Rhodes successfully leveled up to 3, gaining another random attribute point, which he allocated to Knowledge, increasing his mana to 40.
Besides that, a skill upgraded. This time, Basic Eagle Eye was upgraded to Intermediate Eagle Eye.
And a Basic First Aid. Basic First Aid allows you to control a medical tent at will, and you can purchase medical certificates in the Blacksmith, but this skill was trash among trash for Rhodes.
Without any hesitation, Rhodes directly gave up the First Aid skill and chose to upgrade to Intermediate Eagle Eye.
Intermediate Eagle Eye has a 50% chance to learn enemy spells of levels 1-3, plus the bonus from his Eagle Eye specialty.
With the treasure Fiery Eyes, Rhodes now has over a 65% chance of successfully learning spells.
After eliminating thousands of undead, 150 Skeleton Soldier were also converted by Necromancy. Coupled with the Skeleton Soldier Rhodes had accumulated before, the number of Skeleton Soldier had now exceeded 320.
This wave was extremely fruitful, and another major battle awaited Rhodes. With a large number of undead creatures surrounding them, the next phase would be a tough defensive battle.
After clearing out the undead forces, the soldiers of Hearthglen fell into sorrow, for they had killed their former relatives and friends.
However, there was no time for them to grieve, to mourn, or even to bury the bodies.
"Your Highness! Watchtower reports! The undead army! They're here!" A blood-soaked scout stumbled over, his voice hoarse as he shouted, breaking the heavy silence.
Arthas sharply raised his head, the pain in his eyes instantly replaced by resolute killing intent. "Everyone! Prepare for battle! To the city walls! For Lordaeron!"
Arthas raised his warhammer high, and holy light burst forth, dispelling some of the gloom and igniting the fighting spirit of the remaining soldiers.
Rhodes followed closely, rushing onto the city walls of Hearthglen. Looking out, even after experiencing "grand scenes" in games, the sight before him still made his heart pound.
Under the gloomy dusk, a gray, decaying tide was surging from all directions. It was not an organized army, but a deathly torrent composed of rotting bodies, twisted skeletons, and monstrous creatures.
Gargoyles flew in the sky, while Skeleton Soldier, zombies, and some Ghouls ran on the ground. Behind them followed large Abominations and numerous meat wagons. These undead forces were a dense, dark mass, stretching as far as the eye could see.
They advanced silently, with only the nauseating sound of bones grinding and decaying flesh dragging on the ground, converging into a suffocating whisper of death. Their numbers far exceeded the remaining defenders within Hearthglen.
"Archers! Free fire! Focus on attacking the flying monsters in the sky! Do not waste arrows on other monsters!" Arthas' voice was steady and powerful, his command decisive.
Among all the undead monsters, two were the most difficult to deal with: first, the giant Abominations, which were like land tanks, standing 3.5 meters tall.
The second was the Gargoyles flying in the sky. Flying units could effectively penetrate their defenses.
Ordinary militia arrows certainly couldn't harm Abominations, so they had to rely on Rhodes' magic.
The main target for these militiamen was to attack the Gargoyles flying in the sky.
Some temporarily recruited militiamen and the defenders of Hearthglen, under Arthas' command, climbed onto the arrow towers, drawing their bows and nocking arrows.
Sparse arrows shot from the city walls, landing in the tide of undead, splashing a few insignificant flowers of decaying flesh, instantly swallowed by the surging undead that followed.
Although Arthas had ordered to attack the flying Gargoyles in the sky, aside from some regular defenders, ordinary farmers lacked the discernment, and they couldn't even clearly see the monsters flying in the sky.
The militiamen's faces were pale, their hands trembling as they clutched their crude weapons. Seeing this, Arthas quickly raised his warhammer, leading his elite soldiers to the front, and then, with the soldiers, beat their shields to boost morale.
"Lord Rhodes!" Arthas' gaze turned to Rhodes, "I need your strength to suppress their charge! Eliminate as many of them as possible!" He pointed to the direction where the undead were surging most densely.
"Understood!" Rhodes took a deep breath, directly opening two bottles of Purification Potion. This potion allowed him to slowly recover his mana.
Rhodes' main target was the Abomination units. Once these giant monsters charged in, the elite Lordaeron soldiers might be able to cope, but these militiamen would surely break morale and flee.
40 mana points were enough for him to expend, because after upgrading Basic Earth Magic, the cost of Magic Divine Arrow was reduced by one point, requiring only 4 mana points to cast.
A blue, lightning-shaped energy condensed in Rhodes' hand, then shot towards an Abomination dozens of meters away. With a loud roar, the Abomination was directly blown to pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere.
Even some low-level undead creatures in the vicinity were caught in the crossfire and blasted into fragments. Immediately after, Rhodes unleashed the second, third, and fourth Magic Divine Arrows.
Each Magic Divine Arrow could take down a giant Abomination in the undead horde, while simultaneously blowing away some surrounding low-level undead creatures.
Rhodes' powerful spells instantly boosted the morale of the surrounding militiamen. Having a powerful mage always brought a sense of security.
With a full 10 Magic Divine Arrows, Rhodes eliminated 10 Abominations, plus several hundred low-level undead creatures, and Rhodes' magic was once again depleted.
The undead army had already reached the gates of Hearthglen. Arthas and the elite Lordaeron soldiers moved to the front, engaging in fierce close combat with these low-level undead creatures.
"Prince Arthas, let me lend you a hand." A young man who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old rushed out, holding a sword taller than himself, followed by several servants.
He was Taelan Fordring, the son of the former Grand Lord of Hearthglen, Tirion Fordring. Ever since his father, Tirion Fordring, was stripped of his Paladin status, as the heir, he had remained in Hearthglen, though power was currently held by Barthilas. Seeing the fierce battle outside, he also wanted to take up arms and fight.
Arthas looked back at the young man before him, then shook his head.
"Go back, young man. It's not yet your time to take up arms and fight. You haven't joined the Knights of the Silver Hand and are not a formal Paladin," Arthas said.
Perhaps in a few years, this kid would be a qualified Paladin, but not now!
Taelan Fordring, who had rushed out with his weapon, was pulled back by his servants.
Rhodes, standing on the city wall, glanced at the young man, the first-generation Paladin, the famous leader of the Gold Team, Fordring's son.