Michael stood in the middle of the newly furnished living room, admiring the results of a full day’s work.
The stone walls had been scrubbed and polished, the wooden floors swept clean, and new furniture—a few comfortable chairs, a sturdy table, and a cozy rug—had been placed to give the house warmth and character.
Even the kitchen had been outfitted with more efficient tools, and a well-built hearth now provided warmth, which would be especially comforting on cold nights.
The evening sun filtered in through the tall windows, casting a golden glow over the room.
Lia, having finished his last bit of organizing, stood in the doorway of one of the guest rooms, his sharp gaze taking in the progress. “The repairs are holding up well, my lord. Just a few final touches left.”
Michael nodded, his hand brushing against the cool surface of the wooden table. He could still hear the sound of tools and the chatter from the workers he had hired earlier that day.
They were still finishing the final touches in the courtyard, planting a few more herbs and setting up proper lighting along the stone path leading to the back entrance.
Ace stepped into the room, a satisfied grin on his face. “Everything’s in order, my lord. The place is secure. A few more days, and we’ll have the last of the repairs done. After that, it’ll be just a matter of keeping things tidy.”
Michael glanced at both of them, a sense of fulfillment settling in. They had worked tirelessly, and so had the hired help.
“I’m glad to hear that. You both did well today,” Michael said, his voice quiet as he looked out the window at the fading sunlight.
“You two should supervise the house. I’ll be gone for a while, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll meet you here tonight. And as I mentioned before, get yourselves some new clothes that reflect well on my image.”
The two were a little overwhelmed by the sudden instructions.
When Michael mentioned he was leaving, they were curious about where he was headed, but neither dared to ask.
“Yes, my lord,” they replied in unison.
Without wasting any time, Michael left his residence and headed out of the capital.
His steps were quick and purposeful, leading him toward the wilderness he had flown over the last time.
Once there, he summoned his griffin from his storage space and mounted it. With practiced ease, he took to the skies again.
As the griffin soared through the air, Michael’s mind was deep in thought. His eyes scanned the land below, a contemplative expression on his face.
“Where should I go now?” he wondered aloud, his gaze drifting toward the horizon.
“The previous place… seems like a good option to revisit.”
But where exactly was Michael heading—and why?
As the sky darkened over the land of origin, Michael felt the familiar surge of energy as his evolution points refreshed.
Michael now had 101 evolution points—a significant amount. It could do a lot for his undead.
But that wasn’t the reason for his journey today.
Michael wasn’t planning to use the points on his undead. This time, it was for something more personal.
It was finally time to use his talent on himself.
The griffin soared higher into the sky, and Michael’s thoughts settled.
The weight of the decision was pressing, yet exciting.
He had waited for this moment, one where his evolution points could be used for a transformation that would benefit him directly.
After all, he had long relied on his undead to handle the heavy lifting.
Now, it was time to shift the focus to his own growth.
However, Michael still harbored doubts about evolving himself.
He wasn’t opposed to the idea, but there was a lingering fear. It wasn’t only about the fear of something going wrong—it was the fear of the pain that came with evolution.
After all, everything he had evolved so far were undead, and each one of them had experienced pain.
Undead feeling pain.
A pain that could actually be felt by beings who were meant to be immune to it.
The thought of that was unsettling.
It must have been something truly extraordinary.
As the griffin’s wings beat steadily, Michael’s fingers flexed in anticipation.
The land stretched beneath him, a mix of rugged terrain and dense forest.
Soon, the open grassland came into view—vast, quiet, and undisturbed.
This was the very place where Lucky, Prince, and Spartan had once clashed in battle.
The ground had been scarred then, torn by magic and claw and fury. But now, thanks to Lucky’s nature magic that had been unleashed after the fight, the land had healed almost completely.
It looked almost identical to how it had been when Michael first stumbled upon it.
But none of that mattered to Michael right now.
His griffin landed smoothly on the soft earth, its wings folding in as Michael dismounted.
He took a moment to stretch his limbs, his boots pressing into the grass, and gazed across the quiet field.
This was as good a place as any.
No prying eyes. No distractions. Just silence.
Michael stepped to the center of the field.
He exhaled slowly.
Then, with a thought, he summoned his system panel.
> [Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Available Points: 101]
[Target: Michael Norman]
Michael stared at the glowing prompt in the air before him.
His fingers curled slightly at his sides.
However, Michael did not immediately choose to evolve himself.
Before that, there was still something he needed to do.
With a sweep of his hand through the air, space shimmered before him.
From his storage space, Spartan emerged.
Then, with another command, Michael summoned Lucky and Prince.
A pulse of darkish green light spread outward, and the two figures materialized in flashes of magic.
It was Lucky and Prince.
The grass trembled beneath them, the magic still lingering in the air from their summoning.
Michael didn’t stop there.
He raised his hand again.
“{Undead Summoning}”
And again.
“{Undead Summoning}”