...

Faced with Leon’s aggressive approach, Lynch remained completely unruffled.

He unhurriedly handed his meal tray to the sleazy apprentice Maurice behind him, cracked his knuckles, and said, "You want to fight? Then let’s go."

The moment he spoke, the atmosphere in the cafeteria ignited.

Behind Leon, his lackeys, Barry, Carl, and a few others, immediately stepped forward, flocking to his side and glaring at Lynch with hostile eyes.

And behind Lynch, Maurice hurriedly put down the tray and, along with Eliot and several other Undead apprentices, stood at Lynch’s back.

A small-scale brawl, a rare sight in Cafeteria Three, was on the verge of erupting.

Many apprentices who were eating put down their utensils. The students of the Holy Light System and the Undead System instinctively rose to their feet, splitting into two factions in a silent standoff.

The air was thick with tension.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Just as the fight was about to break out, a clear, crisp female voice suddenly rang out.

"Leon Hollis, you just got back to the academy and you’re already trying to cause trouble?"

"And you all—Barry, Carl—are you looking to get detention?"

Everyone turned toward the voice.

The speaker was a young woman dressed in the pure white, gold-trimmed robes of a Priest apprentice.

She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with a tall, slender figure, fair skin, and long, silver-white hair draped over her shoulders. Her bearing was exceptionally refined.

At that moment, her eyes, tinged with anger, swept over Leon and his group.

"Huh? Isn’t that Miss Avril Grant?" A student from the Holy Light System recognized her and began to whisper. "Doesn’t she usually prefer eating in Cafeteria One with her friends? What’s she doing here in Cafeteria Three?"

"You didn’t know? She’s been coming here often lately. I’ve seen her several times myself."

’So it’s Avril,’ Lynch thought, a faint smile touching his lips.

’It’s been about two months since I last saw her.’

They had all gone their separate ways after the mission in Stone Crow Town. For the past two months, he had been in seclusion, rarely leaving his room; Eliot had even been bringing him his meals.

He never expected they would run into each other here today.

However, when Lynch had teamed up with her group, he had deliberately worn a mask and disguised his voice, so naturally, she wouldn’t recognize him at a glance.

Just then, Avril’s gaze fell on Lynch, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

She had been trying to find that senior for a while now, but whether she searched the Undead apprentice dorms or Cafeteria Three, he was nowhere to be found.

She had heard of this Lynch Blackwood. His build was similar to the senior’s, and his voice bore some resemblance, but their ages didn’t seem to match.

’Someone as powerful as that senior has to be an upper-year Undead apprentice. How could he possibly be in the same year as me?’

Immediately, Avril quickly averted her gaze from Lynch and turned to Leon with a look of disdain. "Are you saying you didn’t spend enough time in the black cells?"

In the past, she would have simply walked away if she encountered something like this.

But she owed her life to a senior from the Undead System. Seeing an Undead apprentice being bullied, she felt she had to do something.

Leon, of course, also knew who Avril Grant was.

In fact, he was very familiar with both her and the family behind her.

The Grant Clan was highly influential in Saint Roland City and even throughout the entire province. Avril herself was exceptionally talented, one of the top students among the Holy Light Priest apprentices. Although she usually kept a low profile, no one would dare to overlook her.

At this thought, a flicker of apprehension crossed Leon’s eyes. "Miss Grant, this is a personal grudge between Lynch Blackwood and me. It doesn’t seem to concern you."

He paused for a moment before adding, "However, out of respect for you, I’ll let him off the hook for today."

With that said, he gave Lynch a deep, meaningful look and lowered his voice. "Don’t think I don’t know. My intuition tells me... it was you that night, wasn’t it?"

Lynch chuckled nonchalantly. "Leon, you need evidence to make accusations. Don’t just go flinging mud at people. If you want a fight, I’m ready anytime."

’I have to admit, the guy’s intuition is spot on,’ Lynch thought.

But naturally, he would never admit to something like that, not even if he were beaten to death.

