...
As he spoke.
His Magic Staff shifted slightly. A ghastly white light materialized at its tip, pointing toward the trembling adventurers.
An ice-cold killing intent, mingled with the stench of death, filled the air.
"N-No, my lord! Spare us!"
The adventurers, scared out of their wits, fell to their knees in unison with a THUD.
"My lord, just give us a little more time! Three days—no, two! We'll definitely have them by then."
"Yes, my lord! Things are tense lately. The Holy Light Court is investigating strictly, so it's really not easy to get them!"
"Please, just grant us a few more days. We'll figure something out."
Beneath his hood, the corners of Lynch's mouth curled up slightly. These were the "fish" he had casually netted while "fishing" in the lower districts a few days ago, on his way back from spending a fortune on potions.
Many adventure novels in this world loved to portray adventurers as valiant, kind heroes who slayed dragons, rescued damsels, and ultimately reached the pinnacle of life.
But in reality, the vast majority of adventurers struggling at the bottom were no different from the local gang members who bullied and extorted, and were often even worse.
They were transient and had few scruples. Scams, swindles, and double-crossing were their bread and butter. If they got into trouble, they could just skip town and start over somewhere new.
Lynch felt not a shred of sympathy for such people, and he had no qualms about using them.
"Very good," the hoarse, cold voice sounded again. "Remember your promise. In two days, I want to see my other seven 'goods.' If you fail to deliver again..."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for sparing us, my lord! We'll get it done!" The five adventurers, as if granted a full pardon, kowtowed even more fervently.
Having established his dominance, Lynch paid them no more mind.
He turned and walked toward the eight corpses laid out in neat rows, showing no intention of hiding his actions from the onlookers.
He raised his grim Magic Staff and cast the level one [Skeleton Resurrection Skill].
A ghastly white wave of deathly energy washed over the eight bodies.
A horrific scene unfolded before the adventurers' terrified eyes.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
"CRACKLE~"
Amidst a series of strange noises.
The flesh and blood of the corpses seemed to be eroded and stripped away by an invisible force, bursting apart. One by one, ghastly white Skeleton Servants staggered to their feet from the mire of blood and gore, their empty sockets turning numbly toward Lynch.
"BLEGH..."
The adventurers' faces turned ashen. They finally couldn't stop themselves from retching violently, their eyes filled with endless terror.
Lynch, however, was very pleased with this.
Compared to the "old bones" from the academy's Chaotic Burial Grounds, these Skeletons, converted from fresh corpses, had sturdier bones, well-lubricated joints that moved without a sound, and a significantly higher degree of structural integrity.
'As expected, the quality of the raw materials has a huge impact on the Skeleton Servants.'
His Spiritual Power linked to the Skeleton Servants, commanding them to pick up the pile of Broken Swords and Sabers and other weapons next to the corpses. He then casually tossed a purse containing fifteen Gold Coins at the scar-faced man's feet.
"This is the payment we agreed upon."
Before the adventurers could react, his grim Magic Staff tapped lightly once more. Several faint, ghastly white streams of energy shot into their bodies, reinforcing the so-called "Death Mark."
"Remember," Lynch said as he walked to the door, surrounded by his Skeleton Servants. He turned back, his eyes glowing faintly as he swept his gaze across the men. "I only want the bodies of gang members killed in brawls. And keep your mouths shut. If any of you lead those hyenas from the Holy Light Court here..."
His gaze paused for a moment on the Skeleton Servants.
"...you can look forward to joining my army of Skeletons."
With that, he led his newborn squad of Skeletons out the door, the rustle of fallen leaves marking his steps as he disappeared into the gloomy woods outside the lumberyard.
Inside the wooden house, only the five terrified adventurers remained.
"Boss, what do we do?" a young adventurer asked, his face a mask of despair.
"What else can we do?" The scar-faced man tremblingly picked up the pouch of Gold Coins, which felt both cursed and heavy. He gritted his teeth. "We keep going. This might just be a good way to get rich."
He comforted himself and his companions with these words.
***
After leaving the lumberyard, Lynch led his "skeleton army" through the dense, gloomy woods and soon arrived at the location for his first mission: [Reed Village], situated on the edge of the Black Swamp.
The ground was muddy underfoot, and the air was thick with the fishy stench characteristic of a marshland.
The village was very small, home to only a few dozen families.
Most of the villagers made a living by fishing and hunting on the outskirts of the Black Swamp, or by gathering specialty aquatic plants.
When Lynch and his entourage of "people" appeared at the village entrance, they naturally caused quite a stir.
But Lynch paid it no mind. Maintaining the mysterious and cold demeanor of a Necromancer, he found the village chief and briefly inquired about the mission details.
Then, under the villagers' gazes of mingled fear and awe, he led his small squad of Skeletons "majestically" out of the village and toward the fishing grounds that had been overrun by Fishmen.
That's right. Fishmen.
The very same creatures from Lynch's past life games whose early-game appearance rate was second only to goblins, and who had nurtured generation after generation of adventurers.
Lynch's current operation was both to test and verify the combat capabilities of his Skeleton Servants and to accumulate some academic credits to exchange for Undead Magic and exclusive cultivation resources.
He hadn't been walking along the muddy flats for long.
Suddenly, the reeds in the shallows by the shore began to rustle.
"SPLASH~"
With a violent spray of water, four or five short, stocky figures leaped out.
They stood about half a man's height, with huge, ugly fish heads. Their mouths were split wide, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth. Their slimy skin was a mottled mix of dark green and grayish-brown.
A savage and foolish light shone from their bulging fish eyes.
Waving crude weapons, they charged forward aggressively, splashing through the water and letting out guttural roars that sounded like giant frogs.
The first skirmish erupted in an instant.
"Bone Jade, engage."
With the Netherworld Skeleton, Bone Jade, leading the charge, Lynch no longer needed to split his focus to control the Skeleton Servants.
After giving the order to Bone Jade through his Spiritual Power and having the other Skeletons follow its charge, he quickly stepped back to create distance from the front line.
At the tip of his Magic Staff, an eerie light began to gather.
Then, the two small "armies" clashed with no fanfare.
"CRACK~"
"SQUELCH!"
"RAAARGH~!"
The sounds of cracking bones, weapons sinking into flesh, and the shrill screams of Fishmen instantly merged into a cacophony.
From the very beginning, the battle was almost completely one-sided.
The lead Fishman, the stockiest of the bunch wielding a giant seashell cleaver, was sent flying by a single strike from the charging Bone Jade. Bone Jade shadowed its movement, following up with several more slashes from its Bone Knife.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
Just two or three seconds later, the brawny Fishman fell silent.
...