Michael watched through Spartan’s cold, unblinking gaze.
Six robed figures.
So they were here all along.
Michael studied them carefully. Though none moved, he could see the subtle rise and fall of their chests.
The rational part of his mind imdiately whispered that he should strike now—end them before they could react, and shatter the spell anchoring the entire building.
But Michael didn’t move.
Instead, he took a long, slow breath, centering himself.
This room...
His gaze shifted from the ritual array to the racks of crates and shelves lining the walls. He saw strongboxes with iron locks, velvet-lined stands bearing artifacts half-wrapped in protective silk, chests bearing the wax seals of noble families.
This must be where they kept the auction’s stock.
Michael felt a quiet, almost amused resignation.
Even in a crisis, part of him was still thinking about what he could salvage.
But he wasn’t reckless enough to turn his attention away from the six figures entirely.
Michael slipped his perception into the other five undead scattered throughout the building
One by one, he directed them to converge silently on the vault.
It didn’t take long before the last of them slipped through the archway and ca to stand beside Spartan.
Good, he thought. If they so much as flinch, I’ll know.
Six undead against six humans wasn’t a guarantee of victory—he had no illusions about that.
Any one of these robed figures might be a mage more powerful than them. But a surprise assault from six high humans, all levelled up to at least level 15 thanks to the dinsional cracks of Aurora, was strong enough.
Thesixwould have to be ready for an attack to effectively defend it.
And right now, they didn’t look ready for anything but holding their spell in place.
Michael let his awareness settle across all six perspectives, taking in every angle of the room—every corridor leading out, every hidden corner behind the crates.
It was a strange thing, feeling like he stood in every spot at once. Like he was a single mind inhabiting six silent bodies.
This...
His fingers twitched against his knee in the real world.
This is what omnipresence feels like.
But he didn’t indulge in it long. He refocused.
Michael turned his attention back to the treasures in the vault.
He didn’t feel like leaving empty-handed. Not after all this.
But he also wasn’t going to leave these six alone to continue whatever they were doing.
Stand watch, he commanded silently. His ntal voice echoed across the six minds. If they move, kill them imdiately.
Six wordless acknowledgents rippled back.
He felt the tension in his chest loosen by a fraction.
Only then did he allow himself to consider his next move.
Michael steadied his thoughts.
Through the undead’s eyes, the vault was laid bare to him in precise detail.
The peculiarity of the undead’s monochro vision: while there was no warmth or color, mana itself seed almost visible. Wherever enchantnts pooled or spells were anchored, the air turned translucent, wavering like heat above a forge.
And in that cold, colorless view, it was surprisingly easy to distinguish which items were inert—and which radiated so active power.
He swept his perception across the vault, cataloging every glimr of mana.
Unfortunately, after searching for a while, Michael was t with disappointnt.
If this was truly the auction’s main vault, it seed like most of the truly valuable goods had already been moved out or set aside sowhere else.
His gaze settled sowhere else.
The Auction Treasury.
Money.
Probably a lot of it.
Michael was quiet for a mont, considering.
But the longer he stared at the coffers, the less appealing it felt.
If he was going to take sothing here, it needed to be worth the risk.
A single enchanted artifact with unique utility.
A scroll or a relic that he couldn’t simply purchase later.
Gold was...just gold.
And if he was being honest, he wasn’t desperate enough to rob a treasury chest in the capital city over re coins.
If he was going to do it, he would do it big—and be sure it was sothing no one could easily trace back to him.
Besides, he thought with a small sigh, if I’m going to settle for gold coins...it won’t be for a little.
The coins, while no doubt abundant, were almost... underwhelming. Sure, they were valuable, but they lacked the spark of a truly remarkable find. He wasn’t a petty thief.
The great-tier scroll and the miracle fruit were far more appealing, but they ca with a higher price tag in terms of risk. Not just in terms of consequences, but in their potential value—not only to him, but to others. The scroll could be a ga-changer. If he could get his hands on it, it might bring him closer to real power in this world. And the miracle fruit... while he didn’t need it, soone close to him could benefit imnsely from its life-extending properties.
Unfortunately....
In the end, Michael settled for his previous decision.
It was an easy enough line to draw in his mind, and it cald the restless instinct that had been scratching at him since he entered this place.
His attention returned to the six robed figures.
---
A/N: Happy New Month in advance to you all—and depending on when you’re reading this, Happy New Month!
I want to thank you again for your incredible support and to humbly ask for your continued votes. Thanks to you, we’re still holding onto a spot in the Top 10 of the Golden Ticket rankings—but just barely. With only 20 more votes, the book below us could easily overtake our position.
If you can, please consider casting a vote to help keep us up there. And even if you can’t, thank you sincerely for all the support you’ve shown so far. I wouldn’t be here without you.
Also, Happy 400 Chapters to us. 500 next. Then 1000. Just need to get the pace right to avoid getting skinned by you guys haha.
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