Was there a chance he could take the initiative to attack now?
Michael couldn’t help but entertain the thought after seeing Lucky’s new level.
Both were rare-rank creatures, with the main difference being a three-level gap.
From personal experience, Michael knew levels didn’t mean everything.
Since they were both of the same rank, the gargoyle should only pose a troublesome challenge for Lucky, but defeating him outright would likely require it to be exceptionally powerful or particularly special among three-star rare-rank species.
“It’s not impossible to act now,” Michael reasoned, “but there are still many factors to consider. For one, the gargoyle might not be the only monster beyond the door. If I attract another creature allied with it, Lucky could probably escape alone, but I wouldn’t stand a chance.
Moreover, Lucky might not necessarily be a match for the gargoyle yet. Taking the initiative would mean sacrificing the time I need to prepare, and right now, preparation is my biggest advantage.
Just to be safe, I should have at least two more undead as powerful as Lucky. That way, victory would be far more achievable, and we’d have backup for any surprises.”
Michael thought it over carefully and ultimately decided to wait.
The risks were still too great, and dying without claiming a single reward from these ruins after so many days of effort was an outcome he would regret for years.
It was better to play it safe and wait a little longer—at most three more days.
In that time, by selling corpses to earn money for more source liquids, he might even be able to evolve more than two undead to Lucky’s current level.
In a way, Michael felt a twinge of jealousy toward his undead. Their ability to grow stronger so quickly through evolution was enviable.
If he could do the same, he wouldn’t just be confident about qualifying for the academy entrance exams three months from now—he’d be wondering if he might already be too powerful.
After making his decision, Michael proceeded to check Lucky’s newly updated status profile.
[Redthorn Wolf Lv. 18]
[Name: Lucky]
[EXP: 0/59,800]
[Rank: Rare★★★]
[Skills: Bite, Plant Control, Poison {NEW!}]
[Master: Michael Norman]
Aside from the new race and level that had first caught his attention, the next thing Michael noticed was the experience points, which made him break into a sweat.
“Almost 60,000 experience points. If I were to kill goblins that give at least 45 EXP per kill, I’d need to kill at least 1,300 of them just to gain a single level. And that’s just for one level after so many already!” he thought grimly.
“Unless I find a place teeming with nothing but monsters to slaughter all day, leveling up at this stage isn’t something that can realistically be done in a day.”
Thankfully, he only needed evolution points to strengthen his undead, making their progression more manageable.
As for himself, Michael resolved to do what he could within his current limitations.
For now, that meant entering more cracks and preparing to finally explore the Land of Origin.
The real world had strict restrictions on hunting, though the benefit was that the monsters there were renewable. However, this didn’t make leveling up any faster.
Worse, since his member level wasn’t high enough, he couldn’t hunt stronger monsters freely in the real world.
That wouldn’t be an issue in the Land of Origin, though.
Michael knew that if he specifically targeted stronger monsters and ensured Lucky or his other undead helped him land the finishing blow, the multiplier for defeating stronger creatures would significantly boost his EXP gain. This strategy gave him hope that reaching Rank 2 within three months was still possible.
Of course, if Michael could come up with this plan, other Awakeners in a similar situation might think of it too.
But few would have the resources to execute it.
Fortunately for Michael, he had his unique talent—and he intended to make full use of it.
Michael then moved on to check Lucky’s skill section.
At the moment, Lucky only had two skills.
{Plant Control} and {Poison}.
While the number was low, both skills were highly practical.
{Plant Control} could be utilized in a variety of ways, and thanks to Lucky’s recent evolution, the skill’s {Mastery} level had improved significantly. The range had also increased from 10 meters to 100 meters, greatly enhancing its utility.
Meanwhile, {Poison} added diversity to Lucky’s attacks. However, the skill’s description was somewhat vague, and Michael would need to test it out to determine the strength and effectiveness of its effects.
Overall, Lucky’s evolution had undoubtedly made him stronger than before.
Michael couldn’t quantify exactly how much stronger, but just standing near Lucky now gave him a sense of security.
