NOVEL NEXT Chapter 155 Moving Ahead
Brian and the branch manager continued listening to Deputy Manager Leo's report, which seemed to contain more bad news than good.
After he finished, silence filled the room for a moment.
Brian finally spoke.
"We've done what we could and can only do what we can. As for the city's evacuation, that isn't something that can happen in a day or two, so there's no point in overthinking it. I'll find someone capable of completely isolating the cracks. If the method is strong enough, evacuation may not be necessary—but that's for the city government to decide.
"In the meantime, investigate any clues regarding the demons' involvement in this. The fact that similar incidents occurred in other cities—though rarely as severe as ours—marks the first time in a long while that a top race has directly attacked our realm."
Brian sighed.
"I'm exhausted. We'll talk later."
With that, he disappeared, leaving the two managers in silence.
A few seconds later, Deputy Manager Leo couldn't hold back his thoughts.
"Branch Manager, do you think we're heading into another race war?"
"Has it ever ended?" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
"Ahh, that's true."
"I understand what you mean, though," the Branch Manager continued. "This is one of the few times in a long while that a top race has openly, well though indirectly, attacked us. If war truly breaks out against a race of this level, it will be nothing like the battles we've fought before with weaker races."
Deputy Manager Leo remained silent, absorbing the weight of his superior's words.
The Branch Manager finally sighed.
"In the grand scheme of things, only the strongest decide the fate of a realm."
"True," Leo agreed.
*******
Back in his community, Michael summoned his undead back into the real world, reinforcing the forces he had left behind to continue clearing the area.
He then freed the people sheltered inside the vine domes he had created for their protection.
Afterward, he handed the potions he had brought to his neighbor—the one with the rude nephew—so they could be used to heal the injured and provide some relief from the pain.
Though the man was a supernatural, Michael still took the time to explain how to use the health potions properly, detailing their potency and effects.
Fortunately, no one had died.
That meant Michael never had to find out whether he would have felt guilty for not acting sooner.
After all, he should have done this before leaving the community again for the second time—right after resolving the issue in his apartment building and with that neighbor.
Now, a semblance of peace and order filled the blood-soaked streets.
With his sharp hearing, Michael occasionally picked up the sound of sobs from various people, regardless of age or gender, but since they weren't his family, he didn't care.
With his mind at ease, he finally took the time to bathe and clean himself.
By the time he was done, dawn had arrived, and daylight had brightened the city outside.
Changing into a set of clothes that felt noticeably tighter on him, Michael sat on the chair in his room and pulled up the notifications, the ones he had received after killing his first supernatural and the four humans.
However, something about the notifications seemed strange.
There were no stars.
[You have killed a Level 25 Aurora Human Mage.]
[You have gained 2,855 EXP.]
[You killed five levels higher than your own, earning a 6x experience multiplier.]
[You have gained 17,130 EXP.]
---
[You have killed a Level 9 Aurora Human Knight Apprentice.] ×4
[You have gained ... EXP.]
******
There were no stars.
Additionally, a title appeared beside the human's name, as if it was used to differentiate a race.
Michael wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of races, but looking at the notification before him, it seemed that the humans here weren't just a singular group but rather a distinct branch—categorized separately despite being human.
He immediately had the urge to test {Undead Revival} on one of the corpses but forced himself to stay calm.
Why didn't humans have stars?
What did that mean for his talent?
What conditions needed to be met for a being to receive no stars?
Did the absence of stars signify that humans in this realm had no potential limit—that as long as they had the opportunity, they could continue advancing indefinitely?
Michael briefly considered whether this was the same for other races, but since he hadn't encountered one yet, the thought was short-lived.
"Things are getting interesting, haha."
The words slipped out before he realized it, excitement bubbling to the surface as he got lost in thought. He quickly composed himself, dismissing the panels in front of him.
Now, he needed to decide what to do next.
First and foremost, his family.
Now that his mind was clearer, a chill ran down his spine.
Had he not awakened—had he not taken leveling up and evolving his undead seriously—he could have lost his family. He could have lost his own life.
He had been lucky to have enough strength, but this incident made him crave even more power.
It also made him realize how vulnerable his family was.
As much as he wanted to avoid the thought, his mind moved too fast to ignore the reality—there were things beyond his control.
Something tragic could happen to his family, and no matter what, he wouldn't be able to blame himself.
Yet deep down, he knew he still would.
That was why he wanted to give his family power.
The fastest way would be to use his talent on them—but that would require them to die first.
Michael froze at the thought.
How did that idea even cross my mind?
Shaking his head, he considered other options.
One thing was certain—he no longer wanted to live in Woodstone City.
This incident was the perfect excuse to leave.
Before he awakened, Michael had always wanted to see more of the world beyond what was shown on the internet—the hologram technology, the hover cars, the wonders of civilization.
Woodstone City was too backward to showcase the true potential of this world.
There had to be other cities with higher-level cracks and stronger supernatural branches.
Some could provide him with more opportunities to gain experience points and other interesting corpses, while others could offer better security—even if their protection was meant for the general public rather than him or his family.
At the very least, there had to be cities better than Woodstone.