A loud, thunderous growl from Michael’s stomach woke him up.
“Ugh,” he groaned, placing a hand over his stomach as he sat up slowly, using his other hand for support.
“What time is it? Why is it so bright?”
Michael muttered in confusion, only for realization to hit him.
“I overslept?!”
He glanced around the room, noticing the curtains were drawn back to let in sunlight.
The lights which he always left on were now off. Someone had also covered him with a blanket.
It could only have been Aunt Mia or Lily.
After surveying the room and recalling yesterday’s events, Michael reluctantly accepted he had fallen asleep. It made sense after everything he had been through.
Thankfully, though he had slept stressed, Michael woke up fully refreshed. Evidently, his strong body played a role in helping him recover so quickly.
After stretching on the bed, Michael got up and grabbed his phone from his desk to check the time.
Noticing it was plugged in, he figured someone had been in the room while he slept.
“9:32 AM?”
Michael was surprised.
Though the sunlight suggested it was late, Michael hadn’t expected it to be this late.
Michael retraced his steps from the previous day.
After returning from the Land of Origin, he went to the Association to buy monster corpses. By the time he arrived home, it had been past 5 or 6 PM. He remembered meeting Lily, with the evening sky already darkening.
In the Land of Origin, which was 3 to 4 hours behind Aurora’s time zone, it had been evening when he arrived back.
From reviving his undead to attempting to send them to the Netherworld, Michael estimated another two hours had passed.
“I probably returned from Aurora by 9 PM… so I slept 12 hours?”
That was a long time, but it hadn’t caused any problems.
“Even better,” Michael concluded. “Since I was planning to visit the Dimensional Cracks, I can go early and still get back at a decent time.”
Plans were already forming in Michael’s head.
But Michael’s thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous growl of his stomach, reminding him he hadn’t eaten.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t eat anything yesterday, did I?”
Michael was stunned.
Had he been so preoccupied with becoming an Awakener that he forgot something as basic as eating?
Perhaps it was because his stronger body could endure hunger for longer, or maybe it was the nutrients he consumed in the Land of Origin with his other body that made him subconsciously believe he had eaten.
It wasn’t impossible.
After all, whenever he switched between the Land of Origin and Aurora, it was only his body that changed—not his consciousness.
“This is serious. If I’m not careful, I might develop an identity crisis.”
Before Michael could sink further into his thoughts, a knock at his door interrupted him.
“Brother Michael,” a soft voice called out.
It wasn’t loud, but with his enhanced senses, Michael heard it loud and clear.
It was his cousin, Lily.
In fact, he realized he had already been hearing faint noises outside his door but subconsciously ignored them since they weren’t chaotic or attention-grabbing enough to warrant his focus.
“Come in,” Michael replied calmly.
The door opened, and Lily stepped inside.
“You’re awake,” she said with a smile before greeting him properly. “Good morning, Brother Michael.”
“Good morning to you too, Lily,” Michael replied. Then, remembering the time, he asked, confused, “Aren’t you going to school today?”
To his surprise, Lily laughed, leaving him even more confused.
Suspicious, Michael unlocked his phone to check the date.
“Oh, it’s the weekend,” he muttered, his eyelids twitching.
The day before yesterday had been Thursday—his awakening day—and yesterday was Friday.
However, ever since becoming an Awakener, Michael’s sense of time had become skewed.
With his mind constantly occupied, every day felt the same.
The fact that he no longer had to worry about school only made it worse.
“Yes, it’s the weekend, Brother Michael,” Lily said, still amused, before getting to the point.
“Mom told me to check if you were awake. She’s preparing to head to the mall to buy groceries and wanted to know if you needed anything. She just stepped out a while ago to grab something nearby, so she’s not home right now.”
For some reason, Lily’s eyes sparkled with expectation as she spoke.
How could Michael not know what this little sister of his wanted after spending years with her?
“What do you want?” Michael asked with a chuckle, setting his phone aside.
“Beast meat,” Lily said hesitantly, her voice soft but hopeful. “It’s been so long since we’ve had it. Since we have a bit of money now, I was wondering… but it’s okay if we can’t.”
Hearing this, a look of realization appeared on Michael’s face.
Beast meat was a cultivation resource prized by Cultivator apprentices. It activated the body’s growth potential, making cultivation more effective.
Even for ordinary people, consistent consumption brought physical benefits.
Most importantly, it was delicious.
However, the price of beast meat made it a luxury.
A palm-sized piece of the cheapest beast meat cost about $400—too expensive for most middle-class families, let alone those below.
Still, Lily’s request made Michael tempted to taste it again.
He thought it over.
Now that he had money and the ability to earn more through his newfound powers, they could afford to indulge. Besides, beast meat would provide the nutrients his body needed. Normal food wasn’t enough.
Michael he’d need five portions of a regular meal just to feel satisfied.
It would also be good for Lily to have more access to cultivation resources, even if her talent wasn’t great just like his.
Almost non existent.
“Okay,” Michael finally said.
“Tell Aunt Mia when she gets back that I’d love to have beast meat in my food. She should make plenty since my appetite’s huge now. I’ll send her $1,000 to buy and stock up on it—I want it in every meal from now on. Also, if I’m not here when she’s back, let her know I have some business with the Supers Association.”
“Okay, Brother Michael!” Lily replied cheerfully before skipping out of the room, forgetting to close the door behind her.
Shaking his head in amusement, Michael took a deep breath.
He reached out mentally, focusing on his connection with Lucky.
Michael could faintly sense the undead’s presence and knew he could summon Lucky to the real world immediately if he wanted.
Unfortunately it was inconvenient to do so in his current location.
Reluctantly, he pushed the thought aside and shifted his focus to Prince, who remained motionless in his storage space.
One disadvantage of placing undead in storage was the severed connection.
While it didn’t destroy the contract, Michael couldn’t feel anything from them until they were brought out. And with time frozen inside the space, they stayed in stasis indefinitely.
Looking at his Rank 1 Rare undead filled Michael with anticipation.
He didn’t know why, but he had a strong feeling today would be a great day.
Taking another deep breath, Michael began preparing to head out.