...
After leaving the training hall, Lynch didn't rush back to his dormitory. Instead, he headed straight for the depths of the Undead Major's campus area.
Soon, he arrived before a building with a gloomy architectural style.
The building was constructed from massive black rocks, resembling a crouching behemoth at first glance. A few narrow windows, scattered on either side, emitted a faint, dark glow, like the squinting eyes of a Nether Beast.
This was the Undead Major's library, the Silent Bone Hall.
In a way, the Silent Bone Hall could be considered a landmark of the Undead Major.
This was because a massive and awe-inspiring group of statues stood in the black square in front of the hall.
At the very front of this sculpture group was a middle-aged man carved in a wide, black Mage Robe.
He held an Undead Magic Staff topped with an embedded skull, his face hidden within his hood, revealing only the weathered profile of his side profile.
Behind him were all sorts of Undead summons.
There were imposing Skeleton War Generals wielding giant axes, and Dark Knights clad in tattered Armor, riding Nightmare Beasts.
There were also Skeleton Mages floating in mid-air, concentrating Magic Light Groups in their hands, and even terrifying Ghosts exuding a wailing, cold aura.
At the very top of the statue group, there was even an enormous bone dragon with a ferocious skeletal structure, its wings spread as if about to take flight.
Although they were only stone carvings, each of these summons was lifelike, radiating a powerful pressure and Evil Qi as they guarded the black-robed Mage before them.
This was the legendary patriarch who founded the Necromancer lineage of the Grimsby Empire—Sandru Calder.
It was this very Lord Sandro who had turned the tide in several crucial wars, establishing a glorious record of military achievements.
In the decisive battle of Blood Moon Canyon, which determined the fate of the Empire, he did not hesitate to sacrifice himself. He single-handedly cast a legendary forbidden spell to summon an additional Legendary Level bone dragon king from the Netherworld, stalling the main force of the enemy coalition and creating a winning opportunity for the great emperor.
It was because of this that the Undead Major exists today.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last.
Following the death of the great emperor Alte, the succeeding emperors' tolerance for Necromancers gradually decreased. The pressure from the nobility and the Holy Light Church also grew day by day, and the status of Necromancers declined year after year.
Within the academy, the resources allocated to the Undead Major dwindled, and it gradually became a marginalized field of study.
Lynch stood before the statue, silently paying his respects for a moment. He muttered inwardly, 'Old ancestor Sandro, please watch over your humble descendant~'
Then, he walked into the Silent Bone Hall.
The interior was dimly lit, with only a few Magic Lamps emitting a cold, eerie glow, making it seem rather grim and frightening.
A simple counter was set up at the entrance. Behind it sat an elderly, stooped Necromancer, completely wrapped in a heavy black robe.
It was said that he had been here for many years. He never spoke to anyone, only responsible for processing academic credits and maintaining basic order.
Lynch was already used to this.
He placed his student badge on the table and said respectfully, "Teacher, I'd like a Spell Learning Scroll for the Skeleton Enhancement Skill."
That's right. The Magic Lynch wanted to learn this time was none other than the famous Skeleton Enhancement Skill.
He now had two promising elites under his command, Bone Jade and Bone Mage. If he wanted to cultivate them properly, he couldn't just rely on them grinding monsters to level up on their own; he had to give them a helping hand.
Hearing this, the old Mage glanced at Lynch with a cold expression, then took the student badge with a hand as withered as a chicken's claw and disappeared into the darkness behind him.
A short while later, he returned with a black parchment Scroll.
After registering the transaction, he deducted 100 academic credits from the student badge and then handed the badge and the Scroll to Lynch.
Lynch took the Scroll, unrolled it, pressed it to his forehead, and concentrated, chanting an incantation.
The next moment, a massive stream of information about the Skeleton Enhancement Skill flooded into his mind.
It included how to mobilize Mana to construct the enhancement spell's circuit structure, how to combine Mana with specific materials, and how to infuse it into a Skeleton's Soul Fire and bones...
A moment later, the Scroll turned to ash, but Lynch felt that his mind was now filled with new knowledge.
Learning Magic in this world, especially some Low Tier spells, was often just that simple.
