"B-But..."

"But what? You already knew this, Mr. Shin-Woo. That all undead in the Underground Empire have stagnated. Even if they raise their levels, their 'existence' won't change..."

There was no doubt about it, which was exactly why Lee Shin-Woo fumbled with words when she said the unthinkable.

"But don't the undead have a clear sense of identity? Like the Archmage. Compared to most humans, he's much more..."

"Mr. Shin-Woo, an undead's sense of identity or their intellect has no bearing on their true existence. It doesn't matter how rational or knowledgeable they are; having a clear goal doesn't matter, either. Because the undead are irrevocably tied to the past, they cannot see the future. And they cannot even act in the present. That is their 'identity', which they cannot escape from."

Lee Shin-Woo was hit by a dull shock. He could understand it logically. That was exactly what individuality and identity meant. No matter how skilled one was, they couldn't go against their natural instincts.

And to the undead, that instinct was 'stagnation'. They didn't want to change. They wanted to stay in the same place and repeat things over and over again. Lee Shin-Woo could understand; at least, he thought he could, but...he really didn't get it.

"How... How can that be? The Undead Emperor...