Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 978: Surprise

Michael did not show any surprise on his face.

He was indeed caught off guard by the revelation, but perhaps the previous exchanges between them had already prepared him mentally for something along these lines.

Teacher Brian noticed immediately.

A trace of surprise appeared in the old man’s eyes.

He had expected something, at least visible shock, but Michael’s expression remained relatively calm.

Brian smirked faintly.

"You’re not surprised?"

Michael shook his head slightly.

"I am. But if Teacher Brian thinks this is enough to scare me, you would be making a mistake. It’s true I lack experience compared to many others, but that might be the only thing lacking."

Michael’s eyes met his directly.

For a moment, Teacher Brian looked genuinely taken aback, then the old man suddenly laughed softly.

"...Fair enough."

Internally, Brian also realized something.

Perhaps he really had subconsciously underestimated Michael a little. After all, how could someone who reached King rank in less than a year possibly be normal?

The atmosphere relaxed slightly afterward.

Then Michael asked a question directly.

"Why did you kill them?"

Teacher Brian’s smile slowly faded.

After several seconds, Brian finally answered.

"Because they attacked me first."

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had expected this. Though to be honest his admiration would not have vanished even if Brian had attacked for selfish reasons, Michael still felt a bit better knowing that at least the first exchange had been an act of self-defense.

Brian continued calmly,

"At first, things were peaceful between us. We both understood what the other was, so we were cautious. But humans are greedy creatures, Michael."

"I don’t know if the other party had killed a fellow candidate before, making it feel like second nature, or if they simply could not tolerate someone else on this path. But that person attacked with the intention to kill."

"It was quite a confusing situation at the time, but fortunately I happened to be the stronger one. Since there was no way I would leave someone that hostile to me walking free, I killed them. It was also how I discovered why other candidates might hunt their fellow candidates. But like I said, I’m still unsure that person wanted me dead because they had killed another candidate before and knew something or simply wanted to reduce the competition by one."

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So killing another candidate gives benefits?"

This was the only thing he could infer from Brian’s words.

Teacher Brian nodded slowly.

"It does."

The old man leaned back slightly before continuing.

"The moment I killed them, I immediately felt something flow out from their body into mine. It was their essence."

"The moment that essence merged with me, not only was my foundation strengthened, but the realm’s amplification over my law increased from roughly two hundred percent to three hundred."

Michael’s pupils constricted faintly.

An additional hundred percent boost?

That was terrifying.

If he received such a boost, added together with his other treasure that also boosted his law power by another two hundred percent, his strength would increase massively again. Of course, only within Aurora, that is.

Brian continued calmly.

"Also, unlike the original amplification, this extra increase doesn’t seem restricted only to Aurora."

"Ah?" Michael was surprised yet again. After all, the boost candidates received was strongest within Aurora itself.

If the extra hundred percent worked outside the realm as well, then killing candidates became even more valuable than he had initially thought.

Teacher Brian rubbed his forehead lightly.

"I haven’t fully tested the limits yet, but based on my observations, the added amplification should function both inside and outside Aurora."

Michael finally understood why Teacher Brian had reacted so seriously earlier.

This was no longer simple competition.

The realm itself was practically encouraging slaughter between candidates.

Brian continued quietly,

"There’s more."

There’s more?

"The increase doesn’t only strengthen law power. I can tell that ever since that battle, my comprehension inside Aurora has also improved noticeably. I say inside Aurora because I’m unsure whether it will remain the same outside."

"By how much did your comprehension increase?" Michael immediately asked.

Brian thought for a moment.

"I’m not fully certain, but it shouldn’t be far from half my original comprehension speed added on top."

Michael’s heart shook slightly.

That was absurd.

At higher ranks, law comprehension started to matter more than almost anything else.

An increase of even ten percent would be significant, but killing another candidate could potentially increase comprehension efficiency by nearly fifty percent?

