Michael stood in the dressing room of the Super Association, silent.
The walls were white.
The full-body mirror before him reflected a tall young man with long, ink-black hair that cascaded past his shoulders, green eyes as sharp as blades, and a calm expression that concealed the thoughts brewing underneath.
He let his fingers brush over the collar of the Warding Mantle, feeling the smooth silver threads stitched into the black fabric.
The cloak didn’t feel heavy.
He turned a little, watching the cloak shift with him.
“Not bad,” he muttered.
Then he looked at the Dreamsteel Ring on his right hand—black with silver veins running along its band, pulsing faintly with blue light.
He could feel it working already.
It didn’t make his mind sharper—not exactly.
But there was a clarity to his thoughts now, a steadiness that hadn’t been there before.
Like his mind had gone from walking a dirt path to gliding across glass.
His fingers moved next to his neck.
The Mindroot Pendant was simple.
A smooth green stone hanging from a short chain of rune-inscribed metal.
It was small.
Subtle.
The kind of thing no one would look twice at.
But when Michael closed his eyes and focused on it, he could feel a resistance forming—a wall, however faint, around the edges of his mind.
Fifteen percent wasn’t much. But it was something.
He glanced at his reflection again.
The Veilband Circlet gleamed faintly as he lifted it.
It looked delicate—like polished silver thread coiled into a graceful band.
Michael slipped it over his hair, letting it rest on his forehead just above the brows.
Nothing dramatic happened.
But he could sense the faint trigger locked inside.
A hidden barrier. Waiting.
“One hit. Then nothing,” Michael murmured.
His gaze dropped to the final addition.
The Siren’s Echo Earrings.
He picked them up slowly from the velvet-lined case.
They were beautiful. Cool to the touch.
The violet stones shimmered with internal light, catching on the edges of his vision like distant stars.
He slipped them on—one by one—there was no pain—and the change was immediate.
His breath slowed.
His heartbeat evened.
The background noise of his thoughts grew quiet, as if muffled by soft winds. His awareness expanded slightly, sharper, yet calmer.
There was a quiet pressure around his temples, not painful—but present—like something gentle was guarding his mind from all directions.
He stared at himself in the mirror, taking it all in.
The mantle, the circlet, the ring, the pendant, the earrings.
“Better,” Michael said simply.
And he meant it.
Michael’s expression shifted slightly as he remembered something.
“I should get a few more pieces for Aunt Mia and Lily.”
Not everything—just one or two defensive items each.
The Mindroot Pendant and earrings were a given.
It would cost more.
But it was worth it.
Also.
He could afford it.
Michael left the dressing room shortly after placing his newly acquired items into his storage space.
He removed the earrings, but not a single drop of blood appeared.
Just a few days ago, he had discovered something interesting about his High Human physique. Beyond the obvious strength, once he reached a certain level, he could control minor aspects of his body that he never thought possible.
He could, for example, force a drop of blood out without needing a wound.
Or make a specific part of his body harder or softer at will.
Michael wasn’t sure if this was a unique trait of all High Humans, but it was a significant discovery nonetheless.
Outside the dressing room, he spoke with the Super Association staff about his new purchases.
“I’ve noted your request to copy the pendant and earrings for two additional users.”
“Thanks,” Michael replied, taking the slate and tapping in his thumbprint. A soft chime confirmed the transaction.
“Would you like the items delivered to your residence or stored with your vault package?”
“Residence,” he said. “Expedited.”
“Of course, sir.”
He gave her a nod before turning away.
He walked through the glass corridor that overlooked the city, the white tiles soft under his boots.
“Two worlds—yet neither offers a true sense of safety.”
Land of Origin.
In this world, the one with the biggest fist was always right.
Aurora.
Demonic supernaturals ran rampant.
Two worlds.
Different problems.
But the same solution.
Strength.
As long as he had enough of it, everything else was simple.
*******
A day passed.
Michael awoke from his meditation to the faint warmth of morning light filtering through the windows.
[+1 Intelligence]
The soft hum of system alerts echoed in his mind.
Several thoughts flashed past Michael’s mind before a subtle smile appeared on the edge of his lips.
Today’s the day.
His lips curved faintly as he sat up.
