《Reboot》


 Prologue

    The day was so routine and unremarkable that there was nowhere else to go. The sun, as luck would have it, hid, not wanting to disperse even the smallest bit of this gloomy mood that covered the metropolis. Here, among a scattering of high-rise buildings, a little less than a kilometer high, it was already rare to enjoy the sunlight, and even more so now.


    It was late in the morning, but the streets were already crowded. In the midst of a stormy gray stream of hurrying residents, a guy was walking. Nothing remarkable, at first glance, and at the second, to be honest, too. The same gray spot that looked to be in his mid-thirties. And you''d have to look really hard to see that the man was actually quite young: just over twenty, no more. But the pallor of his face, the bleakness of his eyes, and the shuffling, lifeless gait of his gait did not make him look younger.


    Right now, the poor guy was returning from a specialized pharmacy. The drugs that were supposed to prolong his life just a little, although they worked, caused such painful and severe migraines that the guy was not too happy that he was not yet dead.


    With a sullen look on his face, he trudged along in silence, resisting the living tide of people who, as always happens, are not too concerned about the fate of the first person they meet.


    "I can''t take it anymore..." - A similar thought in one form or another occurred to this person for a whole month now. Every day and many times. But he stubbornly endured this joke of fate, continuing to take medication.


    The incurable neurodegenerative disease progressed extremely quickly and, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, it was no more than a month away. And this is provided that you take exorbitantly expensive medications. Despite the level of development of modern medicine, such diseases could not even be stopped, so the poor guy had no choice but to accept this outcome.


    And I don''t care that I wanted to live at least a little longer...


    As he continued to walk slowly, he heard the sound of water, but he was only surprised for a moment. This hologram advertising the game has been here for a very long time. The boy lifted his seemingly heavy head and looked straight ahead. There was a small hill, above which shone a three-dimensional optical projection. The ancient wooden ship bobbed steadily on the waves, cutting through the azure sea. There were quite a few people on board, dressed in strange outfits that looked like they were stolen from a previous era. The ship continued to float, and gradually the camera moved away and it became clear that there was an armada of similar vessels on the water. Their destination was also well known. I don''t think there are people on the whole planet who haven''t heard of it.


    REVOLVE is a new game based on the principle of virtual reality, the technology of which has been developing for more than 40 years. There were even rumors that the game began to be planned from the moment of the birth of primitive augmented reality devices against its background. Just think, today it is difficult to imagine an ordinary walk without such devices, but this was not always the case. Developers were able to predict the development of technologies for decades to come...


    In fact, it was only possible to call REVOLVE a game by greatly downplaying the scale of this brainchild of scientific thought. The developments discovered in the process of its creation have found application in almost all spheres of human activity: from medicine to mining. The main achievement was not even the technology of creating a complete virtual world itself, but the unique artificial intelligence that designed it.


    At the very beginning, only the basic laws of the world were set, and the process of creating and populating it was entrusted to a specialized, completely unique AI. And now, so many years later, in 2065, the game is finally ready to see the light of day. The scale of the marketing campaign turned out to be so large that it would not be surprising if they were equal to the cost of its development. But in fact, the game, even before it was released, completely paid for itself! The principle of working with the human nervous system has already been applied for completely different purposes. The main thing, perhaps ¨C is the creation of perfect AI, which brought developers fabulous profits and attracted the attention of the whole world to create the game. And now, there were two days left before the long-awaited launch.


    The game had only one drawback: in order to visit the new world, you had to pay an unbearable amount for the average person. However, there were quite reasonable rumors that the price is fully justified, and the company is preparing a big surprise for users. Maybe the developers even spread these "rumors"themselves...


    The gameplay itself took place exclusively in the company''s branches, where there were special installations for connecting the user to the virtual world. This limitation is due to some incompleteness of the technology of working with human neural networks. To ensure complete safety when connecting to the game, constant supervision and strict adherence to the established rules were required.


    The gameplay was divided into sessions, the duration of which was equal for everyone. An unprecedented early rule, but it was around him that at least a dozen theories were built up about what kind of surprise awaits everyone...


    It was for each such session that you had to pay. The amount announced was so large that it would be enough to buy a small house! But this did not deter the powerful from starting a large ¨C scale occupation of new lands, which in the future promised to become so popular that they were actually supposed to completely replace the current planet-and such words are not an exaggeration. The company itself has confirmed this possibility in the near future.


    This is completely public information, or rather, it was made public to further increase the popularity of the game. And, it is worth noting, such a move has had an explosive popularity, even despite innumerable complaints about the cost of diving.


    And the person looking at the hologram that had already entered the second round of the show also knew all this.


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    The solution settled into his mind easily and easily. Recently, this has been the case for almost every even slightly important choice. This is understandable, when you already have one foot in the grave and the only thing you can lose is the remaining few months, or even weeks, to think about something for a long time is simply stupid.


    He turned around and started walking in the same direction he came from. It would seem that even the hated migraine receded a little, it was worth setting a goal.


    The guy was home only in the late afternoon. He''d just sold his car and most of the furniture, and tomorrow he was going to do the same with the apartment. The price was pleasantly surprised, but on the other hand-here is the very center of the city.


    Amazing. He parted with almost all of his possessions, and the money is still only enough for almost a month of connection. But it didn''t matter at all. In fact, without medication, he wouldn''t last that long. The heart will stop beating in a couple of days, but a person who has lost faith in the future will be able to live them without pain.


    ***


    A small reception area, individual for each player who paid a lot of money, welcomed its guest with bright walls and a futuristic design that is now fashionable. But there was no time to look at the furniture.


    A contract the size of a small book was placed in front of him, and he signed it without looking at it. A step behind her, the consulting girl didn''t even bat an eye at the carelessness. With a smooth motion, she picked up the document and placed it in the hole right in the wall.


    "Follow me, please." ¡ª With an extremely angelic smile, the employee chirped, pointing in the direction of the door.


    She had been leading the client through an ornate series of corridors for almost five minutes before they reached a room about a hundred square meters in size. Here were ten installations for immersion in the world of the game. At the moment, all of them were empty, which, in the guy''s opinion, was due to his decision made too quickly earlier. Mindless signing of a contract is not the fruit of excessive trust in a world-famous company, in any case. This is just one more example, representing the full extent of despair of a person whose shoulder was already squeezed by a bony hand.


    They were met in the room by four doctors, judging by their white coats.


    ¡ª How do you feel?" One of them asked, more out of politeness than anything else, since the game unit itself was performing body diagnostics.


    ¡ª I''m perfectly fine. Except that I''m filled with anticipation. The prearranged phrase sounded surprisingly light. He hadn''t been very talkative lately, but it was obvious that some anticipation had actually managed to break through the wall of apathy that had been created by the realization of his own demise. Just a few days, but spent in a really interesting activity-exploring a world unknown to anyone yet...


    "But the new world is really, in fact, unknown." - Thought the guy, pulling off his clothes. In a couple of days, he managed to learn quite a lot about REVOLVE.


    Aria-that was the name of the main specialized AI-independently brought the game world to a state of complete autonomy. At the moment, the developers almost could not influence it directly in any way, except, perhaps, for connecting new players, for which, after appearing in the new world, Aria was also responsible, generating their appearance, parameters and everything else.


    Death in the game, as previously reported, was punished quite severely ¨C a person lost all the collected items and one of the specializations. This was done to maximize the realism of the gameplay. The world itself could also be called real without the slightest doubt, all the phenomena occurring in it were strictly subject to the laws set initially, which directed its development together with Aria.


    Of course, the developers worked out the main points that would make your stay in the game more pleasant and take into account the mistakes already made in the real world.


    For example, in REVOLVE there was no garbage, all discarded items disappeared after a while.


    Although the player could get sick, but organisms smaller than a certain size simply did not exist, which excluded most diseases caused by viruses and parasites. Surprisingly, even most of the small insects were missing.


    The players '' senses, whether it was pain, thirst, or anything else, were also dulled, they simply couldn''t exceed a certain threshold. This topic caused a lot of controversy, because they wanted to remove unpleasant sensations altogether, but the experiment confirmed that this can cause some harm to mental health. Yet, having forgotten what pain was, players might have inadvertently harmed themselves after returning to reality...


    Also, despite the fact that in the game people had to eat, their bodies did not produce waste products, and only the outer layer of skin was dirty. This was done mainly because the world in the game was close to the early Middle Ages and in order to please a person who was used to household amenities, they decided to simplify personal hygiene as much as possible.


    Also, the player characters didn''t age. Their bodies when generated were of a similar build, which gradually changed, depending on the direction of development. The complexion of characters could not be chosen, the player could not even name their character. All parameters, from the length of the hair to the innate characteristics of the race, were formed by Aria.


    It is also worth noting that the organisms inhabiting the virtual world could rightfully be called living, because each of them was responsible for its own AI of the appropriate level of complexity. In the game, you could even have children who were not inferior to a real person at all.


    The list of such global and minor differences was quite extensive, but not all of them were disclosed ¨C players had to experience all the charms of the game firsthand.


    Sighing, the guy finally undressed completely, finishing remembering what he had read on the project''s website. Following the instructions, he lay down in a rather large installation, similar to a metal-covered sarcophagus.


    The body immediately seemed to sink into something thick and slightly warm. This feeling did not cause any hostility, quite the opposite. It was light and good, like lying on a gently swaying water. Except that my migraine-ridden head kept reminding me. Something cold touched the back of my neck, and then the same thing happened to the top of my spine.


    - Close your eyes and relax. One of the men in medical scrubs gave the first and only command in a monotone. The boy wasn''t bothered by the tone of the doctor''s voice at all, and now he had already managed to close his eyes, falling fast asleep in a few moments.


    The young man could no longer see how the small indicator on the surface of the newly closed lid of the "sarcophagus" began to slowly fill up, indicating the progress of the process of its synchronization with the user''s nervous system. The indicator successfully filled the entire scale, but after a moment, an error message appeared on the holographic display. The device stopped syncing and slowly opened. The boy''s body could be seen shuddering from the electric shock. Once, twice, three times, but calmly watching what was happening, the doctor simply continued to monitor the vital signs displayed on the retina of his eye. The immersion setup consistently followed protocol, and the user''s body received all the substances that should have been used during resuscitation. But my heart didn''t start beating. Four minutes later the doctor said in the same emotionless voice:


    ¡ª The first case of a fatal outcome was recorded when connecting. The device is fully functional. - After sharing his observations with his colleagues standing nearby, he gave the command to take the body and turned around, leaving the room.


    ***


    Ten hours later, the head of the department responsible for connecting new players to REVOLVE was finishing up an oral report to the company''s CEO.


    ¡ª ... thus, during the connection session that ended today, more than 290 thousand people were entered into the game, which, in fact, only slightly exceeded the initial calculations. A gross error was also found that was not taken into account in the development process. People with certain types of nervous system disorders cannot be connected to current models of dive devices. One case of fatal outcome was recorded, due to overloading of neural networks during synchronization. According to protocol, Aria immediately began to check the state of the nervous system of each plug-in before starting synchronization.


    ¡ª Was it someone important?"


    ¡ª Not at all, sir. A young man, 23 years old, no family, sold all his property before connecting. If you''ll excuse me, I''m guessing he just wanted to spend his last days in the game.


    "Very well. Keep working.


    The two people''s faces didn''t show any emotion as they talked about the other person''s death. The department head bowed his head slightly, turned around, and left the office. Only the main session of connections was completed, which actually did not stop for a moment, and he still had a whole lot of work to do.

 Chapter 1

    A terrible thunderstorm descended on Daxtarian that night. A disaster of this magnitude has never occurred in the memory of this generation. The wind tore everything in its path with sharp blades, and the underbelly of the clouds, cut open by the strongest lightning, shimmered with a variety of colors that were completely uncharacteristic for an ordinary thunderstorm.


    A girl wearing a blue cape was running in the pouring rain. The frail figure resisted every gust of wind with obvious difficulty. Only the semitransparent shroud of the protective spell allowed her to still stand on her feet. Exactly the same barriers surrounded every building in the city without exception. How else? Still, the capital of magic...


    The large hood she held in both hands was almost useless in this weather, but she never took it off. Except in front of the Master... the silly thought distracted her, but the gust of wind that managed to break through the haze and ruffle her ash-colored hair immediately brought her to her senses.


    She was hurrying toward the Lord''s Tower, which stood exactly in the center of the city. Raising her head for a moment, Ellayla saw a translucent dome of bluish energy begin to descend from the top of the Tower, protecting the vast city from the wrath of nature. Pausing reverently for a moment, she quickened her pace even more, because under the dome, the force of the elements almost immediately weakened and the feeling that the next gust of wind would lift you off the ground disappeared.


    Almost at the top of the Tower, Ellayla carefully opened the huge golden door that led to the Master''s private chambers. Even though there was no one inside the large room, she could still sense the location of the strongest creature in the Daxtarian. She walked a little deeper into the floor and came to a large open balcony, on the edge of which stood an ordinary, seemingly old man dressed in a gray cape.


    But it wasn''t nearly as simple as an unintelligent layman might think. The Daxtarian was created long after he was born, and it was only of his own free will that he became its guardian. For thousands of years, Vladyka defends and secretly rules the country, remaining a symbol of the inviolability of the greatest state. She came closer and noticed that the old man''s eyes shone with a bright blue light, his hands drew patterns in the air unknown to her, and his gaze was directed at the protective dome-shaped barrier, which even now did not stop growing in its volume, covering more and more new lands.


    After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke:


    "Grandfather, I''m sorry to distract you from such a complex spell.  The young guest bowed low to the creature in front of her. Even though she was considered related to him, the respect carved into her heart didn''t allow her to treat him like an ordinary grandfather.


    "Ellie, you don''t have to bow to me," the old man was distracted for a moment, but he didn''t stop casting the spell, " besides, how difficult can it be for me to see my beloved granddaughter?


    The keeper turned. The old man''s soft voice seemed like a warm spring wind to the girl. He only talked to her like that, though. It was a little flattering, and Elayla sincerely hoped that the Master really thought so.


    "Grandfather, I don''t dare distract you from your business on normal days.  The young woman continued respectfully. ¨C This situation is too strange, if it wasn''t for my father''s order, I would never have dared to disturb your peace of mind.


    Hearing his granddaughter''s words, the old man became slightly sad. The already deep lines on his face turned into real furrows. At that moment, he was remembering the effort he had taken to convince her to call him grandpa instead of the title she was so tired of.


    Sight The Overlords became focused, and Allayla involuntarily recoiled from the wave of energy that erupted from the old man''s body. The dome flared, then stopped expanding, fully stabilized. Unfortunately, the young eyes of the guest could not see how far it stretched ¨C so large and powerful was the spell created.


    Another bolt of lightning shattered impotently against the barrier that had been erected, causing her to look up and freeze in shock.


    The silence that lasted for several minutes was interrupted by a slightly hesitant question from Ellisla:


    - Grandfather, my father does not know what caused this cataclysm, he says that in his memory over our or any other lands, such a thing has never happened before. I was told to ask you for advice on what to expect..."


    "Your father is right, this has never happened in his lifetime.  The master turned to the one he called his granddaughter. ¡ª But I can say with absolute certainty that neither the cause nor the result of this storm has anything to do with us, even though we were the ones who were hit by it.


    ¡ª Then what should we do?"


    Another clap of thunder interrupted the old man. ¡ª I''m only vaguely aware of what this storm portends. But even if I''m right, there''s no way we can change what it brings with it.


    "I understand, Grandpa.  Ellylea bowed her head respectfully, hiding the look in her eyes that suggested she understood quite a bit, "And..." After a moment of hesitation, the girl continued ¡ª " What name would you give this storm?"


    "You don''t have to call her that," the old man said without hesitation. ¡ª It''s just a residual sign that screams about the changes taking place in the world.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡ª Tonight is a fateful night, Allayla. A night when the heavens themselves were ablaze...


    The girl, following the example of the Lord, looked up at the sky. After a few seconds of unconsciousness, she pulled herself together and left.


    ***


    It was as if his consciousness had been extinguished for just a moment, only to return immediately. The body was still enveloped in some kind of thick slush. Except that she was a little cold.


    "Am I in a capsule?" - the first thought that came to mind seemed quite logical to the guy, but as the feelings gradually came to their senses, it became clear that this was not entirely true.


    The attempt to move his hand was surprisingly successful and easy ¨C the substance was not too thick. The guy tried to open his eyes, but when he did, he immediately closed them again. The light was too bright!


    It was only after a minute of agony that the overly sensitive eyes finally managed to adjust to the light. The first thing he saw were the branches of trees, through which the rays of the clearly midday sun shone.


    "Where am I?"  As he tried to sit up, he realized that he was lying on the edge of a small swamp. He stood up carefully, noticing that he wasn''t wearing any clothes. "Why am I not on the ship?"


    According to the announcement on the game''s website, the first people to connect had to enter the new world in a special way, like explorers who arrived on the ocean. That''s what the holograms scattered around hinted at. But the surrounding forest didn''t look much like a medieval ship, no matter how you looked at it.


    "But I''m not even in the city. Something''s wrong... " - looking around a bit, the guy realized that there were no more people nearby. He was completely alone in a small clearing in the woods, surrounded by the usual trees, though slightly taller. ¡ª I won''t be in a hurry, maybe this is some kind of surprise."


    "Inventory".


    The first of the available mental commands worked without any problems and a strange feeling appeared in my head. It was as if an entire room was floating in the air nearby. Small, even small, it was, for some reason, completely empty.


    "Well, where can I find clothes?" ¡ª It was a strange surprise from the developers. In the middle of a forest, without food, water, or weapons. - "Maybe the city is very close?"


    The impulse to rush to the nearest trees and see what was behind them had to be postponed. The guy decided to check out the rest of the game''s features.


    "Status".


    A small, almost transparent window appeared in front of my eyes. It was conceived as simple as possible, but giving at least some information about the character. It included: name, race and its characteristics, as well as the names and levels of current professions and specializations. The game did not have a level system, the character gradually became stronger, moving through the game world and developing in the chosen direction. Now in the Status, quite expectedly, there were only a few lines, but even they made me sit down on the ground from bewilderment.


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    Racial characteristics:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces level 1.]


    [Lord of Souls Level 1]


    [???]


    "Eh?" - The reaction is quite justified, because at the beginning of the game all players had to be of the human race, with the same characteristics-Immortality and Accelerated development. Immortality is common to all players, and Accelerated development is a feature that allows you to learn faster. "This is definitely a mistake. You just have to ask."


    "Disable".


    Having mentally uttered the last keyword available, the guy, without getting up from the unexpectedly pleasant to the touch grass, waited patiently for at least a minute.


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    "I hope this gets fixed quickly."  The frown deepened. It was unpleasant to realize that someone''s mistake meant wasting precious minutes of their remaining time.


    It was supposed to be disconnected from the outside. The player could only give the command to end the game dive session and after some time they had to be carefully disconnected from the dive device. But...


    Five minutes had passed, and the boy was still sitting with his back to the big tree.


    "I guess I''m not the only one who got an error, which is why it took so long." ¡ª The next idea also looked quite plausible, but the grain of doubt by this time had already begun to sprout. How could there be a bug in a game that has been developed for several decades? The developers would not allow the publication of a defective product. Another ten minutes passed, and the guy just sat there, staring straight ahead with empty eyes.


    "It seems like I''m just too unlucky in this life." "All this time, he''s been thinking about what happened. There were various thoughts running through his head, but one of them was the right one, and he immediately jumped at it. "Obviously, I had to be different from the rest of the players. And I even know what..."


    "The damn disease was able to get me even in another world."


    The guy was not angry or angry, he had already passed these stages several months ago when he found out that he was ill. And he was just trying to get over the fact that his last days would be spent not in the company of other players, exploring new lands filled with fantastic adventures, but somewhere deep in the forest, without clothes or even food.


    And somehow already familiar, this decision also took not so much time. The boy got to his feet. He wasn''t going to lose faith so easily. The first step was to make sure that there were no starting cities nearby.


    "Even the name isn''t fully known!? Rei, right..? " - after a moment of savoring how obscenely simple the name sounds, but still finding nothing wrong with it, the guy just as easily accepted another whim of fate. "Not too bad, come to think of it. Although I don''t think I should get used to it too much, two or three days and it won''t be useful anymore."


    It took him a few more minutes to look at the new body and sincerely regret that it was only for a few days. The skin, by the way, did not leave a single trace of slightly cloudy water from the swamp. Strange, but no more so than appearing in the middle of a forest.


    After taking a couple of steps, Ray stopped. He remembered one thing that for some reason hadn''t occurred to him before.


    You could have just died.


    At the very beginning, the player did not have any things other than clothes, and he simply would not have had time to develop much initial specializations or professions, so death in the game was not something special, at least at the very start. Having died several times, the player would be able to get used to it, because for the inhabitants of the world of technology, battles with cold weapons would be clearly unusual. After death, the player respawned in their starting city, but in a depleted state.


    All Ray cared about right now was getting into the city quickly, or at least getting out of the woods.


    But he was in no hurry to implement this decision, and yet he walked a hundred meters in each direction from the clearing, but still did not see any hint of the end of the forest or even a path. You could just poke in a random direction and go there, but who knows how big this forest is?


    "If the city is really close, then it should be easy to find it, but there are no landmarks here."  Ray pondered this as he climbed one of the taller trees. To look around, and then, if he doesn''t see anything that looks like a landmark...


    He had never climbed a tree before, which made him expectedly a little clumsy. But the new body pleased with a fairly developed musculature, to the envy of the real one, exhausted by the disease.


    This made it possible to climb to a ten-meter height without any problems. Looking down made my hands grip the branches more tightly, and the bark cut painfully into my bare feet. The height seemed treacherously high! At that moment, Rey didn''t even notice that the pain was too much for a player to feel.


    "Scary, damn it!" - A moment of indecision easily receded and the ascent continued. The guy himself didn''t even bother to guess how high he had climbed, because he definitely wasn''t looking down anymore. But it was not so far to the top of the tree when it became quite possible to see a fairly extensive piece of forest.


    The sea and the sea of greenery, the edge of which is unknown where. But it was clearly much farther than Ray had hoped when he''d come up here.


    There was no sad sigh, no curses, just a pair of slightly frightened eyes looking down. This tree, like everything else around it, was strange, completely devoid of small branches that could painfully scratch the skin when climbing or obscure the view. Even now, Ray could barely make out the ground in the distance.


    My knees wobbled, but my hands gripped the branch like a drowning man''s, holding me down. At least ahead of time...


    Rey didn''t even want to think about whether he was doing the right thing or not. All the same, it''s just a game and death here is an everyday event.


    Without any special problems, having descended a little down, as if created for climbing a tree, the guy stopped at a height of about twenty meters.


    "I can do it! It won''t hurt anyway. It''s just a game! Stupidly realistic, but the game ... " - Sluggishly consoling himself before the decisive step, Ray leaned forward to immediately grab back the trunk.


    ¡ª Heh-heh.  He gave a confused laugh. ¡ª It''s not that easy.


    After standing there for another half minute, he found himself unable to make a decision for the first time in a long time. But there''s only so much time left...


    ¡ª All right. It''ll be all right.  Rey exhaled sharply, squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep, long breath, and fell out of the tree.


    He did this with his head down to make sure that he would die quickly and surely. I guess it was because my eyes were closed, but a couple of seconds of free fall took a little longer.


    The guy was right, he died instantly, breaking his spine and smashing his skull virtually to smithereens. But something didn''t go according to plan. The pain didn''t go away! In addition, it was felt, for some reason, even after the moment of his death...!


    Ray didn''t have a moment to realize his situation. Darkness was everywhere, and even though he couldn''t feel his own body, he endured the pain that seemed to come from everywhere. And that significantly increased! A second ago, he, accustomed to constant migraines, would not even wince, and a moment later the pain was so intense that he wanted to scream! And it wasn''t going to stop! Another moment passed and the hellish agony did not even strike his body, which now did not exist, but the consciousness floating in the embrace of the surrounding darkness! I wanted to scream, to yell at the top of my lungs, to make it stop.


    "Where''s the fucking limiter!?" ¡ª The feeling of pain in the game shouldn''t exceed a certain limit, but right now Rei couldn''t even think about anything. There was nothing to compare his own torment with! A pain greater than this, he simply could not imagine! The migraines from taking medication now seemed so inconsequential and gentle that the guy would have gladly endured them if only to stop this suffering!


    But a dozen seconds passed and everything was cut off like a knife. The pain disappeared without a trace, and a sense of one''s own body emerged.


    Rey sucked in a deep, noisy breath. My heart was pounding so hard that my temples were buzzing. Fingers clenched, they scooped up armfuls of grass and dirt. The boy came to his senses only when he felt a soft tingling sensation on the bare skin of his back. It took me a moment to realize that the torment was over and it took me dozens of breaths to come to my senses.


    Opening his eyes, Ray saw a familiar landscape. The clearing, the swamp, where he actually lay, this time not even trying to get up. There was a large bloodstain on the side of the grass.


    "Why is this happening to me?" He winced, closing his eyes again for a moment.


    He went into the game to take a break from the pain of the real world, but even here it caught up with him. This feeling of helplessness, coupled with a nagging tiredness all over my body, was suppressed so much that I didn''t even want to lift a finger.


    Ray stared up in silence, wondering what he had done to deserve this punishment.


    And, probably, any other person could have spent more than one hour in this state, but the guy has already spent more than one day doing this. He was well acquainted with the unfairness of the world, and he was not going to relive it.


    Now they have been replaced by both bitterness and surprise at how hard the developers tried to create the game. Overwhelmed by his situation, Rey had not been able to fully enjoy the full range of sensations that overwhelmed him when he was in this new, seemingly brighter world. The bitterness was only caused by the fact that his entire body felt like one solid desiccated piece of flesh. And that feeling was also very real. Every muscle, every sinew in his body groaned.


    Reluctantly, I had to lie down and continue to let my body get in order. Rey gave the command to disconnect from the game several more times, but nothing happened, just like before. Finally resigned to his incomprehensible fate, he tried to get up. His arms and legs felt like they were made of wood, but he could still stand more or less straight.


    "I don''t want to spend my last days just waiting to die. As long as I don''t jump headfirst from trees, at least it shouldn''t hurt."  Ray took another look at the sun, then decided on a direction and headed west. As far as he could remember, the colonization of the new world had begun on its supposedly western coast. He hoped he hadn''t been thrown too far, because he was heading in that direction. Slowly at first, checking each step carefully, but it wasn''t long before his body regained its former mobility.


    In fact, the situation didn''t look all that bad right now, but rather the opposite ¨C Rey wandered through the picturesque forest, never ceasing to marvel at the level of realism that he could now enjoy, freeing his head from heavy thoughts. The feeling of soft, airy grass under my bare feet was simply fabulous. The delicious, fresh forest air was even somewhat pleasant to inhale, and the afternoon sun, which broke through the crowns of the trees, gave off an indistinguishable warmth on the skin.


    "Looks like I overreacted, this place isn''t as bad as I first thought."  Rey had been walking through the woods for almost an hour, but the monotony didn''t bother him at all, and the boy was still filled with the same enthusiasm that came from nowhere.


    My own nakedness was unexpectedly not as disconcerting as the first few minutes in this world. The boy smiled contentedly, sometimes bouncing, sometimes falling to the ground like a child rolling on a grass carpet. Looking at him now, one would not have guessed that this man had recently become so desperate that he jumped headfirst from a tree. It was hard to tell if it was autosuggestion or if he was really so excited about the beautiful but unknown world. Or maybe it was the migraine that finally disappeared.


    As time passed, Rey didn''t meet a single living thing on his way. But he was faced with another problem ¨C he began to suffer from thirst. At first it was just a slight dryness in the mouth, but after a couple of kilometers, the desire to drink became virtually irresistible. The guy didn''t see any water sources along the way, and since he didn''t have anything with him, he could only go ahead.


    It was in this manner that the lonely traveler found the evening.


    Hunger had also been added to the thirst, completely depriving the guy of such a short-lived joy from being in this world. On top of that, Ray was dead tired. Needless to say, he didn''t even come across a berry bush on the way, the forest was full of trees.


    "Maybe there are only trees in this world?" ¡ª Such nonsense Rey tried to distract himself from the realization of his own inability to at least influence something. Hunger and thirst gradually began to give pain in the stomach area. Because of this, excessive detail also somehow ceased to be liked. The guy was already completely exhausted and now just sat under a small tree, trying to catch his breath.


    Ray had planned to continue his journey at night, but he noticed that it was also starting to freeze. The sun had set, and it was freezing as hell under the thick cover of the trees. And if you consider that the guy was without clothes...


    Like any resident of a megalopolis, he wasn''t the least bit adapted to surviving in the forest. Ray knew he had to do something, but he had no idea what it was. All he knew was that he would soon die again if he didn''t do something about it. And he really didn''t want to feel that pain again, the memories of which made him shiver even now...


    It would seem that it couldn''t get any worse, but looking in front of him, Rei seriously wondered if he was some kind of slaver or serial killer in his previous life!? There could be no other reason why fate decided to make fun of him like this.


    Almost seventy meters ahead, in the rather bright moonlight, a vague shadow was walking. Thanks to the fact that the night was clear, the guy was able to see the unexpected guest before he was noticed. But he still couldn''t count it as luck.


    At the withers, the beast was undoubtedly taller than an adult. Two meters, maybe more, but it''s exactly four meters long. Its huge body was bulging with muscles, and its clawed feet could not be deceived ¨C the animal was a carnivore. In some ways, the beast resembled a lion, but it looked much more dangerous. The brown fur changed to almost white nearer the huge mouth. The muzzle is more elongated than that of the familiar It has no tail, and the front part of the body is a little more massive when compared to the back.


    It hadn''t noticed Ray yet. Apparently, that''s why the guy was still alive, because the beast is clearly predatory. And it was foolish to even doubt that he would not be able to cope with it.


    The guy had already decided what to do: turning around, he looked around quickly and without thinking for a moment rushed to the nearest tree.


    There were several massive branches at the bottom of the plant, so it wasn''t difficult to climb it in a hurry. At a height of five meters, Ray felt an unnatural chill run down his spine. He was smart enough not to turn around to check the cause. My already tired hands were even more active.


    When he finally reached a fairly thick branch, he looked down. The beast was already standing under the tree, watching with interest the strange creature that dared to enter its territory.


    "So that''s why I didn''t meet a single animal on the way, it''s the one that ate them all."  Rey watched as the strange monster took a few meters back and sprinted up the tree trunk. Its claws sank easily into the bark, and the creature hung there for a moment, seemingly holding on tight enough. But in less than a second, with a shrill crack of bark being torn apart, the animal crawled down. And there were potholes in the wood that could easily have held a finger.


    With a mental sigh, Rey continued climbing, because somehow he didn''t feel safe at this altitude.


    The ascent was stopped again by the palpable vibrations coming from the tree trunk. Looking down for the second time, Ray saw the beast clinging to the branches with its front paws, slowly but persistently climbing up. My heart involuntarily skipped a beat, and then began to beat with redoubled zeal, hinting that the owner should also give in.


    Once there, Almost fifteen meters up, Ray heard a crunch somewhere below. It was immediately followed by a loud thud, which couldn''t help but cause the cornered man to genuinely rejoice.


    The guy looked down with some hope-suddenly the predator was injured, or even died, having wriggled up from such a height. But the beast, which had already recovered from its fall, was still watching him menacingly. Neither the leaves nor the night time seemed to bother him at all, because Rey could feel the predator''s heavy gaze on him. But now the boy was clearly out of reach of the animal, because the weight did not allow him to climb so high: some branches simply could not withstand the force that the animal applied to them.


    However, the situation turned out to be a stalemate. You can''t get him, but there''s nothing he can do about it.


    Ray sat and stared down at the true hunter, who was patiently waiting for his prey to come down to him. The animal didn''t even try to pretend that it was gone, which meant that it was either too stupid for this or too smart and understood that its prey was already going nowhere. And seeing that after one fall, the beast didn''t even touch the tree, the guy easily guessed that the second assumption was correct.


    Thirst, hunger, cold, fear... All these feelings had been tormenting Ray for hours, but he was slowly regaining control of his thoughts.


    "I even feel a little sorry for him. I will most likely die from the fall, and even if I don''t, my body will still disappear upon rebirth."


    "What if I resurrect somewhere nearby? What''s left for me to be a toy in the clutches of this creature?" ¡ª Although the thoughts were gloomy, but they led Ray to a rather interesting question. "I wonder how strong you need to be to defeat such a monster? If you think about it, this is clearly not a creature that an untrained player can handle. Such a man could carve out a small village and leave in one piece. However, most likely, some players were specially prepared before entering the game."


    Rey was right in his thoughts, not everyone who realized the full potential of their own power within the newly created world could afford to spend several days here in a row. But the hired people did it with pleasure.


    But the most important thing was Rei''s conclusion that he needed to get stronger. In a whisper, repeating these words to himself, the guy firmly confirmed this thought.


    And, perhaps, it was this whisper that was one of the most important threads that had already begun to weave into an invisible, huge web of someone else''s plan

 Chapter 2

    It''s a pity, but Rey quickly realized that even a firm, but rather intangible desire to become stronger is not enough to get rid of the current problems.


    Throughout the night, he did not close his eyes even for a minute, because he understood that falling asleep in his current position was the same as dooming himself to death.


    But the darkness gradually receded before the sun rising from behind the forest. The beast below lazily stretched, as if mocking an already half-dead person.


    Calling him half-dead wasn''t an exaggeration, quite the contrary. During the night, Rey was tired and cold so much that quite often he thought about enduring the pain of death and jumping, but every time he remembered that feeling, when his consciousness in the literal sense of the word was torn from unbearable torment, the guy stopped himself.


    Looking at the sun with tired eyes, he looked around. The light increased, but the landscape remained the same: everywhere the sweeping crowns of huge trees, and below a predator, ready to finish him off at any moment. Ray somehow understood that it was not so important for the beast to eat him, but simply to finish him off. Killing is not for the sake of hunting, but for the sake of killing.


    ¡°Probably shouldn¡¯t have teased him all night¡­¡± The guy sighed tiredly. Last night, when it was completely dark, the beast, making sure that its prey was not going to go anywhere, brazenly stretched out its huge paws and lay down on the grass, showing with all appearance that it was going to sleep.


    Ray could not stand such impudence and, crushing a lump of leaves in his palm, launched it into the head of the beast. He missed hard, but a second ago, the relaxed monster was on its feet in an instant, breaking the "gift" even before it touched the ground.


    A wave of goosebumps ran down his already frozen back. The guy could only nervously and somehow quite hopelessly laugh at the predator''s reflexes. There is no chance.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s worth letting this trash so shamelessly sleep.¡± Ray thought as he crushed another ball of leaves in his palm. ¡°We will suffer together.¡±


    At some point, the clearly intelligent predator simply stopped responding to balls of foliage, and Ray had to throw down branches that had been broken off with difficulty. The beast growled menacingly when they fell nearby, but at some point simply moved away from the tree for ten meters, denoting the winner in this small game. And then again collapsed on the grass and "fell asleep."


    Needless to say, Rei didn''t even think about trying to quietly go downstairs. It was possible to try to get over to another tree, but the light of the moon was clearly not enough for this. One careless move could result in another death.


    But on the other hand, during the night he managed to crawl out a solid piece of ¡°his¡± tree, keeping close to the trunk, where the branches were large and it was not so easy to fall from them. Maybe it was because of this, or maybe because of the fact that it had brightened a lot, Rei noticed something interesting. Previously, walking through the forest, he did not find any animals, except for birds rarely flying in the sky, but now the guy was looking at a small nest.


    And somehow it happened that during the night he climbed even higher than the animal (and the creature inside was clearly not a bird), which made a house for itself here. A dubious reason for pride, but the deadly tired Ray did not really bother with this.


    Struggling with fatigue, the guy moved to the right part of the tree, wanting to satisfy his interest.


    "Young?" - Inside the nest, obviously too large for him, lay a creature with a very short brown coat. A pair of tiny eyes didn''t even open as Rei gingerly poked his finger at... the ferret? And looking closer, the guy realized that the little animal was almost not breathing. ¡°Is it cold too? And for some reason your parents aren¡¯t there¡­ Maybe this one downstairs did his best?¡±


    This option seemed to be somewhat plausible. It is unlikely that the older ferrets were killed by this particular animal, but the nest could not appear by itself. It is unlikely that this small thing could build something so big.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely a baby. I can tell an adult ferret. Probably ... "- Rey shivered chilly from another gust of wind.


    So, thinking about all sorts of nonsense and flashing his bare backside towards the beast below, the guy spent almost ten minutes.


    "Can it really be considered alive?" - The animal did not react to the next poke with a finger and, having grown bolder, Rei carefully placed a small ball of wool in his palm. If the cub was still alive, it did not show it at all.


    "No, he''s alive." - The guy was even somehow delighted, looking at how the animal jerked its paw. However, after that, she was quite quiet.


    - Hey. What are you?


    Ray was about to stroke the animal again, but a cloud of gray smoke rose from the body of the ferret.


    Almost dropping the tiny body in surprise, the guy took a closer look and realized that it was not smoke. An almost transparent veil concealed a small silhouette of a just-dead animal. Unless it was a little bigger.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Out of simple curiosity, Rei touched the substance with his finger, only to pull it back immediately. But it was too late - a cloud of smoke was absorbed into the finger without a trace. Instantly passing the path along the arm, it entered the chest over the shoulder and froze somewhere, judging by the pleasant coolness.


    "Eh?" - Feeling the place where the gray haze had disappeared, Rei realized with some relief that he did not seem to die.


    "AND? What was it?"


    Good luck, but the answer was found in my head pretty quickly. All you had to do was remember what you saw in the Status.


    It looks like he just saw the soul of this small animal. Confidence in such an incredible fact came pretty quickly - after all, everything around is just a game. Outrageously realistic, but the game.


    And, it turned out to be quite simple to verify your guess. All you had to do was call the Status.


    _____________________________


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 1] (Human, curing)


    [Soul Lord Lv1]


    [???]


    _____________________________


    Returning the body of the now apparently dead animal to its proper place, Rei began to think. Strange, but the death of this animal did not hurt him too much. It can be seen that the awareness of the unreality of what is happening around affected.


    Own Status looked much more interesting.


    ¡°Couring¡­ This clarifies what ¡°Many Faces¡± means, but how to use it? - Empty thoughts led to nothing. He simply did not know any other game commands, except for the three main ones, and the Status gave so little information that it became somehow sad.


    Fortunately, the soul ... curing regularly helped to distract from their own deplorable state. Although rather, not even the soul itself, but the search for a way to use the ability. The name "Many Faces" rather eloquently hinted at the effect, which, in fact, attracted.


    Ray tried everything, it would seem. Starting with pats and strokes on the chest, where, it seems, the souls were, and ending with cries of the name of the animal that I learned from the Status. The torment did not last long - fantasy unconditionally gave in to the cunning of the developers.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you leave a hint¡­¡± ¨C Dissatisfied, the guy sighed, once again tried to imagine how he was overgrown with wool and, without waiting for the effect, leaned his bare back against a tree. The bark dug into the skin, but during the night he somehow got used to it.


    But it was impossible to get used to thirst ...


    Closing his eyes tiredly, Rey, as if forgetting about the danger waiting below, relaxed quite a bit.


    And in a second, in surprise, he opened his eyelids, which did not have time to really close. And there was something to be surprised.


    Just now he saw a strange... space? Somehow it was reminiscent Inventory. Black nothing, devoid of any other colors. Almost devoid of. After all, there, unlike the Inventory, there were as many as two ... souls. Yes, now Rey knew they were souls.


    One human, apparently belonged to Ray himself. And the second was the already familiar soul of curing. Both were grey. Is that the human a little brighter, but nothing more.


    "Finally". The guy nodded to himself. ¡°I was afraid that I would never be able to figure it out.¡±


    Ray mentally reached out for the beast''s soul. Feeling like nothing happened. And then it would be just right to be upset, but the guy did not have time for this: the branch under him became simply huge.


    "Good. The main thing is not to rush." Afraid to even think about moving, he cautiously turned his head to the side, noticing that his field of vision had become perceptibly wider. But the picture itself was very blurred before my eyes. Only neighboring branches were clearly visible, but further ...


    Rey stopped moving his head and looked down and stumbled upon two clawed feet.


    "This game is just something!" - An attempt to speak turned into some kind of even funny hiss. And it also became clear that curing has no teeth ...


    Jerking up all the limbs in turn, Rei realized that he was experiencing problems only with the tail. A new fluffy limb, almost as long as the rest of the body, although it interfered, did not hinder movement much. At least the guy climbed along the branch without any problems.


    He came to his senses already clinging claws to the pliable bark while climbing up the trunk. Doing so proved surprisingly difficult. But not because of the claws, no, they regularly and firmly clung.


    All of a sudden, he was overwhelmed with a sense of exhaustion. And then the hunger returned. Along with it, thirst. And after thinking a little, the guy realized that they didn¡¯t go anywhere, he was just too carried away.


    Unless the cold receded - the wool did its job.


    Frustrated, Rey dug his claws deeper into the bark, giving himself a chance to think. Now the primary task was to feed himself and, not strange, he already knew the solution. Reaching out with his paw, Curing grabbed a smaller leaf with his claws and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°Since it has no teeth, this animal must be a herbivore.¡± The observation turned out to be correct. The taste of the leaves was¡­ fresh. And, strangely, not at all like greenery. It looked more like a cold, savory dessert.


    ¡°I think there must be a lot of these curings in the forest,¡± Ray thought businesslike, crushing another leaf. - "With such a color, I would hardly have noticed them so easily."


    Climbing almost to the top of the tree, Rei judged that he had settled in well enough in his new look. But all this time he did not stop chewing the leaves. Those, by the way, in addition to satisfying hunger well, also banished thirst. It seems like a small joy, but still nice.


    But below the picture was waiting many times more pleasant. A hefty beast, uncomprehendingly, wound circles around a tree. Having lost its prey, the predator became much more serious, but he was no longer destined to catch the guy.


    Ray stared for several minutes at the blurred silhouette of the animal that had forced him to sit up in a tree all night.


    ¡°Although, on the other hand, it was because of him that I found this curing ... But I will not thank this animal.¡± ¡ª The smiling curing must have looked pretty funny. It is a pity, because there was simply no one to appreciate this spectacle.


    But the following thought that came to mind, made me think:


    "If I kill him, will I get the same appearance?" ¨C But once again looking at the absolutely gigantic figure of the beast, which for curing seemed like only a mountain, I had to give up this idea.


    Yes, and there was no point in such a thing, because in the guise of curing, that in the guise of that predator, Rei would feel about the same. Not only did he have no idea how to kill such an enemy, but also the appearance this little animal had a number of clear advantages. And the main one was food. The guy''s hunting abilities were somewhere on the verge of complete absence. And with his current skill, he could only catch the same leaves. Yes, and crushing greens is clearly easier than the raw meat of other animals. But they still need to be caught.


    Now, instead of smiling, curing made a funny face.


    Also, Rei was not sure that this predator was the strongest in this forest. What if you had to fight? Curing, on the other hand, was fast and discreet, so one could travel in relative safety.


    "I decided". Rei glanced warily down at the raging beast that had lost its rightful prey. - "Live. For now. But if I have time, I will definitely return and get even with you.


    A branch that is more authentic easily allowed curing to move to a neighboring tree and after ten minutes the dexterous animal left the unfortunate place far behind.


    With the choice of direction, Rey did not bother, leaving the rising sun behind. But now, when he "joined" the forest fauna, she answered him the same. It became clear that there are much more inhabitants in the forest than it might seem at first glance. Basically, very small living creatures, which the mastodon left behind would only fit for a snack. It has not yet been possible to find something larger, but other curings have been found.


    "By the way," Ray remarked, already quite briskly moving his paws. ¡°We are the same size as them. But there was a cub in the nest¡­ So, the ability does not make me a copy of the deceased creature.¡± With a nod of his own ingenuity, the boy continued on his way. He had already come to terms with the fact that he was unlikely to have time to get out of this forest.


    But, there was still a way to quickly overcome a long distance. And, most importantly, this method will make it possible to spend the last couple of days of your life not just anywhere ... In the sky!


    Stopping at the next branch, curing looked up. A lone green bird calmly soared almost above the very tops of the trees. Even though the Curing''s eyesight wasn''t particularly sharp, Rey could still see her.


    ¡°Catching her will not be easy. But, perhaps, I have nowhere to hurry, I can try.

