However, as attractive as the option was, Michael knew this wasn’t the time for that yet.

Though Michael had complete control over Jester and Jester would do whatever he wanted, Michael was interested in the plan this unique undead had for itself.

He knew that Jester had wanted his clone body not just for convenience, like being able to move around more effectively, but also because of the potential it held.

There were many reasons, but thanks to the influence of Li Yang, Jester had settled on a cultivation path that belonged to a realm far stronger than Aurora by many points.

Michael did not have anything against this, since the clone was partly a failure and couldn’t handle his consciousness well.

Now, merging this specially cultivated body with Jester’s main body would likely not change its foundation, but evolving it would, because if Jester and the body were one whole entity, evolving it would mean giving it a law.

For this, Michael was a bit confused, because it seemed like Jester had a way to not only comprehend its own law but to comprehend one for the clone body as well. Michael was not sure how possible that was, but this was the supernatural world.

If something was not possible it was only because certain conditions had yet to be met.

Michael wasn’t sure if Jester would succeed, but if anybody had a chance then Jester was one of them. From what Michael could see, Jester’s main focus was on the clone body rather than its own for some reason, so it getting a law directly from evolution wouldn’t be a problem.

Jester had said this itself in its own words.

It wasn’t that Michael was treating his undead’s opinion as his own thoughts, but he was more curious about what would happen if he merged a Rank 3 clone of his own with a Rank 3 Jester.

Michael didn’t know what to expect, but he felt he was heading down the rabbit hole of making Jester an even more taboo existence than it already was.

After making his decision, Michael gave a simple command.

"Separate."

There was no hesitation from Jester.

The clone’s body stiffened for a brief moment, then a wet tearing sound echoed in the confined space.

A bloody hole suddenly opened at the top of the clone’s head. It wasn’t a clean split. Flesh peeled back. Bone cracked. Dark blood spilled out in uneven streams, sliding down the face of the motionless body.

For a fraction of a second, nothing else happened.

Then something moved.

A ball of flesh forced its way out from within the opening and leapt out.

Michael didn’t flinch. He caught it midair.

The impact was light, but the sensation was warm. The flesh shifted slightly in his palm.

This was Jester’s true body.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Michael paid attention to the clone body and saw the open wound was already closing. He wondered if his original body could do that too. He felt it could be even stronger, but he had no intention of having a hole in his head.

Michael made his decision. The merge option was tempting, but not now. There were too many unknowns, and Jester clearly had his own plans regarding the clone body and the path he was taking.

For now, interfering would only disrupt something that might grow into something far more valuable in the future.

Without wasting time, he stepped into an open space within the coffin and placed Jester down.

Then he connected with his talent.

Immediately, Michael’s accumulated Evolution Points dropped sharply. More than nine thousand vanished in an instant.

Yet nothing happened.

Jester remained exactly the same. No transformation. No surge. No change.

Michael’s eyes narrowed. A bad feeling rose in his chest.

There was only one situation where advancement would be paused like this.

"...Universe blessing," he muttered. That was the only explanation.

Some advancements could not be completed in the coffin. They required acknowledgment. They required the "heavens." Which meant they could not happen inside the Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten.

Jester tilted his head slightly as he shared his feeling with Michael.

"Master... something is trying to descend," he said. "But it is being blocked. This space is preventing it."

Michael exhaled slowly.

"That’s expected," he replied. "Your evolution requires something external. It can’t happen here, but at the same time I’m almost sure you would draw far too much attention."

Michael had been unconscious when he evolved the last time, so he was ignorant of many things, but even the normal evolution effect would be attention-grabbing.

Jester understood immediately.

"...Then the concern is concealment," he said calmly.

Michael did not deny it. That was exactly the problem.

Before he could think further, a surge of foreign information entered his mind. Jester had used memory infusion. Michael could have resisted, but he didn’t. He knew Jester wouldn’t harm him, so he accepted it.

It was a technique. Darkness-based, obtained from the old man’s memories. It required corpses as a medium, but in exchange it offered strong concealment.

Michael absorbed it quickly. His expression eased slightly.

"This will work," he said, thinking of his class effect and a particular title effect. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Jester nodded.

"We can also receive the blessing in the second layer of the Void," he added. "It is closer to the heavens than the material world."

Michael considered it. That option was even better.

With a plan in place, Michael didn’t hesitate and left the coffin. The city was currently filled with corpses, so taking a few from the gathering grounds didn’t alert anyone, especially since Michael had concealed himself carefully.

Immediately after, Michael entered the second layer of the Void after a bit of effort.

It was his first time after all but he had a bit of experience thanks to a certain elder who was a kidnapper in his free time.

*

A/N; Please vote to support! We’re back to two Chapters a day. Thanks for reading today’s Chapter and a lil surprise soon.