Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Inside the modification workshop, Thomas was sweating profusely as he adjusted a skeleton guardian that had just completed its basic skeletal modification.

This was a side job he had taken on; if successful, he could earn at least fifty contribution points.

He not only has to ensure his cultivation, but also has to set aside some resources to study "Necromancer's Forging Technique", so he is still at the first-class apprentice stage.

Fortunately, compared to ordinary apprentices, he has a special skill. As his skills improve, he can also take on some private jobs to increase his extra income.

Life won't be so tight anymore.

At that moment, several apprentices from the same department rushed into the workshop, chattering about Lynn's promotion.

Thomas dropped the wrench from his hand with a clatter to the ground.

"...Lynn? A formal wizard?" He wiped the sweat from his face, somewhat bewildered. "Didn't he only recently advance to the third-level apprentice level?"

"It's absolutely true! The soul crystal and soul tablet are all up there! The title is 'Lord of All Things'!" an apprentice declared confidently.

Thomas remained silent for a while before bending down to pick up the wrench and continuing to adjust the rune connection points on the skeleton.

However, his movements were much slower than before.

He was still basking in the glory of earning an extra fifty contribution points when he realized that his "comrade" had already been promoted to a formal wizard.

First-class wizard apprentices and first-circle full wizards...

The difference is really big...

But now...

"Lord of all things..." Thomas repeated the title in a low voice, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"This title is truly astonishing..."

"Lynn... I hope you can truly live up to this title..."

He tightened the last rune bolt with all his might, and the soul fire in the skeletal guard's eye sockets lit up. It stood up unsteadily, and a metallic scraping sound came from its joints.

Thomas looked at it and suddenly felt that his efforts over the past two years seemed so... insignificant in the face of this message.

...

In the clothing section of Ghost Market, Field was happily trying on a brand-new, flashy pink wizard robe in front of a huge crystal mirror.

The robe is made of exquisite materials and embroidered with fluorescent patterns that change color with the light. The cuffs are also adorned with a few resonant crystals that emit a slight buzzing sound.

Wearing this flashy wizard robe not only gives you a "fluorescent effect" but also makes a jingling sound when you walk, which is quite stylish.

After five years of study, Field was finally promoted to third-class apprentice.

This speed is already quite good. In the future, I will be a top figure among the apprentices, so naturally I should dress more presentably.

To celebrate his promotion, he decided to treat himself to a "luxury item".

"Boss, how much is this robe?" Field turned around, admiring his "debonair" figure in the mirror.

If someone were to go out wearing this robe, wouldn't it dazzle those fools who only know how to cultivate in silence?

Especially my junior colleague, who stays in the lab all day and doesn't know how to enjoy life.

What a waste of that face.

Before the shop owner could even offer a price, a commotion suddenly erupted on the street outside, followed by the excited chatter of the apprentices:

"Have you heard? Lynn, who used to have a stall at the market, has been promoted to a full-fledged wizard!"

"Lord of All Things! That title is so powerful!"

"He's only been enrolled for two years, right? This speed... he's probably going to break the academy record!"

Field's smile froze.

He slowly turned around to look at the excited apprentices outside the shop, then slowly turned back to look at himself in the mirror, dressed in a pink wizard's robe, looking somewhat comical.

Lynn?

Two years of study... a formal wizard... the Lord of All Things...

Isn't that referring to his junior brother?

That kid's become a full-fledged wizard?!

No... the last time we met, he told me that he needed to reflect for a few years and properly concentrate on the core of his spirit.

How did you get promoted so quickly?

Lynn ruined me!!

Field suddenly felt that the robe he had been so proud of just moments before now seemed incredibly irritating.

So...naive.

If he were to actually wear this thing out and parade around town, people probably wouldn't call him "the most handsome, most eye-catching, and most tasteful third-rate apprentice" Field, but rather "Lynn's useless senior brother" Field.

"Boss..." Field's voice was a little hoarse. "I'll pass on this robe for now."

He took off his robe, gently placed it on the counter, and turned to walk out of the shop.

On the streets, the apprentices were still excitedly discussing Lynn's promotion, the meaning behind the title "Lord of All Things," and the changes that this newly promoted wizard might bring.

Seeing yet another apprentice promoted to a full wizard, they felt no jealousy whatsoever.

The gap is too big...

Field silently made his way through the crowd toward his residence.

His feelings were complicated.

There was shock, there was disbelief, but more than anything... there was an indescribable sense of disparity.

The junior apprentice who once needed his "guidance," the apprentice who once had clumsy refining techniques in the laboratory, has now reached a height that he can only look up to.

"Lynn..." Field looked up, gazing in the direction of the laboratory.

"You little rascal... you really never play by the rules."

He shook his head, a relieved smile finally appearing on his face.

He had originally planned to share his joy at the promotion with people he knew.

This included Gregor and Lynn.

Now it seems unnecessary.

If he were to excitedly run over and tell Gregor, he would probably get the comment, "He's nowhere near as good as Lynn."

"That's fine. At least I can brag to people in the future that the newly promoted 'Lord of All Things' Lynn is my junior brother."

"Hmm... if I said that when I'm picking up girls in the future, would people look at me in a new light?"

Suddenly, Field seemed to realize something, and his face stiffened abruptly...

He has a pregnant girlfriend at home; if he were to stray, he wouldn't have a good life in the future.

Field's expression hardened, and he strode quickly toward his residence.

I'm about to become a father myself, so it's time to be more mature.

...

Before the entrance to the second floor of the skeletal remains storage room, the barrier separating apprentices from formal wizards remained firmly in place.

Lynn did not stop. The restrictions on the door sensed the aura of the soul tablet at his waist and automatically slid open to the sides, revealing a deep passage behind it.

Unlike before, he didn't use his homemade "radish seal" to carve a false mark on the nameplate and sneak in.

Instead, he stepped forward and calmly entered the room amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the apprentices.

We're respectable people; we don't do things in secret!

Behind him, the barrier slowly closed.

He also temporarily shut out the noisy, turbulent, and bustling world of apprentices outside.

Inside the door lies an ocean of knowledge, and also his favorite time for "freebies".