 Chapter 3

    Slowly but steadily, Rey''s mood crept up. I almost didn¡¯t feel like drinking, eating - and even more so, and during a short run, instead of getting tired, he somehow even freshened up.


    ¡°It seems that the body of this animal is able to move much faster than I can. That''s why fatigue doesn''t come." ¡ª Curing''s nose sucked in the smell of tree bark, greenery and something sweet. This absolutely unique fragrance hovered in the forest all the time and therefore the impression turned out to be rather ambiguous. On the one hand, quite recently he almost died from cold and hunger, and on the other hand, he did not want to leave here at all. Especially when you consider that that strange bird over there, with two pairs of wings, can give him the cherished opportunity to fly. She is already the third in a row and Ray really hoped that this time the nest would not be empty.


    The blue dot that the bird looked like in the eyes of the curing finally soared up and, as Rey hoped, went to look for food for his offspring. He had already managed to make out the nest before that, but was there anything besides the bird itself? Already twice the house of feathered representatives of the local fauna turned out to be empty, and therefore one had to rely only on luck.


    After making sure that the bird had really flown away, Ray moved along the previously noted branches to the nest. Not to say that the chick found there caused great delight. And not because the result was natural to the efforts made. It¡¯s just that the bird that has not yet had time to properly fledge will now have to be killed ...


    ¡°If I hesitate for a long time, it will only get harder. After all, I can change my mind ... ¡±- Having leaned on the nest with the whole small body of couring, Ray did not immediately, but managed to break several branches out of it. This was enough to make the ingenious structure fall apart almost immediately. The chick didn''t even seem to understand what was going on. He traveled all the way to a distant land without making a sound.


    Ray realized with a certain disgust that the first deliberate murder in his life happened in the game. Over the moral side of the issue, he argued already briskly going down. And the closer the earth got, the easier it became.


    ¡°He''s not real. Yes, and I will live a little longer than this chick. - And without that, a small feeling of guilt completely evaporated at the sight of a small gray haze that had already managed to leave the body of the chick.


    Without a second''s hesitation, Rey took on the form of a human again and grabbed what the developers called the "soul". He did not know how long it would last and did not want to experiment now.


    As with curing before, the chick''s soul made its way from the palm to the center of the chest in a matter of moments, and Rey opened the Status to confirm the success of his first hunt. If it could be called that.


    _____________________________


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 1] (Man, curing, Heavenly tildas)


    [Soul Lord Lv1]


    [???]


    ______________________________


    ¡°I wonder who names these animals? I would like to have time to find out, but ... I hardly have time. The surging melancholy turned into a sigh full of annoyance. And Ray understood why. It would seem that he had long ago come to terms with his unenviable fate, but he wanted to prolong the new, unusual sensations. Nevermind, most of them were pretty nasty. - "Okay. I will discuss this topic already in the sky.


    Stepping into a looser seat, Rei focused on the new soul and almost immediately fell to the ground. But already in the form of a small bird.


    Having some experience in mastering the unusual motor skills of the body, the guy was in no hurry. It was not possible to stand on his feet, but when falling from a rather small height, nothing seemed to be damaged. Turning his head, the first thing Ray noticed was that the tildas'' eyesight was noticeably better. Even the colors are brighter. From the rich blue plumage, the color reminiscent of the spring sky, it rippled in the eyes, but it turned out to get used to pretty quickly.


    But it didn''t take long to get back on your feet. The center of gravity of the body of the tildas was greatly displaced, and it took some time to guess what the secret was. But a few minutes of experimentation and a bit of perseverance paid off. The extra pair of wings stopped pulling back like a dead weight, and Rei finally took the first step in the bird''s body.


    But the jubilation did not last long:


    "I have a problem''s. It seems that having wings and being able to fly are slightly different concepts. - Awareness came at the first attempt to move the wings. It was impossible to move them at the same time, and every careless movement inevitably ended in a fall. ¡°But there is also a tail. And then you can¡¯t just forget about him, as with the same curing ... "


    Oddly enough, Rei didn''t despair. He was to some extent familiar with the problem of simultaneous, filigree control of several limbs at once. Still, in his profession, this was indispensable, and he already knew a little trick.


    ¡°You don''t have to try to control every wing. The main thing is to memorize the basic movements. And I even know who will help me with this. Turning back to curing, he hurriedly rushed to the very tree where the nest had been before.


    As he climbed the tree, Rey noticed that his front paws were a little sore. And he understood the reason for a long time:


    ¡°The wounds are transferred. That''s why even in curing form my back and paws ache a little - I scratched while climbing trees naked. Tildas is even worse. The bones of the birds are fragile, apparently, these few falls did not go without a trace. ¡°Ray had known about this for a long time, so he wasn¡¯t particularly upset. I just took note that in the form of a bird, you should be more careful. And to start flying only being completely confident.


    If only this confidence had time to appear. Not much time left...


    When he reached the place where the nest used to be, Ray reasoned that he should still move to another tree - the parent of the newly hatched chick would obviously be in a bad mood when he appeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s also worth finding a thicker branch. In curing form, I can¡¯t really see anything.¡± - A clear plan of action made Ray cheer up a little and, picking up another leaf with his claw, he moved in search of a branch suitable for observation.


    Ray climbed a tall tree, next to which there was a nest, and began to patiently wait for the return of the bird. Previously, he had followed her only to find a place where she nested, but now he was going to devote all his attention to the technique of her movements.


    In anticipation, he did not notice how almost an hour passed before the tildas appeared in his field of vision. Even on approaching the nest, the bird noticed that something was wrong and accelerated. Ray saw only how the beats of the front pair of wings smoothly flow to the rear, how the bird tilts its entire body when turning, how it straightens up almost to a vertical position for landing. Even before this, the general principle of flight was known to Ray from the real world, but now, having directly seen how the four-winged bird moves in the air, he clarified all the unclear points for himself.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    After waiting a little longer and carefully considering how tildas takes off, Rey once again scrolled through everything he saw in his memory and was slightly surprised. It was no different from watching a video, he remembered everything so clearly that he could even tell how many wing flaps the bird had made in the entire time he was looking at it.


    ¡°I wonder if this is also a function of the game?¡± With a shake of his head, Rey drove away the distracting thoughts and, descending to the ground, took on the form of a tildas. Now he wanted to try to move in the same manner as the bird he was following did.


    It turned out surprisingly easy, which was incredibly pleasing. Now that he knew exactly at what angle to tilt his body and how to properly hold his wings, walking and even leisurely running did not amount to special labor. True, it was only until he had to move his wings, but Rei understood that one could not learn such a complex thing as flying overnight. Fortunately, even despite the time slipping through his fingers, he had enough patience.


    Fascinated, the guy did not notice at all that the same tildas, which had recently lost its offspring, had been flying nearby all this time, announcing the surroundings with a pitiful cry. And it was not strange that the bird''s gaze fell on another relative. He did not react to the screams, only strangely flapping his wings.


    Without becoming to understand what was happening, tildas identified in a strange relative the culprit of the death of his baby and went into an obviously suicidal peak.


    If it weren''t for the piercing scream the tildas made during the attack, Rei certainly wouldn''t have noticed him. But now, he raised his head and watched the blue bird literally fall on him from the sky. And at the moment, this attack could well end in success - Rei was also in the form of a bird.


    But the solution to the problem lay on the surface.


    Ray even felt a little like a hunter as he patiently allowed the bird to get closer.


    "Just a little more..." After waiting for a moment, Rei mentally focused on the human soul within him.


    The body of the tildas, tiny against the background of a man, hit the guy''s leg helplessly. He didn¡¯t even feel much pain, apparently, just before the blow, the stunned bird decided to retreat. But didn''t have time...


    Coming closer, Ray was convinced of the death of the tildas. However, it was hard to believe that life could still glimmer in a broken blue body. And the gray haze that emerged from the remains only confirmed this.


    ¡°What happens if I take this one too? I already have the soul of a tildas.¡±


    It was not difficult to satisfy curiosity, and in a second the soul sank into Rey''s palms. He waited a little, but both the Status and his own feelings suggested that nothing had changed.


    "Well, okay". The guy wasn''t too upset. It was only a little uncomfortable in front of the birds. First a chick, now its parent...


    But the self-flagellation did not last long. After only a few steps, Rei stood up in surprise.


    ¡°Walking seems to be easier ... And the thirst has receded a little.¡± ¡ª The reason, in fact, could be only one ¨C a just absorbed soul.


    He seemed to be even more tired, practicing to control the body of the tildas, but now Rei felt a little better. The thirst was still present, but perceptibly weakened.


    ¡°So the souls I already have, when reabsorbed, turn into energy?¡± - Quite a logical conclusion, Ray was very pleased. Although he was sure that he could live the rest of the day calmly in the body of curing, it was undoubtedly more pleasant to live it without discomfort.


    Returning to the clearing, Ray again turned into a tildas. The next change was also quite imperceptible. But now the bird''s body felt a little different. No, it has not become easier to manage, but the tildas itself seems to have grown a little. Or even stronger.


    In his own thoughts, Rei sighed rather bitterly.


    ¡°Amazing ability. It is a pity that there is not much time left to understand it better ... "


    ***


    The sun was already setting. On the upper branch of a tall tree, motionless, like a weather vane in a week''s calm, stood a blue bird. And she stayed that way for a long time.


    "I can. If you don''t try, you won''t succeed." - The guy repeated this mantra to himself, as if not for the hundredth time, but so far he has not moved.


    Ray took a long time to choose this particular tree. Tall even against the background of other forest giants, it should give him an extra second to get comfortable in the air.


    But the problem arose in order to be in this very air. Each time Rey looked down, he remembered the broken body of the tildas he had seen before. He remembered, as if evil, clearly, in all colors and completely unnecessary details now. There was clearly something wrong with the memory.


    But most of all, the pain that was also vividly burned in the memory, which happened to be experienced after death, frightened me the most.


    "Damn, I hope I don''t screw up." With a mental sigh, Rei spread his wings. Now it was quite easy for him. Several hours of training were clearly not in vain.


    A second fluctuation, a wave, and now he is already in the air.


    Boy He tried to take off from the ground, but he did not succeed. It seems that in the movements of the bird he saw there was some other feature that he simply could not see.


    Ray tried to remain calm in order to respond in a timely manner to any wrong movement of the body. Now he slowly alternating strokes, in short jerks, has already risen a few meters above the top of the tree. Once again mentally returning to the image of a bird from memories, Rey tilted his body and left in a dive, from which he came out with one smooth flap of wings, gaining good speed.


    Joy swept through his mind, but the guy tried to stay focused. And only when he was convinced that he was confidently gaining and decreasing speed, he allowed himself to simply spread his wings to the sides, soaring. Only occasionally did I have to level the body that was starting to fall down. As for the rest, the feeling of free flight completely captivated the consciousness of a person, obviously unprepared for such tricks.


    All hearing was filled with a sonorous whistle of the wind. He drowned out the rustle of leaves, drove any thoughts out of his head. Both bad and good. The wind sounded unexpectedly light and pleasant. Not much like music, at that moment he seemed exactly like it.


    In the distance, the sun was setting, which served as the only guideline, because nothing more remarkable could be seen. All around was an endless ocean of trees. Its end could not be seen even from a height of almost a hundred meters. Rey remembered his own joke that there were only trees in this world and the tildas squealed in delight.


    "However, it doesn''t matter to me." The bird''s eyes converged on the sun that had lost its brightness, ready to retire. The second day that Rey had spent in this world was coming to an end. ¡°I think I have one more day. No. The doctor said that excessive stress on the nervous system worsens the condition. And there must be a lot of these loads in the capsule ... I wonder if I can last until the morning?


    I managed to come to my senses after it got completely dark, and fatigue began to give off an aching feeling in the wings. Realizing that the time has come to sit on the ground, Ray was a little upset. He did not sleep last night and was going to repeat this feat today. Sleep is clearly not what I wanted to spend the remaining time on.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s worth taking a break. If I get even more tired, the landing may not be very successful. - And it was the landing that bothered me the most now. It was not possible to train him for obvious reasons.


    But Ray had no intention of sitting down in the form of a bird. He assessed his strength quite soberly and it was clear as day that he would not be able to land the first time. Fortunately, you could just hover in the air as low as possible and turn into curing. A dexterous animal will easily cling to a branch. And if you manage to find a clearing more spacious - even better. You don¡¯t have to demonstrate the miracles of acrobatics, the local grass will pick up the curing carcass no worse than a pillow.


    Rey took a simple turn, gradually slowing down. It¡¯s a pity, but the darkness that descended on the forest greatly worsened the eyesight of the tildas and it was not possible to notice an open place for landing.


    The trees were getting closer and closer. The gloom has turned their upper branches into menacing, now black spiers. It was one such ¡°spire¡± that Ray chose for his landing site.


    Only a few meters remained before the tree, when a slight wind blew from the side. However, for a tiny bird it was quite sufficient. The whole body collapsed on its side and if Rei was a real bird, he would have known that in such a situation it was not worth hurrying, but the nervous flapping of all wings at once only aggravated the situation.


    For some reason, the earth and sky changed places, and the wind, as if deciding to betray the guy completely, blew again. Before Ray''s eyes, in a swift round dance, a whirlwind of branches, a blurred line of the sky and an ever-approaching earth ran.


    And then there was a blow and everything faded.


    The fright was momentarily interrupted by a flash of agony. Exactly for a moment. Consciousness flared up, as if a red-hot poker had been applied to it, and the pain immediately receded. Disappeared without a trace, as if it never existed.


    And then everything happened again. Ray, as after the first death, drew in the cold night air, tried to turn his head around, but the muscles obeyed reluctantly. The whole forehead felt squeezed dry, drained. And any attempt to move gave off an unpleasant tingling, because Rei just lay motionless, continuing to breathe noisily.


    This time the pain was very short. Which, however, did not stop her from making her head buzz until now. A kind of hint that you should be more careful. But Ray mentally prepared himself for the fact that the first flight could end just like that. What''s the point? All self-hypnosis crumbled to dust at the same moment when he realized that he was about to break.


    It was not immediately possible to recognize the very glade on which he appeared in this world for the first time. Still, at night Rei hadn''t seen her yet, but the swamp hadn''t gone away. One foot guy even lay in it. And after all, the water is not cold at all, even though it is night around.


    "I''ll try not to die again. Luckily, I don''t have to wait long." ¡°Even though the pain had shortened, that didn''t mean it was worth checking out next time. Ray finally tucked up his legs, which had come to his senses a little, and sat down on the grass, which had not yet had time to take on dew.


    For a few seconds he wondered why the pain lasted longer the first time. Most likely, the point was that then he himself jumped from the tree. Or maybe over time it should have disappeared altogether?


    "Okay". Ray shrugged his shoulders in annoyance. ¡ª ¡°I don''t care. This pain should not have been there from the beginning, and there is no point in wondering how everything works with it. ¡±


    The boy was in no hurry to get up. The body was still aching. Well, not much time has passed since his revival, so you can wait. Without hesitation, Ray again stretched out on the grass. She was unexpectedly warm. Just like water in a swamp.


    ¡°There is some kind of thermal spring here..? Although¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Sitting comfortably, he stared at the dark velvet of the night sky.


    The stars were strewn. Bright. Brighter than in the previous world, they gave quite a lot of light. Not so that you can freely walk through the forest, but not pitch darkness either. The moon was not visible - she hid behind the trees and from this clearing she could not be seen.


    ¡°I wonder what other players are doing now? There should be a lot of people... Probably, in the starting cities now uniform madness. Thoughts flowed easily and calmly. Gradually poured from one topic to another. Ray imagined other players in his place. Or was there someone else in the forest? True, it is unlikely that they will be able to meet, even if there were several thousand players here, the forest was so huge. At least for the remaining few hours, no one will definitely be found.


    Unpleasant thoughts came to mind by themselves, and to brush them aside, Rei closed his eyes.


    "Status".


    _____________________________


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 1] (Human, Heavenly tildas)


    [Soul Lord Lv1]


    [???]


    _____________________________


    What he saw did not surprise him, but it was still not pleasant.


    "It seems that instead of Specializations, I lose souls when I die." Rey nodded at his own conclusion, but the questions only grew. Is it possible for him to get Specializations at all? If so, will they disappear upon death? Or souls? And what will happen if the human soul disappears?


    Fatigue slowly passed, but unnoticed by himself, exhausted by death and many hours without sleep, Rey slowly dozed off. The warm grass regularly warmed and for some reason there was no wind here.


    After a couple of minutes, the human consciousness plunged into a deep, sound sleep

 Chapter 4

    Ray was awakened by a bright light falling on his face. It was already the second half of the day and the sun was finally able to sink behind the crown of the tree, thus interrupting the guy''s sleep. Opening his eyes, he immediately covered them with his hand, narrowing his eyes in displeasure.


    ¡°Damn it. Fell asleep¡­¡±


    The momentary chagrin quickly gave way to an almost uncontrollable joy. The point was that by this point he, in theory, should already be dead.


    "Don''t be in a hurry." - slightly stunned, going over thought after thought the guy argued with himself, - "But what if I''m really lucky? After all, they can¡¯t disconnect me from the game, besides, I was thrown who knows where. It would be foolish to attribute all this to illness. If it was her, they wouldn¡¯t be able to connect me at all. ¡±


    Rey didn''t want to go anywhere else until he was sure he wouldn''t die.


    The guy moved a little so that he was in the shade of a tree and simply began to watch how the sun, like a dumb judge, slowly but surely sinks below the horizon. Thoughts raced through his head one by one. Ray tried to find at least one argument that would say that he would die soon, but that''s all. testified to the contrary.


    ¡°It''s definitely not because of the dive capsule. She does not inject the necessary drugs into the body, and with the additional load on the brain and nervous system from being in the game, I should have died in the morning. Which means¡­¡±


    He thought about such things more than a dozen times, but only when the evening fell to the ground, he once again comprehended everything, looked at his hands and began to cry.


    "Thanks¡­"


    Without knowing whom he thanks, adult he roared like a child, but there was a sincere smile on his face. He did not yet fully understand his situation, but he was incredibly glad that he now had another chance at life. Those who have already come to terms with the inevitability of death got the opportunity to start all over again, moreover, in such incredible conditions.


    Ray was happy for a long time, but eventually began to come to his senses. He still had a lot to think about and this required a calm state.


    ¡°This body is immortal, besides it does not age, this world is not known and is free from the usual laws. The game may not last forever, but what the hell difference does it make!?¡±


    Smiling again, the guy wiped another tear and involuntarily caught himself thinking:


    ¡°Maybe what I went through was worth this moment. No, it was definitely worth it!


    Ray''s grandiose musings were interrupted by a growling stomach. For the whole day he did not eat anything, but because of the feelings that had piled on him, he did not even notice it. Laughing out loud, he began to make plans for the near future:


    "The first thing to do is find another curing, I''m no hunter at all and the opportunity to eat leaves for the first time will be a real salvation. It is also worth paying attention to my own enhancement, I almost do not understand how my abilities work. Even at the cost of certain risks, it is worth dealing with this. - thought the guy with a much more serious attitude. Busily rubbing his chin, he still could not stop smiling blissfully and so peacefully.


    The life of a man who had already died continued...


    ***


    Two hours later, little one the brownish animal was already eating a leaf of a tree by both cheeks, which it held in its front paws. Finding a new couring soul was not difficult for the guy, these animals slept soundly at night in the conditional safety of the tree branches, but during the journey in the form of an animal, he was able to more or less understand how they chose their habitats.


    Ray continued to chew on the leaf, thinking about the most important things:


    ¡°Animals should be killed only to absorb souls, which will help deal with abilities. I can¡¯t cook meat properly, it¡¯s better to eat the leaves, they at least taste good.¡±


    Having eaten, the guy did not immediately continue the journey, at first he returned to the already familiar clearing, next to which for some reason there were no animals. He wanted to get a better understanding of how the traits of his race worked. He hadn''t paid much attention to it before because he didn''t think it was necessary, but now that he had a potentially endless life ahead of him, the sooner he got used to them, the better.


    After spending the whole night experimenting and observing the souls within himself, he realized several things that he had not noticed before. The main thing was, probably, that the number of souls that he could now accommodate in himself was already the maximum. The point was that the human soul occupied the lion''s share of space in its inner space. This was explained by the fact that it was an order of magnitude stronger than the two souls of small animals, although not as useful. Even her color was slightly different and slightly lighter, although it should also be considered gray.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The souls themselves were comparable in size to their respective bodies, but they were surrounded by the same haze that Rei had seen when they died. The space inside the guy''s soul was the size of a small room, in the center of which was the human soul. Before he did not pay attention, but these auras that surrounded the souls do not intersect with each other, from which followed the conclusion that there is simply no room for another soul. In fact, it seemed to him that even now the energy surrounding the human soul was shifted to one side so that the other two souls could fit. Rei did not know what to do with this, because he did not succeed in influencing the souls in any way. He could watch them and choose the right one, but he could not interact with them in any other way.


    "There''s still too much to deal with."


    Even though the guy really had no idea how best to act in order to quickly understand the principles of the ability to work, but this only inflamed his research enthusiasm. Obviously, he had only one thing - to advance, he needed more souls, which were a little easier to get at night, because he could only effectively hunt couringas.


    ***


    The first rays of the sun made their way through the dense foliage, illuminating a completely naked man, who, bending over the carcass of a dead animal, absorbed the soul that had just flown out of him. During this time, Rey realized something else, the absorbed animal souls strengthen the soul of the same type inside him. For example, after two Curing souls were absorbed, his own soul of this animal grew in size, as did the surrounding area with energy. In this form, he also grew a little, and his body became stronger. Ray had expected this after his experience with the tildas, but now he was convinced. He also learned that after a certain amount of absorbed souls, his curing soul stopped getting stronger. At first, he attributed this to a lack of space in the interior, but later changed his mind. The energy shell of the curing soul could follow the example of the human soul and simply change the form to a more compact one. And if we consider that the growth was not so big - about 30%, then the reason was different. Ray explained this to himself in a very simple and logical way - the little ferret simply could not become stronger. Most likely, this was due precisely to the limitation of his body, which could not develop further. This did not bother the guy, because it was quite correct, besides, the souls that did not go for reinforcement did not disappear either. After absorbing four more souls of the Curings, his thirst, accumulated over all the time in this world, practically disappeared. This observation has brought Ray some satisfaction, and not only because he found another way to survive, but mainly because now the killing of defenseless animals has gained a certain meaning. Even though he understood inside himself that they were not real, but if he recognized this, he could not consider himself real either, and killing animals was still rather unpleasant for him. He, who grew up in comfort and coziness, could not simply, mindlessly crush small curings. Trying to convince himself of the demand for this occupation, he nevertheless overpowered his convictions, but, one way or another, he could not completely reconcile himself.


    ¡°I can probably be called the evil character of the game, because I need to kill living beings in order to develop. Plus, they''re so defenseless."


    Catching himself on such a thought, Ray felt a little sad, but over time it seemed to him more like a joke. He was definitely not going to live in the body of curing and eat leaves all his life, which means he will have to continue to kill animals in order to become stronger. And about how to develop the human soul, The guy tried not to think...


    Now he just finished absorbing the soul of the eighth curing night. When she was inside the body, the soul, as he expected, turned into streams of energy, which completely deprived him of the feeling of thirst and the remnants of fatigue accumulated over a sleepless night. But besides that, he felt some kind of change. What exactly it concerned, he did not immediately understand. The soul of curing inside him remained the same, like the other two. Having turned into curing, he also did not notice anything new. He only saw the difference when he checked the status, [Soul Master] had risen to the second level.


    "And what has changed?" - the mental question of the guy did not receive an answer, and he, unfortunately, could not find the difference. Neither the size of the interior space, nor the appearance of the souls, nor the feel of them has changed. After watching them for a while, he was slightly disappointed. Deciding to put the matter aside for the time being, Ray turned into a tildas. Now he was full of energy and the bad experience of the last flight, albeit a little frightened him, but now the guy was sure that he would not make the same mistake, besides, he really liked flying and he was not going to refuse such an opportunity.


    Rei was on the ground now, but he was sure he could take off anyway. The guy understood the reason for past failures while he was in the air.


    As expected, albeit a little clumsily, he managed to take off. Gaining height, he headed all the same - to the west.


    After an hour in the air, Rey plucked up a little courage and moved from flying in a straight line to some turns that were supposed to improve his coordination in the air. To his own surprise, he noticed that it was not so difficult, and his fears were groundless. Control over the wings became better and better, and the feeling of awkwardness and insecurity that had arisen before gradually disappeared. Half an hour later, he descended to the trees and, slightly reducing his speed, tried to fly between them.


    When Ray was able to do this too, although not without difficulty, he became even more confident, but decided to end it there for the time being due to slight fatigue. He did all this so that in the future he would be able to escape if the need arose, yet the shape of a bird was best suited for this. Plus it was pretty fun.


    Now he circled over a small clearing in the forest, trying to see if there were other animals around. Rey was in about the same place where he had previously met the gray predator, which reminded him of a lion, so he was careful. Making sure that there was no one around, he tried to hover in one place. The smooth flapping of the wings became slower and slower until about a meter remained to the ground. The guy did not wait for the landing and took the form of a man, deftly landing on the thick grass. Approaching a tall tree, he turned into a curinga and climbed on it, while not noticing at all how familiar the process of changing appearances had become. Rei decided to move forward only in bird form because that was the most efficient. He wanted to find the end of the forest, or at least other animals.


    ¡°I wonder if I was accidentally thrown here? If you think about it, there are almost no dangerous animals here, besides that clearing ... "


    Ray had some suspicions, but he could not confirm them, so he did not worry about it for long. He decided to use this time of rest to find out what had changed with the level of [Soul Master].


    All that the guy had was the name of the ability, and he quite logically assumed that it was she who allowed him to absorb souls. The only pattern he could figure out was that the level went up after the tenth soul he absorbed, though that could be a coincidence. As before, Rei didn''t notice any visual difference, but as he tried to move the souls, he could feel the difference. Although he could not move them inside himself, something still happened to them.


    Concentrating on the soul of curing, Ray tried to understand what was happening to her now, her whole soul was trembling, but did not move one iota. The guy was persistent and after a few seconds the soul with a slight brilliance of light disintegrated into familiar energy flows and disappeared into his body.


    "Eh?"


    At first, Rei was surprised, because such an improvement in ability was strange. It seemed to allow the destruction of existing souls. After thinking for a while, Rei admitted that the ability was very useful. It not only made it possible to receive the energy necessary for life, but the main thing is to replace one soul with another. Satisfied with the new acquisition, he waited a little more, turned into a tildas and continued on his way.


    ¡°I wonder how many souls it takes to raise this ability to the third level? And how to improve [Many Faces]? I understand that the size of the internal space depends on it?¡±


    Unfortunately, he could find out the answers to these questions only in practice.


    And now, the rising sun shone after the tildas flying over the same endless forest.

 Chapter 5

    "It''s like a blue ocean."


    It was an incredibly exciting feeling. The virgin blue sky and the clouds floating across it seemed so close that they could be touched by hand. Unfortunately, all attempts to reach such a height ended in failure due to the too light body of the tildas. Ray made another flight, enjoying the scenery of the forest and the sky, looking completely different from such a height.


    It was difficult to determine the real distance, but it felt like he should have flown at least two hundred kilometers. Although his flights were not long, but the speed in the form of a bird was quite large. Toward evening, the guy decided to finish the air trip for today and went down into the forest. Having turned into curing, he continued to move forward, but already through the trees. Ray didn''t want to miss anything that he might not have seen from the air. He hoped to see new types of animals, get new souls, learn something new. The explorer''s enthusiasm burned in his chest, constantly moving everything further and further in the process of conquering the new world. The guy was a little worried that he had already missed something, but if he got too carried away, he could be stuck in this forest for several years, the end of which was not visible. Today he was not lucky, and even with the advent of night, he could not find a single animal unknown to him, even animals like the ¡°gray lion¡± were no longer met, but Ray did not lose heart, he just went to bed, waiting for the next day. The guy was sure that there could not be only a couple of species of animals in the forest, most likely he did not meet others because of the peculiarity of the territory in which he appeared.


    No wonder he was right. He was woken up by a loud screech, which seemed like the loudest siren to the light sleep of the beast. Frightened, Rey almost fell off the tree, but the tenacious claws of curing saved him. Looking around, he did not notice anything suspicious, but the guy knew exactly which side the sound was coming from. Without a second''s hesitation, he rushed in that direction and a minute later he saw something that pleased him very much. Although the scene was not peaceful, the animals that participated in it were unfamiliar to him. They were actual replicas of wild boars from his world. Two huge fangs, a massive body covered with sparse bristly hair gave them a very warlike appearance. One of the boars was badly wounded in the side, while the other, slightly larger than him, seemed to be the initiator of the fight. But this did not worry Ray much, now he frantically thought about whether he should replace one of his souls with the soul of a boar. The guy was sure that for at least one of the animals the battle would end in death, but he had no room for another soul.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight like this. I''ll probably wait a bit."


    As Rei thought about it, the battle escalated. The more massive boar clearly had an advantage, but in the end lost. The second boar, after waiting for a moment, opened his neck with his fang, forcing him to die either from loss of blood, or the poor fellow simply choked on it. Let the victory go to him, but it was obviously not easy. His entire body was covered in bruises and cuts. There was also a particularly large wound in the abdomen, from which blood flowed continuously. After walking a few meters, he fell to the ground next to a tree, watching the carcass of his opponent. At that moment, the beast noticed a small ferret, which, deftly jumping from a tree, landed next to the corpse, but already in the form of a man. If the beast had been smarter, he would have been obviously surprised, but right now he was too tired to think about anything other than his life. The form of life he saw was unfamiliar to him, and the corpse of the enemy did not interest him, therefore, having gathered his strength, he got up and quickly went home.


    At this time, Rei was already enjoying the breath of "freshness" that accompanied the absorption of soul energy. He could not find out the name of the animal, but for him the animal looked exactly like a familiar boar from the real world. He could not look at the mutilated corpse of an animal for a long time, so he turned around and left. For a second, the boy thought:


    ¡°Is it still worth taking this world as a game? Even if I really wanted to, I still could not find the difference. Well, except perhaps Status and Inventory, but otherwise everything around me is now quite real.


    Before the night came, the guy found another new species of animals that looked like deer, but were obviously predatory. On the tips of the paws of the animals there were sharp claws, and in the mouth there were fangs that were not inferior to them in sharpness.


    The deer, on the other hand, was reminiscent of the deer only by the outlines and the characteristic structure of the body - long legs and the shape of the head. Rey could not absorb the soul of this animal, since he was not going to fight with him, and he was not lucky enough to catch a battle like the previous one. In fact, he was not particularly interested in the soul of a predatory deer. As a body for moving forward, it was worse than a bird''s, and although he was interested in a new experience with the bodies of animals, he was not so interested as to sacrifice the inconspicuous body of curing. Over time, he began to meet more and more types of animals, from small snakes to huge five-meter monsters that looked like bears. Ray still hasn''t decided whether to change the body to a new one. Right now he was following one of the new species of birds. This bird was much larger than the tildas, nearly three times the size of the latter. This is what attracted the guy, because in such a body he could move much faster. Unfortunately, he did not manage to find the nest of this bird. He spent the whole day trying to catch up with the animal, but despite the fact that he had two wings, he was much faster than Ray, and the guy didn¡¯t want to get too close to him, because perhaps this bird was aggressive and would have attacked him as soon as possible. As a result, once again losing sight of his goal, he resigned himself and continued flying. Now he was convinced that other animals inhabited the forest, but since he had not yet found a more practical body, he decided to simply continue moving west. Ray wanted to find the end of the forest, or at least some river, moving along which he could increase the chances of finding a settlement of sentient beings. He was sure that this world was inhabited by intelligent races. There were supposed to be other people in the starting cities who would help novice players get comfortable in a completely unfamiliar world. *** A sky blue bird was flying in the sky. If you look from the ground, then against the background of the sky it could not be noticed. It''s been three days, and Rey kept flying. The desire to find someone to talk to grew stronger in him. The guy did not expect that a lonely journey in the forest would be so difficult for him. He literally forced himself to kill all the small living creatures that he managed to catch, but the size of his prey could be counted on the fingers. Although there was something pleasant, in the morning of this day, when the guy killed another curing, the first specialization appeared in his Status - [Hunter lvl 1]. What bonuses she gave him Rei could not find out due to the fact that only the name was written in the Status, but it was not difficult to assume that the effect should have been related to the simplification of the hunting process. To his regret, Ray did not notice the difference, but attributed it to the fact that during the time he had exterminated the population of small animals in the forest, he himself had adapted a little to the hunting process, so the effect of specialization seemed to him to be the merit of his own efforts. Another problem was that the principle of how specializations work, although it was added by the developers, was not initially described by them. The players were supposed to learn more about them from the teachers in the starting city, but this opportunity was not available to Ray. Continuing to fly forward, Ray noticed something that surprised him very much, but also pleased at the same time. In the middle of a huge clearing stood a house made entirely of wood. Even if the guy wanted to immediately fly to the house, two deaths managed to instill caution in him, which told him about the strangeness of this building. For a while, watching with it from the air, he could clarify something for himself. The building looked brand new, but there were no cut trees around it, and the grass in the huge clearing around the house was not flattened, which indicated that no one might live in the house. Ray was also strained by the lack of water, which would also complicate life in the middle of the forest, but absolutely all the doubts that came to his mind were broken by ignorance of what creatures inhabit this world. ¡°Maybe the one who lives in the house does not need water and food. Or maybe he''s the same race as me." Let his own thoughts seem quite logical to the guy, but he did not want to rush. As the day wore on, Ray decided to wait a day to see if there were any signs of life inside the house. The building had no windows, but the general principle of construction corresponded to a primitive log house, with a pyramidal roof. The guy was sitting on a tree and watching the house, now he was in the form of a man. For himself, he cited the reason for being in human form because in it he had the sharpest vision at night, although in fact he just wanted to be more of a ¡°human¡± ... Ray had been sitting almost without moving for three hours. During this time, he noticed many strange details that told him that the one who lives in the house is clearly an outstanding person. For example, all the logs of which the log house consisted were identical, moreover, without any gaps or irregularities at the joints. The same applied to some other details, such as the shape and symmetry of the structure. Although the guy noticed all this, he did not change his mind to meet with the one who lives inside. Dangerous though it was, he consoled himself that the new world could not be so hostile. Without noticing it, Ray wanted to sleep. At what it is so sharp and strong that he almost instantly lost consciousness, falling from a fairly decent height. *** The first thing Rey felt when he woke up in the pitch darkness was pain. Just not posthumously. Yes, and he was not lying on the grass, as it was before, but on a flat surface. Wooden?


    Long think about your position Rey could not, gradually coming to his senses, he realized that the pain was also intensifying and after a few seconds he began to scream heart-rendingly.


    That''s just the sound he made was muffled by the gag tightly shut in his mouth. The very first attempt to move gave way to pain in all joints, as if they had been pierced. Not daring to move anymore, Rei continued to scream muffledly, because the pain spreading throughout his body was unimaginable. Only his head could move freely, but because of the surrounding darkness, the guy could not tell where he was.


    For only a dozen seconds, he was able to hold out, overpowering the agony that caused his entire body to tremble, further intensifying the torment. And then Ray just passed out.


    He woke up already from a bright light that made its way even through the eyelids. Trying to open his eyes, Rei immediately closed them back, afraid of going blind. But in the back streets of consciousness, he nevertheless noted - there was no more pain. ¡°Is it really such a realistic dream!?¡± Now the praen wished with all his heart that he was right and the torments experienced were a dream, but ... When the light began to weaken, Rei opened his eyes and realized that, as before, he could only move his head. The gradually clearing view gave him the opportunity to better assess his situation and in a moment he missed far more than one blow ... "No ..!" In the short time that he examined his body, he realized that he was actually driven with metal stakes into a wooden platform. In every foot, knee, elbow, shoulder, wrist... Ray could only see the ends of the stakes, but he was sure they went through the bones. "What is it!?" The momentary joy from the fact that for some unknown reason he did not feel pain was replaced by an all-consuming fear and despair.


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    Breaking the surrounding silence, the breathing became intermittent and hoarse. The guy could not take his frightened gaze from the limbs deprived of any ability to move. The clouded consciousness tried in vain to find a way to escape, but the transformation was the only thing that came to his mind. The problem was that even if he changed his appearance, he would not be able to escape, because the wounds of the joints would not disappear anywhere.


    The guy tried to think as quickly as possible, but constant fear distracted him. He had already found a solution - once again commit suicide and be reborn. Even though he would have to endure the death agony for the third time, Rei did not doubt for a second that the current situation was much worse than potential death.


    He was about to turn into a tildas, whose body was the most fragile, when he noticed a movement to his left. The creature''s humanoid but completely bandaged body frightened Ray even more. And when the guy noticed a wooden tray with tools, the purpose of which was crystal clear to him, he realized that he began to cry. Attempts to speak with the mouth closed were like only incoherent lowing, to which the creature did not react in any way. Ray even thought for a second that it was not capable of hearing, because there was not a single place on his entire body that was not covered with a dense layer of thick white bandages. But if it had sight, then most likely hearing.


    Rei watched as the bandaged creature picked up with exaggeratedly long fingers, shiny, full metal knife...


    The boy couldn''t stop screaming as he stared at the torture instrument that slowly landed on his chest. The creature made a cut a couple of millimeters deep, during which the guy screamed even louder, because this he fully felt the pain. Watching as his body shredded the creature unknown to him, it seemed to Ray that he was slowly losing his mind. It seemed to the tormentor that one cut was not enough and he made two more, which touched the previous one, but if the first one went across the chest, then these went down to the stomach.


    Rei couldn''t stop screaming, his face completely wet with tears, but the creature standing next to him clearly didn''t care about that. Taking a pair of the same all-metal tongs from a nearby tray, it, grabbing the tips of the freshly incised skin with them, began to slowly pull it down, exposing a layer of muscles. Forced to watch everything that was happening, Rey just yelled at the top of his lungs, slowly losing touch with reality. "What do you want from me..." - the thought that visited the guy''s head was the last one before he passed out.


    From the embrace of darkness, Ray was pulled out again by light. So bright it hurt.


    The clouded consciousness of the guy did not immediately perceive what was happening, but after a second the cry again escaped from his closed mouth. "Nooo!" When the light pougas and rey opened his eyes, the creature in bandages was already standing next to him. He had a strange instrument in his hands, but the guy was not very interested in its origin. Now he only tried to move his arms and legs, but all attempts were in vain, he could only move his head, and the rest of the body was so firmly nailed to the wooden platform that the guy could only watch with bitterness how the muscles on his limbs contracted, unable to pull out bone-piercing stakes.


    Looking again at his tormentor, Rei noticed a blue flame above his palm, where the tip of a strange device was placed. A second later the fire went out, and the pommel of the instrument turned bright red. Without waiting a second, the creature slowly brought it to the guy''s chest, stopping it a centimeter from the skin. Rey, frightened to the point of losing his pulse, did not even notice that there was no trace of past torture left on him. The creature manipulated the instrument in some way, and one of the layers of its pommel shot forward.


    Ray yelled and banged his head against the platform he was lying on, not even noticing that the surface under his head was unexpectedly soft. All the muscles on the guy''s body swelled up, breathing became so heavy that it ceased to resemble a human, rather already some kind of animal wheeze.


    At the same moment, the second layer of the torture instrument fell on his chest, thus covering an even larger area. The guy''s mind could not stand the new outbreak of pain and he again lost consciousness.


    Rei didn''t know how long he had been out, but his next awakening was again accompanied by a bright light. "Why is this happening? Did this creature live in that house?¡± The moment after waking up was the only time in his not yet fully awakened consciousness there was a place for something other than fear and pain, giving the guy the opportunity to more or less soberly think. The creature, as before, was already in the room, holding the same tray in his hand. Ray glanced at him and immediately turned away, also noting that there were no burn marks on his body. "It also heals me... So I won''t die from my wounds..." The wait didn''t last long, and Ray noticed another instrument of torture in the hands of his tormentor. A seemingly innocuous little metal tong landed on the first knuckle of his ring finger, which was cut off a second later. The flash of pain from the severed bone was so all-pervading that the guy was simply distraught. ¡°What the hell is this game!? Get me out of here!" A strange creature, raising the tip of his finger in front of Ray''s eyes, with a slight movement of his hand threw him somewhere into the far side of the room. The tongs moved up silently cut off another part of the finger, amplifying the screams one more order. Five minutes have passed.


    Only a thumb remained on Ray''s right hand, but to his own regret, the guy did not lose consciousness. After every three clicks of the forceps - and therefore the loss of a finger, the creature did something with his hand, stopping the blood and dulling the pain.


    A minute later, it was over with the right hand - there were no more fingers left.


    Instead of a scream from the guy¡¯s completely torn throat, some hoarse sounds escaped, which also brought him pain. Rey prayed with all his heart that the creature would not pass to his other hand, as the pain of losing his fingers slowly began to subside as the creature stopped the bleeding from the wounds.


    The boy''s pleas were heard, and the bandaged creature placed the bloody tongs back on the tray. The hope that had settled in a beating heart like a mad one was shattered into pieces when a strange creature pulled out a huge knife.


    The fear in Ray''s eyes was so clear that it could have materialized. Grabbing his weapon more comfortably, his tormentor with one precise stroke deprived guy''s hand below the wrist, into which a metal rod was driven. The last thing Rey saw was blood splattering from the knife that the creature had literally ripped from the table. Along with the stump of his arm...


    Another flash of light was like a call from hell for the guy. "Just let me die." ¡°Why did this crap grab me!? It doesn''t even try to communicate with me!" The guy''s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of his tormentor, who held something like a drill in his long fingers, which he brought closer to Ray''s fear-filled eye ...


    *** ** *


    "How long have I been here? Month? Maybe two? No. Longer¡­¡± Clear thoughts were rare for the current Ray. Sometimes, after waking up, he didn''t even open his eyes, just enduring the agony before falling into yet another oblivion. But time passed and the guy ran into a problem - he stopped losing consciousness.


    No, not that Rey was completely used to pain, but now he could endure even many hours of torture. In the beginning, he even began to count how many ways his tormentor could come up with to injure the body and mind.


    After seven hundred, the guy stopped doing it, either because of the almost completely extinguished voice of reason, or because of the futility of this activity. It is worth noting that the creature never repeated itself, but this does not mean that some of its tortures were easier than others. In those moments when Rey could still think clearly; he thought of nothing but his escape. Before the guy even thought about the reasons, blamed the developers, other players, the whole damn world. But over time, he did not care and the goal was only one - to escape from here. Save yourself and then take revenge. The wounded mind of the young guy became so fragile that it could break in one moment. Ray sincerely didn''t understand why he hadn''t lost his mind yet, he never considered himself a morally strong person. In the past world, he was an excellent musician, just like his father and grandfather. But the guy was left alone early, and the news of the illness was the last blow for him, although even then he continued to hold on. Thinking about it now, Rei realized that maybe he really was quite spiritually tough. But comparing his past and current situation, he only wanted to smile bitterly, but he could not do this for a long time. Right now, his torturer stood over him with a familiar metal knife. ¡°This one is needed for deep cuts¡­¡± Rey resigned himself to the fact that it would not be easy to escape and tried in any way to save his gradually fading mind. For a long time, he tried everything that had time to come to his mind. One day, the guy even almost succeeded: when the creature tore out his ribs, he with a sharp breath put his lung under the cut, hoping that he would die from this and be reborn in an old place in the forest. But even an injury of this level did not become a problem for the healing abilities of a strange creature. With one movement, it removed the wound and continued its filigree work. The guy''s memories were interrupted by pain in his upper abdomen. How Rei thought the incision had reached almost to the internal organs, but still did not touch them. Trying to hold on with all his might, he clenched his teeth and did not scream. One day, the idea came to his mind that the creature liked to watch him suffer, and since then he tried to give out a minimum of emotions. It was hard to say that Ray was right. or not, because the creature continued to cripple him in the same way as before. But each torture endured without unnecessary groans was for the guy a sign of his own victory. Not wanting to watch what was happening, Rei closed his eyes and lowered his head. He had tried everything, absolutely everything. The transformation was impossible, since it was the only ability of his that the creature did not know about. This was exactly the guy''s last hope for salvation, which kept his mind in a relatively working condition. He simply did not have the opportunity to change form and try to commit suicide, since there was no such moment in time when the creature was not next to him. Several times Rei even tried to pretend to pass out, but the torture continued.


