With the disappearance of the level 3 cracks, Michael leveled up to level 18.
From the start of the chaos until now, Michael had leveled up three times. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Should he be glad that he finally found an opportunity to level up as he wanted, or should he feel guilty about the circumstances that allowed it?
For a moment, Michael felt a heavy weight in his chest. However, the feeling was fleeting, and a serious expression soon replaced it.
Michael turned his gaze to the sky. The number of cracks had visibly reduced, and the sky was now clearer and easier to look at.
But the clearer sky didn’t ease Michael’s mood.
This time, it wasn’t about greed or the dwindling number of monsters that would appear. No, it was the level of the monsters that concerned him now.
Level 4 monsters.
In the cultivation power system, every advancement after the third rank was a significant leap—far more so than the ranks before it.
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Michael had only been a supernatural for a few days, so it was hard to claim he knew much. Still, thanks to his occasional browsing of the Supers Association forum, he understood more now than he had pre-awakening.
While the specifics of advancing to rank 4 were still a mystery to him, he knew enough to recognize its significance. The leap from rank 3 to rank 4 was much harder than the previous advancements, which made sense given the massive power difference.
For cultivators, rank 4 granted not just more power but also new abilities like the ability to fly, an extended lifespan, and greater limits.
Michael wasn’t fully aware of all the intricacies, but he understood one thing: the monsters now coming through the cracks were on a whole different level of strength.
Rank 4 monsters corresponded to Rank 2 monsters in the Awakeners’ grading system, which meant a Rank 4 monster started at level 26.
This was a level even Michael had to take seriously.
Why wouldn’t he? He wasn’t remotely qualified to look down on such monsters.
It was also said that the next rank of monsters in the cultivation system, Rank 5, was even stronger. The forum posts he had read didn’t reveal much, but Michael had every reason to believe that a Rank 5 monster matched the strength of a Rank 5 cultivator.
What made things worse was the presence of a level 5 crack above the scattered level 4 cracks.
At a glance, the level 5 crack looked similar in size to the other level 4 cracks. However, Michael knew it wasn’t the same.
He didn’t understand the mechanisms behind the current situation, but the level 5 crack had seemed to remain dormant during the first three waves. Yet, the moment level 4 cracks became clear to the public, the level 5 crack—once emitting the same energy as a level 4 crack—began to widen, releasing chaotic energy that was entirely different from the others.
Michael could see one such crack clearly and faintly sense the aura of two more. This did nothing to ease his growing tension.
Though it seemed there wasn’t a rank higher than level 5 in the current wave, it was important to remember one thing: as the rank of cracks increased, the number of monsters they released decreased.
But it wasn’t just one monster per crack.
So, what would happen if more than one level 5 monster appeared in Woodstone City?
Putting aside whether he had the ability to protect others, Michael wasn’t even sure he’d survive.
Level 5 monsters matched King Rank Cultivators, which happened to align with a Rank 3 Awakener.
Michael wasn’t entirely sure why the system worked this way, but he assumed there must be some truth to it. As an Awakener himself, he could only imagine the strength of a Rank 3 Awakener. For a cultivator to be compared to that rank—and for a monster to match such power—only emphasized how terrifying such creatures would be.
This was why Michael wore a grim expression.
Unfortunately, the energy emitted by the level 5 cracks only became distinct after the level 3 cracks had disappeared.
If Michael had been aware of a level 5 crack’s presence from the beginning of the chaos, he would have chosen a different approach rather than simply standing guard over his community.
“Does the Association have anyone who can handle a level 5 crack?” he wondered aloud, though his expectations were low.
He doubted the Federation lacked King Rank Cultivators altogether, but this wasn’t the Federation—it was Woodstone City. A city that didn’t even attract many supernaturals in the first place.
Even if there was a King Rank Cultivator here, one or two wouldn’t be enough.
Michael’s mind was in disarray. He couldn’t understand how a level 5 crack could have appeared so suddenly.
Though he had a theory.
Perhaps these weren’t actual level 5 cracks at the start. Perhaps, due to some unknown factor, level 4 cracks had mutated into level 5 cracks.
Michael suspected this because, while the level 5 crack was tinted red and emanated chaotic energy, showing it was nearing a break, it didn’t seem like it would erupt immediately.
Even as an amateur in such matters, Michael was confident the crack wouldn’t release its monsters for at least another three hours.
With that small window, there was still time to make preparations.
For now, he turned his attention back to the level 4 cracks. Those needed to be dealt with first.
Since the situation demanded seriousness, Michael immediately stretched out his hands, summoning the two undead who had been left out of the previous waves.
These two had missed out on the fun of clearing the earlier three waves, losing potential experience points in the process. However, had he brought them out from the start, it was hard to say who would have caused more destruction—the undead brothers or the crack monsters.
There was another reason Michael had held them back: the rest of his undead needed to remain close to their current levels, not just grow stronger.
He hadn’t forgotten his experiment with Prince.
The stronger the undead before evolving, the stronger it became after evolution—at least in terms of levels.
This was why, despite Lucky being of a higher race rank than Prince, they were both at the same level. Prince had evolved into a three-star rare-rank undead at a higher level, while Lucky had reached a similar rank at only level 11.