Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Cultivation

Michael tried his best to ignore the cries of his classmates echoing around him.

Failing to awaken in this world wasn't like failing a college exam back on Earth. On Earth, you could keep trying again, and even failure offered alternative paths—many of which weren't considered worse than attending college. But here, failing to awaken had no equivalent alternatives at all.

It was akin to a poor man, burdened with the responsibility of caring for his two chronically ill parents while also supporting a younger sibling in school, betting on three different games with a chance to win a million-dollar each—and losing everything.

In such a scenario, breaking down in despair and crying wouldn't be unusual; it was inevitable.

The scene around Michael now was eerily similar.

Most students at Woodstone Public School No. 3 came from families living at or below the poverty line.

For them, successfully awakening wasn't just a dream; it was a path to their salvation—like having a hundred million dollars drop into their lap. But for the students now sobbing, that distant hope of drastically changing their lives had slipped through their fingers three times in a row.

No wonder so many of them broke down in tears right after failing.

Michael tried not to let the dark atmosphere affect him. He forced himself to focus and tried to stay positive.

His situation wasn't any better than those around him—if anything, it was worse. In this world, the original owner of his body had been an orphan living with his overburdened aunt. She was a widow, struggling to care for her own child as well. Together, the family of three barely survived on the limited money his aunt managed to earn.

For Michael, successfully awakening wasn't just a dream. It was the fastest—and perhaps the only—way to change his family's fate. Yet his chance of awakening was less than 1%.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness creep into his thoughts despite all his efforts. Though he was grateful for the chance to live again, especially in a healthy body, the prospect of living a life in mediocrity stung deeply. Yet, there was nothing he could do about his slim chance of awakening. All he could do was hope for the best.

Michael continued to watch one by one, students stepped up to the podium, only to fail in their awakening attempts.

There were only 86 students in the hall, and since the teacher hadn't assigned a fixed order, Michael's turn could come at any instant and he could only wait while tension pressed on his chest.

Then, just when the teacher in charge of the awakenings began to believe that this batch of students would only produce one Awakener, the orb on the podium suddenly flared to life and emitted a bright light.

The reason for such a reaction was a male student standing before it. Just like Lilian, who had first awakened, a manifestation—a standard phenomenon for new Awakeners—appeared on him.

The male student's figure glowed red like a burning fire, and a fiery staff appeared in his hands before disappearing just as quickly.

"Brian Lian has successfully awakened a class: Fire Mage!" the teacher announced.

Just as it happened after the first awakening, an uproar erupted in the hall, but this time it was even more intense.

"Damn! Brian actually awakened?! The heavens really aren't fair!"

"I know, right? He's already one of the few students who managed to ignite their life seeds before the college exams—that's rare even in big cities—and now he's lucky enough to awaken too?!"

"F*ck!"

Like his classmates, Michael also had an impression of Brian. At Woodstone Public High School No. 3, Brian Lian was one of the few outstanding students who could compete with those from private schools with better resources, despite his humble background. His reputation extended beyond the school, earning him recognition throughout Woodstone City.

But Brian's fame didn't stem from his academic achievements; rather, it was his exceptional talent in cultivation that set him apart.

Awakening orb weren't the only piece of technology that Awakeners had brought back from the mysterious realm known as the Land of Origins. They also introduced other technological advancements that significantly boosted the real world.

The Land of Origins wasn't exclusive to humans—various civilizations of different races had long thrived there. In fact, compared to them, humans could almost be considered newcomers to that world.

These civilizations had already harnessed the Land of Origins to significantly advance their societies. Using their unique methods, Awakeners managed to bring something extraordinary to this world: Cultivation.

Cultivation was a method that allowed ordinary people to gain supernatural powers, though not at the level of Awakeners. Cultivators couldn't progress as quickly, become as powerful, or enter the Land of Origins.

Brian practised the breathing technique of the Knight cultivation system. With his considerable talent in cultivation, he had a promising future ahead, even if he had failed to awaken.

Just as Awakeners were respected and essential to this world, Cultivators were equally vital despite the two weren't held in the same awe. Nonetheless, both played indispensable roles.

At least, that was what Michael had always been told.

The world had changed drastically with the apocalypse. It was no longer just a planet but a realm. Planet Aurora became the Aurora Realm.

Some of the cracks that had brought monsters into the world remained, and new ones occasionally appeared. While some were filled with dangerous creatures, others served as gateways to other realms.

Given their limited numbers, Awakeners alone couldn't manage all these challenges. Cultivators became crucial for handling these realms. Awakeners advanced the society, while Cultivators defended it. This was a balance that had been instilled in Michael and his peers from an early age.

Still, becoming an Awakener was more desirable, though. Cultivation required resources—expensive ones that grew costlier as one progressed further. This financial burden alone had already stopped more than half of the population's ability to pursue this path seriously.

Generally, only the talented or the wealthy had a significant chance of achieving great success in cultivation.

The teacher, who hadn't even smiled much when Lilian Stone awakened, now wore a wide grin as he addressed Brian. "Come stand here and wait," he said, pointing to the spot beside Lilian Stone. 

The teacher was thrilled that a genius from the school had just become even more exceptional—a super genius!

After settling that, the teacher continued with the Awakening Ceremony, but he was met with disappointment as no other student managed to awaken, not even those with talent in cultivation.

This outcome wasn't entirely unexpected.

Just because a student had talent in cultivation didn't guarantee they would be able to awaken a class, especially not at the age of 18.

Even so, the teacher was quite pleased. The school could now proudly claim two more Awakeners to its name.

The Awakening Ceremony continued, and soon it was time for the eightieth student to step up to the podium—Michael.

"Michael Norman!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing his name being called out, Michael nervously made his way up to the podium. Since the body's former owner didn't have much presence at school, there was no cheering for him.

Reaching the podium, Michael followed the teacher's instructions and placed his trembling, sweat-slicked hands on the awakening orb, anticipation surging through him.