    He also could not die in the human body. The only option was to smash its head on the table or act like it would with a wounded lung, but the creature''s movements were absurdly precise, and the area under its head was covered in soft material. Then Ray came up with a plan that can only be used once. He wasn''t sure if he could do it at all, as there were too many factors playing against him, but he didn''t have any other ideas. And not too much was capable of a crippled or, rather, hardened mind. ¡°If I don¡¯t succeed the first time, then I will remain a toy in the hands of this creature until I completely ¡°break.¡± This thought visited Ray for quite a long time and all this time he was just waiting for the right moment. And the time dragged on for a long time, so long that the guy even thought that the creature could read his thoughts, and therefore did not use the torture he needed. But¡­ Just now, Rey felt the creature''s arm sink into his torso. In addition to the hellish agony and the strongest burning sensation, which nevertheless made him let out a long moan, the guy felt a semblance of joy for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. It was in one feature of the process of changing faces. He noticed her during his short trip, which now barely glimmered in his memory. It was this fact from the fragments of the remaining memories that helped him come up with a suicide plan. When Rei turned into a smaller body form, the center of his new body coincided with the center of the previous one. If he now turned into a curinga or a tildas, then a new body would appear, approximately, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe lower part of his chest, just where the hand of such a hated creature was located. There were a number of problems here. The first were the stakes that kept him from moving. If the transformation failed because of them, then Rey would definitely no longer be able to hold on under torture. The second was that the bandaged hand could appear outside the new body, which also completely broke the plan. Now Rei had almost forgotten that the creature was "digging" into his insides. He patiently waited for the hand to penetrate deep enough to be completely sure that the already small chance of success would increase even slightly. Nearly three minutes later, Rey was about to pass out, veins popping out of his face, which was distorted beyond recognition, because the guy''s stomach was no longer inside his body.


    As the creature once again plunged its hand into his stomach, the split second that the hand was as close to his chest as possible didn''t escape Rey. Even though he hadn''t changed shape for so long, he was sure he hadn''t forgotten how to do it. A moment later, in place of the human body, only a small lump of brown-green wool remained, which was ¡°dressed¡± on the palm of the creature, but after another moment it disappeared too.

 Chapter 6

    A flash of even more excruciating pain frightened Ray almost to unconsciousness, because at first it seemed to him a failure. But realizing that he had no body, the guy realized that he was mistaken.


    He couldn''t believe that he had finally made it.


    The time spent on the wooden table seemed like a lifetime to him. But when the pain, which lasted almost a minute, passed, the guy realized that he was lying with his head in a thick layer of cold snow.


    Sharp sitting down, Rei felt chills all over his body, which he banished with a quick breath. Glancing at his hands, he moved all his fingers and twisted his shoulder and forearm several times. He did the same with his legs, until he completely returned to them the motor functions lost over such a long time. It wasn¡¯t even about the state of the body, it was just that the guy¡¯s brain had lost the ability to control anything other than the muscles of the neck.


    During the whole process, the guy''s mind was clear, there was only the same cold reflection as the space around him, swept up by white snow. Ray thought about what he couldn''t think about in captivity - now he had time to think carefully about everything, without the constant distraction of missing body parts.


    ¡°This creature cannot be a simple sadist who catches victims and tortures. In this forest, I have not encountered a single life form with human-level intelligence, which means that I have no idea why it caught me. The reason is of course important, but I''m more concerned about whether it was an accident that that hut was so "successfully" on my way ... "


    Ray himself did not notice how measured and clear his thoughts had become. This was due to the fact that the guy changed gradually, and this was accompanied by far from the most pleasant things, in the form of incessant torture. In fact, the person who sat in the middle of the frozen forest was no longer the same person who had appeared here almost half a year ago. You can even say that a minute ago he was born for the third time, because the only thing that connected his present and past was his body and name.


    ¡°I will get the answers later. And now¡­"


    Supporting himself with his hands, Ray tried to get up. He succeeded, but after so much time he managed to forget how to keep his balance and after the first step he fell to his knees. Looking at the white snow in which his hands were immersed, he suddenly became very angry.


    "Heck! Heck!..."


    Fist blows rained down on the ground one after another, a man who was almost broken for the second time in his not too long life received a long-awaited freedom.


    Rey kept throwing punches until his hands were covered in blood. The anger that filled his entire being had to find some way out or else he felt like he could explode at any moment. Having spent almost five minutes, the guy still stopped. Bones began to show on his arms, and blood generously covered the surrounding snow, which began to look even more beautiful in the bright light of the moon.


    Due to the coldness of the pain, Rei almost did not feel, as well as his hands. Rising to his feet again, he slowly, checking every movement, went forward. Being in this clearing, he knew exactly which direction the west was. Despite the fact that he himself could not say how much time had passed due to the fact that the course of day and night, as well as the course of time itself, passed unnoticed by him due to constant loss of consciousness and being in a closed space. But the fact that the season had time to change spoke volumes. He glanced at the familiar tree under which he sat several times and from which he jumped on the first day of his appearance in this world. Rey''s eyes were empty and lifeless, only the remaining flame of rage burning in them.


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    "I''ll come back. I''ll be back as soon as I can..."


    Turning around, Ray walked in the opposite direction. After walking a few dozen steps, he stopped.


    There were too many thoughts in his head to deal with. Forcefully calming himself, he quickly identified the main ones. Anger at the whole world was still before his eyes, but gradually weakened, reduced to the image of a single creature, whose body was completely covered with white bandages. Clenching his bloodied fists once more, Rei exhaled forcefully and turned into a bird. The ground was too cold for a completely naked person, and although the pain from this now meant absolutely nothing to Ray, the remnants of prudence told him that dying again, moreover, so stupidly, would be frankly superfluous.


    Flapping his wings, Rey soared into the air to realize that he had almost forgotten how to fly. Having somehow miraculously kept his balance in the air, he did not crash into the first tree and gained sufficient height. The fatigue that had piled on seemed simply incredible, but Rei stubbornly forced himself to flap his wings, gradually restoring a long-forgotten conditioned reflex.


    "Oh yes. I died, and judging by the fact that I can turn into a tildas, the soul of curing disappeared again.


    ___________________________________


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    Racial Traits:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 2] (Human, Heavenly tildas)


    [Soul Master Level 2]


    [???]


    Specializations:


    [Hunter Lv1]


    __________________________________


    After reviewing the Status, Rey was momentarily surprised, not at the changes that were there, but at the fact that he had not thought to look at it during his time in captivity.


    "It would help me get a little distracted, although I may be wrong."


    ¡°Specialization has not disappeared. For me, they will never disappear at death, or is it the fact that souls disappear instead of them?


    "And what the hell level increased [many-faced]? I didn¡¯t even feel when it happened.¡±


    Right in flight, looking into his inner space, Rei realized that it had grown, and very much at that. This growth was not expressed in the growth of its volume as such. The growth was rather qualitative. Now the ¡°aura¡± surrounding the souls has disappeared completely. Inside himself, Rey saw only the same gray tildas, but the soul of a person has changed, becoming completely white. The incomprehensible change puzzled the boy for a second, but now he had an explanation for the increase in the level of the ability.


    "Means [many-faced] grows along with the growth of the level of the human soul ... Or, maybe, vice versa?


    All this time the guy remained so collected and calm, that even for a moment he was not delighted with the rapid growth of strength. It is not clear why, but this change in his own character did not bother Ray, he continued to pick up speed with the same methodicalness, moving east.


    After a few hours, the guy began to get tired, besides, he felt some hunger.


    The creature that tortured his body and spirit for such a long time never gave him water or food, but the guy did not feel the need for food. This was apparently the effect of the creature''s healing abilities, with which it restored Ray''s body after each session of torture. Healing skills were far from the only ones the creature possessed. This is what stopped Ray from wanting to return to the hated house and not burn it to the ground. During the time he was alone with his tormentor, the guy realized that in addition to the phenomenal imagination in the torture aspect, he also had many other abilities, and how many were those that Ray did not have time to learn about, he did not even want to think ...


    The guy couldn''t even be sure if it was the only creature in that house. The creature was always next to him, sometimes torturing him for so long that he had to treat the body of the unfortunate guy several times in a row.


    This uncertainty nevertheless convinced him that until he became strong enough to be sure of his ability to cope with the offender, he would not return to that part of the forest.


    Oddly enough, Rey didn''t feel afraid. Only aching, like an old wound, hatred gnawed at his heart, trying to take revenge as soon as possible.


    ¡°I need strength. A power so great that my fate can only belong to me and to no one but me."


    Having set a clear goal for himself, Rei felt something like enlightenment, due to which even his vision cleared up.


    "The first thing is to find food."

 Chapter 7

    As the night showed, the inability to hunt effectively enough did not worry the guy much yet.


    Now it was morning, all night Ray was moving in what he thought was an easterly direction. Even though he did not eat anything, he could hold out for a while, and the snow covering the entire forest served as an excellent source of water.


    It didn''t matter which animals to hunt. While curings were the most convenient in terms of production, because he already knew how to find them, but the changed season unexpectedly complicated the task. The cold was also a problem, from which guy, albeit extremely bad, but still saved the feathers of a bird. But he had to look for prey in the form of a man.


    Only closer to the middle of the day, luck decided to smile Ray and he managed to find one single nest, tightly covered with snow. The guy was sitting on a branch, trying to make as little noise as possible while moving. He had already fully regained control over his body, but this did not change the fact that it was impossible to move silently along the tree.


    But it seems that luck has not turned away from him completely. The nest was already actually a few meters away, and it still hasn''t been found. Just as Rei was about to make the next move towards the small animal that was sleeping peacefully inside the nest, he noticed something white moving along the branch. The body of the animal, like a vine, wrapped itself around her and slowly moved towards the curing. The guy froze, not daring to make a single extra gesture.


    The creature he saw was an impenetrable white snake. From such a distance, it was not difficult for the guy to see her body in detail.


    The gaps between the tiny scales, which completely merged with the color of the snow, were almost invisible. Even the snake''s eyes were completely white, except spindle-shaped pupils, which were still black. The snake itself was as thick as a child''s leg, and almost a meter and a half long.


    Slowly approaching the nest, from a distance of almost half a meter, with a sharp throw, she grabbed the curing with huge front fangs. Let the animal be the size of the head of the snake itself, but she kept him in her mouth without any visible problems. The prey resisted for only a moment before freezing and hanging lifelessly in the predator''s mouth.


    "Poisonous ..." - Ray reasoned.


    Watching the snake he realized that she suits him very well.


    Suddenly, a strong and obsessive desire settled in his head. It was impossible to miss such a useful soul.


    He was sure that if it were not for luck, he would never have succeeded in finding such an animal in a snowy forest. The snake''s camouflage was very suitable for winter conditions, besides, snakes were very fast and agile creatures, and if you take into account the poison ... And he hardly even thought that a snake could be awake in winter. Although, maybe in this world they were not cold-blooded, and did such a restriction even have a place in the game?


    The boy no longer hesitated and tensed all his muscles, preparing to attack at the right moment, which was not long in coming. The snake did not seem to be particularly afraid of the attack, so it behaved extremely carelessly, starting to eat the body of the curing without even going down to a safe place.


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    ¡°There is very little diversity in this part of the forest. You can not consider this predator stupid just because he behaves so confidently. Rather, it should be written off as a kind of lucky coincidence for me, although if I fail, I will most likely die again.


    Ray was not surprised that he had ceased to be afraid of death, which in the first days in this world was for him almost the worst of all troubles. In fact, he did not even think about the pain that he would have to endure in case of failure, now before his eyes there was only a snake that almost completely swallowed the body of the animal. When only the tip of his tail was left, Rei began to act. The distance was still quite large, but he had already chosen the trajectory of his attack.


    A quick push and the guy''s foot was already on the next branch. Ray jumped towards the snake, which had already noticed him, but did not have time to do anything. Right in the air, he grabbed her by the tip of her tail and fell from a height of almost three meters. The snake in his hand tried to bite its offender - she managed to unexpectedly deftly spit out the body of the animal, but the acceleration from the fall did not give the predator to be able to move normally, causing the counterattack to fail.


    Landing on the snow, which softened his landing, Rei put all his attention into not falling. A second''s delay cost the guy a small scratch on his right thigh, but he was able to stand on his feet. The strongest swing, accompanied by an almost complete turn of the torso, and the upper part of the snake''s body crashes into a tree trunk. Ray was sure that the animal would not be able to survive a blow of such force.


    Imagine the guy''s surprise when the first step he took failed. He clearly felt the numbness rising up the leg, reaching the torso.


    But even so, consciousness Rhea was calm, he predicted that he would be injured, but that the snake''s venom would be so strong in such a small dose came as an unpleasant surprise to him. Pulling the limp body of the snake closer to him, he fell to his knees. The soul, which slowly began to leave the body, was captured by him only a little bit. By this point, the guy could no longer breathe because of the poison, which apparently turned out to be a nerve agent. Ray blankly watched as the hand that squeezed the body of the snake went limp, because he understood that he had time. In a moment, the guy''s body disappeared, and in its place appeared completely white, a little more than a meter, the body of a snake.


    Although he expected such strange sensations, at first he still felt as if he had no limbs. His next observation was that the effects of the poison wore off instantly, Rei even returned to human form to test it out, but there was nothing left other than a slight numbness from the paralysis.


    An hour later, a small white snake was rushing through the forest at full speed. Ray was right, the snake''s body was really agile and allowed him to reach speeds much higher than the one with which he moved through the trees in the body of curing. Now, in between flights, he will be able to simply move in this body. Learning how to move in the body of a snake was much easier than he initially thought. It felt like one solid muscle, which was quite easy to control. Ray hadn¡¯t been able to make precise moves yet, as well as quick throws, but he caught the basics, and that was enough for movement. Rushing forward, he continued to think about the benefits of this almost cold-free body:


    "With a poison of this strength, I can hunt virtually any beast, which will provide me with stable food and potential growth of other types of souls, although it is worth saving them only as food for later, because it is unlikely to find a body of this level of practicality."


    ¡°By the way, you should see what it¡¯s called¡­¡±


    It was only now that Rey realized that he had forgotten to look at the Status, but the reason for this was not distraction, but the fact that he was simply not used to perceiving this world as a game. All he learned was the name of his current body - Snow Serpent.


    It seems that these snakes really were only winter predators - extraordinary, but obviously not the strangest thing that he happened to meet in this world.


    Ray wasn''t particularly curious about what happened to them during the rest of the year. Now he was only trying to master as best as possible all the subtleties of controlling this still slightly unusual body.


    In addition to the other advantages of the body, there was another one that was in no way inferior to them and it made it possible for Ray to hunt much more efficiently. In fact, in winter, this feature of the snake was revealed in all its glory, but it consisted in a special vision, to which the guy had already gotten used to. At first, it seemed to him more a minus than a plus, because ordinary objects, like trees or snow cover, now seemed to him to be darkened and very indistinct, but living beings... During this hour of the journey, the guy realized that there were many more curings in the forest than he thought. Each nest now shone in his eyes like a small star. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in satisfying his gradually growing hunger. In the body of a snake, he still could not climb the trees due to the lack of the necessary skill and practice, and not all trees were thin enough for the snake to wrap around them. The same was true for the human body. Once, Ray tried to climb up to the nest, but in the end he simply scared away the animal in it, after which he stopped trying. Hunger was nothing to him, and the practice of working with a new body was very important, because it could come in handy in any situation.

 Chapter 8

    Early morning. A small group of humanoid creatures walked through the snow-covered forest, each of which was wearing almost the same greenish armor.


    ¡°Zarim, I swear on your wife¡¯s ass, if you break the formation even once, you won¡¯t leave the village even a single step. - I heard the cold voice of a hunter walking in the center.


    - Haha. Corvus, you''re exaggerating too much. - Another man, dressed in almost the same armor, responded. ¡°Give the guy a little frolic, after all, he went hunting with us for the first time.


    ¡°Hunting is the most important aspect in the survival of the village and we cannot take it lightly. The sooner and better the younger generation understands this, the closer we will be to prosperity.


    With obvious reluctance, the young guy obeyed the leader of the group and took his place in the ranks.


    The detachment consisted entirely of representatives of the forest people. These creatures differed very little from people, only small claws on their hands and feet were animalistic in them, and, of course, heightened perception. In terms of evolution, they even surpassed humans to some extent, since their physique was stronger and more adaptable, and their intellect was in no way inferior to a human one. Perhaps the reason for this was the specific living conditions, although it was impossible to know for sure.


    There were only six of them in the group, they walked in a wedge, in the center of which was the only one of them who wore a hood, he was also their leader.


    Corvus was the head of the hunters in his village, and now they were doing the most common thing - hunting, banal food and skins. Everything would be fine, but he had to constantly be distracted by a new member of the group, in whose veins young blood was still seething and who, by coincidence, was related to him.


    After another catching up, the guy seemed to calm down, but for how long, Corvus unfortunately did not know. It was winter, which made the hunting process very difficult. The forest was not the safest place anyway, and even more so at this time of year. Many dangerous animals woke up from hibernation at this time, although at other times of the year there were plenty of reasons to give up their lives here.


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    But the forest dwellers have been living in these places for a very long time. Dozens, hundreds of generations changed before the forest became a home for them, in which they could feel like in their element.


    Perhaps Corvus really was unnecessarily worried. If Zarim had not been ready, he would not have been released into the forest, but the seasoned hunter was always strict, both to the others and to himself, for which he enjoyed considerable respect in the village.


    The group is now returning home. Everyone, except for the leader and another hunter, had several animal carcasses on their backs, of various sizes. Although winter was the most dangerous of the seasons, it also made it possible to stay on the hunt longer than usual. The temperature in the forest was very low, which allowed the bodies of animals to remain intact, which means that the need to return to the village after the capture of the next animal was partially eliminated.


    Corvus planned to catch something else on the way back, but the current ¡°catch¡± completely suited him. At some point, he realized that one of the hunters had stopped. Even without turning around, he knew that his hearing had not failed him.


    Right now, Zarim was aiming at a small bird that was flying overhead at high speed. There was nothing wrong with that, but noticing what kind of bird it was, Corvus shuddered and, in one movement, shortening the distance, he hit the guy on the back of the head with force. The already strung arrow left the bow, but its trajectory went astray and it flew quite far from the bird.


    - You little bastard! roared the angry hunter. ¡°First open your eyes, then shoot!¡± It''s a tildas! And heavenly too! Weren''t you taught that this bird is a symbol of great luck!?


    ¡°Sorry, Uncle Corvus. I''ve never heard of them flying in the winter, so I thought my eyes were failing me.


    Seeing the sincere regret in his nephew''s eyes, the old hunter relented.


    "HM. And he''s right." Corvus raised his eyes to the sky, but the tildas had already disappeared. - "It''s only the middle of winter, why did the tildas fly in so early ... Well, yes, the Goddess is with him."


    - From now on, be more careful, besides, do not forget that you are not alone here, if you are not sure about something, ask the elders.


    - Yes! The guy nodded seriously. Too loud according to Corvus, but the hunter was not going to scold his nephew for this either. They still came back.


    The group continued to move forward. Almost immediately, one of the hunters walking next to him addressed the leader:


    ¡°Corvus, the boy is right, I have never seen a tildas in my life in these parts at this time of the year. I think this is a good sign.


    - Yes. You are most likely right. - The old hunter boomed, once again looking at the sky, but the birds were gone.

 Chapter 9

    It''s been two days since Rei received the Snow Wyrm''s soul. He had little prey, but it was and consisted of two couringas and a small boar. In fact, he could catch many more animals, but he decided that while he was satisfying his hunger with the energy from the souls, it would be better to continue moving to the area of \u200b\u200bthe forest where there were more animals.


    Rey did not leave the soul of any of the killed animals for himself, he immediately destroyed all of them for energy. And so, the two-day journey gave its first fruits.


    In front of Ray stood a gray-haired beast that he was vaguely familiar with. Digging through his memories, he realized that a similar creature had once forced him to sit up all night on a tree. Memories seemed too distant, but the insult still lurked.


    Now the guy was in the form of a snake and a carcass of gray predator seemed to him just huge. However, this did not frighten Ray, rather amused him. He had already decided to kill him and get his soul, which was perfect for an open confrontation.


    ¡°But if the fangs of the snake cannot penetrate his skin, then he most likely will not let me leave, besides this wool ...¡±


    Ray understood that the idea of killing the beast was dangerous, but he had already made up his mind and was not going to change it. Now he was about a distance 15 meters from him, but the animal has not noticed him yet. Nevertheless, the guy always tried to move as carefully as possible, not making the mistake of the snake from which he received this soul.


    "The instincts and hearing of such predators must be on top, I''m sure that just like that he will not let me bite him."


    Slowly, a simple but effective plan began to form in Ray''s head. He did not know how hard and thick the fur of the beast was, the same was true of the skin, so it was necessary to strike at the place that was the least protected. Choosing one of the trees, the guy slowly began to crawl towards it. It was thick, almost three meters in diameter, but covered along its entire length with a dense scattering of branches.


    "It will do."


    Transforming into a human, Rey strode confidently out from behind the tree. This beast was smart, but still a beast, there was no need to come up with something too complicated to kill him.


    As the guy had hoped, even one step on the snow-covered ground gave the predator the opportunity to detect him. When he realized that the beast was ready to make a dash towards him, he immediately hid behind a tree, shaking because of fear. It must have looked like this to a predator who had no idea who the real hunter was.


    Ray listened to the heavy but quick steps of the animal. After waiting for a moment, he, grabbing one of the branches, hung on it with his whole body. A moment later, a completely white snake was already wrapped around her. Even through the trunk of a tree, Rey could dimly see the heat that radiated from the body of his prey, and he had no doubt that the huge predator was just prey.


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    Having reached the tree, the beast, without even looking behind it, struck with its huge paw on the other side of the trunk, hoping that the person he had noticed was still hiding there. Realizing that he was mistaken, the beast raised his head up, pulling out claws that had entered a full ten centimeters from the tree. Not having time to understand what happened, instead of its victim, the animal saw the head of a snake, which was almost half a meter from its own. He no longer had time to react, when with one throw of the kite reduced this distance.


    "The poison must be released before the bite." - this truth came to Ray after the first experiment. The impact time should be as short as possible, only a small fraction of a second he should maintain such closeness with his victim, but for her this moment should be fatal. The guy did not know how ordinary snakes act when bitten, perhaps animal reflexes allow them to inject poison even in that short moment when their fangs are in the body of the victim, but Ray found just such a simple way out for himself.


    He didn''t have to worry about whether he had injected the poison or not, as he covered his fangs with it even before he bit. Biting through the front of the beast''s muzzle, Rei pushed the body back a little, but it was still very strong and the poison could take effect with a delay.


    A second later, Ray realized that he was worried in vain, the huge carcass of the animal went limp almost instantly and he fell to the ground.


    ¡°So, the closer the wound is to the head, the faster death comes.¡±


    This observation was quite logical, because the faster the brain ceases to function, the faster the rest of the organs will fail. After waiting a few more seconds, Rei did not notice a single movement on the body of the animal, and the main confirmation of his death was the grayish soul that was slowly leaving him.


    ***


    weighty the blow of a huge paw broke a small tree in half. Rey had almost no problems in possession of the body of a predator, which was called a gsarh. The powerful front paws of the beast seemed to be created for the strongest blows, and if you take into account the huge claws that were on them, then the gsarh was literally a killing machine.


    Ray''s expectations were once again not justified. He believed that previous experience with a four-legged body would be useful to him, but it did not help much. I had to learn to control the body from scratch, which took almost a day, but he could not run normally. The reason for this was a certain disproportion in the structure of the beast. His hind limbs, although strong, were much inferior to the front in terms of muscle mass, creating some kind of imbalance.


    ¡°Why can''t I? I did not notice that when this creature ran towards me, it had problems with speed.


    ¡°So I¡¯m doing something wrong, but I can figure it out later, one way or another, it will be more profitable to move in the body of a snake.¡±


    Looking again at the broken tree and at his front paw, Rei was quite pleased with the new body, which was very well suited when brute strength was needed. Now he felt that he could deal with virtually all the animals he had already met in this forest.


    Ray was right, the very next morning he reached the part of the forest where other animals began to appear, which only confirmed his long-standing guess:


    ¡°So the area where I spawned is shaped like a circle, plus the spawn point is right in the middle. In the west, the diversity of animals began to grow at about the same distance, which means that my appearance there is definitely not a coincidence.


    He had thought about it before, but if he had doubts until now, now he was completely sure. But the answer to the question why he appeared exactly there and whether this area was like that before remained a mystery. Luckily, he didn''t have to change his target to find out. The power he sought was to help him.

 Chapter 10

    The huge boar, despite its sensitive hearing, could not notice a small snake that was crawling towards it from the other side of the tree.


    "It''s become too easy."


    To alleviate his boredom a little, while hunting, Rey began to practice different ways of killing animals. Right now he was just experiencing one of them.


    When he crawled out from behind a tree, he deliberately made a hissing sound, which attracted the attention of the boar, but when he finished turning his massive body, it was already minced by the huge paw of the boar. Blood and organ remains scattered several meters, but Rei calmly watched the soul rise from the dead carcass.


    Over the past two days, he managed to become addicted to this occupation. He had not felt hungry or tired for a long time, but continued to hunt the creatures inhabiting the forest. This freshness that spread throughout the body, at the moment when the energy of their soul merged with him, he really liked. Ray even managed to notice that different souls seemed to have different tastes, for example, this boar was quite good, but still slightly inferior to the predatory deer. Now he did not hunt curings at all, but not because he decided to leave the poor animals alone, but because the quality and quantity of energy in their souls was strikingly lower.


    The night was already coming to an end, but the guy did not sleep today. Since his new "birth", Rei has never slept at all. Even when at first he was exhausted due to lack of food, the guy was not going to rest. Perhaps there was still a residue of anxiety in him from the fact that his awakening would again be accompanied by a hated all-pervading light. And now, when the energy of constantly absorbed souls removed his fatigue, the need for sleep disappeared by itself.


    When he finished absorbing the boar''s soul, he turned into a bird and continued flying.


    ¡°It looks like the forest is much bigger than I imagined. It extends so far not only to the west, but, as it turns out, also to the east. And in winter, I won¡¯t be able to see the end of the forest even from such a height.¡±


    The prospect of being stuck in the woods didn''t worry Ray much. This place was perfect for growing his strength. He had no idea if he meet all kinds of animals that lived here, but was satisfied with the souls already obtained.


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    The flight proceeded quite normally, and dawn caught him already in the air. The guy constantly remained on the alert, because the tildas was rather weak and any attack from other birds would be very unpleasant, because you would always have to retreat. This is what allowed him to notice a small object that flew far below at great speed. The first thought that came into his head was correct.


    "Arrow?"


    Mentally following the trajectory of her flight, Rei actually fell down. It was too rare an opportunity to pass up. Before reaching the ground the guy turned into a gsarkh, literally ¡°blowing up¡± the snow lying on the ground during landing. A push with all limbs and the huge body of the animal makes a strong leap forward. A snow kite had already landed on the ground, which, without slowing down, was rushing in the direction that Ray seemed to be right.


    Already in two minutes he noticed the accumulation of heat a little ahead, all at the same speed he continued to reduce the distance until he saw in front of him a six, as it seemed to him at the beginning, people. But what happened immediately after changed his mind. The hooded creature at the front of the group turned and pointed its bow straight in his direction.


    Ray noticed this and froze in place.


    ¡°These are definitely not people. There''s more between us forty meters, such a rumor is simply anomalous.


    Trees and a white body saved Ray from final detection. In fact, the excessive haste of the guy was to blame for what happened, but he was lucky again. After waiting for a group of strange hunters to continue to move, he followed them without making a sound. Now he no longer had to worry about missing them.


    ***


    Four hours passed and Ray learned something about new acquaintances. The fact that they were more or less reasonable, he noticed immediately, but gradually realized that he had underestimated them. There was a lot of evidence for this: excellent clothes, weapons, perfect formation, and most importantly, a full-fledged language, which Ray, unfortunately, did not hear.


    That they weren''t human, Rei could only confirm by their over-perception. Besides the very first point, there were several others that proved to him that the sense organs of the six beings were highly developed.


    Now, in the form of a snake, he approached them at a distance of about twenty five meters. He did not dare to be closer, because he might not have time to react to an unexpected attack. The vision of a snake did not allow him to see them clearly enough, but the shape of their bodies resembled ordinary people.


    Ray also noticed that almost all of the group members were carrying animal bodies on their backs. During these four hours, they killed several more animals, which clarified some points for the guy.


    ¡°They are already back. With so much cargo, they cannot move quickly, which means they do not move far from their settlement. Looks like I just have to follow them and I can find this place.¡±


    "But if they don''t get there by nightfall, we''ll do something else."

 Chapter 11

    It would seem that nature itself was against a group of hunters. Toward evening, a rather heavy snowfall began, which is even more noticeable slowed down their progress. After several hours, it ceased already late at night. Only then did Corvus give the order to set up camp and rest. Each of hunters was busy with something, from collecting brushwood to cooking food. Such cohesion made it possible to complete the impromptu parking lot in the shortest possible time.


    The night was very dark, the light of the moon could not pass through the thick clouds, only the light of the fire, fluctuating in the wind, saved them from the embrace of pitch darkness. But for experienced hunters, this situation was quite familiar.


    ¡°Lucky the storm stopped, otherwise we would have had to look for better shelter. - The leader''s stern voice broke the oppressive silence. Everyone was tired and now rested under the crowns of three trees, between which the fire was set.


    - That''s true, but maybe it was worth continuing the path? The village is close at hand.


    - Not, everyone was already dragging their feet. Nothing will change if we rest a bit and come back tomorrow morning.


    At this time, the meat placed over the fire just finished cooking. One of the group took a branch of food in each hand and passed it to the others.


    - It''s a bit late, but let''s have dinner.


    The hunters ate quickly, as expected, even though there seemed to be nowhere to hurry. Immediately after Corvus gave the order:


    ¨C Zarim, I understand that you are tired, but today we will stand guard together.


    ¡°Of course, uncle. I won''t let you down.


    Nodding to his nephew, Corvus sat down a short distance from the fire, picking up his bow. Zarim did exactly the same, but located at the other end of the camp.


    ***


    Ray had been watching them for almost two hours. It was a long way before dawn, which meant he still had time to better prepare. Now he got much closer and was about ten meters from the nearest representative of the forest people. The guy watched them patiently, noticing various details in the behavior of the hooded hunter, who now seemed to him the only real obstacle.


    "Looks like the second one on guard is still a rookie."


    Ray came to this conclusion precisely because of the actions of the leader of their group, who now and then constantly turned to check if his party member had fallen asleep. In addition, it was he who constantly replenished the supply of firewood in the fire and almost every five minutes made a short tour of the camp. At first, this seemed to Ray a problem, but over time he changed his mind. The fact was that the same inexperienced hunter really fell asleep. Perhaps his older comrade did not notice this, because the guy was sitting almost as straight, but it was obvious to Ray that the amount of heat that his body gave off became the same as that of the four others who were sleeping.


    "How did you make it so easy for me?"


    Mentally thanking him, Rei still silently crawled to the nearest tree, heading to the other end of the camp, where the senior hunter was.


    The wind from the past storm was still blowing through the forest, its plaintive howl making the atmosphere even more oppressive, and also creating the noise Ray needed now. These creatures had too good hearing and even through a dream they could hear any wrong movement on his part. But the weather helped him and now he was already five meters from the unsuspecting hunter, who was peering into the darkness of the surrounding forest. The poor fellow did not even suspect that danger was waiting for him literally at his side.


    Rei didn''t hesitate, because, perhaps, instinct sooner or later would have told the hunter that something was wrong. He waited for him to turn his head away from him, then quickly, but with even greater caution, closed the distance. Strong wind served Ray with perfect cover, and the snake''s body made almost no noise anyway. Imagine the guy''s surprise when he realized that the hunter''s hand rushed to his belt with one sharp movement, where there was a small sheath next to the quiver with arrows. Ray was already less than one meter away. He was sure that he did not betray himself in any way, but he seemed to have underestimated his opponent.


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    Unfortunately¡­


    The moment Corvus grabbed the hilt of his dagger, he had already opened his mouth to wake the others. Just a moment, but it was undoubtedly the most terrible in his life. None of the beasts he had to fight in his long life frightened him as much as the white eyes of the snake, which he noticed already when it was a few centimeters from his face, frightened him. Having lost his senses, he did not have time to do absolutely anything when he felt pain in his neck.


    - Ugh ... - a strangled groan the squad leader was drowned in the whistle of the wind, and his vocal cords were paralyzed. A moment passed and eyes the sons of the forest grew dim. Only then Ray pulled the fangs out of his neck, stopping pouring poison into the poor fellow''s body. The hunter''s body fell, making what the boy thought was a very loud noise. This part of his plan was also thought out, but he did not expect that the hunter on guard would manage to notice him, forcing him to change his mind right on the go.


    Rei calmly watched the remaining five, but none of them even moved.


    "This was your last chance."


    Momentarily changing form and absorbing Corvus'' soul, Rey immediately moved on to the next hunter. Four of the group lay relatively close to each other, so Rei didn''t bother with them for long. A few quick bites from a handful of sleeping hunters left only a corpse cooling under the winter cold. The guy turned back into a man and began to absorb souls.


    - NO! Just as he was finishing soaking up the last of them, Rey heard a loud exclamation coming from somewhere in the distance. Turning my head the guy noticed that very inexperienced hunter who was now looking directly at him, holding a bow with a ready-made arrow in his hands. Without waiting, Rey rushed straight to him. Only three meters separated them, but he decided not to risk it. Even before the arrow had left the bowstring, Rey had turned into a gsarh. The surprise that appeared in the eyes of the young hunter remained in them even after his head was separated from the rest of the body.


    The boy watched for a moment longer as the blood dripped from his claws before returning to the headless body and taking the same gray soul of a still young inhabitant of the forest. After that, he glanced at the rest of the bodies.


    "Finally the Inventory will come in handy."


    As he removed the clothes and weapons from the dead bodies, Rei mentally noted their quality once more:


    ¡°What a strong material, yet very light. Almost airy.


    As he put on the hooded robe that once belonged to Corvus, he noted that it was an order of magnitude better than the others. Ray did not know that among the forest people the hood was a symbol of strength and was allowed to be worn only by the most worthy of warriors. Long daggers in good sheaths were made of a green substance unfamiliar to Ray. With skepticism, looking at the blade in his hand, a little less than half a meter long, he hit the tree trunk with it. The weapon passed through the bark without appreciable resistance and stopped only after sinking almost two of its widths into it.


    "Thumbs up". Ray couldn''t help but mentally praise. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I won¡¯t be able to learn to fence properly with him anyway.¡±


    Hiding the blade in the Inventory like everything else the hunters had, Rey finally looked into the Status. The first change that caught his eye was [Soul Master], which leveled up to the third.


    "ABOUT. And those guys were very helpful¡­ What are their names, by the way¡­?¡±


    Taking another look at the Status window, Rei noticed a second change.


    - A native of the Pharos forest. - After a little savoring the sound of an unfamiliar name, the guy nodded.


    Well, at least now I know where I''m at. It is a pity that they did not indicate which part of the world it is. It wouldn''t change anything, though."


    The strange thing was that the name of the new soul was listed in the status four times. Ray discovered the reason a second later, when he mentally looked into the space with souls. Now, in addition to the four souls that were there before, there were four more similar souls inside him, like drops of water. One of them was distinguished by the fact that it was a lighter shade than the other three, but in general all the souls were gray, although it would not be a great exaggeration to call them close to white. About the same color was the soul of the Snow Serpent.


    ¡°How interesting, why don¡¯t they break up now?¡±


    Rei remembered that before, when the growth of one of the souls became the limit, all other souls of the same type, when absorbed, immediately turned into energy.


    ¡°This could be attributed to the fact that they are sentient and each of them had their own personality, but the first three souls, obviously, still became one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s most likely the increase in the level [Lord of Souls]."


    The night is not over yet. Sitting next to the still-burning fire, Rey threw the last of the firewood into it and focused on the souls within him. This time, he found the difference right away - now he could move souls around the inner space.


    "That''s not all, is it?"


    Having tried to carry out a similar manipulation with all the souls within himself, Rei realized that he could not move only the human soul, but he did not care. After a couple of minutes, he came to the conclusion that the only acquisition really was the ability to move souls.


    "Maybe it''s for the improvement that will happen in the next level." - from With that thought, Rey opened the Inventory and took out one of the hunters'' bags. Inside was a small knife made of the same green material that looked more like crystal than metal, a flask with a strange-smelling liquid, a small bundle of dry grass whose purpose Ray did not know, a coil of thin but strong rope, and a few other things. , which seemed to the guy quite ordinary and did not cause any interest.


    Taking some grass in his hand, he sniffed it and even tasted it.


    "Could it be healing?"


    After a moment, Rei realized that the way to use this herb was much more trivial. When he lightly rubbed it between his fingers, the grass caught fire on its own.


    "So that''s how they made a fire so easily."


    Putting back the bundle of grass, Ray took out a bottle, but after opening it, he also put it back almost immediately.


    ¡°It can be anything, too, from ordinary juice to poison.¡±


    The guy didn''t even get the bow. If everything was more or less clear with the sword, then as for this type of weapon ... He did not even know how to hold it correctly.


    Rising to his feet, Rey once again focused on the souls he had. He mentally chose the strongest of the souls of the forest dwellers.


    He noticed the change instantly. Vision became almost as sharp as during the day, all the surrounding noise hit his ears, and the smell of blood, which the guy had not even felt before, was now so clear, as if it had been spilled right on his face.


    ¡°Even better than the animals. No wonder that hunter was able to see me."


    Covering his ears with his hands, Ray saw that he now had short claws instead of nails. In all other respects, apart from a slightly darker skin, he was no different from a human. Another detail was the clothes that remained on him. This observation was quite interesting, because it meant that before changing form he would now have to undress.


    Having folded things in the Inventory, Rey cast a last look of calm eyes at the devastated camp, in which only the dead carcasses of animals, six bodies of forest dwellers and a fire gradually dying out remained.


    A few minutes later, the vague silhouette of a tildas could already be seen in the sky.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s no more than a day¡¯s journey to their settlement. With luck, it won''t be too big." With such thoughts, Rei continued to fly in the same direction in which he had been moving all day.

 Chapter 12

    The flight was calm, even though the night was dark, Rey still saw the cloudy outlines of the forest, continuing to move strictly in a straight line.


    ¡°If the settlement is too small, I might miss it. Perhaps we should continue with the sunrise. This thought sounded right to him. Slowing down, Rei landed on one of the trees.


    Having descended to the ground, he took the form of a snake already familiar to him. For all the time while watching the forest, and that is how he decided to call these people, Ray was very hungry. Nighttime was even better than daytime for hunting. Even though it was winter now and the light of the sun was weak, it was unpleasant for sensitive snake eyes, and besides, it was very distracting. Ray had yet to learn to see the light itself, not its warmth, and until then, night was the most comfortable time for hunting.


    As he was about to take off, he remembered something. Now he had three extra hunter souls, which he somehow needed only to raise the level of the ability.


    "They will support me."


    Looking into the inner space, Rei thought for a second about what he had not paid attention to before.


    ¡°And why are there three of them, because they, too, should have been united into one.¡±


    ¡°Because of the growth in ability, they did not break up. But when exactly did the level rise?


    ¡°If you remember, before I attacked them, he was definitely still the second, which means he could grow after the first few souls. And if this is so, then the increase in level could stop not only their decay ... "


    As he pondered this, Rei realized something. Not really worrying, he broke one soul of the forest. As the guy expected, the energy after its destruction did not immediately begin to spread through his body, but remained in place in the form of small clots.


    ¡°How interesting, I think I know what has changed¡­¡±


    After trying to influence this energy, Rei realized that he could move it too. Directing energy to the strongest soul of the forest, he watched with a touch of satisfaction as it merged with her, making her color even lighter.


    "And if so?"


    Having broken one of the remaining two souls, he directed the energy from it to the soul of the snow snake, in the form of which he was now. He did not really hope for something, but to his own surprise he realized that the souls had merged.


    At the same moment, Ray literally felt the changes that had taken place. His body became almost one and a half times longer, the same applied to thickness. Perception increased even more, and this was not only about vision. The guy had no doubt that even without that deadly poison became even stronger.


    "Now that''s really interesting."


    If the snake could smile, there would certainly be a very evil smile on its face right now, probably the only one Rei could put on.


    "Looks like I''ll be able to commit revenge much sooner."


    Without hesitation, Rey broke the last soul, again sending it to the snow snake, but, unfortunately, the image of the deadliest of snakes, the poison of which could kill anyone, created in the depths of the guy¡¯s consciousness, broke at the same moment. Several beams of energy merged with the soul of the serpent, bringing the size of Rei''s current body to a full two meters, but the rest of the energy remained circling around him.


    ¡°So the restrictions still remain ... It¡¯s a little depressing.¡±


    Rey dissipated the remaining energy into his own body, noting that it was about half as much as in one of the largest beasts he had encountered, whose body was so slow that the guy did not even leave it.


    ¡°But why did four of the same fit in the soul of the forest at once, and only one in the snake? The amount of energy was about the same."


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    The misunderstanding only grew stronger when, having turned into a representative of the forest people, Rei did not notice any drastic changes. He had hoped that the perception of this body would become even more acute, like last time, but now, being in this body, he did not notice much difference.


    ¡°It¡¯s not strange, if my hearing got even better, I wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive the world normally, but the physical parameters also didn¡¯t change too much when compared to a snake.¡± Ray was genuinely perplexed, trying to find a seemingly obvious answer. ¡°What is the matter then? If the cessation of the development of a snake is explained by the fact that its body simply cannot contain more energy, then where does it go in the forest?¡±


    Continuing to ponder over this, the guy again took the form of a snake. Even though the night was coming to an end, he would still have time to hunt a little.


    ***


    With the first rays of the sun, a small blue bird flew into the air. In the past hour, Ray managed to kill four animals, but he did not save all their souls for later. Unfortunately, now he could not properly enjoy their "taste", breaking and absorbing their energy, because they all went to strengthen.


    After absorbing the last of the captured souls, the gsarh also stopped growing stronger. But the growth of this body was noticeable to the naked eye - the beast became larger by almost a third.


    Thinking again about the soul of the forest, Ray looked at the human.


    ¡°How do I know if it¡¯s worth spending souls to strengthen it?¡±


    On reflection, he nevertheless came to the conclusion that energy cannot disappear into nowhere, which means that he simply has not yet found a way to determine what it is spent on.


    ¡°When you think about it, souls become lighter when they absorb energy, which means that the closer the color of the soul to white, the stronger it is. But my human form is definitely worse than, for example, the body of those hunters. Their reflexes, sense organs and even muscles are more developed than those of humans, but the color of the souls is still darker. And this means that either I was mistaken, or there is something else that I did not take into account.


    Ray still continued to fly towards the rising sun, and thoughts did not let him go.


    ¡°My soul became like this after the experience. Maybe instead of bodily parameters, mental ones begin to grow. No, I¡¯m sure that I definitely didn¡¯t become smarter. ¡±


    The guy did not have time to find a clear answer for himself when he noticed something strange far ahead.


    Ten minutes later, Rei, already in the form of a tildas, was sitting on a branch, next to a tall wooden fence. It was built in the form of a thick wall, the upper part of which protruded from the outside almost a meter forward, making it difficult to penetrate from the outside. The guy was a little upset, because the size of the settlement was larger than he expected. If it was only a small camp, then he could do the same as before, gaining even more souls, and along with them, strength. But in the town in front of him, and because of its size it was quite possible to call it that, there should have been no less several thousand forest.


    ¡°Even if the city is quite large, it is hardly the main one for this people. From what I''ve seen so far, their weapons and tailoring are too advanced for the level of a single city. Or maybe there are a lot more of them than I thought.


    Trees obstructed Ray''s normal view of the settlement. If not for the wall, this city would be no different from an ordinary patch of forest.


    ¡°If they live in trees, then their number here may indeed be several times greater.¡±


    The fact that the settlement turned out to be much more extensive than he had hoped only disappointed Ray at first, but after weighing all the pros and cons again, he nevertheless changed his mind.


    ¡°If I exterminated even a small village, it would inevitably attract attention. But this city offers a slightly different opportunity.¡±


    Once again looking around the wall, Ray went to look for an entrance. And it didn''t take long.


