Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World - Chapter 535: Famous?
Chapter 535: Famous?
The staff in the blue jacket cleared his throat once everyone was settled. His voice wasn’t booming, but it carried easily across the room, filling the silence.
“First, congratulations to all of you for reaching this stage.” His eyes swept the room, resting briefly on Michael before moving across the rest of the awakeners.
The staff continued. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, you can be assured of this much: every one of you will gain guaranteed entry into at least a Cultivation Academy.”
That announcement drew a mix of expressions.
“However,” the staff said, his tone firm, “if your goal is an Awakeners’ Academy… then I suggest you do your best tomorrow. Only those who achieve Rank 2 qualify. This much I believe you guys are already aware of.”
The weight of his words pressed across the room. Rank 2 wasn’t something casually achieved. Only those who awakened a year or two ago looked calm while helplessness plastered the face of the awakeners who awakened three months ago.
Michael sat quietly, his gaze resting on the staff but his mind ticking elsewhere. Guaranteed entry into a cultivation academy? That was nice, but meaningless to him. Settling for the minimum was never in his plans. Awakeners’ Academy—that was where he figured the true opportunities lay.
The staff let the silence stretch for a moment before he spoke again.
“As you should already know—since it was announced within the virtual space—tomorrow’s round will mirror today’s trial.”
“However, it will not be in a simulated space. It will take place directly within the Land of Origin.”
A few brows furrowed across the room. Among Awakeners, the name carried weight.
The staff lifted a hand.
“Do not misunderstand. While the realm itself is immense and it will be impossible for any of you to deliberately group up or gather at a single location, there is no need to be concerned.”
He went on.
“Based on the information we’ve received from the Council, each of you will be issued a key for entry. This key will be delivered to your registered email tonight. Without it, you will not be able to enter tomorrow’s space.”
His words sharpened the attention of everyone present. Even Michael tilted his head slightly.
“Alongside the key,” the staff added, “you will also receive a list of the academies open for your applications. This is not limited to Awakeners. Even those of you who will instead be entering cultivation academies, like some of you who aren’t at rank 2, will see the options available for you.”
“Of course,” the man said with a faint smile, “a few of you may already have received private offers but you’ll need to wait till tonight to know.
“This is how the process has been conducted for years, though I’ve been told the method may be changed from next year onward. For you, however, nothing changes. Be ready. Prepare yourselves. Tonight you’ll receive your key and your list. Tomorrow… will decide the rest.”
Michael sat quietly through it all, his face calm, but his mind alert.
Aside from the news relating to the land of origin, he already knew a bit of the others.
The staff spoke a little longer, covering small details. Nothing too elaborate.
Finally, he straightened his jacket and gave a slight nod.
“That’s all for now. Get some rest. Tonight you’ll receive your key and the academy list. Tomorrow will determine the path you walk for years to come. Dismissed.”
Chairs scraped quietly as the gathered youths began to rise. Some left in groups, muttering to each other with nervous excitement. Others slipped away in silence.
Michael stretched once.Without another glance at the Bright Academy trio—or the arrogant martial artist who still refused to meet his eyes—he made his way outside.
The sky above Aurora was painted in hues of fading orange, the sun dipping low as the evening breeze cooled the streets. The gates of Bright Academy loomed tall behind him as he stepped out.
Michael dug into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and powered it on. He had switched it off before the trial, not wanting distractions. Now, as the screen lit, he thumbed through the ride-hailing app with half a mind to call a car. The weather was nice, but he was too lazy to walk home.
It wasn’t fatigue—his body was perfectly fine. He just didn’t feel like moving more than he needed to.
But the moment his phone reconnected to the network, it practically vibrated itself out of his hand.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Notification after notification flooded the screen in a relentless stream. His brows furrowed. Michael blinked, stunned, as the alert counter climbed past dozens, then hundreds.
“…What the hell?”
Curiosity prickled at him, and without thinking, his thumb tapped one of the icons. His social media app opened—only to show an absurdly high notification count of new followers. Hundreds at a time or thousands.
Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
For the first time since stepping out of the trial, Michael’s calm cracked into something else—shock laced with wariness.
“What… happened?” he muttered under his breath.
The notification counter didn’t slow. If anything, it kept climbing at a dizzying pace, the pings layering over each other until the phone almost felt hot in his palm.
Michael’s frown deepened. He swiped quickly to his profile.
And froze.
Followers: 3.4M
His breath caught. For a second, his grip almost slipped. He blinked again, half-convinced he was seeing things.
Three point four million.
Michael just stared at the number, the glow of the screen reflecting in his eyes. It was absurd. Beyond absurd. Previously, his account was practically a ghost town, followed only by classmates, a handful of acquaintances, and maybe a couple of randoms who liked a post or two.
But this? This was something else.
For the first time in a very long while, something outside the supernatural world managed to completely throw him off balance. His thoughts scattered. His usually steady composure cracked, leaving him blankly staring at a number that didn’t make sense.
