Michael walked forward. The passage descended gradually. Unlike the main tunnel, the walls here were covered with enormous claw marks. Some had dug several centimetres into the stone.
Black crystals appeared increasingly frequently along the walls, although many had clearly been shattered or consumed.
Michael continued deeper for less than a minute before something entered his perception.
"There."
The Skeleton Chief immediately became alert. A massive creature lay farther ahead.
Michael continued walking until the tunnel opened into a cavern. Two blue flames immediately appeared in the darkness. Then an enormous skeletal creature slowly rose.
Clack!
Bones shifted against one another. The Bone Hound stood nearly four metres tall at the shoulder. Its body resembled an enormous wolf stripped pletely of flesh, although several features were clearly unnatural.
Its ribs curved outward like armor. Jagged bone spikes protruded along its spine. Its skull was disproportionately large.
The Skeleton Chief instinctively tightened her grip around her staff.
"Senior, that's one of them."
Michael nodded. He had already used Detect.
[Bone Hound]
[Grade: Extraordinary ★★]
[Level: 67]
Rank Three.
The Bone Hound stared directly at Michael. Its jaws slowly opened. The Skeleton Chief prepared herself for an attack.
Instead, the blue flames within the Bone Hound's sockets suddenly contracted and its entire body froze. The next moment, the enormous creature lowered itself. Its front legs bent, and its skull touched the ground as the creature submitted without the slightest resistance.
The Skeleton Chief stared. Even after witnessing what happened at her settlement, seeing the same thing happen to a Rank Three undead remained somewhat difficult to process.
This wasn't a weak skeleton whose instincts could easily be overwhelmed. This was a King-rank undead. A creature that could have slaughtered her entire settlement almost by itself. Yet it hadn't even tried to resist.
Michael, meanwhile, looked pletely unimpressed.
"So it works exactly the same."
He had wondered whether stronger undead might show greater resistance. The Skeleton Chief had proven that some could retain their individuality beneath his authority, but apparently Rank Three alone wasn't enough to change much.
He had expected this already having already manded two rank 4 undead before this. This went to show the uniqueness of the skeleton chief was not influenced by her location.
Michael approached the Bone Hound. It remained pletely motionless.
"Enter."
Space distorted beside it.
The Mausoleum opened and the Bone Hound immediately stood and walked through the portal.
Michael closed it afterward.
"…"
That was it. No battle or struggle. Michael felt strangely disappointed. He had initially thought entering the Netherworld would involve some unique situations. Instead, he had practically bee a collector.
"Just Rank Three."
A little tasteless.
Michael turned around.
"Next."
The Skeleton Chief silently followed. They returned to the junction before entering another tunnel.
The result was almost identical. A second Bone Hound appeared.
[Bone Hound]
[Grade: Extraordinary ★★]
[Level: 71]
It sensed Michael.
It froze, then bowed seconds later.
Soon it entered the Mausoleum.
The third tunnel wasn't any different. Another effortless submission. By this point, Michael barely bothered examining it beyond checking its basic information.
"Let's go."
The creature entered the Mausoleum.
They returned to the junction once again. The Skeleton Chief's violet flames flickered strangely.
These were the creatures that had forced her to abandon one of the most valuable resources she had discovered in decades. She had spent years avoiding them. Michael was collecting them like stray animals.
Neither spoke about it.
They entered the fourth tunnel. Several minutes later, they found another cavern, and another enormous skeletal creature stood within it.
The moment Michael entered, clack, its massive body immediately lowered.
Michael glanced at its information. Level Seventy-Four. Still Rank Three.
"Another one."
The portal appeared. The fourth Bone Hound obediently entered.
Michael turned around. Now there was only one passage remaining. He and the Skeleton Chief returned to the central junction.
Michael's gaze settled upon the fifth tunnel. The Skeleton Chief's grip around her staff tightened. Four tunnels. Four King-rank Bone Hounds. MThere was no longer anything to guess. The last one could only belong to the Emperor-rank creature.
Michael stared into the darkness. Unlike the others, this passage was noticeably larger. The claw marks covering its walls were deeper as well. Even the concentration of dark energy flowing from within seemed slightly higher.
The Skeleton Chief stepped beside him.
"Senior."
"Yes."
"That should be the Emperor."
Michael smiled.
"Finally."
After four Rank Three creatures, perhaps this one would at least be somewhat interesting.
Without another word, Michael entered the final tunnel.
The final tunnel descended much deeper than the previous four. Michael noticed the difference almost immediately. The passage was wider, the claw marks along the walls deeper, and the dark crystals embedded within the stone were noticeably larger. More importantly, the concentration of dark energy continued to rise.
The Skeleton Chief remained several steps behind him. Despite everything Michael had shown her, she couldn't pletely suppress her caution. This was an Emperor-rank undead. Rank Four.
Back in Aurora, an existence at this level would have stood near the top of an entire region, and major organizations would think carefully before provoking one unnecessarily. Yet the person ahead of her walked forward without the slightest concern.
Soon, Michael sensed something. A considerably stronger presence than the previous four.
"There."
He continued forward. The tunnel eventually opened into an enormous underground chamber. Black crystals covered nearly every surface. Some rose from the ground like enormous pillars, while others hung from the ceiling like jagged teeth.
At the center of the chamber lay a massive creature. Michael immediately noticed that this Bone Hound was different from the others. It was nearly twice their size.
Its skeletal frame was much denser, with thick overlapping plates of dark bone covering its chest, shoulders, and spine. Two curved horns extended backward from its skull, while its claws had bee almost metallic in appearance. Dark mist constantly drifted between its ribs.
Then two enormous blue flames ignited.
Boom!
The Bone Hound rose. Its skull lifted toward Michael.
The Skeleton Chief immediately stopped.
"It's the Emperor."
Michael activated Detect.
[Bone Hound]
[Grade: Epic ★]
[Level: 83]
Michael's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Oh?"
Perhaps this one would actually…
Clack.
The Bone Hound lowered its head.
"…"
Michael stared expressionless.
Boom!
The enormous creature bent its front legs.
Its skull touched the ground. The dark mist surrounding its body dispersed, and the previously intimidating blue flames within its sockets lowered submissively.
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