    The gates were sheathed with material similar to that from which the swords were made. They looked pretty nice, but the guy didn''t even pay attention to it. All his thoughts were now occupied with a plan that would allow him to get into the city. The main problem was that he did not know the language of this people. Because of this, he could not directly penetrate inside. Getting lost in a settlement of this size probably wouldn''t be a problem, but if Rey couldn''t understand those around him, it would be of little use, and he only wanted to get into the city because of the information he could get there. Even though the guy needed a lot of souls to better understand his abilities, it would be dangerous to kill too many hunters near a big city, because he himself could be prey.


    "I need them to let me in."


    Slowly, from one idea, others were born, which formed a completely full-fledged plan. It was impossible to implement it right now, because for him, Ray needed to know exactly when someone would be on the road to the city. Turning into a snake again, he went in search of new souls. He could watch those entering and leaving the city even at a distance from the gates, but he did not want to waste time in this way. It was necessary to see how the human soul would react to the amplification, maybe it would at least shed some light on the situation.


    Ray did not count on finding many animals near the city, but he really liked hunting in the form of a snake and he was not going to deny himself this. In addition, for the plan he came up with, it was necessary to prepare too many things, and even better - to wait for a thunderstorm or at least a heavy snowfall.

 Chapter 13

    A group of four foresters made their way through a solid wall of falling snow. The storm that started in the morning did not stop even by the middle of the day.


    ¡°Arvus, I told you not to go in this weather. - the voice was barely audible due to the raging wind, but the one who uttered these words did not doubt that they would reach their addressee.


    ¡°After the sky clears up, there will be no point in looking. - the speaker was clearly out of sorts, but his party members did not pay attention to it. Because they knew the reason why the strongest of the warriors of their village had not been able to sleep peacefully for several days.


    I know you won''t agree, but...


    - Stop it, Virn. Leave if you want, I don''t keep any of you here. Arvus''s cold answer made him a little angry, but Vearn didn''t say anything.


    ¡°They have been gone for the fourth day, and he can¡¯t come to terms ... Although, who am I kidding, if someone from my family was missing, I would behave the same way.¡± - Thinking about this, the senior hunter pulled his hood tighter and silently followed into the darkness of the snow-covered forest.


    Four hours later they returned, but as before, empty-handed. One of the hunters was a woman, it was she who tried to calm the anger of her commander, bursting out, who now and then clenched his fists in anger, piercing the skin with his claws.


    - Take it easy. Corvus was with them, and his experience surpasses any of us. I won¡¯t be surprised if even today he tells you how they have been running from the black guard all this time. - the firmness with which the woman tried to fill her words seemed implausible even to her, but it was impossible to leave everything as it was.


    Arvus did not answer, continuing to walk with the same sullen look.


    Such situations have happened before, but very rarely and not with entire detachments of hunters. Now it was winter, and with each group someone from the elite was walking to save them from a stupid death at a dangerous time.


    But¡­


    They were supposed to return about three days ago, and that''s with the recent storm. All four understood that, most likely, they were no longer alive, but the forest people were a very close-knit people and never left their comrades in trouble. That is why these three were here now. They are one of the strongest warriors in the village, they did not leave their leader, with whom they went through so many battles, although they could not help him much.


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    It was not far to the city, and only Arvus forced himself to return by force. He was always so, restless, stubborn and beyond measure tough. The rest attributed it to the fact that he was special, but Arvus himself knew that he just had such a character.


    The storm never let up. The furious wind howled with terrible force, breaking against tall and strong forest trees and scattering almost meter-long clouds of snow, but this did not prevent the gray-eyed hunter from feeling the familiar smell.


    When Arvus stopped and turned his head to the side, everyone became alert.


    "What''s in there?" ¨C the same thought arose in the head of the other three. Each of them trusted Arvus implicitly, for their leader had never been wrong about such things.


    - It smells like blood. And it''s not an animal. - a gloomy voice came from under the gray hood, when Arvus began to slowly walk in the direction from which the wind brought the smell.


    Without saying a word, the others lined up at three-meter intervals and followed him. None of them smelled blood, but they had known the forest walker ahead of them for too long.


    Each held a bow in his hands and only Arvus - two large daggers, which he inherited along with the armor. He himself chose them as a reward, because it was this style of fighting that he liked the most.


    But now, a hunter walking next to him noticed how the commander hid them back in his belt. Without hesitation, the others, noticing this, did the same with their bows.


    It wasn''t until they got closer that they realized why. A completely naked body lay in the snow. Even through the thick layer of snow that had fallen from above, one could see a huge amount of blood around him.


    ¨C Hmmm. White?


    The hunter woman asked a perfectly legitimate question. All representatives of the forest people were born with green hair, but the body lying in front of her had short hair, merging with the snow that covered the entire forest.


    She, like the other two, stole a glance at Arvus, but only for a brief moment.


    One of the hunters crossed his arms over his chest, about to pray to the Goddess and the spirits of the forest about the death of his brother, but he was interrupted by the voice of the leader:


    ¡°He hasn''t died yet.


    Hearing him, the hunter rushed to the body. Turning him over, she opened four huge longitudinal wounds on his stomach, inflicted by the claws of a beast she knew well. Taking out a flask with disinfecting juice from her bag, she poured all its contents onto the wound without regret, but this did not satisfy the woman. She stretched out her hand in the direction of one of the woods, and in a moment there was another flask, with which she did the same.


    - It''s a pity we went out for a short time, there is nothing to cover him with.


    All this the woman said, checking the barely audible, on the verge of silence, heartbeat and breathing of the poor fellow. She tried her best to wake him up, but when she carefully opened her closed eyelids, she froze for a moment.


    - Blind?


    The eyes of the half-dead woodsman were completely white, they had no pupils or any impurities of a different shade. One solid white, the same color as his hair.


    - Stop messing around, if he lies here a little longer, he will definitely die, if not from wounds, then from the cold. - saying this, one of the hunters raised his upper body, while the other took the poor fellow by the legs.


    "I wonder where he''s from?" the woman muttered.


    - What''s the difference. First, he must be saved.


    Arvus silently watched as his comrades carried away the wounded. The momentary joy that appeared in his gray eyes faded at the same moment when he realized that this was not the one they were looking for.

 Chapter 14

    Ray inwardly sighed in relief as he felt himself lifted up. Lying motionless, like enduring pain, was not a problem, but when the woman opened his eye, he involuntarily glanced at her. Scolding himself, he suddenly realized that she hadn''t noticed.


    It was a little surprising, but nothing more.


    The guy heard the hunters say something, but did not understand anything. At this time, he tried with all his might not to move a single muscle in his body, which was not so difficult, because he had lain in the snow for almost an hour, having managed to freeze through. I even stopped trembling.


    But Ray was sure that he would not die, because over the past three days he had managed to prepare quite well. A wound on his stomach he could partially heal with the help of souls. He discovered this property in the evening of the same day when he found the city.


    Before the ability [Soul Master] had risen to the third level, the energy from the broken souls spread evenly throughout the body, but now he could direct it to a certain part of it. As confirmed by the experiment, it had some healing properties. Not too strong, but already something.


    Upon discovering this, Rey once again tweaked his plan to make it more plausible. Now the souls of the 28 animals that he managed to kill while hunting near the city were stored inside him, not going to either strengthen or "food" for himself. They should have been insurance if the foresters hadn''t noticed him. Rei wasn''t sure they would be enough to heal such a wound, but they would have had some effect by preventing him from dying.


    As the guy found out, this was the current limit of the number of souls that he could contain in himself. And he realized this about three hours ago, when another soul of a boar was not absorbed by his ability. This fact was a little frustrating, because he definitely did not know how to raise the level of [Many Faces]. His guess that it grows with the level of the human soul seemed logical, but was confirmed only by a single observation.


    ¡°Maybe in order to raise his level you need to endure pain?¡±


    The prospect seemed rather bleak to Ray, but he noticed that he hadn''t thrown it away... If it gives him the strength to take revenge, it''s worth it...


    Breaking his thoughts, the guy focused on the case. He had been listening to the conversations of the forest people he had been watching over the past few days. This group left the city every day at dawn and returned at about noon, only to leave again later, lingering until late at night. It was them, after three days of observation, that Ray chose as his target. And the snowstorm that began in the morning only simplified his task. True, everything went a little wrong and the group returned back in a slightly different way, because of which they were too far from the guy. Fortunately, everything worked out and the hunters were still able to find him.


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    The wounds that covered Ray''s stomach, he inflicted on himself in the form of a gsarkh. They have not disappeared anywhere and in the form of a forest, except that they have become a little smaller, in accordance with the size of the body. In this state, the guy had to lie for almost ten minutes, slowly feeding the body with souls, until the hunters found him.


    The plan seemed simple, but it was dangerous and had several holes. For example, if it weren¡¯t for the snowstorm, the foresters could understand from its tracks that something was wrong. After all, at some point they would simply disappear, becoming bestial, but heavy snow perfectly hid this.


    The next and probably the main problem was Ray''s inability to speak their language, which he was going to write off as memory loss. This variable in his plan was the most uncertain, because it aroused too much suspicion for him, but there was no other way out, so he resigned himself.


    Hearing the loud sound of the gate opening, Rei did not dare to relax. It was impossible for his heart rate to increase too much, and if breathing was more or less easy to control, then the first one needed a lot of concentration.


    The pace of movement of the foresters carrying him was quite high, but inwardly the guy praised them, because, despite the haste, they moved it as carefully as possible. A big noise arose nearby, and after ten seconds, Rei felt how they put him on some kind of cloth and covered him with something, continuing to carry him in this position.


    After a few more minutes, Rey stopped feeling the violence of the elements, which meant that he was in the building. They put him on something soft. Judging by the height and rigidity - a pretty good bed. The guy heard several surprised and alarmed female voices. It''s a pity, but he could only imagine the meaning from the emotions of the speakers.


    "I hope their language turns out to be as simple as it sounds." Ray''s thought was interrupted by a flash of pain in the area of the wound, not the stomach, which seemed to be rewashed.


    This moment was another problem. Even though the guy was sure that he could withstand the pain of treating wounds without making a sound, he also needed to lie down, relaxing all his muscles.


    Feeling a prick in the abdomen, and then another on the other side, Rei did not immediately understand what was happening, the injections were repeated and repeated. The pain was quite intense, but still within the range of what Rei could endure without moving. He felt that the two largest wounds, which had effectively opened his stomach, were slowly beginning to heal.


    "What is it?"


    Even though he was interested, he, of course, did not dare to open his eyes. The same thing happened with the other two wounds. After that, almost his entire torso was smeared with some kind of thick and warm substance.


    The two pairs of hands that lifted him by the waist were very gentle and soft. Concentrating, Rei was still able to endure the moment when his stomach was tightly bandaged and covered tightly with some kind of blanket.


    The guy lay silently and listened to the conversations of others. This way of learning the language was not the easiest, but quite effective. His memory in this world was actually perfect. He didn''t know if it was another indulgence of the developers or something else, but ignorance did not prevent him from using this advantage. Even now, some words from the conversations seemed familiar to him, although devoid of meaning, but this is only for a while ...


    For almost five hours, Ray lay without even moving a finger. Although his mind was tempered, he still had to feed himself with energy from the souls, otherwise he could involuntarily blink or twitch. Perhaps it would not be strange even for an unconscious person, but the guy did not know this, so he decided to lie absolutely still.

 Chapter 15

    The room was in thick twilight, so the guy could only rely on his internal clock to understand that it was already evening. Thinking about it again, he slowly opened his eyes. As it turned out, the house was pretty neat. The interior decoration was entirely wooden, the room Rei was in stretched for ten meters in length, and turning his head, he noticed several more beds similar to the ones on which he lay.


    Looking down at his stomach, the guy saw only a ton of white bandages that covered the entire torso. His body in this world looked moderately athletic, but now he could be mistaken for a fat man.


    Without thinking about it for a long time, Rei continued to look around and realized that he was the only one in this semblance of a hospital. It was even good, because it simplified the idea a little.


    Since there was no one next to him now, the guy decided that he should not miss the moment and immediately, breaking several souls, directed their energy to the lower abdomen, where some internal damage remained. When the unpleasant itching passed, he felt that the pain subsided a little, but he could not move.


    The whole process did not take even five minutes, in fact, he could do it faster, but he did not want to waste even a grain of soul energy, which in the current state was not possible to restore.


    Just as he finished, the door that was directly opposite his bed opened. The girl who entered was dressed in, as it seemed to the guy, ordinary home clothes, almost completely green. The only thing Rey paid attention to was her lack of weapons, but the fact that she was also very beautiful, he, imperceptibly, missed.


    Seeing that the guy woke up, the girl immediately ran up to him and began to say something. Ray, unfortunately, did not understand anything, but now he needed to use his already weak acting skills to the fullest.


    At that moment, when the girl came close to him, he, feigning sincere fear, tried to move away from her. Rei paid no attention to the sharp pain in the abdomen and, falling off the bed, rested his back against the wall next to her.


    Covering his face with his hands, he cast only a fleeting glance at the troubled face of the girl, continuing his little performance. To his surprise, she, not knowing what to do, knelt beside him, hands raised above her.


    "How sincere." ¨C Mentally grunted the guy, noting that the pain is getting stronger.


    After waiting another moment, Rei lowered his hands slowly and with mock caution. The confused girl, not knowing how to approach him, continued to say something. For a moment, her gentle voice even distracted the guy, but after a second, when she reached out to him, wanting to help him get up, he again covered himself with his hands.


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    Unexpectedly, but the girl did not recoil from him, but leaning forward with her whole body, she gently hugged him.


    "Some kind of she is too kind to a stranger ... Strange people."


    After calming down, Rei lowered his arms and lay down on the bed. He felt that blood was flowing from the wound, but did not know how to say it, so he simply wrinkled his face and grabbed his stomach with his hand. Noticing that the edges of the hitherto white bandage turned red, the girl was frightened again and ran away somewhere, only to return in a moment with another woman.


    When they entered together, the confused girl did not know what to do, but the second was clearly more experienced, and noticeably older. Taking a skein of the same bandages standing on a shelf, she approached Ray and with one movement of her hand with seemingly not too sharp claws, tore the fabric covering his stomach, which had turned almost completely red. The guy sat and trying to portray the most sincere fright mixed with pain, watched what was happening.


    Only now he could see that his wound was covered with some kind of dark gray substance, which had hardened slightly. Carefully lifting the edge of this cover, the woman in a stern tone turned to the girl who was standing helplessly at the door, and she ran up to her. Together they carefully removed it, and through the remnants of this goo, Ray noticed that his wound was sewn up with thick threads.


    "Oh, so interesting". ¨C the guy did not know about this method of wound care, because in medicine, with which he was only vaguely familiar, nano-machines were used mainly.


    The fact that now his stomach looked far from personal, if not disgusting, did not worry the guy much, but such sincere horror was written on his face that the girl standing next to him could not stop reassuring him.


    The woman, having taken out a skein of thread from somewhere, without uttering a word, began to sew up the opened edge of the wound. The pain was nothing, but Rey gritted his teeth and tried not to scream.


    His doctor turned out to be quite experienced and in a few seconds the wound was closed. After saying a few words to the girl, who immediately ran away, she began to talk to the guy. Rei couldn''t answer, so he just looked at her with a real incomprehension in his eyes.


    Noticing that the patient was not going to answer, she stopped asking questions, moreover, a girl had just entered the room, who brought a large bowl with the same gray mass. With deft movements, the female doctor covered his stomach with a new layer of a strange substance, immediately applying bandages over it.


    After carefully checking everything, she again said a few words to the girl and left.


    A terrible itch, which began for the second time in a day, greatly distracted Ray from talking with the girl. True, it was difficult to call it a conversation, because only she spoke. The guy, only with incomprehension in his eyes, looked at her, without uttering a word.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth saying something, otherwise she will think that I am dumb.¡±


    The thought was quite sound, as he began to notice that the girl was becoming more and more confused. Raising his hand, he pointed to his chest and tried to say as clearly as possible:


    - Ray.


    The girl''s eyes shone, following his example, she pointed to herself.


    - Thea.


    The guy repeated her name, which made the girl very happy. She began to speak again, even more animatedly than at the beginning.


    "Heck. Too fast, it¡¯s even hard for me to understand what separate words are from this. ¡± Turning his head to one side, Ray shook her from side to side, hoping that the gesture would be clear.


    He was right, Thea frowned and began to speak slowly. Too slow...


    ¡°Now she breaks the words into pieces¡­ It¡¯s even worse¡­¡±


    Refraining from showing his displeasure in any way, Rei continued to study intently.


    So several hours passed. The guy repeated the words that the girl uttered, conveying to her in such a way that he listens to her attentively.


    Over time, she began to speak less and less, constantly glancing towards the door. Realizing that she wanted to leave, Rei grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. He could not ask her to stay yet, so he tried to convey this request with his eyes.


    Suddenly, the girl understood everything and, releasing her palm, patiently continued to talk to him. Ray was internally jubilant, he expected that his amnesia would cause great suspicion, but on the very first day he was able to find an inexperienced, but very stubborn teacher.


    "This night will be long, but very rewarding." - the guy thought, pronouncing another, slightly tricky word, which was supposed to be called that slurry on his stomach.

 Chapter 16

    How are you, Ray?


    Looking at Thea''s always smiling face, the guy sat down on the bed and replied:


    - I can walk now. Thanks for taking care of me.


    Smiling even brighter, the girl began to scold him:


    "I told you you can''t get up just yet." Such wounds do not heal so quickly.


    As you can see, you are wrong.


    Ray spent only three days in the forest people''s hospital, but his condition almost completely stabilized, and this morning, overcoming the responses of pain, he was still able to get to his feet.


    Another achievement was the almost complete mastery of the language, but only at a conversational level. He still could not read fluently, but even the fact that in such a short time someone was able to learn a completely unfamiliar language was simply incredible! Now the guy did not feel discomfort at all when talking with Thea, and there were not so many words left that he did not know the meaning of!


    Another surprise for him was that the wounds in the forest healed about three times faster than in humans. Of course, Ray couldn¡¯t name the exact figure, since he was using drugs, the effectiveness of which was also not very clear to him, and if you consider that in these three days he managed to break almost all the stored souls that he spent mainly on treatment, then could not be more precise.


    - Lie down, change the bandage.


    Ray didn''t argue. Over time, he managed to get used to the local order.


    Gently removing the fabric covering her stomach, the girl opened her eyes in surprise.


    ¡°Actually, much better than yesterday.


    Now the wounds weren''t covered in the gray goo that Rei didn''t know the name of, but they still looked rather ugly. The girl sitting in front of him did not seem to be very frightened, and the guy himself did not care even for a moment.


    ¡°So you really are one of the marked Tian''Areth¡­¡± Thea''s thoughtful muttering brought Rey to his senses.


    "What is it? She didn''t talk about anything like that."


    In those few days, besides the language, Ray had learned a little more about the life of the children of the forest, and although this information was not very important, it cleared up something.


    - Marked...? Thea, explain...


    ¡°Sorry,¡± the girl smiled, ¡°I can¡¯t get used to the fact that you only remember your name.¡±


    Ray himself was surprised at first why he was so easily believed, but he already managed to find out the reason.


    The forest people lived incredibly unitedly. Perhaps the reason for this was not the simplest living conditions, but it is impossible to know for sure. This people had no such thing as betrayal. Everyone, to the best of their ability, contributed to the development of the settlement. At first, the guy thought that this was caused by a strict leader, but it turned out that everything rests on the personal consciousness of the inhabitants. It would seem that such a system is doomed, but now, the history of several hundred generations has proven the opposite.


    ¡°There are very, very few people like you, but you are easy to identify. Saying this, the girl took a strand of her light green hair in her hand. ¡°We are all born with green hair, but those chosen by the Goddess,¡± she continued, turning her gaze to Rei, ¡°are special. For example, my brother has hair, like yours, of a different color. And the eyes too.


    Rei didn''t understand what exactly the Marked Ones were unique for, but didn''t show it as Thea patiently continued:


    My brother was born with gray hair. It has long been known that this is the mark of Tian''Areth and that the brother will become great. Mom told me ... When he was very young, he was no different from an ordinary child, his parents were even delighted, hoping that he really differed from everyone only in hair color and gray eyes, but the older he became, the clearer it was that they were mistaken . The girl''s voice was sad and solemn at the same time. Ray was a little embarrassed by this contrast, but he continued to listen patiently.


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    ¡°When he was taken on his first hunt, he said that he could hear the beating heart of the beast, which was almost two and a half hundred meters away from him.


    Ray was very surprised, but did not say anything.


    ¨C This concerned not only hearing... Vision, sense of smell and even reflexes of the brother are sharpened to insanity. Thanks to them, he became one of the strongest, if not the strongest warrior even in the capital.


    Listening to Thea, Rei slowly understood why she was speaking so strangely. Her brother ran into a problem he was already thinking about. This perception is very useful in battle, but in everyday life it becomes a serious burden.


    Deciding to end the story here, he asked her a question:


    ¡°Are all Goddess marks like this?¡±


    Raising her head, Thea saw understanding in Rey''s eyes.


    - Yes. There are at most five people like my brother in one generation, and in fact even fewer. In our city, there have never been two marked ones before.


    Do you think I''m different too?


    The girl tilted her head slightly to the side when she heard him say:


    ¡°Your hair is white, and considering how fast your wounds heal, the answer is obvious. But¡­


    - Something is wrong? - Thea suddenly fell silent, so Ray had to ask again.


    ¡°The gift of Tian''Areth cannot only be useful. If you have received something, you must give something back. At first I thought it was vision, because your eyes look like that, but you can see, and your body is much stronger and stronger than anyone else, so I ... - noticing that he says it directly in Ray''s face, the girl stuttered. Sorry, that''s not what I meant...


    - Do not worry. the guy waved his hand, trying to calm her down, but Thea only lowered her head, seemingly ashamed of her behavior. Ray needed to know more. Something had to be done to distract her.


    - What about my eyes? - this question really interested him, he knew that his hair had turned white, but he had not yet had the opportunity to look at his eyes.


    ¨C Oh¡­ Wait, I''m here!


    The girl ran out of the room, but returned almost immediately, holding a large plate of shiny metal. Ray immediately understood exactly how it was being used.


    - Here look.


    When she held the plate up to his face, Rey, though not very clearly, saw that his eyes were completely white, not a drop of another color.


    ¡°It looks strange¡­¡± the guy muttered this quite quietly, but Thea, taking it as a self-flagellation, decided to cheer him up.


    - Not at all! It even suits you, it matches your hair color.


    Trying to support him seemed so clumsy to Ray that he didn''t even know how to react. Forcing himself, albeit forced, but to smile, the guy turned to the girl:


    Now you see that I''m fine. May I go outside?


    - This is ... - Thea did not mind, because she saw that Ray''s wounds had almost disappeared, but there was a problem. If the senior mentor finds out that she allowed him not only to go outside, but even just get out of bed ... The girl even got goosebumps. But she forced herself to smile anyway. - The weather is too cold, first you will fully recover, and then I will give you a tour.


    Ray did not insist and spent the next two days in much the same way. With the help of souls, he no longer healed wounds - they were already barely enough to drive away sleep.


    ***


    ¡°Look, this is the headman¡¯s house¡­ And over there, a training ground for warriors. - the girl walked ahead of Ray, scattering puffs of snow with her slender legs. The guy listened to her attentively, trying to remember the layout of the village as best as possible. Well, or the town, it does not matter.


    - Can I become a warrior? I also want to be useful, if only to repay the treatment.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about it. We are all one family.


    Thea''s words had no effect on the guy, so he asked again:


    ¨C I still want to become a hunter, I think this occupation suits me.


    The girl obviously wanted to say something, but after a moment her look changed:


    ¡°I will ask my brother to teach you. I''m sure he won''t refuse me.


    Hearing her words, Rei was pleased, because that''s what he wanted to ask her. Now he had everything he needed to master the art of combat and, even if he didn¡¯t really like the prospect of fighting in a humanoid form, it made sense, since the fact that he could turn into a trump card was his main trump card, once again revealing which was stupid.


    At that moment they came to a large building built around a tall tree.


    ¡°This is the temple of Tian''areth. - Thea''s words were slightly strangled and, although Ray did not care too much, it was necessary to portray politeness:


    - Something is wrong?


    The girl, realizing her mistake, again became as cheerful as before.


    "Looks like I''m not the only one pretending." - While Rey was thinking about this, Thea told him that her second brother had recently disappeared into the forest along with his detachment. The guy thought it was too ironic.


    A joke of fate, nothing else. It was not difficult to guess which detachment the young daughter of the forest had in mind.


    But Ray, of course, did not say anything, and together they continued to bypass the city, which dragged on for almost two hours.


    - Well that''s all. I''ll talk to my brother today, so don''t worry.


    - Yes. Thank you. Ray spoke a little coldly, though he tried to control himself. The girl, it seems, was already used to this, so she did not show it.


    After saying goodbye, Thea ran off somewhere, and Rei returned to the hospital, where he was allowed to spend a couple more days.

 Chapter 17

    After waiting for Thea to arrive, Rei went with her to the training ground, already familiar from the last walk. -


    ¡°Just don¡¯t be scared,¡± the girl wrinkled her nose, ¡°my brother is a little ... Aloof, although you and him are even similar in this.


    Nodding at the slightly odd remark from the girl, Rei followed her deeper into the compound until he saw about three dozen young guys training.


    Everyone was doing something different, from shooting to hand-to-hand combat, but noticing Thea''s arrival, everyone stopped and began to greet her in turn. The girl, at such attention to herself, only waved her hand in embarrassment and entered a large wooden building.


    Someone in Ray''s place would inevitably play a joke on the girl''s popularity, but the guy just silently followed her. He only came to this place to learn how to fight. Very soon they entered a large room, inside of which it was quite spacious due to the fact that it turned out to be completely empty.


    In the far corner of the hall sat a middle-aged man with short gray hair. He was carefully polishing a large dagger, made, unlike anything Rey had ever seen, of a dull gray metal that hardly reflected the light that fell on it.


    ¡°Arvus, we have arrived!¡± The girl screamed, although there was no need to. The guy felt that their appearance was known long before.


    Looking at Ray with stern eyes, the man turned them to Thea, but now there was so much warmth and care in his eyes that the guy only smirked inwardly at such a change.


    ¡°Thea, you know I never taught anyone. The man spoke without looking up from his work. The hand moved up and down along the blade in a measured manner.


    Of course, the girl knew about it, but the only way she could distract her Arvus from searching ... He could not come to terms with the loss of his younger brother, and the girl was only hurt more by the fact that he was exhausting himself like that, so when Rei told her that wants to become a warrior, she decided in this way to occupy them both.


    I am sure you will find a common language. Not only are you both chosen by the Goddess, but ... - the girl could not finish, as Arvus interrupted her.


    ¡°Just because someone is marked doesn¡¯t mean they are good for anything. If a guy is useless, I won''t teach him.


    But you promised! Thea was sincerely indignant.


    ¡°I promised only that I would look at him today,¡± Arvus waved him away, turning his eyes to Ray, ¡°and I am here, so do not disappoint me.¡±


    Under the powerful gaze of the warrior, the guy did not even flinch and calmly but confidently answered:


    ¡°Of course, I will do my best.


    - Effort may not be enough, it also needs talent. - Saying this, Arvus pulled out several wooden balls, about one and a half centimeters in diameter. Taking three in each hand, he tossed them high above his head. They scattered in the air, but without paying attention to this, he caught them with a couple of deft movements.


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    When the warrior opened his palms, each contained three balls. The girl enthusiastically watched what happened, although she did not fully understand why her brother did this, but Rei understood everything.


    Arvus put the balls back into the bag and tossed it to the guy.


    - Repeat.


    Without saying anything, Rei took out six marbles from the bag, but noticing that there were more, he smiled inwardly and pulled out four more. Arvus saw that the guy behaved rather impudently, but he was silent by nature, so even now he just continued to observe the attempts of the young son of the forest. Although he already knew that the way he had come up with to get rid of his sister did not seem to work.


    Taking five marbles in each hand, Rei tossed them into the air with a sharp but precise movement. The fact that he was an ambidexter, the guy knew from an early age, when his grandfather had just begun to teach him music. The developed fingers allowed him to be so self-confident, and coupled with the perception of the forest...


    He was absolutely sure that he could catch those five marbles in his hand.


    The only thing the guy didn¡¯t take into account was that with the increase in the number of balls, their spread after the throw also increased, so instantly orienting himself, he stepped forward and threw both hands up, one more step to the side and a little back, another lunge of a half-opened palm and the guy had to bend over a little to the ground in order to catch the last ones.


    Exhaling, Rei straightened his back and unclenched his palms, each of which contained five balls, as in the very beginning. He was already distracted by the joyful applause of the smiling Thea:


    Now you can''t refuse. Ray did even better. - She looked at her brother with a satisfied face, who stood thinking about something and grimacing a little:


    ¡°Two-armed¡­¡± Having said this, he glanced at his sister again. ¡°I''ll try to teach him something, but if he turns out to be useless, you won''t blame me for kicking him out.


    ¡°You are always like this,¡± pouting, the girl defiantly turned away, but after a moment she answered just as cheerfully, ¡°although I am sure that everything will be in order. Good luck to you! I will go!


    Left alone with Arvus, Rey even felt a little awkward, as he just stood there and looked at him with a sullen face.


    ¡°Thea told me that because of you, she had to spend several nights with almost no sleep. The tone the man spoke with was quite threatening.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t mean a complaint¡­¡± ¨C the thought never left the guy¡¯s mouth, instead he patiently endured the pressure that the warrior put on him.


    ¡°I will definitely apologize to her. - Ray tried to defuse the situation and finally start studying and it paid off.


    - Went.


    Leading the guy behind him, Arvus suddenly began to speak.


    - Being a hunter is an honorable mission, you not only help others find food, but also stand on their defense. If you''re not brave enough to go out and look danger in the eye, then don''t do it. After all, - turning to Ray, the warrior looked into his eyes, - if you show your fear to the enemy, you will become not a hunter, but a prey.


    He didn''t say anything else, just kept walking forward.


    ¡°Good words, but I have nothing to fear anymore.¡± - thought the guy, looking at the back of a strange man. If Thea was telling the truth, then his hearing was much better than Rei''s current body. Though it seems to have been some kind of mutation, the usefulness of which was rather dubious, but also obvious at the same time.


    ¡°Since I am your teacher, you will fight with twin blades. - Having said this, Arvus took two green daggers from the stand, which were slightly shorter than his own, and handed them to the guy.


    Ray didn''t say anything. He had no idea what weapon suits him best, because in all his life in the past world, he had never held anything more dangerous than a kitchen knife in his hands. Picking up the daggers, he examined them closely and realized that the cutting edge was blunt. Training.


    - Squeeze tight ... Let''s start with the rack.

 Chapter 18

    It was already late at night, and Rei was still standing in the middle of the training room, brandishing daggers. After showing him a few blows and briefly explaining how to apply them correctly, Arvus simply left. This attitude did not greatly surprise the guy, because the character of the teacher was clear to him from the first moments of his acquaintance.


    Noticing that he was already rather tired, Rey realized how acute the problem with the supply of souls was. Without energizing, his body and mind could not withstand almost a dozen hours of continuous training. Although due to past enhancements, the body of the forest was physically stronger, but he also had a limit.


    Deciding to stop there, Ray went to the house allotted to him. Although it was small, it was quite cozy. Such an attitude towards the actually alien could not but surprise, but it seems that the unity of this people was even higher than he expected.


    The guy sat on the bed and thought about how to act.


    ¡°The easiest way would be to kill someone right here, but that is fraught with unnecessary attention. If someone guesses that the deaths began with my appearance ... Besides, I need a lot of souls.


    After considering this, Rei went outside and turned into a snow kite. The night was an excellent cover to leave the city unnoticed. There was no one on the streets, but he still tried not to approach places with a large accumulation of heat. Having reached the city wall in a similar manner, he was once again convinced that there were no guards nearby.


    In a moment, the four-winged bird had already landed on top of a tree outside the city. Descending, Rei again took the form of a snake and, at top speed, rushed forward. He had really missed those feelings the last few days. He himself did not understand why being in the body of a snake was more comfortable than in the body of a forest, but the fact remained.


    Ray returned to the settlement only three hours later. That was how much time he decided to allocate every night for hunting. This was quite enough to catch 5-10 animals and have time to return before dawn.


    The guy did not return to his new home, but followed straight to the training ground. As before, there was no one there, so Rei was able to calmly and without distraction continue to practice blows. Although at first it seemed a little stupid to him, it did not take long before he realized that he felt much better how to hit, and the daggers themselves seemed to become more obedient.


    And now, having taken them out, he immediately noticed that the sensations were different from those that were when he first took up arms. Taking the stance demonstrated by Arvus, Rey was about to strike, but a thought came to his mind.


    "Status".


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 2] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Gsarh, Pharos Forest Native, ¡­)


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    [Soul Master Level 3]


    [???]


    SPECIALIZATIONS:


    [Hunter Lv1]


    [Dagger Mastery Lv1]


    ¡°So it is, although Arvus did not help me much, but specialization appeared. Maybe it was because of her that it became easier ... "


    At that moment, Rei noticed another oddity.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t [Hunter] growing? During this time I killed a lot of animals.¡±


    "HM¡­"


    Thinking about it, Rei landed the first series of punches. Remembering exactly how he got his first specialization, the guy understood the possible reason.


    ¡°It''s about the form. Since then, I have never hunted in human form."


    He ended the attack on the imaginary enemy with a lunge of two daggers at once.


    ¡°It''s unpleasant, but it seems that in the body of the forest, I can get them too. We must try to absorb the soul in this body. If it works out, it will be great, otherwise it¡¯s a little inconvenient to constantly turn into a person, but here at least good reflexes and sense organs are well developed. ¡±


    Continuing to think about this, Rey delivered a few more quick blows, trying to mimic Arvus''s actions as accurately as possible, which were clearly displayed in his memory.


    ¡°The only way they formally differ from animals is their high intelligence, so animals that also have it can receive specializations?¡±


    Having made a mistake, Rei got a little angry. He picked a point on the far wall and swung his dagger. But, he turned in the air several times, crashed into the floor.


    *Tsk* Need more time until it''s not good enough. - snorting indignantly, Rey went to pick up the weapon, but at that time he heard a sound. The guy was always on the alert, so even now, reacting instantly, he turned around, but before he could understand what had happened, he received a blow in the stomach.


    "Don''t you dare spoil anything here. If you want to play, go outside.


    Straightening up, Rey, as expected, saw Arvus, who was looking at him with displeasure.


    - Yes. My fault.


    The gray-haired man watched as the young boy he had to teach pulled out a dagger. He, despite the blunt edges, due to the force of the throw, still deeply entered the tree.


    ¡°I was able to notice¡­¡± Arvus thought with a note of approval, but nothing more. He asked about something else:


    - Have you been here all night?


    Ray was surprised at the question of the forest, because he did not speak too often.


    - Yes, you can stay here only during the day?


    Arvus did not answer, continuing to look at him with the same stern look.


    ¨C In an hour you have another lesson, your teacher will be waiting for you outside. As for my instructions... For now, finish with what I have already shown.


    Nodding, Rei took up his stance again and continued to practice punches.


    ***


    - Hey! Here-here!


    Going out into the street, Rei noticed several young woodlanders, whom he had seen yesterday, but the sound of a gentle voice was not coming from them. The sun had begun to rise quite recently, so semi-darkness reigned, but for the sensitive eyes of the forest it did not differ much from ordinary lighting.


    Turning his head in the direction from which the voice was coming, Rei saw a woman. The first thing he noticed was the impressive size of her breasts, which, it would seem, were ready at any moment to tear the clothes holding her back.


    Looking up with difficulty, the boy noticed that the woman''s face was also very pleasant. Involuntarily appraising her, he silently moved forward.


    - I''m Siare. The woman smiled sweetly, leaning her whole body forward. Your teacher must have been talking about me.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, call me Ray. - the guy could not help but look at the chest swaying right in front of his eyes, but he remained just as imperturbable.


    Smiling even more mischievously, the woman turned her back on him.


    "Come on, let''s see what you''re good for."


    Silently following her, Rei noticed a shooting range ahead. The place was chosen quite well, between the trees there was a narrow natural alley, and on the trees growing along it, targets were drawn. The guy was surprised by the fact that they were drawn even on those trees that were about 500-600 meters away.


    Taking out a huge bow from behind her back, which was almost as long as herself, Ciara asked a question:


    Have you shot a bow before?


    - Not. Ray shook his head. ¡°I''m not even sure I know how to hold it properly.


    For some reason, the woman was very pleased with the answer:


    ¡°Then it¡¯s good that I will teach you, and not Arvus.¡± I may be a little behind him in shooting, but I''m sure I can show you something interesting.


    When she said that, her face became serious. Ciare snatched an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back and placed it on her bow. The movement was so lightning fast that Rei involuntarily thought that if he blinked, he might miss everything.


    - Watch attentively.


    Pulling the bowstring, the woman, without aiming for a second, let her go. With a loud bang, the arrow flew off. Even though Rei did not expect this, he still managed to turn his head after her - the reflexes of the forest affected.


    The arrow hit one of the distant trees. Exactly in the center of the target, without deviating one iota.


    Glancing at Ciare, whose face was once again playing a friendly smile, Rey reconsidered his opinion of her. The woman was clearly too modest about her skill.

 Chapter 19

    - Now you. - stretching out her hand with a bow, Ciare pulled out several arrows from her quiver and stuck them into the ground. With a certain skepticism, Rei picked up this, yet unfamiliar, weapon - he liked close combat much more.


    ¡°Repeat my stance, if you were watching carefully.


    The guy without much difficulty recreated in his memory a still fresh image of the shot that had taken place a few seconds ago. He raised his bow and turned a little.


    "Good, but let me help you." With those slightly ambiguous words, Ciare approached Ray from behind. Clinging to him with her whole body, she grabbed his hands, but the guy was worried about something else. Now his whole back felt incredibly soft. Approximately the fifth size.


    "Is she testing me?" - the idea seemed quite probable to Ray, so he tried not to pay attention to the woman who, for some reason, correcting the position of his hands, at the same time rubbed her chest against his back with suspicious activity.


    Despite the fact that the weather was cold, the bodies of the forest were more adaptable. And right now, Rei was very sorry that he and Ciara were wearing such thin canvas clothes.


    Noticing that the guy did not even blush, the woman, puffing out her lips a little, let him go. Rei saw this slightly childish gesture, but he didn''t dare forget the shot she''d just fired.


    ¡°Someone who doesn¡¯t know her well might not see a predator because of this behavior.¡± Pushing stupid thoughts out of his head, he, according to Ciara, pulled on the bowstring, which turned out to be unexpectedly tight. Remembering how easily the woman standing next to him cocked the bow, he once again confirmed his guess.


    ¡°My body is much stronger than that of an ordinary forest, but even I need to make an effort to fully cock this weapon. This woman is far from simple. - the guy nodded to himself, but a sweet voice from the side again distracted him:


    - And you are strong. I like strong men.


    But Rei was unshakable, like a thousand-year-old boulder, however, several ¡°cracks¡± had already gone through him. Quite steadfastly enduring the already almost unambiguous words of Ciara, he did not answer, but, remembering the position of his hands, took one of the arrows. As soon as he put it on the bow, the woman hugged him again, helping to properly set the arrow on the bowstring. Unexpectedly for him, she whispered in a gentle voice:


    ¡°At first, you should close one eye. Once you understand the basic principle, it will no longer be necessary.


    Rei felt himself starting to turn on, yet the charm and perseverance of this huntress were to be commended. But he did not want to fail this little test, and for some reason the guy did not want to consider it anything else. Cooling his mind, Rey took aim at the nearest tree and unclenched his fingers.


    The arrow hit the target, but closer to its edge. As it seemed to the guy himself, the result was not bad for the first shot, because the target was a full thirty meters away.


    The unsuspecting guy almost instantly found himself in the strong arms of a woman. Something told him that Ciare didn''t even look where the arrow had landed - it was too fast for her to get close.


    What a talented student I have. The gentle whisper could no longer be interpreted in any other way, but Rey still remained calm. Well, or almost calm, so he was still able to answer:


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    - Yes thank you.


    Unexpectedly, the woman pushed him away and in an offended, but no less sweet voice answered:


    You should have said that you have a good teacher!


    It was impossible to blame Ray for the fact that his apathy cracked when looking at this strange, but no less seductive woman, who now, wrinkling her nose and clenching her fists, was looking at him with a look that was far from being a teacher.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say whose lessons are harder. Why couldn¡¯t ordinary teachers be chosen?¡± Thinking like this, Rei returned to the hall where he practiced dagger strikes. He was rather tired now, but mostly mentally. After three hours of training, Ciare relented and left.


    ¡°Although, these two, according to Thea¡¯s words, can be called the best in their field, so it¡¯s worth it¡­¡± Rei took the daggers standing right there, calming himself in this way. He decided not to use the Inventory, because he did not know how others would react to this. Perhaps in this world there are no such things, and what the players are considered here, he did not even know, and he was not interested in it either.


    Standing in a familiar stance, he continued to practice blows.


    So it was noon and there were two problems: Rey was tired and he had run out of souls. At night, the guy killed eight animals, but he broke two souls during the hunt. Therefore, the remaining six did not give him the opportunity to hold out even until the evening. Deciding to take a break and re-energize in a different way, Rei exited the training ground.


    He was heading to his house, intending to eat, but stopped halfway, remembering that there was no point in going there. Before that, he ate only in the hospital, but at home he had neither ready-made food nor products to cook it. In addition, he had no idea how to cook even elementary dishes, in his world machines did all this, so Rei was quite far from cooking. Here, it was not even worth thinking about it, because all the writing was actually cooked on an open fire.


    "What to do? Maybe go hunting right now?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It would be bad if anyone noticed.¡±


    The guy''s thoughts were interrupted by a hail and the voice was familiar to him:


    Ray, how are you? Your brother doesn''t put much pressure on you, does he?


    Turning his head to the side, he noticed a girl hurrying towards him.


    - Hello, Thea. I''m fine. - at that moment the guy realized that he had found the one he needed. By the way, can you help me please?


    Tilting her head to one side, she asked curiously:


    - Of course, with what?


    - I wanted to eat, but I don¡¯t know where to get groceries, and to be honest, I don¡¯t know how to cook.


    Hearing his words, Thea was surprised at first, and then, almost crying, began to apologize:


    - Sorry! I completely forgot!


    Ray understood the reason for this behavior immediately, but the girl needed to be reassured.


    - Don''t worry so much. He tried to sound soothing, but it didn''t seem to work. Or Thea did not hear his words, because she did not calm down for a moment.


    - Have you eaten anything yet? Tears were already in the girl''s eyes. - Let''s go soon!


    Grasping Ray by the hand, Thea dragged him by force. They were moving quite quickly, so after five minutes they entered a large spacious house. According to the local interior, the guy realized that this was some kind of bar or cafe. There was a counter with a middle-aged woman standing behind it, many tables that were also not empty - almost all of them were occupied by visitors.


    ¡°Again, excuse me. Here you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. - the girl''s face really was guilty, but Ray was now interested in something else.


    - Is that nothing? I don''t work anywhere...


    As the guy found out, the forest people did not use money or anything like that. There was not even an exchange system here, all resources were publicly available, but everyone took exactly as much as he needed, which even created a rather large balance of food. Besides, they had no such thing as unemployment. Everyone was busy with something and did something for the settlement.


    Such a device seemed to Ray too utopian, and therefore impossible, because he heard about it only from the words of the girl, but now he was clearly convinced of this.


    - It''s okay, you were injured. In addition, if you are so worried, then know that now you are preparing to become a hunter, and this is also work and very difficult. The girl raised her finger up.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ray agreed without much resistance, ¡°you''re right. - since this does not arouse suspicion, there is nothing to argue once again.


    Smiling, Thea replied:


    - Of course, let''s go. I will feed you myself.


    Ray walked after the joyful girl and the thought itself crept into his head:


    ¡°They are so similar to people and at the same time, completely different from them. Strange people."

 Chapter 20

    With a loud sound, another footstep landed on the wooden floor. The silence that reigned in the dark training hall began to crack, and a second later a hearty sigh tore it completely.


    Straightening his back, Rei loosened his grip on the hilts of his daggers.


    "Status".


