Confrontation with the Rats

As the portal finished materializing, a notification hovered before Eamon:

[Temporary Quest Completed: Establish a Territory]

[Congratulations! You can now use the portal to summon two followers daily from your home planet. Temporary quest completed. New quests will appear as you advance in rank. Prosper and dominate.]

Placing his hand on the portal, a flood of information inundated Eamon's mind. He understood that with a simple act of will, he could summon two random individuals through the portal. Yet, as he pondered over the details regarding the portal, a realization dawned upon him — the portal could not provide him with a means to return to Earth.

"I will find a way back," he vowed silently.

Deep in thought, Eamon considered the implications of summoning followers. While it offered potential advantages, it also carried risks. He couldn't trust strangers, and there was no guarantee they would have a favorability rating of over 70% towards him. Moreover, he feared they might pose a threat or turn against him. The prospect of turning them into simple mindless zombies in such a scenario didn't align with his goal of establishing a strong territory.

Eamon decided to bide his time, waiting for the opportune moment to unleash the full potential of the Follower teleportation portal. Until then, he would continue to build his strength and solidify his territory.

Turning his attention to his undead minions, Eamon felt a surge of confidence. He believed he was ready to take action against some of the giant rats he had encountered with David.

He felt confident that, despite their apparent strength, his small army and his strategic thinking would be sufficient to overcome them.

He envisaged himself zombifying the giant rats, already visualizing the potential for acquiring stronger undead creatures compared to those created from ordinary humans.

"Advance," Eamon commanded before stroding forward. Malakai and the undead horde followed closely behind.

At the edge of the cave's invisible protection, the giant rats, their hulking forms outlined against the dim light, observed the approaching undead with wary eyes. Uncertainty flickered in their gaze as they beheld the unnatural sight—lifeless beings, marching in silent unison.

Despite the scent of blood emanating from the undead, these giant rats remained hesitant.

Maybe he could attract only one or two of them close to the opening of the cave.

Sensing an opportunity, Eamon commanded the undead: "Fall back! Grab stones!".

Only Malakai understood his instructions, and he quickly conveyed them to the zombies in a manner that eluded Eamon's comprehension.

As the undead began to gather stones, Eamon approached the boundary of the protective zone alone.

A giant rat with irregular brown fur and a twisted tail charged furiously towards the entrance of the cave, only to be thwarted by the unyielding force of the invisible barrier.

The other rats watched cautiously, intrigued by the scene.

Seizing the moment, Eamon issued the command, "Attack the closest one! Focus your shots!"

With a swift motion, he hurled his stone at the rat with the twisted tail, leading the charge. Malakai immediately mirrored Eamon's action.

The air was soon filled with a hail of projectiles as the zombies followed suit, replicating Malakai's movements.

The rat let out a piercing cry of pain, its body battered by the relentless barrage of stones. Before it could retreat, overwhelmed by the assault, the creature succumbed to its injuries.

As the other rats retreated in fear, Eamon nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to the fallen rat's corpse.

"Retrieve the carcass," he commanded.

The undead moved with surprising agility, grasping the rat's body with their cold, lifeless hands and dragging it into the cave.

With the fallen giant rat's carcass retrieved, Eamon contemplated whether to use the absorption power on the rat or to attempt to zombify it.

However, from the outset, he knew what the right choice was.

He needed to enhance his attributes as he was weak, and the rat possessed an extraordinary physique that could greatly aid him.

However, adding the rat to his army would directly add an extremely strong member to the troop and increase their chances of survival.

Even though he desired personal reinforcement, he needed to prioritize optimizing his choices, and the strength of a zombie rat would likely be far superior to his own if he only slightly increased his attributes.

He would have to rely on his troops to bring him another rat to absorb later.

Eamon turned to Malakai. "Can you transform this monster into a zombie?" he inquired.

Malakai responded with a simple nod. Without waiting for further orders, he approached the lifeless body of the rat.

The process of transforming the creature into a zombie was more intricate and time-consuming than with humans.

Malakai's hands moved with precision as he channeled his energy that tore through the rat's flesh, stitching together ragged wounds and infusing its form with vitality.

The creature's body convulsed violently as the magic took hold, its muscles twitching and spasming as it was forcibly reanimated.

The creature's bones cracked and snapped as they were reshaped and reformed.

With a final surge of energy, the rat's eyes snapped open.

His attributes appeared in front of Eamon.

[Zombie Rodent (Weak Level Undead)]

- **Strength**: 9

- **Stamina**: 6 (Above Average)

- **Agility**: 7 (Above Average)

- **Intelligence**: 1 (Very Weak)

- **Charisma**: 1 (Very Weak)

- **Special Power**: None

Eamon felt a sense of satisfaction as he observed the zombie rodent's attributes. "Impressive," he muttered, noting the exceptional strength and above-average agility of the creature.

Eamon was surprised that despite its impressive attributes, the zombie rodent was still classified as a Weak Level Undead. "Maybe it's due to his lack of special power" he thought.

Eamon couldn't shake the feeling of curiosity. "It's interesting," he mused, "Once the attributes surpass a certain threshold, like 9, it seems the 'Above Average' descriptor disappears. Perhaps it's because they exceed the limits of human capacity, rendering a comparison to human averages meaningless.

Excited at the prospect of capturing another rat to absorb its abilities, Eamon decided it was time to head back to the wide corridor towards the cave's exit.

"Let's go," he commanded, and the troupe of zombies followed suit, with the impressive zombie rat obediently trailing behind Malakai.

As Eamon reached the edge of the cave, he noticed that there were still a few rats lingering around.

However, they appeared to be much more cautious than before, keeping their distance from the cave's boundary.

The rats remained beyond the range of stone throws. Nevertheless, Eamon resolved to lead his troops past the safety of the cave's protection and engage them on their own turf.

It was time to begin the assertion of his dominance beyond the confines of the cave.