rest of the Earthlings. 

They were scared, some even trembling, but they listened as he addressed them.

"These people," he gestured towards the Barolan soldiers, "took advantage of you at your weakest. They forced you into the middle of a war that's not yours to fight. If you want to live, if you want control of your fate, then pick up your weapons and prove your commitment to me."

As Adam's commanding voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

He saw the transformation happening before his eyes. Fear was replaced with anger, and then with determination. 

The hesitations of the Earthlings were being washed away by his charisma. Men and women, without regard to their previous life, picked up their weapons, ready to confront the harsh reality of this new world.

"Good," he nodded approvingly. 

"Vileclaw, we're going to need some of these prisoners."

"Yes, Prince," Vileclaw grumbled in reluctance. 

The hive brute wasn't happy, but Adam knew he'd make it right with him eventually. Right now, he needed to push these Earthlings out of their comfort zones. 

He needed to see them soaked in blood before he'd commit his resources to break their contracts with the Barolan kingdom.

Even as some Earthlings sprang into action, others remained rooted to the spot, unable to raise their arms against their former allies, to take a life. 

'It's a pity, but there are always those who will not kill,' Adam mused. 'I won't waste my breath on convincing them. Vileclaw can deal with the leftovers.' 

It would also be an excellent lesson for the new recruits.

One scene caught Adam's attention. 

A woman, her hands tightly gripping a sword, stood over a kneeling Barolan soldier. She was shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the sounds of struggle. "But I have a family to go back to." 

With those words, she thrust the sword into the man beneath her. 

Her tears fell faster, but they did not weaken her resolve. 

She continued to push the sword deeper.

The last willing Earthling had proven their commitment with the blood of their former comrades. Adam turned to the disgruntled hive unit.

"Let's go, Vileclaw," he said.

---

Inside his tent, Adam was busy looking at the options in his [Cult Shop].

The walls of his tent were moving in and out like they were breathing. This movement created a pleasant breeze that Adam could feel on his skin. 

His primary goal was to find a way to break the contracts that tied the Earthlings to the Barolan Kingdom. He wanted to add them to his cult. In return, they would fight with him. 

Even though they were only Tier 0, they could still be useful. After all, the Barolans had shown that even lower tier fighters could be helpful in war. 

If any of them died, they would just come back to life and fight again.

After thinking it over, Adam decided that a ritual would be the best way to break the contracts. He found several rituals that might work, but many of them had weird requirements or heavy costs. 

For example, one ritual needed the person to give up both their arms to get rid of a negative condition. The sheer absurdity of it made Adam chuckle, but it served as a reminder of the weird stuff that his [Cult Shop] harbored.

Finally, he picked a ritual that seemed right, but he was worried about its side effects. He thought he might be able to avoid it, but he wasn't sure. 

Still, he decided to take the risk. The ritual cost two Tier 1 soul orbs. He paid the cost of two Tier 1 soul orbs, an expense he could comfortably afford given his current surplus.

A page with instructions for the ritual appeared in front of him. 

The ritual didn't need an altar, but it did need a contract and a few other resources. 

Adam wasn't sure where he would find a contract, but he wasn't worried. If he couldn't find one, he could just write a contract on any piece of paper.

With the ritual purchased, Adam left his tent and went into the large camp. He was looking for the resources he needed for the ritual.  

He was confident the camp would provide at least some of what he needed. 

Finding the necessary items took some time, but it wasn't too challenging. 

Adam even found a copy of the contract the Earthlings had signed on the corpse of the squad leader. The contract was full of harsh terms. 

For example, the Earthlings couldn't refuse orders from their superiors. Plus, the supposed five-year restriction was based on Earth's time, which made it even thrice as long in the Dreamverse.

Yet, the contract also had some leeway. 

It didn't restrict the Earthlings from harming allies, which Adam had tested on Marcus. His command to Marcus to show commitment by killing an ally was an experiment, luckily it didn't harm him. 

