Several days passed.
By then, dusk was drawing near. The crimson sunset shone through the trees as the merchant caravan made camp in an open clearing.
Beneath that crimson light, Rhode slowly opened his eyes inside one of the caravan's wagons. He had been in a state of deep meditation.
His mana had run out, severing his connection with the surrounding magical elements. With no choice, Rhode ended his deep meditation.
Deep meditation took longer than shallow meditation. A single session often lasted several days, and a formal mage's could even continue for weeks.
Generally speaking, the longer one maintained a connection with the magical elements during deep meditation, using the same amount of mana, the greater its effect.
During deep meditation, one focused on the mind, and the body's metabolism slowed to a minimum. So even after several days without food, the strain on the body was slight.
Hearing the commotion outside the wagon, Rhode opened the system log.
"Maintaining deep meditation..."
"Your Beginner Fire Magic has improved as your connection with fire magic elements deepens..."
"Maintaining deep meditation..."
"Your Spirit attribute has increased."
"Maintaining deep meditation..."
"..."
"Not enough mana to maintain deep meditation..."
"Meditation ended."
"Through this deep meditation, you gained Spirit +2 and 4% progress in Beginner Fire Magic."
"You earned the Speed Achievement [Heart of Calm]"
"[Heart of Calm]: Complete one session of deep meditation. Base reward: Spirit +2. While equipped, meditation effects are increased by 20%."
Closing the system log, Rhode reviewed what he had gained from the deep meditation.
First, after completing the session, his Spirit attribute had increased by a total of four points, including the extra bonus from the Speed Achievement.
From his past experience, Rhode knew that when spellcasters first began practicing deep meditation, their Spirit attribute improved rapidly.
Deep meditation stimulated the growth of one's Spirit. Even a mage apprentice with poor aptitude could gain five to ten points of Spirit through deep meditation.
In addition, Rhode had earned an achievement through this session.
He had expected to earn one. Once equipped, his new achievement improved meditation more than his original Beginner title did, which was a welcome upgrade.
Also, since he had entered deep meditation through fire magic elements, Rhode gained 4% progress in Beginner Fire Magic. But that progress was nearly useless. Unless it reached 100%, it wouldn't grant him an upgrade.
Rhode only needed to spend one Skill Point to raise Beginner Fire Magic to the intermediate level. Improving it entirely through his own efforts would probably take months of deep meditation.
Even with special skills, what Rhode learned through the system was mostly how to use them. As for improving them through training, he would have to figure that out himself.
Rhode recalled that at lower levels, he had always raised special skills by quickly leveling up and gaining Skill Points. Only later, when the experience needed to gain a level became enormous, had he started improving special skills through training.
Improving special skills took a great deal of time. The same was true of ordinary skills.
Rhode could, like the natives in the game, polish his combat skills through repeated practice and grow stronger through sheer effort. But the returns were too low, and it took far too much time. It was nowhere near as quick as improving through experience points.
After checking his gains, Rhode looked around.
Nearby, the vampire was still absorbing the energy released by the Soul Crystal. Rhode left it alone. He opened the side door of the wagon and stepped down, taking in his surroundings.
The first thing to catch Rhode's eye was the towering watchtower nearby. Under the slanting sunlight, its surface gleamed crimson.
Not far from Rhode's wagon, the members of the merchant caravan had gathered around a bonfire. They were talking loudly while waiting to be served steaming, freshly cooked food.
Rhode looked more closely. Whether because of a shift change or some other reason, the thief who had previously watched his every move in front of the wagon was now holding a weapon and cutting up the game they had hunted beside the fire.
Even Yusuf, the caravan leader, was gathered around the bonfire, rubbing his hands as he waited for food.
It was only dusk, and night had yet to fall. The caravan could have continued on while there was still enough light, but they clearly had no intention of pressing on today. Instead, they had made camp here.
Perhaps knowing that his identity as a necromancer wasn't exactly welcome among the rest of the caravan, Rhode ignored the others nearby and focused on the watchtower. He headed straight for it.
Though the thief who had originally guarded him had left, the caravan had clearly not let down its guard around Rhode. A professional was still sitting in front of the wagon he had ridden in. It was the scout who had earlier reported to Yusuf.
The scout knew there was a necromancer traveling with the caravan, but he hadn't seen him at all over the past few days. When Rhode stepped out of the wagon, the scout was momentarily stunned.
When he saw Rhode heading toward the watchtower, the scout stopped himself from following and prepared to report to the caravan leader.
Rhode reached the base of the watchtower. Gazing at its uniformly crimson surface, he reached out and ran a hand over it.
The watchtower's surface was red not because of the light, but because it had been coated with a special paint that effectively protected it from erosion caused by wind and sun. The crimson glow of the setting sun fell on the surface, making the red even more vivid.
Rhode entered through the opening at the base of the watchtower. The inside was reasonably well lit, with an opening on each level to let in light. He could see the steps beneath his feet and climbed toward the top along a spiral staircase.
In Rhode's experience, to save on construction resources, most watchtowers were built by securing wooden beams in a stable arrangement, with a rope ladder for access. He had rarely seen a watchtower like the one he was in now.
Before long, Rhode climbed the uppermost stairs and reached the top. It was a spacious platform, enclosed by a simple wooden railing to prevent anyone from falling by accident.
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