    The guy mentally scanned the familiar information panel and sighed in displeasure, not noticing any changes there since yesterday.


    ¡°And these specializations are really hard to develop.¡±


    After making sure that nothing had changed, the guy again raised the weapon in front of him. As he struck again, there was a distinct sound of air being cut.


    It''s been five days since he started training here, but ¡¸Dagger Mastery¡¹ is still level 1, even though Arvus has already shown him quite a few ways to hit, parry, dodge¡­


    ¡°I feel that I have mastered quite well what he taught me. We should talk about it today."


    Ray had already returned from hunting and it was not long before dawn and now he was training, looking forward to his so-called teacher, who always came quite early. He did not disappoint him even today, but this time his appearance turned out to be slightly unexpected - Arvus attacked the guy.


    The blades collided with a dull sound, slightly different from metal.


    ¡°Follow my every move. You should be focused on everything that can help you parry or strike. Without wasting time on greetings, the Faroese immediately got to the point. He took three steps back and raised a pair of practice blades in front of him, which, though blunt, could still hurt.


    Rei was not going to beat around the bush either, quickly closing the distance, he struck with both hands at the same time.


    At some point, the guy even thought that he noticed a semblance of a smile on the eternally dissatisfied face of Arvus, when he kicked him in the stomach and sent him a few meters back.


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    - Get up. - these words were not needed, because the pain did not bother Ray in the slightest. Standing on his feet without any problems, he delivered an oblique overhead blow with the right dagger with the same vigor.


    "This time¡­" - flashed through Ray''s head. He didn''t dare take his eyes off the dagger of Arvus that had blocked his blow.


    Deciding to continue, the boy was about to stab with the second dagger and try to overwhelm Arvus with what he had the advantage of - physical strength.


    Again, it seemed to Ray that his opponent smiled slightly, although this twitching of the corners of his mouth could hardly be called a smile. The guy''s thought was interrupted by an elbow that Arvus landed on his face, turning his whole body around.


    "Too fast".


    Rei couldn''t say exactly why he couldn''t react. He saw how his mentor began to turn the body, but for some reason he wanted to see how this attack would end - the movement was so graceful and smooth.


    - Get up. Arvus repeated again, stepping away from the apprentice sprawled on the floor.


    As if ignited by these words, Rei took off. Several normal but quick successive blows rained down on Arvus''s torso. The same one did not stand still, as before, but with no less rapid steps, retreated from the raging young guy.


    Only after taking the fourth step and dodging already seven attacks, combining both short stabbing and sweeping blows, Arvus abruptly stopped and parried the attack coming from the right. Grabbing Ray''s left arm, he twisted it and immediately kicked the boy''s left chest.


    There was a crunch, which for the sensitive hearing of the forest said a lot.


    "Two broken ribs." Arvus was about to let go of the guy''s hand when he realized that he did not stop the attack, despite the damage received, his other hand, with a dagger clamped in it, rushed to his neck.


    Immediately relaxing his palms, Arvus leaned back with his whole body, missing the blow, but in doing so, he broke the stance, opening up for the next attack, which Rey landed unexpectedly correctly. Simply turning the dagger in his left hand, which was still outstretched from the grip, he brought it down on Arvus''s chest, who couldn''t evade the attack at that distance.


    With a dull screech, the dagger went through the man''s clothing, ripping it completely to reveal a chainmail training chestplate. Arvus did not give the apprentice a chance to complete the blow, for he knew that there was much more power in the boy''s body than it might seem. Instantly using the technique, he moved back a meter with a flash of dim green light.


    "He doesn''t feel pain...?" ¨C wondered forest looking in cold white eyes. ¡°This complicates everything, now you need to be more careful not to accidentally kill him.¡±


    While Arvus pondered how to proceed, Rey stood at a loss, not lowering his hand with a dagger that should have at least wounded the enemy, but instead, he felt how the resistance of the armor under the blade disappeared, and his teacher stood only with cut clothes a meter away from him.


    ¡°Wh-how is that?¡± the boy''s mutterings let Arvus know he was fine. How good can someone be with a couple of broken ribs...


    - HM? - but the forest one did not understand what exactly his new student did not understand. Fortunately, he asked the question more clearly:


    ¨C What did you just do? This move¡­


    - It''s just a welcome. Arvus agreed. In time, you too will learn.


    After listening to the answer, which was uttered as a matter of course, Rei was quite surprised.


    "Reception? Does he understand how it works?


    - What do you mean? How do you use it?


    Arvus frowned at so many questions, but answered anyway:


    ¨C This is a normal movement, there is no warrior in the city who could not use something like this.


    ¨C How did you learn it?


    ¡°I told you,¡± the man continued forcefully, ¡°when you get better with daggers, you can repeat it too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask again¡­¡± After thinking about it, Rei grabbed the daggers in his hands again and turned to Arvus:


    - Let''s continue.


    He thought for a moment, cast a skeptical glance at the guy''s chest, but without saying anything, he also raised his weapon.

 Chapter 21

    Once again, Ray''s body fell to the hard wood floor with a loud bang.


    - Finished for today. Arvus sheathed his daggers and, without ceremony, turned his back on the apprentice. ¡°If you can fight tomorrow, we will continue.


    Jumping to his feet, Ray protested:


    - I can still...


    But there was no one to listen to him anymore - the Faroese left the hall and only involuntarily stepping forward, the guy understood the reason for this, which he did not even notice in the heat of training.


    "Leg numb... Sprain?"


    Sitting back on the floor, he examined the injured limb, but finding no externally visible causes of numbness, he simply turned away.


    After thinking a little more, he broke the eight souls he had accumulated one by one. By slightly relieving their energy of internal injuries, which turned out to be quite a few, even in addition to problems with the leg. Six broken ribs, slight liver damage, and a little bit of internal bleeding from that. Fortunately, these souls were enough to completely remove the blood from the abdominal cavity and restore the organ, but the ribs remained in the same deplorable state, Ray was only able to fasten them together a little, but any light blow would break them again.


    It would seem that he should rush to the hospital, but no. Now he was completely absorbed in thinking, for which there was not enough time during training.


    ¡°I started to forget that this is a game and that there could be something like that here. But Arvus considers it a normal move, not a game skill or ability. He also said that everyone can use this, not just players.


    ¡°How curious... So the inhabitants of this world will be on an equal footing with the players, and given that the lion''s share of new arrivals will be unprepared, then one Arvus can kill several dozen people with his eyes closed, who first took up arms.¡±


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    ¡°Though it doesn''t matter. The main thing is that I now know exactly how to get skills. True, even after training for days, I still have not raised the level of specialization. Either the developers went overboard with realism, or I''m doing something wrong.


    ¡°Most likely the second¡­ This fight seemed to me more useful than the last five days.¡±


    Rey wasn''t exaggerating at all, watching Arvus'' movements from the side was much less productive than doing it standing face to face with him.


    The guy realized that Thea was not mistaken when she called her brother one of the best warriors of the forest people. Ray was sure that he was not even close to giving all his best, but for the whole fight, he managed to hurt the teacher only once, and even that - by accident.


    Arvus was indeed strong, incredibly strong. The movements, the reaction, and even the overwhelming look, more resembled not a warrior, but some kind of war machine. But Ray was not going to give up, watching him, he understood a lot and did not regret for a second that the cost was serious injuries. After all, a battle as close as possible to the real one gives the most valuable experience.


    Right now, Rey was replaying the entire duel in his head from beginning to end, noting his mistakes, and once again admiring one of the strongest junglers.


    He glanced again at his leg, where the numbness was slowly fading. At that moment, a strange thought came into his head, which seemed to the guy unnecessary, but rather curious.


    "So the forest bodies are also made according to the ideals of the real world."


    Previously, the guy did not pay much attention to this, but there was absolutely no hair on the leg, as well as on the rest of the body. After thinking for a while, he realized that when he was in human form, the hair was also only on his head.


    "Curious".


    Without knowing why, Rey began to delve into his memories and realized that this also applies to the rest of the forest he met.


    "How attentive of the developers, even the inhabitants of this world are tailored to the ideal ... Although not all of them are beautiful."


    Realizing that he had given in to carelessness, Rei tensed. He did not dare to forget about the purpose of his arrival here for a second. And even if he wanted to forget, it would hardly have happened.


    Rising, he limped on his left leg and left the building. The guy had classes not only with this teacher.

 Chapter 22

    - Sorry, let''s not hug today. I have several damaged ribs. ¨C thus stopping Ciara, who rushed towards him, Rei nevertheless took a step back, because the woman was moving towards him at a rather high speed. And she hugged tightly, so much so that it was hardly an ordinary greeting ...


    Lately, the woman has made it clearer and clearer that her behavior on the first day was not a test. Even when the guy could easily shoot himself without needing help, after each successful shot she threw herself at him with hugs and frequent kisses, sometimes on the cheek, and more often on the corner of her mouth.


    Ciare was undeniably attractive and Rei, being a man, couldn''t help but feel attracted to her, but he told himself in his mind that it only distracted him from his original task. In the short time that he spent among the forest, the guy noticed that his thirst for revenge, seething deep in his chest, began to fade. Quite slowly, but...! He did not like this at all, because the object of his hatred stood in front of him every second - he had only to imprudently close his eyes.


    The desire for revenge that filled Rey''s heart was also gradually weakening. It was annoying, but there was nothing he could do about it. This people was too peaceful and united.


    And now, when he told Ciara that he was injured. Rei noticed that the woman''s eyes showed a strong excitement. Approaching him, she carefully examined his chest. Unexpectedly gentle, as for a warrior, the woman''s hands did not hurt him at all when she gently touched his torso. Taking a breath, she said with a slightly strained smile:


    ¨C Do not blame Arvus, he does not know how to teach someone, but I will definitely talk to him.


    - No need. The guy shook his head seriously. ¡°This kind of fight is much more effective, and after a few lessons, I will get used to its pace.


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    Ray understood why Arvus was so easily superior to him. In addition to years of experience, technique and innate reflexes, he had another overwhelming advantage over the guy - he was not a fighter.


    Although he was not afraid of weapons and injuries, but his mind was not adapted to combat. He needed to gain experience so that the subconscious itself would get used to how to hit and hit.


    Ray had a strong body, keen perception and quick thinking. Even as a novice in martial arts, it was only thanks to the dynamic vision of the forest, enhanced to the limit with the help of soul energy, that he could see the arrow in detail during its flight.


    The same was true of Arvus'' blows, he clearly saw the blade that was rushing towards him, he understood that he needed to defend himself, but he lacked military skill, lacked movements carved into the brain, brought by countless battles to almost automaticity.


    Rey knew that until he could fully control his body and gain experience, he wouldn''t even be able to properly resist against Arvus. Fighting was the only way to fix it, so he didn''t want Ciare to interfere with his plans.


    Looking once more into her cold white eyes, the woman nodded her head.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Today we¡¯ll take a break, you¡¯ve already made a lot of progress.


    Reluctantly, Ray had to agree with her. His specialization [Archer] was also level 1, but given that he devoted much less time to shooting, there was nothing strange about it.


    ¡°Come with me, we need to patch you up a bit.¡± Saying this, Ciare turned around towards the exit from the training area.


    Ray did not argue and followed her, but after a couple of minutes he realized that they were not moving in the direction of the hospital, so he asked the expected question:


    - Where are we going?


    - HM? To my house, of course. Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of you.


    Noticing the strange gleam in Ciare''s eyes, Rey thought about it. But he did not refuse, although he understood what kind of care the woman offers.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not going to work out properly in this state, and if you think about it, how long has it been since I was last with a woman?¡± ¨C he lowered his head, glaring at the charming thighs walking like a wild doe, Ciara. - "Only once. Because of the wounds¡­¡±

 Chapter 23

    Opening her sleepy eyes, Ciare saw that Rei had already left. She sighed slightly, closing her eyes again. But almost immediately, rather piquant scenes began to appear in her memory one after another ... The woman sniffed rather strangely, but still laughed charmingly, and then opened her emerald eyes again.


    Lifting her tired body with difficulty, she looked around the room and made sure that she was alone in the house. At that moment, her gaze caught on a skein of white bandages.


    ¡°He left without letting himself be bandaged.¡± ¨C smiling stupidly, the woman nevertheless got up from the bed, heading to another room¡­


    Ray at this moment was resting at home. After a storm of activity, his wounds again made themselves felt, so he decided not to move at all until nightfall, so that he could at least be able to hunt.


    This time, the guy decided to slightly change the usual daily routine and go hunting as soon as it gets dark enough.


    The body of the woodsman was actually regenerating damage several times faster, and, about an hour after sunset, Rei felt that his ribs could survive the hunt. No, the bones, of course, did not grow together, but they caused much less discomfort.


    Turning into a snake, Rei was once again convinced of the practicality of this body. If in the form of a forest, he felt pain with every movement of the torso, now he only had to stop moving the segment of the body to which the bone damage had been transferred. It certainly slowed down the speed, but since he hunted not by the serpent''s physical strength but by its venom, the overall efficiency didn''t drop much.


    Ray decided to leave early for the simple reason that he needed more souls in order to get his body ready for tomorrow''s workout.


    Ray returned only ten hours later, but this gave the desired result, he was able to catch 24 animals, although now he has only 6 souls left, he spent the rest on restoring energy during the hunt and treating injuries that by that time were already practically normal . The rest will be completed by the body of the forest. But most importantly, such a long hunt passed surprisingly imperceptibly for him. In the body of a snake, this activity became simply incomparably pleasant.


    ¡°I think no one will have any questions if I say that such a speed of recovery is just a gift from their Goddess. Besides, it seems to me that Thea thought just that.¡± Thinking about this, Rei approached the entrance to the training ground. There was still a little time before dawn, but the guy knew that Arvus was coming just at that time. There was nothing of the sort in coming after the Faroese, and given his yesterday''s state, it would even be correct, but the guy wanted to at least defeat this strange teacher in this.


    Unfortunately, while approaching the entrance to the building, Rey heard the sound of being struck inside and, as expected, when he went inside, he saw Arvus who was training with daggers. But the weapon in his hands was not a practice weapon, it was the same gray daggers made of a strange matte metal. Visually, they seemed worse than blades made of atanite, a green crystalline mineral that Rey knew came from a special type of tree.


    The boy knew that Arvus had discovered him, so he did not even try to interrupt this dance, the skill of which made him more and more eager to achieve the same level of mastery. The blades slashed, tearing through the air with a loud whistle. Even by that sound, Rey could tell that they were more dangerous than the atanites, and even more so in the hands of such a master. And the forest still continued his dangerous dance, legs, arms, and the whole body of Arvus was in perfect harmony, each step was a continuation of the previous movement, each stroke led the dance further.


    Only after a couple of minutes, Arvus, having completed a long series of movements, decided to turn to the silently standing Ray:


    How are your wounds? - even from the voice of the man it was possible to understand that he, in fact, deeply did not care about the wounds of the student, but he still bothered to ask. But Ray was quite satisfied with this attitude:


    - I''m fine, we can start.


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    Looking at the guy from head to toe, Arvus muttered something silently and left the hall. Only after moving a dozen steps away, he quietly said:


    - Follow me.


    An ordinary person, no matter how hard you try, could not hear these words, even if he said them while standing next to him, but Rei heard the forest one quite clearly, so he followed the teacher without saying anything.


    They didn''t have to go far, the building they were heading for was right behind the training ground. Once inside, Ray immediately realized what kind of place it was. Orderly rows of various weapons were laid out along the walls. There was everything from small finger tips, in the form of long claws, to huge glyphs, the size of Ray himself. All of them were light green in color, which is why this picture combined both high aesthetics and mortal danger at the same time.


    ¡°Choose a pair of daggers and a bow for yourself, and over there,¡± Arvus pointed to the far end of the hall, ¡°sets of armor, they are sorted by size, just pick the right one, and if you show yourself well, you will receive personal armor, these you will have to return immediately after return to the city.


    - Why do I need all this? - the guy did not understand why they were going to give him weapons, so he immediately asked while his teacher was still in the mood to talk.


    ¡°Ciare talked to me yesterday about your first hunt. She said that you can already hit targets at a hundred paces.


    Rey''s eyes filled with satisfaction, since he could indeed hit the center of the target at such a distance, but the next words of Arvus cooled his ardor:


    ¡°Of course, I told her that in this city every second child could do it, but she insisted that you could do it.


    "How talkative he is, why would that be?" - the guy squinted, after which he decided to answer anyway:


    I''ll try not to let her down.


    ¡°You will go along with five more brothers,¡± Arvus minted, ignoring him. - The leader of the squad will be Vearn. I already told him that you''ll be stronger than you look, so you can carry more weight.


    ¡°He¡¯s angrier than usual¡­¡± Rei was a man of action, so he directly asked the question:


    Did I piss you off in some way?


    - Why do you think so? I just figured that after a "good" day, you should change things up a bit. Arvus'' voice was stern as always, but Rey understood what he meant. And even despite his intractability, he always answered the barbs in the same way:


    ¡°Do I need to ask your permission before sleeping with someone?¡±


    The look of the forest did not change when he heard the question, but he was not going to answer either. When a few seconds had passed, Arvus, turning to the exit, said instead of saying goodbye:


    ¡°Vearn and the others will be waiting at the south gate at dawn. - his voice was as always cold - in this he and Ray were really alike.


    Watching the receding silhouette, the guy thought about the reason for such hostility.


    "Maybe he likes Ciara?" - only when this thought came to Ray''s head, he immediately discarded it. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to like anything at all¡­¡±


    Turning back towards the arsenal, Rey went deeper, looking at the equipment stored here. Involuntarily, he thought:


    "These weapons... I''m not an expert, but I''m sure they''re not meant for hunting animals."


    Thinking about it, Rey realized that either the woodlands weren''t all that peaceful, or, more likely, they had another natural enemy besides predatory animals.


    It was not long before dawn, therefore, having chosen weapons and armor, the guy immediately went to the meeting place.


    ¡°You, as I understand it, Ray?¡± - a tall and strongly built forest, dressed in the same green armor, immediately turned to him.


    ¡°Exactly, and you look like Vearn?¡± - the guy was still a little taller than this hunter, but he still wasn¡¯t going to stand out. There had to be some courtesy.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the son of the forest chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m glad to meet you, you can¡¯t even imagine how rare the noted ones are in our time.


    ¡°Well, I''ve lost my memory, so I only know what I''ve been told.


    - Lost your memory? Vearn continued, opening his eyes slightly in surprise. ¡°Arvus didn¡¯t tell me anything about it.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk much at all¡­¡± Ray couldn¡¯t resist. In his character, he successfully ignored this trait. Although, maybe the point was that too often he had to participate in conversations with the forest. Like now, for example.


    Hearing his words, Vearn laughed.


    ¡°But it was he who found you lying in the woods. Neither I nor Ciare nor Erim could smell the blood, so you should be grateful to him, besides you are both marked, you should understand him better than anyone.


    - I respect him. With this laconic answer, Rey let Viern know that he understood his words. And also that he is not going to discuss this topic in the future. And the hunter understood him.


    The rest of the squad members were not yet visible, so the group leader decided to continue the conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is an appropriate question, but what kind of gift did Tian''Aret give you?¡±


    Ray had already prepared the answer, so he spoke quite confidently:


    ¡°My body is stronger than the others. I get tired more slowly, recover faster, see and hear better...


    Deciding that such an answer would be enough, Ray fell silent, but Vearn immediately asked the next question, which the guy could also predict:


    ¡°And what did the Goddess take in return?¡±


    Ray also prepared this answer, but he was not sure if it would satisfy the curiosity of the forest, because it was a lie:


    - I was deprived of sleep.


    - HM? - the Faroese did not immediately understand.


    - I can not sleep. Even if I want to.


    - That''s how...


    Seeing Vearn''s slightly sad face, Rey said nothing, continuing to silently wait for the rest of the squad. He really didn''t care. Rather, the silence was even more pleasant. But the forest man clearly did not like this atmosphere, so he decided to defuse it:


    ¨C Look at it from the other side. We''ll be in the woods for four days, but we won''t have to worry about choosing a watchman for the night.


    Ray looked at Virn carefully. Lesnoy steadfastly withstood the look of cold white eyes. For a second, the guy, as if hesitating, bored the man with his eyes. He was moderately open and just trying to make contact - Vearn was perfect for the role of leader, so Ray decided to play along with him, even if it turned out a little feigned:


    - You''re right. Now Arvus won''t dare say I was useless.


    Seeing the group leader''s face cheer up again, Rei didn''t think about it anymore.

 Chapter 24

    Ray''s hand did not flinch even for a moment as he aimed at the small boar. Before releasing the arrow, the guy remembered the advice of one of the hunters.


    ¡°Watch the animal for a few moments, choose a point on its path where it will be easiest for you to shoot. There is no need to rush and lose prey because of this.


    It was about 40 meters before the beast, from such a distance, Rei could easily count the number of twitches of the pupil of his prey, since his eyesight allowed surprisingly. Therefore, the shot should not have been difficult. But the guy decided not to hurry.


    Having chosen an open place, between two trees, which the animal should have reached in a few steps, he waited a couple of seconds and smoothly, very carefully released the bowstring, which had already begun to crackle softly from the tension. The arrow fell off, but the screech was never heard. The reason for this was not a miss, but an instant kill, which did not even allow the beast to realize what he died from.


    - Right in the eye. Not bad. Vearn''s low voice came from behind Ray, who lifted his hood and smiled at the newcomer.


    During two days of hunting, Ray learned that this hood was a symbol of the fact that its owner is recognized as one of the most experienced warriors. There were less than four dozen of them in the city, and Vearn, like Ciare, was one of them.


    Looking at this hood, Rey remembered that he had the same one in his Inventory.


    ¡°So that woodsman was one of the elite. He turned out to be stronger than the rest, so this is most likely the case.


    Nodding to Wearn, Rey went to the boar carcass. The rules of the hunt were quite simple. The right to kill the animal belongs to the one who noticed it, but the load was distributed equally among everyone except the leader, who was the leader in the squad, responsible for the safety of the others.


    This boar carcass was just supposed to go to Ray, so he did not wait for a reminder and silently walked towards it. But, before reaching a few steps, he froze in place.


    Ray forced himself into the habit of constantly checking the Status for any changes. And now, right now, he noticed the difference, [Archer] had risen to the second level. But that was not all, after a glimpse of the second change, he came to his senses and quickly walked towards the carcass, from which the soul had already escaped - as it turned out, in the guise of a forest, he could also absorb them, which was extremely convenient.


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    During these two days, they killed almost 50 animals, however, large ones could be counted on the fingers, but even despite this, Ray''s inner space was packed with souls to capacity, and everything that he could not keep for later, the guy just broke and fed the soul of the forest, but after seven absorbed souls, she also stopped becoming stronger, although Rei did not notice any visible differences. Neither the perception nor the body has practically increased, so the guy again reached a dead end, not knowing where the energy goes. The human soul was still lighter than that of the forest, but Rei did not understand why it was better.


    It was also interesting that, not being able to spend souls anywhere, the guy decided to strengthen the human soul to the limit, but now, having already absorbed three souls, she still has not been sated. Ray did not give up and the soul of the boar also broke down and went to feed the completely white soul of a person.


    ¡°Fourth. Lesnoy swallowed a dozen ... Let''s see how many fit in this one. Thinking so, Rei finished securing the boar carcass on his back and walked forward.


    The hunters moved in the same formation as the detachment that they had killed. But the distance between them now was much greater, because they were not going to return yet. Ahead, at a slight distance from the rest of the group, Wyrn walked, reconnoitering the situation. Rei, in the ranks, walked right behind the leader, but there were about 50 meters between them, and there were more than two hundred between the first and last hunter. Such a sweeping system was needed in order to cover as much territory as possible.


    Once in position, Rei slammed his armor-clad fist on the tree twice, signaling to the others that it was safe to keep moving. In the meantime, he himself opened the Status.


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    Racial Traits:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 2] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Gsarh, Pharos Forest Native, ¡­)


    [Soul Master Level 3]


    [???]


    Specializations:


    [Hunter Lv1]


    [Dagger Mastery Lv1]


    [Archer Lv 2] ( [Increased shooting range (1.5x)] )


    "It''s strange, I trained with a bow a lot less than with daggers."


    Ray continued to maintain the chosen pace of movement while he pondered what caused the faster growth.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say exactly what exactly affects the speed of development of specializations. It could be the [Archer''s] specialty or my predisposition towards him¡­¡±


    ¡°Or it¡¯s just the hunt¡­¡±


    In those two days, Ray killed six animals. The animals that were surrounded were specially left for him so that he could practice, so this hunt was quite easy for him. Therefore, in all the time, Rey fired only six shots, and this number could not be compared with what he did in several hours of training with Ciare.


    ¡°It may or may not be a coincidence. Either way, it''s pretty easy to check." The boy''s thoughts were interrupted by three successive thuds that reached his ears. It was the signal to stop moving.


    ¡°So quickly found another one? Although, the boar died quietly¡­¡± Thinking about this, Rei ducked and followed straight ahead, because that was where the sound was coming from. There he saw Virn, who was hiding behind a tree, but noticing the guy, he signaled to stop.


    Ray had already gotten used to such a signal system of communication, so, following the example of the squad leader, he hid behind a large tree.


    In the snow-covered forest, their green clothes stood out a little, but nothing more, because even on the snowy floor, these hunters could move almost silently.


    Carefully watching what was happening, Ray noticed that after waiting a couple of minutes, Vearn came out of hiding and gave another signal, which meant a general gathering.


    The guy was closest to him, so he came first. Without saying anything, he silently waited for the entire detachment to gather, but he still managed to notice the reason for the stop.


    Between the trees were footprints that Ray was very familiar with. After him, they remained the same, and although he rarely wore the uniform of a gsarkh, he was able to recognize them without difficulty. But there was one problem, despite the fact that his soul gsarha was already enhanced, his footprints in the form of this beast were almost half the size of those he was looking at.


    Trying not to show it, Rey waited until the last hunter came to the leader''s call. Everyone, without exception, noticed footprints that were the size of a one-year-old child.

 Chapter 25

    ¨C What is this animal? Ray asked the question as soon as the whole group had gathered.


    Everyone looked at him a little surprised, and only a moment later understanding flashed across Vearn''s face.


    ¨C You don¡¯t remember¡­ These are the traces of a gsarkh, but slightly special.


    Ray didn''t interrupt, realizing that he hadn''t finished yet.


    - This one is much larger than usual, and if we found not traces, but himself, then we would only have to run.


    Three people died last year. Vearn said in a slightly sad voice.


    ¡°And five more two years ago,¡± one of the hunters continued.


    After thinking about it, Ray asked the only right question:


    Why didn''t you kill him?


    ¨C This animal is very cautious, does not go hunting during the day. And most importantly, we have never found traces of him in the winter ...


    The hunters nodded with understanding and passion in their eyes, but these words did not clarify anything to the guy, rather the opposite.


    Why is winter important?


    ¡°Only at this time you can try to find him,¡± turning his eyes to Ray, in which a clear intent to kill was read, Vearn finished, ¡°because his fur is as black as night itself.


    "It makes sense." ¨C reasoned guy. ¡°In winter, the forest does not look so dense, due to the lack of leaves ... But is this gsarh really so smart that he did not allow himself to be caught by them?¡±


    Taking another look at the predator''s footprints, Rey heard Vearn''s command:


    - We return to the city, it''s time to take revenge.


    The guy even heard how tightly the fists of each of those present were clenched, but he didn¡¯t care at all about the deaths caused by this beast.


    And so, after spending two days and one night in the forest, the detachment returned to the city. Rey saw the fire of hatred ignite in the eyes of the gate guards when they heard the reason for the return. Observing such a reaction, he was once again convinced of the devotion of the forest to each other.


    They returned closer to the night. In fact, the return would have taken almost a whole day, but all the way to the city, they ran almost without stopping.


    Ray endured such a test quite steadfastly, because he had the opportunity to restore strength with the help of souls, but the rest, drenched in sweat, regardless of the surrounding cold and the severity of the prey, ran forward with burning eyes, not wanting to let the killer of their comrades get away.


    Less than an hour later, a detachment of 16 hunters was assembled, who were supposed to finish off the gsarkh.


    The night was moonlit, and, as an excited Vearn told him, "perfect for hunting."


    Rei was standing in the square in front of the south gate, in a huge crowd of foresters who watched the group leave the city. The townspeople wished them luck, and the guy only drew attention to the fact that each of those who set off wore a hood, and also to the fact that Arvus, dressed in strange gray armor, led them.


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    When the detachment departed, everyone slowly began to disperse. No one knew how long the hunt would take, so there were hardly any left. Ray left too. He went towards the training ground, not to practice, but to leave the equipment he had taken.


    Immediately after that, he left the city, he needed to test the theory that arose during the hunt. The guy decided to head north, away from the cluster of forest, waiting for the return of hunters on the south side of the city.


    Rei, as always, was in the form of a snake. Finding a small wolf, he crept up to him with already polished movements. Usually, he would inject poison into the most important places on the body, but this time he chose his paw as his target. The wolf lying in front of him was only a meter long, so even in the form of a snake, Rei looked quite impressive in front of him.


    With one quick throw, he easily bit through the skin of a young beast, but this time he did not back down. Immediately turning into a forest hunter, he took out a pair of daggers from the Inventory, which he took from that same elite hunter, who had been killed by him, it would seem, quite a long time ago.


    The wolf also did not stand still, not even a moment after the bite, as he rushed towards the offender, but when he saw how a man appeared out of nowhere in the place of the snake, even the beast was numb for a second. This was enough for Ray to drive the dagger from below into the head of the animal, up to the hilt, forcing the end of its blade to appear on the forehead of the beast. The guy took the soul and finally checked the Status. He did not notice the change, but did not focus on it, turning into a snake again, Rey with a displeased hiss went on ...


    As it turned out, there were quite a lot of wolves in the area, but he was looking for those that were at a distance from the main pack, which took some time.


    And now, almost an hour later, Ray stood with a satisfied gleam in his eyes, over the corpse of the fourth wolf that night. The animals were asleep, so after the second kill, Rey even stopped poisoning them, simply approaching them in the form of a snake and killing them with one blow already in the form of a forest.


    And now he was pleased because he had already checked the Status and was convinced that he was right. [Dagger Mastery] has grown to the second level, and now he has the first skill - [Retreat].


    It would seem that Rei should have been pleased, but now he mentally scolded himself.


    "Why didn''t I think of it sooner? This is a game, it is unlikely that players would want to pay money to train all the time ... "


    Clicking his tongue in displeasure, Rei straightened up and began to figure out how to use the skill. But everything turned out to be quite simple, as soon as the guy just thought about him, his body shifted one meter back.


    "HM?"


    The sensation was quite strange, because Rei didn''t even feel that he was moving. Trying to activate it again to get a better understanding, he realized that he could not do it. Only this time, the guy immediately guessed what was the matter, so he just waited, although he could only find out how long the skill would recharge by experimenting, because the damn game did not give out any information regarding this.


    "It''s a starting skill, so it''s unlikely the cooldown is too high."


    Ray turned out to be right, because after 15 seconds he could use it again.


    After several alternate trials, the guy completely got used to and admitted that the skill was incredibly useful, because it was applied without any delay or external visual accompaniment that could inform the enemy about its use. Only a small green flash remained on the trajectory of movement, but it appeared after the use of the skill, so it did not interfere.


    "It''s worth experimenting a little..."


    After spending five minutes, Ray made a few more deductions about the skill. Firstly, it could only be used backwards and only from a standing position. Secondly, the skill did not work if there was an obstacle behind, because the guy did not manage to go through the tree. Thirdly, he did not know what resource was spent on using it, after dozens of uses, Rei did not feel tired or anything else.


    Satisfied, he again turned into a snake, in the form of which it was easiest to search for prey. Turning his white head in the direction of the heat pool, the pack of wolves, Rei followed. This night promised to be the last for this pack, because he was not going to stop hunting, increasing the skill level by only one.


    Unfortunately, his plans did not come true. Devouring the soul of the seventh wolf that night, he heard a loud howl in the distance. The guy did not think for a long time, there were several dozen wolves here and it was crazy to fight them, so, immediately returning to the form of a snake, he rushed south to the city.

 Chapter 26

    The wolves did pursue him for some time, but it was not at least some problem to get away from them - after all, these animals could not fly. True, it was difficult to continue the hunt, because the flock was now on the alert. After considering everything, Ray decided to return to the city, because it was not so long before dawn.


    He wanted to test the skill gained from [Archer''s] growth, so he immediately headed towards the shooting range. Now he was going to practice working with daggers much less, if not only in fights with Arvus, because he realized the futility of self-training.


    Yes, it bore fruit in the form of improved coordination and general dexterity, but Ray was already quite satisfied with the current result. The body of the forest was sufficiently developed thanks to the innate abilities and the energy fed to his soul, and the subsequent growth promised to be too insignificant, moreover, very slow.


    After weighing everything again, the guy decided that now it was worth switching to shooting, the practice of which had almost unlimited growth potential, thanks to the super-sharp vision of the forest and game mechanics.


    Entering the shooting range, Rei took one of the longbows kept there. Hunters usually used short and less powerful versions, because in the forest the long range of a longbow was not much needed. But the guy liked this bow more, so he preferred it.


    In Inventory, he had another longbow taken from the body of the same elite hunter. The shoulders of this bow were sheathed with atanit, and the handle was made with a recess for an arrow. On the outside, it looked fairly ordinary, but it was much better than the bows Rey had seen in his arsenal. In fact, he had seen such a bow before. Ciare wore almost the same behind her back, practically without parting with him.


    Standing in front of the shooting alley, next to two more foresters practicing, Ray took aim at a distant tree. Although he did not expect to hit the target painted on it, or even the tree itself, that was not his goal. The tree was just a guideline that gave direction.


    Previously, while aiming with this bow, Rei could not overcome the mark of 450 meters - an excellent result in itself, but the guy was not happy. The bow was made of very hard wood, so it was difficult to even draw it, so if the shot was fired at a high angle, the arrow could fly a much greater distance, but there would be no accuracy.


    The guy was interested in shooting with an angle close to zero, because that''s how the accuracy was the highest. Moving the bow slightly upwards so that the arrow was no longer in a strictly horizontal position, Rey once again took aim at the last of the trees marked with the target and released the bowstring.


    As promised by the description of the skill learned in the forest, the arrow was able to fly to the tree, covering the full 600 meters of distance. She hit the very edge of his barrel, about three meters above the target.


    ¡°One and a half times further, right?¡±


    Satisfied with the test, Ray continued to shoot, but at targets that were closer to him.


    Now he was convinced of one more feature of specializations. The increase in level did not affect his skill in any way, the guy could not accurately hit targets at a distance exceeding 100 meters. But just like before, if the target was within 70 meters, he could hit the very center of it.


    ¡°Training is still important, although it¡¯s even good. An experience that comes out of nowhere is not real.¡±


    - They are back! - the joyful cry of one of the townspeople, who were waiting for the return of the detachment, broke the stagnant silence. The city was immediately filled with a roar of joyful and seriously excited voices.


    Time was already passing by noon, when in the distance, among the trees, silhouettes dressed in green appeared. It quickly became clear that the detachment lacked four foresters, which inspired great sadness on those present.


    Arvus was in front of the group, his armor covered in blood, but judging by the confident gait, it did not belong to him. On the backs of several members of the group were the carcasses of animals they had apparently killed on their way back to the settlement.


    The group had not yet reached the city, and the number of people grew inexorably, among them was Rey, whom Thea forcibly dragged here.


    Not everyone has returned. - the worried voice of the girl perfectly conveyed the mood reigning in the crowd.


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    Hearing this, the guy thought that she was wrong, but did not say anything. However, his guess was confirmed by the first of the hunters, who said that there were no losses among the detachment, the missing four remained to guard the carcass of the beast, which was too huge to deliver it without the necessary equipment.


    However, this issue was quickly resolved, and almost immediately several dozen hunters and ordinary men went to the place of death of the gsarkh, who volunteered to help. The rest, having learned that everything went well, congratulated and thanked the heroes, even a holiday was planned in honor of such an event.


    Ray, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care much about what was happening, he was interested in looking at the carcass of the beast, and since it wasn¡¯t there yet, he, having said goodbye to Thea, who ran to greet her brother, returned to training.


    Gsarkh was dragged only towards the evening of the next day, and such a hitch was justified, because looking at the body of this creature, everyone had the same thought in their heads, and Ray was no exception.


    "Monster".


    Even in a supine position, the carcass was three meters high, which was simply incredible, the beast was almost twice the size of an elephant. The claws that made deep furrows in the packed snow were more like swords. The muzzle was covered in gore and completely slashed with cuts, and instead of eyes there was a continuous mess from which arrows still stuck out. The whole body of the beast was tied with ropes, for which he was dragged. Black wool in places stuck to the skin, due to the huge amount of blood flowing from the wounds.


    The sight was very unpleasant and, to Ray''s surprise, very few people came. Mostly hunters who were interested in what a great predator looks like. The townspeople were few. The number of observers could not even be compared with yesterday. What caused this, Ray did not understand, but he was not very interested either.


    ¡°Maybe it will be put on display in the city later, or everyone was only worried about the condition of the hunters, but they don¡¯t give a damn about the beast itself ...¡±


    While opening the gate, through which the carcass had to squeeze through with great difficulty, Rei was able to get closer to her. Next to him walked Thea, who also decided to go and take a look, but her eyes did not have the same enthusiasm as the guy''s. He noticed this, but continued walking towards the dead beast anyway. They decided to turn Togo on its side, because in the current position it simply would not fit in the gate opening.


    Part of the ropes were removed from the carcass and, with the efforts of almost two dozen men, they were able to pile it on its side. Ray watched this with interest, noticing that the front of the gsarkh''s body was badly injured as well.


    Coming close to him, he put his hand on the dark fur of the once dangerous predator. Passing his palm down, he realized that she was quite pleasant to the touch, but after a moment, he stopped stroking her, realizing that this was inappropriate.


    Turning around, he noticed Thea, who, like a child, wanting to follow his example, with a trembling hand tried to touch the body of the beast, but she could not do this, not because of fear, but because of the noise that escaped from the mouth of the gsarkh.


    "He!? Like this?" - having moved a few steps away, Ray noticed how all the men surrounding the body of the animal were also alarmed, but not believing their ears, continued to look at the lying beast.


    In a moment, they realized their mistake. Gsarh was lying on his left side, and now his right paw, as if not feeling resistance from the ropes binding it, walked along the row of forests that stood next to the beast.


    One of them was simply cut into pieces, the other two also instantly lost their lives, but from deep wounds that turned their bodies into heaps of crumbling meat.


    At the same moment, four arrows flew from the walls, which unmistakably hit the head of the predator, but as if he was only more furious, he tore the rest of the ropes and already began to rise.


    Ray, who was observing this picture, had no doubts about further actions, so he had already taken several steps in the opposite direction from the gsarkh. He didn''t have any equipment with him, and even if he did, he didn''t want to risk fighting against such a monster.


    Just as he was about to turn around and start running, his eyes caught on the young girl who was now kneeling next to the gradually rising animal carcass. Frozen in the same place where she stood before, Thea simply could not make her body move, with fear in her tear-filled eyes, watching the black "mountain" that gradually grew right in front of her.


    - By ... Help ... - squeezing out a barely audible word, the girl closed her eyes, not wanting to see the impending death.


    Ray continued to back away, but with each step, he moved slower and slower.


    "Heck! Why can''t I leave!?" ¨C absolutely sincerely perplexed guy. He did not realize at all that he had managed to become attached to this girl who, with such a joyful smile, fed him day after day.


    ¡°Khhh¡­¡± Gritting his teeth, after a moment''s thought, Rey took out two blades from the Inventory, hoping that no one noticed this because of what was happening.


    "I''m just repaying the debt, nothing more." In a brief moment of hesitation, Rei remembered how much Thea had done for him out of her own kindness. It can be seen that the time spent among the forest people had a very beneficial effect on his hardened mind, because the guy forgot for a second that he was deceiving her ...


    Clenching his daggers in his hands, Rey bit his lip with displeasure and rushed towards the guard, who, fortunately, had not yet had time to rise, and since he was blind, could not react to Rey''s approach.


    "One random stroke and I''m done for." - a thought flashed through the guy''s head, after looking at the animal''s huge paw.


    Having chosen a target for himself, he put all his strength into his legs and jumped, driving both blades into the back of the beast. Even after strengthening, the body of the forest could not reach the now four-meter height, but Rei understood this, so he immediately released one dagger and, grabbing the second with both hands, threw himself higher.


    He was lucky and the dagger was able to come out of the dense skin of the beast, ending up with Ray on his back. Perhaps the guy was saved by the fact that he did not approach the guard from the front, or that the guards of the gate were still unsuccessfully shooting at his face, thus only distracting him, but now the guy did not think about it. Grasping the animal''s thick fur with one hand, he pushed himself once more, but this time towards its head, which was already more like a pillow with needles.


    ¡°How can he be alive after something like that!?¡± ¨C froze for a moment, Ray pulled himself together, and with all his strength drove the dagger into the upper part of the skull of the gsarkh. He went in up to the hilt, but for a moment it seemed to the guy that he had hit a piece of steel, his hands ached so much.


    "It''s good that I''m stronger."


    Having received a blow, the beast fell to the ground like a rag doll, scattering huge puffs of snow around. Rey was still holding on with both hands to the hilt of the blade protruding from the creature''s skull. Only realizing that the guard was not moving, the guy exhaled heavily and, helping himself with his foot, released the weapon from captivity.


    ¡°Some kind of nonsense, how could he be alive?¡± Rey jumped down and, ignoring the looks either on him or on the beast, pulled the second blade out of his carcass. Glancing at Thea, who lay unconscious a little to the side, apparently thrown away by the fall of this multi-ton creature, Rei turned back to the animal.


    The guy patiently waited, watching him, but after ten seconds he frowned, because the soul of the gsarh had not left the body.

 Chapter 27

    "What''s happening? Hasn''t he died yet? Ray took a few steps back, still clutching his weapon.


    When Thea opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the huge carcass of the gsarkh. Fear returned to the girl¡¯s heart, and without getting up from the ground, she moved away a little, but, belatedly noticing that he was not moving, she looked around.


    Several dozen foresters stood and stared dumbfounded at the body of the animal. Nobody uttered a sound. The atmosphere immediately became oppressive, the air seemed to become heavier, but silence continued to hang over the clearing in front of the gate.


    The smell of blood filled her nose. Glancing in that direction, she noticed several bodies. No, not like that, Thea saw only scraps, only pieces of shapeless meat. Just a moment ago, they were her brothers, as alive as she is now, and now they were only separate limbs and a puddle of still warm blood that had melted the snow. The girl, although she helped in the hospital, still experienced the urge to vomit from such a sight.


    Thea looked away and emerald eyes ran into the figure of Ray, who was standing a couple of steps away from the beast. Blood was still dripping from his daggers, splattering against the snow with a dull hiss.


    At that moment, a scream came from behind the gate, but the girl¡¯s clouded mind did not understand what exactly the words she heard meant, but Rei immediately turned his head towards the city.


    - ... her! Thea! - finally, also looking in the right direction, the girl noticed her brother, who seemed not to touch the ground, with such speed he ran in her direction, clutching his daggers in his hands. His entire silhouette shone with a vague green light.


    The girl herself did not understand why she began to cry, but the tears rolled down her cheeks one by one until she was in the strong arms of Arvus.


    Looking around the clearing in front of the gate, he frowned heavily and, without letting go of his sister, asked a question, turning to Ray:


    - What''s happened!?


    ¡°He wasn''t dead. ¨C the guy¡¯s answer was calm, as if he wasn¡¯t standing in a pool of blood at all.


    ¨C What kind of nonsense!? I killed this creature with my own hands!


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand either¡­ You couldn¡¯t help but notice, even if you wanted to.¡± In addition, he was dragged all day on the ground ...


    Hearing the guy''s measured answer, Arvus calmed down a bit and began to remember exactly how the hunt went. After a few seconds, he answered again, but now more calmly:


    - It''s impossible. I have no doubt that we killed him in the woods.


    Ray just shrugged.


    - You can see everything...


    While they were talking, more and more people began to gather in the square, Arvus asked the following question:


    Is he really dead this time?


    ¡°I pierced his skull,¡± Ray continued, raising his dagger hand, ¡°but I''m not sure about his death.