Adam was now very wary of contracts. He realized that in the Dreamverse, a contract could be a life or death matter. 

The majority of individuals on Earth had been trained to scroll to the bottom of the contract without ever reading it. 

Adam was guilty of the same thing, but he would take it more seriously now. He was determined never to sign anything without fully understanding the implications.

With the contract in hand, Adam headed to his new recruits.

Nine Earthlings, their faces filled with a mix of apprehension and determination, agreed to follow him back to his tent. 

He planned to conduct the ritual for all of them at once, deviating from the instructions but trusting his instincts backed by [Ritual Mastery II].

Adam asked the Hive Swarm Speaker to pass out papers and pens to the recruits. 

He explained to them, "I will perform a ritual to break your contracts. Write one of your senses on that paper. Then take one of the contracts."

He then lit the handmade incense, the scent wafting through the tent. 

Adam watched as each of the nine recruits wrote something down. He instructed them to keep their chosen sense a secret.

With everything set, Adam took a deep breath. "Let's start," he said, ready to initiate the ritual.

With everyone's attention on him, Adam began the ritual. He raised his arms and started to chant.

"In the name of Immortality, the great and eternal state, we gather. Under my authority, we commence this rite."

He brought out his Immortal Dream Blade.

"This blade is the edge of our immortality, the line between our mortal forms and the eternal dream. It is a symbol of the power that governs our fate and destiny," he declared, holding the blade high above his head.

He then gestured to the papers on which each recruit had written their chosen sense. 

He added, "In the mortal realm, there are five senses through which we perceive the world. However, in our journey towards immortality, we must sacrifice one. This is the price for your freedom."

The room fell silent, save for the gentle rustling of the incense smoke that filled the air with its sweet, calming aroma.

"One by one, bring forth your contract and the paper upon which you have written your sense. Offer them to the Immortal Dream Blade. As the blade slices through them, consider your ties to your past severed."

Each of the recruits stepped forward, placing their contracts and papers on a stone slab in front of Adam. 

With solemn focus, Adam lifted the Immortal Dream Blade and brought it down swiftly on the papers, splitting them in two.

As the blade made contact, an ethereal glow spread out from the blade, engulfing the contracts and papers. The pieces of paper disintegrated into nothingness, the glow gradually fading away.

Holding the original contract, Adam ripped it into nine pieces and held them aloft. 

The pieces danced in the air for a moment before he blew gently on them, sending each piece flying into the chest of each person. 

Their expressions, like Marcus's widened eyes and startled gasps, reflected the sudden shock and surprise they felt.

He then continued, "Your contracts are now null and void, and the sense you chose to sacrifice will soon fade away. This is the cost of freedom, the price to be paid for the removal of your shackles."

A moment of silence passed before the pieces of the contract reemerged from each person. 

They had returned to their complete form, floating in the air for a brief second before catching fire. The flames consumed the paper rapidly until there was nothing left.

Finally, Adam looked up, locking eyes with each of them as he pronounced, "As the Soul Sovereign, I declare you free from your prior constraints." 

Adam watched the recruits, each silent as they processed what had just happened. 

The ritual had been successful, and now they would slowly lose one of their senses. The air seemed to tighten around them as the reality of their situation sunk in.

“Are you all willing to join my cult?” Adam broke the silence.

“Yes.” Alice, the woman who had shown such determination earlier, was the first to respond. 

Adam had requested everyone's names because, as a leader, he needed to demonstrate his commitment to them. Using threats all the time would just lead to issues later on.

The rest quickly followed suit, uttering their agreement with a firmness that satisfied Adam. They had all made their choice, and it seemed they were willing to stand by it.

Adam gave them a moment, aware that they were likely receiving a lot of system messages. 

Marcus looked up at him with gratitude in his eyes, a look mirrored in the expressions of the other recruits.

"You will lose your senses soon," Adam announced. "But it's temporary for those of my cult. For others, it's permanent."

Marcus smiled. “That's great. I want my sense of taste back. How long will it last?”

“Until you die.”