Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1074: Outlier

Compared to Lily, whose situation remained relatively stable, Michael ran into a problem the instant he arrived in the Origin Battlefield.

Unlike the gloomy forest Lily had entered, Michael found himself standing atop an enormous mountain range.

Jagged peaks stretched beyond the horizon like countless swords piercing the heavens. The sky above was completely clear. Yet there was no sun. Even so, one could somehow tell it was daytime.

The strange light illuminating the world seemed to come from the sky itself rather than any celestial body.

Ordinarily, Michael would have immediately begun studying his surroundings. Instead, his entire attention remained fixed on the panels floating before him.

[Awakener ʼMichael Normanʼ has been detected to be too powerful for the Third Layer]

[Awakener ʼMichael Normanʼ has been detected to possess the Outlier Status]

[Outlier detected]

[Current combat capability exceeds the extreme threshold of the Third Layer]

[Searching for countermeasures…]

Michaelʼs eyelid twitched.

”…Again?”

He couldnʼt help muttering under his breath. Then, with no one around to hear him, he spent the next several seconds silently cursing the Origin Will, along with its ancestors, assuming something like an ancestor even existed.

”This thing really has a personal grudge against me.”

This wasnʼt the first time the Origin Will had attempted to make his life difficult. Nor the second. Nor even the third.

Compared to his worries for Lily, Michael had entered the Origin Battlefield with complete confidence.

If his suspicions were right, the Third Layer should only contain Rank Three awakeners. Even ignoring his undead legion, his own strength was already sufficient to dominate most, if not all, Rank Three opponents.

Once his undead were factored in, Michael genuinely couldnʼt imagine losing. Surely there wasnʼt another Rank Three awakener walking around with over two thousand Rank Four undead at their command.

Even if such a monster somehow existed, Michael was convinced that personʼs forces still couldnʼt compare to his own.

That was the confidence he had built over months of growth.

Unfortunately, the Origin Will clearly had different ideas.

Michael quietly waited, knowing there was nothing he could do. The Origin Will wasnʼt something he could negotiate with, fight, or threaten. Knowing this, he simply stood atop the mountain and waited for the verdict.

”…Just donʼt erase me from existence.”

That was honestly his greatest concern. If the Origin Will truly considered him an error, who knew what ridiculous punishment it might choose?

Fortunately, the waiting didnʼt last long. Several new panels appeared.

[Countermeasure found]

[Awakener ʼMichael Normanʼ possesses combat capability matching a higher battlefield layer]

[Reassigning battlefield layer…]

[Promotion complete]

[Awakener ʼMichael Normanʼ will be transferred to the Fourth Layer of the Origin Battlefield]

Michael stared blankly for several seconds.

”…Thatʼs it?”

He blinked in surprise.

”Iʼve been promoted…”

Relief spread through him almost immediately. At the very least, he hadnʼt been erased, sealed, or forcibly weakened. From that perspective, this was probably the best outcome possible.

Even so, Michaelʼs expression gradually turned unpleasant.

”…How annoying.”

He clicked his tongue. Originally, his situation had been absolutely safe. Now it had merely become safe. There was a difference. A very significant one.

If his suspicions were correct, then every battlefield layer corresponded to a specific rank. The Third Layer should mainly contain Rank Three awakeners. Likewise, the Fourth Layer should primarily belong to Rank Four awakeners. More importantly, it should belong to peak Rank Four awakeners.

Michael slowly rubbed his forehead.

”Iʼm not even Rank Four yet…”

This alone wasnʼt what worried him, though. After all, he possessed over two thousand Rank Four undead. Michael was fairly certain very few people would be capable of confronting such a force head-on.

His real problem was much simpler. He was only one man. No matter how strong his undead were, no matter how terrifying his legion appeared, the number of Rank Four awakeners throughout the universe had to vastly exceed the number of Rank Four undead under his command.

Tens of thousands. Perhaps hundreds of thousands. He had no way of knowing. But he was certain that among such an enormous population, there had to be at least a few monsters capable of fighting above their rank.

Michael refused to believe otherwise. He himself was proof such people existed. If he could fight beyond his realm, others certainly could as well.

Perhaps there were awakeners capable of slaying ordinary Rank Five opponents while still remaining at Rank Four.

Perhaps there were legendary geniuses out there with Mythical races, Divine inheritances, Legendary talents, Special constitutions, or treasures even he had never heard of.

The universe was simply too vast for him to be the only one of his kind.

