Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

That was practically inviting an ambush. The ranking arena itself was safe enough, but the moment one stepped outside, that protection vanished.

Michael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Perhaps in the future he would see schemes like someone deliberately challenging an opponent, losing on purpose, and then immediately notifying allies waiting outside.

Or perhaps several people could simply watch someone disappear into a ranking battle before surrounding the area where they had vanished.

The instant that person returned, they would be greeted by an ambush instead of an empty battlefield.

Michael clicked his tongue.

"The Origin Battlefield really likes hidden rules."

Almost every new function it revealed seemed harmless on the surface. Yet many of them concealed another danger.

If one wasn't careful, a small oversight today could easily become the cause of death tomorrow.

Fortunately, Michael currently didn't have any enemies capable of organizing something like that.

At least none that he knew of. The angel girl had probably survived their previous encounter, but she neither knew his identity nor possessed enough influence to arrange an ambush so quickly.

As for Varek, Michael doubted the necromancer was even in the same region as him. And even if he were, the fellow probably wouldn't dare confront him again.

The thought almost made him laugh.

Still, just because he was safe today didn't mean he would always be safe.

"I'll have to remember this."

From now on, before accepting any ranking challenge, he would first ensure his surroundings were suitable. If necessary, he could even deliberately move to an isolated location before responding.

The longer Michael remained inside the Origin Battlefield, the more he realized that surviving here required far more than simply possessing overwhelming strength.

After finally having some uninterrupted time to himself, Michael truly began exploring the Fourth Layer. There was no need to rush.

He only needed to survive a little over forty-eight more hours before the temporary stay granted by the Origin Battlefield ended and he would be returned home.

With that thought in mind, Michael became considerably more restrained.

The previous battle against Varek had reminded him that while he could contend with ordinary peak Rank Four awakeners, there were still countless unknown monsters lurking within this place.

His current objective wasn't to become famous. It was to return alive.

Of course, it would also be ideal if he came across some wild, formidably strong undead along the way.

The following hours passed quietly. Michael traveled through mountain ranges, abandoned plains, frozen valleys, and forests filled with all manner of creatures.

Occasionally he would stop to hunt monsters guarding treasures, gradually learning things Lily and her companion had discovered much earlier.

But it couldn't be helped. He had been chased by hundreds of awakeners within seconds of entering the Fourth Layer.

Fortunately, for the next two days nothing truly dangerous happened to him, and his knowledge of the Origin Battlefield continued to grow.

Like Lily and Timi, Michael had also come across Level 2 regions in the Fourth Layer, though the situation there wasn't as dramatic as what they had encountered in the Zeroth Layer.

The only notable changes were that treasures appeared more frequently, monsters were stronger and more often approaching the late stages of Rank Four, and all consistently graded as Three-Star Extraordinary.

As for a Level 3 region, Michael had yet to encounter one.

However, on his second day, with only a few hours remaining before the return, he encountered something unexpected.

The heavens split apart.

BOOOOOOM!

Five enormous pillars of light descended from the sky almost simultaneously. Even from a great distance, Michael could feel astonishing waves of energy radiating outward.

"Another treasure descent…"

He wasn't surprised to see it. If anything, he had half expected it.

His eyes swept across the five descending beams. The central pillar was by far the brightest.

Even before anyone approached it, Michael could already tell that whatever treasure rested there was almost certainly the finest among the five.

Based on his earlier experience, he suspected it was comparable to, if not better than, his incense.

However, that probably also meant it was a problem.

Michael's perception spread outward. One. Three. Seven. Ten. Powerful auras began rushing toward the descending treasures from every direction.

Within moments, Michael had already sensed close to twenty peak Rank Four awakeners converging on the brightest pillar alone.

His lips twitched.

"…I'll pass."

He wasn't stupid. The previous treasure descent had already taught him enough.

The strongest treasure always attracted the strongest competitors. And right now, Michael had absolutely no intention of throwing himself into the middle of nearly twenty Level 100 peak Rank Four awakeners.

Even if he believed he could survive s, there was no guarantee he could actually leave with the treasure without losing some of his undead.

More importantly, he only had a few hours remaining before returning home. There was no reason to gamble everything now.

Instead, his gaze shifted toward one of the dimmer pillars far from the center.

"…That one looks much quieter."

Compared to the battlefield surrounding the strongest treasure, only three powerful auras seemed to be heading toward this location. With a faint smile, space distorted around him.

Whoosh!

His figure disappeared, leaving only drifting mist behind as he calmly headed toward a treasure that, while perhaps not the greatest, had a far higher chance of actually ending up in his hands.

Chasing the treasures, Michael found that his earlier speculation had been completely correct. In the future, every battle over these descending treasures would become unimaginably bloody.

What he hadn't expected was for it to happen so soon.

It seemed that while he had been playing things safe and exploring other parts of the Fourth Layer, similar treasure descents had already occurred elsewhere.

The news had spread rapidly across the Origin Battlefield, drawing powerful awakeners from every direction whenever another treasure appeared.

However, what truly caught Michael off guard wasn't the competition surrounding the treasures.

It was something else entirely. Something that sent a chill down his spine.

[You have killed a Level 82 Half-Elf]

[You have received **** Experience Points!]

Michael froze.

"…Experience?"

This was the first intelligent lifeform he had personally killed since entering the Origin Battlefield. Yet somehow, something that had never occurred since the appearance of awakeners in the universe had happened here.

He had gained experience points from killing an intelligent race.

If intelligent races awarded experience, then the Origin Battlefield wasn't merely encouraging conflict. It was rewarding slaughter.

This was indeed the true world created for awakeners alone.

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