Michael had Lucky clean up the mess.
Unlike the first time, when the surroundings still resembled their original state, this time—along with the previous accumulation—it was clear things had changed.
But Michael didn’t really care much.
It had happened, and it had happened.
In a few thousand miles, there was no one around to notice what had occurred here, except by chance.
In fact, Michael had already decided that this would be his base of operations for certain tasks he couldn’t handle near the public.
It was a perfect spot.
As for his appearance, Michael cleaned himself up with some of the wipes he’d brought for his undead when he first clothed them.
After removing the dirt, he donned the first robe he’d acquired in this world—the one he had gotten from the Mayor.
“I should really get more clothes… and armor too, if possible. I wonder if the association has my order ready.”
Michael couldn’t help but wonder as he dressed.
Once done, he dismissed all his remaining undead except for the undead griffin.
Climbing onto the griffin’s back, Michael took to the skies and headed for the capital.
With experience, he approached the capital gates with calm and ease.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was for the guards to bow when they saw him and grant him access without needing a token.
“Seems like I’m a recognized figure now.”
Michael figured it was likely due to the grand mage token in his hand.
It could only be because of that.
Still, Michael didn’t pay much attention to it and made his way home.
Yes. Home.
It wasn’t an inn this time.
Michael arrived at the Silver District, the area far quieter than the bustling streets near the market.
The buildings gleamed under the moonlight, and the clean streets reflected the glow from the windows of the homes that lined them.
As he approached his house, Michael could tell the inside was lit—his eyes caught the warm light streaming through the windows, casting long shadows on the ground outside.
He stood before the door and knocked softly.
The sound echoed faintly in the quiet night.
Inside, the shuffle of movement followed almost immediately.
“Who’s there?”
A familiar voice called from the other side of the door.
It was Ace.
“It’s me. Open the door.”
Michael replied simply.
The door creaked open immediately.
As the door swung open, Michael saw Ace standing there, bowing respectfully in greeting.
It was the same gesture Michael had become accustomed to, but something about it felt slightly different today.
Natural, perhaps, or maybe more… deliberate. He couldn’t quite place it.
“Welcome back, My Lord,” Ace greeted.
Michael nodded and stepped inside, his gaze naturally shifting to Lia, who was standing near the corner of the room. He, too, offered a respectful greeting, but his demeanor seemed subtly odd.
The quiet tension in the room made Michael pause for a moment, as if something was slightly off. It wasn’t overt, but it was there—something intangible.
He couldn’t help but wonder if something had changed, or if it was just his own heightened awareness after everything that had happened.
Still, he dismissed the thought for now and let it go, focusing instead on the familiar surroundings of his home.
His eyes lingered on the interior. The mess from before had been thoroughly cleaned up, and it was clear that the space had taken on a more lived-in feel.He then turned to look at the two.
They appeared cleaner than before—neater, more presentable.
Smelled better too.
Not that it was anything odd.
Michael’s senses were simply sharp, and it was clear the two had just bathed.
Evidently, they had followed his instructions.
He only asked them a few brief questions before making his way upstairs to his room.
Ace and Lia silently watched as Michael ascended the stairs, disappearing from view.
Just as Michael suspected, something was indeed different with the two.
For Ace, he had begun to genuinely enjoy his current life.
For Lia, though he didn’t want to admit it, the thought of returning to the streets left him conflicted.
He felt ashamed of himself—this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
He was supposed to hate nobles, not grow comfortable under one.
And yet… here he was.
These emotions stirred a storm of thoughts within him, confusing and tangled.
He didn’t know what to feel or what to think.
Still, just like Ace, Lia had subconsciously accepted his role as a subordinate under Michael.
Michael, on the other hand, was unaware of this change.
He simply made his way to the master bedroom and lay on the bed.
For now, he was done with matters concerning the Land of Origin.
It was time to focus on the real world.
Why?
Because he was finally leaving Woodstone.
He had already instructed the two downstairs not to disturb him for the next few hours—if he needed them, he’d reach out.
With that, Michael closed his eyes and connected his consciousness to the Land of Origin.
However, Michael hadn’t expected the sight that met him upon opening his eyes.
First, there were a lot of eyes locked onto him.
Second, he seemed to be in a…forest?
And third—
“Teacher Brian?” he muttered in surprise.
Brian’s lips twitched at the greeting.
Contrary to what Michael had assumed, Brian hadn’t actually left the city.
He had been occupied—cleaning up the aftermath left by the demonic supernaturals and sealing the cracks that had appeared above the city. It had kept him extremely busy.
But just when he thought he could finally rest, a sudden wave of mana erupted from somewhere within the city.
Not just any wave—it felt like a bomb, on the verge of exploding.
Naturally, Brian rushed to the scene… only to find a familiar face at the center of it all.
“What did you do in that place, boy?” Brian asked, half-scolding, half-incredulous.
“Have you finally advanced? Even so, isn’t this a bit too exaggerated? And why the hell would you choose to advance in the middle of ordinary people?”
“Advance?” Michael blinked in confusion, then instinctively glanced down at his body.
This feeling…
This strength… it felt familiar.
“Wait—?!”
Michael’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t advanced—at least not officially—but he had grown stronger.
His mind flashed back to the chaos that occurred the last time he evolved.
Could it be… the same thing had just happened?
Before he could fully piece it together, a voice rang out—calm, clear, and soothing.
“Don’t worry. Nobody got hurt.”
It sounded like it came from the heavens themselves.
Michael forcefully calmed himself down.
Michael turned his head slowly, scanning his surroundings.
He was indeed in the forest, surrounded by thick foliage and swaying treetops.
But what caught his attention next made his brows furrow in confusion.
There were others around him.
Not people… but his undead.
“What…?” Michael muttered, looking toward Brian for an explanation.
Brian crossed his arms and let out a long breath.
“You tell me. You’re the one who started glowing like a divine artifact,” he said calmly.
Michael blinked. “Glowing?”
Brian nodded. “Seems like it.”
Michael scratched his head, still processing everything.
Though Brian had only said a little, Michael could already confirm that his evolution in the Land of Origin had caused a scene in Aurora as well.
It didn’t take him long to figure out why.
The Land of Origin was indeed real, but to Awakeners, it functioned as an alternate realm—one that resembled a game—where the strength of their character could be synchronized with their real-world body in real time.
According to what he’d read on the forums, only negative traits couldn’t be synced back to the original body.
This often led to odd situations where the body in the Land of Origin could be either weaker or stronger than its real-world counterpart.
“Syncing strength…”
Michael recalled how drastically his mana had increased.
Even a minor outburst of his full mana now could crush a building in Aurora—unless it was built from special materials.
This wasn’t the first time Michael had experienced a sudden leap in power from the Land of Origin, but his recent evolution was by far the most extreme.
Unlike Advancement, where strength was slowly integrated into his body, evolution dumped it all into him at once.
The resulting commotion could only be imagined.
“Teacher Brian… how is my family?”
That was what Michael was most worried about.
“You talk like I know your family,” Brian replied bluntly.
The words struck Michael hard, and panic began to rise in his chest. He was just about to shoot up in alarm when Brian continued casually,
“When I saw you ticking like a bomb, I simply snatched you away before you could cause any damage. That’s why I said no one was hurt. Oh, and I had to grab all your undead too. They went wild the moment I took you. Only calmed down once they were near you again.”
“Tsk. Youths these days… what a crazy bunch.”
“…”
Never in his life had Michael wanted to punch an elder so badly.