For the next hour, Michael did nothing in the Land of Origin but practice.
He never knew practicing could be so enjoyable.
Back in school, their physical education classes had focused on close-combat tactics and fitness.
This was why Michael could at least use {Spearmanship} in the first place.
But no one really loved physical education.
To most, it was just a way for the school to keep them fit.
Sure, there was a chance students could become cultivators or, even more rarely, awaken—professions tied to physical prowess so the class wasn’t unneeded. Yet, the class itself wasn’t enjoyable.
It felt more like a chore to pass, just like most other subjects—except food and nutrition.
Or maybe it wasn’t that the classes were boring. It was just that, back then, everyone practiced for long periods without knowing if they were progressing. Most of the time, they felt stagnant.
Now, however, Michael could detect even the slightest progress.
The feeling of grinding a skill was beyond words.
[{Spearmanship} (Basic Mastery) Proficiency: 6.5%]
Michael didn’t know why, but it felt easier to level up this skill compared to some of his others.
Perhaps it was because some of his skills were at {Intermediate Mastery}, a level higher than {Basic Mastery}, where the gap in progress felt vast.
Even other skills at {Basic Mastery}, like {Basic Shot}, barely had a proficiency above one percent.
Regardless of the reason, Michael was thrilled to see himself improving.
After an hour and a half of training, he still felt full of energy. If anything, it seemed like the session had merely warmed him up and left him feeling great.
Unfortunately, while he’d have loved to keep training and raising his proficiency, there were other things he needed to do.
It should be close to 11 now, Michael thought, as he put his spear back into his storage space and moved to sit at the side of the room.
He dismissed Lucky and Prince back to the Netherworld and summoned his third Forest Wolf alongside a few other undead goblins to guard him.
These goblins were ones he hadn’t managed to store in the Netherworld yet and had to keep in his storage space instead.
For now, though he identified as a horde-type necromancer, Michael clearly favored quality over quantity most of the time. At least until he gained more Evolution Points to strengthen his undead and expand the Netherworld’s capacity.
To the outside world, Michael would most likely be seen as a necromancer who valued quality over quantity—or at least, that’s what people would think id they saw his undead.
With his precautions set, Michael connected his consciousness back to his body in the real world.
He got out of bed and stretched, feeling his body.
It felt slightly uncomfortable.
“Having a good warm-up really does make a difference.”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t practice in the cramped space of his hotel room, nor did he have the time.
Michael took his phone and checked the time. Continue reading stories on empire
It was currently seven minutes after ten.
“Great, I still have an hour to get ready.”
Thanks to the receptionist’s efforts yesterday, who helped him contact teams with reservations for crack exploration to see if they needed an extra teammate, Michael had managed to secure bookings for the next two days.
His first appointment was in an hour, where he would meet the team that agreed to take him on. If everything went smoothly, they’d head straight into a crack.
Michael took this seriously. He needed the money to buy items that would grant him more evolution points.
He also needed to reach the max level in the unranked stage and prepare for his advancement to Rank 1, bringing him closer to his ultimate goal of Rank 2.
Though he felt uncomfortable with how his real-world body wasn’t as “warmed up” as his body in the Land of Origin, he could only ignore the sensation and get dressed.
The hotel provided toothpaste, but Michael had forgotten to buy a toothbrush. He made do with the only option he had—using his finger.
It was uncomfortable, and he still didn’t feel like his mouth was properly clean.
“I need to buy mints after leaving the hotel,” he reminded himself.
Since he planned to stay away from home for a few days, he also needed other basic supplies like toothpaste and additional clothes.
Speaking of clothes, the ones he had on hand were still the old set that Old Man Liu had given him. He’d already decided yesterday to get some new clothing before heading into a crack. Fortunately, there was a mall nearby, close to both the hotel and the Association branch, so it wouldn’t take much time.
After freshening up and putting on the same clothes he’d worn the previous day, Michael made his way out of the hotel.
He stopped by the mall to get the items he needed and then headed straight to the Association.
By the time he arrived at the Association building, it was two minutes to eleven.
He had barely avoided being late.
While being a little late wouldn’t have been a huge issue, Michael knew it wasn’t his place to take that risk. If anyone could afford to be late, it was the team he was tagging along with, not him.
After all, he needed them far more than they needed him except he was willing to wait.
Upon entering the Association, Michael made his way to the familiar receptionist whose counter was currently empty.
As he walked over, he couldn’t help but wonder if this lady ever took a day off. He hadn’t paid much attention to the other staff in the building, so he wouldn’t have noticed if someone else was absent or working in shifts.
However, seeing this woman at work for three days in a row was a different level of dedication.
Back on Earth, this would be called the “grind.”
Finally reaching her counter, Michael was just about to greet her when she turned to look at him.
“Mr. Norman?” By now, she had already memorized his name.
“Seems like you managed to arrive at the same time as your team,” she added, her eyes lingering on something behind him.
Confused, Michael turned to look over his shoulder to see who his “team” was, and the familiar faces behind him left him momentarily speechless.
