21st Century Necromancer

Under normal circumstances, forming a Mage Corps requires establishing a complete mage training system, starting from apprentices and gradually training qualified mages. These mages must then be organized and trained according to military standards, especially in the ability to cast spells jointly.

The strength of a Mage Corps over ordinary mages lies in its ability to concentrate the power of all mages for collaborative spellcasting, transforming regular magic into legion-rank strategic magic, or even forcibly enhancing spell levels to cast powerful spells known as Forbidden Curses.

Such a training system is not something small forces or small countries can handle. Not only do they need a large population to select enough mage apprentice candidates, but the process of screening and selection requires a lot of personnel who at least understand basic spell knowledge. The various resources consumed in developing a mage apprentice of this scale are enough to bankrupt a medium-sized country.

After becoming an Official Mage, the costs for equipment, laboratories, workshops, and even Mage Towers are astonishingly expensive.

Therefore, throughout the Multiverse, those capable of creating a standard-level Mage Corps are invariably strong and wealthy nations. For some declining or small countries, although they may claim to have a Mage Corps, they have merely gathered a group of mages together, which doesn't constitute a true Mage Corps.

A genuine Mage Corps cannot simply be called such just by gathering a group of mages. Uniform equipped standards, consistent mana attributes groups, knowledge for collaborative spellcasting, and the development of related legion-rank spells, strategic magic, and Forbidden Curse-related forbidden knowledge cannot be achieved simply by gathering mages.

Especially when mages, by nature, are quite arrogant and disdain being treated as ordinary soldiers, without a strong and robust national authority to suppress them, the so-called Mage Corps really is just a title.

Thus, no truly powerful nation can fail to afford nurturing a genuine Mage Corps.

However, all of this becomes considerably simpler when it comes to Necromancers.

Are mages too proud? No problem, just slay them and turn them into Skeleton Mages. They'll be absolutely obedient and functional, regardless, most regular mages in a Mage Corps are used as magic power providers. Skeleton Mages can resonate better with others during collaborative spellcasting.

As for training? For Necromancers, transforming a corpse into a Skeleton Mage uses far fewer resources than developing a mage apprentice. There's no need for massive selection of talented individuals with spellcasting aptitude; low-rank Skeleton Mages can even be made from ordinary corpses.

In fact, if a Necromancer follows the traditional Skeleton Sea strategic approach, there would be quite a few Skeleton Mages allocated within their Lower Rank Legion as mid-level command units, responsible for commanding lower-level legions. Advanced Necromancer Servants function as high-level officers, commanding the whole army.

For Chen Yu, creating a Necromancer Corps is even simpler. Using a Spirit Gathering Tower to modulate mage-template souls, with Dragonized Transformed Human bodies as carriers, mass-producing mages becomes an easy task.

Though Dragonized Transformed Humans are tuned towards warrior characteristics; although the spellcasting ability of giant dragons isn't weak, the transformation direction needs to be adjusted slightly.

After all, as mages, having a full set of plate armor while wielding a pure steel magic wand to cast Light Spells and then use the Mad Wand Technique to kill enemies isn't quite necessary.

Of course, given that Dragonized Transformed Humans' foundational attributes are there, a physique stronger than ordinary people can't be changed: over two meters tall, muscles that overshadow a bodybuilding champion by a mile, there's no problem standing on their arms.

It's just while modulating these Dragonized Mages, Chen Yu had a sudden inspiration, recalling a brainstorm he had while studying knowledge about Death Constructs, to create a Mechanical Mage that behaves as a Death Construct.

Death Construct technology involves attaching a soul to machinery, converting the machine into a necromantic unit. So, why not specially produce a mechanically favorable magic conductivity carrier, then insert a mage's soul within and create a Mechanical Mage?

This idea isn't challenging to implement technically. The reason why Chen Yu hadn't done it before was partly due to his limited strength; the technology required to create a Mechanical Mage exceeded his control capabilities.

Another reason was simpler: lack of money.

Before acquiring the Necromantic Space, Chen Yu was genuinely poor. Although being a doctor in Japan is a high-income profession, most of his money was spent purchasing substitutes for various casting materials, leaving his own situation quite hard.

However, upon obtaining the Necromantic Space, Chen Yu's financial condition improved, so the funding problem naturally wasn't an issue anymore.

Still... the magical materials with good conductivity needed to create a Mechanical Mage can't just be bought with money.

Especially since Chen Yu doesn't plan to verify the technology by just making one Mechanical Mage, but intends to mass produce at least over a few hundred, forming a Mage Corps.

If it weren't for the current trade relations with the Earth Elemental Plane, along with the recent gains of valuable magic materials, coupled with precious resources previously seized from the US-Russia duo, Chen Yu might not have planned to create a Mechanical Mage Corps and would have taken the traditional route for a Skeleton Mage Corps.

Of course, while adding the Mechanical Mage Corps to the agenda, Chen Yu hasn't abandoned the construction of a traditional Mage Corps.

The Skeleton Mage Corps' level might be somewhat low, but according to the standard of Necromancers, it can indeed be considered a standard Mage Corps; plus, it has the advantage of low cost and easy formation.

Many Necromancers, when first forming their own Mage Corps, opt for Skeleton Mages as affordable units.

After all, the upgrading potential of Skeleton Mages is quite decent, with potential transformation into Corpse Witches or low-level Liches.

For Necromancers, basic units for forming a Mage Corps include Skeleton Mages, Wraith Mages, Corpse Witches, and Vampire Mages—these four common types. Skeleton Mages and Wraith Mages are considered lower units and relatively cheaper, whereas Corpse Witches and Vampire Mages count as higher-ranking spellcasting units, a bit pricier to construct.

As for specialized units like Mechanical Mages created by Chen Yu or others researched by other Necromancers, their lack of universality means they're not considered common types.

Nevertheless, although they are basic universal spellcasting units, as long as Necromancers mastering them have sufficient accumulation, it's possible to upgrade these basic units into high-end units such as Liches, Soul Binders, or Cursers of Death.