A Cultivator in the World Dominated By Awakeners
Chapter 39: Useless

Chapter 39: Useless

The gorilla had become an undead, and it looked even more terrifying than the Undead King due to its higher level.

Death energy radiated from its body. However, since it was originally just an ordinary monster, it remained a common undead—albeit far more skilled than typical ones.

"Get some rest," Oliver said to Ivy, noticing that she was having trouble even walking.

Ivy nodded without protest, aware of her own condition.

She even closed her eyes to recover, apparently lacking any kind of Magical Energy Drink that could quickly restore her stamina.

At the same time, Henry Wilson approached Oliver—something that many of the students also wanted to do, but most of them were too shy or cowardly to take the step.

Unlike Ivy, who was courageous and cold despite being a bookworm, the others, even the boys, had fragile mentalities.

Even if Oliver wasn’t a Cultivator, they would likely still behave this way around him.

"Boy, you’re Ivy’s age. Did you start cultivating only after failing to awaken, or have you been doing it for a while, ignoring your awakening status?" Henry Wilson asked.

Alex had once asked him the same question. It wasn’t strange for others to be curious as well.

As soon as the topic was brought up, the students all perked up their ears.

They were curious too, especially since they knew Oliver had been a regular human just a few days ago.

"Mr. Wilson, would you believe me if I said I’ve only been cultivating for two days?" Oliver replied, chuckling.

The old man furrowed his brows upon hearing that.

"If that’s true, then I can only admit that I’m useless—cultivating for decades without even reaching the First Stage, and now relying on luck as an undead," he said.

In Oliver’s mind, he muttered, ’Yeah... you really are useless.’

Most people gave up after a few years of failure. But this old man had kept going for decades—unsuccessfully.

"By the way, have you gained anything since fusing with the Undead King?" Oliver asked, curious about the result of the fusion.

When asked, Henry Wilson stroked his beard-covered chin.

"I can’t say yes or no. So far, there’s been no significant progress. But when I use death energy repeatedly, I feel a growing connection to it. That sense of closeness gives me hope—it feels like I might be able to comprehend a scripture through this. After all, it’s only been a few days. Maybe with more time, something will happen. I don’t know about the others though."

He turned to look at the others.

"Have any of you felt any progress?" he asked.

Apparently, a few of them nodded subtly.

"I’ve started to understand a Death Scripture I found online—but only a little. Still far from the First Stage."

"Same here. Very little progress. But the benefits of merging with an undead are real."

"Same for me."

One by one, the others admitted they had gained something—even if only a small amount.

Hearing that, Henry Wilson scratched his bald head.

He had fused with the strongest undead among Ivy’s horde, and yet he was the only one who hadn’t gained anything.

That made it abundantly clear—his talent was a thousand times worse than theirs.

Given the situation, Oliver couldn’t even bring himself to comment.

’Maybe the only thing he can rely on is the Spiritual Pill. After that, perhaps with the thinking speed of a Stage One Cultivator, he might make progress,’ he thought.

Of course, Oliver didn’t mind sharing the Tier 1 Spiritual Pill he had found with him—but not until his mother used it first.

He couldn’t guarantee it would still be effective once partially used, so his mother had to be the first to benefit from it.

Ivy’s recovery took a while, but with no monsters nearby, everyone remained calm. Many took the opportunity to meditate.

Once Ivy was fully recovered, she stood up immediately.

"Are you ready?" Oliver asked her.

She nodded, then summoned seven more of her undead that had remained hidden.

With her level increasing by three stages, she could naturally control more undead now.

"In that case, let’s go. We need to find monsters that are as strong or even stronger than the last one—so you can reach Level 10 soon," Oliver said.

He had no idea where the next monster would be, but he chose a path that looked like it had once been carved out by a massive creature.

Meanwhile, Ivy spread her undead to the left and right, placing them at a considerable distance.

But only a short while after doing so, she suddenly froze in place, visibly shocked.

"What’s wrong?" Oliver asked.

"One of my undead just got swallowed—and destroyed immediately," Ivy replied.

"Do you know what kind of creature did it?"

Ivy shook her head.

"It happened too fast. I only noticed it after it was already gone."

"Where did it happen?"

"There!" Ivy pointed in a direction.

"Alright, wait here. I’ll go check it out," Oliver said, darting toward the spot Ivy indicated.

He wondered what kind of monster could devour something that quickly.

Of course, before arriving, he extended his Void Sense forward.

Its range was already incredibly wide, so even reaching the maximum detection point took time.

"Eh... really?"

It didn’t take long before he sensed the presence of a monster through Void Sense.

It was a large green frog with a mouth big enough to easily swallow a human, hiding beneath a fast-flowing river.

The frog seemed to have a detection ability and was poised to catch anything that passed along the riverbank with its rapid-fire tongue.

As Oliver observed it further, he noticed that its saliva resembled acid—able to melt almost anything instantly.

’But... it’s only Level 10!’

Oliver realized the frog was actually weaker than the gorilla from before.

Still, it might be enough to push Ivy up one more level.

Since the enemy wasn’t too dangerous, Oliver decided to use Void Step—instantly appearing at the riverbank. But he didn’t stop there. He also created two shadows—a new ability he had unlocked after his comprehension of Void Step surpassed 5%.

When he appeared, there were now three identical versions of him, with the real one on the far right.

Using his Void Sense, he could tell that the frog was stunned by the sudden appearance of three identical figures.

Whoosh!

Its tongue shot out rapidly toward the middle clone—but the tongue passed through harmlessly, as if it hit nothing. The illusion vanished instantly.

"Take this!"

Oliver slashed his blade at the tongue.

A massive spiritual slash cut through the long tongue, severing it in the middle.

He didn’t even need void particles to accomplish that much.

"Akkhhhhhh!"

The frog leapt from beneath the river, shrieking in a raspy voice.

Its tongue was clearly its main weapon, and now that it was severed, it looked to be in immense pain.