Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1182: What is Emperor Rank To Me?

Michael's expression immediately became more interested.

"How much stronger?"

"There are crystals with far denser concentrations of dark energy."

She paused.

"One mine nearby contains much better ones."

"Nearby?"

"Yes."

Michael studied her soul flame. Something felt off. There was a faint disturbance hidden beneath her otherwise steady fluctuations.

Is this resentment?

Michael's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You don't seem particularly happy about that mine."

The Skeleton Chief went silent.

Michael waited. Under his authority, she couldn't avoid answering forever.

Eventually, she spoke.

"It used to belong to me."

Michael's eyebrows rose.

"Then who owns it now?"

The violet flames inside her skull darkened.

"Stronger monsters."

Michael's smile, however, didn't fade. Wasn't this what he came here for? Though common sense here might be different from the outside world, it could be said that stronger monsters defending precious treasures was a universal truth.

Perhaps by targeting these places guarded by stronger monsters, it wouldn't take long for him to gather the treasures needed to revive the Demigod as an undead. Though it couldn't be used as a main material, high-grade dark elemental crystal would function as the best auxiliary material or a source of energy. The more the better.

"What kind?" Michael asked.

The Skeleton Chief tightened her grip on her staff.

"A group of Bone Hounds."

"How strong, and how many?"

"They're five. Four at the King Rank stage and one at the Emperor stage."

Knowing the man came from the same world as her, to be better understood she used the names of the power system used in Aurora. King Rank correlated with a Rank Three awakener, and Emperor Rank was Rank Four.

Hearing it was only a bunch of weak monsters, Michael became even more relaxed.

Michael glanced toward the empty settlement behind them.

"So that's where part of your resentment came from."

The chief did not deny it.

"How far is the mine?"

"A short march for someone like you, Senior."

Michael turned toward the direction she had indicated and started walking.

"Lead the way."

Her violet soul flames flickered.

"To the mine? Senior, but they are at Emperor rank!"

Michael glanced back at her.

Did she think he was weak?

In fact, the chief didn't think that at all. It was easy for the powerful to suppress weak creatures like undead skeletons, but it would be hard to make them worship that power. For one, this person not only had to be powerful, but they had to be unique in their own right.

To the Skeleton Chief, she felt Michael should be rather established at the Emperor rank, but going alone, wasn't that a bit reckless? With this being her only ticket away from this world, the Skeleton Chief didn't want anything to happen to Michael yet. It wasn't for his sake, but her own.

Michael stopped walking. For a moment, he simply looked at the Skeleton Chief.

The Skeleton Chief was already incapable of disobeying him, and he didn't need to convince her of anything. Still, if he intended to use her knowledge and cooperation during this expedition, there was no harm in letting her understand the gap between them. It might even make things easier.

Michael quietly smiled.

"Emperor rank?"

The Skeleton Chief's violet flames flickered.

"Yes, Senior."

Michael slowly turned toward her. Then he stopped suppressing his mana.

Boom!

The change was instantaneous. An enormous wave of energy erupted from Michael's body. The surrounding ground cracked. Dust and fragments of black stone were blasted outward. The world seemed to tremble as dense mana surged into the surroundings like an invisible ocean.

The Skeleton Chief froze. Her soul flame nearly extinguished from instinctive shock.

The pressure was not directed at her, thanks to Michael deliberately shielding her. He was simply allowing his mana to exist without restraint. Yet that alone felt overwhelming.

The air around him distorted. Dark-element mana from the Netherworld itself rushed toward Michael almost instinctively, mixing with his own energy until the entire area seemed to revolve around his existence, surprising Michael himself as he realized that being in the Netherworld might actually boost his ability to a disgusting degree. This much should be expected given the dark-element-rich environment, but the sheer scale of the increase was surprising nevertheless.

It seems I might indeed be a fish in the water here.

The Skeleton Chief took several involuntary steps backward.

"This…"

Her voice became faint. Michael's current aura didn't resemble the Emperor-rank experts she remembered. Not even close.

Emperor-rank experts were terrifying. They could destroy cities, dominate battlefields, suppress entire armies, and rule a realm. They were respected anywhere in the universe. But both in Aurora and here, when had she ever felt so terrified by one?

Michael's energy felt terrifyingly deep. It was far too dense, and the amount was simply unreasonable.

The Skeleton Chief stared at him in stunned silence. Her thoughts became chaotic.

What rank is he? A Peak Emperor?

No. That doesn't feel right.

Someone already touching the threshold above?

Her soul fire trembled.

Could he be close to Demigod?

Then an even more absurd possibility surfaced.

Could he already be one?

The thought terrified her.

Michael watched the violent fluctuations inside her violet soul flame and almost laughed. He could more or less guess what she was thinking. After all, putting aside those magic-focused supernaturals, there were not many who could beat him in terms of mana even if they were at level 100.

After several seconds, he restrained his mana again. The terrifying pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The surroundings gradually returned to normal.

The Skeleton Chief remained completely still.

Michael casually continued walking, glancing over his shoulder.

"What is an Emperor-rank monster?"

His expression carried genuine confusion.

"In my eyes, they're all weak anyway."

The Skeleton Chief stared at his back. For several seconds, she forgot to move. Then she hurried after him.

"Senior…"

Her tone had changed completely. Before, there had been respect mixed with caution. Now there was something much closer to genuine awe.

Michael noticed and said nothing.

This skeleton was a little silly.

In trust he might not even need to fight and those hounds will offer their treasures including themselves to him.