How to Choose?

Morris gave him a long look and fell silent for a moment, as if weighing something.

If it had been an ordinary apprentice, he definitely wouldn't have taken such care of them.

After all, during his decades at Bone Spire, he had risen from a Wizard Apprentice to a Formal Wizard and witnessed far too many schemes and deaths.

It was also because Xilu and he were considered relatively "stable" and "normal" among Dark Wizards, not casually slaughtering people, that they had been assigned the recruitment task.

Otherwise, if a Wizard whose mind had been ruined by negative energy and whose personality had become twisted had handled recruitment, there probably wouldn't have been many boys left on this ship.

And this boy before him...

He had potential!

He could achieve great things!

If Morris invested in him more and formed a good connection, perhaps he could reap generous returns in the future.

Morris looked at Lynn, the youth who had displayed astonishing talent and wisdom aboard the ship, and finally spoke.

"With your talent, [Bone Emperor] Victor and [Soulweaver] Marfa will certainly compete for you."

His bone-blade arm pointed toward the front of the hall, where the two most terrifying presences stood.

One was a burly figure shrouded in dense black mist, with only two crimson points of light visible.

The other was a woman in flowing black robes, her face hidden in the shadow of her hood, revealing only a pale chin bearing a mysterious smile.

As though they had sensed Lynn's gaze, both turned their eyes toward him.

Seeing that the two had noticed his little movement, Morris lowered his voice further until it practically drilled into Lynn's mind.

"Follow them, and you'll gain access to the finest undead and soul knowledge the fastest. You won't lack resources either."

Morris changed the subject, his voice carrying a faint warning.

"But they—Victor in particular—regard talented apprentices as the highest-quality 'materials' and 'test subjects'!"

"Your exceptional soul might be the perfect foundation for soul stitching in Marfa's eyes. And to Victor, your soul and earth-element talent may be suitable for transforming into the core of an Earth Bone Golem."

"If you follow either of them, the mortality rate... is extremely high!"

Lynn's heart tightened. Just as he had expected.

He had originally thought that following a soul- or undead-type mentor would be good. The Wizardry he currently possessed belonged to those two branches, and both were powerful.

But... compared to his own life, everything else had to take a back seat.

"Then what do you suggest, Mentor?"

Morris's compound eyes turned toward an inconspicuous corner of the hall.

A middle-aged Wizard sat there, wearing a gray robe stained with all manner of filth. His hair was like tangled weeds, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy and unfocused.

Unlike the other Wizards, he didn't even display his insignia or achievements. He merely kept his head lowered, scribbling on a bone plate, utterly deaf to the surrounding commotion.

"His name is Gregor, known as the [Hand of Myriad Phenomena]."

Morris introduced him. "A stubborn... oddball."

"He became a Third-Ring Wizard nearly a century ago, yet he has never been able to condense a Stigma and step into the Fourth Ring."

"Several decades ago, he became obsessed with a mad theory—the [Death Metamorphosis Ritual]."

"Death Metamorphosis?"

Lynn's heart stirred.

"Yes. Gregor believes comfort is what hinders a Wizard's evolution. Only by approaching death without end, or even experiencing a state of 'near-death,' can the soul and mind break their shackles, undergo a qualitative leap, and perhaps even... improve one's talent."

"He is trying to create a ritual that will let someone experience such a state and then revive."

Morris let out a snort like grinding bones.

"The theory is enticing, but in practice... its success rate is infinitely close to zero. He himself has nearly died several times in rituals of his own design."

"Gregor dabbles in a wide range of fields—undead, souls, curses, transformations, even elemental Wizardry—but he isn't particularly proficient in any of them."

"Because his research is so broad, he has few resources to spare for you and won't put much effort into guiding you. He adopts a completely 'free-range' approach toward apprentices, and his apprentices have the highest survival rate because..."

Morris paused.

"He never actively sacrifices his apprentices. He's even somewhat... afraid of trouble. As long as you're well-behaved under him, your odds of surviving are actually higher than under those two."

"For a genius like you, who needs time to grow and doesn't want to be treated as material, he may be a good choice."

"Of course, that assumes you don't participate in those so-called 'Death Metamorphosis' experiments..."

"I'm only giving you a little advice. How you choose is still up to you. The path of cultivation can never be smooth sailing, and perhaps this 'free-range' approach will get you killed faster."

Lynn instantly understood Morris's deeper meaning.

This was an academically minded mentor who could provide only basic protection but offered the greatest degree of freedom.

Choosing Gregor wouldn't earn him much "guidance" or "support."

But... he also wouldn't become deeply bound to his mentor and turn into the mentor's "private property."

In this Academy atmosphere where "mentors came first," Lynn naturally leaned toward choosing such a "research fanatic" as his mentor.

As for that mad [Death Metamorphosis Ritual]...

A gleam flashed through Lynn's eyes. It wasn't complete nonsense. Wasn't Alphonse a perfect example?

He too had only awakened his death talent while on the verge of "death," and his Mental Power had surged directly to 15 points!

Hmm... still a little behind him.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mentor!"

Lynn bowed sincerely.

However, he still intended to look at the other mentors first. It would also give him a better understanding of the Academy's various "specializations" and the mentors' research directions.

Within the hall were several "light screens" displaying the "factions" each mentor belonged to, along with their main information.

Among the undead branch, there were two top-tier mentors.

[Bone Emperor] Victor: Specialized in Bone Armament and undead army construction, advocating that "quantitative change leads to qualitative change."

Research Topic: <On the Amplifying Effect of Collective Consciousness on the Synergy of Undead Creations and the Feasibility of Ultimate War Weapons>

Research Direction: The large-scale art of undead warfare, dedicated to creating an undead legion with high discipline and tactical coordination.

His specific research included war weapons—the Titan Bone Project, Undead Array Resonance, specialized undead troop design, undead war fortifications, and more.

Victor was a living textbook of Undead Warfare Studies.

His undead army had played a decisive role in planar wars and was also known as the "Mobile Calamity" and "Plane Killer."

Wherever he went, all things withered, leaving only bones behind.

For weaker planes, his arrival itself was an irresistible calamity.

[Master Stitcher] Grasha: An authority in the field of flesh stitching, a mad artist who broke the taboos of life, and a pinnacle figure in biological transformation. She loved to "create" new species.

Research Topic: <Crossing the Boundaries of Life Forms: Selection of Optimal Flesh Units and Forced Life Alchemy>

Research Direction: Forced Life Alchemy and ultimate flesh weapons, dedicated to using violent stitching and alchemy to "create" stronger, more "perfect" life forms.

Her specific research included extraordinary organ transplants, directed mutation induction, intelligence enhancement for flesh Golems, and more.

She was also known as the "Life Profaner" and "Nightmare Creator."

Above the semi-plane Eternal Night Graveyard, where the Academy was located, countless of her "masterpieces" wandered about.

Her greatest creations included the Putrid Hive, the Nine-Headed Dragon, the Abyssal Maw Leviathan, and more.