The ground was torn apart, blackened by flames and gouged by claw marks.
Chunks of broken earth and shattered vines littered the field.
And at the center of the destruction—
Lucky stood victorious.
Its thick, stone-like fur was burned in places, deep gashes running across its form where the Undead High Human had landed blows. But despite the injuries, it stood firm, its thorned mane writhing lazily.
The Undead High Human, on the other hand, was trapped.
Its body was completely ensnared by Lucky’s vines.
Thick vines wrapped around its limbs, chest, and neck, pinning it against the broken earth. The more it struggled, the tighter they coiled, trapping its strength little by little.
Michael watched from above, arms crossed.
His undead had fought well—exceptionally well.
Both had shower prowess befitting an extraordinary rank creature.
If before he suspected the high human couldn’t be compared to an extraordinary rank creature, now he did.
Yet in the end, Lucky had outlasted it.
From below, the Undead High Human’s eyes remained. It had long since stopped struggling. Instead, it simply lay there, staring up at the sky.
Michael descended slowly, landing beside them.
“…You did well.”
His voice carried neither disappointment nor scorn. If anything, there was happiness in his tone.
The Undead High Human turned its head toward him, then back to Lucky, still bound.
After a long silence, it finally spoke.
“…I lost.”
Michael nodded.
“Yeah.”
Michael felt a wave of emotions that felt confusing to the undead coming to him.
“I do not like this feeling, Master.”
Michael figured.
He was starting to like this undead—not just for its strength, but for the way it acted like a living being.
It really made him happy.
And he couldn’t help but fantasize about the future.
Not all his undead—no, not all, he corrected himself, thinking about his special ones like the Spectral Ant. But if most of them could speak? If they could express themselves like this one?
It was an exciting thought.
He didn’t think it would cause any issues.
After all, his undead existed solely because of the contract they shared. They would never betray him. That was what mattered.
Michael chuckled, shaking his head.
“Then don’t lose next time.”
He said to the undead.
At that, the undead’s fingers twitched, as if engraving those words into its very being.
Michael glanced at Lucky.
“Let it go.”
With a low growl, the massive beast complied.
The vines loosened, slithering away like retreating serpents.
The Undead High Human slowly sat up, inspecting its arms and legs, as if confirming that they still worked properly.
Michael grinned.
“This was a good fight.”
He had learned something.
His Undead High Human was already absurdly strong. Even though it lost to Lucky, Michael didn’t believe that would be the case against every other Extraordinary Rank creature.
After all, even within the same rank, there were strong and weak ones.
Like how slimes and goblins were both common Rank, yet different in strength.
Of course, it was also possible that Lucky was on the weaker end of its rank… but that felt like a stretch.
The Extraordinary Rank was undeniably powerful, but it hadn’t given Michael the overwhelming sense of transformation he’d expected from a leap in strength.
As for his Undead High Human…
The more Michael looked at it, the more satisfied he became.
Still, he didn’t immediately dismiss the two undead.
Instead, he turned his attention to his surroundings.
The place was unrecognizable.
What had once been a small, tranquil forest was now a scarred wasteland.
The ground was torn apart, gouged with deep claw marks and craters left by explosive magic. Patches of earth were blackened by flames, some areas still smoldering, sending thin wisps of smoke curling into the air.
Shattered vines and splintered trees littered the area, their remains scattered like the aftermath of a storm. Broken trunks jutted out from the ground at awkward angles, and some still had Lucky’s thorned vines wrapped around them, half-torn, half-burned.
Michael’s gaze swept across the devastation.
“…Did I mess up by fighting here?”
The question came unbidden, but he already knew the answer.
There was no hiding what had happened here. Anyone passing by would immediately notice that a battle of monstrous scale had taken place.
For a brief moment, Michael considered just leaving it as it was.
It wasn’t like anyone would link it to him directly.
But—
He sighed. No. That wasn’t a good idea.
At the very least, he should cover his tracks.
Michael was about to start thinking of a way to do so when something clicked in his mind.
Lucky.
His gaze shifted to the massive beast, his lips twitching.
“…I almost forgot.”
Among Lucky’s abilities was something that could help with this exact situation.
[Venomthorn Ravager Lv. 25 (MAX)]
[Name: Lucky.]
[EXP: 978,789 / 1,021,752]
[Rank: Extraordinary★]
[Skills: Bite, Plant Control (Advanced Mastery), Poison (Advanced Mastery), Viral Growth (Basic Mastery), Toxic Resurgence (Basic Mastery)]
[Master: Michael Norman]
Yet another creature close to advancing.
“Truly one with poison, aren’t we, Lucky?”
The edge of Michael’s lips twitched as he glanced at his undead’s status.
However, the full status screen wasn’t his focus.
It was the skills—or rather, one skill in particular.
The one that both Lucky and Prince relied on the most.
{Plant Control}.
[{Plant Control} (Advanced Mastery) | Proficiency: 62.5%]
At Advanced Mastery, Plant Control evolves into a highly versatile ability, granting enhanced range, precision, and manipulation.
Current Effects at Advanced Mastery:
Extended Range: The ability’s range increases to 300 meters, enabling control over plant life across a much larger area.
Growth Acceleration: Plants can grow to full maturity within seconds, allowing the user to summon massive vines, trees, or thorny barricades for combat or defense.
Complex Manipulation: Allows for intricate movements such as forming weapons (e.g., vine whips or spear-like branches) or creating traps (e.g., snaring enemies with roots).
Life Force Drain: Certain controlled plants can drain the vitality of enemies, restoring a small portion of the user’s mana or stamina with each successful attack.
—