Read Novel Full Chapter 471 Returning to Aurora [1]
Chapter 471: Chapter 471 Returning to Aurora [1]
After getting a feel for his new class skill, Michael deactivated it.
Although he still questioned its value to a necromancer, he had already discovered a few applications that were surprisingly useful.
For starters, Spirit Eyes granted him something the [Detect] skill could not: a way to gauge the strength of individuals without triggering a system limitation. Unlike [Detect], which became increasingly unreliable against those more than twenty levels above him, Spirit Eyes didn’t rely on numbers or system boundaries.
Instead, it showed him how essence flowed—the density, turbulence, and purity of someone’s mana or life force. From that alone, he could get a general sense of strength, discipline, and danger.
Someone with wild, raging currents might be a berserker.
Those with stagnant or erratic flows were likely injured, unstable, or weak.
It was intuitive, but with time and practice, Michael could tell it might become second nature—a sixth sense for gauging threat.
Then there was the perception boost.
With Spirit Eyes active, he could identify objects imbued with mana, even ones hidden to the naked eye.
In a world where things could hide in plain sight, this ability was nothing short of a treasure hunter’s dream.
He exhaled slowly.
"One day... this might become my best scouting tool," he muttered. "Or a tracker. Or even... a treasure detector."
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how deceptively powerful Spirit Eyes could become—not in raw combat, but in tactical awareness.
Michael smiled faintly.
He then moved on to check his other skills.
The first were the three he had gained before advancing to Rank 2—skills that had manifested purely due to stat increases, triggered by the feedback he received from his undead reaching Rank 2.
They were: Bull Strength, Limit Break, and Iron Skin.
Interestingly, these were the first skills he had obtained purely from physical stat growth—excluding Intelligence, the main attribute his class and race were heavily biased toward.
Bull Strength, Limit Break, and Iron Skin.
Each had manifested from physical stat growth alone—Strength, Agility, and Constitution, respectively.
Bull Strength was exactly what it sounded like: raw, overwhelming power. It enhanced Michael’s physical might by 20% overall. It looked similar to the greater strength skill Beginning got as a Goliath.
Limit Break came from his Agility. It allowed him to temporarily shatter his normal movement limits, granting a burst of explosive speed or reflex beyond his baseline by 20% at basic mastery.
Iron Skin, derived from Constitution, was defensive in nature. It hardened his body to absorb and deflect damage. It didn’t make him invincible, but it nullified at least 20% of the damage gotten from blunt attacks.
All three skills were practical and noticeably boosted Michael’s overall combat capability. Each one added a new layer to his already growing power.
After noting them down, he turned his attention to the other three skills he had received alongside [Spirit Eyes] upon advancing to Rank 2—Mana Shield, Acid Bomb, and Regeneration.
Mana Shield was the simplest of the three to understand—but that didn’t make it any less valuable.
[Skill: Mana Shield – Basic Mastery]
Creates a semi-transparent barrier around the user, fueled directly by mana. Absorbs incoming damage up to a 30% of current mana. Deactivates when mana runs out or when the user dismisses it.
Michael tested it briefly. A soft, translucent layer shimmered over his skin like a second shell.
"It’s a shield that’s only as strong as my mana pool," Michael murmured. "But that’s fine."
With over 400 Intelligence, the shield should hold up against most direct attacks for a while—more than enough time for countermeasures or retreat.
It wasn’t invincible, but it gave him a buffer. A layer of protection that could stop a fatal hit.
He grinned.
"And it scales."
Then came Acid Bomb.
[Skill: Acid Bomb – Basic Mastery]
Condenses corrosive mana into a projectile orb. Explodes on impact, melting organic and inorganic material alike. Corrosion power scales with Intelligence.
And lastly, the skill that had made him pause a bit.
Regeneration.
[Skill: Regeneration – Basic Mastery]
Passively accelerates healing of the user’s physical body. Restores minor injuries within seconds. Severe wounds recover faster based on Constitution and mana.
