The Clash

The weapons crashed together with a fierce clang. Both had struck in haste, and for a moment, neither gained the upper hand.

Rhode did not swing again. Instead, he used the impact of their weapons colliding to dart backward, coming to a stop at the edge of the watchtower platform.

He had no intention of matching strength with Yusuf, a seasoned warrior. Even though Rhode had used his Heavy Slash skill, he still hadn't managed to make the ambush effective.

Yusuf understood his own advantage as well. As soon as their weapons clashed, he followed with a backhanded horizontal slash, hoping to suppress Rhode with a series of blows. But he only struck the afterimage Rhode left behind as he retreated.

After missing, Yusuf produced a Round Shield in his other hand and assumed an attack stance. He planned to use his equipment and the terrain to kill Rhode here.

At the edge of the watchtower, Rhode raised his weapon toward Yusuf. Although he also had a shield stored in his Space Ring, he didn't take it out.

The railing stood right behind Rhode, reaching only about waist-high. After years of neglect, much of it had collapsed, and what remained was hardly sturdy. It looked as though a single hard shove would break it.

His extensive combat experience told Yusuf he didn't even need to kill the necromancer with his weapon. By keeping up the pressure, he could force the necromancer off the tower, since he had nowhere left to retreat.

Yusuf also knew that, in this situation, a single charge might seem enough to kill his enemy, but one mistake could send him tumbling down instead.

Yusuf didn't approach at once. He simply held his weapon ready. He knew that the enemy, trapped at the edge, was under far more pressure than he was. All he had to do was wait for the enemy to slip up, then seize the perfect moment to strike.

But Yusuf could only watch in disappointment. Even with dozens of meters of empty air behind him, his enemy held his weapon steady, without the slightest tremor. There was just something new in the way he looked at Yusuf.

Yusuf couldn't help cursing under his breath. He hadn't originally planned to kill the enemy, only to question him about some intelligence, so he hadn't brought anyone with him. He had come up to the watchtower alone. If he'd had an ally by his side, dealing with this enemy would have been easy.

In the end, Yusuf had no choice but to change tactics. Rather than waste time waiting for an opening, he began advancing slowly, putting pressure on his enemy as he adjusted the angle of his next attack. He would strike as soon as the enemy slipped up.

If the setting atop the tower had given Yusuf a chance to eliminate a threat to the merchant group, it had also given Rhode a chance to take the group down.

Earlier, Rhode had learned about the merchant group from the maid. Besides its leader, it had several other veteran professionals, as well as a mage. With its members working together and each playing a clear role, the group was obviously stronger than Rhode.

So even though he coveted the Soul Crystals the group possessed and wanted to make a move against them, Rhode had found no opportunity. He would have to wait for discord within the group—or let them catch him off guard.

Thus, on the journey, Rhode hadn't considered how to deal with the group. Instead, he had chosen to improve his strength through deep meditation, while also letting the group think him weak. He only wanted to reach Dya safely.

Unfortunately, the group clearly had other ideas. Even though Rhode had no plans to target them, they still had no intention of letting him go.

The group leader had found an opportunity that seemed likely to let him kill Rhode, and had chosen to act, intending to kill him here.

Rhode felt anger well up inside him, an emotion he hadn't experienced since entering the game.

Through the Mental Mark, Rhode sent a message to the vampire below.

As he faced his enemy, Rhode understood that if the merchant group lost this seasoned warrior, its strength would be greatly diminished. Whether in terms of leadership or combat ability, the warrior before him was clearly one of the group's most important members.

Standing at the edge of the tower, Rhode fixed his gaze on Yusuf.

Yusuf moved. He made no sudden move, only inching forward step by step, while blocking the path to the entrance atop the watchtower. He intended to force Rhode off the tower safely.

If they fought head-on on level ground, Rhode might struggle to defeat the fully armed Yusuf without the vampire's help. But in this unusual setting, Rhode could find an opening.

After checking the contents of his Space Ring, Rhode knew he had only one chance. The shift between attack and defense would happen in an instant.

Heavy pressure bore down on him. The fully armed warrior before him and the crumbling railing behind him both seemed to warn Rhode that failure meant death.

At the signal through the Mental Mark, the vampire opened his eyes. A flash of crimson glimmered in them.

After receiving Rhode's order, the vampire tucked the Soul Crystal he was holding into his pocket. Then he pulled down the cloth wrapped around his face, revealing the fangs jutting from his mouth.

The vampire pushed open the carriage door and leaned out to look around. When he spotted a scout sitting at the front of the carriage, eating, he charged at him in an instant.

The scout saw the carriage door open and naturally looked up to see what was happening. Years of combat instinct made him sense danger. He had just started to rise from the carriage when the vampire reached him and swiped with one claw.

The scout barely had time to raise a hand to defend himself. The vampire seized it and yanked it aside. The moment the scout's guard was down, the vampire's other hand shot out and clamped around his throat.

Flesh and Blood came away in the vampire's hand. Driven by an instinctive hunger, he raised the fresh flesh to his mouth and began devouring it.

The scout's corpse hit the ground with a dull thud. The people gathered around the bonfire realized something was wrong. They snatched up their weapons and rushed toward the vampire.

The vampire sensed the merchant group members' murderous intent as well. He tossed the half-eaten flesh to the ground and charged at them.

While the vampire fought the group members, a quick-reacting scout ran to one of their carriages and knocked hard on the door twice.

The door opened, and the blue-robed mage stepped down. At a glance, he spotted the vampire in the middle of the battlefield.