"Hmm?"
Michael stared at the kneeling Bone Hound and noticed a difference. A subtle one.
The Emperor-rank Bone Hound was undoubtedly submitting to him. Michael could feel that clearly through the shared connection between them with his class. If he manded it to stand, it would stand. If he manded it to attack the other Bone Hounds, it would attack.
If he ordered it to destroy itself, Michael suspected it would obey that as well.
Yet something about its submission felt different.
Michael studied the blue flames within its skull. Then he understood.
"Interesting."
The feeling reminded him of something pletely unrelated to undead. His knights back in the Land of Origin.
Whenever Michael entered the presence of those who had sworn themselves to him, their greetings carried something more than obligation. They bowed because he was their lord. But many also bowed because they genuinely wanted to. There was loyalty behind the gesture. Respect. Recognition. Perhaps even admiration.
Then there were ordinary people within his territory. They would also bow. They would address him respectfully. They would follow his laws and obey his orders. But the feeling was different.
One came from the heart. The other came from acknowledgment. *He is my lord, therefore I bow.* That was the distinction Michael sensed now.
The weaker skeletons from the settlement had been closer to the first category. Their soul flames had practically erupted with reverence upon sensing him. Their submission hadn't merely been forced upon them by an irresistible authority. They seemed genuinely delighted to obey him. To them, Michael's existence itself was something worthy of worship.
The Emperor Bone Hound wasn't like that. It acknowledged him, so it submitted. The creature still possessed enough individuality to separate obedience from devotion.
Michael slowly approached. The Bone Hound remained bowed.
"Raise your head."
Its enormous skull immediately rose. The blue flames stared at Michael. There was no resistance, but neither was there the almost childlike reverence he had seen from the weaker skeletons.
This was another small insight into Death's Heir. The class didn't necessarily erase an undead's personality, nor did it automatically transform every undead into a fanatic. The end result appeared to vary depending on the individual.
What Michael didn't understand was why.
Was it strength? That seemed unlikely. He had already brought two Rank Four undead to his mand. All he could tell was that the strength of an undead's resistance did not simply depend on its strength.
If it wasn't strength, then was it intelligence?
The Skeleton Chief was the most obvious example. Despite being weaker than the Bone Hound before him, she retained an extremely strong sense of self. Her memories, emotions, desires, fears, and ambitions were parable to those of any living person. Death's Heir could force her obedience, but it hadn't transformed her into a mindless worshipper.
Then there was race. Or more specifically, grade.
Michael glanced at the information floating beside the Bone Hound.
[Grade: Epic ★]
The ordinary skeletons had mostly been mon grade. This Bone Hound was Epic. Perhaps higher-grade undead possessed stronger souls and therefore maintained more individuality under his authority.
Or perhaps both factors mattered. Intelligence. Grade. Strength. Soul quality. Maybe even the undead's species itself.
There were too many variables.
Michael rubbed his chin.
"This class really didn't e with enough instructions."
The Skeleton Chief heard him but wisely said nothing. She didn't even know what this senior was talking about. It's said that old monsters tend to have mental issues. Maybe that's why this senior seemed to love talking to himself.
Michael wasn't particularly bothered. He had only possessed Death's Heir for a short period. There would be plenty of opportunities to experiment. The Netherworld itself was practically the perfect testing ground. With countless undead races spread throughout this realm, sooner or later he would encounter enough variations to understand exactly how his authority worked.
For now, however, he had more important things to do.
Michael looked toward the Bone Hound.
"Enter."
Space distorted. The entrance to the Mausoleum appeared beside the enormous creature. The Bone Hound immediately stood. It glanced toward the spatial opening for only a moment before walking forward without hesitation.
The massive Bone Hound disappeared into the Mausoleum and Michael closed the portal.
Five Bone Hounds. Four Rank Three. One Rank Four. All collected without throwing a single punch.
Michael couldn't decide whether he should consider that fortunate or disappointing. Probably both.
The Skeleton Chief stared at the empty space where the Emperor Bone Hound had disappeared. Her violet flames remained unusually still.
Michael glanced at her.
"Something wrong?"
"No, Senior."
She paused.
"It is simply difficult to believe."
"What is?"
"That was the creature that drove me from this mine."
Michael looked around the cavern.
"And now it's gone."
"Yes."
The Skeleton Chief stared at him.
"Just like that."
Michael shrugged.
"Better than wasting time fighting."
That was the practical answer. He hadn't entered the Netherworld looking for entertainment. He needed resources. The sooner he obtained enough materials to resurrect the Demigod, the sooner he could leave.
Michael's attention finally shifted away from Death's Heir and toward the cavern surrounding them. Now that he wasn't distracted by the Bone Hound, the sheer concentration of dark-element energy became much more noticeable.
Michael inhaled slowly. Mana practically poured into his body.
Then his perception spread outward. Across the walls. Beneath the floor. Through the enormous crystal formations surrounding the chamber. His eyes gradually brightened.
The Bone Hounds were interesting. But this was what he had actually e for.
Michael walked toward the nearest crystal formation. He placed one hand against its surface.
Cold.
The dark energy contained inside was considerably denser than the crystals he had seen at the Skeleton Chief's settlement.
Michael nodded. *This was much better.*
His perception spread farther through the cavern. Most of the larger crystals possessed roughly the same quality, while some of the smaller ones were only One-Star Rare. There were also several pockets deeper underground where the energy fluctuations seemed even stronger.
There was plenty here. Unfortunately, Michael had no intention of mining it properly. He didn't have the equipment. More importantly, he didn't have the time.
Michael stepped backward.
The Skeleton Chief watched him.
"Senior?"
Michael raised one hand.
Rumble!
The cavern shook. Cracks immediately spread across the walls.
The Skeleton Chief's violet flames flickered violently as she looked upward.
"Senior?"
"Don't worry."
Michael's mana poured into the surrounding earth.
Rumble!
An entire section of the cavern wall tore free. It wasn't merely the exposed crystals. Stone. Ore. Crystals. Everything within an area nearly thirty metres across separated from the mountain at once.
The enormous mass floated toward Michael. Space distorted beside him. A gateway to the Mausoleum opened. Michael sent the entire thing inside.
Boom!
The massive section of rock landed within an empty region of the Mausoleum.
Michael immediately turned toward another wall.
Rumble!
Another enormous section was ripped free. Then another. And another.
There was no careful excavation. No separating valuable crystals from worthless stone. Michael simply took everything. If the crystals were embedded within several thousand tons of rock, then several thousand tons of rock would enter the Mausoleum with them.
The Skeleton Chief silently watched. The mine trembled continuously.
Boom!
Another section vanished.
Boom!
Half of a crystal-covered wall disappeared.
Boom!
A large portion of the floor was torn upward, revealing another layer of dark crystals beneath it.
Michael's eyes brightened.
"There's more underneath."
The Skeleton Chief looked at the increasingly devastated cavern.
Rumble!
The newly exposed section disappeared as well.
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