The Golden Experience Point [Part 1]

Chapter 164: "The City Of Neuschloss"

In normal circumstances, if Rare were to go out alone, her noisy familiars would accompany her, but they wouldn't make a fuss unless it was Rare's own body.

Even if she were to die in this state, it would be Mare's body dying, and Rare herself wouldn't actually die. However, depending on the MND values of the spellcaster and subordinates, there might be back damage. This was verified by Riley, who had many combat-oriented ones under her.

Rare's basic policy was to maximize the MND and INT of her direct familiars. The closer the MND values of the familiar and the spellcaster, the more damage they would take. However, Rare's own MND was so high that back damage was not a concern.

There was another risk if she died in this state – the respawn time. Rare would only have her spirit returned to her original body, but Mare wouldn't be able to respawn for an hour. It would be troublesome if players found out. Even if she pretended to be a player, it would be best to avoid acting with other players considering what happens when she dies.

Heading from the Rifure Mercenary Union to Neuschloss, they encountered other players along the way, but Mare's beauty was not exceptional among players. Carrying a long object on her back was a bit noticeable, but there were players who didn't stow their weapons in the inventory. NPC mercenaries couldn't do such a thing, and those players might be not using their inventory for role-playing reasons. Rare intended to pass it off that way if asked.

As for armor, she preferred light equipment that didn't hinder her movements. However, the fabric was a special creation by Queen Arachnea, and the metallic parts were made of adamantite. It provided much better defense than ordinary armor. There was a hood with some metal embellishments around the collar, which she wasn't wearing in the city. However, in combat, she could cover her head with it for protection.

The nearest safety area to Neuschloss was a grassy field. There was only a rock that seemed to serve as a landmark.

Tents were lined up around the area, presumably the sleeping places for players. It was much fewer than the tunnels she had seen before. Neuschloss had a difficulty level of four stars, so it seemed only a few top players had attempted it. The lack of crowding was a good thing.

"Oops. I didn't bring camping equipment. For now, let's just observe today. Worst case, I can respawn... right?"

No, that would be a bad move. It wasn't about feeling sorry for Mare.

If she was pretending to be a player, she had to be cautious not only about the inventory and respawn but also the loss of experience points upon death. Players who lost experience points due to death penalties wouldn't choose the easy way of respawning. They would approach the game with the consciousness that they must absolutely return alive if they wanted to earn. Dying casually would draw unnecessary attention.

If a player-like corpse was left untouched for an hour, it might raise suspicions.

"I didn't plan on saying I'm okay with dying, but I thought I could play more relaxed than the main body... Well, it seems I can't die easily either."

In terms of not wanting to be seen, it might be riskier than intentionally respawning, but Rare considered sending her spirit back and [Summoning] Mare at the Lord of Rifure's mansion. Hide somewhere in the dungeon and do it from there. For now, she decided to stop worrying about it and started walking towards Neuschloss.

The city of Neuschloss was about a fifteen-minute walk from the safety area.

The safety area in the royal capital that Kerry and others investigated was roughly the same distance, so it was likely similar here.

The appearance of the city was quite dilapidated. The outer walls were crumbling, and entry was possible from anywhere. The forest visible beyond the city was probably the original territory of monsters. Since that forest was not listed, it was likely integrated with the city of Neuschloss, similar to how Erfahren and Lourdes's cities were integrated into Liebe and Teur.