This house was made of a material that could completely hide a person - neither their life force nor their aura could be detected. Even a powerful warrior who conquered thousands of planets would not be able to detect anyone hiding inside.

He didn't rush to enter and inspected the house, remembering the day he and his wife watched the old man and his students use magic and golems to build this house in a meager 10 minutes using all available spells. He spent so much money on it that it hurts his heart.

"So much time has passed, but the house still stands strong and, as the old man said, it's reliable," he thought.

As he approached the door, he noticed footprints in the sand, almost all of which belonged to a four-legged animal, not too big, but strange that almost all the footprints led out of the house, but none returned. Of course, he discovered other tracks, but most of them led to the exit of the house, not to its entrance. This was very strange, and the idea that there could be more than one animal inside was excluded, as all the tracks belonged to a single individual.

Among all the possible options that came to his mind, there was only one logical and plausible one: the animal could move through space, teleport, or travel through other dimensions.

"These are not her tracks. She did not study space magic. This is another animal... but the animal should not have been strong," he thought, quickly analyzing the evidence and drawing conclusions.

He did not ponder for long that this animal was left here and opened the door.

Immediately inside, he noticed a black man sitting in the center of a shabby array... no, the array was even more meager than he expected. This array, which accumulated energy, was simplified to such an extent that even a person with limited abilities could create something similar. And this man called himself a warrior.

"This is the fruit of my conversation with the old man?" he thought. "I'm beginning to understand these things. If I want to destroy this disgusting mass and its creator, what would the old man do?"

As he pondered this, the man felt a chill run down his spine. Annino got into a fighting stance and growled at the uninvited guest. When the black man opened his eyes, he saw a huge man. Not just a man, but a beast-man - a proud and mighty lion, who looked at him and the mass with disdain in his gloomy eyes. He looked at it all as if he had seen shit.

"Annino, give me the spear," the black man shouted, jumping to his feet.

The beast-man, as if waking up, began to examine the man and the wolf. He was surprised that the man could speak and behave reasonably, and the wolf obediently gave the spear to the black man.

It was believed that the Fallen could not think and speak, but that was incorrect. His golden eyes shone with a silvery light, and he saw the soul of the man who was in a fighting stance, holding the spear next to the wolf.

Images of human and wolf souls appeared before the lion. The wolf's soul was apparently sealed. It's not surprising, many try to save their soul by sealing it, like necromancers. But the human soul, mmm, seemed to have been clean as a crystal lake not long ago. But, as if taking murky water and pouring it into the lake, polluting it, he began an irreversible process of falling. And is it wounded too? That's unusual.

As he pondered what he had just seen, he turned his gaze to the girl, who sat with fear in her eyes and looked at him. Her soul was already empty, black as tar. But something red, like threads, was being absorbed into her, and like a parasite began to slowly draw out this darkness.

Canceling his spells, he looked back at the man and the wolf. The black man held a spear in his hands, apparently made by himself. He was in a fighting stance, but it was full of holes. And, like a skilled warrior, he realized that this spear was not for him.

The longer he looked at this person, the more doubts filled him.

The black, emaciated body was a sign of complete decay. But his soul, until recently, was pure, as if he was not from this world. And the impurities in his soul were not the kind that usually accumulate over time. So the possibility that he was from this world was eliminated. But what was he doing here? And his aura was weak, almost that of an ordinary person.

Unexpectedly, he saw undead - a walking beast without a soul - dragging a corpse into another room. It did so sluggishly, limping, and even sometimes falling. This shocked him. Undead - creatures of death. They can only appear near a necromancer or those twisted runemasters called Death Smiths.

Exploring the essence of the undead, he was able to see that the threads of the spell were not created through the path of the mind or soul mage, but rather through the path of the body. He saw a circle of runes that made the corpse move and execute the creator's orders.

"Are you a Death Smith?" he asked in surprise. He was amazed that there were few such masters, even in this world. And those who were, were cursed and fell first.

