Watching Michael leave, Mr. Mill felt a twinge of unease.
For a moment, he thought he might have made a mistake, but after considering it, he scoffed.
Though he had become an official cultivator later in life and hadn’t gained access to the mysterious forum rumored to exist, years of experience as a cultivator had taught him a few things.
The boy’s appearance clearly showed he was very young, and in a backward place like Woodstone City—where even ordinary people struggled to find enough resources to cultivate properly—that boy couldn’t possibly be very strong.
The fact that he was registered with the Supers Association only meant he had backing, likely from someone wealthy or influential.
Without such support, a young cultivator wouldn’t have been able to register so early.
Sure, he might also be a genius, but so what?
Anyone could be a “genius” with enough resources.
What Mr. Mill needed wasn’t some inexperienced prodigy. He needed a strong and reliable teammate.
Entering cracks was highly profitable—one month’s earnings from a crack could match years of income from a normal job. The temptation was hard to resist, even with the constant risk of death.
Just last week, his good friend and teammate of two years had died in the goblin world.
They had been ambushed by two group of goblins while already engaged in a fight.
Encounters like that were common, but this time they hadn’t been lucky enough to escape unscathed.
The goblins’ cunning tactics and crude weaponry had sealed his friend’s fate.
It was a harsh reminder of the risks, but also of the kind of strength and experience Mr. Mill needed in a teammate—not some untested young cultivator.
Mr. Mill was about to dismiss the matter concerning Michael entirely when something clicked, and he turned to his friend.
“Leo, you have a child in school, right?”
“Yeah,” Leo replied cautiously.
“When did they have their awakening ceremony?”
The moment Mr. Mill saw the expression on Leo’s face, he and the two other middle-aged men beside him immediately understood what had happened.
The boy being an Awakener hadn’t even crossed Mr. Mill’s mind. He’d only heard about the awakening ceremonies in passing over the last few days.
Preoccupied with his own life and still grieving his friend’s death, he hadn’t paid much attention to the news.
Now, it seemed to have come back to bite him.
Still, Mr. Mill reconsidered.
“Even if he’s an Awakener and they’re said to grow stronger quickly, how strong could he possibly be after just a few days?”
With this reasoning, Mr. Mill convinced himself he hadn’t made a mistake.
Judging by the expressions on the other men’s faces, they seemed to share his thought process.
All this happened under Grace’s subtle observation, and she shook her head silently, guessing what was going through their minds.
It wasn’t entirely their fault. Their severe lack of information about Awakeners played a major role.
Though they called themselves cultivators, this group of men didn’t even know the full ranks of the Cultivation system.
This ignorance was largely due to the Federation’s deliberate manipulation of information.
But lack of patience, poor judgment, and bad communication skills had cost them a potentially powerful ally.
Just as Michael had suspected, the staff of the Supers Association weren’t ordinary.
Even as a receptionist, Grace herself was a mid-stage Rank 3 cultivator.
Yet, despite her power, she could no longer see through Michael as clearly as she had when he first came to register.
Today, his aura felt even vaguer, more elusive.
It was clear that he was growing stronger rapidly, and given what she knew about Awakeners, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he already had a deal with her.
Well, at least from what his mana levels suggested.
And yet, this group of men had missed the chance to work with such a promising helper.
Grace felt it was a pity and a waste.
Still, as a professional, Grace didn’t wear her thoughts and feelings on her sleeve, so the group of men didn’t notice anything amiss.
It didn’t take long for Michael to return to his hotel room.
Forcing down his excitement and anticipation, he headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up.
Afterward, he changed into one of the new sets of clothes he had bought earlier that morning. They were meant for potential use after the dimensional crack, but he hadn’t needed them after all.
Once refreshed and dressed, Michael didn’t immediately enter the Land of Origin. Instead, he brought out some bread and a drink he had purchased from the mall.
Though he noticed his need for food had been gradually diminishing as his stats improved, Michael didn’t want to forget the joy of tasting good food.
Lately, his thoughts had been so preoccupied that he could see himself skipping meals entirely if he wasn’t careful. Better to enjoy it now while he could.
There was also the matter of his body in the Land of Origin, which was facing a similar situation.
Aside from surviving on energy nutrition alone, Michael felt it was time to treat himself to something better tasting in that world too.
He also considered the toll his taste buds would endure once he started consuming larger quantities of source liquid for his growth.
“I just hope I don’t end up vomiting it out. That would really be a waste.”
As he ate, Michael called up his status in his mind to review his personal progress and talent.
Enjoy more content from empire
*****
[Name: Michael Norman]
[Class: Necromancer Apprentice[MAX]]
[Level: 10[MAX]]
[EXP: 2000/2000[MAX]]
[Strength: 7.6]
[Agility: 13.6]
[Constitution: 9.2]
[Intelligence: 46.3]
[Attribute Points: 19]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect, Basic Shot, Share Senses]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot{18/20}]
[Gift: Mark Of Origin]
*****
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
Evolution Points: 38
Evolvable:
Lucky – Undead Redthorn Wolf Lv. 18 (Insufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Prince – Undead Verdant Wolf Lv. 17 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Undead Forest Wolf Lv. 6 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
Hobgoblin Goblin Lv. 5 (Sufficient evolution points, Can be evolved)
…
…
.