Chapter Sixty-Four: A New Identity

Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts, Necromancy Department.

After enduring the trial in the Shadowy Forest, the necromancy students returned with abundant spoils, and their abilities in dealing with matters had all improved. When Vannie negotiated with the school administration, she presented some of the magic beast cores obtained by the necromancy department, immediately earning high praise from Headmistress Emma.

Emma, a woman in her seventies, was a master of spatial magic and had advanced to the rank of Archmage long ago. She had made remarkable contributions to the empire and was renowned throughout the land, enjoying the deep trust of the Emperor himself.

Within the Necromancy Department’s training grounds, Emma, clad in loose black magical robes, gazed kindly upon the teachers and students, smiling as she spoke: “This time, your department’s trial in the Shadowy Forest was a great success. I’ve heard you even vanquished many orc wolf-riders, which is a significant service to the empire. Teacher Vannie, I hope you will continue to lead the necromancy department to new heights, restoring the former glory of necromancers. I have agreed to all your requests. Children, you must strive hard as well.”

“Headmistress, thank you for your concern. I believe that after this trial, our students have come to understand the importance of strength. From now on, I believe they will study magic with even more diligence and perseverance, to become qualified mages of the empire and serve it at the earliest opportunity,” Vannie replied solemnly, giving Emma her earnest assurance.

“By the way, Teacher Vannie, where is that young man you’re always praising? I was hoping to meet this remarkable fellow today!” Emma asked with a gentle smile, her eyes resting warmly on Vannie.

“Bryan had some matters to attend to outside. I’m sure you’ll have a chance to meet him in the future, Headmistress. He is a truly gifted mage. I dare say it won’t be long before Bryan becomes one of the most formidable mages in our necromancy department.”

Emma nodded in satisfaction and smiled, “I look forward to seeing his progress, and I hope your department will regain its former might.”

With those words, Emma’s figure seemed to ripple like a reflection on water, growing indistinct and unreal. A flash of white light followed, and she vanished without a trace.

“Headmistress Emma, being an archmage of the spatial school, has mastered the essence of spatial magic. She can traverse short distances through space with her body. There’s no need to be surprised!” Jean explained, seeing the astonishment on the students’ faces as Emma disappeared so mysteriously.

“What wondrous magic!” came a voice from outside the training grounds. As the words faded, Bryan stepped into the room.

“Ah, Bryan, the headmistress was just saying she wanted to meet you. Why didn’t you return sooner?” Lisa exclaimed as soon as she saw Bryan.

“There will be opportunities in the future. As for those supplies we acquired from the orc wolf-riders, I’ve already dealt with them. Altogether, I sold them for four thousand gold coins. I’ll keep a thousand for myself, and you can distribute the rest among yourselves. Who here has a crystal card?” Bryan said without preamble.

“Four thousand gold coins! My goodness, I didn’t realize those supplies would fetch such a high price! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered chasing those fleeing orcs!” Buck exclaimed in regret, blaming himself.

Not only Buck, but even Vannie and Jean looked astounded, clearly not expecting the supplies to be worth so much. The students, upon learning there was gold to be shared, beamed with delight, each one grinning in anticipation.

“I have a crystal card—here, take it,” Vannie said, handing her card to Bryan after her initial surprise.

The crystal cards could be connected through a special groove, allowing transactions to be confirmed via both parties’ mental imprints—an extremely convenient process. Once Bryan saw that Vannie had approved the transaction, he transferred three thousand gold coins from his card to hers.

As Bryan handed the card back to Vannie, she gave him another card in return. “This is your student card. From today onward, you are no longer a slave or a menial, but an apprentice mage of the Necromancy Department at Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. With this card, you can borrow books from the library, practice necromantic magic in the training grounds, and attend formal classes in our department.

“This year’s tuition and fees, fifty gold coins, have already been paid on your behalf. Now you can freely access all the resources of our department. I’ve even arranged your new quarters. Bryan, I hope you seize this opportunity and use your talents to carry necromantic magic to new heights!”

Taking the student card from Vannie, Bryan felt a genuine surge of joy. “Thank you, Teacher Vannie. I promise I’ll work hard. I’d like to visit the library to borrow some books, so I’ll leave now. You can distribute the coins to everyone.”

Bryan left the training grounds, holding his new student card, and went straight to the library. At that moment, the plump Jack was still sorting the books. As soon as he saw Bryan, Jack called out in surprise, “Oh, heavens, Bryan, you’ve finally returned! I almost didn’t recognize you—you’ve grown taller and stronger, and you even look better than before!”

“Hello, Jack. Have Borg and the others bullied you while I was away?” Bryan asked with a smile, pulling Jack into a quiet corner.

“No, probably because you taught them a lesson last time. They’ve been much more well-behaved,” Jack chuckled. After a quick glance around, he lowered his voice and whispered, “Bryan, was it really you who had Lisa give me those three gold coins?”

Bryan nodded with a smile. “Of course. From today, I’m a student in the Necromancy Department. I told you before that I would learn magic, but you never believed me. Look—here’s my student card.”

“My goodness, how did you manage it? This is incredible!” Jack exclaimed, staring at Bryan’s student card in awe.

“Alright, alright. Here, I’m giving you another fifty gold coins. There’s no need for you to keep working as a menial here. But you must be extremely careful—don’t let anyone know you have so much gold, or you’ll be in real danger. These coins will let you live comfortably, and if you run into any trouble, come to the Necromancy Department and find me. I’ll take care of it for you,” Bryan said, pulling fifty gold coins from his space ring and stuffing them into Jack’s pocket.

“Fifty gold coins… fifty gold coins…” Jack murmured dazedly, his pocket jingling with the weight of the coins, utterly stunned as if he had forgotten Bryan’s very existence.

Bryan understood well—fifty gold coins were a fortune Jack could never have imagined. Leaving Jack to his thoughts, Bryan smiled and walked away, heading to the section of the library where necromancy books were kept. From the bottom row, he selected an introductory volume on necromancy, signed it out at the entrance, and departed.

After leaving the library, Bryan returned to the storeroom, placed two other magic books into his space ring, and left. He planned to use the teleportation array inside his space ring to travel directly to the Death Cemetery for training. Since both the storeroom and the new dormitory arranged by Vannie were known to others, setting up a teleportation array there would not be safe.

After a moment’s thought, Bryan made his way toward the cemetery behind the academy. It was quiet, and not even magical beasts ventured there. Many of the graves were well hidden, making it the perfect place to set up a teleportation array in secrecy.

Reaching a secluded grave, Bryan rolled a large stone to block the entrance after he slipped inside. Lighting a candle from his space ring, he found the grave, though damp, was otherwise clean. The scattered bones on the ground, rather than feeling eerie, gave him a sense of familiarity and comfort—perfect for a necromancer in training.

After tidying up a bit, Bryan summoned the little skeleton and, with a dagger, carved out a small hidden space in one corner of the grave—a blind spot to anyone looking in. The space was just big enough for him alone, like a closet in an ordinary room.

After careful inspection, Bryan was satisfied that the spot was well concealed. He then took out six magic rods from his space ring and arranged them in the pattern of a six-pointed star. Standing within the formation, he activated the array with his spiritual power.

A white light flashed, and when Bryan opened his eyes, he found himself in the heart of the mysterious Death Cemetery, at the center of its grand magical array within the Shadowy Forest.

“The mysterious Death Cemetery—from now on, this shall be my exclusive domain!” Bryan murmured in satisfaction, gazing around.