...

This was a Tier One unit!

What did being a Tier One unit even mean? That goblin warrior and Red Rabbit—they had been Tier One units when they were alive.

Most importantly, Bone Jade wasn’t just an ordinary Tier One unit. After its advancement, its ability to lead troops was also more than just a notch stronger than before.

Meanwhile.

Lynch’s skill, Skeleton Enhancement Skill, had also reached Lv 1 (0002/3000).

It was a good thing the skill had leveled up. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for Lynch to help Bone Jade break through to the level of a Tier One Skeleton Warrior.

As for Bone Mage and Red Rabbit, although they had also grown considerably, they still fell a bit short compared to Bone Jade.

There was nothing to be done. In the end, it all came down to a lack of resources.

During the final sprint, the enhanced bone powder he had on hand was only barely enough to support Bone Jade’s breakthrough.

Fortunately, now that his Skeleton Enhancement Skill had leveled up, it would be much easier to upgrade Bone Mage and Red Rabbit later. As long as he had enough credits and time, pushing them back to Tier One status wasn’t just a pipe dream.

Lynch had been cooped up in his dorm for several days, focused on Bone Jade’s breakthrough. He hadn’t gone out or even bothered to clean himself up.

After sending the evolved Bone Jade back to the Netherworld to recuperate, Lynch boiled some water, took a long, comfortable bath, and changed into a clean, fresh set of black apprentice robes. Only then did he feel more refreshed.

It was dinnertime, and he was starving, so he headed straight for the Third Cafeteria.

He ordered a mountain of roasted meat, stew, and black bread, piling his tray high. Then, carrying the tray, Lynch walked toward the corner of the cafeteria, the area reserved exclusively for Undead apprentices.

Compared to two or three months ago, the Undead apprentices’ dining area seemed to have quietly expanded a bit.

More importantly, the atmosphere had changed.

Most of the Undead apprentices who were eating now sat up straighter, and their conversations were no longer so gloomy and sullen.

"Hey, brothers and sisters, latest news!" That sleazy-looking Undead apprentice was gossiping animatedly again. "Did you hear? A few days ago, Senior Amadis ran into that ’Ice Rose’ Catherine from the Holy Light System at the training grounds."

"Tsk, tsk, it was a real showdown, but a tutor broke it up. They’ve already declared they’ll settle it once and for all at the year-end assessment. They won’t stop until there’s a clear winner."

The eyes of those around him lit up, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Not far away, another table of Holy Light System apprentices was also talking loudly.

"...Things seem to be getting restless deep in the Dark Forest. The green-skinned brats from the ’Bloodfang’ tribe are becoming more and more active, and the Fishmen in the Black Swamp to the east are getting agitated too. My uncle in the City Guard said there might be a small-scale beast tide this year."

"Heh, the rumors from the south are what’s really important. That band of rebels from the Draenei Brotherhood seems to be showing signs of moving north. Their tracks have already been found in the Yasa Valley area south of our Saint Roland City. They’re plundering caravans, attacking small towns... They’ll stop at nothing."

At the mention of the "Draenei Brotherhood," the voices of the Holy Light apprentices at that table lowered, laced with obvious apprehension.

After all, they were a rebel organization at the top of the Empire’s most-wanted list.

Lynch picked up quite a bit of news as he walked over.

The cafeteria was always a hub for information. All sorts of rumors, true and false, frontline battle reports, regional disturbances, and even internal academy gossip could be heard in bits and pieces here.

Before he knew it, Lynch had arrived at the dining area with his tray.

A few apprentices from his year noticed him immediately, and they all stood up to greet him respectfully. "Lynch."

Lynch smiled and waved a hand, gesturing for them to sit down. He then found an empty seat for himself and began to wolf down his food.

Lynch himself wasn’t the only one who had changed over the past two months.

The batch of goblin corpses he had sold as troop sources back then was like a spark that had ignited a fire among the Undead apprentices.

After some time, even the worst-off apprentices now dared to team up and take on low-level missions like clearing goblins from manors or driving away beasts harassing villages.

These missions didn’t pay much, but they were at least a stable source of income and a way to practice their skills.

As for the more successful ones, relying on their initial accumulations and the steady supply of troops purchased from Lynch, they had already upgraded to stronger Humanoid Skeleton Servants. They were blazing through missions, their coin purses were getting heavier, and their whole demeanor had been completely transformed.

Of course, all of this was thanks to Lynch’s continuous and stable "supply of troops."

It was mainly because the "corpse-collecting team" Lynch had casually established was just too dedicated. They were no longer content with operating in the lower districts and had even begun to infiltrate more distant, war-torn regions and underground black market channels.

The scale of the corpse-collecting team was also gradually expanding.

Lynch didn’t want to discourage the entrepreneurial spirit of these fallen adventurers, so he bought every corpse that met his criteria without question.

There was one exception, of course. Someone on the team had tried to pass off a few civilian corpses.

Lynch didn’t make things too difficult for them; he simply turned the one who had murdered the civilians into one of his Skeleton Servants.

After that, the corpse-collecting team behaved themselves.

Since his supply of troops was more than he could use himself, he resold the corpses to his classmates in need at a discounted price: three Gold Coins and twelve silver pieces per corpse.

However, Lynch had no interest or time to run this kind of retail business.

So, he entrusted the business to the sleazy apprentice, Maurice, to manage. For every corpse sold, Maurice would get a cut of twelve silver pieces as a commission, while Lynch received the three Gold Coins.

Maurice was more than happy to do it. Not only did it give him a stable side income, but it also gave him a voice among his classmates.

He had practically become the "number two figure" among the Undead apprentices of their year, second only to Lynch, responsible for communications, team formation, and even mediating minor disputes.

And precisely because the Undead apprentices were gradually growing stronger and were no longer such easy targets, the frequency of conflicts between the Holy Light System and Undead System students had actually decreased significantly over the past two months.

While staredowns and whispered taunts still occurred, at least incidents like casually kicking over an Undead apprentice’s table, which used to be common, hadn’t happened in a long time.

A moment later, Lynch polished off the large plate of food, let out a satisfied sigh, and prepared to get up and leave.

Just then, however, someone shouted.

"It’s Leon Hosley! He... he’s actually back?"

As soon as the words fell, the once-raucous Third Cafeteria fell instantly silent.

Nearly everyone’s gaze snapped in unison toward the cafeteria entrance.

The expressions on the faces of the apprentices from the Holy Light and Undead factions were starkly different.

The former showed admiration and joy, while the latter revealed alarm and unease, their gazes all turning to Lynch.

Huh.

Lynch was also slightly surprised.

’That son of a bitch can still come back to the academy?’

He glanced casually toward the entrance and saw the guy walking in, surrounded by Barry and a few other lackeys.

Compared to a few months ago, he was clearly much leaner. The arrogant swagger that was always on his face was gone, replaced by a much deeper and more reserved temperament.

Just as Lynch looked at him, Leon looked at Lynch.

In that instant, their gazes collided across the length of the cafeteria.

Suddenly, a faint smile touched Leon Hosley’s lips.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he walked steadily over to Lynch and said in a calm voice,

"It really has been a long time, Lynch Blackwood."

...