The golden light slowly sank into the Skeleton Knight's bones.

Crack.

The sound was low, but clear.

The Skeleton Knight's body changed. Its bones became darker and denser, like black steel. The joints tightened, the frame grew slightly taller, and the blue flames in its eye sockets burned brighter.

Lily felt the change immediately.

"…It's stronger," she said. "Much stronger."

Mike pulled his hand back.

"Yeah. It ranked up. From a normal Skeleton Knight to a higher-grade one."

The Skeleton Knight stood straight and slammed its shield to the ground once, as if acknowledging the upgrade.

Lily stared at it.

"So you can upgrade undead too?"

"Only once per creation," Mike said. "But skills and creations count as different targets. That's how I can do this."

She exhaled slowly.

"That's… terrifying."

Mike smiled.

"Nah. We're both terrifying together."

He gestured at the Skeleton Knight.

"You create undead, and I upgrade them by a rank. Together, we make a ridiculous combination."

Lily nodded slowly.

"…Yeah. That's true."

Mike then added casually,

"By the way, that Skeleton Knight belongs to me now."

Lily blinked.

She focused and felt the connection again. The link was still there—but it felt faint, pushed to the side by something much stronger.

"…I still have a connection," she said slowly, "but it's like it's being overshadowed by something."

Mike nodded.

"Yeah. My control overwrote yours."

He looked at the Skeleton Knight, and it responded instantly, turning toward him and lowering its head slightly.

"With Midas Touch, once I upgrade it, the ownership shifts to me," Mike explained. "I can control it freely now."

Lily stared at him.

"So you just stole my undead."

"I improved it," Mike corrected calmly. "Ownership changed as a side effect."

She sighed.

"That's cheating."

"But useful," Mike added.

She couldn't even argue with that.

"Fine," Lily said after a moment."I create, you upgrade, and we share them equally."

Mike nodded."That's a good deal."

Then he looked at the undead again and frowned."Something's weird."

"Summons like this consume their creator's mana, right?" Mike asked.

Lily nodded.

"…But I don't feel my mana being consumed by it," Mike said.

Lily tilted her head and focused on her connection with the Skeleton Knight."Huh?"

Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening."…It is using my mana to sustain itself."

She clenched her teeth."Damn it. This thing is taking my mana, but it's prioritizing you when taking orders."

Angry, she slammed her staff against the Skeleton Knight's face.

Clang.

The Skeleton Knight didn't budge at all. It simply looked at her and tilted its skull slightly, clearly confused about why it was being attacked.

Lily's eye twitched.

Mike quickly turned his face away, pressing his hand over his mouth.

He was sure that if he laughed right now, the angry squirrel in front of him would smack him with her staff in the next second.

Lily, on the other hand, grew even angrier when the Skeleton Knight didn't react at all. She cut off the mana connection completely.

Without her mana, the Skeleton Knight instantly collapsed, its bones turning into ashes.

"…"Mike looked at the pile of ash and wisely decided to stay silent.

"Well… it's not that bad," he said carefully after a moment. "You have, like, a million times more mana than normal. You can easily spare some."

Lily just harrumphed.

At least she didn't deny it, Mike thought.

He then took out his sword and equipped his Knight Set.

"Let's just hunt more," he said. "Let's aim for at least five Skeleton Knights and five Skeleton Mages each."

Lily nodded.

They moved deeper into the dungeon.

The forest grew thicker, and the green glow on the trees became brighter. The air felt heavier with mana.

Mike checked the map again.

"Orc territory is ahead," he said. "Good place to get strong bodies."

Lily nodded.

"Better quality corpses mean better undead."

Not long after, a group of orcs appeared between the trees. They were tall, broad, and covered in rough armor made from bone and metal scraps. Each one held a crude weapon.

Mike stepped forward.

"I'll handle them. You stay back."

He dashed ahead before Lily could reply.

The first orc barely had time to raise its axe before Mike cut it down. His sword moved clean and fast, each strike lethal. Black armor flashed between the trees as one orc after another fell.

In less than a minute, the ground was covered with bodies.

Mike wiped his blade.

"Done."

Lily walked forward, eyes focused.

"Perfect."

She raised her staff.

"Skeleton Knight Creation."

All six orc bodies melted down, their flesh dissolving as they merged together. The mass twisted and compressed, gathering into a single form. From it, one Skeleton Knight rose.

Unlike the previous ones, this one was fully covered in solid armor formed from dense bone and mana.

"Oh, it seems just six orc bodies are enough to create a complete Skeleton Knight," Mike said.

Lily looked at the knight and nodded.

"Yes. This one is perfect, unlike the last one."

Mike nodded as she walked toward it, clearly ready for him to upgrade it. But just as he placed his hand on the Skeleton Knight's chest, Lily spoke.

"This first one will be mine," she said firmly.

Mike paused, then shrugged.

"Suit yourself. It's not like these are the last orcs in this dungeon," he muttered.

Mike nodded and placed his palm against the knight's chest.

"Midas Touch."

Golden light spread across the Skeleton Knight.

Crack.

The bone armor began to change. The white surface darkened, turning into a black, metallic bone-like material. It looked less like bone now and more like dark steel, with faint runes glowing along the plates.

The sword in the knight's hand also changed. The bone blade thickened, stretched, and reshaped itself into a massive dark-metal greatsword. The edge looked heavy and brutal, made purely for crushing and cleaving.

The Skeleton Knight's body grew.

Once.

Twice.

In just a few seconds, it became nearly twice Mike's height. Its frame was massive, broad-shouldered, and overwhelming. A heavy pressure spread from it, making the air around them feel heavier.

The blue flames in its eye sockets turned darker, deeper, and more intense.

The transformation ended.

Silence followed.

Lily stared at it, eyes wide.

"…Unique grade," she said slowly.

Mike nodded.

"Yeah. Epic to Unique. That's a true upgrade unlike last one, last one was just perfected by my talent."

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