...
After a brief rest, he took out a bottle of [Basic Awakening Potion] and guzzled it down.
The bitter liquid brought a wave of nausea as it went down, but his depleted Mana pool began to slowly recover.
Once some of his Mana had returned, Lynch repeated the process. He once again used the enhanced bone powder to draw a Pentagram Array, summoned Bonecaster into its center, and performed another enhancement on it.
By the time the second enhancement was finished, Lynch felt completely drained. His head was ringing, and his steps were unsteady.
He quickly sent Bone Jade back to the Netherworld and Bonecaster back to the cellar. Only then did he stumble back to his bedroom, down half a bottle of [Focus Potion], and force himself into a state of Meditation.
For the next several days, Lynch fell into a routine, training like a shut-in.
He only went out twice during this period. The first time was to meet with the adventurer corpse-collecting squad he had recruited, from whom he received nine fresh corpses of gang members and placed an order for the next "shipment."
He converted all these bodies into Skeleton Servants to supplement the garrison in his cellar.
He attended his academy classes as usual, but as for seeking guidance from Instructor Annabella... ugh. Recalling the "mental lashing" from that night, he decided it was better to first let his recent gains "settle" a bit.
In his spare time, he slowly tidied up the rooms of his new home.
When he was tired, he would look through the research notebook on Undead Magic that Bonecaster had left him. Although some of the views inside were rather extreme, they still offered different perspectives.
Most importantly, studying the notebook also increased the experience points for some of his related skills.
Occasionally, he would also take out the "Ashbringer" treasure map to study it.
Evenings were invariably reserved for enhancement sessions.
He would start by taking turns enhancing Bone Jade and Bonecaster until both his mind and Mana were completely depleted. Then, he would immediately enter Meditation. This cycle repeated day after day.
The other time he went out, he made a trip to [Copperbeard's Wind Smithy].
As soon as the friendly dwarf, Copperbeard, saw him, he enthusiastically pulled him into the backyard to show off his latest research results. In return, Lynch gave Copperbeard a simple blueprint for a distiller, filled with his ideas, and asked him to start crafting the key components in preparation for his future money-making scheme.
These fulfilling days flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
However, this comfortable and stable life of seclusion was interrupted by a harsh, practical problem.
He had run out of Enhanced Bone Powder.
That's right. Under such an intense enhancement regimen, the large bag of [Enhanced Bone Powder] that had cost him a full 110 academy credits was completely used up in just one week. Not even a speck of dust remained.
The results, however, were quite gratifying.
Bone Jade's skeletal and Soul Fire strength had both improved significantly, showing signs of breaking through to the mid-tier of Skeleton Soldiers. Bonecaster, too, no longer looked so dull-witted; its Soul Fire was much more lively, and its spellcasting had become a lot smoother.
But the consumption rate of this Enhanced Bone Powder was just too fast.
"A 'top choice major for commoners,' they said?" Lynch stared at the empty powder bag, his heart aching at the loss. 'The Undead Major is clearly the most expensive noble's profession.'
Although he still had some Gold Coins left over, he needed to keep that money for emergencies and for paying the corpse-collecting squad. He couldn't possibly sink it all into Enhanced Bone Powder.
With no other choice, Lynch had to temporarily give up his carefree days of secluded training.
He wrapped himself up tightly in his black apprentice robe and once again headed to the academy's [Trial Hall].
This time, he was in no mood for "entrapment" schemes to teach the Holy Light System students a lesson. He just wanted to quickly accept a few well-paying missions to earn the credits needed to buy his next batch of enhancement materials.
He quickly scanned the mission board. Keeping the location from his treasure map in mind, he mentally noted a few missions that involved exterminating specific Magical Beast lairs and collecting rare materials.
Without speaking to anyone, he accepted the missions and slipped out of a remote back gate of the academy, disappearing into the wilderness outside the city.
He didn't mobilize the "garrison" from his dormitory cellar, bringing only Bonecaster, who was cloaked in a wide black robe, along with him.
Along the way, he made a detour to another hidden location to meet up with the corpse-collecting squad as arranged.
Of course, before the rendezvous, Lynch cautiously took control of a few Squirrel Skeletons to scout the surrounding area in advance. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he reveal himself.
This time, he was surprised by the sheer number of "goods" that the scar-faced man had brought.
A full fifteen fresh corpses.
Moreover, they were different from the trembling, pale-faced figures he had met on the previous two occasions.
This time, although a deep-seated awe for Lynch, the "Necromancer," still lingered in their eyes, it was overshadowed by an irrepressible excitement and lust for money.
Clearly, under the combined influence of the generous rewards and the "Death Mark," they had gradually grown accustomed to this "emerging business." Though it was a bit creepy, it was highly profitable, and they had even begun to proactively expand their "supply sources."
'Fortune favors the bold, I suppose.'
Lynch quite appreciated their initiative.
As for a material like corpses, the more the merrier. Besides his own needs, there were plenty of other fledgling undead apprentices in the Undead Major who were desperate for them.
Lynch could easily turn this into a business, reselling them to other undead apprentices at a markup.
However, out of caution, Lynch still carefully inspected the bodies. He nodded in satisfaction only after confirming they had clear gang tattoos and that their wounds were consistent with death in a street fight.
Just as before, he cast the [Skeleton Resurrection Skill] on the spot, converting all fifteen bodies into Skeleton Servants.
Afterward, he paid the scar-faced captain the full amount in Gold Coins, arranged the time and place for the next delivery, and left without another word, taking the fifteen newly converted Skeletons with him.
Next, he paid a visit to his secret cave, where he hid his troops.
After arriving at his destination, he first summoned both Bone Jade and Bone Valor.
Then, he went deeper into the cave and awakened the thirty remaining Skeleton Servants he had stockpiled there.
After merging them with the new Skeleton Servants he had brought, the total size of Lynch's assembled Skeleton Corps reached forty-five.
He quickly organized the troops, first selecting the ten strongest Humanoid Skeletons to serve as his direct Personal Guard.
He assigned the remaining thirty-five to his three "generals."
His main general, Bone Jade, was given command of fifteen Skeletons to act as the core offensive force.
Bone Valor, who was specifically reserved for sacrifice, was also allotted ten Skeletons.
As a precious magic-type unit, Bonecaster was assigned ten Skeletons as its exclusive guards to protect it while it cast spells.
"Excellent!"
Lynch's gaze swept over the burgeoning Undead Army before him, now a sizable force with both soldiers and commanders, and a surge of heroic pride welled up inside him.
He waved the skull-topped Magic Staff in his hand and pointed forward.
Full of vigor, he gave the order.
"March out!"
...