Michael was still in the outer city.
Though he had only spent a short time in the inner city, he found himself more comfortable with the outer district’s lively atmosphere.
Perhaps it was the energy—the constant movement and noise—that reminded him of his original world.
Of course, that wasn’t to say he disliked the inner city.
Its peaceful environment and aesthetically pleasing surroundings were just as appealing in their own way.
In the end, he didn’t have a strong preference.
He could live in either place without issue.
The differences in his feelings toward both areas were minor enough to ignore.
In the wooden tub he lay in, Michael thought back to everything that had happened during the day.
“Killing humans isn’t so rewarding if you take away acquiring their corpses,” he muttered to himself.
The experience points he had gained from the bandits were underwhelming.
If he compared it to the monsters he had killed before, the rate was only slightly better than that of a goblin.
Even after killing dozens—most of whom had fallen to his undead rather than his own hands—he had barely gained anything.
His undead, who now stood outside the inn like silent sentries, also saw no significant boost in accumulated experience.
So why hadn’t he bothered taking the bandits’ corpses if that was their most valuable aspect?
The reason was simple.
They were too ordinary.
The four human undead he already had were at least knight apprentices, each possessing some level of skill.
In contrast, the bandits had been weak, untrained, and unremarkable.
Somewhere along the way, Michael had become picky.
Maybe it was because of his limited contract slots.
The idea of human evolution intrigued him, but he doubted it would change the mediocrity of the bandits.
If given the choice, he would rather revive a dead doctor than a common thug.
At least a doctor came with useful skills that could be leveled up.
A bandit was a gamble, and not one worth taking.
Evolving humans didn’t grant them new skills—only raw strength.
Even if they retained intelligence and could learn, it would take time.
A revived doctor, on the other hand, would have something valuable to contribute from the start.
Of course, this was just an excuse.
But it wasn’t entirely wrong.Michael just didn’t like the idea of keeping a bandit’s corpse to revive later.
“At least the quest was quite rewarding,” he muttered.
Even if it meant missing out on a potential corpse, he didn’t consider it a loss. Completing the quest he received from the Hunter Guild had earned him 2,500 experience points. On top of that, his excellent rating for finishing the job in under two days had granted him an additional 1,500 points.
A total of 4,000 experience points.
Even to Michael, that was a significant sum—many times higher than the pitiful amount he had gained from actually killing the bandits.
“I need to complete more tasks from the Hunter Guild,” he mused. “With the quest system, if I take on more jobs and complete them, plus whatever I earn from the hunts themselves, I should be able to level up soon. And after that, leveling should become even faster.”
His eyes lit up at the thought.
“I wonder if the Hunter Guild is still open.”
He made a mental note to head there once he was done.
“I should also take higher-tier tasks to increase my hunter level. That way, I can get access to better quests.”
It was a cycle—one that would feed into itself. But if it meant more rewards, Michael had no complaints.
This was why Awakeners loved the Land of Origin in the first place.
It gave goodies.
Just as Michael was about to get out of the tub, a knock came from the door.
“Lord,” a voice called from outside.
Michael recognized it instantly. Ace and Lia.
“Come in,” he said. “Drop the clothes and wait for me in the bar downstairs.”
The door opened briefly as the two entered, placed the neatly folded clothes on the small table beside the bed, and then left without another word.
Michael took his time drying off before changing into the fresh set of clothes.
Fortunately, they fit well enough, though they were a bit loose.
The two youths seemed honest, and the material of the clothes was on the higher end—better than he had expected.
As always, even such a simple outfit made him look noble.
Not that Michael himself noticed.
With everything settled, he grabbed his belongings and stepped out, making his way downstairs to the bar.
Michael spotted Ace and Lia as soon as he entered the bar.
They sat at a corner table, looking a bit out of place among the rowdy patrons, but they straightened up as soon as they saw him approaching.
Without a word, Michael reached into his rob and pulled out one of the last silvers he had, tossing it toward Ace.
The young man caught it instinctively.
“Use that to rent a room for the two of you,” Michael said.
Ace hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lia before nodding. “Understood, Lord.”
“The inn here is full,” Lia added cautiously. “We’ll have to find a place outside.”
“Then go,” Michael replied simply.
The two exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.
They had expected to serve Michael, maybe be sent on errands, but this… this level of trust caught them off guard.
In fact, ever since they started serving him, they didn’t know how to feel.
They weren’t foolish enough to run, of course. Even if they had wanted to, they weren’t sure if they could.
And yet, they still couldn’t understand—why was Michael so trusting of them?
Was it because he saw it beneath him to worry about them? Or because he knew they wouldn’t dare to run away?
Michael didn’t care about their internal conflict because he didn’t know.
In fact even if he knew, he still wouldn’t care.
Whether they ran or stayed didn’t matter much to him.
If they ran, he wouldn’t bother chasing them.
If they stayed, then they were at least smart enough to recognize that sticking with him was the better option.
At least by working for him they could eat and earn at the same time even after what they had attempted on him.
