Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1183 · Arrival

Michael decided against travelling through the void.

He knew far too little about the Netherworld.

Even with the Skeleton Chief guiding him, there was no reason to take risks when he could simply observe everything from above, lest he appear in a place he could have avoided.

Michael and the Skeleton Chief rose into the air before flying in the direction of the mine.

The journey quickly became more interesting.

From above, Michael gained a much clearer picture of the surrounding region, and one thing became immediately obvious. The Netherworld truly deserved its reputation as the land of the dead.

Though spaced out, undead were everywhere.

Michael encountered ordinary skeletons similar to those he had already collected, skeletal beasts, zombies with partially preserved bodies, strange masses of rotting flesh, and even several varieties he couldn't immediately identify.

There were ghosts as well. This particularly interested him. Unlike physical undead, they appeared as translucent figures drifting through the Netherworld, their forms occasionally becoming almost invisible before materializing again.

Unfortunately, the few Michael encountered were rather weak. Most had not even entered Rank One, while the strongest ghost he found barely reached Rank Two.

Still, Michael took them. In fact, he took almost everything. Whenever an undead entered his perception, he immediately placed it into his Mausoleum.

Unranked. Rank One. Rank Two. It made little difference.

He even encountered several Rank Three undead during the journey, including a massive skeletal snake beast that had been wandering alone through a rocky valley. They all ended up inside the Mausoleum. Michael didn't discriminate much.

By the time they approached the mine, the Mausoleum had gained dozens of additional undead belonging to several different species.

The Skeleton Chief pointed toward the horizon.

"Senior."

Michael followed her gaze. In the distance, the terrain had begun changing. The dead forest disappeared completely, replaced by enormous black hills and jagged cliffs stretching across the landscape. Between two of those cliffs stood a massive opening descending underground.

Even from several kilometres away, Michael could sense the concentration of dark energy surrounding it.

The Skeleton Chief's violet soul flames flickered.

"The mine is there."

Michael slowed as they approached the mine. His perception swept across the black hills, then through the enormous entrance carved between the cliffs.

Michael glanced toward the Skeleton Chief.

"They're inside?"

"Most likely, Senior."

Michael nodded, as he had expected as much. He just wanted to make sure.

Without hesitation, he descended. The Skeleton Chief followed closely behind him, landing several metres away.

"Hmm?"

The concentration of dark-element energy here was significantly higher than the normal atmosphere in the Netherworld.

It felt comfortable. Michael couldn't think of a better description.

The surrounding dark energy naturally flowed around his body. Some of it entered him without conscious effort before being absorbed and circulated through his mana pathways. There was no discomfort or resistance. Instead, Michael felt strangely relaxed.

His body seemed lighter, and his mana became more active.

Michael closed his eyes briefly. He suddenly remembered some of the strange records he had read back at the academy.

There had been countless stories about powerful elementalists deliberately searching for extreme environments matching their affinities. At the time, some of those stories had sounded ridiculous.

Fire Knights bathing inside pools of lava. Water Mages constructing entire temples at the bottom of oceans. Earth-element awakeners sealing themselves kilometres underground. Wind specialists living permanently above the clouds.

Michael had understood the reasoning theoretically. A suitable environment strengthened cultivation, accelerated mana recovery, improved elemental comprehension, and could even enhance certain abilities.

Understanding something intellectually, however, was completely different from experiencing it.

Now Michael understood. If an ordinary dark-element supernatural felt even a fraction of what he currently felt, they probably wouldn't want to leave.

"This is actually quite nice."

The Skeleton Chief turned toward him.

"Senior?"

"Nothing."

Michael started toward the mine. The entrance itself was enormous, easily large enough for several giant creatures to enter side by side.

The Skeleton Chief followed. The moment they crossed the threshold, the already dense dark energy increased again.

Michael's expression brightened.

Even better.

Their footsteps echoed through the cavern.

Tap.

Clack.

Tap.

Clack.

Michael's boots alternated with the Skeleton Chief's skeletal feet as they travelled deeper underground.

The tunnel gradually widened. Black crystals protruded naturally from the walls, some no larger than Michael's fingers while others were several metres long.

Faint streams of energy continuously escaped from them before dispersing into the surroundings.

Michael casually examined several as they passed. Most weren't particularly valuable, at least not individually. However, their sheer quantity was impressive.

The entire mountain seemed saturated with dark-element energy, and the deeper they travelled, the stronger that concentration became.

Michael could already understand why the Bone Hounds had taken this place. For undead creatures possessing any affinity toward darkness or death, this was practically a natural cultivation ground.

Michael stretched his shoulders.

"This place really is comfortable."

The Skeleton Chief remained silent. She couldn't relate. For her, the Netherworld's energy was precisely what she had spent decades trying to prevent from completely altering her soul. For Michael, however, it was almost nourishment.

They continued deeper.

At this point there was no light in the cave. Absolute darkness swallowed the tunnel, but neither of them reacted. The Skeleton Chief was an undead whose perception had never depended entirely on ordinary vision.

Michael was even less affected. His perception spread through the surrounding cavern effortlessly, mapping the walls, crystals, passages, and energy fluctuations around him.

A light source would have been redundant, given he also had night vision.

A minute passed, and the tunnel split into five passages.

Michael stopped and looked toward the five passages.

This was convenient.

Five tunnels. Five Bone Hounds.

Considering the numbers matched perfectly, it wasn't difficult to guess what was happening.

The only question was which tunnel belonged to the Rank Four Bone Hound. He extended his perception deeper, but the abundance of strong energy in the atmosphere interfered somewhat with his senses.

He could certainly force his perception farther or use a spell, but that seemed unnecessarily troublesome.

There were only five tunnels. He would eventually check all of them anyway.

Michael casually chose the second passage from the left.

The Skeleton Chief stared at him.

"Senior, shouldn't we determine which one contains the Emperor-rank Bone Hound first?"

"Why?"

"…"

She suddenly remembered who she was speaking to.

"Never mind."