Though Michael felt he now had more knowledge about spears and how to use them, it was still just knowledge—it didn’t mean he suddenly knew how to apply it.
That was why the notification about gaining the {Spearmanship} skill caught him completely by surprise.
“No, this should be expected,” Michael murmured.
He recalled reading on the forum and even in some of his skill descriptions that understanding a skill could influence how it was used.
Looking at it from this perspective, it made sense that knowing more about something could grant one the ability to acquire a skill.
However, this clearly required either a vast amount of knowledge or exceptional comprehension.
Between the two, Michael could only assume he possessed great comprehension—though his grades in school would strongly disagree.
In the end, he chalked it up to luck.
It could also be that spearmanship was a relatively simple skill to pick up, making it easier to acquire related abilities.
Michael thought back to how he had quickly gained the {Basic Shot} skill after firing a gun only a few times. Perhaps this was a similar case.
But if that were true, how could he explain spending hours using a spear in the goblin world and not gaining a skill back then?
Ultimately, Michael realized he didn’t know enough about how these things worked. After thinking about it briefly, he decided to let it go.
Looking at the bright light filtering through the thick curtains, Michael instinctively checked the time on his phone.
8:42 AM.
“It’s this late already?” Michael exclaimed.
When had he ever enjoyed studying so much?
Several thoughts passed through his mind as he got out of bed.
It was daytime now, which meant it should be a little lighter in the Land of Origin, where time ran three hours behind the real world.
In a place as unfamiliar as the dorm his other body resided in, Michael didn’t feel comfortable performing any major activities while it was still dark.
That was why, when he woke up earlier, he hadn’t considered evolving his undead with the points he’d accumulated.
It wasn’t suitable to do that here in the hotel either, where he was surrounded by ordinary people. He had no choice but to wait.
Now, with conditions likely more favorable in the Land of Origin, Michael got into a comfortable position on the bed and connected his consciousness to his other body.
Michael felt his vision shift, and once again, he was back in the Land of Origin.
Having traveled between the two worlds several times now, he was beginning to settle into the routine of switching. So far, there hadn’t been any significant issues, but only time would tell what would happen when both versions of him started living completely separate lives.
Michael had thought about this before and could only hope that, when the time came, he wouldn’t develop something like an identity crisis. From the way things were going, however, it felt like a real possibility. Stay updated via empire
Even now, despite having barely started anything in the Land of Origin, he already felt a growing sense of detachment from everything.
Worst of all, even from his family.
The Land of Origin was still shrouded in darkness. Being in an enclosed space only made it seem darker than what little Michael could glimpse of the outside world.
Still, thanks to his enhanced eyesight, he could see reasonably well.
While there didn’t appear to be any immediate danger in staying where he was, Michael wasn’t one to take unnecessary risks. He summoned Prince and Lucky out of the Netherworld to stand guard. Then, he selected a random level 5 undead goblin from the group he had previously captured in the Netherworld.
Coincidentally, every monster Michael had ever turned into an undead shared a common trait: green skin, which became a dull grayish hue after being reanimated.
The goblin standing in front of him was no exception.
It stood at around half 2’8″ to 3 feet tall, with disproportionately long arms, short legs, and a twisted, grotesque face resembling that of a deformed, elderly human.
In comparison to the goblins, Forest Wolves were much more pleasant to look at.
“I hope you look a little better after evolving,” Michael muttered to the undead goblin. Its weak strength and low species rank didn’t inspire much confidence.
Of course, he wasn’t expecting a reply or even a reaction, so before the thought could linger, Michael began using his Talent on the undead goblin.
[Undead Goblin Lv. 5]
[Rank: Common★]
[Evolve to Common★★★ for 1 Evolution point?]
Michael wasn’t surprised to see an Evolution Point take an undead directly to three stars instead of two stars, which was the next level above, because he had already considered the possibility. Still, it felt satisfying to have his theory confirmed.
What this essentially meant was that his Evolution Points didn’t simply increase an undead’s power incrementally—they either gave them an entirely new rank, pushed them to the peak of that rank, and then repeated the process.
It was great to know there were no hidden obstacles.
The light radiating from the goblin’s body slowly dimmed, revealing its transformed figure. Standing at 4 feet tall, a grayish-green monster now stood before Michael.
“Its race changed?” Michael muttered, slightly surprised but quick to understand.
He had initially expected a situation similar to the Forest Wolves, where a race change only occurred when they ranked up. But evidently, goblins had far lower innate potential compared to wolves, making their evolution path less restrictive.
[Undead Hobgoblin Lv. 6]
[Rank: Common★★★]
Its level increased, but unlike the excitement Michael had felt when his Forest Wolves, Lucky, and Prince evolved to three-star common rank undead, he couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm this time.
Unless it was a rare-rank form, it seemed hard for him to feel truly excited.
That said, the Hobgoblin’s new appearance was certainly something to behold.
*****
*****
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)
???
???
Goblin:
Goblin (Common Rank, 1-star monster)
Hobgoblin (Common Rank, 3-star monster)
???
????