The skills of the Undead Phantom Morpho were quite interesting in Michael’s opinion.
The undead phantom had gained two with its evolution.
The first skill.
[{Illusory Mirage} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 6.3%]
Creates multiple shimmering duplicates of itself to confuse enemies. At basic mastery, the illusions move erratically but fade upon contact, making it harder for foes to pinpoint the real creature.
“A doppelgänger skill?” Michael mused.
He refrained from calling it a clone skill, as the ability seemed incapable of physical attacks—at least at its current mastery.
“Use {Illusory Mirage},” Michael commanded the Undead Phantom Morpho.
The previously motionless undead began to stir, its large wings fluttering gently as a thick mist enveloped the area.
The surroundings grew distorted, giving an eerie, surreal atmosphere.
Suddenly, Michael ‘saw’ the Morpho’s body dissolve into mist before him and disappeared.
However, his senses told a different story.
The undead phantom Morpho hadn’t moved at all.
“It’s probably weak because I’m much stronger, but even new official cultivators might struggle against this,” Michael murmured, impressed.
The evolution of insects in the magical world mirrored their vast potential in reality.
Yet, their deviousness caught Michael’s attention.
Though he still had the Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar to evolve, he doubted it would be any less cunning than the others.
Perhaps it was because living dead creatures seemed to have an affinity for darkness, adapting to it remarkably well.
Michael liked their sinister evolution, though.
In his opinion, it created more flexibility.
However, though he liked the evolution of the insects quite much, he was a Necromancer, not an insect master—if such a class even existed.
For now, Michael refrained from pushing the Morpho’s mirage abilities to their limits.
Its current rank and mana purity made its illusions ineffective against someone like him.
It would shine at higher ranks with a higher level.
With that, Michael moved on to inspect the second skill the Morpho had gained.
[{Shifting Form} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 6.8%]
The Undead Phantom Morpho can alter its size, amplifying the range and power of certain skills through expansion.
This was yet another skill that caught Michael’s interest.
In truth, all the skills he had observed over the past few minutes intrigued him, and this one was no exception.
Without dwelling on the potential size of the undead phantom, he gave a simple command.
“Shrink to the smallest possible size.”
As the surrounding mist dissipated, Michael felt the undead Phantom Morpho’s presence diminish through his senses.
When the mist fully cleared, he could see its new form—a beautiful, normal-sized version of itself.
Hovering gracefully mid-air, it looked like one of the most stunning creatures Michael had ever seen.
Yet, it gave an unsettling impression, as though it would vanish the moment one looked away.
Michael commanded the now-tiny Morpho to rest on his shoulder.
With a sidelong glance, he remarked, “Even if I can’t get you into the Netherworld, you’re probably the easiest undead to transport between realms like this.”
After a brief pause, he added, “Since that’s the case, I might as well give you a name. Your wings are blue, and you’re as beautiful as the color blue—I’ll call you Blue.”
What Michael didn’t mention was that Blue was a conveniently unisex name, just in case his undead developed some sort of obvious gender after future evolutions.
With Blue’s evolution complete, only the caterpillar remained.
Seeing as it was the largest of his insect undead, Michael decided it would be better to evolve it outside, just in case something unexpected happened.
Heading to an open area in the forest, Michael immediately used {Undead Revival} on the Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar.
As he partly expected, it succeeded on the first try.
Without hesitation, he initiated its evolution.
A while later, the process was complete, though the result wasn’t what Michael had envisioned.
“A moth?” he muttered, surprised.
Then again, given that it had started as a caterpillar, it made a certain kind of sense.
[Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth also had quite a huge appearance.
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar had evolved into a large, elegant moth with striking wings resembling the intricate patterns of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. Its wings now shimmer with dark, iridescent blues and purples that resemble shadowy, fragmented glass.
The body of the moth is long and sleek, with a shadowy, almost ethereal quality to it. Its abdomen is armored with faint, skeletal plating, and its antennae are sharp, flicking with an unsettling motion.
Its Size was 1.5 meters (4’11”) wingspan when stretched.
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth also had its own set of interesting skills.
[{Illusive Flight} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 12%]
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth can create a deceptive illusion of multiple moths during flight, capable of causing mass confusion.
[{Venomous Dust} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 9%]
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth can release a cloud of toxic dust from its wings that lingers in the air for a short period. At basic mastery, the poison is relatively weak but still capable of numbing limbs and disorienting enemies who inhale it. Prolonged exposure can result in mild paralysis and dizziness.
[{Shifting Form} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 6.8%]
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth can alter its size, amplifying the range and power of certain skills through expansion.
The Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth was clearly another illusory-type creature, similar to the Undead Phantom Morpho, with little to no direct combat power.
“I wonder if using them together could create some unexpected synergy?” Michael mused.
With the evolution of the Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar complete, he was finally done filling his experimental contract slots.
Now, it was time to focus on other tasks, such as filling his remaining contract slots and, perhaps, dressing up his naked orcs.
—
A/N: Regarding editing: like some of you pointed out, my editor agrees the earlier chapters could use polishing. It won’t be an easy process but we’re actively working on improving them and the chapters to come in the future. Thank you for your patience and support!