...

After returning home, Lynch didn’t slack off.

Instead, he downed a bottle of Focus Potion as usual and began his daily routine of Meditation to temper his Spiritual Power.

It was worth mentioning.

His Basic Meditation Skill had already advanced to LV2 a month ago, greatly increasing his Meditation efficiency.

Thanks to this, his current Spiritual Power and total Mana were more than double what they were two or three months ago.

Now, if he were to personally control Humanoid Skeletons, he could command thirty to forty of them at his limit.

As far as he knew, the strongest among the other Undead apprentices in his year, Maurice, could barely manage to command about ten.

While he was in Meditation, new notifications continuously popped up on his panel.

[You have used Basic Meditation Skill LV2 to Meditate. Under the effects of a Focus Potion, your efficiency has increased. EXP +3. Current Skill Level: LV2 (1455/9000)]

’Improving my strength is all up to me.’ This gave Lynch a sense of security.

The night passed without incident.

Over the next few days, he packed up the equipment that had dropped from the female assassin and took it all to Dwarf Copperbeard, entrusting his reliable "big brother" to dispose of it through discreet channels.

His big brother was incredibly efficient. A few days later, he came back with news: the assassin set had been sold through underground channels for a discounted price of 1,800 Gold Coins.

Selling it through underground channels meant a significant discount, but it had the advantage of being safe.

After getting the money, Lynch began to pay off his debts.

First, he returned the 300 Gold Coins he had raised from his classmates, giving each of them a little extra as a thank-you.

Next, he had Maurice run an errand to repay Avril’s 1,000 gold.

As for the 200-Gold-Coin loan from his big brother, Lynch had no intention of paying it back. He had a share in the "Water of Life" business anyway, so he’d just let it be deducted from his earnings.

After all was said and done, Lynch found he still had around 1,500 gold in cash on hand.

’Money is the kind of thing you need to spend quickly to increase your strength.’

So, Lynch went straight to the Elf owner of the Blackthorn and bought a small Space Ring. After some haggling, he got it for 1,400 gold—about a hundred gold more expensive than on the black market, but he accepted it.

Afterwards, he bought himself some more Focus Potions and Awakening Potions, and just like that, he was flat broke again.

He might be poor, but it wasn’t all for nothing.

The Bone Bracelet solved the problem of carrying his elite troops, and the Space Ring solved the problem of storing supplies.

He had also added a new assassin unit, Bone Shadow, under his command. Bone Jade had advanced to Tier One, and Gu Fa and Red Rabbit were also being steadily strengthened.

His own Meditation progress was advancing steadily, and he was also accumulating experience in various Magic skills.

In short, the future looked promising.

Time flew by, and another ten-odd days passed.

The annual final exams at Hurst Royal Extraordinary Academy had finally begun.

This was Lynch’s third year since enrolling, and the academy admitted a new class of students every three years.

Thus, the results of this exam would not only determine the resource allocation for Lynch’s class after they advanced to the upper years, but also affect the recruitment quota for the Undead Major.

Lynch had already boasted to his mentor, and he had prepared thoroughly for this examination.

Following the usual exam traditions, Lynch changed into a brand-new black apprentice robe and headed "majestically" toward the academy’s main square with more than ten elite goblin Skeletons in tow.

Among these Skeletons, a Bear Goblin Skeleton was very conspicuous, while a Fish Priest Skeleton was extremely inconspicuous.

’Huh, where’d that little guy go?’

Ah, there it was. It had hidden itself between the Bear Goblin’s legs. You wouldn’t be able to spot it without looking closely.

As soon as Lynch arrived at the square, he saw a commotion. It seemed the Holy Light System students were bullying the Undead System students again.

Leading them was none other than Leon Hosley.

Several Priest apprentices followed him, using the Holy Light Purification Skill to pick off the Undead apprentices’ Skeleton Servants one by one.

CRASH~

A Skeleton fell apart under the Holy Light, leaving a pile of withered bones on the ground.

Clearly, they had already purified a good number of Skeletons.

Watching the forces they had painstakingly gathered for the exam turn into piles of withered bones, the Undead apprentices’ faces turned pale. They collapsed to the ground, unable to stop themselves from sobbing.

Maurice, Eliot, and a few other apprentices were angrily trying to rush forward and reason with them, but they were easily shoved aside by two powerful Holy Knight apprentices flanking Leon.

Maurice was even pushed to the ground by Leon. Leon then stepped forward, planting his iron-booted foot directly on Maurice’s face.

"Leon Hollis, you bastard! If you’ve got any guts, stop ganging up on us! Let’s fight one-on-one!" Maurice, with half his face pinned under the boot, roared and struggled, his words muffled. His eyes were filled with humiliation and rage.

"Heh~" Leon sneered, grinding his foot down slightly. "You filthy Undead scum. You think you can get good results in the exam with just a few broken skeletons? Crawl back to the gutters and graves where you belong, and stop embarrassing yoursel—"

Before he could finish his sentence,

something unexpected happened! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

PFFT~!

A water arrow suddenly shot out from an extremely inconspicuous corner. Its angle was treacherous and cunning, and it flew with unerring accuracy right into Leon Hollis’s open mouth.

SPUT~~

The water arrow shattered several of his teeth and forced its way deep into his throat.

AARGH~

Leon let out a pained roar, then bent over, letting out heart-wrenching coughs and dry heaves. Snot and tears streamed down his face; he was a complete mess.

"Who?! Who launched that sneak attack?!"

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the two Holy Knight apprentices at his side rushed to protect Leon. They looked around nervously, but both covered their mouths with their gauntlets, terrified of getting deep-throated by another one of those mysterious water arrows.

Just as the scene descended into chaos...

a short figure slowly emerged from between the Bear Goblin’s legs.

It raised its fish-bone Magic Staff, as if to silently declare: ’Pardon me, but that was my doing.’

In an instant, the surroundings fell utterly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

Everyone’s gaze simultaneously focused on this... plain-looking, even somewhat comical, Fishman Skeleton Priest.

It was so short, standing next to the tall Bear Goblin Skeleton, it looked like a dwarf.

But!

There was an eerie green Soul Fire flickering in its eye sockets.

A...

Fish Priest Skeleton?

An elite unit that possessed a Soul Fire?!

After a brief silence, the scene erupted in an uproar.

The faces of the Holy Light System apprentices filled with apprehension and astonishment.

’That Lynch actually has an elite Soul Fire Skeleton?’

’If you add the Low Tier Skeleton Soldier he contracted through the Netherworld Contract, doesn’t that mean he has two Soul Fire Skeletons?’

’And this one is an extremely rare Magic System unit.’

’A formidable opponent... This Lynch is definitely a formidable opponent in this exam!’

The Undead System apprentices hadn’t expected this turn of events either. After a moment of stunned silence, they all erupted into ecstatic cheers.

"Brother Lynch~ you’re awesome~!!"

"It’s an elite with a Soul Fire! Brother Lynch actually has a Soul Fire elite Skeleton!"

"And it’s a Magic System elite Skeleton!"

Amidst the cries of praise, the Fish Priest’s skeletal fish head lifted slightly... as if it were standing up a little straighter.

...

(Two extra Chapters today. Pleading for your continued readership next Monday~ It’s super important!)