Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

That day, after finishing half a day of answering questions, Lynn returned to the laboratory with a slightly furrowed brow.

Although the efficiency of earning contribution points was very high, it was a kind of "war profiteering".

But the increasingly tense atmosphere of war outside and the desperate struggle of the new students still made him feel an invisible pressure.

Just as he was about to return to his cubicle to meditate, Gregor called him back.

"Kid, why have you been so distracted lately? Your brows are so furrowed they could crush a carrion beetle."

"This isn't like you at all. You always seemed so confident before, how come you've become so deflated so quickly?"

Gregor put down a bone plate that was shimmering with energy loops, unusually not engrossed in his research.

His cloudy eyes, which seemed to see right through people, scrutinized Lynn.

"What? Worried about the rumors going around? Afraid of being dragged into this mess?"

Lynn did not deny it, and nodded:

"Master, if war really breaks out, will the academy recruit apprentices?"

"Hmph, conscription?"

Gregor chuckled, grabbed a handful of unknown bone powder from the side, and scattered it on the lab table, drawing a rough pattern.

"Look, this is where we are, the [Eternal Night Graveyard]."

He pointed to the center of the mass.

"And around it." He then sprinkled a few small piles of bone meal around the center.

"Places like the Forest of Ten Thousand Bones, the Abyss of Decay, and the Shadow Realm—these sub-planes and small worlds that we control are like natural fortresses and citadels."

He pointed with his thin, bony fingers to the gaps between the "citadels" and the center, his tone resolute:

"If a real battle breaks out, the first to rush in will be the undead legions and wizard towers stationed in these places."

"Endless hordes of skeletons, zombie hordes, and Frankenstein's monster squads... these are the main forces in a war of attrition, cheap to produce, and you won't feel bad if they die."

He looked up at Lynn.

"As for you first- or second-class apprentices, what use are your 'tricks' and 'apprentice-level' witchcraft on the battlefield?"

"In terms of individual combat strength, can you compare to a well-organized group of Death Knights? Can you compare to hordes of gargoyles? In terms of legion warfare, can you compare to a phalanx of skeletal golems empowered by war magic arrays and with impeccable discipline?"

Gregor patted the bone meal off his hands, his tone shifting to a calm, declarative one:

"The academy trains you to become future wizards, not to be disposable cannon fodder."

"Other wizarding academies may lack low-ranking cannon fodder, but our Bone Spire never lacks cannon fodder!"

"We have plenty of 'reserves' to squander before we really need to throw our apprentices into the meat grinder as expendable resources."

So, put away your unnecessary worries.

He picked up the bone plate again, seemingly having finished the comforting phase, and reverted to his usual research-obsessed self who hated trouble, muttering as he added:

Instead of worrying about this, you should think more about how to help your supervisor solve their problems.

"Take a look at my current point. Is the idea of ​​using the 'reverse soul prism' feasible? That's what you should be thinking about."

After hearing this, Lynn's gloom did indeed dissipate considerably.

Gregor's words, though unpleasant to hear, were cruel and realistic.

The war behind the Bone Spire was far beyond his current imagination; his worrying was unfounded and only made him look foolish.

"I understand, thank you, mentor."

Lynn thanked him sincerely, then moved closer to the lab table. "Regarding that prism node, I did have a new idea last night..."

...

With Gregor's words of comfort, Lynn felt much better and increased the time he spent on "question-solving tasks" each day, taking the opportunity to make a "war profit".

The Academy of Bones is generally focused on outward expansion and launching wars of aggression; it hasn't experienced a "defense war" in a long time.

The apprentices had no idea about the academy's defense system and were worried that if a fight broke out, they would be dragged into the fray as "line-filling babies".

The faculty members noticed this, but they didn't point it out.

Pressure can be a motivator, and under the threat of war, the apprentices are much more enthusiastic about training than ever before.

Those third-class apprentices who have cultivated for many years may know the academy's background, but they are not so kind as to comfort the other apprentices.

Instead, they took the opportunity to sell off their obsolete undead, equipment, and other items at high prices.

Some who had mastered secondary professions such as crafting magical artifacts, enchanting, and concocting potions went all out, frantically producing and selling them at high prices.

The real concern should be about these third-class apprentices.

If the academy really can't hold on and apprentices need to step in, the first to step up will definitely be these powerful third-class apprentices.

This also made Lynn somewhat worried. If he were to be promoted to a third-class apprentice at this critical juncture, would he be dragged into the battlefield?

Or... should we slow down our cultivation pace?

Lynn shook his head, dismissing the thought.

The path of spiritual cultivation is inherently like rowing against the current; it would be extremely foolish to slow down one's cultivation because of uncertainties about the future.

When will the war break out? How long will it last? These are all unknowns.

What if the fighting goes on for three to five years? Does that mean I should just give up cultivating?

In this chaotic world, especially within a dark wizarding academy, every bit of power gained is extremely precious.

Only by becoming strong ourselves can we truly succeed.

...

In the following days, Lynn's life returned to normal, and she still spent most of her time meditating, but she lacked that sense of urgency.

Since there is no immediate threat of joining the war, the biggest challenge in the near future is the "three life-or-death trials".

The three trials of life and death are mainly for the entrance examination of new students, testing the apprentices' comprehensive qualities.

Although Lynn was confident of victory, he still made thorough preparations and armed himself up.

A [Blackbone Conduction Staff] that can slightly increase the speed of condensing negative energy, shadow, and soul-based apprentice-level sorcery, and slightly reduce the casting cost.

The staff is made from the core of an energy-absorbing black wood sourced from deep within the Eternal Night Graveyard. It is extremely hard and can serve as a melee weapon in critical moments.

The staff head is inlaid with a low-grade negative energy crystal, which stores a small amount of negative energy. It can be drawn out in an emergency when magic is temporarily depleted, and can probably be used to cast two apprentice-level spells.

A black [Negative Affinity Wizard Robe] that shimmers with an eerie light.

Wizard robes offer basic resistance to negative energy and weak curses, as well as a deflection effect.

The material is several times tougher than ordinary cloth, and can withstand minor cuts from ordinary swords and scratches from low-level undead.

A pair of [Quick Casting Bracers] can cover the forearm, and the mica sheets on them help to guide the flow of energy in the arm more smoothly, increasing the speed of initiating and completing spells that require hand gestures.

In addition, he wore a set of close-fitting inner armor under his wizard robes, and his "space ring" contained several bone shields and a bone sword.

Gregor felt that he was being a bit too cautious. Why would a second-tier peak wizard need to go through all this trouble to participate in the freshman assessment?

You think too highly of those zombies!

But Lynn thought it was always better to be cautious, just in case it came in handy.