Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Lynn opened his eyes and beckoned to the apprentice. "Come here."

The apprentice knelt on the ground, his body trembling.

He thought Lynn was going to punish him, so he gritted his teeth and crawled over, his forehead pressed against the ground, not daring to look up.

Lynn crouched down and pointed to several runes on the control panel.

"Here, here, and here... Connect these three energy loops in parallel to add a buffer node, add three magic stones, and put them in this groove."

The apprentice was stunned.

He looked up at Lynn, then at the runes on the control panel.

He didn't understand why the three loops had to be connected in parallel, nor did he understand why the teleportation array he had operated so many times had to be suddenly changed.

If this change goes wrong, the consequences could be dire.

The apprentice's hands trembled; he dared not move rashly.

Lynn didn't speak, but just stared at him quietly, which put him under great pressure.

The apprentice gritted his teeth, picked up the tools, and began operating according to Lynn's instructions.

There was no other way; I was just a junior apprentice and couldn't afford to offend anyone. I'd fix it first, and if there were any more problems, I'd fix it back.

If the entire teleportation array is destroyed, then the academy can send someone to repair it, and I can rest for a few days.

Following Lynn's instructions, the apprentice first connected three energy circuits in parallel, linking the originally parallel lines together and securing them with runes.

A buffer node was added at the confluence, using a small piece of magic crystal as a medium.

Then I put three new magic stones into the slot next to the console.

His fingers were very unsteady, and he was very careful with each stroke, afraid of making a mistake.

This teleportation array is the only channel connecting the entire planet to the outside world; it would be such a waste to destroy it.

After adding the magic stones, the runes on the teleportation array lit up again, brighter than before, and the buzzing sound became deeper.

Lynn returned to the center of the teleportation array.

The apprentice stepped back to the control panel and took a deep breath.

start up!

A white light rose from beneath his feet, engulfing Lynn's figure. He vanished, leaving the teleportation array empty.

The apprentice slumped to the ground, his back covered in sweat.

Did you make it?

Will this person be teleported to some random, chaotic place?

He took a few breaths, got up from the ground, and looked at the teleportation array. The runes were still glowing, and the buzzing sound continued.

everything is normal.

I checked the teleportation log again, and it was indeed confirmed that I had been teleported back to the academy.

Thank goodness...

The apprentice wiped the sweat from his brow and began to think.

Why does it take so much energy to teleport Lord Lynn?

The energy threshold of the teleportation array is fixed, and he knows very well how much energy a third-ring wizard needs.

But the energy that the magic stone just transmitted was more than twice that of a third-ring wizard.

Could it be... that Lord Lynn has broken through to the Saint Mark level?

The apprentice shook his head.

He's too young; he looks like he's not even thirty.

Saintly Stigmata Wizards? How many Saintly Stigmata Wizards are there in the entire Bone Spire?

Those old monsters, which one of them hasn't lived for over a hundred years?

But it's also possible that Lord Lynn had some extraordinary encounter in that small world, causing his strength to surge and allowing him to break through to the Saint Mark level.

The apprentice's fingers tapped lightly on the control panel.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to me.

Lord Lynn has been possessed by the natives!

If there were a native with a Saint Mark level in that small world who possessed a third-circle wizard, they could completely impersonate him.

The teleportation array required twice the energy, indicating that his strength had exceeded the third ring level, but it was unstable, and he couldn't perfectly control his power...

Thinking of this, the apprentice's heart pounded.

This is highly likely. The academy has experienced several infiltrations by alien races and takes this matter extremely seriously.

If Lord Lynn is possessed, especially by a being at the Saint Mark level, he can obtain a large amount of contribution points simply by reporting it to the academy.

Perhaps this will even allow him to advance from apprentice to full-fledged wizard.

But... if Lord Lynn hadn't been possessed, then I would be defaming a Stigmata Wizard.

The Stigmata Wizard wanted to kill him, but the academy wouldn't even investigate.

Should we report it?

The apprentice struggled internally as his hand slowly reached for the communication device on the control panel.

He hesitated for a moment, then pulled back.

It stretched out again and then pulled back, repeating this three times.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, picked up the communication device, and activated the academy's emergency communication channel.

"The War Affairs Department? I'm the apprentice guarding the X-779 Teleportation Hall. Just now, a third-ring wizard named Lynn was teleported back to the academy from here. There was an anomaly during the teleportation, and I suspect he might have been possessed by the natives..."

"His mental field is unusually large, and the energy consumed during teleportation is more than twice the normal value. I request the academy to verify his identity."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communication line, followed by a cold voice.

"Understood, we will arrange for someone to investigate."

The apprentice put down the communication device, sat in the chair, and his legs trembled involuntarily.

He was filled with anxiety, unsure whether he had made the right or wrong move.

If Lord Lynn has truly been possessed, he will be a hero.

If Lord Lynn breaks through the Saint Mark, he will have offended a Saint Mark Wizard.

Surely the Stigmata Wizard wouldn't hold a grudge against an apprentice like him?

He thought about it, but then felt it might not be so.

Those high-ranking figures are not very good-tempered, let alone the old monsters of the Black Wizard Academy.

He thought to himself that he hadn't said anything excessive; he was just asking to verify his identity, which was simply fulfilling his duty.

Even if Lord Lynn really breaks through the Saint Mark, I am only acting out of duty, so I should be fine.

The apprentice wiped the sweat from his brow, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Let fate decide.

...

Lynn stepped out of the academy's teleportation array in white light, his feet landing on the familiar black stone slabs of the Bone Spire.

The other teleportation arrays around were still busy, with apprentices and wizards stepping into them and being transported to various worlds for their journeys.

Lynn didn't linger; he planned to go to the laboratory area first to see if Gregor was there.

After all, he's been promoted to a Saint Mark, so we should at least make the old man happy.

He'll be happy for me...right?

After exiting the teleportation array, Lynn was not in a hurry. He used the communication stone tablet to connect to the academy's network to learn about recent major events at the academy while walking towards the laboratory.

Before even reaching the laboratory area, Lynn, who was brushing stone slabs, sensed something was wrong.

The air suddenly thickened. He raised his right hand and gently traced his fingers through the air. His fingertips encountered a layer of resistance, and the space seemed to solidify.

Is this... a powerful being sealing off space?

Lynn looked up.

His spiritual power reached the eternally dark sky above the Eternal Night Graveyard.

There are nineteen sacred marks on the sky, seven main marks and twelve secondary marks.

That is the foundation of the Bone Spire, the mark left by the academy's holy relics and even the True Spirit Wizard.

At this moment, three holy marks came to life.

Fear, a lesser stigmata.

Its color is grayish-black, like a thick fog, churning in the sky and slowly sinking.

Shadow, a secondary stigmata.

Its color was deeper than fear, a glossy black, like a film of oil slowly flowing across the sky.

Ice, a minor stigmata.

Its color is pale white, with tiny ice crystals shimmering at the edges, like frost flowers in winter.

The three holy marks descended simultaneously from the sky, like three giant hands slowly pressing down.

Lynn frowned slightly.

Is this... the college's welcoming ceremony?

Congratulations on getting promoted to a Stigmata?

Hmm...that's quite ingenious...