Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 625: First Popularity [1]

The rider dismounted well out of sword’s reach, tugged off his helm, and bowed from the waist.

”Honored sirs,” he said, breath misting in the chill. ”Forgive the delay. My Lord sent me to receive you and guide you to the castle.”

He looked young—twenties, maybe—with dust on his boots, and a straight posture. His gaze flicked over Michael and Rohan, measured the disciplined formation behind them, and settled into a respectful stillness. He didn’t know who they were, but he knew enough not to treat them lightly.

As the two Michaels handled their double life, a girl and a certain youth stood in front of two game pods.

The girl was Lily, the cousin of a certain necromancer, and the handsome youth was Jester, that same necromancer’s undead.

Right now, both of them were looking at the game pods with excitement.

They were different from the one Michael had used to contain his body during his previous rank advancement and was clearly new. But since a new one had appeared in the house, an item worth millions at the moment, it could only have been gotten by one person in the family—Michael.

However, though he was far from broke, he wasn’t as rich as he used to be before his advancement. After all the resources he had spent preparing for it, his savings had taken a heavy hit. With less time on his hands as well, one could only wonder how he had managed to earn so much money again.

The reason was simple. Michael had participated in something he never thought he would do in both his lives—smuggling. And not just any smuggling, but one that involved transporting materials from his territory in the Land of Origin and exchanging them at the academy for academy points.

During the week he spent in the academy, Michael had finally understood how precious those points were. From buying knowledge and spell models to formulas, potions, and rare items, the possibilities were endless. With enough points, he could even purchase a Rank 4 corpse. For a necromancer, that was an irresistible temptation.

Fortunately, one could also exchange valuable materials with the academy. The market for such exchanges was limited, but it existed. Curious to test it, Michael took several rare materials from his territory’s treasury—paying for them properly in gold coins—and traded them in the capital. The return was far greater than expected.

That single decision changed everything. It was the moment Michael began to see his territory not just as a place for stability or seclusion, but as a resource he could develop and manage efficiently.

The visit to the knight had been partly influenced by that realization. Michael didn’t plan to sell his territory to the academy, but he wanted complete control over it. On his path toward becoming a Rank 3 Awakener, the academy was vital, and to function well there, he needed points. The two went hand in hand.

With a growing sense of purpose, Michael decided to be a little indulgent and converted some of his academy credits into cash. Just a few days later, he received a message from someone unexpected—Jester.

He had told his family to manage the undead carefully, but he hadn’t expected them to actually give Jester a phone. Unfortunately, that was the limit of what they could do, since Jester didn’t have an identity in the Federation.

During their brief conversation, Jester reported on the situation at home. When the topic turned to Lily, Michael remembered his earlier intention to buy her a game pod so she could practice her skills in virtual reality. When Jester added that it would also benefit him, Michael hesitated for a moment before deciding to go through with it.

He transferred the money to his aunt and asked her to buy two pods—one for Lily and one for Jester to share.

Lily’s eyes sparkled as she crouched beside the glossy new pod. ”Since we’ve already created our accounts online, we can just log in directly from here,” she said excitedly, glancing at Jester. ”We’ll finally be able to add ourselves inside the game!”

Jester smiled charmingly, his expression gentle and warm—the kind of smile that could melt through anyone’s guard. ”Of course,” he replied softly. ”I’ve already prepared everything. It would be a shame to keep our friends waiting, don’t you think?”

The girl nodded rapidly, her ponytail bouncing with enthusiasm.

In the past week, Jester had indeed added an unexpected kind of life to the small household of two. Aunt Mia often said she hadn’t felt this light in months. His presence had a way of brightening the house—speaking politely, helping with chores, and even pretending to forget things just to make Mia laugh. For the first time since Michael left, the quiet little home didn’t feel so empty anymore.

Aunt Mia sometimes caught herself looking at him with a bittersweet smile, as though she was seeing the young Michael again. It reminded her of the days when she had watched over both her nephew and Lily when they were still children, running around the community without a care in the world.

As for Lily, she found herself growing unexpectedly comfortable with Jester. He was nothing like the eerie presence she had first imagined the undead would be. If anything, he was considerate, funny, and strangely reliable. He even cooked—though his methodical precision sometimes made her uneasy.

And while Michael didn’t quite count as her ”brother” since he was older and technically her cousin, Jester felt different.

With his high skill in mimicking human behavior, Jester played his role flawlessly. The family had grown closer in just a matter of days.

At least to Lily, seeing him didn’t feel irritating even if he wore her cousin’s face. If anything, she had started to think that maybe—just maybe—her cousin’s odd decision to leave Jester behind wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

”Alright,” Jester said as he straightened up. ”Ready to see a new world?”

*

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