Two girls stood behind Michael, and they were familiar.
Not people he knew personally, but ones he could claim a shared connection with.
Schoolmates.
Yes, Michael’s teammates turned out to be the two girls who had awakened alongside him in class, along with the genius knight, Brian Lian.
Michael didn’t know the name of one of the girls, but he recognized the other—Lilian. Lilian Stone.
Though they’d never interacted directly, she had left an impression on him. Despite everything that had happened since then, it had only been three or four days since their awakening ceremony, and his memory of Lilian was still fresh.
Why? Because during the ceremony, she was the first to be chosen and the first to awaken.
If that was luck, it was a peculiar kind of luck.
Even so, in all his speculation about potential teammates, Michael had never once imagined that his teammates would turn out to be his former classmates.
However, after his initial surprise, Michael quickly regained his composure.
He didn’t know their reasons for entering a crack, but it wasn’t exactly strange to encounter them. They were all members of the same Association, lived in the same region, and had awakened supernatural abilities.
In a way, it was inevitable that their paths would cross. It just happened a bit sooner than expected.
“Hi,” Michael began, choosing to introduce himself first. “I’m going to be your teammate today.”
He extended a hand toward the girl who had arrived with Lilian since she was standing closer.
With his oversized clothes, Michael gave off a sunny and approachable vibe, but as the girls stepped closer, they felt something… off.
A faint chill hung in the air around him, subtle but impossible to ignore. It wasn’t just the physical temperature—it felt slightly gloomy, almost threatening.
“I’m Mira, your teammate,” the girl said, hesitating briefly before reaching out to shake Michael’s hand.
The moment their hands met, Mira flinched and pulled back quickly. His hand was ice-cold.
Michael noticed her reaction but chose not to dwell on it.
What he didn’t realize was that his class wasn’t just a source of power—it also defined him in ways he hadn’t yet come to understand.
Classes didn’t just shape abilities; they influenced identities. As a weak, budding necromancer, Michael remained unaware of this truth.
In time, though, the question would arise: would Michael maintain his sunny disposition or fully embrace the darker traits that came with his chosen path?
Even now, his subconscious was showing signs of adaptation.
Not everyone would feel comfortable around corpses, but to Michael, they already felt like essential resources—ones he didn’t yet have enough of.
Turning to Lilian, Michael extended his hand again.
“Hi Lilian, I’m Michael.”
“You recognize me?” Lilian asked as she hesitantly shook his hand.
“You expected me not to?”
“N-no,” she stammered, quickly withdrawing her hand and falling silent.
‘She seems difficult to converse with,’ Michael thought, noting her reserved demeanor.
He, too, wasn’t someone who enjoyed talking unless necessary, but now he had to make an effort.
Building some rapport with his teammates was important—not just for teamwork but for achieving his goals.
More than anything, Michael was eager to get into the crack and accomplish what mattered most: getting stronger. And if some money came along with that… well, all the better.
Though brief, the three had already grown somewhat familiar with one another.
After Mira, the team’s designated leader on paper, accepted the application document from the receptionist, they made their way out of the Association building.
Once outside, they didn’t immediately hail a ride. Instead, they gathered under the shade of a nearby tree to discuss their plans.
“We’re going to a corrupted-type crack, ape region—” Mira began.
“Isn’t this the level 2 crack?” Michael interrupted, unable to hide his surprise at the familiar name.
Yesterday, when he had asked the receptionist to help him join teams with reserved crack schedules in Woodstone City, he hadn’t asked for the specifics of which cracks he’d be entering.
However he was able to know their names. But it was just this. Aside from that he knew nothing more.
It was a risky decision, but Michael wasn’t the type to shy away from calculated risks now. While cautious by nature, he wasn’t a coward. He had confidence in his strength—or rather, in the strength of his undead companions, Lucky and Prince.
With the two of them by his side, Michael felt that, short of something completely overwhelming, he could handle himself.
And if there was something so dangerous it could still harm him? Well, that was no longer his problem—it was the world against him.
Noticing his reaction, Mira frowned slightly. “Is something the matter?” she asked cautiously. QA
Mira was usually nonchalant about most things, but something about Michael kept her on edge. It wasn’t something she could easily explain, but her instincts told her to stay on guard around him.
Unfortunately, her feelings alone weren’t a valid reason to dismiss him. Besides, Mira wasn’t the type to act purely on emotion.
At least Michael wasn’t a complete stranger; as schoolmates, there was a faint sense of familiarity, even if they hadn’t interacted much before.
Interestingly, Mira and Lilian weren’t initially acquaintances either. The two only got to know each other after chatting a few times in the class group chat Brian had added them to.
Unlike Brian, who had started his journey near a village with access to quests and an abundance of low-level monsters to hunt in the nearby forest, Mira and Lilian had been unlucky.
One of them had been transported to a barren desert, while the other found herself on a desolate, abandoned island. Both situations were miserable in their own ways, and neither provided an ideal starting point.
Having struggled through their misfortunes, they decided to try hunting monsters in dimensional cracks. Yesterday had been their first attempt, and they had barely made it out alive. Since they hadn’t leveled up yet, they were barely different from ordinary humans without considering their skills.
Fortunately, they survived and grew stronger as a result. However, leveling up was a slow process, so they decided to tackle a Level 2 crack instead. They were lucky to secure it, as the team scheduled to go this morning had postponed their plans. Discover stories with empire
However a Level 2 crack was a bit too much for them now. Realizing they needed more support, they decided to reach out to Brian for help.
However, just as they were making plans to contact him, Mira received a call from the Association asking if her team needed another member.
As the registered leader of their group, Mira accepted, reasoning that whoever joined couldn’t possibly be worse off than they were.
To be honest, Mira hadn’t been too thrilled about the idea of working with Brian again. Lilian felt the same.
Though Brian’s fame as a “genius knight” had painted him as a reliable ally, their interactions with him revealed something… unsettling.
He was overly enthusiastic—almost unnervingly so.
They didn’t know what it was about him, but something was differently off.
****
This chapter was rewritten and the same will follow for the chapters ahead. I’m sorry. They’ll all be available to read soon though.