Ambrose's goal had always been to create an undead body that would not be countered by holy light. Bear and Husky were both products of that ambition, and destined to be his test subjects.

After all, he could hardly experiment on himself.

In his previous life, Ambrose had seen plenty of movies featuring this exact scenario. Doctors or scientists who experimented on themselves always suffered a tragic fate. They either went mad or became idiots; people who had once been brilliant all turned into muscle-bound brutes after self-experimentation.

Ambrose had always marveled at their transformation. They were an order of magnitude stronger in their newfound role as villains, but all that strength seemed to have manifested in the form of... muscles.

But after discarding their brains, no amount of strength could lead them toward success.

Ambrose had taken those predecessors' lessons to heart: never use yourself as the guinea pig.

Instead, Bear and Husky were entrusted with that glorious yet daunting task. Still, Ambrose wasn't cruel enough to send them off to die in the Lyon Empire. As high-tier undead, they possessed formidable strength. Even if these new bodies turned out to have no resistance to holy light, they would not be cut down by just any paladin's Sacred Slash.

Before becoming a legend, Gareth had slaughtered his way in and out of paladin encirclements time and again. If Bear and Husky were lucky enough to encounter a lone paladin, they should still be able to withdraw safely even after taking a Sacred Slash head-on.

Ambrose did not need to spell this out. These two were seasoned adventurers who knew how to survive.

What was more, Ambrose had generously equipped them with two magical items: a teleportation ring and a protection ring. As their names implied, one allowed long-distance teleportation within a limited range, while the other could cast Mage Armor. Either could save their lives in a critical moment. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Bear and Husky accepted the mission without batting an eye, then set off for the surface.

The desert war was still raging. If fortune favored them, they would complete the task and return soon enough.

After seeing them off, Ambrose plunged straight into another round of work.

First came the excavation of the underground city. A lich was never going to haul bricks himself, so Ambrose had to design a brand-new type of skeletal construct specifically for digging.

These skeletons, which he christened Gravediggers, possessed specialized limbs for breaking earth and chiseling stone. Paired with transport skeletons, they could work day and night at impressive efficiency—far more useful than human slaves, at the very least.

Over two hundred Gravediggers were assembled overnight. Soon, the underground city echoed endlessly with the clatter of picks and chisels.

To Ambrose, those sounds were as pleasing as coins pouring into his coffers. Every strike represented the dividends of exploitation. Catherine, however, could not stand it. She was forced to set up a long-term soundproofing barrier in her room just to block out the incessant noise.

But even with the excavation handed over to the skeletons, Ambrose had no time to rest.

There was still something important he needed to do.

He had to master the legendary boon he had only just acquired.

Previously, Ambrose had been a pure spellcaster. He had always relied solely on magic for necromancy and divination. But with Catherine's Selfless Resonance, he had gained the powers of a legendary ranger, along with part of the school of transmutation.

It was unfortunate that Selfless Resonance itself couldn't be shared with others. Otherwise, all sorts of legendary boons could have spread like a virus, endlessly dividing and multiplying.

Catherine's legendary ranger abilities allowed her to forge ranger-exclusive anti-magic weapons: arrows, daggers, and the like. Beyond that, Ambrose had inherited a ranger's agility and various related abilities.

He had obtained the power of a ranger, but had no idea how to use it.

So Ambrose sought out Catherine, hoping she could guide him in becoming a true ranger.

Upon hearing his request, Catherine's expression lit up with interest.

"You really don't know anything about rangers?" she asked.

Ambrose nodded. "I've handled a bow no more than ten times in this lifetime."

This was no exaggeration. Back when Ambrose had been an adventurer, he was a mage through and through. He could count on one hand the number of times he had touched a bow, let alone wielded a blade. He knew nothing of that.

The reason was simple: he hated pain.

Archery or swordsmanship were the same to him. Any discipline involving cold steel required endless practice, and practice inevitably meant injury.

Ambrose was the kind of person who would hiss and wince for ages over a paper cut. Broken bones were part and parcel of martial training, and compared to that, magic had always been far more cost-effective.

But now, he was a lich. Unless a Sacred Slash struck him directly, Ambrose could not feel pain at all. This was the perfect time to train.

Catherine listened, her face lighting up like a child who had just found a new toy. Finding an elf who had never touched a bow was unthinkable. Elves began practicing archery almost as soon as they learned to speak. Elven physiques were nothing like those of humans.

"I've never taught a student before," Catherine said thoughtfully, "especially someone who knows absolutely nothing. Let me think... I remember my teacher didn't start by teaching me archery at all. The first lesson for a ranger was learning how to summon a beast companion."