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    Leaving Thea to the approaching hunters, the man went up to the carcass of the beast and put his hand on it, which he removed after a moment. After examining his head, he once again spoke to the student:


    ¡°The blood in his body does not move, his heart also stops, and there is not much left of his head ... Why do you think that he has not died yet?¡±


    Hearing this question, Rey hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to answer, he could not say that it was the soul of the gsarkh that had not yet appeared.


    ¨C I thought the same when they dragged him, but he got up. Though I''m willing to swear my heart wasn''t beating back then either.


    Looking at the guy with a thoughtful look, Arvus left without answering. Ray no longer noticed the strange, very angry light that lit up in the eyes of his teacher.


    Lying on his bed in his house, Rei thought about what had happened today.


    It was decided that what happened was not the fault of the hunters or anyone else. The three dead were mourned, and the gsarkh was burned, recognizing as cursed, because something like this had never happened before.


    The guy was only worried about why this beast did not have a soul. All the creatures he killed during his stay in this world had a soul, regardless of size or strength. Even very small worms had a soul, however, it melted before it even left the body, but nevertheless ...


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s about strength? Maybe I''m still too weak to see the soul of such a beast?


    ¡°Or is it because he was different from the rest of the Gsarchs?¡±


    All ideas seemed reasonable, but the loss of this soul did not bother Ray much. Yes, such a strong appearance would undoubtedly be useful, but what happened, happened.


    It was already night outside and the guy was just about to go hunting. He was given a set of equipment as a reward for killing the creature, so now he decided that it was not worth hiding when he left the city. He could explain his nightly absence by saying that he couldn''t sleep and was just killing time that way, but now he would have to carry several carcasses with him when he returned. A little inconvenient, but nothing more.


    Over the past night, Rey has not been able to level up any of the specializations, although he finished off about twenty beasts.


    In addition, he faced a few more interesting moments. Firstly, in the guise of a forest, he could also absorb souls, walking before that he believed that this could only be done in the form of a person. Speaking of her... The human soul still continued to absorb souls and that was a problem. After all, the more souls he fed her, the more space she, respectively, occupied. But the volume of its internal space was not so great ...


    Watching this, Ray noticed something else. It seems that not all the energy that was in the soul remained after he broke it. After all, in addition to those that he spent on nourishing his body, 12 souls of different animals now remained in his inner space. The soul of a man has already absorbed more than twenty souls, but the place has not become much less.


    If before that, he could store about 25 average souls of animals, now this number has dropped to twenty, and given that he strengthened not only the soul of a person, but also a forest one, then the energy drain was really huge.


    ¡°It turns out that only a fifth of the energy is absorbed, the rest simply disappears¡­¡±


    ¡°Though it may not be true, because I still don¡¯t know much about this ability.¡±


    After finishing putting on his gear, Rei left the house, still deep in thought. But thoughtfulness did not prevent him from noticing that someone was standing near the front door. Turning his head, the boy saw his teacher wearing gray armor, which looked quite menacing due to the strange design. Looking around Arvus, Rey realized that he was not only in armor, but also with daggers and a bow.


    - Are you going somewhere? he asked, looking at the student.


    The guy was a little surprised by the appearance of a man, this had not happened before, and Rey was inevitably wary.


    Yes, hunting.


    - Here''s how. I just wanted to call you there too ... Let''s go.


    Without saying anything else, Arvus followed south - straight to the gates of the city. Rei was used to his teacher''s taciturn behavior, so he didn''t say anything. He wondered why he decided to go hunting with him, because before that they had communicated quite a bit.


    ¡°Looks like Thea told him I saved her. Maybe this is his weird way of saying thank you?


    In less than five minutes, the two hunters left the walls of the city, heading towards the forest. The night was foggy and not very suitable for hunting, but this did not stop them.

 Chapter 28

    Arvus and Rey had been moving through the forest for some time now. The weather was really bad, but they did not return.


    Although it would be more practical to walk at a distance from each other, the man did not do this, and the guy did not care. This night definitely wouldn''t be as good in terms of loot as it would be if he was alone, so Rei didn''t push himself too hard.


    Glancing at Arvus, he asked him:


    Why is your armor different from the rest?


    Ray couldn''t see the man''s face because of the lowered hood, but he waited a bit before answering:


    - Once every five years, a tournament is held in the capital, where the strongest among us is determined.


    ¡°So this is for winning the competition?¡±


    - I didn''t win. But the king honored me with a reward.


    After thinking for a bit, the guy asked the next question.


    - What is this material?


    ¡°Gilfar skin and bones. - the forest man answered more coldly, as if hinting that he would no longer answer. Yes, the guy, in general, was not going to ask anything else.


    After listening to Arvus, Rey imagined a beast that could wear such armor instead of leather, but he was distracted by the crunch of a branch far ahead. Both stopped at the same time. The guy bent down and reached out with his hand behind his back, wanting to get the bow, but the palm of Arvus fell on his shoulder, who, taking his daggers, pointed to the guy''s belt, on which his own hung.


    "Interesting¡­"


    Taking out his weapon, Rey nodded his head to the right side, making it clear that he would bypass from that side.


    Only after almost five minutes did he notice a two-meter deer, which slowly walked through the night forest. Stopping about thirty meters from him, the guy hit the tree with the dagger hilt, giving a signal of readiness. The beast also heard it and turned its head in the direction from which the sound came, but, not noticing anything, continued on its way, at a slightly faster pace.


    Hearing the same blow coming from the other side, Rei immediately began to act. Trying not to make noise, he closed the distance to the deer until only ten meters remained. Hitting the tree trunk once more, he waited a moment and rushed towards his prey, raising his dagger to strike. The beast noticed him instantly and, despite the fact that it was predatory, did not fight, ran in the opposite direction from Ray. Before he had taken more than five steps, a shadow appeared from behind the nearest tree, piercing his neck with a clean blow.


    Ray didn''t say anything, just silently approached the fallen animal, the last grains of life leaking from its eyes. Taking out the ropes, the guy began to tie the carcass of the beast, absorbing his soul along the way. As he finished and was about to heap his prey on his back, Rey heard Arvus'' words that made him freeze:


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    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use those daggers that you finished off the Gsarkh?¡± - although the man''s voice was no different from the usual one - calm and strict, the guy immediately understood why he called him on this hunt.


    Many excuses ran through Ray''s head, but even to him they seemed like nonsense, so he simply remained silent. But Arvus continued to speak:


    ¡°Those daggers¡­ I wouldn''t have noticed if they were any others, but I made these with my own hands.


    Ray took a step back, realizing that the forest was not in a completely peaceful mood.


    It was a present for my younger brother. - the son of the forest minted words one after another, taking the first step towards the guy. ¡°I gave them to him the day he became one of the elite.


    The guy slowly moved away, trying as much as possible to break the distance between them. Arvus, as if not noticing this, continued:


    - I immediately felt that he was no more, but until the last I hoped that I was mistaken ...


    The man put his hands on the daggers that he had already hidden after killing the deer. Rey did not even touch his own, he understood that he would not be able to defeat Arvus in such a battle, so he continued to slowly retreat.


    - All his life Corvus lived with dignity, like a true son of the forest! Why did he have to die!? the man thundered, and such anger sparkled in his eyes that it didn¡¯t even occur to the guy to dissuade him from something. He answered a little indifferently, but honestly:


    ¡°He has become my strength and I don¡¯t need another reason.


    Now in the emerald eyes of the forest there were no longer sparks, but a raging flame, after a moment of silence, he squeezed the handles so that even Ray could hear and spoke again:


    ¡°I didn¡¯t stab you in the back with a blade just because you saved my sister, but¡­¡± pulling the daggers out of their scabbards, the warrior swung his whole body forward, ¡°today you will die!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t delay¡­ There will only be one chance.¡±


    Stepping back behind a large tree, Rey forced Arvus to sidestep him. The same, in turn, activating another technique, accelerated sharply, but this did not help him. Lesnoy only had time to put his hands with daggers in front of him, trying to block the huge paw of the beast, rushing in his direction.


    The man really managed to take the blow with a weapon, but his body flew off almost a dozen meters, until it crashed into the trunk of another tree with a dull sound. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Arvus tried to get up, but his left hand, which received the main force of the blow, did not move, while his right, although it could move, hurt so much that the man groaned, leaning on the ground with it.


    Ray stepped out from behind the tree in his forest uniform. That''s just completely naked - the armor was torn into shreds during the transformation. The guy spoke to his teacher, who, having tried to rise, fell to the ground again, spitting out another portion of blood:


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to harm you or anyone else. Know that you chose to die on your own. - at that moment, Ray did not quite understand why he was saying these words. They escaped him involuntarily, as if some kind of excuse.


    Arvus couldn''t answer. All his strength was spent on futile attempts to inhale, but there was also little left of his lungs - so much strength was invested in one single blow of the gsarkh.


    ¡°I consider you a great warrior, and in spite of everything I respect you even now. I''m even a little sorry that all this happened ...


    Ray looked at the full of hatred, gradually fading gaze of the forest. Shaking off a drop of blood from the palm of his hand, which oozed from a rather deep wound on his arm, left after a blow to the blades of Arvus, he came close to him.


    ¡°Your people are indeed very united. I do not want you to be disappointed in your nature before death, thinking that your brother died at the hands of the same son of the forest. I''m not one of you, even though I look like that. And now ... - the guy raised his hands to the head of the teacher. - Goodbye.


    In one swift movement, Rey twisted Arvus'' neck. He did so for two reasons. First and foremost, he didn''t want to ruin the armor he liked. The second was rather subconscious - the guy wanted to give the forest a quick death.


    Taking the soul of Arvus, he hesitated.


    ¡°If someone in the city knows, then there is no point in returning.¡±


    "Heck! I just started to get used to this place¡­ I hope everything is ok.¡±


    Having removed all the equipment from the body of his already former teacher, Rey hid it in the Inventory. Having broken four souls, he patched up his wounded arm - for some reason he did not want to turn into a smaller form. Yes, and not so great were spending. The guy turned into a gsarha again. The body could not be left here, therefore, in a few movements, he made a depression in the ground hardened due to the cold and threw Arvus there. Diligently dug it in, the guy stopped.


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t tell anyone, then I can justify myself by the fact that after leaving the city we parted with him. They consider me one of their own, incapable of attacking a fellow, so they will not suspect. ¨C Thinking in this way, the guy went towards the city, along the way taking the carcass of a deer. That''s just the armor he had to change to one of those that he obtained by killing the same forest detachment. But the kits were like two drops of water, so this should not have been a problem. Walking at a leisurely pace and maintaining maximum concentration, in case Arvus was not alone, Rey remembered his last words.


    ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t be so reckless about killing those hunters now, although, who knows¡­¡± He continued to walk forward with a displeased click of his tongue. ¡°The past cannot be changed.¡±

 Chapter 29

    As it turned out, Arvus came alone, at least Rey did not notice that someone was following him. An hour later, he was less than a kilometer from the city. Having untied part of the ropes that fastened the deer to his back, the guy left only one so that he could dump the carcass at any time.


    Approaching the gate, Rey said nothing to the guards, silently watching their reaction, but they, just by looking at his green armor and prey, immediately stopped paying attention to him.


    "So Arvus was really alone?" - the guy was sincerely glad of such short-sightedness of his former teacher. ¡°Though he could afford to be overconfident. Or maybe he wanted revenge too much and did not want to be interfered with?


    Leaving the carcass next to the guards, Rei nodded to one of them and walked into the city. Along the way, he also did not notice anything strange, so he mentally confirmed his guesses.


    ¡°This place is good. I''ve only been here for a short time, but I''m starting to get used to it. It would be really unpleasant if you had to leave. There is still a lot to learn.¡±


    After some thought, Ray decided to return home. After the murder of Arvus, he had a rather gloomy mood, and the fact that no one in the city knew about him only dispelled his longing a little.


    Entering the house, Rei, without taking off his armor, fell on the bed.


    ¡°Why do I feel sorry for this forest man? Why did I save his sister?" - these pitiful thoughts seemed so unusual, but did not want to stop swarming in my head.


    ¡°I could have died then¡­¡±


    Raising his eyes to the wooden ceiling, the boy extended his hand forward, looking at the claws.


    "I''m not one of them, they''re not even human... But what''s left of a human in me?"


    ¡°Maybe I really¡­¡± ¨C a momentary desire to stay among this people was shattered by the silhouette that appeared before my eyes again. The whole figure was covered with bandages, and a trembling of fear involuntarily passed along the raised arm. Ray continued to stare at his hand for a second, until he tightly clenched it into a fist.


    "Not. I won''t be able to forget."


    "I can get my revenge! I''m not going to stop until the thing that did this to me is dead. With these same hands, I will rip out the eyes of that monster and tear him to pieces!¡±


    "Until then..."


    Raising himself, Rey walked towards the door with unprecedented firmness. The memories were so clear and crisp, as if his torment had just ended yesterday.


    "We need to get stronger."


    Forcefully opening the door, as if taking out his anger on her, he immediately slammed it back, covering his face with his other hand. Which saved him.


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    With a loud sound, the arrow pierced the atanit''s bracer and pierced the forearm, stopping only leaving a small cut on the guy''s cheek. Glancing at the door, from which a dozen arrowheads were sticking out, Rei rushed into one of the far rooms. There were no more doors here, and forest houses simply did not make windows.


    ¡°Come out and accept your death!¡± - Hearing an angry, unfamiliar voice, the guy thought for a moment, but decided to answer anyway:


    - What''s happened!? Why did you attack me?


    "You have to take the time." ¨C the guy''s mind was still in anger, but he still thought clearly. ¡°So Arvus wasn¡¯t so stupid after all. And now I¡¯m in the city and it¡¯s going to be harder to escape though¡­¡±


    A slightly evil smile crossed Ray''s face. Breaking the arrow that was sticking out of his hand, he snatched it from his hand in one motion.


    - How dare you!? You betrayed your people! I''m giving you one last chance to die fast! ¨C the same man''s voice addressed him again.


    - Explain what you''re talking about!


    ¡°So, and now¡­¡± ¨C looking at his hand, from which blood was still dripping.


    At the same moment, Rei turned into a snake and with a deft movement got out of the clothes hanging on him. The body of the snake began to ripple and sharply increased in size - the guy again took the form of a forest one, sending things to the Inventory one by one.


    And so, less than ten seconds later, Rey stood completely naked at the far end of the house, next to the tree, right next to which it was built. At that moment, he heard the front door come off its hinges with a loud bang.


    Several warriors entered the doorway, holding a large piece of wood in front of them, wishing in this way to protect themselves from a retaliatory attack. But she didn''t follow.


    Looking around, they saw that there was no one in the room. Still continuing to hold a makeshift shield in front of them, two of them moved deeper into the house, because the hunters understood that the guy could not escape anywhere.


    The house was surrounded and there was only one way out of it, so each of them was already looking forward to the moment of execution of the traitor. But¡­


    - Where is he!? one of the woodsmen barked.


    The house was small, so the search took only nothing. There was little furniture inside, and there was no furniture at all where a grown man could hide.


    Ray was sitting in one of the cracks formed between the main wall of the house and a large tree, which was a load-bearing one in its structure. He had not used the curing form for a long time, but it was she who now helped him out.


    Watching the raging woodlands, he wondered if it was worth killing a few? For some reason, the disposition towards them that arose recently has faded.


    ¡°Probably, we must be patient, once again impersonating will be superfluous.¡± - having calmed himself in this way, having broken one of his souls, he healed the wound on his front paw and continued to observe what was happening, but the performance did not last long. After searching the house for a minute, the hunters ran outside, trying to find him there.


    Ray was in no hurry to leave his hiding place, having sat there for almost an hour. He heard the noise that came from the side of the street, so he understood that they were still looking for him.


    "What a restless guys."


    The city stood on its feet for another two hours, but gradually the panic stopped. Realizing that he no longer hears any voices, Rey got out and turned into a snake. Carefully examining his surroundings, he did not notice any sources of heat near the house.


    Transforming back into curinga, he quickly climbed out through the empty doorway. And now, intending to move towards one of the city walls, he stopped for a moment.


    "Since I can''t stay here, it would be foolish to leave empty-handed." - Thinking so, the guy went towards the arsenal. But, when he got to the right building, he immediately noticed the difference - there were four guards in front of the entrance, who had not been here before, because the forest guards would not steal anything from themselves.


    ¡°And they are great, they quickly realized it ... It is unlikely that they will be able to kill these guys silently.¡±


    While Ray was pondering over how best to enter the building, an idea came to his mind.


    ¡°If it works, great, but if not¡­ I can still get close enough that they don¡¯t have time to react to the attack.¡±


    Having run away, the guy again turned into a forest one and, stretching out his hand in front of him, took out a set of green armor with a hood from the Inventory.


    "His name was Corvus, right?" - the guy drove the melancholy out of his head from nowhere and quickly dressed, pulling the hood over his face so as to hide his eyes. Gaining confidence in his gait, he walked towards the guards.


    They became alert as soon as he appeared, but, noticing that the forest one approaching them was one of the senior hunters, they immediately parted.


    ¡°Probably you can¡¯t blame them for such carelessness, they have lived all their lives with the idea that every forest is their brother.¡± With that in mind, Rey entered the armory unhindered.


    "We need to act quickly."


    In one move, he placed three huge bundles of arrows in the Inventory, depriving the hunters of at least a thousand possible shots. Then he went to the place where the armor was kept. He already had several sets of such armor, but only two of them fit him, and now he took five more. Here he took grindstones, interchangeable scabbards, quivers, ropes with fasteners, hooks and much more, not weakly emptying the general stock. Among other things, he took three of the best longbows and two pairs of daggers similar to those he himself used.


    Satisfied with what had been done, Rey picked up the first bow that came across and headed for the exit - it was impossible to leave the arsenal with nothing.

 Chapter 30

    Having got out of the city, Ray, without looking back, went into the forest. Now it was night - the best time for hunting. It was this occupation that allowed the guy to forget.


    After some thought, Rei turned into a snake - hunting in this form brought him the greatest pleasure. A silent but swift and swift body, a venom so dangerous that even he himself sometimes shuddered as he watched a bitten beast die in a matter of seconds.


    But the moment of the bite was the most pleasant. Every time his fangs sank into prey¡­ That brief moment was truly unique. Perhaps Ray liked it because of the feeling of power. Power over life and death...


    And now, ten minutes had not passed, and he already noticed a small bright point in the distance. A small lump of warmth that was destined to fade away this night ...


    After absorbing the soul of a freshly killed animal, Rei immediately broke it, enjoying the waves of heat spreading through his body. This flow of energy calmed his mind a little.


    In the form of a forest, he felt the winter air with his whole body, which gradually cooled his ardor. Leaning against a tree trunk, he turned his head towards the city.


    ¡°Maybe we should stay and kill everyone who comes out of there?¡±


    "Though it will take a long time, but I will be able to avenge them for it."


    Considering the thought, the boy smiled bitterly.


    "Revenge..."


    ¡°I am the murderer who took the lives of seven of their brothers. Why should I take revenge on them?"


    Angry at himself, Rei slammed his fist on the tree. He put so much force into the swing that a blood stain remained at the site of the blow, from his broken fist.


    I didn''t want to be like this! - the cry that broke the silence of the night forest was more like the howl of a beast.


    - Why!? Why!? ... - with every word the guy struck, leaving more and more bloody marks on the tree trunk.


    Spilling out all his hatred, Rey only stopped when he could no longer move his fingers. At that moment, the face of a young girl appeared before him, whom he had deprived of both brothers.


    ¡°Now she will be sad again. Hate me¡­¡±


    Glancing at his shattered hands, the boy thought:


    ¡°May I stay in this forest? Why would someone like me live among anything other than beasts?¡±


    Rei continued to stand, watching the drops of blood that rolled down his arms, giving off warmth in his body, gradually freezing due to lack of movement. At some point, the first rays of the sun broke through the crowns of the trees, forcing the guy to turn his head.


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    The image of Thea appeared before him again. The girl told another story while he lay on the bed, unable to move independently.


    ¡°Far to the southeast is our capital. I was still very young there, but even now I remember how beautiful this city was. But most of all I remember the palace of the king. Majestic, built around a huge tree, it looked like a mountain protecting us all.


    How are the rulers chosen? Ray asked another question.


    ¡°My brother told me that earlier he was the strongest of the children of the forest, but for many generations the one who has been able to earn the respect of all the people with his wisdom has ruled.


    The tone of the girl was as if she was telling a fairy tale to a child, but Ray did not care, he listened to her carefully, trying not to miss anything important.


    - Only the royal coat of arms remained unchanged for all the time - the six-winged solar tildas. Although there are very few left now, I heard that several of them live in the palace all year round.


    Realizing that Thea was talking about things he didn¡¯t need, the guy asked the following question:


    What part of the forest are we in?


    Putting her finger on her chin, she thought hard.


    Probably in the east. If you pass the capital, then in a few days the forest will end. But to get out of the forest through the south, you need to go much longer.


    What about west and north?


    ¡°Well, there are very few water sources in the west, mostly underground, so our people have never lived in those places. I heard about it from my brother, so I don''t know how far the forest extends in that direction.


    While listening to her, Rei remembered the small wooden house and clenched his fist, trying not to show anger on his face.


    ¡°As for the north,¡± the girl continued, ¡°if our part of the forest is even more or less habitable, then there are too many insanely dangerous creatures and even plants for us to exist there.


    When he finished remembering, Rei sighed and broke one of the souls inside him. The energy from her slightly returned the sensitivity to his wounded hands, while the guy himself, meanwhile, turned his head to the left of the rising sun.


    "North, huh?"


    After breaking a few more souls, he brought his hands and frozen body to a capable state - still Rey was naked, and the night forest in the middle of winter was not the most pleasant place. Immediately after, he took out the Arvus armor from the Inventory. Looking around her again, the guy noticed several blood stains on her left from the previous owner. Taking some of the snow in his hand, he squeezed it and wiped away the caked blood that had left the smooth surface of the armor rather easily.


    Slowly putting on the armor, Rei made sure that he fits perfectly on it, not a single gram of hampering movements. The weight of the armor was heavier than the standard armor, but Rey barely felt it.


    Picking up two gray daggers, he looked at them as well. The surface felt like polished marble, but did not reflect light, but although the weapon looked so unprepossessing, it was stronger and sharper than an atanitic one. Throwing up both daggers, Rei easily caught them by the hilts and sent them to the scabbard hanging from his belt - the balance was also excellent.


    Following this, he took out a bow, but after a little thought, he hid it back. It was too long and interfered a lot, and since now the guy did not have to hide from someone, it would be faster to get it straight from the Inventory. The same was true for arrows. Having untied one of the bundles, he could now simply take arrows from there.


    Checking everything again, Rey glanced up at the sun still rising to his right and walked forward. The guy was not moving too fast, because he had nowhere to hurry. He was not limited in time, and the journey in any case promised to be very long. But it''s even good, Ray needed time to think.

 Chapter 31

    Having walked in this way for about a dozen kilometers, Ray passed the city and turned a little to the west. His goal was not far away - the river served as the main source of drinking water in these places.


    Having reached it, he again headed north, right along the channel. The river was about 40 meters wide, but shallow - less than the guy''s height. Due to the flat terrain, the current was rather slow.


    Walking along it, Ray enjoyed the wonderful view of crystal clear water, and the fresh morning breeze caressed his face with cold. Extremely cold...


    He decided to move this way not because of the need for water, no. He did not need it thanks to the energy of the souls, but next to the river there should have been most animals, and since he was going to travel exclusively on foot and only in the form of a forest, it was useful for him to simplify his search for prey.


    He made this decision due to the fact that although hunting in the form of a snake was more effective, his body itself in this form could no longer develop. Rei was sure that he could no longer learn how to control the body of a snake or something like that.


    But the body of the forest, in addition to having excellent perception, could become stronger due to specializations and skills that could not be used in animal form. And over time, it most likely should have grown stronger.


    Another factor that spoke in favor of the body of the forest was the ability to wear armor. But if he remained in the form of a snake and developed professions each time turning, he could be in danger, because according to Thea, in this part of the forest, the animals were stronger than in the south. And although, while he did not notice any difference, he decided not to risk it.


    Moving for some time near the river, Ray nevertheless decided to move away from it for some distance. Even if the hearing of the forest was phenomenal, the sound of water still bothered him.


    ***


    At the same time, about twenty kilometers to the north, a woman appeared near a small hill, dressed in a strange robe, with a large hood covering her face. She came straight out of thin air, as if she had always been here.


    Looking around, the woman approached the hill and held out her hand, muttering something.


    At the same moment, a ball of light several meters in diameter appeared next to the outstretched hand. The snow, along with the soil beneath her feet, instantly melted, releasing a huge amount of hot steam.


    The woman, ignoring this, lightly moved her finger, as if pushing this unimaginably powerful clot of energy forward. He moved really very slowly, but after a couple of moments he nevertheless reached a hill, but did not consider it an obstacle, continuing to move through the thickness of the earth.


    Steam poured out of the hole, and the temperature of the surrounding air rose so much that the snow cover began to melt rather quickly. The woman just stood and watched what was happening, because even a piece of her clothes did not move, despite the fact that she was at the very epicenter of what was happening.


    After a couple of minutes, it seemed to her that the hole made should be enough. Waving a finger towards her, she forced the ball of light to return, which happened much faster. Crashing into the outstretched palm, it disintegrated, but the release of energy raised the temperature near the woman by several hundred degrees.


    Lowering her hand, she walked towards the hole she had made, which had been created at a slight angle, causing her to descend. The woman did not care at all that a huge amount of smoke was still flying out of there, and drops of formed magma dripped from the ceiling. The same thing happened under her feet, but she walked straight through the air.


    When she reached the end of the almost twenty-meter deepening, she muttered something and stopped, and at the same moment, the hissing caused by the melting of the rock that had continued until now subsided. This was caused by the fact that the temperature inside this newborn cave dropped dramatically.


    The woman held out her hand in front of her and a strange black spherical object appeared in it. When she released him, he sank slowly, like a feather, onto the hardened earth.


    With a last glance at the abandoned thing, she turned and in a moment was back on the surface.


    - This gift will be the last... Don''t let me down. - A gentle voice came from under the lowered hood, although there was no one near the woman, because even the animals ran away from this place, feeling an abnormal temperature jump.


    With her last word, she stepped forward again, disappearing with ripples through the air.


    ***


    Everything that happened passed Ray, because the distance was too great to notice the release of steam among the distant thicket of the forest, even though there were no leaves on the trees. But indirectly, this event still touched him, because after twenty minutes he met the first wave of fleeing animals.


    The strange behavior of the local fauna naturally surprised the guy, and he, at first intending to start running away in the same direction, nevertheless changed his mind. Pulling out his bow, Rey fired an arrow at a large deer charging straight at him. An arrow that hit the head instantly killed the beast, but the guy did not stop, because several more representatives of the same species were running behind the just killed one.


    Another arrow whistled and, hitting the animal''s neck, gave him the opportunity to take a few more steps, after which he fell almost reaching Ray. The rest of the deer finally began to scatter to the sides, because of which the third shot hit a tree without hitting anyone.


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    Having stopped shooting, the guy rushed to the body of the deer, which was closest to him. Without stopping, he ran beside him, absorbing the soul as he went. Doing the same with the first killed, Ray hid behind a tree, listening to the noise of the forest and trying to understand what these creatures were running away from.


    But now, a minute passed, and nothing happened. Coming out from behind his not the best hiding place, he collected the arrows, which were very well made, so they could safely be used far more than once.


    "What is there?"


    Crouching slightly, Rei slowly walked forward, but all he saw after a while was another group of beasts that were running in the same direction, but due to the low speed, it seemed to have fallen behind.


    Ray did not lose his head and, drawing his bow, fired again ...


    After killing three, he followed on, but did not meet any more.


    There was a dead silence in the forest again, which was a little annoying, because due to the arranged race, he could not even find small animals now.


    Continuing to move forward, Rei steadily approached the place where the woman appeared. For two hours, he did not meet a single animal, but when he saw that there was no snow at all on a huge area of \u200b\u200bthe forest, the size of a small quarter, and there was a huge crater in the center, he understood the reason. Bypassing it in a circle, Ray spent almost half an hour to make sure that there was nothing alive there, for this he nevertheless decided to turn into a snake. Taught by bitter experience, the guy already wanted to pass by, but interest overcame caution. Moving extremely slowly, Rey approached the center of the strange place with his bow drawn. Approaching a small hill, he realized that what at first seemed to him a crater turned out to be a hole in the ground, the depth of which he could not determine due to the inconvenient position of the sun. Without becoming approached, the guy remained ten meters from the entrance. ¡°What a strange shape¡­¡± The hole was perfectly round, as if carved right into the ground. After watching for a while, Rei did not notice any movement inside, so, taking a torch and a pinch of the flammable grass already familiar to him from the Inventory, he made himself a source of light. Coming closer, he threw it into the passage. The force invested in the throw was sufficient for the torch to fly the entire length of the hole without problems and reach the bottom. Rey saw everything he needed during the throw, so he was sure that there was nothing there. Having calmed down a little and putting away his bow, Rey nevertheless took out his daggers and began to carefully descend. The torch burned quite brightly and this amount of light was quite enough for him to see the walls of this ¡°cave.¡± It went down at a slight slope, thus plunging deep into the hill. The walls were almost completely earthen, but after about ten meters of the way, Rei noticed a huge stone under his feet, the surface of which was also broken, walking flush with the ground. The guy had no idea how it was possible to create such a hole in the ground, but now he was more interested in a strange object, next to which lay a torch. He did not even immediately notice him, since he did not even reflect the slightest light, which seemed to go around this small black ball. Without getting closer, Rei stopped two meters away from him and, having carefully examined, came to the conclusion that this thing was not perfectly round. ¡°Is this ... an egg?¡± noticed a small, faint lump of warmth inside. It was also strange that even in the form of a forest, he saw a small green glow from him. Ray had no idea what animals in this world lay such strange eggs, but the fact that this beast had not yet had time to hatch calmed him down a lot and he, having made up his mind, approached the egg. At that moment, the thought occurred to him: ¡°Is this place¡­ a nest?¡± ¡°But then it means that the mother of this creature is somewhere nearby. Maybe it was her that the animals were running away from.¡± ¡°And I understand them, a creature capable of creating such a hole in the ground cannot be weak.¡± ¡°If I get such power, then such a long-awaited day will become much closer.¡± Ray ran out of the cave naked, because when he turned into a snake he found out that it was an egg, he did not put on the armor back, not seeing the point. He put his strange find on the ground and turned into a tildas. Gently grabbing it with his claws, Rei struggled to take off. The egg was slightly smaller than the chicken, so it easily fit in his grip, but he had never taken off when he was carrying something, so he hesitated a little. He only descended after flying almost a dozen kilometers. He didn''t notice anything strange downstairs, but he still didn''t dare let his guard down. Even in flight, he decided what he would do with the egg, therefore, choosing a small clearing with a tree fallen on it, he, hovering over it, opened his claws. Ray did not know what kind of animal was inside the egg, so he was in no hurry to go down and after a couple of seconds he was delighted with his decision. The egg crashed into a tree trunk and broke without much trouble, throwing out a small puff of black smoke around it. He seemed harmless, but soon Rei realized that he was mistaken - after all, only dust remained from the tree, at the points of contact. After waiting a few seconds for the smoke to dissipate completely, Rei began to descend. At first, he wanted to land away from the crash site, but when he noticed a miniature gray haze in the hole formed in the tree trunk, he immediately hurried there. As it turned out, it was a snake egg. A small black body, as long as an index finger, lay next to the fragments of the shell. Without waiting for landing, Rei turned into a forest and, grouped, landed next to a tree trunk. Immediately jumping towards the soul, he was able to exhale with relief only when she was inside him. Dropping to the ground, Rei was looking forward to his new body, but looking into his inner space, he realized that the soul of the snake was very vague, which alerted him a little. She was gray, like all the souls he had met before, except for the human and the soul of Arvus. The soul of a man, by the way, was no better than the soul of the forest, which Ray himself strengthened with souls. And in some ways she even conceded. This was very frustrating, so the guy still had to break the soul of the former teacher - it took up a lot of space. Therefore, without attaching special importance to the color of the snake soul, he took on a new look. The body was almost familiar to him, after being in the form of a snow kite many times, so Rei could move completely freely, but there was one problem. Now he was placed in the footprint, which was left in the snow from the forest one ... "Do not rush." The body of the snow snake was also not too big at first, but the poisonousness more than compensated for this. Having tried to inject poison, the guy was disappointed, because he did not succeed. Looking around his body, Ray realized that this snake''s eyesight is much better than that of the snow one. The sunlight penetrating the clearing did not interfere with him, even the colors were clearer and he was able to carefully examine himself. "What a dark color." The body was indeed matte black. Not a single glare due to the light falling on it. Its entire length was covered with tiny scales, which were difficult to see due to the strange, impenetrable dark coloration. ¡°It cannot be considered useless. Because of its size and natural camouflage, it is great for both escaping and sneaking in. In this regard, it is even better than the curing body. If you think about it, then this is generally the smallest creature that I have met so far. ¡±Consoling himself with this, Rey turned into a forest again and, wearing armor, decided to check the Status, because he did not do this due to the constant tension that even pursued him after taking the egg. What he saw made him happy. [Hunter] had risen to the second level, although the guy could not tell when exactly, because he had not checked the Status since killing the fleeing animals in the forest. Leveling up unlocked a new ability - [Detect Beasts]. "This really can be very useful." After reviewing the rest of the information, Rei briefly noticed the latest change, a new species name that appeared on his soul list. "Sun Eater." "A little too loud for a small snake." - the guy chuckled and, glancing at the sun, went on. The beginning of the journey was no longer as boring as he had initially thought.

 Chapter 32

    Letting out a plaintive howl, the huge leader of the wolves fell to the ground. A body that rivaled the size of a small horse fell heavily to the ground, scattering puffs of snow around it. At the same time, Rey, dressed in gray armor, landed next to him, from which he heard a sigh of relief. This hunt was very tiring.


    Now it was only the second day of his stay in the forest, and the guy had already managed to stumble upon a pack of wolves numbering twenty heads. He did not provoke them, but he did not manage to leave unnoticed either. Therefore, for the last four hours, Ray had been sitting on a tree, one by one shooting these nimble creatures.


    This occupation would not be too dangerous if the guy did not decide to remain only in the form of the forest. He could fly away or hide, but decided to take the fight, gaining invaluable experience.


    Let the shooting drag on a little, but the reason for this was only the strange actions of the leader, who commanded his pack surprisingly well. When the guy killed the first three wolves, he did not wait, gave the rest a command with a strange howl.


    Ray really was very surprised when he realized that the wolves began to disperse, because he thought that they were running away, but they stopped, sitting behind a thick scattering of trees that prevented the guy from shooting normally. Before that, he had not met such intelligent animals, but carefully luring them out one at a time, he still slowly reduced their number to ten.


    The leader, instead of ordering a retreat, decided on the contrary to launch an attack. All the wolves in a simultaneous impulse rushed to the tree trying to get the offender. This was a mistake, because although they could climb a few meters, they still couldn¡¯t get Ray. The claws of the beasts slithered over the frozen wood, unable to get a firm grip. However, they were excellent targets for arrows.


    After absorbing the soul of the leader, the guy checked the Status and smirked contentedly.


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    Racial Traits:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 2] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Gsarkh, Pharos Forest Native, Sun Eater...)


    [Soul Master Level 3]


    [???]


    Specializations:


    [Hunter Lv3] (Animal Detection, Trap)


    [Dagger Mastery Level 2] (Retreat)


    [Archer Lv 3] (Fire Range Increase (1.5x), Power Shot)


    In addition to the Hunter, whose level had risen last night, now the Archer has also reached the third level.


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    The ability that was unlocked with the growth of the first specialization Rey had already tested and it was quite useful. It allowed to set a trap on the ground, invisible even for the guy himself, which, if stepped on, threw up several green spikes up to a meter long. They crossed each other and not only injured the victim, but also detained him in place for a full three seconds, after which they disappeared without a trace. True, Rei was able to test its performance only twice, and both on not very large animals that simply died from the spikes themselves, so he did not know how much she could stop something larger. The skill recharged for ten minutes, while the trap itself remained active for an hour. In open combat, the Trap was useless, as it took time to set up, but it was perfect for ambushes.


    The new skill, judging by the name, strengthened the shot. Taking out the bow again, which he was already accustomed to constantly pulling from the Inventory and back, Rey applied an arrow. Mentally activating the skill, he noticed how a barely noticeable green ripple passed along the arrow, and it became much more difficult to hold it, but the guy did not continue to do this and immediately released the bowstring.


    Leaving its place, the arrow, leaving a barely noticeable green trail behind it, covered a distance of 100 meters in an instant and with a loud sound entered the tree almost halfway. Watching the arrow''s plumage gradually stop trembling, Rei once again remembered what he had seen.


    ¡°The speed is two to three times faster¡­ As is the penetrating power¡­ Not bad.¡±


    Taking out another arrow, Rey tried to repeat what he had done, but, as he expected, it did not work. The same guy began to do with an interval of ten seconds. And when a minute had passed, the light enveloped the arrow again, but this time it did not shoot, slowly loosening the bowstring.


    When he tried to activate the skill again, he realized that if the shot was not fired, the ability would not go on cooldown, which was very nice.


    With the experiment thus completed, Ray turned to another pressing issue, which was beginning to become quite acute. Now in its inner space there was only room for three large souls, and this was due to the fact that the human soul, as if a bottomless hole , continued to absorb energy. The guy would have stopped feeding her a long time ago, but he noticed a small change. When there was room for 6-7 souls in its inner space, the human color began to gradually change and now it looked more like light green.


    After consulting his body, Rei realized that for now, one soul of a wolf would be enough for him to return to normal, so he confidently fed the soul of the leader, which was stronger, to the human one. Its color became noticeably lighter, but, having once again looked at the Status, the guy did not notice the changes.


    Intuition told Ray that he was doing everything right, so he was not going to stop. Glancing at the sun, the guy corrected the direction of his procession and continued on his way.


    Carefully peering into the surroundings, the guy moved rather slowly, because if he increased the pace, he would start making too much noise due to the snow under his feet.


    About ten minutes later, Ray saw a small green dot. It was the effect of Animal Detection. The ability allowed you to notice animals in a certain radius around you, but there were too many different factors taken into account here to accurately indicate the detection distance.


    For example, now Rey was only able to spot the beast because it wasn''t hiding, but earlier, he was attacked by a snake that was hiding under the snow. Only armor saved him from poison, which the fangs of the snake could not even scratch.


    Ray also noticed that the ability worked better when he was focused, and although it was difficult to constantly keep his attention at the limit, the guy tried to do just that.


    Approaching the found animal, the guy heard strange clicking sounds, the nature of which became clear to him only when he saw the creature.


    In two days, Rei hadn''t encountered a single new animal in the forest, at least not until now. In front of him stood a three-meter centipede, which, with its overly large mandibles, slowly tore off small pieces from the body of a dead wolf, sending them into its mouth.


    The creature looked really disgusting, but this did not bother the guy, because the moment for the attack was just perfect. The arrow on the bow that had just appeared in his hands shone faintly green and instantly fell in the direction of the centipede.

 Chapter 33

    Having pierced the body of the animal through and through, the arrow stuck into the ground. Noticing that the centipede was in no hurry to die, Rey took out another arrow and fired without delay.


    Only at this point, the creature, whose meal was so unceremoniously interrupted, began to beat in agony due to the double-pierced head. She did not rage for long, falling to the ground after a couple of seconds. The guy did not approach until he saw a small gray haze above the body of this creature.


    After absorbing his soul, Rey was about to grab onto the fletching of the arrow, the only part that was visible, while the rest went into the not particularly strong body of the centipede. But, before the guy''s hand touched it, it just fell off.


    Under the guy''s feet lay a ten-centimeter remnant of what used to be called an arrow. One of the ends of the piece of wood hissed violently, indicating that even now it was corroded by acid.


    Ray glanced at another arrow that had pierced through the creature''s body and noticed that although it had only been inside the carcass for a moment, it had also melted heavily and could not be reused.


    With a dissatisfied tsiknuv, he walked around the corpse of a centipede and went forward. He had no intention of learning how to use this body. It was too fragile, although for most of the inhabitants of the forest, meeting with her would be a nightmare. A creature that cannot be attacked in close combat, because any injury also harms the attacker.


    Remembering the wolf that the creature devoured, Ray imagined what would have been left of the poor man''s jaw if he had bitten a centipede.


    "And the truth is getting dangerous." After thinking about it, he decided to prepare a little. Taking out two small wooden containers, two fingers thick, from the backpack, the guy put them side by side on the ground.


    Taking off all the armor, Rey remembered his fight with the wolves. He wasted a lot of time mainly due to the fact that he could not kill the beast with one arrow. It was not difficult to wound them, but most of the shots were not fatal. This was due to the enormous mobility of the wolves, but right now the guy wanted to simplify his task a little.


    With all the armor gone in Inventory, Rey turned into a snow kite. Moving his head to the containers standing on the ground, he plunged a fang into each of them, and in a moment the first drops hit the wooden bottoms. This went on for almost ten minutes until the supply of venom in the snake''s body came to an end, but even so, the accumulated amount was very large considering its strength.


    Transforming back into a woodlander, Rey donned his armor and headed west. Along the way, he carved a piece of bark slightly concave inward from a suitable tree, which was supposed to serve as another container.


    Having reached the river, the guy carefully poured all the available poison into a container of bark. The total amount just corresponded to one small container.


    "Let''s start with one to five."


    Slowly collecting water with the same barrels, Rei held them in his hands for some time to warm the water in them a little, as he did not know how this factor would affect the poison. Having poured the last fifth portion of water into the piece of bark standing in the Inventory, the guy took out three dozen arrows from there.


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    He had no idea how to properly make such arrows, so he simply made small notches on the tips and placed them in poison.


    After checking the poison in the work, the guy once again returned to the river and reduced the concentration to one in twelve, since the previous one was still too large.


    The next check ended the same, but now the shot deer lived for almost ten more seconds before falling dead. Deciding that this was enough, Rey continued to move through the forest, slowly making new arrows with serifs and hoping that this would help a little.


    By the next day, he had made another shot of poison, at a one-to-six concentration, which was intended for more dangerous opponents.


    Satisfied with this, the guy moved forward with more confidence, and by the end of the fifth day of his stay, he noticed that the forest was becoming more dense. He realized this rather unexpectedly, because the transition was very smooth, but over a hundred kilometers, the density of trees doubled.


    At that moment, Rey understood what Thea meant when she said that it would be next to impossible to survive here. If before that the guy rarely met new types of animals, now the situation was reversed. He began to miss the familiar wolves and boars a little, because huge insects and reptiles of all kinds predominated here.


    On the morning of the sixth day, he noticed rare white threads in the air, as thick as half a little finger. Continuing to advance, he met the creature that wove them three minutes later.


    The spider reached eight meters in length, which was simply unimaginable. Without a second''s hesitation, Rei ran, trying not to touch the pieces of cobweb scattered here and there.


    After spending another three days on a multi-kilometer hook, he did not dare to regret that he saw only the shadows of those huge monsters, because the very first meeting could end in his death.


    As we progressed, the atmosphere became more and more oppressive. There were fewer animals, but they were stronger and more dangerous. Although such a hunt was fraught with insane risk, it was fully justified.


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 3] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Gsarh, Pharos Forest Native, Sun Eater...)


    [Soul Master Level 3]


    ???


    SPECIALIZATIONS:


    [Hunter Lv 4]


    (Animal Detection, Trap, Increased Animal Damage(3x))


    [Dagger Mastery Level 2]


    (Retreat)


    [Archer Lv 4]


    (Firing Range Increase (1.5x), Power Shot, Trajectory Correction)


    As Rey had predicted, the Many-Faces indeed grew with the level of the human soul. Now his inner space, according to the guy''s feelings, could accommodate at least a thousand gray souls, which should have completely solved his problem with the supply of souls, if it had not arisen in a new world - there were fewer animals.


    Although this was compensated by their strength, and therefore more energy in the souls, Rei still felt some of their lack.


    Another curious thing was that his hair and eyes in the form of a forest, like in the form of a person, also turned green, following the color of the soul. For a while, he even thought that now that his appearance almost matched the usual forest, he could go back. This thought was very tempting, because simply by changing the city, he could live in peace, but Rey did not do that. Partly due to the fact that he considered himself guilty before these people, but mainly because he really liked the feeling that never left him for a moment.