This one also wasn’t flashy.
But Michael liked it.
He felt the combination of Iron Skin and Regeneration meant he could now survive damage he once had to avoid entirely. He didn’t need to fight recklessly... but he could afford to be bold.
Dangerously bold.
After checking his newly gained skills, Michael turned his attention to the status of his recently evolved undead. He wanted a basic understanding of their new strength before returning to Aurora.
It didn’t take long.
Aside from the five Rank 3 undead, he also noticed a handful of others that had reached the same level Prince and Gale were at before their evolution. Naturally, these were the undead he had personally nurtured and invested effort into—like Fade, Ghost, and a few others.
With these elite undead alone, Michael’s army was already formidable—and that was without counting the several dozen Rank 2 undead in the early Level 30s.
There was no doubt about it.
He was significantly stronger than he had been just a few hours ago.
And reaching Rank 2 also meant something more—it marked the completion of a goal he had been chasing for nearly three months.
Speaking of goals... there were two things Michael was especially curious about now that he was officially a Rank 2 Awakener.
Michael stood up slowly and walked to the center of the room.
He closed his eyes.
Back in Aurora, he had once seen Master-Rank cultivators take flight. That moment had burned itself into his memory. Ever since then, he’d wondered:
Would he be able to do that, too?
Now, as a Rank 2 Awakener, he couldn’t help but test the theory.
Ever since his advancement, he had felt... different.
Like the mana in the air recognized him. Like it brushed against his skin—not just around him, but with him. Almost like a force field that embraced his entire body.
He hadn’t had time to examine it until now.
But standing here, finally still... he could feel it clearly. A subtle hum, a pull—like invisible threads connecting his body to the atmosphere.
Michael exhaled slowly, calming his breath. Then, instinctively, he drew upon that connection.
Nothing dramatic happened.
Just... pressure.
The air around him seemed to grow heavier—and lighter—at the same time.
He opened his eyes. Focused. And then, with a simple mental nudge, he pushed his mana outward.
A fraction of a second passed.
And then his feet lifted off the ground.
Not far. Just a few inches. But they weren’t touching the floor.
Michael’s eyes widened slightly.
"...No way."
He floated, completely still in the air.
It wasn’t flying yet. Not really. He wasn’t moving forward or upward. But he was suspended—his body no longer bound by gravity in the same way.
He focused again, gently willing the mana to lift him higher.
His body rose another half-meter before a slight strain began to pull at his mana reserves. It wasn’t that the cost was high—but maintaining control required constant focus.
Still...
Michael hovered there, arms relaxed at his sides, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
"So it really is possible," he muttered.
He had always assumed flight was some grand technique, reserved for wind users or spellcasters with special tools.
But now... here he was.
Hovering.
He gently lowered himself back to the ground, boots touching down with a faint tap.
The grin on his face lingered for a few more seconds before fading into a thoughtful frown.
That was the first thing he had been curious about. And it was real. Now, the second.
Michael sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes again.
It was said that once an Awakener reached Rank 2, they gained the ability to overcome one of the biggest flaws in their existence—what many called The Empty Shell Problem. Until now, transferring one’s consciousness to their body in Aurora left their real body defenseless. Unresponsive. As good as dead.
He also suspected this was likely the reason Rank 2 was the requirement to even be admitted into an Awakener Academy.
Because only then did one finally gain the means to protect both lives.
And Michael had felt it—the moment he advanced.
A persistent tug in his consciousness.
It wasn’t hostile. Just... present.
A gentle, constant pull at the edges of his consciousness. Like a door left ajar. He hadn’t paid it much attention before, but now that he focused, it was impossible to ignore.
What was it?
*****
A/N:It’s the end of the month, and I want to sincerely thank everyone who’s been supporting this book. From the looks of it, we’ll finish this month in the Top 10 of the Golden Ticket rankings once again. And it’s all thanks to you.
As I mentioned before, if we do make the Top 10, I’ll be doing another mass release next month.
Thank you all so much for your continued support!