...
'Oh well,' she thought. 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.'
'Mentor, I can only do my best not to fail your last wish.'
Annabella's mood clearly soured at these thoughts. She waved a hand dismissively. "Dispel the Magic. You may go."
Lynch obeyed, waving his Magic Staff. The spiritual link broke, and the eight Skeleton Servants instantly CLATTERED to the ground, collapsing back into the bone pile.
He didn't leave the stage immediately, however. Taking advantage of his good performance today, he respectfully requested, "Instructor, may I come to the graveyard alone to practice the Skeleton Resurrection Skill in my spare time?"
Annabella was slightly taken aback. She advised, "Practice makes perfect, it's true, but it's more important to quietly contemplate and study the true essence of the Magic. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Despite her words, a sliver of hope for Lynch remained in her heart. After a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'll speak with the graveyard's night watchman. You can come practice whenever you want."
"Remember, do not damage any of the graveyard's facilities, and under no circumstances are you to take any resurrected Skeletons with you when you leave."
"Thank you, Instructor!" Lynch was delighted. He gave a deep, solemn bow before returning to his own burial mound and sitting down.
'Although the "materials" in this bone pile are old and lacking in spiritual essence,' he thought, 'the sheer quantity is more than enough. Plus, it's safe and risk-free. It's perfect for me to safely grind skill experience for a while.'
'Compared to nervously leeching off the Holy Light System's Angel Sentinels just to grind the Summoned Skeleton skill, this place is a training paradise.'
'Besides, things are definitely tense outside right now. It's time to lay low and focus on development for a while.'
Next, the remaining apprentices went up one by one to complete their "quiz" in front of Instructor Annabella.
Unfortunately, their performances were all rather unremarkable.
Annabella's expression was unreadable, but as was her custom, she gave a brief critique of each person's casting process. Afterward, she gave a focused lecture on several common difficulties and key techniques of the Skeleton Resurrection Skill.
The final part of the class was a two-hour self-practice session.
For a time, the vast Chaotic Burial Grounds was filled with the rising and falling chants of obscure incantations and the constant CLATTERING of Skeleton frames being summoned and then dispelled.
Facing bone piles that had existed for who knew how many years, the apprentices cast the Skeleton Resurrection Skill again and again, desperately draining their already meager reserves of Mana and Spiritual Power.
Lynch was no exception.
An hour later, nearly everyone was pale-faced, their Mana completely depleted.
Lynch also felt mentally exhausted and was forced to stop.
He checked his panel. The experience for his Skeleton Resurrection Skill had stopped at LV0 (666/1000), a huge step closer to leveling up.
"That's all for today." Instructor Annabella's cool voice rang out, dismissing the class.
The apprentices felt as if they'd been granted a pardon and were about to scatter in all directions, but Instructor Annabella stopped them.
"Wait."
Annabella's brow furrowed, her expression turning serious. "Recently, a Tier One or higher Necromancer has been active in the shadows near Saint Roland City. Their actions are extremely vicious."
"As of now, the villagers of two remote settlements have been completely massacred, and all the bodies are missing. Judging by the dense aura of death left at the scenes, they were clearly converted into Undead Creatures and taken away."
"This Necromancer is very dangerous. Be careful when you go out to train and gain experience."
Hearing this, the apprentices' faces grew more serious. They all promised to be careful.
After thanking their instructor for the warning, they dragged their exhausted bodies out of the gloomy graveyard in twos and threes.
Lynch's stomach had been growling for a while. He went to the third mess hall for a late-night meal, then headed back to his dorm with a satisfied burp, ready to Meditate.
He immediately sat cross-legged on his bed, cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, and immersed himself in a state of Meditation.
In his mind, the intangible panel appeared.
[You have used Basic Meditation Skill LV1. EXP +1. Current skill level: LV1 (821/3000)]
Ever since his Meditation skill reached LV1, its efficiency had improved significantly.
But its experience gain wasn't fast; he could only gain a few dozen points in a single night. It was impossible to master it in one go.
'Slow and steady,' he thought.
The night passed uneventfully.
「The next day.」
Sunlight streamed into the dorm through the drafty window.
Lynch slowly opened his eyes.
A full night of Meditation had not only fully restored his Spiritual Power and Mana but had also improved them slightly.
This left him feeling invigorated.
After quickly washing up, Lynch put on an inconspicuous gray linen robe.
He first went to the mess hall for a hasty breakfast, then left the academy.
Hailing a horse-drawn carriage, he rode into the main district of Saint Roland City. He found a shop and bought five Freshening Potions and five Focus Potions.
They cost five gold coins each, for a total expenditure of fifty gold.
As for Copperbeard's blacksmith shop, he wouldn't be going there for now. He'd wait until he had more money.
'But this money really isn't enough. Almost half of it is gone in the blink of an eye.'
So, Lynch took another trip to the lower district. He strolled through the streets teeming with a motley crew of gangsters and adventurers, "fished" for a few adventurers who looked "easy to talk to," and successfully negotiated a business deal.
More than half a day later, he returned to the academy, holding the hard-earned gains from his "jungling."
He briefly organized his resources, then wasted no more time and headed straight for the Chaotic Burial Grounds.
He first found the night watchman, who was perpetually shrouded in a black robe. After a brief, NPC-style conversation, he was smoothly granted permission to enter the graveyard to train.
There was no class tonight. He heard that Instructor Annabella had taken the senior apprentices out to investigate the matter of the rogue Necromancer.
As a result, the entire graveyard was cold and deserted.
The bright moonlight spilling over the bone piles made them seem even more sinister and terrifying.
A normal person would probably be scared to death here.
But Lynch only felt excitement.
Finding a bone pile to his liking, he waved his sinister Magic Staff, his expression focused as he began casting the Skeleton Resurrection Skill on it.
The sound of low, obscure incantations echoed ceaselessly in the cold graveyard, and a ghastly white light of Negative Energy flared up time and time again.
[You have successfully cast [Skeleton Resurrection Skill] LV0. EXP +3. Current skill level: LV0 (677/1000)]
[You have successfully cast... EXP +2... (702/1000)]
His experience points grew steadily. When he felt his Spiritual Power and Mana were about to run out, Lynch didn't hesitate for a second. He pulled out a bottle of [Basic Awakening Potion] and chugged it down.
'Keep grinding! Don't stop~~'
Again and again, Lynch continued his monotonous, yet not-at-all-boring, training.
He finally stopped only when his Spiritual Power was once again on the verge of depletion, and even an Awakening Potion couldn't dispel the bone-deep exhaustion.
By now, the moon was high in the sky.
Dragging his completely drained body, Lynch first went to the mess hall. He wolfed down a late-night meal to replenish some of his stamina before stumbling back to his dorm.
Sitting cross-legged on his hard plank bed, he didn't begin his regular Meditation immediately. Instead, he took out a bottle of [Basic Focus Potion].
The pale blue liquid gave off a cool, minty aroma.
He carefully drank half the bottle. Instantly, his mind, which had felt like a thick paste, cleared. His scattered thoughts were swiftly soothed, and his concentration became sharper than ever before.
In this state, he began to Meditate.
[You have used Basic Meditation Skill LV1 to Meditate. Under the effects of a Focus Potion, the result is enhanced. EXP +2. Current skill level: LV1 (855/3000)]
'The Meditation efficiency really did increase.'
...