Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 626: First Popularity [2]

Aside from the League game that was more of a duel-type experience, the Federation’s influence seemed to have pushed the virtual gaming industry centuries forward in technological advancement.

This obviously did not make much sense considering their sudden and simultaneous appearance, so most people agreed that rather than calling it something entirely new—though it still was for many—for those in higher positions, it probably wasn’t.

Perhaps they already had something better or wanted to promote a specific narrative, like the Supers League for instance, and decided to release these things now.

For some odd reason, however, nearly ninety percent of all the new-generation games were combat-related.

Only a few companies released something different.

This didn’t cause the excitement to die down though.

Thanks to the funds Michael provided and the Federation’s initiative to encourage household-level virtual training, the game pods came preloaded with several game. The League was, of course, the most popular among them.

Lily grinned as she scrolled through the holographic menu hovering above the pod. "It’s all here—League, War’s Frontier, Abyss Runners, and even the Front War simulation our classmates use to talk about!" Her voice carried genuine excitement.

To be honest, one good reason the game pod had been bought was because of their classmates’ influence. The academy students constantly talked about the League, ranked duels, and VR combat training, making it sound like a daily necessity rather than entertainment. Lily had been easily convinced.

However, even if Lily could be influenced by her peers, why was Jester—someone far more composed and mentally mature—had been influenced just as easily.

The reason lay in Jester’s greatest flaw, one that had grown stronger ever since he became Michael’s undead and absorbed the memories of Li Fang, the cultivator. That flaw was curiosity.

It wasn’t a bad trait by itself. Curiosity had always been part of human progress. Yet, as history had proven, some of the world’s most terrible events had also begun with curiosity—scientists crossing ethical lines in medicine, mages performing forbidden experiments, rulers seeking knowledge that should have been left untouched. Curiosity opened doors, but not all doors should be opened.

Michael, who understood Jester’s nature better than most, had warned him to "handle himself well" while he was away. Still, he would never have guessed that the undead he considered wise enough to be called an elder would have a childlike curiosity bubbling under the surface.

Of course, Jester wouldn’t deceive his master over something like this. His reasoning was simple—Lily needed the pod for faster growth and training, so there was no harm in him participating too. Yet, just as he followed his master’s orders, he also tended to interpret them in his own way.

In the same manner that he obeyed Michael yet still roamed the neighborhood, subtly using his abilities to absorb the memories of a few elderly people to understand this new world better, Jester once again found a way to benefit from the rules without breaking them.

It was clear now that this undead wasn’t ordinary. He was learning, adapting, and evolving—not only as a weapon or servant but as something far more complex.

Lily, of course, didn’t notice any of this. To her, Jester was just an oddly charming, overly polite boy with her cousin’s face.

Which was honestly weird but might have helped in building their relationship.

After all, unlike her look crazed friends, she saw him as a housemate.

Jester turned toward Lily’s pod, his voice calm but teasing. "We shouldn’t play League yet. With our current skills, we’ll probably be beaten left and right."

Inside the other pod, Lily froze. Since they had already added each other as friends in the system, his words echoed directly into her earpiece. Her face flushed immediately, and she sank slightly into her seat.

He said our skills—but she knew he was just being kind. Jester might have phrased it as a collective issue, but Lily was painfully aware that she was the real problem.

In their practice matches, it had become very clear that Jester was a natural fighter. His precision, reflexes, and situational awareness were on another level entirely. He might not be as overwhelming as her cousin Michael, but he wasn’t far behind either.

Still, she said nothing.

Besides, she already had a plan.

Later. When he’s busy recording, I’ll sneak in and play League on my own.

She sighed quietly. Jester had a habit—an obsession, really—of recording everything they did for "data review." He said it helped them learn faster, but Lily suspected he just liked collecting information. If she really did get beaten badly, she couldn’t let him have a video of it as proof.

"Alright," Lily replied softly, forcing a smile into her tone. "We’ll start with something else then."

Jester chuckled, his tone light. "In the end it is still combat. But before League, we can warm up with other games. How about a war sim first?"

Lily peeked at her menu. "Front War?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Okay."

They both tapped in. Account creation flickered by in a handful of prompts. Name, region, optional avatar. Jester set his to default after the old scanned his facial and body features. Lily did the same.

"According to what we saw online and in the game description," Jester said, scrolling through the text that appeared before his eyes, "this game’s about starting as a foot soldier for an organization called the Federation. We fight against alien races and try to push back their invasion or something like that."

Lily hummed as she skimmed the same information on her end. "It sounds exciting."

"Yeah," Jester replied with a small grin. "Pretty much. But the cool part is that if we form a party, we’ll get assigned together in the same squad."

That was all the convincing Lily needed. "Then let’s do that."

They both confirmed the setting.

Next came the loadout screen.

"Alright," Jester said as the holographic models of weapons rotated in front of him. "We get to pick a primary and a secondary."

Lily’s eyes scanned through the list.