Chapter 463: 463 Skill Ticket

Chapter 463: Chapter 463 Skill Ticket

For now, though, his attention shifted back to the item itself.

“Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten…”

The name stuck with him.

Why damaged?

Was it simply a narrative label? Or… was there more to it?

His thoughts spun in slow circles. A part of him wondered if the system couldn’t—or wouldn’t—give him a perfect item. Was it bound by limitations? Could it only pull from things that already existed?

If so… then this coffin wasn’t just a created reward.

It was something that had been.

Something that once existed in full.

Something that had been used.

The idea gave him pause.

The system always seemed game-like, and this only reinforced it. In games, loot often had history. Weapons that belonged to past heroes. Artifacts pulled from shattered civilizations. Fragments of legendary sets with missing pieces. And sometimes, the most powerful items weren’t the newest—they were the ones with stories.

Was this coffin one of those?

A relic?

“…Did it belong to someone else before me?” Michael murmured, fingers tightening slightly around the cold material. “Was it made… or recovered?”

His lips tugged downward in a slight frown. He didn’t dislike what he had received—not even close. This item was incredible. Even damaged, it was leaps above anything he’d seen.

Michael ran a finger along the coffin, thoughtful. Of the three effects listed, two stood out immediately.

Effect 2 – Gate of Death was the most mysterious. Transferring consciousness to the Netherworld? That sounded like some advanced soul magic—something similar to how entering the land of origin worked. He didn’t know what he’d find there, but the fact that he had access at all was… huge.

A subspace like that wasn’t just a lore gimmick. The Netherworld had to mean something. Could it be a place for hidden knowledge? Maybe a zone where stronger undead could be found, or even created?

Michael didn’t know. But the possibilities excited him.

Effect 3 – Gravekeeper’s Claim, though—that was the one that truly made his breath hitch.

A passive resurrection skill tied to the coffin.

Resurrection.

That word alone was weighty. Even in the Land of Origin, where death wasn’t always permanent, the concept of true resurrection was rare and nearly impossible. In the real world, death was death. Your original body died? That was it. No second chances. Just darkness.

But now?

Now Michael had two more lives—technically three, counting the one he was living.

And that… was insane.

Of course, no sane person would treat death casually. Even with resurrection as an option, the process wasn’t exactly appealing.

Ten years in the Netherworld.

Alone. Randomly reborn somewhere.

Who even knew what that experience would be like?

Michael didn’t intend to find out anytime soon.

Still, the reassurance it gave him was real.

He had a fallback now. A failsafe.

No wonder this was Epic grade.

But then there was Effect 1 – Eternal Call. Compared to the other two, it felt… underwhelming.

“Summon an undead from the Netherworld. One Rank lower than my highest contracted undead.”

Michael made a face.

“It’s not bad,” he muttered. “But…”

It wasn’t that it was useless.

The wording left things unclear.

“One Rank lower than my highest contracted undead.” That could mean a few things.

If his strongest undead was, say, a Three-Star Extraordinary, would the coffin summon a Three-Star Rare, or a Two-Star Extraordinary?

If it was the latter—a two-star version in the same rank—that was actually pretty decent. It would still pack serious strength. But if it dropped an entire tier to a lower rarity, even at three stars, the power gap would be significant.

Michael frowned slightly.

“The difference between rarity ranks isn’t just cosmetic,” he murmured. “Each jump up unlocks more potential, power, more growth.”

In this world, Rank determined the ceiling. But Stars determined the range.

One star in a rank meant seven levels. So:

One-Star Common maxed at Level 7One-Star Rare went up to Level 28One-Star Extraordinary could hit Level 49Two-Star Rare would go to Level 52And so on…

But in theory, a Two-Star Extraordinary could also overpower a Three-Star Extraordinary, depending on their level difference.

That meant if the coffin summoned a creature from a lower rank, but at the maximum level, it could still be incredibly useful.

And if he could choose the rank level summoned?

Then it became quite broken.

The ability to summon one powerful undead, even temporarily, without using a contract slot was massive. Especially during moments where he couldn’t rely on his existing legion, like dangerous dungeons or unexpected encounters.

“But there’s this part that bothers me,” Michael muttered. “It says the energy cost depends on the summoned creature’s level…”

So was it adjustable?

Michael stared at the coffin for a long moment.

A part of him—morbidly curious—was tempted to try it out.

Just once.

But the thought passed as quickly as it came.

He carefully returned the Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten to his storage space.

There were other things to focus on.

Even though he could clearly see the changes in his undead after their mass evolution—improved body structure, denser mana signatures, more refined auras—he hadn’t taken the time to properly examine any of them.

He could feel the growth—but not the extent.

And then… there were the tickets.

Michael turned toward the five Skill Mastery Orbs still floating silently beside him. Each glowed faintly, hovering like little moons around his body.

Unlike stat increases, skill mastery wasn’t something one could easily brute-force.

Sure, repetition helped. Training helped.

But most skills, especially advanced ones, plateaued at some point.

Michael extended his hand toward the first orb.

“…Let’s see what you’re really about.”

He squeezed.

The orb didn’t shatter.

Instead, it morphed.

Michael blinked in surprise as the glowing sphere twisted into something more defined—a small glass vial.

A potion.

About the size of a finger, it shimmered faintly with a milky blue liquid inside, swirling as if stirred by invisible hands.

A soft chime echoed.

[Item Acquired: Skill Mastery Potion]

Description: Drinking this potion while focusing on a skill will increase its mastery.

✦ If the selected skill is in Basic Mastery: Instantly promotes it to Intermediate.

✦ If the selected skill is in Intermediate Mastery: Promotes to Advanced.

✦ If the selected skill is in Advanced Mastery: Increases proficiency by 30–50%.

✦Effectiveness determined by user comprehension.