“Those… your people… what… who… are they?”
The elderly man, who was the first person to speak with Michael after the initial wave, asked cautiously, each word carefully chosen.
Michael found the effort mildly amusing, but couldn’t also help feel a growing respect for the old man.
Though Michael didn’t know how cultivators aged, he suspected that this man was far older than he looked—and he already appeared ancient.
“They’re my people…” Michael replied after a pause.
He’d initially considered saying ‘undead,’ but the term felt too loaded, especially for ordinary people whose first encounter with the supernatural might have been this very event.
Michael wouldn’t assume that the man’s status as a knight meant he was well-versed in the intricacies of the supernatural world.
If it had been just his undead wolves and the blue ape, Michael wouldn’t have hesitated to be honest.
But the orcs complicated things.
The female orcs, unarmored unlike their male counterparts, had humanoid appearance, and could almost pass for human aside from their greenish grey skin and unusual hair.
The male orcs, clad in heavy armor, looked imposing but not monstrous.
Calling them undead might lead people to assume he had killed humans to raise them—a conclusion that wasn’t hard for one to jump upon.
The human mind was remarkable in its ability to twist facts to fit a narrative.
Michael recalled how one of his friends back on Earth had broken up with his girlfriend over a misunderstanding.
She accused him of cheating simply because he hadn’t replied to her messages one night. The truth? He had fallen asleep.
Though everyone knew the truth—the argument she presented made her perspective seem almost logical.
They eventually reconciled and even married, but the incident left a lasting impression on Michael.
Later, it came to light that she’d been tired of his friend’s almost nonchalant attitude and wanted to test if he cared enough to fight for her.
Women.
Well, both sides had been toxic in their own rights.
Michael saw that the old man was about to speak again, but knowing there wasn’t much time left, he cut him off.
“Those monsters will be coming here any minute now. Please, get inside.”
The old man hesitated for a moment, his wary gaze fixed on the sky before he finally nodded and retreated into one of the vine dome shelters Michael’s undead had constructed.
Inside the makeshift sanctuary, fear was palpable among the cramped and anxious survivors.
To Michael’s surprise, a significant portion of the community—48 people—had chosen to place their trust in him.
Despite the chaos and bloodshed, 48 people had opted to stay within the protective range of his undead.
This was in stark contrast to the remaining survivors, who either stayed barricaded in their homes, convinced that they were safer there, or had other reasons that Michael didn’t care to ponder.
As expected, the supernaturals who had helped earlier had wisely decided to sit out the next round.
Their senses, though less refined than Michael’s, were still sharp enough to feel the rising tension in the air.
The chaotic energy in the sky didn’t need to announce itself for them to realize that what had nearly killed them earlier had merely been a prelude.
In the end, Michael stood alone with his undead, surrounded by a community that was now a battlefield littered with blood, corpses—both human and monster—and the frightened whispers of those hoping for salvation.
“It’s going to break any minute now,” Michael muttered, his sharp gaze locked on the cracks spreading through the sky.
“Though I doubt the second wave will be anything but overwhelmingly strong, I can’t afford to let my guard down. Monsters are flooding the city, and I doubt most areas have anyone capable enough to deal with them.”
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, conjuring grim images of the devastation outside the community gates.
Perhaps beyond these community walls lay the true apocalypse.
Taking a look around, Michael surveyed his surroundings for one last time.
The vine domes stood firm, each sheltering at least 15 people. His apartment building, now sealed off completely, housed his family, guarded vigilantly by his undead.
As for those still hiding in their homes, Michael was also prepared to protect them if possible. But if he couldn’t… well, there wasn’t much he could do.
At least now, with fewer people in the open, he could fight with complete focus.
“This chaos should be enough to help me level up a few times, right?” Michael thought, a glimmer of excitement crossing his eyes.
He didn’t even have time to open his status panel before the first round of monsters descended.
Unlike before, these creatures didn’t crash to their deaths or easily wound themselves upon impact.
They were also unfamiliar to Michael, but all of them appeared to be of the same type.
—
[ Rock Scorpion Lv 12 ]
[ Rank: Common★★ ]
—
[ Rock Scorpion Lv 14 ]
[ Rank: Common★★★ ]
—
The Rock Scorpions were all Rank 1 creatures, typically requiring the power of a Rank 2 cultivator to handle. Experience more tales on empire
However, that was for cultivators. For Michael and his undead, these scorpions—despite their size—were little more than oversized targets.
Bang!
One of the male orcs wielding a Titan Wrath Hammer launched the first attack, striking as soon as the monsters appeared.
The hammer’s shockwave effect bypassed the scorpion’s thick exoskeleton, shattering its defense and killing it instantly.
While the orc could have achieved a similar outcome with its strength alone, the hammer had significantly enhanced the damage.
More notifications of monsters falling at the hands of his undead flashed before Michael’s eyes, but he ignored them and instead chose to join the action himself.
Though the scorpions’ rocky defenses were formidable against regular supernaturals, they were no match for Michael.
With the spear in hand, he fought precisely, dealing damage just as effectively as his undead, slicing through the monsters with deadly accuracy and reducing them to pieces.
“A few more, and I’ll be able to level up,” Michael muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning for his next target.
While Michael fought for experience points and ensured the safety of the people in his community, the rest of the city was engulfed in its own battles.