MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

In the quiet of the night, many undead all over the Crafting district started wailing. It began as a murmur before turning into loud humming.

In a certain workshop, a craftsman glanced at the caged undead with worry.

"W-what happened, mother?"

"Wuwuwuwu!"

"?!?"

The undead in the cage looked positively pitiful, her rotting hands flailing around searching for something. That's when he realized the issue. She had run out of materials!

His heart ached as he witnessed her sad state. She was so hardworking, just like in the old days, and he found himself overcome by emotion.

Barely hesitating, he stepped into the cage. After all, she was the one who had given him life, and she didn't look one bit dangerous.

— Clang! —

He grabbed a few ores, ready to comfort the sobbing undead, advancing with compassion in his eyes. He arrived by her side, and that's when she glanced his way.

Her eyes were different than they used to be, now glowing red. Yet, he could still detect the love in her eyes. She looked so radiant at this moment.

She slowly opened her mouth. Would she speak for the first time?

"Yes, mother?" He glanced at her, hopeful.

She trotted over gently. He had missed her so much that he didn't hesitate to reciprocate as she went for a hug. At this moment, he felt a comforting bliss he hadn't felt in a long time.

Her arms wrapped around him, containing so much love it was almost suffocating.

No, it was suffocating.

"Mother, I—"

Her mouth opened wider, drooling all over the place and revealing her sharp black teeth. At this moment, she looked as monstrous as happy. After all, she had been so hungry…

— Chomp!—

She plunged her teeth into the exposed flesh, her victim trying to free himself without success, her grasp too strong.

"No, no, mother, please!! Moth…" The sobs became weaker and weaker until they completely disappeared.

In the dark workshop, the undead's eyes glowed with a sense of fulfillment. Crafting was great, but feeding wasn't bad either.

She stumbled toward the outside world, one filled with plenty of delicious food….

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

Utter chaos engulfed Timber City.

"Sir, the crafting district is a goner! The undead have all become free!" A soldier rushed to report

"Tch— Those fools! We should have killed the creatures earlier when we had the chance! Make sure you surround the crafting district and don't let any escape!"

"W-what about the craftsmen inside, Sir?"

"First we contain, then we rescue. Get to work, soldier!"

They moved with great coordination, reinforcing the perimeter they already had there. Undead after undead would come out screeching, only to perish under their blades.

They were hungry….

This was an incredible mess, but at least the damage would be minimal, or so it was supposed to be. A shivering soldier arrived with dreadful information.

"S-sir, bad news! There are outbreaks in other districts too. Some people have smuggled their undead loved ones out earlier!"

"Quick, send soldiers!" The Captain felt like spitting blood. Some of them really had tools for brains! How else could this end besides in a disaster?!

The only saving grace was that a few light priests had already appeared. They liked to charge exorbitant "donations" for their help, but at this point, they were needed.

They'd help purify the area, escorted by the soldiers.

But, even then, he kept having a bad feeling. Even now, they had no clue what had caused this whole event. Also, what if it was linked to the bandits' attack?

What if this had been their objective all along? Also, what if this entire thing was nothing but another distraction for an even bigger, eviler plan?!

He needed council. He needed someone that understood magic well. In the City, there were two big groups of mages.

1. The Tower people —> Snobbish, mostly only interested in recruiting for their organization.

2. The enchanters —> They were very profit-oriented, but at least they always did a good job since their reputation was everything to them.

— Knock! Knock! —

"Anyone here?" No matter how much he kept knocking, there was no answer. Of course, they wouldn't answer during such a crisis. "Hey, I have info about a lost treasure!"

Instantly the door opened, revealing a jovial-looking lady.

"Lost treasure?"

"…."

The Captain steeled his heart. There really was a lost treasure, the one belonging to the bandits. Find the bandits' accomplice —> Find the treasure.

"You want us to investigate in exchange for information about the bandits' treasure, correct?"

"Exactly!"

"Pfft— How silly. If this whole thing is really a conspiracy against Timber City, you can be sure we won't stick our neck out. Profit is useless if you're dead."

"B-but!!"

"No buts, get out, you justice-obsessed fool."

Once outside, he couldn't help but grind his teeth in annoyance at the selfishness. Sometimes the human race completely disgusted him.

Just as he was considering his next move, he suddenly twitched as he sensed something. Was he crazy, or had something just flown next to his head?!

He intently looked around, making sure no one was watching. The street was completely deserted. He could use that…

His eyes suddenly started glowing a bright blue as the world changed. He could see mana swirling all around, primarily demonic.

This was something he barely ever used, for it wasn't a power a human should possess. He knew that much.

His head already felt like it would split open, but he kept his eyes wide open. That's when he saw it: there was a flash of mana happily floating away.

He ran after it using his sword as a crutch, barely keeping his balance.

The thing flew away fast, and he almost lost it many times over. But after a while, it unknowingly guided him toward what looked like a simple teashop. < Tea Life >

"???"

He dragged his body forward, trying to listen in…but failed. Wait, this meant that there was a sound barrier here. Why would a tea shop need that?!

He could only give a wry smile as he focused all his powers on his ears. A bright moon-shaped halo appeared above his head as he used this ability.

He'd never use it in normal circumstances, but he felt the need to. Inside he could hear a man's voice…

"Tch— It sure is noisy outside. Can't they die more quietly?" A youngster complained as he sipped tea.

"Hehe, that's just how humans are, Sir. What's the plan now? Are you planning to summon more undead?" A respectful voice sounded.

— Gasp! —

As an involuntarily gasp escaped the Captain, the tea shop suddenly turned silent…