A/N: It’ll take some time before the editor catches up to the recent chapters, so for now, it’s just me and you guys. I hope you enjoy today’s chapter! Your next chapter is on empire
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The next creatures Michael had to use his {Undead Revival} skill on next were the crickets, blue morpho butterflies, praying mantises, and caterpillars.
Or more accurately, he only had to use the skill once for each, and it worked once.
For Michael, who was already accustomed to occasional failures when creating undead, the back-to-back successes left him both surprised and a bit uneasy.
Still, he couldn’t deny he enjoyed the efficiency.
If only all his attempts were this smooth.
Soon, he had successfully revived one of each insect into an undead:
[Undead Praying Mantis Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Undead Blue Morpho Butterfly Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Undead Cricket Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
With these new additions, Michael had now used five of the 20 open contract slots available to him.
He still had 15 more, and if he wanted, he could create more Spectral Ants since he had plenty of ghost ant corpses as materials.
However, Michael didn’t dwell on the idea.
Though he saw great potential in the Spectral Ants, he knew focusing solely on them wouldn’t be wise.
With his talent, he didn’t need to obsess over the raw potential of a particular creature.
If an undead wasn’t strong enough, he could simply evolve it.
Michael valued the versatility of his growing army and intended to maintain that diversity.
Even if he stumbled upon a nest of dragon corpses, he wouldn’t abandon this approach.
After all, who could say if his undead wouldn’t surpass dragons in the future?
What mattered to Michael wasn’t just the initial potential of his creations but their usefulness and how much he liked them.
For instance, while the Spectral Ants could overpower male orcs in physical strength at the same rank, their bodies made them less flexible in battle.
They also couldn’t replace the female orcs as they couldn’t cast magic.
Each undead had its pros and cons, and Michael’s goal was to be a jack of all trades.
And if possible, Master of All as well.
He wanted undead for the land, skies, and even the seas.
A single outstanding undead type wouldn’t change that plan.
After all, he wasn’t a specialist necromancer, and he preferred it that way.
Michael’s attention remained fixed on his new undead.
Though he could evolve them all at the same time to save effort, he decided to take his time and evolve each one individually to better understand their unique evolutions.
Since there were four undead to evolve, Michael chose one at random to start.
[Undead Praying Mantis Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Evolve to Common★★★ for 1 Evolution point?]
‘Yes’
The familiar scene of his undead emitting light appeared again.
Michael observed carefully and watched as changes started to manifest on his undead Praying Mantis.
Just like the Spectral Ant, its body grew significantly, but it wasn’t until the light emanating from its body faded that Michael fully realized the extent of the transformation.
“Another race change…”
A part of Michael would have been disappointed if it hadn’t occurred, but the change was expected, and it was exactly what he needed.
[Undead Shadow Mantis Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
Yet again, another creature that seemed to have something to do with darkness.
Michael observed the appearance of his newly evolved undead.
The Shadow Mantis seemed like it would stand at an imposing height of nearly 1.6 meters (5’3″) if fully upright.
It had a sleek, dark exoskeleton that shimmered faintly under dim light, a mix of deep black and smoky gray that seemed to absorb the surrounding shadows.
Its elongated forelimbs, each over a meter long, were razor-sharp with serrated edges
It had sturdy, powerful-looking yet slender hind legs that appeared capable of launching it into swift, silent leaps, adding to its deadly appearance.
By its sides were translucent wings, and when Michael had it stretch them, they extended to a span of 1.2 meters. The wings shimmered like a shadowy mirage as it moved.
It moved silently, almost eerily quiet, though it was uncertain if the wings could actually allow it to glide in midair.
“An Assassin.”
That was Michael’s first thought after observing the appearance of the Shadow Mantis.
Even in the insect kingdom, Praying Mantises were known as silent killers, and this evolution only seemed to reinforce that.
Michael grew even more convinced of his theory when he checked the skills the Praying Mantis gained after evolving.
—
[Your Common★ Undead Praying Mantis has evolved to Common★★★ Undead Shadow Mantis]
[Your Undead Shadow Mantis has gained the skill {Shadow Cloak}.]