Unfortunately, whether Michael was willing or not did not matter. The Origin Will had already made its decision. More panels appeared before him.

[Transfer preparations complete]

[Balance restored]

[Outlier adjustment successful.]

Then, after a brief pause, another panel appeared.

[As compensation for the inconvenience caused by the forced reassignment…]

[Suitable compensation is being evaluated…]

[Compensation package currently under preparation]

Michael raised an eyebrow.

”…Compensation?”

He hadnʼt expected that. Knowing the Origin Will, he had assumed it would simply throw him into the Fourth Layer and call it a day. The fact that it was actually preparing compensation surprised him a little.

”…At least you still have a conscience.”

Of course, he didnʼt lower his guard. For all he knew, the compensation might simply be an Epic Grade weapon, handed over as a formality.

Before Michael could think any further, the space around him distorted. His surroundings blurred, and the mountain range disappeared. The next moment, his feet landed firmly on solid ground once more.

Michael immediately looked around. The scenery had completely changed.

He was still standing within a mountain range, but unlike before, these mountains were far taller and far more rugged.

Dark cliffs stretched toward the heavens like gigantic walls. Ancient trees clung stubbornly to impossible slopes, while rivers of silver water flowed through the valleys below.

The sky remained perfectly clear. This time, however, it was night. Unlike the Third Layer, there was no strange daylight without a sun. Instead, countless unfamiliar stars covered the heavens.

Three enormous moons hung in the distance, each emitting a different color. One pale white. One deep blue. One faint crimson. The entire world was illuminated beneath their combined glow.

Michael only spared them a brief glance, because the very next instant, his eyes widened.

”…This mana…”

His breathing unconsciously slowed. Every breath he took caused mana to pour into his body at an astonishing rate. The surrounding mana wasnʼt merely abundant. It was incredibly dense.

”Such dense mana…”

Michael closed his eyes for a brief moment. He could feel mana naturally flowing into every cell of his body, even without actively cultivating. When he opened his eyes again, surprise crossed his face.

”…Itʼs even richer than the Land of Origin.”

That conclusion shocked him.

The Land of Origin was already widely recognized as the greatest cultivation ground in existence. Yet compared to the Fourth Layer, it was actually a few levels inferior. Not by an overwhelming margin, but inferior nonetheless. At least in terms of mana density.

A thoughtful expression crossed Michaelʼs face.

Starting from Rank Three onward, cultivation gradually shifted. Mana refinement remained important, but the soul became the true focus. Of course, that didnʼt mean the body had been abandoned.

Many powerful supernaturals still spent countless years cultivating their physique while meditating to accumulate mana. After all, no matter how advanced oneʼs soul became, a weak body remained a weakness. Most experts still advanced traditionally.

Michael was simply abnormal. His growth had skipped countless intermediate steps thanks to his talent, which repeatedly allowed him to leap over years, sometimes decades, of ordinary cultivation.

Rather than slowly refining his body over countless meditation sessions, he would occasionally receive an instantaneous increase in strength. A single evolution could accomplish what might take another awakener years of cultivation.

Because of that, Michael had never truly appreciated environments meant for cultivation. Until now.

Feeling the astonishing mana density surrounding him, he suddenly understood why so many ancient experts secluded themselves for centuries. If someone cultivated here continuously, their progress would undoubtedly be terrifying.

”…This place really is meant for the powerful.”

Michael slowly exhaled. Then another thought crossed his mind.

”If even the Fourth Layer has mana density like this…” He slowly lifted his gaze toward the three moons overhead. ”…then what kind of environment exists in the Fifth Layer?”

For the first time since arriving in the Origin Battlefield, Michael found himself genuinely curious.

Just then, another familiar panel appeared before him.

[You have entered the Origin Battlefield]

[Current Location: Fourth Layer]

[Region: Level 1 Earthly Peak]

”Level 1? I wonder what that means.”

This wasnʼt the first time heʼd seen a panel like this. The same had appeared just when he entered the Third Layer. He simply hadnʼt been able to focus on it before the Origin Battlefield decided to cast him out almost immediately afterward.

Unfortunately, Michael still wasnʼt cut out for a break. Just as he decided to take things slow, the night sky suddenly brightened.

Anyone within a reasonable distance, except blind or not, should have been able to see the light, caused by what appeared to be several falling objects.

However, much to Michaelʼs surprise, the brightest of the objects that had appeared out of nowhere, scattering off in different directions, seemed to be heading straight toward him.

Along with it were multiple extremely powerful presences making their way towards him.