He activated Midas Touch.

Golden light erupted from his body.

In an instant, a massive amount of mana was drained from him—nearly ninety percent, taken all at once. Mike gritted his teeth but held firm as the light surged outward, completely engulfing the Abyssal Shadow Serpent.

The shadows around the undead twisted violently, reacting to the foreign power.

The Lich stiffened.

"Hoh?" it muttered, eyes widening. It could feel it clearly—the undead was changing. Growing stronger.

And more importantly…

Its control was no longer absolute.

The Lich's connection to the serpent weakened further, overridden by something far more dominant.

"…Interesting," the Lich whispered. "Its bond is being overwritten… not by necromancy alone, but by authority."

The golden light slowly faded.

The shadowy mass before Mike began to change.

The Abyssal Shadow Serpent's body compressed, its formless mist solidifying into a sharper, more defined shape. The shadows no longer dispersed like smoke—they flowed smoothly, like living darkness bound by will. Lines of faint golden runes pulsed beneath its shadowy scales, flickering briefly before sinking deep into its core.

Its presence surged.

Not violently—but cleanly, as if its very existence had been refined.

The Lich took a step back.

"…Its quality just increased," it said slowly, disbelief creeping into its voice.

The serpent raised its head.

Where its eyes once glowed with abyssal violet, they now burned with a deep gold-edged darkness. The pressure it released spread across the cave, forcing the surrounding ice to crack and groan.

A system notification appeared before Mike.

[ Abyssal Shadow Serpent ][ Rank: Unique ]

"Huh?" Mike muttered. "It was just an Epic monster before…"

Instead of feeling happy, fear crept into his chest.

If an Epic-ranked monster had already killed one of his Death Lords so easily, then what about the ones deeper inside?

The deeper he went, the higher the natural rank of the monsters would be.

What if I run into a Legendary next…?

Mike's expression turned serious.

'This dungeon is very dangerous even with my Undead army' Mike thought seriously.

The Lich let out a sharp laugh, half-excited, half-wary.

"Kekekeke… you didn't just strengthen it. You evolved it."

"To raise a Rank 4 monster's quality by an entire rank using raw authority…"

It looked at Mike, its skull tilted slightly.

"I didn't know you possessed an SSS-rank power," the Lich said.

Mike nodded. "Well, I do. It allows me to upgrade something by one rank. I simply raised its quality."

He wasn't wary of the Lich betraying him.

The Lich was bound by a summoning contract—it could neither betray Mike nor reveal anything it witnessed while being summoned to another party.

"Kekeke, but it also seems you are limited by your own mana," the Lich said. Mike nodded.

"Then how about you lend me your Death Lords? In the Nether, there is a place where I can obtain something that will dramatically increase your mana. It will also give you a much larger arsenal. I am weak on my own and will need your Death Lords to acquire that object," the Lich continued.

Mike looked at him and asked, "What is this thing you're talking about?"

"Kekeke, I'm talking about the Heart of a Nether Soul Dragon. These dragons are unlike other dragons —they are made purely of mana and soul. Their hearts are supreme-grade alchemy materials. Using one, you can create a potion that greatly increases both mana capacity and soul strength."

"There are even chances to comprehend a skill of the Nether Soul Dragon while consuming the potion," the Lich said.

"And even the heart of an Baby dragon can make three batches of potion not to mention I am planing on hunting a Three year old one" Lich said.

"Then there is another method—directly implanting the heart into one's body. This method gives massive benefits, but there is also a high chance of death."

"But not in your case," it added, grinning. "When you use your authority-like power, it makes such things far easier for you to handle."

"Uh… Midas Touch can do that?" Mike asked, surprised. There was no deception in his tone.

"Of course. After all, it uses your own mana to upgrade things, not ambient mana. If it relied on ambient mana, I would have suggested the alchemy potion instead. But since you can upgrade using your own mana, the result becomes attuned to you. That's also the reason you don't struggle with the undead you upgrade."

"I always thought it was because they were grateful to me for upgrading them," Mike said.

"That's only true for Legendary and Mythical ranks," the Lich replied. "Only beings at those levels possess enough awareness to feel gratitude. Not even Unique-rank creatures truly understand what gratitude means."

Mike nodded slowly, absorbing the revelation.

Seems like Midas Touch is far more powerful than I thought, he reflected inwardly. Then, remembering his Knight Mount's skill, he spoke up.

"Okay, I can help you," Mike said. "But can you also acquire the egg of a Nether Soul Dragon?"

The Lich shook its head.

"As I said earlier, Nether Soul Dragons are beings of pure mana and soul. They do not reproduce normally. Instead, they divide their own mana and soul to create a new existence. That is how they reproduce. In most cases, they simply separate a part of themselves and form a new dragon from it—if they feel like it."

"So… can you get a baby dragon?" Mike asked.

"Hm, that is possible," the Lich replied, then paused. "Oh? You're planning to tame it, aren't you?"

Mike nodded.

"Hm, that's a good idea," the Lich said thoughtfully. "Rather than risking the Heart, if you obtain a skill that allows you to share abilities with your tamed being, you would gain the benefits of the Nether Soul Dragon's power and have a living dragon to assist you."

The Lich nodded approvingly, clearly satisfied with the plan.

"So, you want the Nether Soul Dragon's Heart and a baby dragon, right?" the Lich asked.

Mike nodded.

"Kekeke… very well. I can do that," the Lich said, turning its hollow gaze toward the army of Death Lords standing silently across the ice. "So then—how many can I take?"

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