Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Ning was carried by one of the undead, which ran as fast as it could, making its way toward the battlefield that was still three days away.

Ning wore a thick coat to shield himself from the rain and wind. At the same time, he used the Summoner's Bracelet to summon another beast to make his journey more comfortable.

The Flare Fox was a small beast with fire burning along its fur. It wasn't real fire, just illusory flames, but it made the fox appear as though it were ablaze. It radiated warmth by just being present, and Ning used this warmth to keep himself and the undead functional during their travels.

The undead didn't feel cold, of course. It couldn't feel anything. The warmth wasn't for its comfort but rather to loosen any constricted muscles and skin that could slow its running, even slightly.

The fox lay in Ning's embrace while he rode on the undead's shoulders. With the Talisman of Concealment, both he and the undead were more or less undetectable by anyone or anything.

The undead ran straight ahead, following the directive it was given: run straight to the best of its ability without slowing down.

Since it was alone and not running with a group, it could move nearly twice as fast. Without stopping for food or rest, Ning was confident he could reach the military camp in about a day.

His task wasn't to reach the military camp, of course. It was to search for any scouts along the way and report back. He had yet to see one, so he let the undead continue running.

With its directive, the undead cared not for obstacles like rocks or trees; it would run straight toward them. Thankfully, Ning had asked Romus to add more commands to its directive.

By pulling on the undead's left ear, he could direct it to run left. Pulling on its right ear made it turn right. Tugging its hair would slow it down, and patting its forehead would make it stop or resume moving, depending on what it was doing.

The undead were incapable of understanding complicated directions, so this method of simple left, right, slow, and stop commands was what Ning used to control it.

With this system, he could make it all the way to the military camp and back without worrying about the undead going out of control.

Ning kept his eyes peeled for any scouts hiding along the way. Using his life sense, which extended 30 meters around him, he could usually detect if someone was nearby. Surprisingly, he saw no one.

Hours passed, and there was still not a single person in sight. The entire path to the coalition was empty of soldiers and scouts.

What is going on? Ning wondered. Finding no one was far more unsettling than encountering someone. It could mean there was truly no one present, or it could mean the scouts were hidden far better than he anticipated, rendering his efforts useless.

No, this is fine, Ning thought. Even if the scouts were hiding, as long as he checked the strategic locations where armies could be concealed, his group would be fine.

Spirits were another concern, but he had ways to deal with them if necessary. Others in his group were also capable of handling such threats.

Are they just not worried about this pathway? Ning wondered. He was traveling down the side of a mountain range that marked the border of the Marsh Kingdom. The mountains were treacherous and difficult to traverse, so perhaps the coalition didn't fear an attack from this direction.

The Republic was already struggling. It didn't have the resources or manpower to send an army through the hazardous mountain range to launch a surprise flank.

Even if they tried, they would likely fail.

The Republic was one nation facing three kingdoms, a duchy, and an empire. Their chances of victory were slim. The only reason they had lasted this long was the strategic advantage of Largan's Pass, which allowed them to defend effectively despite their smaller military force.

Even so, they were losing. The war had devolved into a battle of attrition, and the Republic's numbers dwindled every day, while the coalition added more to theirs.

It wouldn't be long before they fell.

Ning purchased a small potion from his shop and drank it. It was an expensive potion that cost him 14 points, but it greatly reduced fatigue for an entire week. This allowed him to go without sleep for a long time. While it also reduced his need for food and water, he still had to eat and drink. There was no worry there as he had food in his inventory.

Thanks to the potion, Ning remained alert as he continued searching for scouts or others. He scanned for hours while the undead kept running, but even as the day passed, he found no one.

Eventually, he spotted smoke in the distance, a clear sign of human activity. Realizing he was nearing his destination, Ning dismissed the Flare Fox back into the Summoning Bracelet, preparing to summon another beast if needed.

The undead ran a while longer before Ning tugged its hair, signaling it to slow down. As the undead came to a stop along a hilltop with people guarded around. Ning surveyed the area, realizing that they hadn't noticed him yet. Slowly, he directed the Undead to move past them and look below the hill.

What he saw below was a sprawling field of tents, people, and smoke. The open ground had been taken over by the military. The group was clearly separated into 3 groups from what he could see, which was certainly for the empire and the 2 countries that like had come together, but chose to stay on their own

Ning felt a strange sense of confusion looking at this scene. He had finally reached the military camp of the coalition in this war.

And yet, there were hardly any people down there at all. As far as he could tell, there was not a single soldier present in the camps at the moment.