Windfall Gains Make a Man Rich

Lynn looked around and saw quite a few apprentices practicing Wizardry here. Making a move now would not be wise.

He did not argue further. He gave Holm a cold look, as if committing his face to memory, then turned and left the training grounds.

Watching Lynn's dejected retreating figure, Holm let out a smug snort and headed off in another direction, intending to return and properly practice his optimized Wizardry.

But he did not notice that a subtle Mental Imprint had silently attached itself to his wizard robe through their earlier contact.

Lynn trailed far behind him, with [Mental Perception] fully activated and locked onto his position.

If I don't avenge this, my Dao heart will never be at peace!

In his excellent mood, Holm soon noticed that someone was following him. He casually cast a detection spell.

When he discovered it was Lynn, Holm was briefly stunned before a vicious grin spread across his face.

"Someone really isn't afraid of death? Do you really think that useless Death Knight can back you up? Fine, then I'll show you what happens when you offend a Second-Class Apprentice!"

He deliberately quickened his pace, weaving through several turns as he led Lynn toward an abandoned supply storage site at the edge of the Academy.

Some low-value "parts" were piled up here, and few people ever came by.

When he reached the middle of a pile of discarded bones, Holm abruptly turned around and grinned viciously at the approaching Lynn.

"Kid, I gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to use it. Don't blame me for being merciless, then!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lynn had already moved!

The Death Knight charged out from behind Lynn like a heavy tank, its skeletal greatsword cleaving at Holm with a fierce gust of wind!

"Courting death!"

Holm snorted coldly and quickly summoned his strongest Undead—a nimble Level 2 Bone Hunter wielding a bone blade!

The hunter nimbly dodged the Death Knight's heavy slash, and the two instantly became locked in battle, scattering bone fragments everywhere.

Holm himself began chanting, preparing to use his signature Apprentice-Level Sorcery, [Negative Energy Ray], to deal with Lynn first.

However, Lynn moved even faster!

He raised his hand and fired a [Weak Soul Shock], interrupting Holm's casting. A Bone Claw immediately followed, slamming down viciously.

Holm had not expected Lynn to cast so quickly. Lacking any means of Soul Protection, he took the Soul Shock head-on.

Fortunately, a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice possessed fairly high "resistance." He recovered after only a moment of dizziness.

But the [Negative Energy Ray] in his hand completely collapsed.

Seeing a bone claw reaching for him, Holm's expression changed. He quickly pulled out a bone shield and activated it.

The bone shield instantly expanded, firmly blocking the Bone Claw.

As a physically frail Wizard Apprentice, survival was always the first priority.

So it was perfectly reasonable to carry a shield around, right?

It had to be said that before mastering true Wizardry, cantrips had extremely weak effects against a bone shield.

Whether it was [Minor Fireball], [Minor Water Arrow], or [Minor Wind Blade], none could easily break through the bone shield.

Holm could simply hide behind the bone shield and cast in peace, placing himself in an invincible position.

That was indeed what he thought. Seeing that the Bone Claw could not harm him, he began chanting again.

This time, he was chanting the optimized [Acid Splash]. Holm intended to send Lynn on his way with Wizardry Lynn had optimized himself!

Seeing that the Bone Claw was ineffective, Lynn abandoned his ranged attacks and instead rushed toward Holm.

His wizard power was not as abundant as Holm's. He had to end this quickly!

As he ran, [Shadow Concealment] took effect, blurring his figure in the dim surroundings.

[Weak Soul Shock] flew toward Holm as if it cost nothing, disrupting his casting rhythm.

"Damn it!"

Holm was constantly affected by Soul Shock and had no opportunity to counterattack.

He had originally planned to hold out until his Bone Hunter killed that damned Death Knight, then come back to aid him.

But the Death Knight was not weak. It was currently fighting the Bone Hunter back and forth with great intensity.

Seeing Lynn rush before him, Holm drew a dagger from his waist. Shield in one hand and dagger in the other, he charged directly at Lynn behind his shield.