But as a commander and one who controlled all the military power of this world, he had long known every inhabitant. And he couldn't remember who this person was before the fall. After all, Death Smiths were not human, but he was.

Upon hearing the question, the black man, who was ready for battle, was surprised but quickly calmed down under pressure. Thinking about the beastman's question, he began to ask himself who the Death Smiths were. However, seeing where the potential enemy was looking, he realized that he might be asked if he was a necromancer. He was about to say "no," but quickly fell silent. After thinking about it, he realized that lying would be a bad move, as it was better not to give cause for anger by lying.

"Yes..." he thought for a moment before continuing. "If necromancers and Death Smiths are the same."

"Don't you know who the Death Smiths are?" Seeing him shake his head negatively, he said, "Death Smiths are runemasters who fill bodies with runes. After that, they come back to life as undead."

"Then I'm a blacksmith, but I'll still remain a necromancer," he thought to himself after blurting out his thoughts. He tightened his grip on the spear and prepared for battle.

Pretending he didn't see anything, he continued. "If you're a necromancer, then perhaps you know where 999 other necromancers are right now?" he asked hopefully upon hearing that this man was a necromancer. If there's a chance he's connected to them, I must find out. "I warn you not to try and deceive me."

999 necromancers?... Is he talking about those creatures from the pictures? Hmm... if he's their enemy, that would be wonderful. I have nothing to lose anyway.

"I don't know exactly where they are. And if you're asking about the ones I've met, I only know that they were at the cemetery and in the room with the paintings," he replied.

"Cemetery and paintings," he repeated, pondering what he had just heard. He's not lying. After repeating it a few times, he nodded.

Taking a step, he disappeared and reappeared in front of the bound girl, who had tried to hide her head out of fear. Taking her hands, he turned to the man who was petrified with surprise.

"Here, take this as a token of gratitude... When you become strong enough and come to the city, find me," he said, throwing a ring that fell in front of the man in black. After thinking for a moment, he continued: "What's your name?"

Surprised by the question, he began to think. "What's my name, really? No, I don't have dementia to forget my name from the old world... I'll leave my old name in the past. I don't want to cling to the past anyway," he sighed, and said: "Vallynor."

"Vallynor. Unusual name. First time I've heard it. Alright, I'll remember it," he finished his last words, then disappeared with the girl as if he was an illusion.

It took him a few seconds to realize what had just happened. He had met an intelligent person... or was it an animal, how should he put it? From his words, he understood that there was a city, but also that it was dangerous for him at the moment. He also learned that he had a new name. "Hmm... oh yeah, and a ring," he thought, looking at the iron and plain ring lying at the bottom.

Before he picked up the ring, Annina began to sniff it. He smelled several scents, and one of them belonged to a recent creature. Remembering the smells, he stepped back from the ring, allowing its owner to pick it up.

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Examining the ring, he saw no decoration, pattern, word, or even a scratch. After turning it over for a few minutes, he could not find anything noteworthy, and put it on. When the ring was on his index finger, he began to inspect it again and wait. But no matter how long he waited, nothing happened.

Thinking about it, he left this question for later. And now he needed to check if that beast-man had really left.

Approaching the open door of the house, he saw Annina's tracks and Leo's tracks. But strangely, only the entrance tracks were visible, not the exit. Thinking about the possibility that he had not left, he became scared. He had already seen what this person was capable of.

"He's gone," a familiar voice appeared out of nowhere.

"How do you know he's gone?" he asked with doubt, thinking about the possibility that they were working together. But that's ridiculous. Why would they need me?

"Because I can contact you again. While he was in the forest, he blocked my ability to track him. And completely blocked the ability to contact anyone. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier. But while he was in the forest, I was bound and blind..."

After considering all of her words, he realized that he had no reason not to trust her. If that Leo wanted to kill him, he wouldn't play with him, he would kill him outright. He didn't know if they were working together, but if they were willing to help him, he wouldn't object.

"Do you know what this ring is?" he asked, raising his hand with the ring to eye level.