It was said that this type of Skill Scroll was invented by a great Magic God. It could directly "imprint" the basic configuration of the spell and the key points of the incantation into the learner's mind, greatly saving the time needed to understand and construct the Magic Model.
And on Lynch's panel, a new skill had appeared.
[Skeleton Enhancement Skill Lv 0 (0001/1000)]
'Success. I've barely managed to learn it.'
But this kind of learning was just a superficial memorization of the theory and Magic Model. It was the kind of thing where 'his brain had learned it,' but truly mastering it would still require a great deal of study and practice.
Afterward, Lynch spent his remaining 110 points to exchange for a large bag of [Fortified Bone Powder].
This was a refined powder extracted from the bones of powerful Magical Beasts or the remains of High Tier Skeletons, and it was an essential material for casting the Skeleton Enhancement Skill.
The 210 points he had just obtained were spent in the blink of an eye.
The expense truly pained his heart.
But it was a necessary step to become stronger.
After spending his points, Lynch didn't immediately throw himself into the great undertaking of cultivating Bone Jade. He had other things to do.
He first returned to his dormitory, changed into an inconspicuous gray linen robe, then took the loot he had obtained from his previous mission and left the academy for the main city of Saint Roland.
After visiting several shops that bought Magic Materials in the main city's commercial district and comparing their prices, Lynch finally chose a shop named [Blackthorn].
The shop's facade was not large, but its decorations were quite elegant, with a faintly dark and mysterious style.
The one who received him was a well-dressed, graceful male Elf. His long, pointed ears and handsome face were impeccable, but his deep eyes seemed to hold a hint of a merchant's shrewdness.
The owner offered a very fair price.
After some trading, Lynch sold off all the Black Pearls, gold nuggets, and other miscellaneous materials, earning a total of two hundred and thirty Gold Coins.
And the total number of Gold Coins he had on him now reached over three hundred and fifty.
For an Undead apprentice, this was definitely a substantial fortune. Lynch touched his money pouch, a sense of security washing over him.
"A pleasure doing business with you, esteemed Necromancer guest."
The Elf owner wore a professional, elegant smile. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands and said.
"I almost forgot. We at Blackthorn have recently acquired an interesting piece. It might be helpful to a Necromancer such as yourself. I wonder if you might be interested in taking a look?"
'Holy shit...'
Lynch was stunned. 'So that's why the owner's offer was so high. He was waiting for me right here.'
'He must have sniffed out that I'm a Necromancer. He's planning to make me spend the money I earned at Blackthorn right here at Blackthorn. The main goal is not to let a single Gold Coin leave his shop~'
His words piqued Lynch's interest. "Alright, let's have a look. But I'm not making any promises to buy."
He already had a few pieces of Magic Equipment now; he definitely wouldn't splurge unless it was something good.
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied." The Elf owner gave a confident smile, then bent down and retrieved a small wooden box engraved with isolation runes from under the counter. From inside, he took out a ring.
The ring had an ancient design. The band was a grim, dark silver color, as if it had weathered the long passage of time.
The face of the ring was not a Gemstone, but a small, polished piece of black bone-like material, with several naturally formed dark red patterns on it.
"This ring is called the [Ring of the Soul Thrall]," the Elf owner explained smoothly. "It has two rather practical effects. First, it can slightly increase the wearer's Spiritual Power recovery speed."
"Second, and this is its most special feature, it can grant the wearer an additional contract slot for the Summon Skeleton spell."
'What the hell?'
An additional contract slot for the Summon Skeleton spell?
Lynch's breathing grew ragged. He was instantly rooted to the spot.
'This is exactly the kind of thing I've been dreaming of~'
He currently only had one contract slot. If he could get one more, he could summon and contract another Bone Jade-level Skeleton from the Netherworld.
Not only would his power increase dramatically, but more importantly, he could continue grinding the Summon Skeleton skill.
You see, he had already learned the Skeleton Enhancement Skill and was planning to use it to strengthen Bone Jade.
But the Skeleton Enhancement Skill had a limitation: it could only be used on a specific Skeleton. Once the enhanced Skeleton died, the next one summoned wouldn't be as strong.
This meant that unless he was willing to let Bone Jade die, it would be very difficult for him to grind the Summon Skeleton skill for a while.
It was truly a dilemma.
And this ring perfectly solved his biggest problem.
...