Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1283: Entering The Zeroth Layer [1]

Three days passed in a blur in the real world.

Lily had once again returned to the Zeroth Layer.

Aside from wanting to complete the remainder of her monthly quota, she also had to continue the ongoing task of finding more Cornerstone fragments.

For this, Michael did not expect immediate results. He still had no idea how rare those fragments truly were. But since the opportunity existed, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it before Lily advanced and lost access to the Zeroth Layer.

[A/N: Time moves three times faster in the Origin Battlefield. However, the monthly quota is calculated in real time, based on the outside world. Unranked Awakeners need to spend at least twenty days a month in the Zeroth Layer to fill their quota, which in real time is a bit above six days.]

Meanwhile, in the Land of Origin, Michael’s attention had shifted almost entirely toward the native Awakeners appearing throughout the empire.

The flying ships he had dispatched had not all returned yet.

Many had traveled deep into subordinate kingdoms and distant territories, where identifying and retrieving possible Awakeners took time.

Even so, the results Michael received within only three days were already significant.

The first real wave came from the imperial capital itself.

This was hardly surprising, as the capital was the closest major population center to Michael and the most tightly controlled part of the empire.

Natural awakening might be rare. But the capital was enormous.

If spontaneous awakenings were truly spreading among the natives, Michael expected the capital to reveal the first results quickly. And he had been right.

Three days ago, when Michael had given the order to find cases similar to Bok, the administration responsible for the capital had reacted at once and began investigating unusual incidents from the previous few days.

Though Michael did not reveal the true nature of Awakeners to the natives, he gave more than enough hints to identify them.

Whether they were people who had suddenly collapsed, people who claimed to see strange floating words, people whose bodies had inexplicably changed, or people who had begun demonstrating abilities they had never possessed before, all individuals related to this matter had to be brought before the Emperor in person.

Some reports were nonsense.

A few were ordinary illnesses. Others were frauds from people hoping to exploit the sudden imperial interest.

But mixed among them were genuine cases.

By the end of the first day, Michael had confirmed sixteen. By the second, that number had risen further. And by the third, the capital alone had produced more than ten dozen genuine native Awakeners.

They were not all like Bok, a commoner. Their identities varied, from merchants to nobles and beyond. But something they all had in common was a similar age range, with the youngest at sixteen and the oldest at eighteen.

* * *

Outside the capital, a temporary administrative compound had been established.

Several low buildings surrounded a wide central courtyard, their walls made from pale stone reinforced with simple defensive formations. Imperial banners hung from the entrances, while Silver Guard soldiers patrolled the perimeter and checked everyone entering or leaving.

The main office was larger than the others.

Inside, the furnishing was simple but orderly.

A broad wooden desk stood near the center of the room, covered with documents. Several chairs had been arranged opposite it, while maps of the empire covered one side of the wall. A crystal lamp illuminated the room despite the daylight coming through the windows.

Michael sat behind the desk.

His expression was calm, his attention fixed on the reports in front of him.

"It’s only been three days, and currently there’s a total of 185 confirmed Awakeners."

In fact, this number was quite high, since this was without a special treasure like the Awakening Orb. The situation was reminiscent of how new realms introduced to the system tended to have more natural awakenings in their early years.

"But just like I feared, there are also cases of strange casualties."

These strange casualties came in varying forms. Many were sudden "disappearances." Others were strange cases of "deep sleep." And a few were sudden "appearances" of injured people, many of whom later died.

Except for another strange case happening in the Land of Origin, Michael suspected these cases were most likely Awakeners.

The first case should be because many natives couldn’t hold back their curiosity and entered the Origin Battlefield. Unlike Awakeners like him, who could access the Land of Origin through their clone, entering the Origin Battlefield had to be done with one’s real body.

If nothing was wrong, this should be the reason for the strange "missing" cases.

As for the others in deep sleep, Michael figured it had to do with native Awakeners who woke up in their other body in strange locations, not knowing they could switch back to their original.

This might seem unlikely to happen, but the possibility was quite high.

Bok’s own case had made that painfully clear. Even after discovering his second body by accident, it had taken him hours before he even considered the possibility that his consciousness could move between bodies at all. And Bok had at least stumbled onto the connection eventually, purely because his original body happened to remain somewhere he would naturally return to.

Not every newly awakened native would be so fortunate.

Someone who woke up for the first time in a location with no familiar landmarks, and no reason to suspect their real body even existed somewhere else, might never think to try switching back. Without that awareness, their original body would simply remain wherever it had collapsed. Lying unconscious, unresponsive.

As for the cases of injured teenagers suddenly appearing, Michael knew these were the ones who managed to escape the Origin Battlefield with only a sliver of their life left. This much was already confirmed by those who had survived.

Putting aside all these cases, more were still expected to come. After all, the flying ships sent out to distant regions had yet to arrive.

Michael was still deep in thought when a female Silver Guard stepped inside the office through the open door.

She stopped several steps away from the desk and bowed in salute.

"Your Majesty. We’ve brought another one."

Michael lifted his gaze.

Behind the guard stood a young girl.

She looked barely sixteen.

Her body was thin enough to suggest she had not lived particularly comfortably, but her features were naturally beautiful. Dark eyes moved cautiously around the unfamiliar office, while her dry hair fell loosely around her face.

There was obvious nervousness in the way she stood.

Michael studied her briefly before nodding.

"You may leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Silver Guard bowed again.

She turned and walked out of the office.

The girl was left standing alone in front of Michael.

*

A/N: Updates are back to normal again, dear readers! I’ll release the other three in batches or all at once before reset. Please vote to support and motivate this poor author. I need your golden tickets!

And big thanks to everyone who wished me well these past few days as I fought the cold demon. It was strong, but not strong enough!