Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 607: New Change

A subtle change had begun to happen to Michael the more his powers grew. It wasn’t too evident in Aurora, but in the Land of Origin, where power was divided by regions, it became clear.

One such change was his confidence.

Before, although it couldn’t be said that Michael was overly cautious of everything, he wasn’t far from it. But as his power grew, the same things he once obsessed over, he now found himself caring less about.

For example, the Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten.

If this had been in Michael’s possession a few months ago, allowing anyone else to even catch a glimpse of it would have driven him into paranoia. But now, he didn’t even hesitate before bringing an outsider into the coffin space for the sake of convenience.

Of course, that didn’t mean Michael had thrown all caution aside. No. He was still a cautious person at heart, but as his power scaled, so did the threshold of things that could bother him.

Right now, the Lionheart Kingdom wasn’t even on that list.

Michael hadn’t brought Ace into the coffin space just to test his new powers as a cultivator. Hearing that the boy had become one sparked certain ideas in his mind.

What would his first non-undead High Human aside from him look like?

This was the same reason Michael had once been intrigued by how beast tamers bonded with their beasts.

Unfortunately, thanks to a previous mistake, it had become clear that the Taming skill had some flaws—and those flaws touched on Michael’s greatest insecurities.

That was also the reason he hadn’t evolved Lyra yet.

At first, he had believed that because of the master-servant contract between them, he had nothing to worry about. Loyalty seemed guaranteed. But over time, even though that was still largely the case, Michael no longer saw it as simple as he once did.

There were quite a few problems with Lyra.

For one, her background.

Putting aside her race, everything about her hinted at a background and the lack of information surrounding that made Michael wary.

What if someone could take Lyra away from him?

Any force capable of contending with him now would have to be a massive one, and such a power would also have the means to pose a serious threat. If someone could sever her contract or influence her, then Lyra became a risky investment.

Yes, Michael could silence her through the contract if needed, but that wasn’t a line he was sure he was okay crossing. He didn’t feel like it was impossible for him to do but if he didn’t have to do, Michael didn’t want to do it.

At least that was how he currently felt.

But Michael no longer believed the contract was entirely unbreakable. Lyra herself might not dare have thoughts of betraying him thanks to the contract, but others could still find ways to interfere.

After learning more about the mysteries of Law, Michael had grown increasingly insecure about relying on the master-servant bond alone.

There was also the practical issue—if he evolved Lyra without the Taming skill, she wouldn’t be as useful to him as she wouldn’t be able to level up.

And beyond that, Lyra wasn’t someone who could be easily deceived.

Elves were long-lived beings. Michael doubted that Lyra was as young as she appeared. For all he knew, she could be as old as his aunt—or even older.

Ace, however, was different.

That wasn’t to say Ace was easy to handle, but he was more controllable in Michael’s eyes. He and Lia both felt like ideal specimens to work with compared to Lyra.

If Michael viewed this like a business venture, this was simply risk management.

Ace froze at the question. For a moment, his mind went blank, and then—like a ripple through calm water—memory struck.

This scene... it felt familiar.

He realized suddenly that Michael had asked him this same kind of question weeks ago, back when he and Lia were still ordinary humans struggling to grasp what "power" even meant. Back then, those words had marked the start of everything.

And now, hearing that same tone, that same unshakable confidence from Michael again, Ace instinctively understood. This was another opportunity.

His heart began to race.

Ace remembered how it had felt when he first succeeded in drawing breath as a cultivator, when the wind had obeyed him for the first time. He found a sense of clarity and purpose.

Now, standing before Michael, surrounded by the oppressive might of countless undead, that same feeling returned stronger than ever.

If there was even a chance he could rise higher...

Ace clenched his fists, his voice trembling with excitement but steady with resolve.

"I’ll do anything, Lord," he said.

Michael’s lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly. His gaze lingered on the boy.

"Good," he said softly. "Then let’s begin."

"Stay put."

It didn’t take long for a master-servant contract to be formed between the two.

Michael used one of the contract scrolls he still had in his possession—part of the reward given to him by the auction manager back in the capital for saving everyone during the incident.

Yes. Though he trusted his ability to control Ace, Michael wasn’t taking any chances.

There was also a specific reason he chose to use this contract instead of the Taming skill—Michael already had something particular in mind for after Ace’s evolution.

Without wasting time, after seeing Ace’s name appear on the list of evolvable entities, Michael got ready for business—but not without trying something new.

Since extraordinary materials could be used during evolution to influence the final outcome, he remembered his [Genesis Body] skill and [Mortal God] title. That made him wonder: would his own blood count as one? And what would happen if he used it during evolution?

Willing a tiny bit of his blood essence to emerge through his skill, Michael placed a droplet on Ace’s forehead before initiating the process.

However, what he hadn’t expected was that instead of the familiar notification asking if he wanted to use extraordinary materials in the evolution, a completely new panel appeared.

[Do you wish to merge "Cultivator" with "Pseudo Divine Blood"?]

Merge?

It was just one word different, but who knew what kind of consequence that single change could bring.

While wondering what it might mean, Michael checked the cost—and his eyebrow shot up in surprise.

This action would consume 1,000 Evolution Points.

That wasn’t normal. Even when using extraordinary materials, the evolution cost had never changed before. Ace, being an ordinary human, shouldn’t have cost more than 100 points to evolve.

Michael looked at the boy with a slightly apologetic expression.

It seemed devouring things wasn’t the only aspect that had changed after his own evolution—and Ace had just become the first test subject.

"Evolve," he commanded softly.

Hopefully, this option didn’t bring much pain.

The moment Michael gave the command, Ace’s body began to glow.

At first, it was the usual white radiance that accompanied most evolutions—but this time, it was different. The light wasn’t blinding. It was translucent, almost ethereal, allowing Michael to see the faint silhouette of Ace’s body through it. Veins of shimmering energy pulsed beneath his skin, like rivers of molten silver weaving through fragile flesh.

But while the light was gentler to the eyes, the pain was anything but gentle.

Ace’s scream tore through the coffin’s silent air, raw and unrestrained. His back arched violently as the energy coursed through every fiber of his being, veins bulging as if trying to burst through his skin. His body convulsed.

Michael watched quietly, his eyes reflecting the faint white glow.

"Interesting," Michael murmured under his breath, his voice calm, analytical as he activated eye of truth and started to see what was actually happening in Ace body.

What he saw made even him pause for a brief moment.

Ace’s body was indeed changing—his bones strengthening, his muscles tightening, his organs pulsing with newfound vitality—but that wasn’t what caught Michael’s full attention. It was his blood.

Through the lens of the Eye of Truth, he could see every droplet coursing through the boy’s veins, each one flickering with an unusual light.

Michael could see his blood essence was reacting within him.

But something odd was going on.

Michael narrowed his eyes. "It’s assimilating..." he muttered. "No—transforming."

At first, he thought his blood was simply strengthening Ace’s body. But this was something else. The boy’s blood wasn’t just being empowered; it was changing its nature.

Each beat of Ace’s heart grew louder in Michael’s perception, echoing like distant thunder. His mortal blood was slowly abandoning its human state. Its color deepened from red to a faint, luminous scarlet edged with gold.

"This isn’t normal..." Michael whispered, his eyes sharpening. "It’s imitating mine."

Indeed, when he looked closer, the blood’s composition had begun to mirror his own. It was still incomplete but the resemblance was undeniable.

Michael felt a ripple of astonishment followed by a faint thrill.

"Did I just create a fake Genesis body?"