Ambrose frowned. "Isn't that something apprentices can't do? Are you sure your teacher didn't make a mistake?"

Catherine puffed up with pride. "It's different. I was exceptionally talented."

Ambrose could not argue with that. For a sheltered, ignorant girl who had never gone out adventuring, she had to have extraordinary talent to advance to a legend. Ambrose himself had nearly died countless times to reach the same level, and even then, his advancement felt watered down by comparison.

"Don't worry," Catherine continued. "You've directly inherited my legendary power. What you lack is experience, just like I did back then. That means you can skip all the basics. If you don't believe me, try it out."

She took out an elegantly crafted longbow and handed it to Ambrose, then casually flung a dagger out through the doorway.

The dagger whistled through the darkness, vanishing far beyond his sight. Only a faint clang could be heard, as though it had embedded itself into some distant wall.

"Try hitting the dagger I just threw," Catherine said.

"You're kidding, right?" Ambrose stared in disbelief. The dagger had flown beyond the range of his spiritual perception. How was he supposed to shoot it?

"You heard the sound, didn't you?" Catherine hesitated. "Well... I don't actually know how good a lich's hearing is. But if you focus, you should be able to sense where the dagger is. Just try."

She didn't sound very confident, but Ambrose followed her instructions anyway.

Liches had no ears and couldn't hear. But Ambrose could perceive vibrations.

The world unfolded before him like an overly complex instruction manual, describing that sound in dense, intricate detail.

When Ambrose focused on it, that description seemed to bloom with information he had previously overlooked.

The direction of the sound. Its intensity. The faint currents of air stirred by its passage. These details had once lain beyond his perception, but now, with concentration, he seemed to be able to grasp all of them.

Ambrose raised the longbow. Drawing and nocking the arrow came naturally, in one smooth motion. He loosed the shot into the unseen darkness.

Clang. The arrow struck the dagger.

Ambrose froze, stunned. He had actually hit it.

So this was the power of a legendary ranger? No wonder people said they could neuter a fly from hundreds of meters away. That was no exaggeration at all.

Catherine clapped happily. "See? I told you there's no need for basic training."

Ambrose nodded. "You're right. No need to waste time, then. Next comes summoning a beast companion?"

Catherine replied with grave seriousness, "Exactly. I'm a ranger who leans heavily toward being a beastmaster, and you inherited my power. For you, a beast companion is especially important."

"How do you choose one?" Ambrose asked humbly. "Are there special requirements?"

"The only requirement is perfect compatibility," Catherine said. "A beast companion doesn't need to be powerful. We rangers can share our strength with them, so even a butterfly could become a formidable fighter if it were my companion. What truly matters is the bond between you. That's crucial.

"It took me a full year to form my first contract, and most of that time was spent just searching for the right target. Be prepared. A soul-compatible beast companion isn't easy to find."

Catherine's first companion had been a premature black panther cub. Its mother had been gravely wounded while hunting and happened to cross Catherine's path. Catherine had personally helped deliver the cub, and in doing so, gained her first partner.

The cub had been no larger than her palm, so weak it should not have survived. Catherine had shared her own power with it, allowing it to live. It had grown as large as an elephant since. Because of that shared beginning, the bond between them was unmatched.

But such opportunities were rare. Catherine could offer guidance, but she could not solve this problem for Ambrose outright.

"It doesn't have to be strong, just compatible..." Ambrose mused. "That means I have a broad range of options, right? I don't need a lion, tiger, bear, or the like?"

"That's right," Catherine said. "Flowers, birds, insects, fish—anything. You can even contract with a treant. Plenty of elves choose treants as their partners."

Ambrose immediately thought of the mercury homunculus he had created. That was a living being, too: his own creation, his child. Wouldn't that be perfect?

He quickly scooped up the living mercury, which had been bouncing around the new house, and brought it over. "What about this?" he asked Catherine. "I made it myself."

Ambrose explained the origin of the spirit golem and asked for her judgment.

Catherine studied the strange creature carefully. She had already been curious about what kind of species this "mercury slime" was. After hearing Ambrose's explanation, she was genuinely astonished.

An undead creating an entirely new species—and a living one at that.

That alone was enough to be recorded in the annals of history. That Ambrose would share such a secret with her filled Catherine with a deep sense of trust.

And yet, after hearing everything, Catherine shook her head. "It won't work. This little one is your child. If it were truly compatible with you, the contract would have formed automatically the moment you picked it up."