That was why Michael conversation with Mage Lian had left him in such a good mood.
In Aurora, he might struggle to access what he needed due to the limited privileges of someone of his status.
In the land of origin, however, his influence stretched farther. Here, he wasnât a background playerâhe was at the top.
In this part of the world, at least.
Which meant that if he wanted something obscure, rare, or tightly controlled, he had a far better chance of acquiring it here.
Still... Michael didnât plan to rely solely on Origin.
Aurora was where his body truly existed. He couldnât afford to bet everything on the exchange.
That was why he had decided to prepare his Advancement from Auroraâs side first. There, he could research what materials suited his path, assess what was realistically attainable through official channelsâand only then would he consider which items were worth sourcing through Mage Lianâs offer.
If something proved difficult to obtain in Aurora, or outright restricted, he would try his luck here in Origin. And by then, heâd already have a carefully curated list.
"Iâll send it by tomorrow night," Michael muttered under his breath, repeating the deadline Mage Lian had given.
He veered off the main road, passing a group of armored knights moving in formation. They saluted casually as he walked by, recognizing him.
Michael returned the gesture with a slight nod.
It didnât take long for Michael to return to his residence.
The moment he stepped out of the inner city, he used his inhuman speed to avoid drawing attention, vanishing from sight before anyone could approach him.
Reaching his home, he used his key to unlock the door, only after confirming through his senses that no one was nearby.
He entered, shut the door behind him, and made his way straight to his room.
Without wasting a second, he summoned Spartan to guard his body, then lay down on the bed.
A moment later, in Aurora, a pair of green eyes snapped open.
The first thing Michael did was reach for his phone.
It was close to noon in the Land of Origin.
Here in Aurora, it was just a little before 9 a.m.
Michael pushed himself off the bed, rubbing his eyes briefly before rising to his feet. He walked barefoot across the tiled floor and stepped into the hallway.
The house was quietâtoo quietâbut not unfamiliar. His senses confirmed it: Aunt Mia was out, no doubt already at her workplace, and Lily was likely at school. That left only a few undead lingering in the shadows of the house, idle and still.
He ignored them.
Stretching his arms with a quiet yawn, Michael moved into the kitchen. On instinct, his thumb was already swiping across his phone, logging into the Supers Association forum.
There was food in the pot. It was still slightly warm so Michael didnât bother reheating it.
Balancing his phone in one hand, he scooped out a modest portion and began eating directly in the kitchen. The quiet of the house, the gentle hum of a air conditioner, the tapping of his spoon against the plateâit all created an odd sort of calm.
As he ate, Michaelâs eyes flicked back to his phone.
Thanks to the Supers Association forum, Michaelâs knowledge of the supernatural world was anything but shallowâeven though he hadnât yet enrolled in an Awakener Academy.
He didnât bother scrolling through the forumâs front page. Instead, he navigated straight to the private chat feature and opened a conversation with the siteâs integrated AI assistant.
With the attributes of his most valued undead in mind, Michael began drafting a message.
For
Fade
and
Ghost
, both of whom leaned toward stealth and assassinationâespecially Fade, who had near-perfect assassin potential if nurtured properlyâhe asked if there were any known materials with strong concealing properties.
For
Blue
and
Purple
, who showed signs of developing illusion-type abilities, he inquired about any natural treasures or materials that possessed inherent illusion properties.
For
Lily
and
Beginning
, he focused on durability. He requested a list of materials that were known to greatly enhance physical resilience, defense, or regeneration.
As for
Spartan
and
Lucky
, he hesitated.
Michael wasnât sure what kind of materials would suit either of them.
In the past, heâd assumed his unique talent made failure in evolution impossible.
Now, he was no longer so sure.
If the wrong external material interfered with the process, it could very well lead to failure.
For Spartan, he could try to get the same thing he gets for Lily and Beginning.
But for Lucky?
He really didnât have anything in mind yet.
After weighing his thoughts, he summarized everything into a neatly worded request:
"Looking for materials with the following properties:
â Concealment or stealth enhancement
â Illusion-type attributes
â High durability and defense boosting
â Please limit suggestions to those accessible to a Level 1 member. I know the system registers my rank, but Iâd rather not see things I canât get."
He hit send.
Then leaned back, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Now he just had to wait for the siteâs AI to compile its suggestions.
It didnât take long.
Less than thirty seconds after he sent the message, the AI assistant began typing back.
> [Processing request... Matching filters to known database... Cross-referencing level permissions...]
Michael finished his last bite of food, wiped his mouth with a nearby towel, and leaned on the counter as the list began populating in real time.
> Results: 27 materials found matching your parameters.
[1] Shadowweave Fungus â A rare, cave-dwelling fungus known for its mana-masking spores. Often used in stealth gear or assassin-class augmentations. Harvestable in regions with dense ambient mana.
Estimated Market Cost: $28,000 per piece.
[2] Ghostroot Resin â A thick sap found in old ghostwood trees. Increases ambient mana dampening and weakens enemy perception fields.
Cost: $12,000 to $18,000 per gram.
[3] Mirror Lotus Petals â Illusion-type material. Produces layered image fragments when infused with mana.
Cost: $46,000 per piece.
*****
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