Death Knight!

"Oh, right!"

Field suddenly lowered his voice, a trace of schadenfreude in his tone.

"Have you heard about what happened to Mentor Morpheus, the 'Soulflayer'?"

"Apparently, a few days ago, he somehow offended Vice Tower Master Cersei, and an important Primary Soul test subject in his laboratory suddenly suffered Backlash."

"He wasn't hurt, but a huge part of his laboratory was wrecked. The losses were severe! He's cleaning up the mess in a right state now..."

"Morpheus seems convinced Cersei was behind it. He even said he'd report her to the Academy's higher-ups."

Lynn's hand paused slightly as he inscribed the rune.

Vice Tower Master Cersei was dealing with Morpheus?

Was it a coincidence? Or had Mentor Gregor's "response" worked?

Were his mentor's words really that effective? Or was he involved with Cersei?

Hmm... He had seen Cersei before when choosing a mentor. She didn't look like someone easy to provoke. Otherwise, she would never have risen to Vice Tower Master, especially with the responsibility of maintaining stability within the Academy.

Lynn calmly continued his work, but he had formed a new assessment of his mentor, who seemed so afraid of trouble.

He had some tricks up his sleeve!

That meant Morpheus should rein himself in a little... right?

Field was still prattling away.

From which female apprentice he had recently hooked up with, to which mentor was the stingiest, to what styles of wizard robes were currently popular at the market...

Most of the time, Lynn simply listened, occasionally responding with an "Mm."

Though noisy, it gave him a more direct understanding of the Academy's various factions and latest developments.

When Gregor finally returned to the laboratory, Field immediately behaved himself, putting on a solemn expression.

Clearly, his frivolous nature had earned him plenty of scoldings from his mentor.

Gregor shot him a sidelong glance and ignored him.

Field rubbed his hands together and sidled over with a fawning smile.

"Mentor~ Are you busy?" Field's voice was sickeningly sweet.

Gregor snorted irritably and ignored him, continuing to scribble across a bone plate.

Field was not discouraged in the slightest. He stuck by Gregor's side like gum on a shoe and continued.

"Mentor, that bottle of Soul-Eroding Grass Extract in the cabinet on the east side of your laboratory has been sitting there for ages, hasn't it? Its effectiveness is probably fading. Could you lend me some? Just a tiny bit!"

"I took on a private job repairing a Cursed Doll. The reward is a full fifty Magic Stones! I'm only missing this one crucial material! I swear by the River Styx that once I get the Magic Stones, I'll immediately buy twice as much to return to you!"

Gregor was driven to distraction by his noise. His bone pen came down heavily, carving an ugly streak across the plate.

"Get lost! Are the laboratory's materials for you to use on private jobs? Handle your own problems yourself!"

"Mentor, please! Just this once!" Field pressed his hands together in supplication.

"You know how hard it is for apprentices like us to earn Magic Stones. If this job fails, I'll practically lose my pants..."

"Please help me out. Once I have some money to spare, I'll definitely show you proper respect!"

"Shut up! Keep yammering and I'll throw you to the Stitched Monsters!"

Gregor's forehead veins throbbed from Field's incessant nagging. He felt as though his train of thought was about to be completely derailed.

Looking at Field's shameless expression, he knew he would get no peace today unless he agreed.

"Enough!" Gregor slammed the table and pointed at Lynn, who was quietly processing materials nearby.

"You want to borrow materials? Fine! Go help Lynn finish refining his Death Knight. If you succeed, you can use a little of the materials as you please!"

Field's eyes lit up, and he immediately pounded his chest. "No problem! Leave it to me! Junior Brother Lynn's business is my business!"

He instantly forgot his promise to show proper respect to his mentor and eagerly ran over to Lynn.

"Junior Brother Lynn! Mentor gave the word. I'm here to help you deal with this big fellow!" Field announced proudly.

Lynn glanced at him, then at Gregor, who looked relieved deep inside the laboratory. He understood.

He nodded and stepped aside. "Perfect. I've run into some trouble synchronizing the energy of the soul and body."

"Small problem! Watch me!"

Field rolled up his sleeves and took over without ceremony. Though he looked unreliable, his techniques were indeed experienced.

Over the next few days, Field's voice often rang through the laboratory.

"Hey, Junior Brother, that's not how you wrap Soulbinding Thread. Follow the muscle grain, or it'll affect its explosive power..."

"Watch the stability of the negative energy output. Like this—wash it over in waves, simulating the rhythm of a heartbeat. That'll make the soul's compatibility higher..."

"Add a little more Soul-Condensing Sand to the Rotblood Ink here. Yes, that one. It stabilizes the soul and prevents it from developing self-awareness and suffering Backlash later..."

Lynn silently observed and learned from the side, recording every practical trick Field had accumulated through experience and using the panel for Record and Optimization.

Though he had his "golden finger" to assist him, actual hands-on work still differed from theory.

He had to admit that Field truly had unique insights when it came to the practical construction of Necromantic Constructs.

With the two of them working together, the Death Knight's refinement progressed much faster.

Several days later, the final rune was activated.

The creation on the workbench, fused from Kevin's corpse and a Combat Remnant Soul, suddenly shuddered. Its eyes snapped open, and deep soul fire burned steadily within them.

It slowly rose to its feet, standing nearly two meters tall.

Its entire skeleton was abnormally thick and sturdy, radiating a cold aura of death.

Though it could not compare to a true Death Knight, it already possessed considerable intimidation.

Lynn immediately used Analysis on it:

[Target: Death Knight (Inferior)]

[Rank: lv1 (Standard Grade) Peak]

[Composition: Death Affinity body (solid foundation), Combat Remnant Soul (obedience: high), simple reinforced skeleton, basic soul-energy circuits]

[Abilities:]

Cleave: Used standard-issue weapons to deliver powerful, heavy attacks.

Undead Intimidation: Had a certain intimidating effect on low-level Undead (lv0-lv1), weakening their combat ability.

Toughness: Had high physical defense and strong resistance to low-circle negative mental effects.

[Potential: Medium (limited by current materials and the refiner's rank, it could grow to a maximum of lv2 Elite-tier)]

"It's already pretty good to have reached this level!"

Field patted the Death Knight's hard arm, producing a series of dull thumps.

"It's just right for you to use now. Once you advance to a Second-Class Apprentice or Third-Class Apprentice and gather better materials, you can throw it back into the furnace and upgrade it. It still has potential."

"It's practically a beginner's divine weapon. Way better than those skeletons that shatter at the slightest touch!"

Lynn looked at the silent Death Knight before him and nodded.

What a pity. Its grade was too low, so it had not awakened the Death Knight's signature techniques, Blood Strike and Death Grip.

Though it was only a stripped-down version, it was the first Undead creature he had personally created. That was already quite good.

And as Field had said, it was more than enough for the current stage.