Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

The apprentice in front of him was extremely friendly, seemingly genuinely wanting to travel together.

But this is the black wizard's territory, who knows what he's thinking.

"I'm sorry, I'm used to traveling alone and I need to get back to the academy as soon as possible to report back."

Lynn spoke coldly, unwilling to have much interaction with this person, and then lightly patted Megatron's neck.

"Full speed ahead!"

Megatron let out a low roar, his four legs suddenly exerted force, and his dark golden skeleton turned into a blur, instantly leaving the man behind.

"What a fast ride! Wait for me, classmate!"

The apprentice's exclamation came from behind.

Lynn ignored him and just kept walking.

I thought we were saying goodbye, but a moment later, I heard the sound of hooves approaching rapidly from behind again!

Lynn glanced back and was immediately startled.

That seemingly ordinary bone horse now had faint dark red light swirling around its hooves, and its speed had soared to an unbelievable level.

It clung tightly to Megatron's back and was not completely shaken off!

What the heck? Nitrogen boost?

How could a bone horse have such speed?

Or did Megatron turn out to be weak?

Alarm bells rang in Lynn's mind, and he immediately focused his attention, quietly launching [Analysis] against the skeletal horse that was relentlessly pursuing him.

--------

[Target]: Skeleton Warhorse (Moderate Erosion)

[Rank]: lv3 (temporarily boosted to peak lv3 due to corruption by an unknown force)

【state】:

The power of the abyss continued to flow in, and high-purity demonic power was detected being injected into its soulfire core and major joint bones, greatly improving energy conversion efficiency and motor function.

Erosion Mark: Unnaturally formed dark red erosion lines appear in the internal texture of the bones, which are traces of deep interference from higher demons.

...

Whoosh! Demonic power has been bestowed upon me!

To temporarily grant an ordinary skeletal horse speed approaching Megatron's, and to disguise it so flawlessly, even simulating energy fluctuations without a single flaw...

This is something no low-level demon could do!

The "apprentice" before me is a high-ranking demon with unfathomable strength!

I didn't expect to find a real demon here instead of in the Rotten Swamp!

It infiltrated in disguise; its intentions must be far from small!

Lynn broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He originally wanted to use [Analysis] directly on the demon's true form, but remembering the time the spirit of the Bone Spire had sensed it, he forcibly stopped his desire to investigate.

The risk is too high; it is highly likely that its keen senses will detect it.

If things come to a head, it'll be over. Someone like him is probably no harder to crush than a rotting beetle.

In a flash, Lynn had an idea.

Stay calm! Don't anger it!

Forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, he quickly adjusted his expression, changing from indifference to a hint of surprise and admiration.

He controlled Megatron to slow down slightly, allowing the "apprentice" to run alongside.

Since we can't avoid it, let's face it head-on.

"Wow, that bone horse of yours... it's really strong!"

Lynn's tone was tinged with just the right amount of amazement as his gaze fell on the bone horse.

"My mount's speed is unmatched, but I never expected there to be a bone horse of the same rank that is even more ferocious!"

"Did you use some special enhancement magic? Or is this horse a unique breed with some special abilities?"

Lynn didn't mention anything else, only steer the conversation toward his mount.

The apprentice, now a demon incarnate, seemed to enjoy the "praise." He smiled, but to Lynn, the smile appeared somewhat forced.

"It's just a little family trick. The main thing is that the horse has been with me for a long time and we've developed a connection."

"Your mount is truly magnificent, classmate. In all my years at the academy, I have never seen such a majestic skeletal mount. It must have been a sub-dragon in its lifetime!"

He smoothly brought the topic back, while moving closer and speaking in a very warm tone.

Lynn smiled reservedly, a hint of smugness in his voice: "Not at all, it was just good luck. I risked my life to subdue him by sheer luck."

The demon apprentice laughed heartily.

"Sometimes luck is also a part of ability."

"By the way, my name is Ollie. I recently completed a long-term deployment mission and am on my way back to the academy to report back."

"This wilderness is vast and fraught with danger. Since we're both heading back to the academy, why don't we travel together? That way we can look out for each other. I'm also curious to hear about the latest happenings at the academy."

Well... it seems this kid not only wants me to cover for him, but also wants to extract information about the academy.

However... this at least ensures my temporary safety.

Lynn hesitated for a moment, then, seemingly unable to refuse Ollie's enthusiasm, she gave a look of resigned compromise.

"...Alright, what you said makes sense, senior. Let's travel together for a while."

"My name is Lynn. I've been focusing on my cultivation lately and have just been promoted to a third-class apprentice. There haven't been any major events at the academy recently, just some missions and cultivation."

He deliberately steered the conversation toward the mundane daily training and basic tasks, speaking in a flat tone, not giving the other party a chance to inquire further.

The demon apprentice didn't seem to be in a hurry, chatting casually along with Lynn's lead, asking some trivial questions.

For example, which professor's open lecture is interesting, their views on the college system, what the little stone on their shoulder is, etc.

Lynn did not show any abnormality, rambling on about all sorts of things, spouting mostly worthless truths.

After chatting for a while, Ollie suddenly asked, "I heard that our academy's relationship with other academies has been quite tense lately, and even the frontline Bone-Eater Starfield can feel the tension."

"Could it be that our college has done something outrageous again lately? Tell me about it..."

Good heavens, the mess our Bone Academy has made is almost known to the Abyss, and even the atmosphere on the front lines has changed.

Don't let this trivial matter cause the front lines to collapse; that would be utterly disastrous.

However, the Bone-Eatering Starfield has been able to hold out for six hundred years, so it shouldn't be so easily torn apart by internal strife, especially since there is still a True Spirit Wizard in charge.

Hmm... I wonder which academy this True Spirit belongs to?

This existence has embodied the laws, like the "Way of Heaven" and "Gods," and is itself a part of the world. It should be fair and just, and prioritize the overall situation.

This time, Lynn did not hide anything and revealed everything about the Bone Academy's unauthorized recruitment of apprentices, the subsequent sinking of the "Bone Ship," and the deaths of a ship full of apprentices and professional wizards.

Taking on apprentices privately isn't a big deal; in the eyes of a dark wizard, it's not considered a bad thing...

It's just routine procedure, why make such a big deal out of it?

Ollie suddenly realized what was happening, but felt a little disappointed.

I originally thought that the infighting in the wizarding academy would give the Abyss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I didn't expect it to be just a small matter of taking in a few more apprentices.

This kind of thing usually doesn't escalate too much and won't damage the tacit understanding between the colleges.