Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 809: Enhancer

Michael saw the situation with Rynne.

He moved and appeared beside Rynne just as the pressure field collapsed inward.

Michael drove his foot into the ground when the pressure imploded into nothing.

Both of them were thrown backward anyway, tumbling across the clearing as the tentacles followed relentlessly.

The breathing metal pulsed again, and the tentacles began stacking effects.

One tentacle struck the ground and released a wave of corrosive force that ate through stone and bone alike, leaving smoking trenches behind. Another followed with searing heat, the air itself igniting where it passed. A third dragged shadows behind it, obscuring movement and depth, making distance impossible to judge.

Michael dodged two.

The third clipped his shoulder.

Pain exploded through him as the corrosive force tore through his defenses. Flesh burned. His vision blurred. He bit down hard and forced mana to compress around the wound, halting the damage before it could deepen.

He staggered.

A tentacle wrapped around his leg. Another slammed into his chest, driving the air from his lungs. A third followed immediately, striking his side with bone crushing force.

Michael was hurled across the clearing like a rag doll.

He hit the ground hard, rolled, struck again, and finally came to a stop near the edge of the cavern. His body screamed in protest but Michael forced himself up anyway.

Rynne was already moving again, armor blazing, mana surging wildly as she tore free from another gravity snare. A tentacle struck her back and sent her flying, but she twisted midair, landing awkwardly and skidding to a stop beside Michael.

Both of them were breathing hard now.

Rynne slid to a stop beside him, boots carving grooves into the stone. Her breath was sharp, controlled, but there was tension in her eyes that had not been there before.

"...Michael," she said quietly, without looking away from the writhing mass of metal and flesh, "why does it feel like it’s playing with us?"

Michael wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand and forced himself upright. His ribs screamed in protest, but he ignored it. His gaze remained fixed on the breathing metal.

"Because it is," he replied.

Rynne frowned. "You’re sure?"

"If it wanted us dead immediately, we wouldn’t be having this conversation since we would be too busy staying alive."

"I can’t deny it’s strong, but I still can’t feel the strength that can go against multiple—"

Michael’s eyes narrowed.

"And we’re not going all out either."

Rynne glanced at him, then nodded. She understood exactly what he meant.

Michael shifted his stance, eyes never leaving the metal.

"We need to get rid of it. Or..." He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Is it possible to tame it?"

Rynne’s eyes widened slightly.

"Tame it?" she repeated.

Another tentacle lashed out suddenly, forcing both of them to dodge again. They moved in sync, rolling apart as the stone where they had stood collapsed inward.

Rynne landed in a crouch, armor humming softly as it stabilized.

"...Based on what I read before coming here," she said as she rose, voice tight but steady, "the breathing metal was never meant to exist like this."

Michael listened closely.

"It was designed as a tool," Rynne continued. "A living material, yes, but still a tool. Something meant to respond to its wielder. To grow alongside them."

Her gaze hardened.

"But this one already has a hint of consciousness."

Michael’s expression darkened.

"That’s bad."

"Yes," Rynne agreed. "Because true consciousness is rare. You only see it in a handful of epic grade treasures." She paused, watching the metal pulse again. "And even then, not all epic treasures have it."

She took a slow breath.

"Those that do possess a spirit are unique and special," she said. "An epic grade treasure with a spirit can draw out far more of its potential than one without."

Michael frowned.

"So where does this thing fall?"

"That’s the problem," Rynne said. "From what I can see, its consciousness isn’t complete. It’s more like an instinct to attack and devour than anything."

"If I had to guess," she continued, "it’s at the peak of extraordinary rank. Just below epic grade. Originally it had the potential to reach it. Easily."

Rynne glanced at the skeletons littering the clearing.

"And it probably already did once."

Michael followed her gaze.

"You think it was epic grade back then?"

"Either that," Rynne said quietly, "or it displayed the same combat ability it’s showing now, which doesn’t make sense for the scale of casualties we’ve seen."

The implication settled heavily between them.

This was one of the reasons Michael was also wary to bring out his undead.

Currently there were only a few among his undead that could match him in power.

And the two of the strongest right now were sleeping.

If this wasn’t the case, Michael would have summoned them immediately since he had trust in their survivability.

Unfortunately, as for his other undead, Michael was at a stage that thanks to his soul injuries, he couldn’t take risks that had clear signs of failure.

Perhaps a single loss of an undead wouldn’t hurt him much, but a good number would surely do the deal, and it wasn’t worth it.

However, it was when Michael was thinking of his undead that he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly turned to Rynne.

"Hey, do you still have the enhancer?!"

Hearing Michael’s urgent call, Rynne was a bit taken aback, especially since this was just the item she had been thinking about.

A few weeks ago, she had made an expensive deal with Michael to acquire an item he obtained from the academy.

The enhancer. A once one star epic grade treasure that dropped to a three star extraordinary rank. Its effect, when activated, boosts the effectiveness of a law by two hundred percent for a duration of ten minutes, and if left to recover naturally, it can only be used again after four months.

It was a very strong item which she had prepared for this very ruin, as it increased her chance for success should the need for a bigger fist arrive.

Seeing that the situation wasn’t getting any better, she was about to use it, but why was Michael asking for it?