A/N: A little delay in editing the next chapters so please don’t read them yet. It’ll be resolved in a few hours along with a new chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience once again. Three chapters after reset still stands, though.
*****
Mira couldn’t wrap her head around how a Rank 1 creature of Rare rank had suddenly appeared beside them.
No. That wasn’t even the real question.
The real question was how did Michael have an undead of this level in the first place?
Was he cheating?
Weren’t they all just three days into being Awakeners at most?
Was this guy secretly skipping steps while the rest of them struggled through the basics?
Was bro flying too?!
It wasn’t that Mira didn’t believe Michael could have a Rank 1 undead under his control.
In fact, she had suspected it when he mentioned being Level 9—so close to Level 10, the max level of the unranked stage.
However, Mira dismissed the idea because of the little time Michael had been an Awakener.
But while she hadn’t ruled out the possibility of him having a Rank 1 undead, what she never imagined was that not only did he have one, but it was also at rare rank.
She didn’t know much about Necromancers or how they operated, but she understood the significance of rare-ranked creatures.
At this level, monsters were not much different from Awakeners who used attribute points.
In other words, standing beside Michael now was essentially a genuine Rank 1 Awakener.
Lilian, on the other hand, shared a similar train of thought as Mira.
Michael, unaware of their distress, didn’t have time to worry about them.
He had never considered hiding his powers. Maybe he’d keep the specifics of his talent a secret—it felt too unique and powerful, likely linked to his transmigration—but he didn’t see much issue in revealing his capabilities.
For one, while obtaining a Rank 1 undead might seem fast, it wasn’t impossible.
Awakeners grew stronger quickly. If they didn’t, they’d barely be more special than Cultivators. So, this shouldn’t raise too many questions.
As for the rank of his undead? That was the simplest question to answer—it was because of an opportunity.
What else could anyone say to that? Wasn’t the Land of Origin said to be full of opportunities? Could they force him to explain further?
For these reasons, Michael saw no benefit in hiding his powers.
Why would he deliberately make himself seem weaker just to avoid unsettling others?
Of course, there was a limit to how much he could reveal.
This was why he summoned Prince instead of Lucky.
Prince’s existence could be rationalized, but Lucky pushed well beyond the boundaries of common sense. Revealing it might even draw unwanted attention.
Though Michael didn’t actively avoid attention, he wasn’t keen on it either. His cautious nature made him paranoid about the possibility of being kidnapped.
By whom?
He didn’t know. Maybe demonic cultivators? Or someone with ulterior motives who saw value in him? They might even notice something connected to his talent and approach him with bad intentions.
While the Federation was portrayed as a righteous faction, Michael, with the experience of his past life even though short, wasn’t so quick to trust that image.
Unless it was an extreme cult-like organization where everyone was brainwashed from birth, all organizations had their share of different people and agendas.
Because of this, Michael felt it was wise to keep part of his full power hidden as a trump card. But showing some of his strength? That was fine.
Anyway, what was so special about a one-star rare-ranked creature?
If given enough time, all his undead would eventually reach this stage.
Another reason Michael didn’t want to engage the black ape himself was that, while he didn’t doubt his team’s ability to handle it, he disliked the risks involved.
A prolonged battle could also lead to unnecessary damage to the monster’s body.
If it was too damaged, how could he maximize his profit?
Moreover, while one day inside the crack seemed like plenty of time to hunt and exit, Michael wanted more.
The monsters in the crack were renewable anyway—why settle for only killing a third of them? There was also the part with sharing the profits with his teammates.
Every monster here represented potential evolution points, and it would be a sin to let them live—or worse, let them get sold by someone else.
The moment Prince arrived, the black ape, previously resting peacefully, immediately woke up, fully alert.
It couldn’t be helped; Prince’s presence was overwhelming, and Michael hadn’t bothered to hide it.
[Black Ape Lv. 12]
[Rank: Common★★]
It was a tough monster, which was why Michael was reluctant to waste time on it.
“Take care of him, Prince,” Michael commanded calmly.