There was an excitement simmering just beneath the surface.
Because today… he was finally going to evolve one of his oddest undead.
Prince.Michael only had a few named undead, despite commanding over a hundred.
Lucky. Prince. Lily. Beginning. Ghost. Fade. Purple. Blue. Spartan.
Among them, Lucky and Prince were his first—the two that had truly carried him through his initial rise to power.
But as time passed, and with the complications of his talent alongside the ever-growing number of undead, Prince had slipped from the top two.
Now, there were a few stronger than him—though the number didn’t exceed three.
It was a little unfortunate, especially since even Michael himself had grown stronger than most of his undead.
But today, by noon, when his talent refreshed and provided more evolution points, Michael would finally be able to evolve Prince again.
It wouldn’t restore his rank as top two.
Not with the current lineup.
Still, it would be enough to push him back to his former status—one of the strongest in Michael’s army, not just one of the strong.
However, since it would still be a few hours before he gained enough points to evolve Prince, Michael cleared his thoughts, retrieved a spirit crystal from his storage space, and resumed meditation—following the breathing pattern of his cultivation technique.
*******
*******
A few hours later, just after his daily points refreshed and rose to over 200, Michael began preparing to leave the capital.
First, he freshened up and changed into a new set of clothes before heading out.
Moments later, he stood once again in the familiar clearing within the forest.
Without hesitation, Michael summoned Prince.
The Undead Redthorn Wolf still bore scars—though mostly healed by now, sustained by the necromantic energy that kept it alive—scars left behind by that monster.
It was during that desperate fight to buy time for Michael that Prince had lost his tail.
Aside from evolving this undead today, Michael also wanted to confirm a suspicion:
Did evolution restore an undead to a peak state?
To be honest, though he hadn’t tried reviving a badly mutilated corpse before, he already had a feeling about the answer.
He believed it was possible.
For one, newly evolved undead never bore any scars.
Second, monsters retrieved from dimensional cracks that lacked reproductive organs somehow gained them after evolution.
It was like evolution “fixed” them.
And with Prince’s evolution this time, Michael hoped to clear a few more of his doubts.
[Undead Redthorn Wolf – Lv. 25]
[Rank: Rare ★★★]
[Evolve to Extraordinary ★ for 125 Evolution Points?]
“Yes,” Michael confirmed without hesitation.
Immediately a bright light started emitting from Prince’s body.
A bright, pulsing light flared from Prince’s body, illuminating the forest clearing in stark white.
The familiar scent of undead essence mingled with a string of pressure slowly began leaking out of the Redthorn Wolf’s evolving form.
Michael stepped back instinctively.
The pressure was subtle at first.
Like the forest holding its breath.
Then it thickened.
A low hum filled the air, vibrating through the ground and into Michael’s bones.
Prince’s body began to shift.
Where his tail had once been severed, a new one slowly formed—coated in brilliant light.
“I knew it!”
The regeneration of the tail wasn’t unexpected, but it was still a relief to see his theory confirmed.
Evolution truly did restore the undead to their ideal state.
But then the pressure surged.
Michael’s eyes twitched as a heavy wave rolled off Prince’s body, forcing the surrounding trees to creak and groan.
The wind itself seemed to bend around the clearing as if afraid to enter.
The air grew thick, oppressive.
“Just how strong are you going to become this time?” Michael murmured, his voice strained.
He couldn’t help but think that he might have underestimated just how strong Prince might become from this evolution.
Moments passed.
And then, suddenly, the pressure began to recede.
It didn’t vanish, but it settled—compressed inward, contained within Prince’s new form.
The light dimmed.
The forest exhaled.
Soon a string of notifications appeared in front of Michael’s eyes.
“What a beast.”
[Your Rare★★★ Undead Redthorn Wolf has evolved to Extraordinary★ Undead Venomthorn Ravager.]
[Your Undead Venomthorn Ravager {Plant Control} skill has advanced to {Advanced Mastery}]
[Your Undead Venomthorn Ravager {Poison} skill has advanced to {Advanced Mastery}]
[Your Undead Venomthorn Ravager has gained the skill {Viral Growth}.]
[Your Undead Venomthorn Ravager has gained the skill {Toxic Resurgence}.]