    It''s hard to say exactly what it was. Maybe a craving for an unknown world that was inaccessible to him in the past? Or a rage from the danger that constantly haunts him, which made his heart tremble? It could also be the pleasure of hunting... of killing.


    The only thing Rey knew was that the feeling grew stronger as he went deeper into the forest. The more dangerous it was, the more exciting this journey became, the end of which he did not yet see.

 Chapter 34

    Ray hid behind a huge tree, listening to the sounds of swarming ahead.


    "About a hundred meters."


    It was a very rare occurrence. In the eleven days he spent in the forest, he met animals for the first time that would dare to behave so noisily here. At some point, the guy even thought that these were not animals, because of the strange lowing and screaming.


    Getting closer, Rey was finally able to see these strange creatures. The outlines of the bodies certainly resembled human ones, but these creatures were clearly not human. Each had small horns, the body was covered with short hair, the mouth was wide, with a number of sharp fangs.


    Watching them, Rey noticed that each had a small green light glowing, indicating that they could be considered animals, despite the fact that these creatures were upright.


    There were six of them running in front of him. They swarm around the huge carcass of the lizard, now and then tearing off pieces of meat from it.


    At that moment, Rei noticed how one of the animals, having pulled out the large tail of a reptile, moved a little to the side. The others obviously didn''t like it, as a second later, all five of them pounced on him.


    The beating did not last long, it was interrupted by an arrow, which, having passed through the neck of one of the creatures, got stuck in the shoulder of the second. The reaction was quite quick, despite the fact that they had just been busy with civil strife. Two of them immediately rushed to Ray, while the one who stole the tail had not yet recovered from the beating from his fellow tribesmen.


    The guy did not pay attention to the creatures running towards him, aiming at the latter, who looked with incomprehension at his two brothers, who fell to the ground, almost ceasing to move. An arrow pierced his head, instantly killing him and depriving him of such difficult thoughts for his weak brain.


    Ray hid his bow and, taking out daggers, which had been used very rarely before, went towards the two who were running towards him. The creatures moved fairly quickly, sometimes dropping to all fours, which, coupled with their already short stature, made them a little awkward opponents.


    The first one, which jumped forward, spreading its clawed paws, Rey met with the usual kick - but the force invested in the blow was enough for the beast to go into a knockout. The second, noticing how easily his fellow tribesman was defeated, hesitated a little, which cost him his life - the dagger entered the middle of the chest, almost without resistance.


    "HM? And they are pretty lame. Although, they are considered animals, so the triple damage works.


    After finishing with the stunned opponent, Rei took out his bow again. The arrow glowed green as it followed the sixth of them. It was the same one who had been beaten before.


    By this point, he had only taken a few steps before an arrow pierced through his head, leaving a small hole.


    Ray looked at the place of the massacre with satisfaction and began to collect souls, having learned at the same time that these creatures were called Zurds. After breaking one of the souls to restore his strength, he realized that the amount of energy inside them was greater than he had imagined.


    ¡°Less than the forest ones, but these creatures are too weak to have so much energy in their souls. Maybe they also have heightened perception?


    Deciding to check it out, the guy undressed and changed his uniform. His height was reduced by half a meter, but the body obeyed well. Looking around, he realized that he was right. Zurds really heard better, the same applied to the sense of smell. In addition, the body was quite strong.


    "The bones don''t seem to be very strong, which explains the high speed of movement."


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    The only problem was vision, which was inferior even to that of a human.


    Moving a little in this body, Rei also appreciated the high sharpness of the claws and fangs, on which he completed the inspection, returning to the body of the forest.


    ¡°In general, the body is quite average considering the weak defense, but it seems that their strength is in numbers.¡±


    The guy noticed in the distance the remains of two more Zurds, who apparently died while hunting for a lizard.


    ¡°It would be nice to find more of these creatures. Their souls are a great source of energy."


    Deciding to stop moving north for the time being and take a better look at the nearest area, Rei spent three hours, but still found a trail. It would be quite difficult to miss him, because the Zurds moved only in groups, and the crowd of mindless creatures was not even going to hide.


    Following the tracks, he found huge holes dug right in the ground. They were about one and a half meters in diameter, and, obviously, served as homes for these creatures.


    ¡°So they have poor eyesight due to the underground way of life.¡±


    Choosing one of the pits, which was at a fairly large distance from all the others, Rey began to wait.


    It was noon now, and these beasts seemed to be creatures of the night. He met the first ones in the morning, but the forest at that time is still very dark due to dense vegetation, so in the late afternoon, they should have appeared.


    While waiting for them to appear, Rei approached the entrances to the burrows several times, but, unable to notice any movement inside, dissatisfied, he had to continue to wait.


    When the sun began to set, the zurds really began to come out of there, but the number was just huge. At least a hundred of these creatures got out of the hole that the guy was watching, which, divided into squads, dispersed somewhere.


    Ray carefully watched the directions they took, imprinting both the total number of groups and their sizes into his memory.


    After making sure that he was not noticed, the guy began to retreat, as one of the groups, in which there were twelve individuals, was heading straight for him.


    "It will be interesting." - the guy grinned, already thinking over the plan of the coming hunt.


    ***


    Hearing the noise, the lead zurd turned its head in that direction. An indistinct shadow passed before his eyes, but that was enough for the animal. With a loud yelp, he rushed after her. The rest of the squad followed without any delay.


    After a minute of such a chase, a small crowd stretched for several tens of meters, chasing an unknown creature. This continued until the shot was fired.


    An arrow that left a green glare behind it scratched the shoulder of the front zurd, pierced the neck of another one and, with a flash of green light, turned a little to the side, stopping only at the head of the third. The lead Zurd, after running a few more steps, fell to the ground, unable to breathe air.


    The rest of the squad stopped, watching the unfolding scene. Without waiting for them to scatter, Rei stepped out from behind the tree, firing another shot that landed squarely in the eye of the fourth of them. The rest, clearly seeing the enemy in front of them, as if a flock of sheep rushed towards him. The guy didn''t even flinch. He was standing next to a large tree that he planned to retreat behind if something went wrong.


    Taking out another arrow, he fired again, knocking another pursuer to the ground. The same fate overtook the sixth of them, a second later.


    ¡°Maybe I should use a shortbow against them?¡±


    Ray''s mind, though very aroused by what was happening, did not stop him from analyzing the effectiveness of such a hunt.


    When the Zurds and the guy were already twenty meters apart, there were only five of them left, but even despite this, Rey did not retreat and the reason became clear pretty quickly. Zurd, who was the very first to run, instantly stopped, strung on a dozen green spikes that grew from under his feet. They pierced not only the creature''s legs, but also, due to its short stature, the lower part of its belly, thus effectively guaranteeing a quick death.


    The rest of the animals did not pay much attention to the fate of their comrade, continuing to rush forward, because of which a similar fate befell another of them.


    "Fine."


    Hiding his bow, Rei drew his daggers, as the remaining three, as if having completely lost the instinct of self-preservation, still continued to run towards him.


    Step forward and the blade of the dagger enters the throat of the first of the zurds up to the hilt. The other two had already begun to strike, but they only hit the air, which still had a green glow from the used Retreat.


    Decapitating another of them with a swift blow, Rei raised the weapon in front of him, looking into the small eyes of the last beast that stood before him hesitantly.


    "It would be more difficult if the system didn''t consider them animals."


    Thinking about this, Rei began to slowly walk around the zurd, leaving a tree behind him, which was supposed to prevent the prey from escaping. Suddenly, the Zurd really decided not to fight and, growling something through his clenched fangs, rushed to the side.


    This move was pretty predictable. Already about to rush after him, Rei stopped for a moment and, throwing a dagger in his hand, launched it into the back of the fleeing beast. Even though this weapon was not throwable, it was perfectly balanced in its manufacture.


    Piercing through the spine, the dagger caused the Zurd to fall. Ray did not torment him for a long time, quickly finishing off.

 Chapter 35

    Watching the sun rise, Rei rubbed the bloodstains left on his armor with a compressed piece of snow. Let the body of the players, as well as the inhabitants of this world, and could not get dirty, but it did not concern the clothes. Somehow, he got to his feet and looked around.


    Nine corpses of Zurds still lay nearby, more than eight dozen of them died that night. Only seventy souls remained inside Ray now, the rest was spent on recuperation and treatment of minor bruises. As it turned out, the claws of these creatures could not penetrate the Gilfar armor, but the blows were still quite strong, although the Zurds managed to get to the guy only four times, and even then only because at some point, he decided to pay more attention to the neighbor battle.


    As a result, Dagger Mastery has grown to the third level, unlocking the Cleave skill. He had already managed to test it, literally cutting the body of one of the creatures in half, which even impressed him a little. However, it was precisely because of this that he had to scrub the armor from a large amount of blood that had fallen on it.


    The ability recharged for only forty seconds, but in battles with Zurds, it was not really necessary to use it. These creatures were already quite fragile due to the ability of the hunter, which increased the damage incoming on them, and getting used to their movements a little, Rey even took off his hood, which, although it was not too thick, but due to the strong material, could still protect your head.


    Now the guy was standing in front of a small tree, holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Taking a step to the side, he looked at the notch inscribed on another tree. These two trees, as thick as a grown man''s thigh, were two meters apart.


    Moving away from them forty meters, Rey stood up so that they were on the same line. Pulling his bow, he aimed a little to the right of the first tree. If he had fired, the arrow would have passed a couple of centimeters from the barrel, but the guy did not care. Memorizing the position of his hands, he turned his full attention to the arrow and slowly lowered the string.


    Leaving behind the green light of the Enhanced Shot, the projectile covered forty meters in an instant, but when it flew near the first tree, the same green light flashed to its right, forcing it to deviate.


    "HM. Still difficult¡­¡±


    Walking up to the trees, Ray realized that the arrow had not hit the notch, it lacked almost ten centimeters. The trajectory correction was very difficult to perform, because it had to be used at the moment when the arrow was in the air, which would be almost impossible for the reflexes of an ordinary person.


    For a forestry, changing the direction of a normal shot was not difficult, so Rei only practiced with a shot whose speed was increased by a skill, trying to perfect the adjustment to the limit.


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    Having pulled out an arrow from the tree, which almost half entered it, the guy sadly noticed that there was no tip on it - it remained in the barrel. Sighing, he threw it away and pulled out a new one.


    The skill cooldown took three minutes, so Ray had time to think.


    ¡°Definitely worth staying here and completely killing the Zurds. Who knows how the situation will turn out later, maybe I will have a hard time, and this supply of souls may be the key to survival.


    "Plus, they''re just great for leveling specializations."


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s worth destroying squads of up to ten individuals only in close combat?¡±


    Turning the arrow in his hands, the guy looked into his inner space. Most of all, he was interested in the soul of a person, which contrasted strongly with the rest, because the only one was completely green. Even after she became like this, Rei didn''t notice any changes in the human body other than the color of her hair and eyes. And if there was growth, it was very scanty.


    ¡°Well, the fact that the Many-Faced grows along with it makes this soul very useful.¡±


    ¡°Don''t waste your souls on her just yet. The current amount of internal space is more than enough for me. These saved souls will be able to help me in a difficult situation, and even if they are not needed, I can still feed them to her at any time. - Thinking about this, Ray turned his gaze to another soul, which he had already forgotten about. The little gray soul of the snake was still a little fuzzy. Rei didn''t know the reason for this, but he didn''t forget about the hole in which he found the egg and the strange black smoke that escaped from it as it broke.


    All this time, he could not feel safe because of the strange animals living in this part of the forest, but next to the Zurds, the sense of danger was not so acute. These creatures could only push with numbers, but were too stupid to move silently, so Rei was sure he could spot them before they got close.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s so fuzzy because the animal had not yet been born when I killed it?¡±


    Rey didn''t like this feeling of incompleteness a bit, so after breaking one of the Zurds'' souls, he directed its energy towards the Sun Eater''s soul.


    It was difficult to predict the result, perhaps this amount of energy would have been enough for this soul, but after a moment, the guy realized that this was not enough. The image of the serpent did indeed become less smoky, but nothing more.


    Frowning, Rei broke two more souls, but the result was repeated. Three, six... Only on the ninth soul did the image of the serpent become clear enough to match the rest of the souls.


    "Voracious snake, despite the size." - Thinking about it, Ray took off his armor and in a moment the black body of the snake, which became larger, fell on the snow. Feel more.


    The length, now reaching one and a half meters and the thickness not inferior to the hand of a child, surprised the guy very much.


    ¡°Not bad, but still no poison. Only ruined such an inconspicuous body." - again turning into a forest man, he mentally scolded himself for his haste, because it was possible to pour in souls gradually.


    ¡°Although¡­¡± - after thinking for a while, Rei became a snake again and with perfect swift movements rushed towards the burrows of the Zurds, who should now be sleeping.


    Approaching one of the holes in the ground, he carefully examined everything and was able to notice small accumulations of heat far ahead.


    "Sight is really much better than that of a snow kite."


    After some thought, Ray decided not to crawl any deeper. Even if he could kill several of them in his sleep, he would lose a great opportunity to practice combat in doing so.


    Having got to the surface, he decided to hunt other animals, since now he knew exactly when the Zurds wake up.

 Chapter 36

    Evening was approaching, but this time Ray did not hide. He stood sixty meters from one of the zurd burrows located in the outer part of the general perimeter.


    He already had a bow in his hand, but this time a short one, and a dozen arrows were stuck under his feet. Hearing the sound of a pebble rolling, Rei took one of them and placed it on the bow. As soon as the Zurd''s head appeared from the mouth of the hole, an arrow silently entered it, which caused his body to fall powerlessly back into the passage.


    There was a screech of creatures on which the body of their unfortunate comrade fell, and the guy calmly took out another arrow from the Inventory, taking advantage of a short pause.


    Like clockwork, another Zurd crawled out of the hole, receiving another arrow, like the previous one, but this time its carcass simply fell forward under the pressure of the creatures following it.


    This time, Rei picked up an arrow from the ground and fired almost aimlessly. From such a distance, he could not miss, especially at the gradually increasing crowd. When there were no arrows left in front of him, the zurds were already quite close, therefore, the guy, having hidden the bow, began to run away, listening to the loud squeal of the animals falling into the set Traps.


    He started this to test how the creatures from other holes would react to the killing of neighbors and he was not lucky. It seems that the herd instinct of these animals was the strongest, because now a crowd of several hundred Zurds was rushing after him, and for some reason they didn¡¯t care that there was only one Rei there.


    Mentally scolding them for their stupidity, the guy disappeared without much effort, but was not going to retreat completely. Observing the actions of the Zurds, he noticed that they, as before, divided into detachments and went to the forest. Ray, now almost not feeling any danger from them, took out his daggers and slowly followed one of the groups.


    ***


    Sitting on a small fallen tree, Rei watched his inner space. Now before his eyes was the result of a four-day genocide of Zurds - more than four hundred souls.


    Thanks to this hunt, each of the specializations has leveled up, as a result of which three new skills have been opened.


    For Dagger Mastery, it was a doubling of the weapon''s penetrating power, after which it became a little uninteresting to kill Zurds, because he almost ceased to feel the resistance from their flesh.


    The archer gave out a skill that is useless in the current realities - Increase the firing range (3x), which, summing up with the previous one, now increased the maximum range of the arrow by four and a half times. At the moment, Rey could more or less accurately hit targets at a distance of up to 250 meters, but in such a dense forest it was not necessary, so although in the future the skill could come in handy, but so far it was not needed.


    The most interesting skill he gained was from leveling up the Hunter. Right now, a Zurd was sitting in front of Ray. The most surprising thing is that he did not even think of attacking the guy, and the dark light in his eyes has now been replaced by green.


    "If this is true forever, then the ability is simply amazing."


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    Submission, that''s what the new skill was called and, as the name said, it allowed you to subordinate the animal to your will. True, this could only be done with one animal. As long as he already had one, the skill simply refused to work.


    As the experiment confirmed, in order for the animal to obey, it was necessary to defeat it. The Zurd sitting in front of him suffered a lot of beatings before the color of his eyes changed under the effect of the skill. And now Rey was checking how long it lasted and until the control was gone for six hours.


    Giving his new pet a mental command to get up, the guy watched as he jumped to his feet with a gentle moo.


    "It''s so strange when such an ugly creature behaves obediently."


    Hunting the Zurds did not bore him at all, although they no longer posed any particular danger to Ray. The thing was, as long as he got stronger, he didn''t care who he killed. In addition, he came up with new ways to do it. And one such way came to his mind right now.


    "Go and bring some of your brethren here." - giving the zurd a mental order, he began to watch how he ran to the holes.


    Ray also took out his bow, preparing to start shooting the creatures that came out. He wasn''t sure if his pet would be able to lure anyone out, but he decided to prepare anyway.


    To his surprise, after ten seconds, zurds began to jump out of the hole one by one, not paying attention to the daytime. Mentally praising his temporary comrade, he fired at the nearest of them. The arrow without any problems entered the eye of the animal, depriving him of his life.


    This was another plus for the increased firing range. Now, at close range, he didn''t have to worry about what angle to hold the bow at. The arrow almost did not decrease during the flight, moving strictly in a straight line.


    ¡°It''s not that important, but it''s still nice. I spend less time aiming."


    After releasing the fifth arrow, Rei noticed that the zurds had stopped appearing. He did not know how his little animal had made such a quantity come out, but he was very pleased with it. Deciding to feed his pet later, the guy continued to shoot the creatures that tried to get close to him.


    Over time, he realized that this should be enough, and when only a dozen of them remained on the surface, Rey hid the bow, replacing it with daggers.


    ***


    Walking up to the last corpse, Rey pulled out the dagger he had just thrown from it and pointed at the carcass with his finger.


    "Status" - moving a little away from the holes, the guy watched how his pet ate the corpse of his fellow without much hesitation.


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 3] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Snow Serpent, Gsarkh, Pharos Forest Native, Sun Eater...)


    [Soul Master Level 5]


    ???


    SPECIALIZATIONS:


    [Hunter Level 5]


    (Detect Animals, Trap, Increased Damage to Animals(3x), Dominate)


    [Dagger Mastery Level 4]


    (Retreat, Cleave, Penetration(2x))


    [Archer Lv 5]


    (Firing range increase (4.5x), Power shot,


    Trajectory correction,)


    [Throwing: Daggers Lv. 1]


    Noticing two changes at once, Rey was very happy, because one of them concerned his racial ability.


    "Now all that''s left is to figure out what''s changed."


    Continuing to watch the zurd, which was eating the leg of one of the dead, the guy plunged into his inner space. So half an hour passed, but Rei did not notice anything. In fact, he had no idea what could have changed. The situation was familiar to him, so the guy decided not to worry too much about it.


    Glancing at his new specialization, Rey began pulling out of his backpack all the daggers he had, of which, if you don''t count Arvus'' Gilfar Blades, there were only seventeen. Almost all were of different lengths, but the guy did not care. After sorting them out, he placed the daggers in his Inventory so that he could easily draw them.


    Having given a new order to his manual zurd, he, having taken out two daggers, went after him. Ray''s experience in throwing weapons was negligible. The guy was not sure that despite the excellent balance of the daggers, he would be able to accurately hit them even from ten meters away.


    Approaching the hole almost close, he waited for the first zurd to appear and threw a weapon at his head. It hit the horn and bounced helplessly, leaving a large notch on it.


    Cursing, Rey waited until the zurd was fully out and threw the second dagger, but this time into the creature''s chest.

 Chapter 37

    After killing most of the Zurds remaining in their burrows over the next two days, Rey was only able to increase his Dagger Throwing level, gaining the Recall ability, which allows him to return a thrown weapon to his hand once every twenty seconds. The guy knew that he didn¡¯t kill everyone, but the remaining few dozen didn¡¯t come out even at night, he didn¡¯t want to go down into narrow passages where it would be inconvenient for him to fight, so he just continued moving north.


    Right now, the guy was moving cautiously through the thorny thickets, but even if the armor saved him from scratches, the noise he made made it impossible for him to hunt properly. But Ray was not afraid to become someone''s prey , because fifty meters in front of him was his faithful ally - that same Zurd pet. It was foolish to compare the noise that the guy made, carefully making his way through the thickets and the loud moans emitted by the animal, into the skin of which sharp spikes mercilessly dug. The guy did not even think of forcing him to be silent, because now this poor fellow has taken on the proud role of a scout, with which, until now, he has coped just wonderfully.


    In such a simple way, after an hour, they finally left the zone of dense vegetation, but Rei did not allow the Zurd to approach him. He literally bled, attracting all predatory living creatures within a radius of a kilometer. And now, having lost sight of him for a few seconds, the guy was forced to stop, because the groans of his pet stopped.


    Instantly ducking to the ground, Rei slowly began to walk around the place where he had last heard the zurda.


    In less than half a minute, he could already see the reason why his pet was no longer whining. And she turned out to be a panther, which was about one and a half times larger than an earthly horse. Maybe even a little more.


    The animal pressed the head of the zurd to the ground with one paw, and the second, as if stroking, slowly tore its back with its claws. Ray did not care about the fate of the Zurd, because now he involuntarily stared at the beast. The tight tie of muscles showed through even through the thick blue-black fur, which meant that the cat tried very hard not to kill the Zurd, because one careless movement could turn his head into minced meat. The panther also had a forked bone tip at the tip of its tail, which resembled a spear, although Rei had no doubt that this tail was much more dangerous than any spear.


    Carefully observing what was happening, the guy took out a long bow and one of the arrows poisoned with a strong poison from the Inventory. As he carefully placed it on the bow, Rey noticed the panther''s ears twitch and it turned its glowing blue eyes towards him.


    The boy''s heart skipped a beat as he was sure he didn''t make a sound. Giving him an appraising look, the cat snorted and continued to play with the zurd. Ray couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He did not care at all about the contemptuous attitude of the panther, because she had a right to it. The guy''s only hope was poison, and if it didn''t work, he would have to run, most likely flying away from here. Almost seventy meters separated them, but Rei was sure they meant nothing to this predator.


    During the entire journey, he experienced the same pressure only in front of a huge spider, but if the guy did not even think to fight against that monster, then the panther standing in front of him was different. She suppressed not only by force, but also by the imperious aura of the king of these places, who did not need to be afraid of anyone in the area.


    Stretching the bow to its limit, Rey made the bowstring crackle a little before releasing an arrow shrouded in a green glow. She flew seventy meters in an instant, hitting the right hind leg of the beast.


    "So weak?"


    When fired at a tree, an arrow launched with such force and from such a distance could enter it to the very plumage. As for the panther, the arrow was able to penetrate into its skin just enough to hide half the arrowhead.


    Rey didn''t wait any longer, the bow vanished from his hands at the same moment as the silence of the forest was torn by a roar like thunder. With a last glance at the panther that turned towards him, the guy ran, regretting that he had not made a container with pure snake venom, because the solution with a concentration of one to six did not seem to excite this beast too much.


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    Diving head first between several trees growing nearby, the guy turned into a snow kite. Of all the bodies he had, it was in this one that he had the least replacement.


    At the same moment as he slipped out of the armor, Rey heard the strongest blow and the crack of wood. The guy already understood what had just happened, so he continued to rush at full speed towards the most dense cluster of trees. He clearly heard the cat rushing after him, now and then making the trees tremble, which she touched with her huge body. Ray ran away for only five seconds, but realized that he was losing in speed, so frantically he began to look for a way to survive.


    Transforming into a tildas was not an option, since he had no doubt that the panther could jump several meters high, and he needed time to take off.


    At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his salvation and, rounding another tree, heard how it shuddered from the next blow of an angry cat. Diving into a fallen tree trunk clogged with snow, the inside of which had rotted away, creating an empty space inside, Rey immediately turned into a Sun Eater and twisted into a small ball, not daring to make a sound.


    The guy clearly saw how the huge body of the panther, radiating an enormous amount of heat, passed next to the trunk.


    "Lucky..."


    He really was lucky that the cat crashed into the last tree, otherwise she would not have been able to miss the moment when he crawled into the trunk of the tree. Ray watched from the corner of his eye as the panther moved ten meters away from the tree and fell to the ground, howling plaintively.


    ¡°It¡¯s still worth raising the concentration of the poison. It was too close."


    The guy did not immediately leave his shelter, only when he was finally convinced that the panther was not moving, he carefully climbed out from the back of it, not wanting to miss such a strong soul.


    But, to his surprise, the cat was not yet dead. She immediately turned her head towards the snake that had just appeared, uttering a dull roar, but not being able to move the body, through which the poison quickly spread due to the chase. Pulling out his bow, Rey placed another poisoned arrow on it and activated the Power Shot that had rolled back to that point. The arrow broke off and flew towards the beast, but a moment before it hit, with a flash of green light, it deviated and disappeared far into the forest.


    "You have to try first."


    Hiding the bow, Rey opened the Status and made sure that the zurd they had previously subordinated had died. Taking out a set of armor from the Inventory, he quickly put it on. The guy wasn''t sure if the atanit armor could block this panther''s attack, but it was better than nothing. He would have remained in the form of a nimble snake, but the skills, and therefore Submission, could only be used in the form of a person and a forest.


    Coming to the cat at a distance of three meters, Ray looked into her eyes blazing with a blue flame of rage. Even though the beast was now on its last legs, it never ceased to inspire awe.


    The panther''s breath became weaker and weaker, after a moment''s hesitation, Rey broke one of the souls of the Zurds and a stream of energy escaped from his chest and headed towards the cat.


    The fact that now he can do this, the guy found out only yesterday, when he was able to attract the soul of a dead Zurd from a distance of twenty meters. A small experiment confirmed his hunch that the opposite is also possible - he can pull out his own souls and move them outside the body, the same is true for energy.


    And now, having got into the body of the panther, the energy returned a little sparkle to her eyes, prolonging the life of the cat. At the same time, Rei used Subjugation on her and watched as the blue fire in her eyes turned green. When the process was completed, the guy checked the Status, making sure that the panther now belongs to him.


    After that, he broke a dozen souls of Zurds and gradually began to direct their energy to the body of his new pet, which, feeling a surge of strength, began to growl contentedly. In the end, after only sixty souls, the panther finally rose to its feet. And to look at her head, Ray had to raise his own. At that moment, the panther, bending its front paws, touched the guy''s chest with his forehead, involuntarily pushing him away.


    Rei liked the gesture very much, so he, in turn, also stroked the beast on the head, causing it to drop its ears in satisfaction. The wool was very soft and pleasant to the touch, so after spending a few minutes on the first acquaintance with his new friend, the guy finally let him go. Now, only in the very back of his mind, he noted the fact that a few minutes ago, in the deepest fear, he fled from this predator.


    As Ray learned in the process, it was a male, but this fact did not bother him much. Returning a little back and taking the gilfar armor that he left behind in the process of escaping, the guy continued to move north, now and then stroking the panther''s hard, like steel, side.

 Chapter 38

    With difficulty breaking the web that engulfed him, the monster roared, announcing his offender that revenge was not far off. But there was no need for this. The hunter watched the tree monster, whose height reached six meters, and silently pulled a thick green mask over his face.


    The huge treant he had lured into the web trap roared with all his might without hesitation. He had no need to be afraid to draw enemies to him, for he was the lord of this part of the forest, hunting for a small fly that dared to interrupt his rest. He didn''t know fear.


    Walking clumsily between two trees, strung several dozen leaves on its body covered with numerous irregularities, the tree-tree heard a roar somewhere ahead. Recognizing in this sound something only he understood, he roared in response and followed the enemy, who seemed not to be shown.


    At this moment, the hunter, having taken out a pair of long daggers, stepped out from behind a tree located behind the back of the monster. Moving forward, he did not disturb a single leaf lying on the ground. His quiet and swift steps allowed him to reach the monster''s back in a matter of moments.


    The growl came again, but this time, much closer. Anticipating the imminent battle, the Treant took a step forward. At the same moment, the hunter, pushing off from his other leg, landed on the back of the monster and, without waiting for his reaction, plunged a dagger into it.


    Only after receiving the first ten blows that partially opened his back, the village roared and began to tremble violently, releasing poisonous spores from his back. The hunter expected this, so he immediately closed his eyes and held his breath, continuing to strike and deepen the hole in his back.


    The monster would not allow him to do such things with impunity. His long arms changed shape and reached for his back, but at the same moment, a huge black cat flew out from behind a nearby tree. With all her speed, she slammed into the body of the ancient and dug her claws into his head, leaving deep furrows with each movement.


    The monster roared even louder, releasing a huge cloud of poisonous spores around it. At the same moment, two shadows jumped away from him in different directions. One of them was a huge panther, waiting for the order of his master, and the second was a hunter, holding a longbow in his hands, on which an arrow glowing with green light was cocked.


    His feet touched the ground softly, creating a small cloud of dust that stirred at the speed of the arrow just fired from the bow. Without the slightest deviation, she flew into the cleft he had previously created in the back of the Treant, causing him to let out the most piercing roar in his entire long life. He was filled not with anger and thirst for battle, but with the pain that the ancient monster felt because of the arrow that pierced his core.


    Realizing that he was dying, the monster decided to take his offenders with him. Putting all the remaining essence of the forest in it into the last attack, the treant threw out a huge number of long spikes in all directions.


    Panther, noticing this attack, only snorted and, waving her paw, beat off a one and a half meter spike flying into her face, while the rest only powerlessly flew off from her muscles tense to the limit, leaving shallow wounds in the places of impact.


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    The hunter''s body glowed green as his movements became three times faster. Drawing his daggers, he shifted a little to the side with two blows, repelling the spikes flying into this part of the space, remaining untouched. After that, with another green flash, he was a step away from the fallen ancient and with a shining dagger cut his head almost in half.


    This attack could not kill the already dead Treant, it was a way to vent a piece of anger, a dead cold squeezing his heart. Inflicting another blow, the hunter took out daggers from the head of the ancient, tearing out several branches in the process.


    At that moment, a panther approached him from behind, gently poking his back with its muzzle. Turning around, the hunter looked into the green eyes of his comrade and, stroking his head, took the huge core that was in his mouth, which at the same moment dissipated in his hands.


    - Let''s go, Cess. ¨C a slightly rough, uncertain voice came from under the lowered green mask.


    The cat rubbed its huge head against the owner''s shoulder and followed him, like hundreds of times before.


    ***


    Four people were seated in a huge hall. Three men and a woman. Rich clothes and a bodyguard standing behind each gave them out as people of a far from simple position in society.


    - There is nothing to talk about, we have already attacked. You just need to finish what you started. - a gray-haired old man, with a sharp look, which was saturated with excessive authority, turned to his colleagues.


    We didn''t attack, you did. It''s only your fault and no one else''s. The response of the beautiful woman with long black hair styled in an intricate hairstyle on top of her head was as arrogant as the man''s.


    - You shouldn''t say that, First, we all serve the same country, which means that the problems of the two of us are common problems. - followed by a reciprocal attack from a man sitting next to a gray-haired man, in whose posture military training was read. And there was nothing strange in this, because this man was the Second Minister, and concurrently - the leader of the royal guard.


    - Bullshit. Why does the whole country have to suffer because of the desires of two smug bastards!? - answering, the woman cast an inquiring glance at the fat man sitting next to her - the Third Minister.


    - I agree with the opinion of the First. This war will only bring us losses and sacrifices. This forest is not worth it. - Answering, slightly stammering due to the huge amount of fat, in a voice, the Third Minister breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.


    - It would be strange to hear a different answer from the merchant. - Throwing a contemptuous remark towards the fat man, the old man fell silent.


    There was a moment''s silence in the room, which was interrupted by the First Minister:


    - In any case, we are not going to support you. For all the consequences you will personally answer with your head. Today''s Council meeting is over. Having said these words, she rose from her chair. The knight standing next to her bowed and let the woman go forward, as if a shadow followed her.


    The Third Minister left the hall next, but not without the help of his bodyguard.


    The Second and Fourth Ministers who remained here looked at each other and remained in their places.


    - It was predictable, but you can''t leave everything like that. The Faroese have a new ruler, if they attack, then only now. Fourth''s voice became calm, as if he was talking to an old friend.


    - You''re right, but the two of us can''t convince that old fart to mobilize the entire army.


    - Tsk. If not for this whore... Why does the king listen to her so much?


    Silence reigned, interrupted by the voice of the Second Minister:


    - If the Third is not so important, then you can''t remove Lifina. She is loved not only by the king, but also by the people. Yes, and she treats this country the same way, not wanting to make sacrifices for her future ascension, continuing to look at everything through her fingers.


    At that moment, an evil twinkle lit up in the eyes of the Fourth Minister.


    ¡°There is something she values more than this country¡­¡±


    Glancing at his colleague with understanding, the Second nodded:


    - So be it. Although I''m a little disgusted, we have no other options.


    *End of Volume One*

 Chapter 39

    A grey-armoured forest trooper and a huge black panther hid among the dense undergrowth, three hundred meters from one of the largest trees in this forest.


    - Go, Cess. A soft voice reached the cat''s ears, causing it to turn its head and look at its owner. In the eyes of the panther there was misunderstanding, as, indeed, always ...


    Mentally repeating the order, Rei watched as the only friend who had accompanied him all this time began to slowly approach the huge tree, taking up his position.


    "Why don''t you understand me?" - for the umpteenth time this thought flashed through Ray''s head, but the cat still reacted only to his mental commands.


    Taking out a longbow from the Inventory, he put an arrow on it and waited.


    So half an hour passed and the silhouette of an animal finally appeared in the sky, for the sake of which the guy had been hanging out here for the fourth day, studying the habits of a bird.


    The leaves on the huge tree were fluttered by the gusts of wind generated by a pair of wings that spanned fifteen meters. The hawk gradually descended, approaching the top of the tree - the place of his stop in this forest. Just as he was about to land, a green flash appeared at the edge of his field of vision. The sharp eyesight of a hawk gave him the ability to easily see an arrow flying at him.


    One wave of huge wings and he leaves the trajectory of the approaching attack. But at the same moment, the bird''s eyes widened as with a flash of green light, the arrow turned in the air, flying straight towards him again. Having covered its head with its wing, the hawk no longer saw how, with another flash of light, several dozen appeared in the place of a single arrow.


    Letting out a painful cry, the hawk began to fall, because its wing could not move due to the huge number of translucent green arrows that pierced it. With a loud crack, the branches broke under the weight of the bird. This went on until her huge carcass hit the ground with a thud.


    Trying to get up, the hawk realized that one of its legs was broken. He turned his head in the direction from which the arrow came and screamed with hatred. At the same moment, the bird felt pain at the base of the other wing. Lowering his head, the hawk realized that it was the black cat that attacked him from the side.


    Dodging the bird''s beak, Cess moved away from her, waiting for the appearance of his master, who, as far as the cat felt, was already not far away.


    A few seconds later, an arrow flew out of the thicket, fifty meters from the place where the hawk fell, piercing the eye of the raging bird, thereby causing another heart-rending cry.


    The arrows continued to fly until the archer himself appeared. After the fifth shot, noticing that the bird wasn''t dying anyway, Rey stopped. Calling Cess to him, he lowered his bow and waited.


    Only a few tens of seconds later, he raised it again, shooting another arrow, but this time it left a blurry green trail behind it. Without a miss, the arrow hit the beast''s eye, sinking completely into it. After a moment, the hawk fell silent.


    The soul that came out of his body was completely white, which made the guy quite snort.


    - Well done, Cess. Would you like to taste this bird?


    Ray constantly talked to his pet, although he realized that he did not understand him. He did it just to talk to someone. And this panther was his only friend, who saved him many times, which even earned his own name.


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    At the time when the guy went to the forest, he would never have thought that in addition to predatory creatures, here he would have another strong enemy ...


    After taking the bird''s soul, Rey took off his armor. He, unlike the others, intended to leave this soul, because in all the months in the forest he had never met a single one like it.


    The feathers of the hawk were pale yellow, the sharp beak reached almost a meter in length, and no less dangerous claws could tear even the skin of Cess.


    Once in his new body, Rey flapped his wings. The sensations were completely different than in the body of the tildas, which he had used until now. Even though the bird had only two wings, but because of its size, it was many times faster than the rest.


    Stroke after stroke, the huge hawk rose up until it reached a height of several kilometers. Aligning his position, Rey spread his wings to the sides, surrendering to the wind. From here he could clearly see the vast plain that began beyond the forest. The guy reached it a month ago, when summer began. But I decided not to go there, because there were almost no living creatures there. The forest also became almost safe closer to the outskirts, but the creatures living in its depths could terrify even the most courageous hunters. It was hard to count how many times Ray had to run away headlong, relying on the support of his pet.


    What was the case when he wandered into a thicket with living plants or when he found the habitat of strange four-legged stone creatures, whose skin he could not even break through.


    The forest was filled with danger wherever you looked, but the skill and strength gained during the days spent here gave Ray the opportunity to decide his own future. There was only one problem that made him rise into the air from time to time and look at this plain. The problem, which over time only became more acute, squeezing the guy''s heart with more and more force. Her name was loneliness.


    The sun brightly illuminated the endless green expanse, reflected by the glare from the shining feathers of the hawk. Taking a last look at the horizon, Rei was about to begin his descent when he spotted a small black dot moving among the green sea of grass.


    Flapping its wings, the hawk lowered its height and moved towards something new. Only after a minute of flight, the point turned into a spot, and then, in turn, into a large cavalry detachment.


    Tens of kilometers separated them, but the hawk''s gaze was sharp and allowed Ray to clearly see this group, consisting of a hundred riders. Without getting any closer, he turned around and flew back, because Cess was still waiting for him.


    Noisily falling to the ground, Rey immediately turned and began to put on his armor, which managed to pretty worn out in countless battles.


    Putting on his boot, he turned to the panther with satisfaction:


    Are you ready, my friend? Soon we will leave this forest.


    Interrupted by tearing the carcass of a hawk, Cess looked at his master and, growling something in displeasure, turned to the carcass, tearing out another piece of meat from it.


    Ray knew that his friend really didn''t like to be interrupted from eating, so he dressed and silently waited for him to finish. At that moment, he remembered that he never looked up the name of the new soul.


    "Status"


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 3] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Pharos Forest Native, Sun Eater, Desert Hawk...)


    [Soul Master Level 5]


    [???]


    SPECIALIZATIONS:


    [Hunter Lv 7]


    (Detect Animals, Trap, Increased Damage to Animals(3x), Dominate(Devil Panther), Hunter''s Mark, Vanish)


    [Dagger Mastery Level 5]


    (Retreat, Cleave, Penetration(2x), Haste)


    [Archer Lv6]


    (Firing range increase (4.5x), Power shot,


    Trajectory correction, Downpour)


    [Throwing: Daggers Lv. 4]


    (Return, Throw Range Up(2x), Shot)


    [Rider Level 2]


    (Relentlessness(3x))


    [Trickster Level 3]


    (Powered Jump (2x), Dash)


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why he has such a color. He flew here from the desert." - when this thought flashed through Ray''s head, he realized that he had stopped hearing the chomping sounds coming from the side of the hawk''s body.


    Turning his head, he noticed that the panther was already walking towards him, licking its muzzle, and having come close, Cess lay down on the ground.


    After testing the makeshift reins he had made from forest armor and existing ropes, Rey climbed onto the cat''s back.


    - "Don''t be too hasty." - after giving a mental order after this, the guy squeezed the panther''s torso with his legs, because he could only ride it in this way, and if Cess picked up speed, then he basically could not stay on it. This could be solved by adding ropes to his body, but Rei did not want to limit the mobility of his pet, besides, he had no idea how to place them correctly so that the powerful muscles of the panther would simply break the ropes with the first movement.

 Chapter 40

    Four hours later, the gradually thinning forest ended, revealing to Ray, sitting at a relatively high altitude, a picture of an endless plain. The wind created huge waves on a continuous surface of grass, and the guy watching this took a deep breath, enjoying the air, devoid of the smell of the forest that bothered him. Although he, too, was pleasant in his own way.


    - Can you hear them already? he turned to the panther, both mentally and aloud.


    Without any hesitation, Cess turned his head in the right direction - it was there, according to Rey, that a detachment of horsemen should have been located by this time.


    Stroking the cat''s head, he gave the order to move.


    If in the forest Cess could run at incredible speed, then it was not worth talking about the plain. The guy every now and then had to force him to slow down, because the panther, which felt free space, could not calm down.


    In less than an hour he was able to see them clearly.


    "People."


    Vision did not fail Ray, despite the distance of more than five kilometers. A huge crowd of warriors dressed in a variety of armor, on horseback, moved towards him. Most of all, a girl stood out among them, moving in the front row and not only in appearance, but for the most part in the fact that she was riding a hefty tiger.


    Stroking the panther''s back, Ray moved towards them. He didn''t worry about being attacked, because he was confident in his ability to get away from the riders.


    Not knowing what to do, he raised his hand, waving at the gradually slowing squad. He noticed how a warrior riding next to the girl turned and said something to her, after which three horsemen separated from the group and followed to Ray.


    Approaching at a distance of ten meters, they loudly asked something, but, unfortunately, the guy did not know their language.


    - I do not understand. Having said this, he took off the hood that protected him from the head wind while riding and pointed to his hand, which had claws on it.


    One of the warriors, having said something to two companions, went to the others, so that in a minute he would return with a girl who was riding a tiger. Ray could not help but notice her beautiful appearance, which, coupled with very revealing clothes, made a rather strong influence on a guy who had not been with a woman for so long. She had long black hair gathered behind her back, a slender figure and green eyes burning with arrogance and will.


    Forcefully driving away unnecessary thoughts, he was the first to turn to her:


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    - You understand me? - the guy''s voice was restless, because it was the first time in such a long time when he could talk to someone.


    - Yes. I know the language of your people. - the girl spoke confidently and, as Ray could guess, it was she who was the leader of the squad.


    - Who you are? Where are you on your way?


    Glancing at the figure of the guy with an appraising look, which lingered on Cessa for a long time, she nevertheless answered:


    We are mercenaries. We''re heading east. The territory of the forest people is very far from here, so why did you come here?


    ¡°I have nothing to do with the inhabitants of the forest. - Saying these words, Ray looked at the detachment standing behind. - You have a rather diverse company. Can I join?


    Such an unexpected question surprised the girl very much, although she did not give it away. She understood the guy''s request as a desire to infiltrate their ranks, so she was not going to agree, but still asked the question.


    - I think you know that where we are going, a war will soon begin and we will not act on the side of your compatriots in it. So why do you want to come with us?


    A little surprised by this news, Ray tried to make his voice sincere, but it still came out too cold:


    - The fate of the forest people does not bother me. And I want to join to talk.


    - Talk? The girl''s thin eyebrow flew up when she heard such a stupid reason.


    - I spent a long time alone in the forest, - ruffling Cess''s fur, Rey corrected his words, - or not quite. I just need an interlocutor.


    Looking into the strange eyes of the guy, she did not see a lie in them and softened a little. Although, we have to admit, it was not easy for her to see something in the look of the Pharosian - he was too strange. After that, the poisonous green eyes of the girl lowered to the huge panther, which closed its eyes in contentment under the caress of the owner.


    - I do not trust you. You say you''ve been in the woods for a long time, but you don''t even have supplies. And what you say about your people is complete nonsense, not a single person in their right mind will believe you.


    Ray frowned when he heard her.


    ¡°How can I harm you if I just keep company?¡± - he tried to speak calmly, but a sharp, almost icy look still made the girl recoil a little. She noticed her mistake, so she immediately continued:


    - A strange question, considering the beast that obeys you. This panther alone can lay down a third of our detachment, and if we also let her inside the formation ... - Ray could not refute the girl''s logic, so he decided to be completely frank with her:


    - I assure you that if I wanted to, I could kill you all alone, but I''m just looking for an interlocutor.


    The guy¡¯s words were so ridiculous that the girl didn¡¯t even know what to say to him, but when she saw this calm look, in which there was not a shred of doubt, she thought for a moment. She knew that the Pharos were monsters in battle, and the guy standing in front of her, dressed in strange, slightly creepy armor, despite his youth, seemed like an insurmountable mountain. Even if she did not believe his words that he could kill a hundred people alone, but now she looked at him differently.


    At that moment, Rey spoke again.


    - If you are so afraid that I will attack your squad, keep me company yourself. Are you the strongest person here?


    And with these words, he hit the nail on the head, because the girl instantly flared up:


    - Who said that I''m afraid of you!? Yes, my people will tear you to shreds before you even draw a weapon. - Having said this, she turned and, shouting something to the soldiers accompanying her, went to the detachment.


