Essence ofBullet Heaven

This Essence tastes like gunfire and swarms.

• Your body is altered by the power within this Essence, thanks to the connections it gives you with your Hub.

• Your body is resculpted to match your desires.

• The energy of your Hub sustains you, meaning you do not need to eat, drink, or sleep, but you can without any problems. This also means you heal fully and completely, and do not age or get sick.

• You learn much faster, memorizing facts on the first try and developing your skills as if the most experienced teachers were giving you advice.

• Your Hub protects your mind and soul from all forms of corruption, degradation, and attacks.

• If you happen to die, your Hub will revive you within itself.

• You gain the ability to see your surroundings, as if drawn on a map from above. This not only covers things like furniture and terrain but also people and even attacks. This sight is separate from any other source of vision, including your eyes.

• The first set of pocket dimensions you are connected to are Stages, self-contained crucibles. Within them an unending tide of enemies swarms you, growing more powerful, numerous, and dangerous as time advances. Each Stage is based on an archetype (like a type of warrior, a particularly distinct person, or even a thematic connection) or an event.

• Entering a Stage grants you a weapon and some power based on the archetype. Weapons gained from Stages can almost be considered powers rather than equipment, and all are capable of acting semi-autonomously.

• Stages drop resources from enemies you defeat. Some are only usable within the Stage itself, and are lost when you leave. Others are not, and are used for permanent improvement.

• Resources used within the Stage grant and improve new powers and equipment. However, when first gaining something from a Stage, only the initial form will be permanent. Gaining the power or equipment again and exceeding the current permanent state will improve that by one step.

• "Death" within a stage will simply kick you back to the real world or to your Hub. You can also immediately retry, resetting your progress as if you left and returned. No harm from a Stage lasts past you exiting it.

• Stages may run out of specific things to get you, in which case their resources will go towards making yourself stronger, faster, tougher, etc, or converting into permanent resources. These upgrades are permanent.

• Your Hub is a separate type of pocket dimension. It is stable and peaceful to you, and contains methods of turning resources obtained from Stages into permanent power growth.

• Methods of permanent growth of do not duplicate the specific boons granted by Stages, as a general rule.

• Your Hub can be customized, ranging from cosmetic changes to adding new ways of power growth to methods of passive resource income. However, functional changes will require investment of resources.

• Normally time flows at the same rate within your pocket dimensions as without, but the Hub can be upgraded to improve this and even allow you unlimited time within your Stages and Hub without a moment passing outside.

• You can bring others into your Hub, but you cannot be attacked within it, and can remove anyone else from it at will.

• Whenever you manifest an item from one of your pocket dimensions outside of your Hub, it's actually a "shadow" or copy of the item. All your items are actually stored in the Hub, and can be re-manifested with a thought if damaged, lost, or destroyed.