Chapter 23
Michael felt conflicted about his first day in the Land of Origin.
On one hand, it had been exciting—he had narrowly survived being killed by a slime, escaping disfigurement by sheer luck.
On the other hand, it was downright terrible. His first battle had been a life-and-death struggle against one of the weakest species, a slime, and just as things seemed to improve, he encountered an even bigger boss.
“Is this what they mean by being at the gate of heaven yet unable to enter?” he muttered, still lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in silence.
But despite the chaos, Michael couldn’t deny one thing.
“However… it wasn’t like there weren’t any gains.”
Though his first experience in the other world left much to be desired, it gave him what he sought—strength.
‘Status’
—
[Name: Michael Norman]
[Class: Necromancer Apprentice]
[Level: 5(4^]
[EXP: 114/800]
[Strength: 2.5(1.2^)]
[Agility: 6.4(5.0^)]
[Constitution: 4.3(3.1^)]
[Intelligence: 8.5(4.0^)]
[Attribute Points: 18]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Undead Revival, Detect{NEW!}, Basic Shot{NEW!}]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot{0/10}]
[Gift: Mark Of Origin]
—
Michael had only been in the Land of Origin for about three hours, yet compared to yesterday, when he first Awakened, his growth was astonishing.
“Those seniors on the forum were so right. The Land of Origin is no game, even though it looks like one, but it’s truly an amazing place,” he muttered in awe.
A second later, his mood dipped into depression.
“Yet, even with all this growth, I still don’t have any undead as a necromancer. My supposed highest stat, Intelligence, is about to be overtaken by Agility. Am I really a necromancer, or am I becoming an assassin instead?”
Pausing, he chuckled bitterly. “No, scratch that. I should be an archer. My only working skill is {Basic Shot}, and it doesn’t even use mana—it’s a physical skill fueled by stamina.”
Michael mockingly shook his head in helplessness as he stood and stretched his stiff muscles. Afterward, he grabbed his phone from the desk.
“3:07,” he read. “That’s roughly three hours spent in the Land of Origin. I left here a little after noon, and it was approaching noon there before I left. Aurora’s time is probably three to four hours ahead.”
Of course, the timezones of Aurora and the Land of Origin were unrelated, being completely different worlds. Still, Michael used the time difference as an estimate.
With that thought lingering, Michael sat in the chair by his desk and logged into the Supers Association forum on his phone.
This time, he wasn’t just searching for answers. He planned to ask directly.
Michael had too many uncertainties, and searching blindly for solutions without even knowing the right terms felt like trying to find a rumoured treasure in the middle of an ocean.
[Conflicting First Day in the Land of Origin]
Michael began by detailing his experiences: his initial location, the eerie ruins, and how, as a necromancer, his environment didn’t offer any way to have an undead. He also explained the challenge posed by the Rank 1 monster blocking his path and sought advice on what to do next.
The Supers Association reportedly had over 70,000 Awakeners. Though Michael wasn’t sure how many were online, the forum currently showed 10,000 active users. Surely, among them, someone—Awakener or even Cultivator—would have advice for his predicament.
As Michael waited for his post to be verified, he browsed the forum to pass the time. He had barely reached the homepage when a trending topic caught his attention.
[Changes in the Federation]
“Huh? What’s this?” Michael muttered, intrigued.
“Changes in the Federation?” he repeated thoughtfully, recalling something he had pondered back in the Land of Origin.
The Federation’s focus on Awakeners had always seemed odd to him. Most people, especially younger generations, only knew that the Federation valued Awakeners. The exact reasons remained unclear. They were also made to believe that Cultivators were comparable to Awakeners, with the primary distinction being cultivation speed.
However, as a new Awakener, Michael already knew this was inaccurate.
He didn’t claim to be an expert on Cultivators, but access to the forum had expanded his understanding. For instance, a Rank 2 Knight Elite—supposedly ten times stronger than the average human—could easily be matched by a Level 5 Awakener who hadn’t even advanced yet.
In his view, Cultivators were barely comparable to Awakeners if they refrained from using attribute points. This was an undeniable gap, yet the public was deliberately led to believe otherwise.
Michael suspected this misinformation served a purpose. Perhaps it was to prevent despair among those who failed to awaken, or maybe it aimed to avoid creating an intense social divide between Awakeners and Cultivators.
This social divide was evident on the forum, but in the real world, most people likely saw Awakeners and Cultivators as only slightly different—both possessing great powers but nothing vastly superior.
All of this seemed suspicious, and Michael felt certain only the Federation knew the truth.
Now, staring at the trending topic, curiosity got the better of him. He tapped the post.
*****