Refining a Death Knight

The next morning, Lynn arrived at Gregor's laboratory looking as calm as ever, as though nothing had happened the night before.

He found Gregor scratching his head over a pile of data bone plates and spoke evenly.

"Mentor, I was attacked last night."

Gregor did not even look up, responding vaguely, "Mm... attacked? Fights are normal at the Academy. As long as nobody died, it's fine..."

"It was Mentor Murphy the Soul Ripper. Through my roommate Kevin, he placed a Flesh-Soul Stone beneath my bed, intending to extract my soul."

"Kevin was killed by me in self-defense. His soul was transported away by that stone."

Gregor's hand froze mid-scratch. He finally raised his head, a sharp glint flashing through his murky eyes.

"Murphy? That guy who likes stitching souls into monsters? He set his sights on your extraordinary soul?"

He gave Lynn a thorough once-over.

"You're all right?"

"I noticed in time and dealt with it." Lynn's tone remained calm.

Gregor clicked his tongue, an annoyed expression appearing on his face.

"Trouble... what a damn nuisance."

"That Murphy is like a Carrion Beetle lurking in the shadows—disgusting and hard to get rid of."

He stood and paced twice through the cluttered laboratory.

"I'll 'report' this to the Academy disciplinary department." Gregor deliberately stressed the word "report."

Clearly, he meant he would only report it to the Academy.

"But don't get your hopes up. Without direct evidence, and with only your side of the story, the Academy will never move against a Third-Ring Wizard for an apprentice, especially when Murphy still has some use in soul research."

Lynn had expected this outcome and nodded.

Gregor stopped and looked at Lynn, still somewhat uneasy.

"Don't go back to that lousy dormitory for now. There's a small room behind the laboratory. You'll live there from now on."

"I set up a protective Wizard Array here, and the Soul Hunters regularly patrol this place. No matter how bold Murphy is, he wouldn't dare act here."

"Thank you, Mentor." This time, Lynn's gratitude was somewhat sincere.

His dormitory had no defensive measures at all and was completely unsafe. His mentor's arrangement truly solved his most urgent problem.

"Focus on your research from now on. Just don't cause me any trouble. Cultivate diligently. Strength is the foundation. Once you become a Formal Wizard, you'll have far fewer problems."

With that, Gregor waved a hand and summoned a half-transparent Wraith servant.

"Go. Get him a set of bedding and daily necessities." He looked back at Lynn. "What else do you need?"

Lynn immediately said, "Mentor, I need the Basic Death Knight Refinement Guide, one Resilient Wraith, and the supporting materials: Black-Iron Wood Powder, Soulbinding Thread, and Rotblood Ink."

Gregor raised an eyebrow. "You want to refine Kevin's corpse into a Death Knight? Tch, I suppose that counts as making the most of it."

"Still, refining a Death Knight isn't easy. Kevin hadn't successfully condensed a Mental Core yet, had he? Without being tempered by negative energy, the finished product probably won't be of very high quality."

"Fine. Treat it as practice. I have all that stuff in the laboratory already. None of it is particularly valuable. Go take it yourself from the third material shelf on the east side."

He pointed in the direction, then added, "As for the soul, I'll give you a higher-quality Combat Remnant Soul. It's tougher than an ordinary wandering soul."

"Great, thanks, Mentor!"

Now this was a truly good mentor—thoughtful and generous, getting everything ready for you whenever you needed it.

Far better than those mentors who spent all day eyeing your body!

Before long, Lynn settled into the dusty little room in the corner of the laboratory. It was cramped, but at least it was safe.

The only concern was whether Gregor's tireless daily research and experiments would disturb his meditation.

Once he had finished settling in, Lynn did not waste a moment. He selected the necessary materials from the shelves and immediately began refining the Death Knight.

He first took out Kevin's stiff, folded corpse, softened it with Magic Trick, and laid it flat.

Following the refinement guide, he began the formal procedure.

This was his first time personally refining an Undead, so he was inevitably somewhat unfamiliar with the process.

Lynn first used his own negative energy to carefully scour the corpse, strengthening its bones and muscle fibers while preserving its innate talents from when it had been alive.

If Kevin had condensed a Mental Core while alive, his body would have been tempered by negative energy during his advancement and become a more suitable "material."

At present, Lynn could only do his best to make up for that deficiency.

After the scouring was complete, Lynn carefully used Soulbinding Thread, like silver spider silk, to weave a complex binding network through the corpse's limbs, bones, and core regions.

This step was meant to better conduct Death Energy and control the Undead's movements.

Finally, using foul-smelling Rotblood Ink, he engraved a primary control rune onto the corpse's forehead and an energy nexus rune over its heart.

The entire process was dull and precise. Lynn had to remain fully focused, or the Death Knight he refined would be greatly inferior.

For several days, the laboratory was filled with the strange mixed scent of negative energy, preservatives, and Rotblood Ink.

Lynn gradually grew accustomed to the smell.

Sometimes, when he was busy, he did not even have time to eat wizard meals. He simply picked a Butt Cheek from the Satiety Mushroom in the room and ate it.

That day, as Lynn carefully traced an auxiliary rune, the laboratory door was pushed open.

A young apprentice in flashy wizard robes, with his hair slicked back glossy, walked in humming a tune.

He was one of Gregor's other three apprentices, named Field.

He was the fellow Gregor had mentioned—the one who neglected proper work and spent all day trying to flirt with the female apprentices under Soulweaver Marfa.

"Yo! A new face!"

Field spotted Lynn, who was busy at work, at a glance. His eyes lit up as he moved closer.

"You're the new junior apprentice Mentor took in? I'm Field. I got here two years before you."

Lynn did not stop working, merely replying flatly, "Lynn."

He had little interest in his mentor's other apprentices and had no intention of building any rapport with them.

Still, for this nominal senior apprentice to live so freely and happily in a Dark Wizard Academy for two years, he must have had some ability.

Field did not mind Lynn's coldness at all. He casually examined the corpse and materials on the workbench.

"Tsk tsk, a Death Knight? Playing with this as a beginner? You've got guts, Junior Brother!"

"But your technique... hmm, it's a little rough. You need to be gentler when wrapping the Soulbinding Thread around the soul core, or it'll affect its later flexibility..."

While commenting, Field naturally picked up some spare Black-Iron Wood Powder from beside him and casually sprinkled it over several joint connections for Lynn.

"This stuff can make it a bit harder."

Lynn glanced at him but did not stop him.

Though this guy looked unreliable, his technique was indeed skilled.