Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1294: Development In The Origin Battlefield [1]

Before Michael truly began his speech, a faint ripple of mana spread outward from him.

A sound barrier quietly enveloped the entire gathering, separating their conversation from the Rank Two mages and other unrelated people occupying the nearby camp. It was subtle enough that most of the youths did not even notice it.

Once the barrier settled, Michael looked over the crowd again.

"Several days ago, many of you woke up and discovered that something about you had changed."

His words immediately drew their full attention. Several youths shifted slightly.

Michael continued.

"Some of you probably thought you were cursed. Perhaps possessed. Maybe even chosen by some unknown god. Or perhaps dying and reincarnating in another location."

Michael smiled faintly.

"But you are none of those things."

"You are not cursed. You are not possessed. And you are certainly not sick."

"You are Awakeners."

The word had already been taught to them over the past few days, but hearing it directly from Michael carried a different weight.

"Chosen ones, if you want to call yourselves something dramatic."

A few smiles appeared among the younger faces. Michael did not mind.

Perhaps calling them chosen ones was not technically perfect, but compared to the fear and confusion many of them had experienced after awakening, it was better for them to view their situation as an opportunity rather than a curse.

"The time you’ve had to adjust has been short. But before coming here, I’m sure most of you have already learned a little more about yourselves."

"I won’t go deeply into what all of those things mean right now, and that’s not the reason I’ve gathered you here."

Michael’s tone changed slightly.

"By now, all of you should understand what happened to you is a blessing, an opportunity many people would kill for. But it wasn’t given to you for free."

Michael watched their expressions change.

"All of you have seen the timer. I assume that’s one of the things that has been worrying you the most."

More than a few heads nodded.

Michael smiled.

"I can give you a solution. A way for you to grow stronger while also dealing with that timer."

Michael lifted one hand.

"Check it now."

Confusion appeared on many of the native Awakeners, as they had no idea what the Emperor was talking about. Seeing this, Michael clarified further.

"Check your timer. Check how much time you still need to spend there."

Several youths opened their panels at once. Within moments, almost the entire gathering was staring at something only they could see.

"It’s going down."

"Mine too."

"Wait..."

"It really is!"

The noise rapidly grew. Many stared at their panels in disbelief.

The realization delighted many of them once they understood what it meant. According to the rumors and experiences shared by those who had gone to the mysterious place only they could enter, it was a dangerous world.

Normally, they could choose to ignore entering, but for some reason the timer had given them a feeling of dread that something bad would happen if they didn’t go. Seeing that timer dropping despite not currently being in that dangerous place caused many to laugh in relief.

But not everyone was slow.

Among more than two thousand people, there were naturally some who connected the pieces right away.

Logically, only being in that mysterious place would cause the timer to go down. So if it was now going down, didn’t that mean they were already in said mysterious place?

Another question quickly followed.

How had their Emperor come to possess a safe territory inside such a dangerous place?

One might have expected them to immediately conclude that Michael was an Awakener just like them, but most did not. To these native youths, as far as they knew, they were the first generation of their kind in the empire.

Michael noticed some of the sharper gazes and smiled faintly.

"Some of you have figured it out. Yes."

He spread his arms slightly toward the vast territory around them.

"The place you’re standing in right now is the same place that timer has been forcing you to enter."

The entire crowd went silent.

Michael let the revelation settle before speaking again.

"This is the Origin Battlefield."

As expected, the revelation nearly threw the gathering into panic.

The youths who had personally experienced the dangers of the Origin Battlefield reacted most strongly. Their bodies tensed, their attention rapidly shifting toward the surrounding walls and unfamiliar landscape. Those who had only heard stories were not much better. Fear spread quickly through the gathering, carried from one group to another.

Michael acted at once to suppress the growing disorder.

A controlled wave of pressure swept across the gathering. It was neither violent nor harmful, but it was more than enough to force the thousands of youths to settle down.

Within moments, the increasingly chaotic gathering became silent again.

Michael proceeded to reassure them about their present circumstances and laid down several simple rules. As long as they followed those instructions, their safety would be considerably more secure while their required time within the Origin Battlefield continued to decrease.

The explanation was simple enough for everyone to understand. Whatever worries remained, there was little the youths could do other than obey.

Once Michael was satisfied that the gathering had settled completely, he shifted his attention away from them. His gaze landed on Arianne and Lily.

With a small gesture, he motioned for the two to approach.

Arianne moved toward him first, with Lily following immediately afterward. The thousands of native Awakeners naturally noticed them, their attention following the two young women as they crossed the short distance toward Michael, curiosity appearing throughout the crowd.

Michael waited until both stood beside him. With everyone gathered and the initial explanation finished, it was finally time to move on to the real reason he had brought more than two thousand native Awakeners into his territory.

Lily was the first to react once she reached Michael’s side. She moved closer to him and lowered her voice.

"Brother, are all these people really Awakeners?"

"Yes."

Michael answered calmly.

Lily’s expression became strange at once.

"But they’re from the Land of Origin."