The Supers Association forum didn’t provide much information on talents, leaving Michael with few speculations.
However, there was something he could do to confirm his earlier suspicion.
Create more undead.
Sending out the Rank 1 Verdant Wolf, which he named ‘Lucky’—partially due to it being his first undead and the reason for discovering the ability of his talent—he instructed it to guard the room while he made space.
Michael then brought another Forest Wolf corpse from his Mark of Origin, ready to test his theory.
Thanks to the feedback from Lucky’s advancement, Michael’s exhausted mana was partially replenished.
As one’s stats improved, the changes became qualitative rather than additive—like 1 + 1 equaling 3 instead of 2.
Though the two-point increase in Intelligence didn’t fully restore his mana, it at least kept him from panting like before.
With his experience from reviving Lucky, Michael rested briefly to reach an optimal state before attempting {Undead Revival} on the second Forest Wolf corpse.
The first attempt.
Failed.
The second attempt.
Also failed.
After two consecutive failures, Michael didn’t immediately try again.
Each corpse allowed only three revival attempts, and failure on the third would result in losing $4000 and an undead that could potentially give him evolution points.
Previously, losing $4000 would’ve made his heart ache, but now, evolution points were far more valuable—worth more than $40,000 in his eyes.
Resting wouldn’t guarantee success in the next attempt, but it was wise to recover since his mana had dropped significantly.
As he rested, Michael opened his status screen, gazing at his stats with a thoughtful expression.
[Strength: 4.5]
[Agility: 9.4]
[Constitution: 6.3]
[Intelligence: 10.5]
[Attribute Points: 18]
Unlike before, when the Intelligence stat was nearly useless to Michael, the situation had shifted.
As he grew stronger, the corpses required to create undead would also increase in strength, demanding more mana.
This meant Michael had to accept the reality of the typical Necromancer’s glass-cannon physique.
Yet, he didn’t feel disappointed.
Was brute strength better than commanding several Demigod-level undead minions? Absolutely not.
One was a brute, and the other was a boss.
That said, Michael wouldn’t be physically weak.
Being a Rare-class Necromancer, he would grow stronger through feedback from his undead as they advanced between ranks.
While he couldn’t match pure physical classes, he could certainly dominate pure mages.
With these thoughts in mind, Michael glanced at his accumulated attribute points.
Now at level 5, he hadn’t used any attribute points since levelling to 2 to handle the slimes in this place.
Earning 6 attribute points per level—4 from his class and 2 from his race—he had saved a total of 18 points.
It was a considerable number, capable of providing an instant boost to his stats.
Thanks to his talent, Michael was now willing to commit to the pure Necromancer path.
“If I’m going to be a proper mage, I might as well go all out!”
Necromancers were variant mages, making Intelligence their primary stat.
Michael remembered that for every 20 points in a key stat, there was a chance to gain a skill related to that stat and class.
His Intelligence stat was currently at 10.5.
With the 10 attribute points, he could push it to 20 points.
Though there was no guarantee he’d gain a skill upon reaching 20 Intelligence, it wouldn’t be a loss.
More mana was invaluable for any mage, and Intelligence also increased learning speed, making it easier to master spells.
While Intelligence didn’t make someone smarter or wiser, it provided a significant edge in areas like spellcraft, which would prove invaluable once he joined an academy.
Although Awakeners’ Academies had strict requirements which he wasn’t sure of entering, Michael was confident he could at least enter a Cultivation Academy from what he had read in the forum.
While the latter wasn’t ideal for someone like him, it was a backup option.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt compelled to invest in Intelligence.
After a moment’s consideration, Michael finally decided to let loose on this stat for the first time.
“Intelligence! Show me your limit!”
[Strength: 4.5]
[Agility: 9.4]
[Constitution: 6.3]
[Intelligence: 20.5]
[Attribute Points: 8]
Immediately after allocating the attribute points to Intelligence, Michael felt his mind clear as if a fog had been lifted.
His senses became sharper, though this wasn’t like the perceptual boost from agility points.
This time, he started to pick up on something entirely different.
Mana.
It was all around him, invisible yet palpable.
Having encountered it briefly before, it didn’t take long for Michael to recognize the sensation.
But just as he was about to immerse himself in this newfound awareness, a notification appeared before him:
[Your mana is overflowing.]
[You have gained the skill {Share Senses}.]
[{Share Senses} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 0.0%]
Share senses with your undead. Current mastery allows linking with 2 undead at a time. Current range is 100 meters. The skill can be used in different ways based on personal understanding.
“I lucked out!” Michael exclaimed, his excitement clear.
Although he had told himself he wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t awaken a skill, he had secretly hoped he would.
Now, not only had his wish come true, but the skill was incredibly useful.
Currently, his connection to his undead relied on the soul link via the contract slot, which allowed commands and telepathy within a limited range.
With {Share Senses}, his options expanded significantly.
For starters, Michael could now have his undead scout dangerous areas while he monitored from a safe distance—a crucial advantage for someone as cautious as him.
Beyond scouting, the skill also opened up new ways to better utilize his undead, which pleased Michael immensely.
But he couldn’t dwell on it for too long.
With his mana now fully replenished—and even greater than before—Michael decided it was time to attempt another revival.
****
A/N: Maybe it’s because it’s a new month but I’m pumped! Three chapters for y’all today! I hope you enjoy your reading.