"It's a magical artifact called the Spatial Ring. Essentially, it's a spatial pocket where you can store things. No matter how big or heavy the object is, as long as the Spatial Ring has free space, you can put that object in the ring. When you need it, you can take it out immediately. However, there are a few rules: you cannot send living beings or plants into the spatial pocket. Secondly, time is essentially stopped in these mini-dimensions. So be careful with things that are related to the laws of time. And thirdly, do not abuse this ring. It is not infinite, and one day the ring will break, and the connection to the dimension where the object is located will disappear."

"Is this the legendary Inventory Ring... How do I use it, and how many times can I use it before it breaks?" He was happy that he would have a personal inventory. Of course, there was also Annie and his shadow realm pocket, but he took too long to retrieve the necessary items from it.

"Hmm. Very easy, you need to fill it with mana. After that, you will automatically know what's inside. And if you want, you can take out the contents. And if you want to put something into the ring, just touch that thing and, when you fill the ring with mana, think about it. The ring will do the rest... The ring you're holding, if you use it no more than 50 times a day, can work for over a thousand years. If you use it more, then it will work for a thousand years minus ten years."

"Ah. By the time thousands of years pass, I'll find another ring." - Realizing he had no practical limitations on its use, he stopped feeling the strange anxiety.

"Hahaha, you're right. I don't need such things. I don't take into account many factors, such as the possibility of replacement. So don't be afraid to use it when you need to." - The female voice became more joyful upon hearing the man's words. He was right. It had been a long time since she had spoken to someone else who could have a different point of view and not support her thoughts.

"What?" - She murmured as if she was thinking about something.

"Nothing. It's better to pour mana into the ring and see what the mountain of muscles left in place of brains has put there." - Quickly changing the subject, she suggested he take a look at what was in the ring.

After the mana was poured into the ring, information about what was inside and exactly where it was located came into his mind. He immediately realized that there were several books, several sets of clothing, and weapons of all kinds and sizes in the ring.

Thinking about the books and what he wanted to take from the inventory, he was able to extract them instantly and they were in his hands.

He had three books of different thicknesses in his hands. The first book was blue with golden patterns of magical symbols and runes. In the center of the cover was neatly written "The Basics of Magic." The second book was red and there was nothing on it except for two words "Warrior Paths." It was very thin, no more than 50 pages, thinner than the first book, and the third book was not mentioned.

The third book was thick and on the cover was a huge picture of a city surrounded by two armies that were fighting. At the bottom was written "History."

After thinking for a while, he left the books on the floor and checked the ring again. Inside, he found a variety of weapons and five sets of clothing. Two sets were made entirely of metal, two of leather, and one of cloth.

Taking everything out of the ring, he began to examine the clothing. It appeared to be too big for him. After inspecting each set, he was able to determine that both sets of leather and metal armor were different. One was thicker, while the other was thinner. The same was true for both sets of armor.

Taking the thinner and lighter leather armor, he decided to put it on and chose a pair of pants that, through magic, became smaller and fit him. After donning the armor, it fit perfectly on his body.

Looking at the armor and realizing that his movements were not restricted, he nodded. He moved the remaining four sets of armor back into the ring.

Making sure that all the pieces of the armor set fit tightly on him, he looked at the pile of weapons. There were swords, spears, bows, staffs, and even a scythe. A scythe?

Taking the scythe in his hands, he began to examine it. It looked like an ordinary scythe, with a handle made of black wood. The blades were like mirrors, reflecting his image. For the first time, he saw his ugly face and his eyes, which were not like those of an ordinary person. His eyes were lifeless, like those of a dead fish, and his pupils were red.

After thinking for a while, he left his scythe and swords behind and put everything else back into the ring. Sitting on the floor, he placed three books in front of him and looked at each one. Then he picked up the first book on magic. Opening it, he began reading from the writer's words. But before he could read the first words, the Necronomicon appeared, opening to its white pages, revealing a mouth. The book aggressively lunged at the book in the owner's hands. Seeing the book attack another, he quickly sent it back into the ring. Then he caught the book that was already ready to attack.

