Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1125: Rank 4

Just as Michael had expected, the notification had been shared with every awakener in the universe. The ones with the biggest reactions were the ones who knew his name.

In a region far away from Michael's location, a middle-aged man guarded by two skeleton knights in very expensive armor stared at the panel that had appeared before him.

He didn't even pay attention to the treasure he had just snatched from a hundred awakeners. It seemed to have lost all its brilliance.

Though Michael had stolen two of his most powerful undead, Varek remained a formidable awakener even among the thousands present in the Fourth Layer. It was simply his own fault for challenging someone like Michael.

"Though I don't know what this Universal Cornerstone is, for this freak to be connected to it, and for the Origin Will to broadcast it to an unrelated person like me, it must be something very unique."

It was the same thought many others shared, though most didn't know Michael on a personal level. The majority of awakeners in the Fourth Layer knew only that the announcement referred to someone with a high ranking on the leaderboard who, for some reason, was in the Fourth Layer despite being Rank Three.

Those in other layers assumed it was someone at a higher rank, while those at higher ranks assumed the same or believed it was someone below them.

That was the case for those unfamiliar with Michael. For those who knew him personally, the reaction was considerably more pronounced.

In another location within the Fourth Layer, Director Lin stood atop a mountain peak alongside two old men, all three staring at the night sky.

"I knew that boy wouldn't be able to keep a low profile no matter how hard he tried," Director Lin said in a complaining voice, though the other two could clearly hear the worry hidden beneath it.

The old man standing beside her snorted.

"I knew the boy was a freak."

The third old man nodded in agreement.

"A complete freak. When his name first appeared on the rankings, I honestly didn't want to believe it was him."

"Neither did I," Director Lin admitted.

At first, all three had wanted to believe it was merely someone sharing the same name. After all, the universe was unimaginably vast.

The odds of another Michael Norman existing somewhere weren't impossible. But the coincidence was simply too ridiculous.

Director Lin rubbed her forehead.

"Now look at him going wild again. Not even two days later, he has done something even more outrageous than ranking alongside hundreds of Level 100 awakeners at Level 75."

The three fell silent.

The first participant in the universe to establish a domain. The first to claim a Universal Cornerstone. The one who had activated an entirely new system for every awakener in existence.

Even without knowing what a Universal Cornerstone truly represented, they understood one thing. If the Origin Will personally announced it, then it was unquestionably one of the greatest opportunities in the universe.

None of them had imagined they would be connected to such a figure.

"If the Origin Battlefield hadn't forced him to reveal himself…" one of the old men muttered, "…I don't think we'd ever have realized just how abnormal that child truly is."

Director Lin smiled bitterly.

"He kept surprising us. Every time we thought we'd seen his limit." Her voice became heavier. "Unfortunately, the tallest tree always attracts the strongest wind. Michael's situation inside Aurora was already delicate enough. Now he has extended it to the entire universe."

The two old men couldn't refute that. Before this, if the Origin Battlefield hadn't forcibly gathered all awakeners, Michael would have been wandering the void somewhere, keeping his presence in Aurora minimal.

But with the announcement now revealing Michael's real name and his home realm, every ambitious organization or individual in the universe knew exactly where to begin searching.

Fortunately, only a few minutes remained before they would all be returned home. There would be time to prepare then.

"Once we're back, we need to see him immediately."

Director Lin laughed despite herself.

"Although I'm not sure he'll actually listen to us anymore."

The two old men looked toward her.

"What do you mean?"

Director Lin spread her hands helplessly.

"Think about it. He's ridiculously strong. To be honest, the only people I feel could still meaningfully advise him now would be Director Arven, the Dean, or the Vice Dean."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

"…"

Director Lin realized what she had just said.

"…Right."

She had accidentally mentioned the three people currently giving all of them headaches.

The Dean and Vice Dean were understandable. Both had left Aurora to deal with matters so significant that even the academy directors hadn't been informed of the details. Director Arven, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.

The tallest old man let out a long sigh.

"That man is just as troublesome as Michael."

The others couldn't help agreeing.

Before entering the Origin Battlefield, everyone in Aurora had known Arven was powerful. Exceptionally powerful.

He had long been recognized as the Rank Four awakener closest to reaching the Demigod Realm, even if others had crossed over before him. But knowing someone was powerful and witnessing exactly how powerful they truly were remained two entirely different things.

Director Lin looked toward another floating panel. The Rank Four Leaderboard. There, near the very top, one name remained firmly planted.

Rank 4: Arven

Director Lin's mouth twitched. She was still coming to terms with the fact that her fellow director was the fourth strongest Rank Four being in the entire universe.

The words sounded absurd even forming in her mind. Aurora wasn't considered a weak realm, but neither was it among the ancient overlords of the universe. Yet somehow, their academy alone currently possessed two individuals capable of shaking the entire Origin Battlefield.

One was a Rank Three who had placed among Rank Fours and then established the first domain in existence. The other had entered the Fourth Layer on the very first day and immediately climbed into the top ten.

Not only had Arven failed to fall afterward, he had climbed even higher.

Now he was fourth.

The three directors exchanged complicated looks.

The tallest of the three was the first to break the silence.

"We shouldn't think about all this now." His calm voice immediately pulled the others back to reality. "There are still a few minutes before we're forced out of the Origin Battlefield. Let's wait until we return."

Director Lin slowly nodded. He was right. Worrying here accomplished nothing. Once they returned to Aurora, they could finally assess the situation properly.

The second old man sighed.

"Besides, our concerns don't end with Michael and Arven."

His expression gradually became solemn.

Among the directors from the academy who had entered the Origin Battlefield, they had distributed communication means beforehand to remain in contact if possible. Unfortunately, reality had been cruel.

"So far, only the three of us have successfully established contact."