"Never mind. I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate. Mentor, I will simply give it my all to fulfill your dying wish," Annabella thought. Her mood visibly plummeted at these thoughts, and she waved her hand. "Dispel the magic and step down."
Lynch obeyed. He waved his magic staff, severing the mental link. The eight skeleton servants instantly collapsed to the ground with a loud CLATTER, blending back into the bone pile.
However, he did not step down right away. Taking advantage of his good performance today, he respectfully requested, "Mentor, may I come to this cemetery alone during my free time to practice the Skeleton Resurrection Skill?"
Annabella paused for a moment before advising him. "While repetitive practice certainly makes perfect, you also need to calmly study and ponder the true mysteries of the magic. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Despite her warning, she still held a glimmer of hope for Lynch in her heart. After a brief moment of deliberation, she nodded in agreement. "Alright. I will speak with the cemetery's night watchman. You can come over to practice anytime.
"Remember, you are not to damage the cemetery facilities, nor are you allowed to secretly take the resurrected skeletons away."
"Thank you, Mentor!" Thrilled, Lynch offered a solemn bow before retreating to sit on his designated grave mound.
Although the "materials" in this bone pile were old and severely lacking in spirituality, they made up for it in sheer volume. It was completely safe and risk-free, providing him with a stable environment to grind his skill experience for quite a while.
Compared to constantly being on edge while leeching off the Holy Light System's angel sentinels just to grind the Summoned Skeleton skill, this place was undoubtedly a leveling heaven.
Besides, the situation outside was bound to be tense lately. He really needed to hole up and develop quietly for a while.
Following him, the remaining apprentices stepped forward one by one to complete their "pop quiz" in front of Mentor Annabella. Unfortunately, their performances were all completely ordinary.
No joy or anger could be seen on Annabella's face. She simply gave her routine, brief critiques on everyone's spellcasting process, then moved on to a focused lecture covering the common difficulties and crucial tricks of the Skeleton Resurrection Skill.
The class concluded with two hours of independent practice. Soon, the sprawling Chaotic Burial Grounds was filled with the rising and falling chants of obscure spells, accompanied by the constant CLATTER CLATTER of skeleton frames being summoned and dispelled.
Facing the ancient bone piles that had existed for who knew how many years, the apprentices cast the Skeleton Resurrection Skill over and over, desperately squeezing out every last drop of their already meager mana and spiritual power.
Lynch was naturally no exception.
An hour later, almost everyone looked deathly pale, their internal mana completely drained. Feeling an extreme mental exhaustion, Lynch was forced to stop as well.
Checking his status panel, he saw that his Skeleton Resurrection Skill experience had paused at LV0 (666/1000). He had taken another massive step toward leveling up.
"That will be all for today," Mentor Annabella's cold, clear voice rang out, dismissing the class.
The apprentices instantly felt as if they had been granted amnesty. They were just about to scatter in all directions when Mentor Annabella stopped them.
"Wait."
Annabella furrowed her brows slightly, her expression turning serious. "Recently, a Tier One or higher necromancer has been operating in the shadows around Saint Roland City, and their actions have been utterly vile.
"As of now, the villagers of two remote villages have been completely slaughtered, and all the corpses are missing. Judging from the thick aura of death lingering at the scenes, it is obvious they were all converted into undead creatures and taken away.
"This necromancer is extremely dangerous. Be careful when you head out for experiential learning in the near future."
The apprentices' faces grew much more serious at her words, and they all promised to be careful. After thanking their mentor for the warning, they dragged their exhausted bodies out of the eerie cemetery in twos and threes.
Lynch's stomach had been growling for a long time. He headed to the third cafeteria for a late-night snack, letting out a satisfied burp as he finally walked back to his dormitory to prepare for some meditation.
Without delay, he sat cross-legged on his bed. He cast aside all distracting thoughts and immersed himself in a state of meditation.
An invisible interface emerged in his mind.
[You used the Basic Meditation Skill LV1, Experience +1. Current Skill Level LV1 (821/3000).]
Ever since his meditation technique reached LV1, his meditation efficiency had seen a significant boost. However, its experience didn't grow particularly fast. He could usually only gain a few dozen points in a single night; it wasn't something that could be rushed.
"Take it slow," he thought.
The night passed silently.
The next day.
Sunlight spilled into the dormitory through the drafty window. Lynch slowly opened his eyes.
A full night of meditation had not only completely restored his spiritual power and mana, but it had also refined them slightly. He felt thoroughly revitalized and full of energy.
After a quick wash, Lynch put on an inconspicuous gray linen robe. He hastily scarfed down breakfast at the cafeteria before leaving the academy.
He hailed a carriage and rode into the main district of Saint Roland City, finding a shop to buy five bottles of Freshening Potion and five bottles of Focus Potion. They were priced at five gold coins each, bringing his total expenditure to fifty gold coins.
As for Copperbeard's Wind Blacksmith, he decided to skip it for now and wait until he had more money. However, his funds were genuinely starting to run dry; in the blink of an eye, he had already spent nearly half of his savings.
Thus, Lynch took a trip to the lower city district. He strolled through the seedy streets overrun with gangs and adventurers, baiting a few adventurers who looked "easy to talk to" and negotiating a business partnership.
More than half a day later, he returned to the academy, pocketing the modest gains from his hard-earned side hustle. He briefly organized his resources, then, without further delay, headed straight for the Chaotic Burial Grounds.
He first sought out the night watchman, a man perpetually shrouded in a black robe. After engaging in a simple, NPC-style conversation with him, he easily obtained permission to enter the cemetery for his training.
There were no classes tonight. He had heard that Mentor Annabella took the senior apprentices out to investigate the rogue necromancer incident. As a result, the entire cemetery was cold and deserted.
The bright moonlight spilling over the bone piles only amplified their eerie and terrifying atmosphere. Ordinary people would probably be scared out of their wits if they came here, but Lynch felt nothing but excitement.
Finding a bone pile that caught his eye, he began waving his sinister magic staff. With an expression of sheer focus, he cast the Skeleton Resurrection Skill upon the remains. His obscure, low-pitched spell echoed continuously through the chilly cemetery as the pale, ghastly glow of negative energy flared up time and time again.
[You successfully cast Skeleton Resurrection Skill LV0, Experience +3. Current Skill Level LV0 (677/1000).]
[You successfully cast... Experience +2... (702/1000).]
His experience points grew steadily. The moment he felt his spiritual power and mana nearing depletion, Lynch did not hesitate in the slightest. He pulled out a bottle of Basic Awakening Potion and tilted his head back, chugging it down.
"Keep grinding! Don't stop!" he mentally cheered.
Over and over again, Lynch carried out his monotonous yet engaging training. He didn't finally stop until his spiritual power was once again on the verge of drying up, and even the Awakening Potion could no longer dispel the bone-deep exhaustion.
By this time, the moon was already high in the sky.
Dragging his hollowed-out body, Lynch first made a trip to the cafeteria. He wolfed down a late-night snack, barely managing to replenish some of his stamina, before staggering back to his dormitory.
Sitting cross-legged on the hard wooden bed, he didn't immediately begin his routine meditation. Instead, he took out a bottle of Basic Focus Potion. The pale blue liquid emanated a refreshing, mint-like scent.
He carefully drank half the bottle. Instantly, his mushy brain cleared up. His chaotic thoughts were swiftly smoothed over, bringing his focus to an unprecedented peak. Under this optimal state, he began his meditation.
[You used the Basic Meditation Skill LV1 to meditate. Under the influence of the Focus Potion, the effect is enhanced, Experience +2. Current Skill Level LV1 (855/3000).]
His meditation efficiency had indeed improved.