At that point, Michael finally understood everything and why Teacher Brian had immediately warned him to kill or flee, because from a certain perspective, Realm Master candidates were walking treasures to each other.

The apartment fell silent again.

Then Brian suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"Now do you understand?"

Michael slowly nodded.

"Yes."

If word about this spread, candidates would not merely hunt each other.

Entire factions would likely try to secretly capture candidates and raise their chosen one if they had the means.

Just thinking about it made Michael feel cold internally.

At that moment, Teacher Brian looked directly into his eyes.

"So from today onward, trust nobody easily."

"You too?"

The old man let out a bitter smile at Michael’s expressionless face.

At that moment, Brian genuinely felt a little helpless.

To think this young man secretly had a mischievous side to him.

With such a question, what exactly was he supposed to say? If he answered yes, then wouldn’t that immediately destroy any trust between them?

In truth, he had no interest in becoming a Realm Master.

Not when he was younger, and not now that he was older. Though he knew his dream was futile, he still planned to travel the universe to see if anything could come from the last important thing he had left from his daughter.

Being a Realm Master would likely act more like a cage than anything else.

More importantly, Brian also had his own pride.

What kind of elder would he be if even his juniors could not trust him?

"No." Brian gave his reply.

After the matter regarding Realm Master candidates settled slightly, Michael smoothly shifted the conversation back toward the demonic faction.

Fortunately, Teacher Brian did not seem to hold any dissatisfaction regarding what happened earlier in Director Lin’s office. Perhaps because of Michael’s current status and strength, or perhaps because of the old man impression of him, Brian was surprisingly straightforward.

As expected, the academy had not kept the information regarding the demonic strongholds to itself.

The Federation had already been informed.

Though Brian did not state it directly, Michael could more or less infer that the academy had likely requested something in return before fully sharing the information.

That much was normal.

However, Michael also understood that such matters were not within his current status to ask about, so he did not bother probing deeper.

Instead, he focused on the more important issue.

The time of attack.

From the moment he handed over the locations, Michael already knew a massive operation was inevitable. The only uncertainty was when it would begin.

Unfortunately, the answer he received was not immediate action.

The Federation and academy first intended to verify the newly provided locations.

That much was understandable.

The ten original locations Michael had given earlier already possessed fairly high credibility because some traces had apparently been found. However, the newer locations were less certain, especially because Michael himself had already warned that some might have been abandoned or did not exist as strongholds.

As such, caution was necessary.

After all, once they launched the operation, there would be no room for mistakes.

If they alerted the demonic faction prematurely, the consequences would become troublesome.

Supernatural organizations, especially hidden ones, were like poisonous snakes. Once they realized danger was approaching, they would become significantly harder to deal with.

Fortunately, the confirmation process would not take too long.

Though Brian did not give an exact date, he did mention that the investigation phase should not exceed a week as anything longer than that would only alert the demonic supernaturals.

The demonic faction was not stupid.

Once too many locations started being secretly monitored or investigated at once, someone would eventually notice abnormalities.

At that point, the entire operation could collapse before it even properly began.

Michael understood this clearly.

In truth, even a week already felt somewhat risky.

Still, compared to acting blindly and walking into traps, proper confirmation was necessary.

Though the information was not much it did give Michael a better understanding of the situation and what to expect.

After thanking Teacher Brian once more and escorting him out, Michael was alone in his apartment again.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind. Whether it was the hidden mechanisms related to being a candidate to inherit Aurora’s will or the matter with the demonic faction, both were important.

In any case, knowing that only with enough strength could he do whatever he wanted and protect himself, Michael did not dwell on it too long and soon returned to meditation.

Finally, four days later, not only had the academy hinted to Michael that he should start preparing, the day to evolve Wisdom had also arrived.

However, there was a slight issue back in the Land of Origin.

The Thornvale Manor, after so many weeks, had once again received visitors from the royal capital.

This time, however, alongside the familiar face of Arianne, there was another.

"Princess Priscilla, it’s truly a surprise to see you."