Treasure

The light in the forest dimmed, and dark red blood flowed freely. Amid the scattered limbs and shattered bones, only one person remained standing with a sword in hand. The stench of blood lingered in the air.

After killing the Magic Apprentice, Rhode used what little strength he had left to clear away the few Undead Creatures remaining on the battlefield.

Without taking time to rest, Rhode began searching the battlefield and tallying his spoils as soon as he had killed all the Undead Creatures.

During the earlier battle, Rhode had seen no Undead Creatures carrying anything like a bag, so he focused his search on the apprentice's corpse.

His mana had erupted violently inside his body, leaving the apprentice's corpse riddled with holes. It looked as though a firm tug would easily tear off any part of him.

Rhode couldn't help lamenting the damage to a Hero-level corpse. Without the modifications, this body would have been useful in many ways.

A Hero-level corpse had a natural advantage over an ordinary one when turned into an Undead Creature. After undergoing certain rituals, it could even qualify for conversion into a Death Knight.

Hero corpses were also needed to create some powerful treasures. Those who made such treasures didn't care whether the hero had been human or a member of another race.

For that reason, Hero-level corpses were extremely valuable. Even though the Free Professional Merchants Guild publicly refused to accept them, their prices on the black market remained sky-high.

Of course, living heroes were worth even more.

Rhode regretted that the apprentice-level corpse was so badly damaged. It had lost nearly all its value for further use, and couldn't even be turned into an Undead Creature.

While searching the apprentice's corpse, Rhode found a pendant inside his clothes. Blood had soaked into it, and it gave Rhode an unusual feeling, so he picked it up. Then he spotted an unremarkable ring on one of the apprentice's bloody fingers. If Rhode hadn't deliberately checked there based on past experience, he might have overlooked it.

An apprentice-level necromancer was still struggling to earn enough gold. It was hard to imagine him spending much thought on such ornaments, whether the pendant or the ring.

Rhode tried a few things with the ring in his hand. When he felt his mana being drawn into it, he knew he'd found what he was looking for: a Space Ring.

Space Rings were expensive, far beyond what an apprentice could afford. Rhode guessed that the Necromancer Apprentice had acquired the gold by selling the captured hero. That meant the hero Rhode was trying to rescue was safe for the time being.

Rhode recalled that opening a Space Ring usually required 10 mana. After that, even if the ring was lost, no one else could open or use it until the person who had infused it with mana died.

He poured all his remaining mana into the Space Ring and waited, but it didn't react. Since he didn't have enough mana to meet the minimum required to open it, Rhode set it aside and put it away.

Since he usually wielded weapons in his right hand, Rhode slipped the Space Ring onto his left index finger so it wouldn't interfere with his weapon in battle.

Next, Rhode examined the pendant. It was diamond-shaped, wrapped in layers of yellowed, blackened cloth that had now been stained red with blood. A hard object was concealed inside.

Unable to tell what it did by looking at it, Rhode checked the system log.

[Alot's Longing]

Quality: Treasure

Type: Pendant

Equipment Requirements: None

Basic Attribute: Bloodline Sense +3

Evaluation: Something entrusted with a hero's will may undergo an extraordinary transformation.

Whether you are an angel of the Holy City, an ancient god, a demon of Hell, or a wicked dragon from the Abyss, please take my longing with you, so that I may no longer doubt or wander. — Alot

The system log told Rhode that the pendant was a Hero-level treasure of the pendant type. Pendants usually came with special bonuses.

Pendants could grant all sorts of bonuses. The most practical effect was increased mana regeneration per hour. Their attributes were generally unrelated to direct combat strength.

A player could equip up to three pendants at a time. Once they had more than three, the last one equipped would provide no special effect and serve only as an ornament.

Rhode recalled that equipping three pendants at once also earned an achievement.

After checking the pendant's attributes, Rhode was about to close the system log when he noticed an inconspicuous detail: the name of its previous owner.

"Alot..."

Rhode had heard that name in his previous life.

The hero Alot had been active in the game's first few expansions, and had especially distinguished himself in the Shadow of Death expansion.

Alot's origins were a mystery, and no one knew his background. The earliest records of him could be traced only to the Black Crow Necromancy Magic Academy in Dya. He joined the battlefield as a necromancer, and before long his superb magic and ruthless methods had made him one of the most powerful undead lords of the time. Later, when he sensed that the entire campaign was headed for defeat, he vanished without a trace.

Memories of the game's lore from his previous life flashed through Rhode's mind. He looked deeply at the apprentice's battered corpse on the ground.

A hero destined for greatness had been killed by Rhode before he could grow into his potential. He had already changed the course of the game's story, at least to some extent.

That meant the events of the game from his previous life would remain broadly similar, but wouldn't play out exactly the same way. His past gaming experience could serve as a reference, but he couldn't simply trust it completely. From now on, he would have to rely more on his own judgment when handling quests.

Looking at the pendant in his hand, Rhode began to consider its implications.

The Bloodline Sense attribute the pendant granted wasn't much use to most people. But for Rhode, who had a soul quest to complete, it was different. Bloodline Sense was an attribute he needed.

Rhode had been worrying about how to find his younger sister, Rowan. Now that he had obtained this pendant, he would be able to sense her whenever she came within a certain distance.

Rhode put on the pendant. Bloodline Sense only worked within a certain range, and wearing it didn't make him feel anything.

All of Alot's other belongings were stored in the Space Ring. Rhode couldn't open it with his current mana, so he would have to try again once his mana had increased.

It grew dark.

Perhaps the trees blocked out the light, or perhaps he'd been so focused during the battle that he hadn't noticed the change. Rhode hadn't realized how dark it had become while fighting the Magic Apprentice. Only after finishing his inventory did he find it difficult to see. He looked up and saw that the sky had grown dim.

With the stench of blood all around and the tomb's interior poorly lit, Rhode climbed back onto the tree branch where he had observed the apprentice earlier. He prepared to meditate and recover enough mana to open the Space Ring.