"Fine. The year-end assessment is coming up soon, isn’t it?" Leon sneered. "When the time comes, I’ll make you—no, your entire Undead Major—pay dearly."

After speaking, he turned and stalked away with Barry and his cronies.

Seeing this, Maurice and the other Undead apprentices behind Lynch breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Although they were much stronger than before, a Necromancer’s strength lay in the wilderness. In a cafeteria brawl, they wouldn’t have any advantage.

Maurice quickly put on a smile and said to Avril, "Thank you for helping us out, Miss Grant."

Avril just gave a casual nod, but her eyes fell on Lynch again. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "You’re Lynch Blackwood? Does your family... have an older brother, or perhaps an older relative, who is also a Necromancer?"

Lynch found this amusing but maintained a respectful expression. "You must be joking, Miss Grant. My family are just ordinary merchants. It’s already a strain for them to support one Mage apprentice."

A clear trace of disappointment flashed in Avril’s eyes. She murmured, "Is that so... Then I apologize for bothering you."

With that, she turned and left Cafeteria Three.

After Avril’s figure disappeared through the doorway, Maurice and the other Undead apprentices immediately crowded around Lynch excitedly.

"Brother Lynch, you’re amazing!" Maurice said, wiggling his eyebrows. "The young lady of the Grant Clan actually struck up a conversation with you. Why didn’t you take the opportunity to chat with her a bit more?"

"Miss Grant is the daughter of a noble, she’s talented, and she’s beautiful... Brother Lynch, if you could successfully court her, hehe, our entire Undead System might benefit from it in the future."

"Exactly, exactly! Brother Lynch, you’re so powerful, and you look... uh, you’re quite tall and imposing, too. You might actually have a shot."

The apprentices all started gossiping at once, their expressions showing that their imaginations were running wild.

"Get lost, all of you. Scram," Lynch said, waving his hand in annoyance to disperse the crowd.

’Social climbing?’

’What a joke.’

’Are women really more interesting than increasing my power and expanding my Skeleton army?’

On the way back to his private dormitory after leaving the cafeteria.

A troubled expression appeared on Lynch’s face.

Of course, he wasn’t worried about Leon’s return.

That kid was just a Holy Knight apprentice. Even if his family had pulled some strings to get him out and his strength had improved recently, could he possibly be stronger than Bone Jade, who had already advanced to a Tier One Skeleton Warrior under Lynch’s command?

Lynch even doubted if Leon could win a fight against his dog.

What truly troubled him was a different problem.

As his power grew, the number of elite Skeletons under his command was also increasing.

As contracted Undead from the Netherworld, Bone Jade and Bone Valor could be sent back directly to the Netherworld and summoned again at any time, which was extremely convenient.

But others, like Bone Mage, Red Rabbit, and Old Black Corpse, were native Undead Life forms born on the material plane. They were like wild units that couldn’t be sent to the Netherworld. He either had to brazenly keep them by his side or find a hidden "stashing point" to hide them.

The first option was too conspicuous and would easily attract trouble. Most importantly, it wasn’t conducive to him "fishing" for money.

Just imagine: if a Necromancer was followed by a large group of elite Skeletons with Soul Fire, what fool would dare to try and rob him, just to get themselves killed?

The second option, however, wasn’t flexible enough. If he needed them in an emergency, they’d be too far away to be of any immediate help.

’If only I had a piece of spatial Magic Equipment that could hold Undead Creatures... even just a basic version,’ Lynch mused as he walked.

The Necromancer was a profession with a long history, one that had produced many mighty figures. Naturally, some of these titans had developed exclusive Magic Equipment for stashing their troops.

This type of spatial equipment, specifically designed to hold Undead Units, came in the form of bracelets, bags, and even banners.

For example, the famous "Netherworld’s Marching Chart" and the "Death Banner" were well-known pieces of Legendary Level Necromancer equipment. They contained their own Undead Nether Realm, capable of storing a massive number of Undead and unleashing a small-scale Undead Calamity at a moment’s notice.

...