Holding the book for a while until it calmed down, he let it go. Vallynor looked at him angrily and said, "What the hell are you doing?"

On the page in front of him, it appeared: "Danger! Danger!"

"What danger?" - those words frightened him. He had not yet fully realized that the Lion had left and simply handed over the ring.

"The possibility of losing the owner. The owner must be careful with the book. It contains a cursed spirit that can attack you and devour your soul until it possesses your body," the writing on the page said.

This scared him. He never thought that a book could contain a spirit that would suddenly attack him. But after thinking about it, he had a question that he voiced, "How can this spirit be in the ring?"

The book didn't make him wait long for an answer: "This cursed spirit is already dead. And its soul is empty, so it will reach out to the souls of the living. And the book has become its place."

"Hmm. Can I somehow destroy it?" Vallynor didn't want to give up. He wanted to read the book and learn something new about magic.

Suddenly, an old woman intervened. After considering her words and the fact that she referred to herself as a woman who should already be old, he asked, "You don't have enough strength. But you can feed her your book. After that, you will be able to read from it. Everything that will be in that cursed book will immediately appear on its pages if she wants to."

After thinking about it, he didn't immediately take the book out of the ring, but instead took the red book "The Way of the Warrior". After that, he looked at the Necronomicon and asked, "Can this book be cursed too?"

"No," the voice of the book replied, "it's just an old collection of instructions."

Annino sat in the corner and looked strangely at his owner. At first, it wasn't particularly strange that the owner took things out of the ring, given that the owner had received the ring from a powerful being. But the way the owner's book reacted, and the fact that he was talking to someone who possibly didn't exist, was strange.

These two things made Annino nervous - perhaps his owner was sick. If so, how could he help him? Or maybe the owner is just too obsessed with hunting and forgets about other things. Exactly! The owner started to look better after starting to find new prey.

I need to catch even more beasts, and perhaps my owner will stop talking to himself and pay more attention to me.

Anino disappeared into the shadows and went hunting to catch more beasts. He even stopped devouring the souls of his victims to avoid accidental death. If he had already killed them, let him devour their souls himself.

Sometimes, when Anino ate the souls of his slain enemies, he felt himself growing stronger. This made him want to kill more enemies, but it did not affect the prey he brought back to his owner.

Meanwhile, Vallynor opened a red book and began to read. There was no author's name written in it, but it immediately offered a technique that could help the reader become a master of a particular weapon if they were created for it. To achieve harmony between body and soul in relation to a specific weapon, one must know several movements for each type of weapon and understand which type of weapon is suitable for a particular person.

Vallynor picked up swords and began to move as written and shown in the book. The sword was not chosen by chance, because the book stated that most warriors, if not fully, at least partially harmonize with the sword, so everyone starts their journey with it. To feel what harmony is like.

When a warrior understood the feeling of harmony, they could determine which type of weapon would be easier for them to master. If this didn't happen, the warrior had to train with all types of weapons to understand which one was created for them.

Vallynor concentrated all his attention on the swords and his feelings, slowly repeating each step. It took him more than half an hour to perform each movement, and each time he made mistakes, which made him start over.

Unfortunately, he didn't feel anything. The movements he made didn't bring any of the feelings described in the book. Vallynor didn't despair, the book already indicated that practicing was necessary to feel a connection with the weapon. So he started training again.

He completed four fully finished sword techniques. The techniques he repeated several times were the basics for using a sword in battle. And even if he didn't have harmony with the sword, at least he would know how to use it in a fight. Even if he remained a novice.

Leaving the weapon training for later, he looked at Annino, who unexpectedly entered, dragging a long beast into the room with arrays. Probably, there was an undead creature that they had to deal with.

Looking into the array room, he was scared. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of creatures, all sitting tightly. There were even more bodies at their feet. Seeing Annino happily looking at him, Yura quickly approached before going out hunting again. He became even more active than before.

"Annino, don't bring any more beasts," he said with a serious and frightened voice.

Annino, hearing the order, became sad. Did he do something wrong?