Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Lynn straightened his robes, pushed open the hatch, and headed straight for the other cabins.

The cabins were assigned based on talent, and he first knocked on the door of Prince Alphonse, who was also on the top floor.

"Lynn?"

After Alphonse opened the door, he keenly sensed the negative energy particles around Lynn that had not yet fully subsided, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

This means... I've successfully meditated?

"The Lynn brothers are indeed exceptionally talented; it seems they've made considerable progress recently."

"Good day, Your Highness Alphonse."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Lynn showed just the right amount of "embarrassment" on her face.

"To be honest, I just managed to condense my spiritual core, and I have an extreme longing for witchcraft."

"However... I'm short of funds. I wonder if Your Highness could lend me a few magic stones..."

What the hell?

A stroke of luck?

How to unite the core spirit?

Why do these words sound so unfamiliar when put together?

Alphonse was utterly horrified and could no longer maintain his composure.

This kid is truly a prodigy!

He originally thought that the kid's successful meditation was already surprising enough, but he didn't expect that he would become a first-class wizard apprentice in such a short time.

Alphonse gave Lynn a deep look, then turned around and took out a small bag containing ten magic stones that shimmered with pure light.

"I can only offer these ten magic stones for now. There's no need to borrow them; consider this a token of my appreciation to my friends."

His tone was extremely sincere, displaying the demeanor of a prince.

Investing in a top genius is nothing compared to the ten magic stones.

"Thank you, Your Highness! I will remember this kindness." Lynn accepted the gift solemnly.

What a kind person! It warms the heart of the person who said it.

We should interact more in the future, and ask to borrow magic stones whenever we have a free moment.

Lynn labeled the young prince as "foolish, rich, and a potential long-term partner."

Next, Lynn began his journey of "borrowing money".

He approached the apprentices who had previously befriended him and who were richly dressed and of distinguished birth.

These people are either nobles or nouveau riche, and they must be carrying magic stones.

"Young Lord of Grayrock City? I've just condensed my core and urgently need magic stones to exchange for witchcraft for protection. I wonder if you, brother, could..."

"I was fortunate enough to receive your favor recently, young master of this trading company, but now I, Lin, am facing some difficulties..."

"..."

His explanations were largely the same, the core meaning being to "borrow" the magic stone.

Everyone was shocked to hear that he had successfully condensed his spiritual core.

This... this...

Everyone else is just fine being stupid, so why are you so amazing?

Although the nobles and wealthy merchants felt the pinch, most of them gritted their teeth and took out one or two magic stones because of Lynn's exceptional talent and future potential.

He was saying polite things like, "Brother Lynn, you're too kind," "Please take care of me in the future," and "Consider the magic stone a small gift."

Clearly, no one expected him to return it.

But Lynn still took out paper and pen with great seriousness and carefully wrote down everyone's name and the amount of the loan, looking like she was keeping her promise.

Of course, he also noted down those who were clearly wealthy but unwilling to "fund" him.

I can "forget" who borrowed it and how much it was borrowed.

But we must remember who didn't lend the money, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to "take good care" of them in the future.

When it was the turn of the Blackswamp City group, Karl and the others were also extremely strapped for cash, but thinking that Lynn might become their support in the future, they still managed to scrape together nine magic stones.

Carl, Lillian, Eileen, and Thomas each took two, while Benjamin, who was short of money, took out his only one.

Only Mary, looking at the small bag of glittering magic stones in Lynn's hand, had a mixture of longing and shame in her eyes.

But in the end, he lowered his head and whispered:

"I...I don't have any magic stones..."

Lynn merely glanced at her, knowing full well that this foolish woman couldn't produce any magic stones.

If I hadn't given her three gold coins to get the testing opportunity, she would probably still be entertaining guests at the Nightingale Pavilion.

After going around once, Lynn had collected a total of forty-two magic stones!

Although it may not seem like much, it is undoubtedly a huge sum of money for a wizard apprentice.

He suppressed his excitement and knocked on his mentor Morris's hatch again.

"Lord Morris, Lynn has come to pay a visit."

The hatch opened automatically.

"What's wrong? Do you have any questions about meditation?"

The compound eyes of the mentor, Morris, flashed red, but when he swept them over Lynn, the red light suddenly froze!

"You...you've condensed your spiritual core?! And you succeeded on your first try?!"

Even the well-traveled Morris was shocked by Lynn's terrifying speed.

This requires not only talent, but also extremely strong willpower, control over negative energy particles, and an understanding of meditation techniques!

He had sensed negative energy particles gathering in Lynn's cabin, and knew he was trying to meditate.

But I didn't expect him to successfully condense the "spiritual core" so quickly!

Too monstrous!

"I was fortunate enough to master this skill, entirely thanks to the excellent meditation method bestowed upon me by my teacher."

Lynn said modestly, then took out a bag containing all the magic stones.

"Mentor, I would like to exchange for an offensive spell."

Morris gave Lynn a deep look, then swung his bone-bladed arm, sending three bone fragments of different colors floating in the air.

"【Weak Soul Impact】—Directly attacks the consciousness, causing temporary dizziness, but its advantage lies in its difficulty to defend against."

"【Negative Energy Ray】—A corrosive attack that deals high damage but lacks flexibility."

"【Hand of Bones】- Summons bone claws to grab or attack, dealing both physical and negative energy damage."

"These are all level 0 attack tricks, suitable for you to practice now."

Lynn chose [Weak Soul Impact] without hesitation.

If he didn't have the Soul Talent, he would choose the [Hand of Bones], a combined physical and magical attack skill.

However, his superior soul talent can enhance the strength of soul-based witchcraft and accelerate the cultivation speed, so choosing other witchcraft would be too wasteful.

Moreover, his soul attacks are unpredictable and difficult to defend against, which suits his cunning and malicious nature perfectly.

Morris took out thirty magic stones from his bag and put them away, then tossed him the bone fragment, his tone softening considerably: "Not bad, you have a good eye."

"Soul magic is difficult to learn, but it has enormous potential. Go back and practice hard. You can ask me any questions you have."

Back in the cabin, Lynn couldn't wait to stick the bone fragment to his forehead.

[Detected witchcraft model "Weak Soul Impact", recording started... recording progress 5%...]

[Analysis of the sorcery model "Weak Soul Impact" begins...Analysis progress 1%...]

To his delight, he discovered that his abilities on the panel seemed to have been upgraded after advancing to the first-class apprentice level!

The recording and parsing speed has been significantly improved, and... the number of records parsed simultaneously has also increased.

On a whim, he tried to analyze "The Whispering Soul Meditation Method," "The Weak Soul Impact," and several other books he had previously scanned at the same time.

[The maximum number of targets that can be parsed has been reached. Currently, the number of targets that can be parsed simultaneously is 3.]

[Analysis of the "Soul Whisper Meditation Method" Progress: 26%...]

[Analysis of "A Faint Soul Impact" progress: 5%...]

[Analysis of "The Ogre's Delicious Recipe" Progress: 35%...]

...