Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1293: Two Thousand

Unaware of the complicated thoughts passing through the minds of Ace, Lia, and Lyra, Michael’s attention remained entirely on the subsidiary platform. It lit up again, and another group appeared on the platform.

A few moments later, this same process repeated itself. This smooth flow of arrivals was only possible because Michael’s other body in the Land of Origin was coordinating things from the other side.

While his current body remained within the Origin Battlefield, overseeing the arrivals, his other body handled the sorting, confirmation, and transfer of the native Awakeners gathered in the empire.

The numbers had grown rapidly. Only a few days ago, the empire had confirmed around one hundred and eighty-five native Awakeners.

A significant portion had come from the capital itself. But what had truly increased the numbers recently were the arrivals from outside the capital.

The flying ships Michael dispatched had finally begun returning from the more distant parts of the empire. As the empire’s search widened, Michael became increasingly certain that what they had found so far was only the beginning.

Even now, the total number was still rising. By the latest count, the number of confirmed native Awakeners under Michael’s empire had already risen to a little over two thousand.

Two thousand, four hundred and eighty-three.

Still, Michael was almost certain this was only the tip of the iceberg. The empire was simply too large.

There were still distant places that had yet to report properly, and entire regions where local officials were only beginning to understand what signs they should be looking for. There were also those who deliberately hid what had happened to them.

Youths afraid of being taken away, families convinced their children had been cursed, others who had already entered the Origin Battlefield and had yet to return.

So two thousand, four hundred and eighty-three was not a final number. Perhaps in a week’s time, this would be the number gotten from the empire alone.

After a few more minutes, no one appeared on the platform again, as everyone on the other side, in the Land of Origin, had been brought into the Origin Battlefield. The sudden quiet from the platform only made the rest of the outer territory feel even livelier.

More than two thousand youths now occupied the open area around the subsidiary station. Some stood in groups according to the places they came from. Others had already begun mixing with strangers.

Voices overlapped everywhere, whether it be questions, excited whispers, nervous laughter, boastful claims, or arguments over Classes they barely understood. A few youths were already comparing weapons and equipment, while others stared openly at the Rank Two mages moving through the nearby camp, or at the young Emperor and the people who looked suspiciously similar to him.

Young people moved everywhere. Michael looked over the crowd quietly and took in a slow breath.

"Hello everyone."

When he spoke, his voice was not loud. Yet despite the distance separating him from many of the youths, every word reached their ears clearly.

The noise around the outer territory gradually died down. One by one, more than two thousand young faces turned toward him.

The emotions in their eyes varied greatly: awe, curiosity, nervousness, caution.

Michael allowed the silence to settle before speaking.

"You’ve only been gathered together for a short while, but I’m sure many of you have already noticed familiar faces."

This caused some movement among the crowd. Several youths glanced around.

Michael was right. Many had already realized that nearly everyone from the temporary living areas they had stayed in outside the capital was now here: people they had eaten with and had trained beside.

Michael continued.

"I assume you’re all wondering why I brought you here."

No one answered aloud, but their expressions were enough. They were.

Over the past several days, beginning with the first native Awakener Michael encountered, he had gradually established a temporary living area outside the capital specifically for them. At the time, there had been too many uncertainties.

He did not know how many more would appear, so Michael had chosen the simplest approach: gather them and keep them in one place while teaching them enough that they would come to understand their new reality.

Michael himself had been too busy to personally manage every detail. So he had only given a few basic instructions and left much of the day-to-day handling to people he trusted.

The ones who had done most of the heavy lifting were Bok, Rina, Ace, and Lia. Bok was the obvious choice.

He was the first native Awakener Michael had personally encountered and, among the newly awakened natives, currently possessed the most practical understanding of their new reality. He understood Experience Points, Classes, Skills, Levels, and enough of the dangers involved that Michael could trust him to explain the basics to others.

It was not perfect, but it was enough. Rina had been added later.

Her reasons were slightly different. Ever since Michael discovered her Maid Class and its strange Bond ability, the girl had displayed a subtle but very noticeable determination to serve him.

She never became annoying about it. But whenever there was something she could help with, she was there.

Whenever Michael needed someone to organize something, she volunteered. Eventually, Michael simply decided to give her the opportunity she seemed to want and placed her beside Bok.

She could assist him, learn what she did not understand, and gradually gain experience dealing with the other native Awakeners while gaining experience in serving him.

Ace and Lia, on the other hand, though neither of them was an Awakener yet, Michael trusted them and had them learn from Bok around the same time as Rina.

As for things they did not understand themselves, Michael was not particularly concerned. Teaching did not require omniscience. They only needed to know what to say to the new Awakeners.

If none of them knew something, they could simply record the question and bring it to Michael later. What mattered was that the new Awakeners were not left completely ignorant.

Lyra had not been included. Michael had never consciously sat down and decided to exclude her.

It had simply happened. Whenever he thought about what Lyra could do for him, his mind naturally went toward combat.

Perhaps because of her history, perhaps because of how he had first known her, Michael had subconsciously categorized her as someone useful primarily for certain tasks. So when he began organizing people to help guide the native Awakeners, Lyra had never entered his mind, and he had only had her protect the camp area independently, alongside his soldiers.