Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

"You come with me! The rest of you, continue the feint attack and draw enemy fire!"

Holm acted swiftly, letting out a low growl, and with his skeletal warriors and shadow hounds, abruptly turned toward the bushes.

Lynn followed closely behind, ordering the two remaining skeletons of the guards to follow.

Sure enough, behind the bushes was a narrow ditch eroded by acid, only wide enough for one or two people to pass through.

The purifying light becomes thin here.

Holm drew a large sword from his ring and, together with the skeletal guards, violently cleaved through the poisonous vines blocking their path.

The two quickly infiltrated, the ravine winding upwards, and somehow managed to circle around to the back of the purification totem!

Beside the totem, only two Allied second-class apprentices were maintaining order, their attention mostly drawn to the feint attack from the front.

"A great opportunity!"

A fierce glint flashed in Holm's eyes, and the skeletal warrior smashed through the rubble that was providing cover, while the shadow hound lunged straight for the apprentice's throat.

Lynn attacked simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of Soul Impacts at another apprentice, while two skeletal guards rushed forward to slash at his shield.

The battle ended within moments.

The purification totem had its core rune severed by Holm's blade.

With the pressure from the feint attack reduced, the rest of the squad took the opportunity to destroy the undead guardians who had lost their energy support.

"Well done, kid."

Holm, panting heavily, glanced at the "stone" that had appeared on Lynn's shoulder without asking any further questions.

On the front lines, everyone has their own secrets, and as long as they can survive, they don't ask about anything else.

This time, their team captured a node at minimal cost, earning extra merit.

But in the ensuing back-and-forth battle, their team was thrown into two more desperate charges, resulting in another loss of a member.

When the legion finally withdrew from the canyon temporarily and rested at another newly captured stronghold, Lynn's squad, including Holm, was reduced to only four people.

Everyone was wounded, and their eyes were filled with deep weariness.

The newly replenished undead were once again exhausted, and even Holm's loyal skeletal warrior remained forever in the holy flames of the canyon.

Lynn leaned against the cold bone wall, slowly chewing a piece of "nutritional paste".

This stuff is like "military rations" on the battlefield; it's convenient to stave off hunger but tastes terrible.

His contribution points increased a bit, but the regular undead materials stored in the ring were almost gone.

He could feel that his mental strength, under the stimulation of high pressure and the edge of life and death, was slowly approaching the apprentice's limit of one hundred points.

Meanwhile, the cold orders from the frontline command are already preparing for the next "rotation".

The Allied forces of the Academy were numerous and powerful. These "experienced" remnants had no right to rest. They were destined to be filled into the next gap until they were completely worn down.

Lynn lowered his eyes, considering the possibility of "independent action".

Continuing to follow the established troops as expendable resources is too risky, and the recent offensive battles have become increasingly dangerous.

If this continues, we'll only expose our main undead force...

With this in mind, Lynn decided to stop waiting for his fate and immediately submitted an application for "independent action" to the college.

The application stated that the applicant was skilled in reconnaissance and infiltration, and could provide intelligence on specific areas to higher-ups.

There's no other way; you have to demonstrate some special skills to have a better chance of going independent.

Once you can become independent, you will have considerable freedom and you won't be afraid to expose as much of your power as you want.

We can just kill them all!

Lynn's application for "independent action" was successfully submitted and approved after costing 500 magic stones to process.

Perhaps in the command's view, a third-class apprentice skilled in soul perception and shadow operations is more valuable for guerrilla reconnaissance in the buffer zone than for being thrown into the frontal meat grinder.

He left the numbered unit, and his operation code name became the simple "Shadow Seventeen".

With no teammates and no fixed supply points, he was accompanied only by the small stone on his shoulder and the undead in his ring.

For the first few days, he was extremely cautious and only moved around on the periphery.

Using the [Stone Heart Mist Domain] and the reconnaissance of Wu Liuqi and Xiao Hei, we can avoid any organized enemy units.

During his wanderings in the wild, he collected several rare abyssal herbs and captured two lone level 3 Berserker Corpse Demons and one level 3 Abyssal Stalker.

The Berserker Corpse Demon is the undead form of the Abyss Berserker Demon. It is much stronger than other undead of the same rank and can be considered a minor top-tier item.

The Abyss Stalker is a type of undead demon that resembles a giant pangolin and excels at short-range burrowing attacks. While it is not as strong in direct combat as the Berserker Corpse Demon, its burrowing ability is a significant advantage.

If it is in a dangerous area in the future, it can rely on its ability to burrow underground to dig a hidden cave to hide.

That day, based on the front-line map, he found a place called "Starbone Valley".

The map indicates that there used to be a small star iron vein here, which has long been mined out, but occasionally mutated undead affected by the power of the stars will appear.

Lynn's presence here was naturally to see if any "mutant babies" had been born here.

Located on the side and rear of the battlefield, far from the main passage, this place was not frequented by other wizard apprentices.

The valley was eerily quiet, devoid of the usual stench of decay, with scattered metal fragments bearing tiny, star-like glints on the ground.

Alan's mist spread out slightly, mixing with the thin, unusually cold energy flow in the valley, enhancing the perception of the [Stone Heart Mist Domain].

Lynn cautiously sensed everything around him, while the Blood-Weeping Demon Spirit also dispersed in the mist, sensing the fluctuations of life and blood energy around him.

At that moment, a figure appeared in my senses.

Lynn's heart tightened. Was there someone else here?

Lynn breathed a sigh of relief upon sensing the energy fluctuations of this person, who was a third-class apprentice.

However, the energy within this person's body seems to resonate with the stellar power within the valley, suggesting that he also cultivates stellar power.

Are you here to absorb star power?

He slowly walked into the depths of the valley, and on a relatively flat, clearing area covered with glazed tiles, he saw the person.

An elderly man wearing the iconic dark blue robe with star patterns of the "Star Observatory" stood with his back to him, gazing up at the gloomy sky.

The old man had no guards or elemental servants by his side, only an old crystal ball and staff crookedly stuck in the ground.

He was thin, his robes looked somewhat loose, and his aura did not show any strong energy fluctuations, but rather a calmness that was out of place with his surroundings.

Lynn tensed up, his hand poised to unleash his sorcery.

The Shadow Twins also lurked beside the old man, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

A wizard from a rival academy appeared alone deep within the buffer zone, which seemed eerie no matter how you looked at it.

Lynn silently raised his hand, and Xiao Hei emerged from the shadows beneath the old man's feet, while Wu Liuqi jumped out from the flank.

Just kill them.

Just as his murderous intent was beginning to rise, the old man suddenly spoke.

The voice was aged yet peaceful, as if it had known of his presence for a long time, and had even been waiting for him:

"Lynn from another land, you've finally made it this far."