Shifting his focus away from Lucky, Michael turned his attention back to his talent section.
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
Evolution Points: 4
Evolvable:
Lucky – Undead Redthorn Wolf Lv. 18 (Insufficient evolution points, Can’t be evolved)
Prince – Undead Verdant Wolf Lv. 11 (Insufficient evolution points, Can’t be evolved)
Undead Forest Wolf Lv. 5 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Undead Goblin Lv. 5 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
…
….
.
Michael looked at his accumulated evolution points and couldn’t help but shake his head.
“I’m broke again.”
To think there would come a day when money was no longer his only measure of wealth. Michael had never imagined such a thing could happen.
He also couldn’t help but see the Association as an incredibly stingy organization. One of his earlier motivations for wanting to get stronger was the monthly stipend of $15,000 they offered.
“I was truly blind,” he thought with a bitter laugh.
That amount couldn’t even buy him five evolution points—a sum he could easily earn by entering a crack and hunting monsters.
Though he still had enough evolution points to upgrade a few of his undead, Michael decided not to rush.
As a level 9 necromancer, he had 18 contract slots, with 8 of them still open. He wanted to fill them now rather than leave the task for later, which would only make it more of a hassle.
Michael also planned to start another round of using {Undead Summoning}, which would likely force him to invest attribute points into his Intelligence stat.
The skill itself was little more than a scam in his eyes, but for now, he had no choice but to rely on it until he gained access to better alternatives, like rituals.
He decided to prioritize evolving monsters he could summon and dismiss at will. That way, even if they became too large as a result of evolution, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, his second “baby,” Prince, took top priority. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too much time to successfully transfer Prince into the netherworld.
No, Michael thought with conviction, he’d rather spend extra time to ensure success than having the skill fail at the end of the day.
By the time Michael was done finalizing his plans, more than two hours had passed, and the Land of Origin was already blanketed in darkness and Michael had no choice but to call it a day.
‘Status’
—
[Name: Michael Norman]
[Class: Necromancer Apprentice]
[Level: 9]
[EXP: 112/2000]
[Strength: 7.3]
[Agility: 13.1]
[Constitution: 8.9]
[Intelligence: 45.3(11.0^)]
[Attribute Points: 13]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect, Basic Shot, Share Senses]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot{18/18}]
[Gift: Mark Of Origin]
—
In the end, {Undead Summoning} did require Michael to spend some of his attribute points, though this was largely because he had used the skill multiple times on Prince. Fortunately, his efforts paid off, and Prince was successfully summoned.
He also managed to bring six more undead into the netherworld. One of them was the third wolf that had come along with Lucky and Prince, while the others were all goblins.
With that, his contract slots were now completely filled, and he had only used 12 out of the 15 corpses he’d prepared.
However, he hadn’t evolved any of them yet. By the end of the process, Michael was utterly exhausted.
A terrible headache also assaulted him.
Apparently, physical exhaustion was far better than mana exhaustion. The latter wasn’t just physically taxing but also mentally draining, and Michael would argue that the mental toll was far worse.
The feeling of not gaining a new skill when his intelligence reached 40 points also made his mood a little terrible though he had expected something like this to happen.
After returning to the real world, Michael didn’t even bother to fight the sleep that tugged at his eyes.
He simply fell asleep.
***** Explore more stories at empire
Evolution Routes
Forest Wolf:
Forest Wolf (Common Rank, 1–3 stars)
Verdant Wolf (Rare Rank, 1-star species)
Redthorn Wolf (Rare Rank, 3-star species)
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Goblin:
Goblin (Common Rank, 1-star monster)
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[{Poison} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 7.5%]
A racial ability of the Redthorn Wolf species, Poison enables the wolf to secrete a potent toxin through the thorned mane around its head. When the thorns make contact with a target, the poison spreads into their system, causing progressive weakening and damage over time.
At its current mastery, the poison has limited potency, causing minor damage and reducing the target’s mobility slightly. The toxin’s effect lasts for 10 seconds and can only be inflicted at close range, requiring direct contact with the thorned mane.