...
In the end, Lynch finally caved to his ntor’s coercion and enticents, agreeing to take part in the "fishing" operation.
It wasn’t that he was a pushover.
The benefits his ntor, Annabella, had promised were simply too tempting.
Not to ntion the various private lessons she had promised.
The most alluring offer of all was the Legendary Level treasure, the [Death Banner].
Of course, that was a joke.
The real [Death Banner] was a top-tier treasure containing its own Undead Nether Realm, capable of holding a massive number of Undead. Even soone at ntor Annabella’s current level couldn’t possibly get their hands on it.
What his ntor promised Lynch was a Low Tier replica brought back from the Realm of Death—what’s commonly known as a "beggar’s version."
This "beggar’s version" of the Death Banner could only hold about three hundred ordinary Skeleton Servants.
Moreover, it had a fatal flaw: it couldn’t hold elite units that possessed a Soul Fire. If one were forced inside, its Soul Fire would gradually extinguish within the banner’s space, which was equivalent to death for an Undead.
So, while this fake was worlds apart from the real Death Banner, it... just so happened to perfectly suit Lynch’s own needs.
The elites under Lynch’s command, the ones with Soul Fire, could be hidden in his bone bracelet, while the vast number of Skeleton Servants could be stored in this banner.
This would grant him greater stealth, mobility, and more flexible tactical options.
For a Necromancer who believed in "low-key developnt" and "hiding his forces in the shadows," the appeal of this beggar’s version of the banner was far greater than any Spell Notes or personal guidance from his ntor.
Thus, Lynch naturally cooperated with the plan.
But to Lynch’s surprise, when he and his senior, Amadis, split up and pretended to be reckless examinees advancing deep into the forest, they discovered that the goblin and Fishman tides seed to have retreated...
By the end of the seventh day of the exam, Lynch hadn’t encountered a single decent troop of wild monsters.
Soon after, he received a ssage from his ntor: the fishing operation had failed. The troubleso goblins and Fishn had all retreated to their lairs deep in the forest.
’Oh well.’ Lynch didn’t care about the mission’s failure. He’d already gotten his hands on the beggar’s version of the Death Banner, and there was no way he was giving it back. He’d just have to find another way to repay his ntor later.
With the exam over, the apprentices who received the notification began to return to the academy one after another.
Lynch also led a portion of his Undead Corps back to the academy, keeping a low profile.
By this ti, a large number of returning students had already gathered in the plaza in front of the academy’s main gate. Compared to when they had left, the students’ morale was now worlds apart.
The apprentices from the Undead System were all strutting about, brimming with pride. Each was followed by a varying number of Skeleton Servants of different types, a far cry from their previous shabby state.
Maurice, that show-off, was especially conspicuous. Besides a group of elite units, he was actually followed by two tall and imposing Bear Goblin Skeletons and two Fishman Priest Skeletons, looking like he was about to gloat his way to the heavens.
What amazed Lynch even more was the sight of an Undead apprentice followed by a Soul Fire goblin Skeleton. Behind it trailed seven or eight lesser goblin Skeleton followers, giving it the air of a "big brother."
He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
’For a mont, I can’t tell if this kid is lucky or unlucky.’
As for the Skeletons brought back by the High Tier Undead apprentices, they were even more impressive.
However, the troops Lynch brought back this ti were nothing to scoff at either.
Two Bear Goblin Skeletons, one Fish Priest, a dozen or so elite goblin Skeletons, and the Soul Fire wolf rider Skeleton he had nad "Bone Wolf."
These forces, lined up behind him, already looked quite formidable.
As for his true core elites—Bone Shadow, Bone Mage, Black Corpse, and Red Rabbit—they were all naturally hidden inside his bone bracelet for now.
And his massive army of Skeleton Servants had been stuffed wholesale into the newly acquired "beggar’s version Death Banner."
The banner looked like a simple black triangular pennant, small enough to be tucked into the sleeve of an Undead apprentice’s robe.
In contrast to the high spirits of the Undead System, the morale of apprentices from other majors was clearly much lower.
Many of them were injured, their expressions grim. The looks they cast toward the Undead System students were quite complex, a mixture of fear, anger, and even a hint of... grievance?
Lynch had sharp ears and overheard quite a few complaints and curses.
"...So damn ruthless! They called it teaming up, but we ended up doing all the dirty, tiring, and dangerous work, and they took the lion’s share of the points in the end!"
"Exactly! I don’t even have enough points to buy potions. Those Undead bastards just hide in the back and order their Skeletons around."
"And the contracts! They actually had team contracts prepared in advance, filled with densely packed clauses that were all traps! Now we can’t even appeal; there’s no one to plead our case to!"
"Don’t even talk about it... We’re lucky we even made it back alive..."
These guys.
They were, of course, the cannon fodder that Leon had "sold" to the Undead apprentices in waves.
Back then, Maurice and the others had lured in a large number of apprentices from other majors. It was impossible to kill them all, so instead, they had them sign team contracts. These apprentices shouldered the heavy responsibilities of luring monsters, tanking damage, and dealing damage, but the final distribution of spoils was completely at the team captain’s discretion.
It was a shady move, but who could they bla but themselves for being greedy and falling for Leon’s trick?
And the "voluntarily" signed team contracts cut off any path of retreat, leaving the apprentices unable to voice their grievances. They could only suffer in silence.
As the last batch of students returned, the crowd in the plaza grew larger and larger.
On the high platform, the ntors had already taken their seats. Even the rarely seen Dean had appeared again to announce the top ten rankings.
On the overall leaderboard, Amadis was, of course, firmly in first place.
Second was Lorenzo, third was Calvin from the Undead System, fourth was Maurice, fifth was Leon, sixth was Lynch, and seventh was Catherine, whose score had been locked...
The announcent of the final rankings caused an imdiate uproar below.
The results were far beyond the students’ expectations.
"Silence."
The Dean’s voice was soft, yet it silenced the entire plaza in an instant.
Next was the award ceremony, a dull and uninspired affair that made Lynch drowsy.
After so words of encouragent from the Dean, each of the top ten on the leaderboard received a dal. The first-place winner, Amadis, also received 1,500 academic credits, while Lynch, in sixth place, got 500.
In truth, if Lynch had been willing to go all out, he might have had a chance to compete with his senior, Amadis. But he politely declined such a high-profile endeavor, preferring to leave the spotlight to others.
’In any case, as long as I got sothing tangible out of it, that’s all that matters. And I’ve also successfully fulfilled my promise to ntor Annabella.’
「At the sa ti.」
Lynch, who was dozing off on stage, could feel two pairs of eyes from the sa stage sweeping over him from ti to ti.
One gaze ca from Catherine. She was clearly trying to find the one who had tricked her among the high-scoring Undead apprentices.
Lynch was naturally on her list of suspects, but after a mont of observation, her gaze finally settled on the upperclassman, Calvin. Instantly, her eyes filled with intense resentnt.
’Er... I guess I should find so ti to remind Senior Calvin not to go out much lately,’ Lynch mused, ’lest he get a sack thrown over his head.’
The other gaze, obviously, belonged to his senior, Amadis.
Unlike Catherine, who was searching for an enemy, Amadis was clearly looking for a benefactor.
After a mont, her gaze fell upon Lynch, her beautiful eyes seeming to be lost in thought.
’No way.’
Lynch’s heart skipped a beat. ’She can recognize even like this? Senior, are you part dog or sothing?’
...
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