Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 504: Two Youths

Only heaven knew what expressions those two would make if they learned the truth—that what had taken them two years to achieve, Michael had already surpassed in just three months.

Would it be disbelief? Outrage? Maybe an odd mix of admiration and jealousy.

Whatever the case, it would be colorful, that much was certain.

And the most ironic part?

Michael didn’t even come from a cultivation family.

Not even one of the more common mortal families with minor supernatural connections.

No—his was a perfectly ordinary mortal family.

Before Michael awakened, the breadwinner of the household was his Aunt, a chef earning barely three thousand dollars a month.

A far cry from the limitless resources and political pull the boys across the room enjoyed.

The two boys kept their eyes on Michael for a while, exchanging quiet comments between themselves.

At first, it was simple curiosity—here was someone in the room with a higher level than either of them, and not just by a sliver. But the longer they thought about it, the more they recognized that in the upcoming round of the exam, an ally like that might be useful.

“Level 40…” the shorter one murmured again, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Whether he’s from a stronger family or not, that’s someone worth knowing before things kick off.”

The tall one smirked faintly. “Exactly. Even if he’s just a temporary ally, it’s better to make a connection now.”

Knowing the strongest person in the room was never a bad investment.

After a moment of silent agreement, they rose from their seats and began making their way toward him, drawing the attention of a few curious glances from other Awakeners nearby.

Michael, seated in a relaxed but alert posture, noticed their approach almost immediately. His gaze flicked over them, assessing, though he didn’t move from his seat.

Michael didn’t know the two boys, but he recognized them immediately.

They’d been among the group whose gazes had fixed on him the instant he stepped into the room, and judging by their earlier reactions, they had almost certainly used [Detect] on him as well.

The taller one had an angular face with high cheekbones and narrow dark eyes. His black hair was neatly combed back, not a strand out of place, and his posture was straight, exuding quiet confidence.

The shorter one had a stockier build, with a square jaw and a faint crease between his brows that made his expression seem naturally stern. His light brown hair was trimmed close to the scalp, and his gaze was more direct than his companion’s—steady, assessing, as if weighing Michael’s worth in the space of a few seconds.

Neither spoke as they closed the distance, but from the way they carried themselves, it was clear they weren’t just coming over for casual conversation.

As the two drew closer, their eyes naturally swept over Michael’s appearance.

Black hair—long, straight, and tied neatly into a ponytail—framed an expressionless face, its calmness so absolute it felt deliberate.

His cold green eyes met theirs briefly, devoid of warmth yet sharp enough to make their steps falter for a fraction of a second. There was nothing openly hostile in his gaze, but something in it pressed subtly against their instincts, stirring an unease neither could quite explain.

From what they’d gathered earlier, Michael’s class leaned toward a support role, but the aura he gave off didn’t match that at all.

They also couldn’t help but feel a flicker of envy. The way his long hair caught the light, the faintly elongated shape of his ears, and the symmetry of his features gave him a striking, almost ethereal look that didn’t seem entirely human.

Of course, the two simply assumed he had a unique presence or perhaps came from a bloodline with unusual traits. They had no way of knowing the truth—that Michael wasn’t even fully human anymore, at least not in the biological sense.

They stopped a step away from Michael’s table, the tall one taking the lead.

“I’m Kael,” he said, his tone carrying a casual confidence. Then, after the briefest pause, he added with deliberate emphasis, “Kael Veyren.”

The shorter boy gave a faint nod, his expression firm. “Ryn Calder,” he said, with that same subtle pride.

Both of them watched for Michael’s reaction, as if expecting a flicker of recognition or the slightest change in his unreadable expression.

Unfortunately, Michael completely missed the subtle weight they’d put behind their surnames.

To him, it sounded like nothing more than a straightforward introduction—so he responded in kind, his voice level and his expression giving away little.

“Michael Norman,” he said, almost offhandedly, as though he were confirming his name for a mundane attendance list rather than answering two Awakeners from prestigious King-rank families.

Kael and Ryn, however, took his reaction very differently.

To their ears, that calm indifference wasn’t ignorance—it was confidence. The sort of composure that came from someone so secure in their own background and strength that they didn’t feel the need to acknowledge status games.

And that, in its own way, made them all the more curious about just who Michael really was.

It was impossible for Michael to know the significance behind the surnames Veyren and Calder.

Had he known, it would have been impossible not to react—those names carried weight.

But fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, he didn’t know.

It wasn’t really his fault either.

Michael’s circumstances made it easy for people to misunderstand him. On the surface, he could look like someone who was deliberately hiding his origins, or someone so high up the social ladder that things like family names meant little to him.

But in truth, at his core—and at least for now—Michael was still a very ordinary person by his standards.

The Federation had only begun revealing information about the supernatural world in the past few months, and even then, what they released was piecemeal.

There was more public awareness now, yes, but it was still nowhere near enough to give the average citizen a full picture of the powers that moved behind the scenes.