Chapter 129 - 004: Friends

Chapter 129: 004: Friends

“Let’s stitch him together first.”

Lynch retrieved a pair of leather gloves and a beak-shaped mask from his Space Pocket and put them on. These Witchcraft items, made from special materials, offered resistance to contamination and abnormalities. Barton’s body, fused with numerous dangerous bloodline organs, required caution.

Saws, files, stitching wires, hammers, scalpels—all the tools were arranged in place, and Lynch began the stitching process.

In an instant, there was a frenzy of blood spraying and flesh twisting.

Back on Earth, Lynch barely had the heart to slaughter a chicken, yet now he could nonchalantly face a corpse torn into mangled flesh and even calmly stitch it back together—it was truly extraordinary.

It only proved how astonishingly adaptable humans could be.

After several hours of painstaking work, Lynch managed to piece Barton together. Now, Barton looked as grotesque as the Frankenstein creation nearby, covered in densely packed, centipede-like stitching lines.

“That’s enough for today.”

Lynch planned to repair Barton’s body and later use Undead Magic to transform it into an obedient Undead Servant, similar to Frankenstein.

However, Barton’s complex physiology included many organs sourced from First and Second Tier Magic Lives, which involved Wizard Level knowledge. Lacking complete confidence, Lynch dared not proceed rashly.

“Speaking of which, that young lady better not renege on granting me the Netta Apprentice status she promised…”

If anything excited Lynch the most, it was indeed the prospect of becoming a Netta Apprentice. With this status, he could obtain the Golden Key to the library. Wizard-level knowledge—he had been yearning for it for a long, long time.

After tidying up the laboratory, Lynch proceeded to the Cultivation Room to carry out his daily training.

First, a round of meditation.

[Meditation Proficiency +3]

Then, training with the Knight Breathing Method.

[Knight Breathing Method Proficiency +3]

Next came swordsmanship and spells.

[Direct Death Without Advance Proficiency +1]

[Space Distortion Proficiency +3]

…

After several rounds of cultivation, Lynch had nearly depleted his spiritual power and completely drained his physical strength.

He collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily, staring at the ceiling through the haze of heat emanating from his body. Sweat freely seeped from his pores, drenching every inch of his skin.

Exhaustion—yes, he was utterly exhausted.

But observing those incremental increases in skill levels, no matter how weary he felt, Lynch endured and kept pushing forward.

Each time he felt drowsy during meditation, seeing that [+1 Proficiency] notification rekindled his motivation—perhaps meditating a bit longer wasn’t impossible after all.

When his arms became too heavy to lift his sword, the [+1 Proficiency] message reminded him to push harder— the upgrade in swordsmanship and the leap in his overall strength were just within reach. A stronger version of himself lay ahead.

“Phew…~”

After taking a brief rest, Lynch glanced out the window and realized the sky had already darkened.

Another day had passed in the blink of an eye.

While contemplating grabbing some food outside, he suddenly heard a knocking sound from downstairs.

“Lynch!”

“Lynch, is that you back?”

It was Subaru’s voice.

Wearing his cloak, Lynch went downstairs and opened the door, finding several familiar faces outside—Subaru, Carl, Graham, and even Adam were there.

Graham boasted proudly, “See? Told you, he’s back!”

Carl stepped forward and gave Lynch a punch on the shoulder, grinning widely as he seethed, “You bastard, you damned bastard—finally! Just what happened out there?”

Subaru chimed in, “Exactly! Scared the hell out of everyone. We heard you encountered a Black Wizard during your mission, right?”

After hesitating for a moment, he added with slight annoyance, “Could’ve given us a heads-up once you were back!”

Lynch replied, “Apologies, I was planning to rest for a day and then visit you all later.”

He then invited them inside.

However, Graham interrupted, “Invite my ass—let’s head over to the Fairy Tavern for some proper welcome drinks.”

How could he pass up the chance for free food?

The group headed to the Fairy Tavern, where Lynch reserved a private room. The room had a fixed spending limit, but considering their numbers, the cost was nearly equivalent to sitting in the main hall downstairs.

Once seated and food ordered, Subaru and the others stared at Lynch without saying a word.

Feeling awkward, Lynch asked, “Do I have something on my face?”

Subaru shook his head.

After a pause, Subaru spoke again, “Lynch, so everything Adam said is true?”

“What?” Lynch asked, perplexed.

Subaru responded, “He said you’re incredibly strong, and…”

After drawing a sharp breath, he asked, “That ’Shadow Sword’—is it really you?”

Damn that nickname…

Lynch turned to Adam and asked, “What exactly did you tell them?”

Adam apologized awkwardly, “Sorry, the Tower questioned me about the details, and I couldn’t keep anything hidden…”

Following their return via the Teleportation Scroll, Adam received prompt medical attention. Once he regained consciousness, the Tower interrogated him about the incident, including how Lynch assisted in defeating the Ausen Giant Python.

The Tower didn’t intentionally broadcast these details but refrained from suppressing them either, so word spread quickly among the apprentices.

The “Shadow Sword,” a mysterious figure previously debated among apprentices, instantly became a popular topic once Lynch’s identity was revealed. During Lynch’s absence, he unwittingly became the hot subject of their discussions, earning additional titles like “Miracle Kid.”

After three years of obscurity, he was thrust back into the spotlight.

“So that’s what happened…”

No wonder the apprentices he encountered yesterday looked at him strangely.

Adam apologized again, “I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

Lynch shook his head, “It’s fine.”

His initial intention to remain low-key stemmed from concerns about Alfred, avoiding unnecessary attention. But, if Avery wasn’t mistaken, Alfred no longer posed a threat.

In that case, showcasing a bit of strength might now be beneficial.

Turning to Subaru and Carl, Lynch confessed straightforwardly, “If what everyone’s discussing about ’Shadow Sword’ refers to someone frequently wielding the Cross Sword to hunt in the fields…then, yes, that’s me.”

Subaru, Carl, and Graham immediately burst out.

“Shit!”

“You sneaky bastard!”

Lynch shrugged innocently, “But you guys never asked me…”

Truthfully, Lynch had never intentionally hidden anything. His public habits—avid reading, rigorous cultivation, active learning—were openly practiced and known among those who interacted with him, including Subaru and Carl.

Yet whenever discussions arose about that powerful, enigmatic apprentice, Lynch was consistently excluded from consideration. From the start, people simply hadn’t regarded him as the candidate.

Perhaps they simply didn’t believe hard work alone could lead to true strength…

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