Then there was the possibility of making his family stronger.
It might be difficult for Aunt Mia to step onto the supernatural path at her age, but Lily still had plenty of time.
Even if she had terrible cultivation talent—just like Michael himself had before his awakening—with enough resources, she could be force-fed, drug-enhanced, and turned into a prodigy.
Michael planned to make this a reality.
There was no guarantee that anyone could awaken—or at least, no method Michael was currently aware of—but he firmly believed that with the right conditions, it was possible to forcefully push someone to the point of igniting a Life Seed.
If the circumstances were ideal, it could work.
As for the possibility that Aunt Mia might not be able to light a Life Seed even with ample resources, several thoughts ran through Michael's mind.
For one, since he wanted her to live a long life, he would have to find methods to prolong it.
The idea that such things didn't exist never even crossed his mind.
If demigods—beings more powerful than that mysterious figure in blue who had cleared the city's crisis in an instant—existed, and if supernaturals themselves could already live for extended periods, then Michael had every reason to believe that there were even greater resources out there in the universe—resources that could extend the lifespan of ordinary humans.
Of course, they would likely be incredibly difficult to acquire.
Then there was another idea he personally liked—reserving a contract slot for his family and filling it with powerful undead that could change their size.
For now, though, these were just ideas.
He had other matters to take care of first.
A moment later, Michael reached for his phone and reread the message the association had sent him just before he entered the bathroom.
Thanks to his efforts in preserving the building, the water system was still intact.
[The crisis in the city has calmed down, but supernaturals are still encouraged to remain cautious and stay aware of their surroundings. If you notice anything unusual that needs reporting or encounter a situation you can't handle, please reach out to us.
Additionally, for the next three days, the Association will be purchasing the corpses of defeated monsters at three times the market price as compensation for your service!
More rewards are still being considered.
Thank you all for your support! May the Will of Aurora prevail for a million years.]
Michael's gaze lingered on the last sentence.
May the Will of Aurora prevail for a million years.
Even now, he felt a strange sensation whenever he read those words.
But after seeing them repeatedly, he was beginning to think they weren't just a simple motto.
May the Will of Aurora prevail for a million years.
Was that the key part of the phrase?
Michael wasn't sure, nor did he dwell on it too much.
But after seeing it again—right after noticing how the system panel addressed the bodies in his storage space—it made him pause and think just a little deeper.
Michael skimmed through the first few paragraphs of the message, already familiar with most of the content.
However, one particular section made him smile.
For a moment, he could almost see millions grinning at him.
[For the next three days, the Association will be purchasing the corpses of defeated monsters at three times the market price as compensation for your service!]
Michael couldn't even count how many corpses he and his undead had killed, but it was definitely in the thousands—perhaps close to two thousand or even slightly above.
And the best part? Some of those corpses came from monsters in higher-level cracks, meaning even greater profits.
No, even if all the cracks had been low-level, tripling the standard price per corpse still made this an incredibly lucrative opportunity.
Of course, stronger corpses from higher-level cracks would fetch even more, and Michael was more than happy with his haul.
"This method is actually quite good. It ensures the Association directly compensates those who truly fought, rather than mistakenly rewarding some supernatural who just claims to have protected the public."
Naturally, there were still plenty of loopholes that could be exploited depending on how the Association handled things, but overall, Michael saw this as a decent way to address the issue of rewarding supernaturals.
The fact that additional rewards might still be given later on made him feel slightly less resentful toward the Federation.
However, in the end, if the benefits were good enough, even a terrible parent could be loved.
Feeling refreshed, Michael exchanged a few words with his family before heading out of his apartment.
His goal? To retrieve the corpses he had accumulated outside the community.
"Even mosquito meat is still meat, and I happen to like meat."
With the help of two strong undead orcs, Michael got to work again, though the process ended up dirtying his fresh outfit once more.
Hours passed, and most people had begun to accept and adapt to the situation.
In fact, some—especially teenagers—were already back on their phones.
However, they weren't scrolling through reels or watching entertainment.
Everything they were doing was still related to the crisis.
After reconnecting with the outside world, the residents of Woodstone City discovered that the situation was far more serious than they had initially thought.
Their city hadn't been the only one that had gone through an apocalyptic event.
Supernaturals within Woodstone City, along with its general populace, soon learned the shocking truth—twenty cities across Aurora had suffered the same catastrophe.
One thought ran through the minds of most people.
What was happening in the Federation?
Unfortunately, no officials had come forward to address the situation.
Instead, the world was left to rely on the words, thoughts, and speculations of various news channels—local networks being the most prominent—as well as commentary from celebrities.
Michael only learned about this after accidentally eavesdropping on a conversation.
The news shocked him, but he quickly calmed himself.
At the end of the day, whether it was in the Land of Origin or the real world, he needed one thing—strength.
To put it simply, strength was almost everything.
Strength was everything.