Still, none of that mattered now.
What mattered was that it was over.
And even more importantly… the lingering suspicion that his talent—his power—might work on more than just undead sent a wave of indescribable emotion crashing through him.
Slowly, like someone emerging from a dream, Michael raised his head.
Around him, his undead stood in perfect silence.
Not a groan, not a shuffle—just silent vigilance.
They were intelligent enough to mimic concern… and right now, every single one of them looked like they were holding their breath.
Michael forced himself to speak. His throat burned.
“I’m… okay.”
The moment he spoke, a shift passed through the group. Subtle, but there.
Muscles relaxed. Claws lowered.
Even the tension in the air seemed to lessen.
Michael pushed himself upright.
Every joint protested, but his strength returned quickly—far faster than before.
The sharp ache dulled almost instantly, replaced by a strange, calm warmth radiating through his limbs.
Then he noticed it.
His hand—pale, smooth, almost ethereal.
“What the hell…?” he muttered.
Standing fully now, he took a proper look at himself.
His robe, as expected, was torn and hanging in strips, but what drew his eyes was his skin.
Fair. Almost pale to the point of porcelain. Not sickly, but pristine—too clean, too perfect.
His gaze moved to his hair. A strand hung near his chest. He grabbed it, lifting it up with disbelief.
It had grown. Significantly.
Now, it nearly reached his waist. A tug revealed it stretched even farther—nearly to his butt.
Silky, midnight black, and unnaturally smooth, it shimmered faintly in the fading light.
“Great,” he muttered dryly, brushing it behind an ear. “Now I look like some ancient elf prince.”
His body felt different too.
Not bulkier—leaner. His build was still tall, roughly six feet, but now it was sculpted. Toned. Slender like a blade rather than a hammer.
He looked… elegant.
Even his posture felt more balanced. More precise.
This were changed he hadn’t noticed when Spartan evolved.
This once again proved an undead was different from the living.
Michael reached out with his senses—and the first thing he noticed was the mana.
It surged within him like a tidal wave barely restrained.
The sensation was intoxicating.
Michael took a breath, and the air around him seemed to hum.
His mana pool had expanded drastically, and more than that—its quality had changed. It felt denser now, richer.
If before it had been like crude oil, now it was like refined essence—potent and alive.
One should know awakeners had very pure mana. Something purer was amazing concept.
And his body—gods, his body was something else entirely.
Michael took a tentative step forward and blinked in surprise when the ground beneath his foot cracked slightly.
He tried again, this time planting his foot with just a bit more force.
Boom.
A shallow crater formed.
“…Seriously?”
Doesn’t this seem a bit exaggerated?
Spartan had evolved to an high human too but though at a weaker level, Michael couldn’t help but suspect his evolution seemed to be stronger.
Michael looked down at his foot, then back at the ground with an incredulous frown. He wasn’t even trying. Yet his strength was absurd.
“Shit,” he whispered.
Michael finally exhaled.
“…I’m different now.”
And he was. In more ways than one.
But what, exactly, had he become?
There was only one direct way to find out.
Michael turned his attention to the notifications that had appeared after his evolution.
[Michael Norman has evolved and advanced into a High Human.]
[You have grown significantly stronger.]
[Your affinity with your elements has increased significantly.]
[Your Strength has been significantly enhanced.]
[Your Agility has been significantly enhanced.]
[Your Constitution has been significantly enhanced.]
[Your Intelligence has been significantly enhanced.]
‘Status.’
*****
[ Name: Michael Norman ]
[ Class: Adept Necromancer ]
[ Level: 20 ]
[ EXP: 86,718/134,551 ]
[Strength: 23.75]
[Agility: 35.51]
[Constitution: 34.12]
[Intelligence: 153.00]
[ Attribute Points: 0 ]
[ Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect, Basic Shot, Share Senses, Spearmanship, Acid Shot, Bone Spear, Slow Curse, Blind Curse, Bone Armour, Corpse Explosion, Acid Ball, Mana Arrow, Death Ray, Basic Martial Art]
[ Talent: Infinite Evolution ]
[ Class Skill: Contract Slot {50/100} ]
[ Gift: Mark of Origin ]
*******
“Wait, something is wrong,” a frown immediately appeared on Michael’s face.
As he opened his status, he had expected to see something that would take his breath away based on the notifications and the feeling of strength he currently felt in his body.
But what was this?
What was this he was met with after opening his status?
What were these stats?
Why had his stats reduced by half?
Michael would have panicked had he seen this before evolving, but the situation was only confusing, not worrying.
This was because the feeling of strength in his body was not fake.
It was as genuine as it could get.
Just as he was deep in thought, a realization hit him.
“I’m no longer human.”
Had someone from his world heard this, it would have sounded creepy.
However, this was indeed the key to understanding Michael’s situation.
He was no longer human.
He was now a High Human—a race that should be above normal humans.
It was important to remember that there were two factors that affected one’s stats as they leveled up.
Class and race.
The better or more unique the class, the more advantages it likely granted to the Awakened’s stats.
Stats points were indicators of one’s strength within their race.
For example.
One point in strength for a human was one point in strength for a human.
Two points in strength for a human meant that the human was twice as strong as the average human.
The same applied to other races. For elves,
One point in strength for an elf was one point in strength for an elf.
Two points in strength for an elf meant that the elf was twice as strong as the average elf.
If human stats were used as the general indicator for all Awakeners, a stronger race would have more points in their stats, since they represented how strong they were compared to other humans, not compared to their own race.
Right now, though, it looked like Michael’s stats had been reduced, but that wasn’t the case.
He no longer used a human indicator.
He was a High Human now, and his stats reflected his strength as a High Human instead.