Entering the City

After tidying up, Rhode took a set of Alot's clothes from his Space Ring and changed into them. He also took out a neatly folded robe.

Once Rhode put on the robe, its loose fabric concealed his figure. With the hood up, even his face was hard to make out, and he was completely shrouded in black.

After getting ready, Rhode followed the directions on the map, leading the vampire along the river toward the town.

After walking for a while, he spotted several deer drinking by the river. The sight sent a ripple through his Mental Mark: the vampire was asking permission to act.

The vampire had yet to recover from the injuries it had sustained in the earlier battle. Seeing these creatures, it could no longer suppress its instinct to devour Flesh and Blood. But without Rhode's approval, it didn't dare rush forward on its own.

Realizing that the Flesh and Blood of other creatures could speed the vampire's recovery, Rhode gave his consent. The next moment, the vampire charged forward.

The herd reacted before the vampire had made it halfway, scattering in every direction. The vampire caught up with one deer and reached out to grab it, then immediately chased after another.

The deer the vampire had caught kept running, but four deep bloody gashes appeared on its body. A few steps later, it let out a mournful cry and collapsed, bleeding heavily from its wounds. But while the vampire was attacking, the other deer had already gotten away, and it couldn't catch up.

The herd had scattered, and several of the deer had fled far away. But one was close to Rhode and was now running off into the distance.

Rhode raised his hand and cast a Magic Arrow. It shot toward the fleeing deer, struck and pierced its body, leaving only a carcass lying in a pool of blood.

Unable to catch the others, the vampire stopped and began devouring the deer's Flesh and Blood.

As the vampire fed, Rhode checked the system log.

The deer was a creature with no rank, so killing it earned no experience. This was what Rhode had expected, and he paid it little mind.

He tried something out. After changing his title, he attempted to cast Soul Summoning on the fallen deer. The spell required 5 mana—less efficient even than a single Magic Arrow. Rhode had an idea.

Before long, the vampire finished eating, and the ripple in the Mental Mark grew a little stronger.

Before continuing onward, Rhode cast Soul Summoning on the deer lying on the ground.

Under the spell's influence, the blood on the dead deer's body quickly congealed and stopped flowing. Despite the wounds left by the vampire's bites, the deer rose to its feet.

Since the deer had no rank and no real means of attack, it couldn't serve as a conventional Undead Creature, even after Soul Summoning had awakened it.

Rhode had never intended to use the deer as an Undead Creature for combat. He had something else in mind.

Rhode climbed onto the deer's back and used the Mental Mark to make it walk.

Undead Creatures no longer had to worry about stamina. By turning the deer's corpse into an Undead Creature and riding it, Rhode could shorten the time it took to reach the town.

He turned another deer into an Undead Creature the same way, then had the vampire climb onto its back as well.

Rhode continued on his way. Riding the deer made the journey much faster, even if the ride was bumpy.

For the rest of the journey, Rhode paid no attention to the other creatures he encountered. At last, just as the sky was about to darken, he saw the town ahead.

From what he could tell, this was probably a small town. Perhaps because night was approaching, quite a few people were waiting at the gate to enter.

According to the map, Alot had done business in this town, both handling Undead Creatures and selling Heroes. There should be a Free Professional Merchants Guild inside, and it didn't forbid trading with necromancers.

To avoid trouble, Rhode took another robe from his Space Ring and had the vampire change into it. Then he tore off some black fabric and covered the vampire's face so its distinctive fangs wouldn't show.

This could only hide the vampire's appearance; it couldn't conceal the powerful aura of an Undead Creature coming from its body. Any spellcaster would recognize what it was at a glance.

Rhode killed the undead deer with his sword, then led the vampire toward the city gate.

There were others waiting to enter, so Rhode and the vampire joined the back of the line and waited for those ahead to go in first.

Before allowing people carrying large amounts of goods to enter, the soldiers at the gate inspected their cargo. Those dressed as warriors, however, could enter directly.

Apart from the main cities and large urban centers, most towns didn't charge an entrance fee. Of course, some greedy lords ignored that and imposed fees even in small towns.

This time, the guards didn't inspect Rhode too closely. They simply let him enter.

Compared to the others, who were either hauling goods or dressed in dusty, plain clothes, Rhode and the vampire in their black robes stood out too much.

The old soldier at the gate frowned slightly when he noticed Rhode, then let him through.

After Rhode entered, the old soldier gave a signal to the people around him. They quickly sprang into action.

Rhode saw it all as he entered the town.

He understood what they were doing. Even when a necromancer wanted to enter, the guards wouldn't act immediately, since they didn't know the necromancer's strength or intentions. Instead, they would secretly assign people to watch them, partly to prevent them from causing trouble in town.

Rhode shook his head. This was something the game wouldn't introduce until its first expansion.

Back when he had played the game, shortly before the second expansion came out, necromancers had slaughtered civilians on a massive scale to build their armies. After that, every city outside Dya banned necromancers from entering, and apprentice mages were stationed at the gates to inspect visitors.

What Rhode hadn't expected was that even without an inspection, the old soldier at the gate had recognized him just from the way he looked.

Compared to new recruits who knew nothing, veterans were undoubtedly better at assessing a situation. That was why they had retired from military service instead of dying in some battle.

Rhode didn't dwell on it and continued into town.

He hadn't gone far when a plainly dressed man hurried past him.

Even without the heightened perception from his scouting skill, Rhode could tell that although the man hadn't looked at him once, his attention had been fixed on him the entire time.

Testing me...

Rhode sneered.

Just as Rhode was about to pass him, the man seemed to lose his balance and toppled toward him. At the same time, he reached out his right hand toward Rhode, as if trying to steady himself.