—
—
[{Shadow Cloak} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 5.2%]
The Shadow Mantis wraps itself in a thin veil of darkness, blending seamlessly into its surroundings. At basic mastery, the skill makes it nearly invisible in low-light environments.
—
Michael was satisfied with the overall evolution of the praying mantis.
At least on the surface, it didn’t look worse than the Spectral Ant.
However, like the previous one, it also needed a field to showcase how useful it was.
Michael had the Shadow Mantis leave the cave and watched in awe as it silently seemed to disappear away from him.
What was impressive was that, though he could see the Shadow Mantis, if not for their shared connection, even with his senses as a Rank 1 Awakener, it would have been hard to pick up its presence at all.
“Yet another odd evolution. Or are all insect monsters this powerful?”
Michael couldn’t help but think.
At Common Rank, these creatures already showed great potential, and Michael couldn’t help but wonder how they’d fare when he evolved them again soon.
“If there’s ever a class that controls insects, like some Insect Master that opposes me, I’m going all out from the start!”
The world was a big place, and the magical world was even bigger.
It was safe to say there was a possibility that some class like that existed.
Michael briefly imagined a swarm of Spectral Ants charging at him, and he couldn’t help but shiver.
With the Praying Mantis out of the way, Michael went for another of his new undead.
[Undead Cricket Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Evolve to Common★★★ for 1 Evolution point?]
‘Yes’
Soon, a new form appeared in front of Michael.
[Undead Armored Cricket Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
—
The Undead Armored Cricket stood at a modest height of around 35 cm (1’1″), but its appearance was anything but modest.
The exoskeleton was a deep, weathered brown with streaks of black and green, providing a natural camouflage in darker environments.
The armor was thicker around its back and legs, giving it a bulky, protective appearance.
Its long hind legs were powerful looking and seemed perfectly built for leaping, with sharp, jagged spikes protruding from the sides, almost like spiked shields.
The forelegs were shorter but thickly muscled, ending in pincers that gave it a predatory look.
A pair of translucent wings were folded against its back and when Michael had it extend them, when extended, the wings spanned about 50 cm (1’7″).
Michael didn’t waste time and then went on to check its new skill.
—
[Your Common★ Undead cricket has evolved to Common★★★ Undead Armoured Cricket]
[Your Undead Armoured Cricket has gained the skill {Echoing Chirp}.]
—
—
[{Echoing Chirp} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 5.2%]
The Armored Cricket emits a high-pitched, resonating sound that creates a disorienting echo in the surrounding area. At basic mastery, this sound lowers enemy accuracy by 15% within a 20-meter radius, making it harder for enemies to land successful attacks. Additionally, physical attacks have a 20% higher chance of landing on disoriented targets.
—
“Good skill!”
Though Michael wasn’t a battle genius, he knew the value of a skill like this if used correctly.
After admiring the Undead Armored Cricket for a bit longer, Michael had it move outside the cave and went on to evolve another undead.
[Undead Blue Morpho Butterfly Lv. 1]
[Rank: Common★]
[Evolve to Common★★★ for 1 Evolution point?]
‘Yes’
A little while later.
[Undead Phantom Morpho Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
“Tsk, quite a sight.”
Michael couldn’t help but feel that his undead army was a little odd.
He had terrifying creatures, yet they also possessed a strange beauty, something not often associated with a Necromancer.
At the beginning of his awakening, he had imagined his days would be spent with skeletal companions.
However, although that wasn’t the case, his undead still had some ferocity to them.
At least until this Phantom Morpho appeared.
It was undeniably beautiful.
The Undead Phantom Morpho was an ethereal creature with transparent wings that shimmer in pale blue hues, resting delicately at its sides. Its sleek, black exoskeleton, with glowing blue accents, contrasts with its dormant form, exuding an eerie beauty.
Though bizarre, and undeniably pretty, perhaps only someone like Michael, whose sense of reality was slowly warping, would sincerely call it beautiful.
It was like looking at a black mamba snake in the eye and calling it cute.