Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 503: Supernatural Forces

When they arrived at a broad set of double doors, the staff member pushed them open to reveal a spacious waiting hall. Dozens of other Awakeners were already inside, some chatting in low voices, others keeping to themselves. Holographic displays floated in the air, showing news feeds and so on.

“Wait here until called.”

Michael nodded once. “Got it.”

As he stepped inside, the doors closing behind him, he could feel the subtle shift in atmosphere.

Michael’s brow furrowed the moment he stepped inside.

No less than ten pairs of eyes turned toward him almost at once, their stares carrying a weight that was hard to ignore.

An uncomfortable sensation prickled at the back of his neck.

Detect skill?

It was only a passing thought—until he caught the subtle shift in several expressions. Faces that had been neutral moments ago now carried hints of surprise, caution… even wariness.

That was all the confirmation he needed.

Unfortunately, though he found the gesture rude, now understanding Teacher Brian’s reaction, there was nothing he could do but find a place to sit and mind his own business.

However, while Michael preferred to be left alone, the same couldn’t be said for others.

Across the vast room, two boys had their eyes locked on him—one tall, the other short.

“Level 40? That’s some insane leveling speed. I wonder if he awakened a year ago or two. I’m betting on two years. Even monsters have limits,” the short one muttered, earning a nod from the tall boy.

Had Michael used [Detect] on them, he would have seen:

[Knight – LV 36] on the short one, and [Hunter – LV 38] on the tall one.

They were among the strongest Awakeners in the room—both having awakened on their very first attempt two years prior. That alone explained part of their current strength, but their rapid rise owed far more to something else entirely: the powerful backgrounds that had fueled their progress.

With the rise of the supernatural in Aurora, it was only natural for supernatural organizations to emerge as well.

The Federation was one. The Super Association was another. The academies counted too. And beyond them were powerful private forces.

These two boys came from such forces.

Specifically, a King-rank family—a title meaning their lineage boasted at least one King-level cultivator, along with several Master-rank experts. Families of this caliber were referred to as cultivation families.

As for whether Awakener families existed—no. Awakening could not be artificially manipulated. Even if both parents were Awakeners, their children were not guaranteed to awaken. At best, they inherited a higher chance of being talented, and even that depended heavily on the parents’ levels.

Thanks to the two youths’ powerful backgrounds, their cultivation resources and training conditions far surpassed those of the average Awakener, allowing them to advance rapidly.

But even with strong backgrounds, rapid progress wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

For Awakeners, the greatest limiting factor in levelling speed was experience points—and the amount needed grew exponentially as one became stronger. The only reliable way to gain them was through killing.

With a constant stream of enemies to fight, it was possible for an Awakener to level quickly. But even then, the smarter ones rarely rushed. Instead, they deliberately slowed their levelling to build their foundation.

Levelling up did make an Awakener stronger, yes—but the truth was that the gains from each level were small. The real leaps in power came only when advancing in rank. That was when their bodies, abilities, and skills underwent significant growth.

Because of this, many Awakeners intentionally held themselves back, focusing on increasing their “stats” through cultivation methods or by consuming natural treasures. It was a slower road, but one that laid a far more stable base for future breakthroughs.

This was why there were often enormous differences between Awakeners of the same level and rank—setting aside factors like class and race. Background mattered.

A strong family or faction could provide access to what most Awakeners could only dream of—almost unlimited access to dimensional cracks rich in monsters, rare treasures that permanently boosted physical attributes, personal trainers who were Master-rank or above, and environments designed to accelerate growth. These two youths had all of that and more.

With a King-rank cultivator in their family, they never lacked resources or opportunities. Their paths had been smooth—perhaps too smooth. Of course, this kind of accelerated progress came at a staggering cost in both wealth and manpower. But would the forces behind them hesitate? Yes, they would count the cost. Would they regret it? Absolutely not.

It wasn’t simply because Awakeners were rare. Rather, it was because of their nature—how they gained power at a rate cultivators could only envy.

In just two short years, these boys had already surpassed a large number of Master-rank cultivators—people who had spent decades, even lifetimes, reaching that level. And if they stalled at the peak of Rank 2, they could still be elevated by special means to a level where they could be considered a pseudo–King rank. For most factions, that was already a massive return on investment.

Awakeners, after all, were the hope of any force lucky enough to claim them. They were weapons that could be sharpened far faster than traditional cultivators, and so long as the potential was there, pouring resources into them was a gamble worth taking.

Naturally, after seeing Michael, they assumed he was the same as them—another product of wealth, influence, and carefully curated resources.

How else could someone be Level 40 at his age? Even for them, that gap of two to four levels wasn’t trivial. Closing it would take weeks, maybe months of constant combat, and that was with their privileged access to the best cracks, mentors, and treasures money could buy.

If anything, some part of them suspected he might come from an even stronger family than their own. King-rank backing was impressive, but there were higher peaks—families with multiple Kings, or a single Emperor whose influence could tilt entire regions. If Michael was the heir to something like that… well, it would explain his speed.

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A/N: Happy 500 chapters to us haha. I actually didn’t notice!