Kid, dumbfounded now? Let me show you what a melee Wizard is!

Looking at Holm's savage grin, Lynn was not flustered in the slightest. As Holm closed in, Lynn's own shadow had already spread toward him.

The shadow beneath the charging Holm's feet writhed, and a figure nearly blended into the surroundings burst from it like a ghost!

[Shadow Strike] activated!

The Bone Dagger, carrying armor-piercing force and soul-disrupting power, stabbed precisely toward Holm's heart from behind!

"What?!"

Holm's hair stood on end. Instinctively, he condensed a thin layer of Negative Energy Shield.

Squelch!

The shield tore apart like paper, and the dagger plunged deeply into his body.

"Ah—!!"

The intense pain, coupled with the needle-like disruption to his soul, instantly stiffened Holm's body. Even his scream came to an abrupt stop.

At the same time, Lynn cast [Soul Sting] once more, adding another layer of control.

Holm's movements became completely distorted, and the bone shield and dagger in his hands fell to the ground.

After landing a blow, Wu Liuqi did not pause. He sprang up from the ground and viciously drove his dagger toward Holm's throat.

Take this!!

Squelch!

How could a fragile throat withstand a dagger? The bone dagger pierced straight through it.

Holm's wide eyes were filled with incredulous shock and fear. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he only collapsed heavily to the ground with regret, his breath rapidly fading.

A dignified Second-Class Apprentice had actually been solo-killed by a First-Class Apprentice!

What a... failure...

With its master dead, the Soul Fire in the Bone Hunter's eyes flickered violently before it fell into a berserk state and madly attacked the Death Knight.

Lynn commanded Wu Liuqi to join the battle. Before long, they dismantled the out-of-control Undead into a pile of bones, and Lynn collected its Soul Fire.

He could reassemble it later if needed.

After carrying out its final task, the uncontrolled Death Knight tried to attack Wu Liuqi. Fortunately, Lynn recalled Wu Liuqi in time and placed a Mental Imprint on the Death Knight again.

The battle was over, and Lynn had barely any wizard power left. He did not dare delay and quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

If someone tried to take advantage of the situation, he would have difficulty dealing with them.

Fortunately, this place was deserted. Holm had chosen an excellent burial site for himself.

Lynn found a money pouch on Holm containing twenty-six Magic Stones, some inexpensive magical materials, and a small black cloth bag.

It was a palm-sized black cloth bag inscribed with binding runes.

Lynn had seen one at the Apprentice Market. It seemed to be called a [Lesser Soul-Sealing Bag], specifically used to temporarily store and carry Undead creatures!

Its interior was filled with negative energy, and its space was quite large—three cubic meters in total. It could hold quite a few Undead if packed tightly.

He removed Holm's Dark Silver identity Nameplate and transferred all 364 Contribution Points within it to his own Nameplate.

Fortunately, this thing had no identity verification. Otherwise, those Contribution Points would have gone to waste.

Once unfamiliar mental power transferred all the Contribution Points away, the Academy would know that Holm was definitely dead.

The Wizardry formation on the Dark-Silver Plaque automatically destroyed itself, causing it to lose all functions and become a genuine crafting material.

Looking at the Magic Stones and Soul-Sealing Bag in his hands, then thinking of the measly eight Contribution Points from the mission, Lynn suddenly felt enlightened.

Damn! I'd been taking the wrong path!

The spoils from one fight were far better than honestly doing missions!

So, in this Bone Spire, robbery was the shortcut to getting rich!

Sorry, sorry. Previously, I wrote that Second-Class Apprentices mastered First-Ring Sorcery and Third-Class Apprentices mastered Second Ring Sorcery, which felt incorrect. It has now been changed so that Second-Class and Third-Class Apprentices master Apprentice-Level Sorcery, while First-Class Apprentices master Zero-Level Cantrips. The First-Ring Sorcery obtained for free earlier has also been changed to Apprentice-Level Sorcery. Please take note...