The instant the words left his mouth, a faint, violent gust of wind swept past him as Prince disappeared from his position.
Prince hadn’t grown significantly stronger since their last visit to the goblin world corrupted crack. Only Its skill control had clearly improved. Yet, even when moving at the same speed Lucky had shown back in the goblin world, the generated wind wasn’t nearly as intense.
This had nothing to do with Lucky being weaker. Both moved at the same speed.
The difference lay in the worlds themselves—this level 2 crack was clearly more stable than the level 1 crack.
But Michael didn’t have the time to ponder this detail.
He watched as thick, robust plant vines materialized, entangling the black ape.
Prince had used its {Plant Control} skill to completely immobilize the creature.
It seemed Prince had interpreted Michael’s command the same way it had back in the goblin world—where he and Lucky had restrained goblins for Michael to kill personally.
This was further reinforced by the fact that Prince, who could easily end the black ape with a single swipe of its claws or a bite, refrained from doing so.
The command phrase had been the same, so it made sense Prince acted accordingly.
“Well, this works too,” Michael muttered. “I needed to level up anyway.”
With his spear in hand, he calmly walked toward the struggling black ape, which thrashed violently against its bindings.
Seeing Michael head toward the black ape, Mira and Lilian stared at each other for a second before rushing after him.
They were in shock.
Lilian had already prepped herself for a tough battle, while Mira was ready to throw some explosives if needed.
But in the blink of an eye, the monster—formidable at their current level—was so easily resolved that they couldn’t accept it immediately.
“I’m sorry, guys, I’ll be taking the kill for this one. After I level up, I’ll have my undead do the same for you guys. Is that okay?”
“Yes, yes!” Mira and Lilian replied excitedly, recovering immediately.
From Michael’s words, it was obvious he planned to carry them, and such luck wasn’t something they’d turn down.
Only Mira felt a little uncomfortable. Not because of being carried, but because of the inability to set something ablaze. Still, she was smart enough to know what was better for her.
At least by being carried, she could level up safely and save her bombs for another time.
Mira glanced at Michael, who was intently focused on the black ape—a creature that stood a meter taller than him—with a complicated expression on her face.
She wasn’t sure how to feel, especially since she had been so confident a moment ago.
The black ape’s figure was imposing and its form was tough, but this was all useless in the face of absolute power.
Knowing that the monster’s thick skin was difficult to penetrate, Michael targeted the weakest spot in its body: its eye.
His hands moved in a blur.
With a perfect, standard posture, the spear in his hand drove directly into the black ape’s left eye, piercing straight into its brain and killing it instantly.
—
[You have killed a Common★★ Level 12 Black Ape.]
[You’ve gained 398 Experience Points.]
[You killed a monster 3 levels higher than your own, earning a 4x experience multiplier.]
[You’ve gained 1,592 Experience Points.]
[Level Up!]
[You have leveled up to Level 10.]
[You have reached the MAX level of the Unranked Stage. Rank up to accumulate experience points again and level up!]
[You have reached MAX level for Necromancer Apprentice. To rank up to Adept Necromancer and continue leveling, complete your Rank Advancement Quest.]
[Generating Rank Advancement Quest…]
[Quest Generated.]
[Advancement Quest]
Have 10 Rank 1 Undead: 2/10
****
[Name: Michael Norman]
[Class: Necromancer Apprentice[MAX]]
[Level: 10[MAX]]
[EXP: 2000/2000[MAX]]
[Strength: 7.6(0.3^)]
[Agility: 13.6(0.5^)]
[Constitution: 9.2(0.3^)]
[Intelligence: 46.3(1.0^)]
[Attribute Points: 19]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect, Basic Shot, Share Senses]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot{18/20}] Discover stories with empire
[Gift: Mark Of Origin]
*****
Necromancer Class Advancement Route
Unranked: Necromancer Apprentice (Level 1 – 10)
Rank 1: Adept Necromancer (Level 11 – 25)
Rank 2: ???
Rank 3: ???
??
??
****
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)
???
????