    Ray followed her without saying a word. This short conversation managed to return the light of life to his eyes and he was sure that a mercenary traveling the world should know a lot of interesting things.

 Chapter 41

    Ray rode next to the girl, ignoring the angry whispers of the mercenaries, who were afraid to approach the panther. For the guy''s sensitive hearing, their words were no quieter than ordinary speech, but he did not understand the language, and even now he had a more pleasant interlocutor.


    - How can I contact you?


    The girl didn''t react at all to the question, seeming angry at his last words. Ray did not care, because he was not going to give up.


    - You don''t have to say your name, just be a conversationalist. I can even pay if it''s that hard for you. - he spoke calmly, trying not to anger this quick-tempered person even more, because if among those present only she spoke the language of the forest, then the journey would no longer be so interesting.


    A self-satisfied and slightly evil smile appeared on the girl''s face.


    - How can you pay me? You don''t have anything.


    - I''ll give it to you. ¨C pointed guy behind back, where hung a longbow. In Inventory, he still had one more of the same, but new, unlike this one, which had already worn out. Another one completely broke down in the forest.


    Hearing his words, the girl extended her hand, which after a moment caught the bow.


    - My name is Tessa. And what is your name Pharos? - the girl''s voice was pleased, because getting the bow of the forest people was far from easy. She got it, in fact, for free.


    - You can call me Ray. ¨C answering her, he immediately continued. - How do you know this language?


    - I was taught to fight by one of the representatives of your people, he taught me your dialect.


    - That''s how. Then tell us more about the war you mentioned.


    Looking at the face of her interlocutor, Tessa did not notice any falseness there. In fact, she did not notice any emotions there at all, but she answered anyway:


    - Rondal attacked one of the Faroese cities. This news reached us quite late, but I am sure that we will have time to participate in several battles.


    - Rondal?


    Glancing at Ray once more, either in surprise or disbelief, she continued.


    - A country in the eastern part of the forest. How can you not know about her?


    - I lived in one of the western cities, besides, I was expelled.


    - Oh, and for what?


    - I killed several hunters.


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    Tessa didn''t say anything, but the contempt that flickered in her eyes did not escape Ray. She was familiar with the customs of the people of Pharos, so she did not understand what made this strange guy kill his relatives.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange to see such an attitude on the part of a mercenary. - the guy immediately voiced his observation, without becoming cunning or keeping something in himself.


    - I kill for money, and you should not compare human society with yours. It is right that you were expelled, it is strange that you were not executed.


    - They tried, but not everything is so simple. After answering this, he was silent for a while.


    Rey spoke again only ten seconds later:


    - But you''re right. I''m not like them, that''s why I decided to leave.


    Tessa again did not say anything in response to these words, but mentally slightly raised her opinion of her interlocutor, because of his openness.


    - You came from afar?


    - No, just a week on the road. We were lucky to get news of the attack pretty quickly, so we headed over here right away.


    - I have lived all my life in the forest, could you tell me more about the places that are outside of it? - Ray tried to speak as carefully as possible so as not to arouse unnecessary suspicions in Tessa, but his fears were in vain, the girl, without moving her eyes, began to tell him about the geography of this continent.


    In a few minutes of conversation, he learned that the piece of land itself, which was called Tasan, was not so big. Pharos occupied almost a quarter of its area. Humans were the main race here, but far from the only one. As he learned earlier, in the east of the forest there was a large kingdom of people - Rondal. In addition to it, there was another, but much smaller, it was located in the extreme west of the forest and was called Arn. If these two states considered only people as their citizens, then the giant, called the Free Lands, accepted everyone into its arms. This formation was a countless number of cities and towns, in which, although there were many people, but not always the majority. They were located in the northwestern part of the mainland and the area of these lands was only slightly inferior to Pharos.


    As it turned out, now their detachment was in the very center of the mainland and all the vast space in front of their eyes was called the Great Plain. It separated the Free Lands, Pharos and Rondal, and further east it passed into the desert, which ended in another interesting place on this continent - the Land of the Dead.


    Little was known about this part of the land, since the creatures living there were very hostile towards the guests. The few expeditions that went there either did not return or fled before they got far enough.


    The mainland itself was surrounded by the ocean, the inhabitants of which were even more dangerous. If the ship sailed too far, you could safely forget about it - huge monsters did not even leave a piece of wood from unfortunate ships. Places where you can fish still existed, but there were quite a few of them and the vast majority were in the northern part of the mainland, where there was a huge inflow deepening into the land. Only a few cities in the Freelands had direct access to it, so seafood was a real delicacy.


    Listening to Tessa''s story, the guy thought about the fact that this continent simply could not be the only one, which means that the players did not appear here, because over the past year they should have already known about them. The fact that he got to another piece of land did not bother him much, he was only worried that if he wanted to leave it, he would not have the slightest idea in which direction to move, because navigation here was in decline.


    "Let''s forget about it for now." - having calmed his mind with a single thought, Rey continued to listen to the story, which was really quite interesting.


    Tessa was born in Rondal, where she studied for several years with one of the representatives of the forest people. It was an insanely rare occurrence for woodlanders to leave their home, so she could be said to be lucky, except for what happened after.


    When she was sixteen her father died in the war, her mother followed him a few months later. The girl, left alone, decided to join a detachment of mercenaries, and so, she traveled with them for five years.


    During this time, she traveled all over the mainland, so there really was something to tell her about.

 Chapter 42

    Raising her gaze from under her hood, the girl looked at the white Sovereign Tower. Her eyes could not clearly see the top of this structure, but she had no doubt that the one who called her to him was looking at her from there.


    After spending several tens of minutes climbing the winding stairs, she entered the top floor, leaving behind a huge door made of solid gold.


    - You came, granddaughter. ¨C the old man''s voice was a little tired, but she did not attach any importance to this.


    - Of course, how could I not come, you yourself invited me, grandfather. The girl bowed her head.


    The old man''s eyes scanned her frail figure, dressed in a white cape with a hood, after which he spoke:


    - Let''s take a little walk. I have a conversation for you. Having said this, the old man went up to her and took her by the hand.


    The girl, not daring to utter a word, followed him. When they reached the balcony, the old man, calmly stepping off the edge, stepped straight into the air, pulling her along with him. Slowly, like a lone autumn leaf, they softly reached the surface of the earth. The girl hurriedly pulled a wide hood over her head, which caused bitterness in the old man''s watchful eyes.


    - My girl. Do you love this country?


    Hearing such an unexpected question, the girl did not know what to answer.


    - Grandfather ... - she hesitated and, after falling silent, did not say anything more. She simply continued to stand, lowering her hooded head.


    I haven''t told anyone yet, but my time is running out. ¨C Feeling how his hand was squeezed tighter, Vladyka lowered his gaze to the girl''s face, on which there was sincere concern. ¡°There is not much time left before my body begins to disintegrate from the power within it. So we need to talk about a lot.


    Ellaila was silent, listening to the words of the old man, but tears involuntarily began to gather in the corners of her eyes. The person standing next to her, if one could call him that, was not her own grandfather, and she knew about this from an early age. The girl did not need to talk about it, because it was obvious that she was not his granddaughter, however, just as she was not the daughter of her father ...


    But Vladyka never treated her differently, because she was not his own, he loved her like his own granddaughter, trying to surround her with warmth and care.


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    But Dakstarial was not such a heavenly place that nonhumans could live in it. It was for this reason that she had to wear a hood to hide herself from the contemptuous glances of people and not to see them herself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you anything about how you came into the world, but at the end of my protracted life, I must do it. - the old man''s calm voice reached only the ears of the girl standing in front of him, and no one else.


    ¡°Nineteen years ago, a woman asked to see me. The incident seemed quite ordinary, but it was not. She was in the middle of a pregnancy, less than a week remained before the birth of the child, but the unfortunate woman understood that she herself would not be able to give birth, because such is the nature of your race. - placing his hand on the girl''s head, Vladyka gently stroked her, putting all his care for her into this gesture.


    - She could only choose one life out of two, and I spent a lot of effort to save her.


    - Ellaila, before she died, your mother gave you only two things. The first was your precious life, and the second was your name. Continuing to stroke the girl on the head, Vladyka spoke again. She knew well that she would die if she chose to keep her child, but there was not a shred of doubt in her eyes. That''s why I promised this woman that I would take care of you, but it looks like I''ll have to leave sooner than I thought.


    - D-grandfather. Her voice trembled as tears rolled down her beautiful face.


    - Don''t cry, Ellie. Gently brushing away her tears, the old man spoke again. ¡°From this day forward, you will spend most of your time with me. I have many things to teach you before my time in this world runs out.


    Taking a deep breath, Ellaila suppressed another flash of sadness and asked:


    - What things?


    There was even more sadness in the old man''s eyes as he spoke the following words:


    ¡°The Guardian of Dakstarial must be strong in order to be able to protect the country from any threat, and I have dealt with this for over six thousand years. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he continued. - You will consider my decision wrong, but it will be you who will become my successor.


    Ellaila''s eyes filled with sincere incomprehension when she heard the old man''s words.


    - You have power. It hasn''t fully developed yet, but it''s in your blood. My task is to help you master it and subdue it.


    The girl wanted to ask a lot of questions, but did not dare to interrupt the Lord, continuing to listen patiently.


    ¡°But more importantly, you have a pure heart. I know it was hard for you, but you did it. I understand that you don''t feel attached to these people, but in the end they will accept you. Because it will be my will.


    - I only hope that you will fulfill my last request. It is very painful for me to shoulder this burden on your shoulders, but for so many years of life, the worthless old man has met too few truly worthy ones ... - a flash of pain made him break off in mid-sentence. Ellaila noticed this and immediately rushed to her grandfather.


    - I''m fine, Ellie. I just need to get some rest. Will see you tomorrow. - Having said these words, Vladyka let go of her hand and, trying not to show pain on his face, turned away.


    The girl only managed to take one last look at the figure, which in a few moments soared, starting to climb to the top of the tower.

 Chapter 43

    Rey had been talking to the mercenary for more than an hour now, she mostly spoke, so the guy wasn''t tired at all, which couldn''t be said about Tessa.


    ¡°¡­so we will enter the capital in about a week, but we will arrive in Rondal territory in four days.¡± They, like your people, built a capital near the border of the forest, consider ourselves lucky - we do not have to travel across the country.


    What''s wrong with traveling around the country? Isn''t it more convenient than, for example, on the same plain.


    Hearing his question, Tessa sighed heavily.


    - You''ll see for yourself.


    The answer was none, but Ray understood that she was just tired, therefore, he decided to give the interlocutor some time to rest.


    The silence dragged on for a long half hour, until Ray''s eyes caught on a strange detail - the girl was riding her tiger without any aids. The coat of this cat was a little longer than that of Cess, but not so much that it could be grasped normally. Plus, it didn''t look like Tessa was exerting herself too much, holding on to a beast that was galloping at a fairly high speed. The panther was much larger, so for her, the pace of their movement was only a leisurely trot, but even so, several hours of continuous riding had exhausted Ray very much. He had to sit in an uncomfortable position, besides, he had already broken two large souls in order to restore energy in his legs that were numb from fatigue.


    Without thinking about it anymore, he simply asked the question that interested him:


    "How do you manage to be so dexterous on horseback?"


    At this, the girl just laughed quite sincerely. Allowing himself to give a second of slack, Ray stared. But just for a second.


    ¡°I also wanted to ask you how you haven¡¯t broken your legs yet, but since you¡¯re fine, then forget it. Reassured, she answered anyway. - I used a saddle for almost two years, but then I learned to ride without it.


    ¡°But I can clearly see that you are not doing anything special. Your hips are relaxed, and you almost don''t grab the cat''s fur with your hands. Ray did not notice the impudence of the remark, but Tessa noticed it. True, in a short time of conversation, she was able to quite well understand the character of the guy, so she only flashed her eyes in evil.


    ¡°In time, you will be able to repeat this too, but for now, just take a saddle ... Although we don¡¯t have such big ones. The anger in the girl''s eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by warm sparks when she looked at Cess. The cat just moved its paws measuredly, but did it with the grace inherent in every cat. It was not strange that Tessa stared at the way the boulders of heavy muscles rolled under the velvet of black wool.


    Ray ignored her gaze. But the guy was interested in the words, which almost exactly repeated the phrase of his former teacher, who described one of the skills in the same way.


    "So here''s the thing..." Ray nodded in understanding as he sank into thought.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll have to ride it for two years to get the right skill ... And given that she was almost always on horseback when traveling, then I¡¯ll need to spend even more time.¡±


    Thinking about this, Rey visibly gloomed, but after a moment he completely fell into despondency, because there was another problem that he had noticed while still in the forest.


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    The fact was that with the growth of the number of specializations, the rate of their development fell. What is very significant. This was also reflected in the difficulty of obtaining a new specialization. For example, after Trickster, he couldn''t get any more. Ray understood the reason for this limitation, because players lost a random specialization when they died, and if they were too easy to get, everyone could gain several tens, or even hundreds, thus reducing the likelihood of losing the main one upon death.


    As for increasing the levels of specializations, the last thing he remembered was a little less than a month ago. Of course, it was also their level, because with his growth, the complexity of subsequent development also increased, but even low-level specializations, like the Rider, almost stopped developing, although Rei spent quite a lot of time riding.


    The guy''s face didn''t change at all, but it seemed to Tessa that his eyes were very dull. Thinking that the problem was in the saddle, she, not understanding why, decided to cheer him up:


    ¡°Don''t worry, we have someone in the squad who can fit the saddle to your panther. I''ll ask you to do it tonight.


    Hearing the girl''s words, Rei nodded gratefully in response, noting to himself that she was not as arrogant as he first thought.


    - What''s his name? Tessa pointed her head at the panther.


    ¡ª Cess.


    Hearing the answer, the girl did not say anything, continuing to stare at the torso and face of the cat. At that moment, the tigress she was riding purred in displeasure, turning her head towards her mistress. Noticing this, Tessa ruffled her fur:


    - Sorry. But do you like him too?


    Ray noticed how the tigress snorted in displeasure at the words of the mistress, defiantly turning away.


    "They are somewhat similar." - with this thought, the guy plunged into thoughts about the upcoming war, in which he was undoubtedly going to participate.


    The procession moved at a moderate pace so as not to drive the horses, while time seemed to stop for a while, due to the fact that nothing was happening and even the landscape of a steadily swaying sea of grass could no longer distract Ray. He just broke another soul, feeding his legs and lower back with energy.


    Right now, there were not much more than a hundred large souls in his inner space, which he had reserved especially for such an occasion. Among these souls there were many strong beasts, some even exceeded the size of Cess several times, but he did not perceive them as potential bodies, rather just as food, and there was a very good reason for that¡­


    Ray''s thoughts were interrupted by the cry of a bird. Only a quiet echo reached him, but nevertheless, there was simply nothing to confuse this sound with. He and Cess turned their heads at the same time, looking up at the sky. About two kilometers ahead, a large two-headed condor flew through the air. Or at least something similar to this type of bird.


    A light flashed in the guy''s eyes and he already pulled his hand behind his back, but, finding nothing, turned his head towards Tessa. She also saw the bird, but did not understand what the guy was going to do, so she asked:


    ¡°You can''t hit from that distance, don''t waste your arrows.


    ¡°Those are my arrows, what do you want?¡±


    The girl wrinkled her nose in displeasure at such a cold attitude:


    - And my bow. Why would I give it to such a brute?


    Rey just frowned slightly at her words.


    "I''ll give it to you when I''m dead."


    Muttering something, the girl nevertheless took off her bow from her back and, with a sly smile, handed it to Ray:


    ¡°Just to look at your displeased face when you return empty-handed.


    Ray didn''t answer. Retrieving his bow, he tightened his grip on the rope reins and tightened his grip on his legs. Immediately after that, Cess, crouching a little, rushed forward. Huge paws left shallow ruts in the ground, and the roar that the cat emitted caused several horses to recoil in fright. The mercenaries yelled something at the back of the guy, who in these few seconds had already moved away a hundred meters.


    Tessa watched as the panther gracefully covered a huge distance and stopped, about two hundred meters ahead.


    "What is he doing?"


    She figured Rey would try to catch up with the bird, but he only moved forward a little, barely getting close to her. There were soft chuckles coming from nearby mercenaries. At that moment, the guy raised his bow. Two hundred meters was quite a distance for the human eye, but Tessa could clearly see the cocked arrow glowing green.


    ¡°Oh, he really knows something. An ironic remark was heard from one of the strongest warriors in the squad, who apparently also noticed the glow.


    The guy fired the arrow. The mercenaries could only see the green trail left by her in the air, so everyone turned their gaze to the bird, which, not paying attention to what was happening, calmly flew in the direction it knew alone. The Faroese could only get in by an incredibly happy coincidence, so no one believed in the presumptuous boy.


    The eyes of people practically did not distinguish anything at such a distance, they could barely even make out a bird, not to mention an arrow flying at a speed of hundreds of meters per second.


    But the eyes of the forest saw everything quite clearly, and since the arrow was also shining, Rei could easily understand that it would fly about two meters from the bird, but did not even think that it would return with nothing.


    After adjusting its trajectory a little, Rei carefully followed the bird, whose wings twitched, helping the condor to get out of the line of attack, and he succeeded. There were several tens of meters left to the bird, and it was obvious to Ray that if nothing was done, he would miss. But the guy was completely calm. Choosing the moment, he activated another skill with a mental command.


    "Shower".


    At the same moment, the arrow flashed and next to it, several dozen more of the same, shining with green light, appeared in the air. The fright reflected in the eyes of the bird was the last in her life - one of the arrows pierced her head, instantly killing her.

 Chapter 44

    Tessa, like the rest of the mercenaries, was dumbfounded watching the guy, who, dismounting, sent the panther to pick up the still falling body of the bird.


    - What the hell!? He''s not over twenty! - the girl asked a question to a warrior riding next to her, who, too, with his eyes wide open, was watching what was happening.


    He could not answer anything, because he did not know how this could really be.


    The detachment reached Ray ten seconds later and stopped, waiting for the return of Tsess, who had not yet managed to get to the carcass of a bird that had fallen a few kilometers ahead. Tessa, despite not being able to clearly see what was happening at a distance of several kilometers, still saw a cloud of luminous arrows that appeared out of nowhere. She had only heard that there were master archers who, after decades of intense training, could replicate what the young Faroese before her had done.


    Ray noticed that her gaze had changed, so he immediately decided to ask a question:


    - Something is wrong?


    ¡°Of course not! How the hell did you do that? Even the fact that you were able to shoot such a huge distance is already amazing, but those arrows¡­


    Ray''s face was filled with genuine incomprehension.


    ¡°You yourself told me that if you constantly practice, then in time I will be able to learn to ride without a saddle. It''s the same with onions.


    - I know! - the girl was indignant. "I can shoot too!"


    Ray closely watched the reactions of the others and knew that something was really wrong.


    ¡°Maybe the inhabitants of this world have other skills?¡±


    "Not. Arvus also used Retreat and Haste."


    Ray had no idea what exactly was wrong, so he decided to answer as vaguely as possible:


    - I have a talent.


    ¡ª Yes, what kind of talent should be in order to achieve such results by your age!?


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    The guy mentally thanked Tessa, because she answered exactly as it should, clarifying the situation for him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it means players¡¯ specializations are growing faster.¡±


    "This is bad¡­"


    "Now they might suspect something."


    At that moment, a great idea came to his mind.


    ¡°If you have been taught by one of my people, you may know that sometimes children marked by the Goddess are born among us.


    When Tessa heard those words, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. The girl had already begun to think that she was so useless that a guy around her age was able to reach the level of master archers.


    ¡°So that''s the point.


    She had indeed heard about something like this from her teacher, so without a second thought she believed in Ray''s words, again showing a smug face.


    Not much time passed and Cess dragged a two-meter carcass of a bird, which was immediately loaded onto one of the wagon trains with food.


    Ray, climbing onto his pet''s back, took his place again next to Tessa, who immediately turned to him. The girl was not going to lose such an opportunity, even though the guy was blessed by the Goddess, this does not mean that he was something worse than the same bow masters.


    ¡°Now, you will teach me how to shoot. But don''t you dare think that you are stronger than me because you have a talent.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Rei agreed easily, ¡°but in exchange you will teach me the language of the people.¡±


    - Deal.


    After thinking for a while, Ray asked her:


    "Why is it so important that you be stronger than me?"


    Glancing at the guy, she reluctantly replied:


    ¡°Our team is headed by the strongest.


    ¡°So here¡¯s the thing¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not interested, you can be the leader.¡± Rey said in the same way. He was not going to stay with these people, so why should he become their leader?


    But Tessa wanted to punch him in the face for such an attitude. This guy did not know the measure at all in the conversation, carrying everything that came into his head.


    - Of course, I will remain the leader! Why do you think you can defeat me!?


    Ray looked at Tessa a little coldly, thinking about how to answer. In fact, there was something interesting and unexpectedly pleasant about teasing this smug girl, so he decided to go through with it. His first argument was quite weighty:


    ¡ª Well, for example, I have Cess.


    Hearing his words, the girl clenched her teeth in anger, because this bastard was right.


    ¡°Just because you¡¯re lucky to have such a beast doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re stronger than me.


    ¡°Why not, isn¡¯t luck part of a warrior¡¯s strength?¡± Ray didn''t want to stop. Tessa, on the other hand, continued to boil slowly and, not finding an answer, decided to simply interrupt this stupid argument:


    - Shut up! Or I''ll kick your ass tonight.


    "And if you can''t?" - probably for the first time since the meeting, the girl was clearly able to read the emotion in completely green eyes. And it was such a boundless irony that Tessa had to work hard to try not to gouge out those damn eyes.


    - Have no doubt. You won''t be able to sit on top.


    - Wow. And you''re ready to embarrass me like that in front of everyone? Don''t you feel sorry for someone you just met?


    - If someone suggests himself, he must be prepared for the consequences.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Then why don¡¯t we make a bet?¡±


    These confident words infuriated Tessa even more.


    ¡ª And what is it?


    What would you like to get if you win?


    The girl''s eyes flashed and she looked down at the panther.


    ¡ª I want Cess. If I beat you, then you give it to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big price¡­¡± the guy said thoughtfully.


    Tessa was upset, because she understood that he would not agree to such a stupid condition. But, unexpectedly, the guy spoke again with his usual calmness and his words completely removed her anger, replacing it with sincere euphoria.


    - If you, as you yourself said, "kick my ass", the cat will be yours. ¨C but Ray didn¡¯t finish this, finishing in a slightly angry tone. ¡°But if I win, then your ass will be mine for one night.¡±


    The sensitive hearing of the forest without any problems heard the gnashing of her teeth even through the loud clatter of hooves.


    Tessa was ready to pounce on him right now, tearing him to pieces. The girl was stopped only by Cess, who, as she had no doubt, could finish her off much faster.


    "Damn archer. Just wait, I''ll cut out your filthy tongue tonight." The girl''s thoughts were interrupted by Ray''s next words.


    - You did not answer.


    Trying not to look in the direction of the guy, in order to somehow suppress her choking desire for reprisals, Tessa still found the strength to answer:


    - Deal.

 Chapter 45

    Before sunset, it was not long, and after a couple of hours, the plain plunged into twilight. The detachment stopped, the horses were fed and hobbled, left to spend the night. Carts with food were placed around the parking lot, although in these places there could be nothing more dangerous than field snakes.


    Each member of the squad knew about the bet that had been made and that today their leader would acquire a strong beast that would not weakly strengthen the squad. Even if they saw that the newcomer was a master of the bow, but everyone laughed inwardly, because the mercenaries knew how the battle would be fought.


    Small torches were placed throughout the camp, which were supposed to provide at least some illumination at night. Today it was cloudy, so due to the absence of the moon, the camp was in semi-darkness.


    Everyone, without exception, was now in the center of the camp. Standing in a large circle, they thus created a kind of arena. Rey stood inside, now understanding why everyone was so sure he would lose.


    ¡°It seems that in terms of honor, the people of this world differ little from the real one.¡±


    One of the soldiers stepped forward. And standing next to him, Tessa spoke:


    ¡°According to our rules, before you fight the leader, you must defeat the second strongest warrior. I explained to them that you didn''t call me to take my place, so if you don''t want to fight him, I will make him back down. This is only his initiative, not mine.


    After listening to her words, Rei calmly replied:


    - I do not care. If he so wants to be crippled, so be it. But ... - looking around, he asked a question. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this place is not very suitable for someone who uses a bow. Or am I allowed to go outside the environment?


    - No you can not. If you leave the circle, you lose. Also, if you feel like you can''t continue, just tell me and I''ll stop the fight. - It was clear that the girl was not too proud of this way to win, but one look at Tsess dispelled her doubts.


    - Last question. Don''t you think it''s pretty dangerous for all of you to stand like this, one badly fired arrow and someone dies. ¨C words guy not were threat, he spoke quite quietly.


    Looking around the circle, the diameter of which did not reach twenty meters, Tessa realized that he was right. She did not want to lose people for such a stupid reason, so she already wanted to give the order to disperse, but the next words of the guy stunned her:


    - I just asked. Today I will not use the bow.


    ¡°Moreover, what you gave me can hardly be called an onion.¡±


    - It''s your business. - the girl did not care how Ray behaved. She just wanted to teach him a little lesson and get a cat, which she really liked.


    - Then, let''s get started.


    Noticing Tessa''s nod, the mercenary she said was the second strongest. Attacked the guy without warning. The huge two-handed sword glowed green, signaling Rey that the skill had been activated. But at that moment, only one thing struck him:


    ¡°Is he really that slow!?¡±


    "Maybe we shouldn''t draw a weapon?"


    Thinking like that, he still came to the conclusion that the strengthened body of the forest was really enough for him to win. Leaving the trajectory of the blow without much difficulty, Rey simply moved away from the mercenary dressed in bulky metal armor. There was one more thing that was strange about his opponent. His breastplate left his stomach completely open, which even for Rey, who knew nothing about armor, seemed like complete heresy.


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    ¡°If he had already limited his mobility with heavy armor, then why did he leave such a huge patch of skin exposed?¡±


    Without thinking about it for a long time, the guy used the Dash and, in an instant, overcame the five meters separating them. At the same moment, his outstretched leg, covered with an armored greave, crashed into the man''s bulging stomach with muscles. Thanks to the momentum from using the skill and the increased strength of the jungle, Rei was able to send the mercenary flying several meters without difficulty. Having fallen to the ground, he rolled over several more times, but did not move, it seemed that he had lost consciousness. Several men rushed to help him, because blood flowed profusely from the mouth of the poor fellow, announcing damage to internal organs.


    Tessa didn''t say a word as she watched. The guy had just shown only that the mercenaries were not as strong as she thought. With a displeased look at him, she began to prepare for battle. Her fighting style was built around speed dominance, plus she had a rather specific weapon.


    Rey couldn''t see Tessa because of the wall of mercenaries surrounding her, but in a minute, the girl was ready. The guy even slightly opened his eyes in surprise when he saw her in combat gear.


    On the hands of the girl were wearing metal bracers, to which her weapon was already attached - large shiny claws, about twenty centimeters long. There were similar ones on her legs. Three wide claws in the front and one, in the form of a heel, were attached to the heel. This strange weapon only added charm to the half-dressed Tessa, making her figure only more seductive.


    Shaking his head, Rei pushed the unnecessary thoughts out of his head and took out his daggers. This opponent was unusual and much more dangerous, at least because he had no idea how to fight against such a weapon.


    The girl, noticing that the guy was ready, made an inviting pass with her hand.


    Noticing that she didn''t rush headlong into battle, using skills for nothing like her predecessor, Rei also concentrated.


    Tessa''s weapons meant only close combat, so the first thing the guy decided to test her speed. Throwing the dagger in his hand, he sent it into the girl''s stomach with a lightning movement, catching himself thinking that he did not want to leave a cut on her skin.


    As it turned out, the guy was worried in vain, with one quick step she dodged, passing the weapon a centimeter away from her. Rey didn''t wait for the dagger to fly even one extra meter and immediately used Retrieve, forcing the weapon back into his hand at the same speed it was thrown.


    The girl narrowed her eyes, noticing what the boy had done.


    Without waiting for him to use the same trick again, she rushed over to him. Her body flashed green light, covering several meters in an instant. Once next to the boy, she waved both hands, hoping to end the fight quickly.


    The claws whistled through the air, which still had the green glow from the skill Rey had used, without touching even a scrap of his armor. The guy himself was now standing a meter further. Tessa was not taken aback and the upper leg swing that followed immediately after flew straight to his head, but Rey did not retreat, he simply put a block with his hand. From the blow, her entire ankle ached, because the guy put his hand not under the blow of metal claws, but under the delicate skin of the girl.


    Immediately retreating, she broke the distance, preventing the enemy from counterattacking. At that moment, Tessa involuntarily caught herself thinking that she had started this argument in vain, but remembering the price of losing, she immediately threw everything superfluous out of her head.


    Starting to bypass Ray from the side, she waited until she could make a dash again, but the guy did not let her do it. With the same flash of green light as when he fought a few minutes ago, he was at the girl''s side, raising a glowing green dagger to strike.


    Tessa looked into the completely green eyes of the son of the forest, in which there was not even a shred of pity and, unable to retreat due to the fact that the enemy was actually close to her, she could only raise her claws in front of her, hoping to stop the attack.


    There was a ringing sound of impact, after which several pointed metal claws fell to the ground. Tessa stood, not daring to move, because she felt the cold blade resting on her throat.


    - You lost. ¨C a calm voice came from under the pubescent gray hood, breaking the silence established in the arena.


    Ray carefully removed the weapon, giving the girl the opportunity to breathe in calmly, which she immediately took advantage of, starting to gasp for air heart-rendingly.


    She looked at her weapon, only one claw remained on her right hand, and two on her left. Gilfar''s blade, enhanced by Cleave, easily cut through the shiny metal a few centimeters from Tessa''s tender fingers.


    I hope you remember your promise. The boy''s calm voice sounded.


    Raising her head, she saw the same impassive face of Ray, who still stood a step away from her.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ You wouldn¡¯t dare, would you?¡± ¨C the girl''s voice was filled with trembling and hope unusual for her, but deep down she understood that she had lost and must fulfill her part of the deal.


    Looking around, Rey said in a whisper:


    "Let''s put it off until tomorrow, while you rest and get ready." In addition, we agreed on one night, and part of today''s already passed. I don''t want to waste a single minute that can be spent on business

 Chapter 46

    Tessa silently looked at the back of Ray, who, having finished speaking, simply left. The girl was now in the strangest situation of her life. The face, completely red from anger and embarrassment, expressed a simply indescribable range of emotions.


    "Bastard. Do you think I will let you do something like that!?¡±


    Having made up her mind, the girl clenched her white teeth and, having collected the remains of her weapons from the ground, displeasedly went home, under the strange looks of the mercenaries, who did not know about the second part of the bet.


    Having reached the place of her lodging for the night - a small tent, Tessa was not even going to go to bed. Her heart was constricted with terrible resentment and an even more unbearable feeling of self-hatred for being ready to break her own word. Until that moment, the girl had always been true to her principles, but remembering those damn words¡­ ¡°your ass will be mine¡±¡­ she wanted to cut off the guy''s genitals. What she, however, was going to do that night.


    "Uncouth bastard. Just to insert your dick somewhere."


    Thinking about it, the girl felt a strange tingle between her legs, which made her want to punish Ray even more. She sat down, clasping her knees, trying to drive out of her head the pitiless look of the son of the forest, who brought the blade to strike at her neck, but instead another image appeared in which she herself ...


    Unable to restrain herself, the girl rolled over and with all her might hit the sleeping bag made of soft skin with her fist.


    ¡°What!? This will not happen! Never!"


    Continuing to pour out her emotions on the innocent sleeping bag, Tessa cast a predatory glance in the direction where the guy should have been. Her eyes shone with undisguised murderous intent, as if she were trying to make a hole in the tent lining.


    Suppressing the urge to step out and order Rey''s kill right now, she sat up and took a few deep breaths to force her mind to think more or less soberly.


    ¡°I will do it myself. You can''t ask for help. I''ll just wait until he falls asleep. The panther can''t protect him forever."


    The girl was inflamed and was about to leave when she heard a voice from outside:


    - Tessa? I enter.


    - Stop! All confidence vanished when she realized who had just spoken.


    She was about to draw some kind of weapon, but before she could even move, Rey entered the tent, still dressed in his armor, but already having removed his hood.


    Suppressing the urge to run away, Tessa made her voice as stern as possible.


    - What do you want? - the girl understood that she could not defeat him in a direct collision, moreover, being also unarmed in such a closed space.


    I seem to have overestimated myself. I thought I could last another day, but no. I guess I haven''t been with a woman for too long, so let''s do it today. - the voice was calm as always, as if he was talking about the weather, but Tessa, looking into those impassive green eyes, felt only an unexpected fear, which had not been there before.


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    The guy, not particularly worried about her condition, began to unceremoniously remove the armor. He had already managed to pull off his boot when the girl came to her senses.


    - Stop! Are you completely insane!? - she screamed, involuntarily crawling away from Rei further and further.


    Looking at her in surprise, the boy calmly asked:


    - You gave your word, Tessa.


    Hearing him, the girl bit her lip, but was not going to give up.


    - I''ll pay you. Ask for whatever you want, money, weapons, food. I will definitely give you a fair price. ¨C she spoke quite confidently, but in response the guy just shook his head.


    - Weapons, better than mine you can not give. I''m not particularly interested in food. And I don¡¯t know the price of the money you have ... - as if tired of his words, Ray sighed and continued. - Enough. Get undressed.


    - I said no". If you lay a finger on me, you will be very sorry. - she tried to speak with as much pressure as possible, but there was still a slight tremor in her voice, which even spread through her body when she saw the frown on the guy''s face.


    - Will you break your word? ¨C Ray''s voice was rather gloomy, which made Tessa move even closer to the opposite wall of the tent.


    ¡°As if you would really give me Cess if you lost!?¡±


    Ray clenched his fists at this pathetic excuse, but decided to wait and talk first.


    - You have no right to judge this, because I did not lose. Besides, if you''re that interested, I was actually willing to give it to you. I needed him only as a companion in the woods, and although I became a little attached to this cat, I would keep my promise.


    The guy''s words were like a knife, for the girl''s already squeezed in a vise heart. She understood that he was right and she was disgusted by the fact that she decided to break the contract, but she also did not want to give her body to the first person she met.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, I will scream and the whole camp will attack you!¡± was the last argument she had, and Tessa was sure it would work. Hearing her, the guy didn¡¯t even frown, on the contrary, his face softened a little. For a moment, it seemed to the girl that such an outcome would suit him even more, which was confirmed by his following words:


    - I don''t mind, but I assure you it''s not worth it. Even at the moment of the meeting, I told you that I could kill everyone here like cattle, and after the battle with what you called him "the second strongest warrior", I can say this with even more confidence.


    Ray had a reason to be so confident. And it was not in Cess, and not even in his specializations, but in the second green soul that was in his inner space.


    Tessa did not want to believe his words, but the guy''s eyes, so similar to those that she happened to see during their fight, simply did not give her the opportunity to doubt it.


    Ray, please. I ... - the doom that filled Tessa''s consciousness did not allow her to finish speaking normally.


    - Do not exaggerate. I''m not going to kill you, nothing will happen to you after one night. At that moment, Ray noticed tears dancing in the corners of the girl''s eyes.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t say that you still¡­¡± the girl didn¡¯t let him finish, interrupting him with a displeased, still trembling voice:


    - What? Thought I was a whore, since there are so many men around!?


    - Tsk. No, I just thought that you had at least some experience, and now it turns out that you have not yet slept with anyone at your age. You can''t even satisfy me normally.


    Tessa didn''t know what to think after hearing his words. Now she was torn from a mixture of a wide variety of emotions and she only hoped that Rey would have mercy on her, but his next phrase, uttered at the time when he was removing his bracer, deprived her of those smoldering sparks of hope:


    - In general, choose. Either you immediately undress and I try to be gentle, or I take you by force, but then you, as you threatened me, will definitely not be able to sit on horseback for a couple of days.


    Two tears rolled down the girl''s eyes, but she still forced herself to remove the small chest bandage.


    - You are terrible!

 Chapter 47

    Tessa woke up because of the noise created by the fuss of the detachment preparing to leave. Before she could open her eyes, she sensed a strange aroma hovering in the air. He was vaguely familiar to her and in a moment made her remember what happened last night. Embracing herself, the girl tucked her knees in and whimpered plaintively, trying to understand what was going on in her head right now.


    She removed her hands only after a couple of minutes and, opening her eyes, noticed several white spots on her sleeping bag. This made her even more angry. The very body of Tessa, who, of course, was completely naked, was now completely cleansed - the law of the developers extended to the inhabitants of this world as well.


    Looking around herself, she stood up with a sigh, feeling a tingle in her stomach. Putting one hand there, Tessa clenched the other into a fist, trying in vain to extinguish her anger and some other feeling she did not understand.


    Having dressed and straightening her slightly disheveled hair, the girl gently pushed the exit curtain. At the same moment, several pairs of curious eyes stared at her, causing the hand clutching the fabric of the tent to tremble treacherously. Tessa suppressed the urge to hide back with all her might, understanding the reason for such an interest. Taking a deep breath, she gave her face a confident expression, after the brow immediately went out.


    At that moment, to her left, she heard a familiar voice:


    - Good morning.


    Slowly turning her head and looking into her emerald eyes, Tessa involuntarily clenched her thighs, which were strained to the limit. Immediately looking away, she froze for a moment, trying to organize her thoughts.


    After standing like that for a few seconds, she silently walked past Ray, who watched her staggering gait with a smirk. After yesterday, the guy did not help her with the "wounds", so the result was, so to speak, on the face.


    - Wait. he said when Tessa moved away a little.


    The girl''s head was lowered, because, no matter how hard she tried, she could not look into the eyes of the members of her squad. Hearing Ray''s words, she wanted to ignore them at first, but wisely chose not to.


    - What do you want? Tessa asked, turning her head towards him.


    - You promised to teach me your language. Or is that a promise you''re not ready to keep either?


    The words cut to the quick, but she could not be worse.


    - Later. - answering, she turned away and continued to walk towards the tigress, who was lying nearby.


    Ray seemed to be satisfied with this answer, because he immediately went home.


    Tessa, sitting in front of the tigress, affectionately stroked her fur, listening to the cat''s guttural rumbling.


    To her surprise, she didn''t know how the night had ended. The last thing she could remember was making her cheeks blush, but beyond that, there was only darkness.


    ¡°Have I really lost consciousness¡­¡± - the thought was interrupted by the displeased growl of the tigress, whose hair was pulled hard.


    Apologizing to the pet, the girl lowered her head, in which there was no longer a single coherent thought. At that moment, she felt something wet and rough pass over her face. Tensing sharply, Tessa saw in front of her only the huge head of a cat, from the mouth of which the tip of the tongue still protruded. This gesture amused her a little and made her hug the neck of her faithful friend.


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    After collecting her own things, the girl decided that it was worth clarifying everything that had happened to the rest of the detachment. She understood that most of the camp, if not immediately guessed the reason for Rey''s visit to her tent, then the sounds emanating from there dispelled all doubts. Therefore, as soon as the squad was ready to depart, she took her place and spoke loudly enough for the nearby mercenaries to hear her:


    - I lost. His stake was a panther, and mine ... - the girl''s voice trembled a little, not allowing her to finish the sentence.


    At that moment, her second deputy spoke up, because the first, after being wounded in the stomach, had not yet come to his senses and was now lying down on one of the wagons traveling at the very end of the detachment.


    He told us last night. I do not understand Faroese well, but I caught the main idea. Like: ¡°Your leader is a worthy person. I proudly kept my word."


    Hearing the man''s words, Tessa was momentarily stunned. She didn''t understand why Rei did it, but she was a little grateful to him. At the same moment, the girl noticed a huge shadow that covered part of the space in front of her eyes. Turning sharply, she saw Cess - the steps of the cat were so quiet that she could not feel his approach due to the conversation. The panther was now wearing a huge saddle, which greatly spoiled its imposing appearance, but now the rider could hold himself much more confidently.


    The girl did not look up. She didn''t want to see the guy''s smug face, but he spoke first.


    - We can start. We''ll start shooting when the squad gets to the parking lot. As he said this, Rei involuntarily noticed that the rest of the mercenaries were now even further away from him. If earlier everyone was afraid only of Tsessa, now the young son of the forest instilled a slight fear in them, because they did not consider him a part of the detachment, however, like himself.


    Not knowing what to say, the girl involuntarily expressed her previous thoughts aloud:


    - Thanks. For what you said to the others.


    - It does not matter. You can thank me tonight.


    Hearing his words, the mercenary still looked at him in amazement. The guy calmly looked at the girl and answered the question standing in her eyes:


    - Yesterday you "left to rest" too early.


    Tessa''s face turned crimson, either from anger or shame, so she immediately lowered her head.


    Ray, noticing that she was not going to answer, decided to change the subject:


    - Human language. Focus, there are only a few days left.


    Gritting her teeth, she began to explain.


    ***


    This language turned out to be a little more complicated than Faro, consonants in it were in a large preponderance, making it slightly cutting to the ear. Ray chalked it up to being unaccustomed and was simply listening intently to the explanations of his teacher, who clearly wasn''t enthusiastic about teaching him.


    The guy himself, on the contrary, was in a great mood. Let the night go a little differently than he imagined, but he was able to let off some steam and now even the surrounding plain, which had begun to bother him, seemed to be brighter and more alive. The only thing that spoiled such a beautiful day was Tessa''s displeased face, which now and then looked angrily in his direction, but as soon as their eyes crossed, she immediately turned away, either blushing, or frightened.


    Ray was a man of action, so he immediately asked:


    - How long are you going to act like this? Just tell me what''s up.


    She just rolled her eyes in response. Glancing around, she made sure that no one could hear them because of the noise created by the movement of the camp, and because of the certain distance between the mercenaries and Ray. After thinking for a while, she nevertheless decided to throw out the accumulated discontent on him:


    - How dare you say that!? You¡­ you took me by force! And now, as if nothing had happened, you are forcing me to teach you, besides, you say that you want to do it with me again. How do you think I should behave!?


    After listening to her, the guy had to admit that there was some truth in her words, but this did not mean that he considered them completely true.


    ¡°I just made you keep your end of the bargain. The same is true for language acquisition. And why are you so worried? I thought you liked it too.


    Tessa didn''t understand how he could be so thick-skinned. In this regard, even Cess would envy this strange guy. But the worst thing was that his words made her blush, because the Faroese was right to some extent. The girl did not say anything, turning away, she stopped paying attention to him.


    But Ray was straight as a board, so he didn¡¯t pay attention at all to Tessa¡¯s obvious unwillingness to continue the conversation.


    - Do you have a favorite? Is that why you feel so uncomfortable?


    The girl believed that he would no longer say anything, so this question was a surprise to her.


    - None of your business. And if you talk about it again, I won''t teach you anymore.


    These words made the guy frown, but he still restrained himself, deciding to save this conversation for later. In addition, the girl sighed several times and continued to explain to him the basics of language proficiency.

 Chapter 49

    - Hold on tight. More strength in the shoulder. - the guy said again, looking at the not-so-successful attempts of the mercenary to pull on a long farosky bow.


    - He''s too tight. I cant.


    As it turned out, Tessa''s words that she knew how to shoot were a clear exaggeration, because judging by what Rey now saw, she had held a bow in her hands no more than a dozen times before.


    The whole camp stood for a short halt - the horses needed rest and food, and this also applied to people.


    The guy and the girl were now not a small distance from the total mass of mercenaries. Thirty meters ahead, Cess yawned lazily. His role was quite simple - to take upon himself the arrows fired by Tessa, which, if not enhanced by skills, could only cause him a slight itch when hit in a strong skin. But now, ten minutes have passed, and there was still no work for him.


    You said you can shoot. - Sounded ironic remark Ray, who stood a step away from the girl.


    - Shut up. I told you it was the bow. - snarling, she again tried to pull the bowstring, but she clearly did not have enough strength.


    There was nothing to be done about it, but at that moment the boy remembered how he had been trained. Now there was no arrow in the girl''s hand, so coming up close to her from behind, the guy put his hand on top of Tessa''s trembling hand. She was seriously frightened, because of which she started up with her whole body, but she did not let go of her weapon, which was very commendable.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing!?¡± Dont touch me! ¨C even though she continued to stand still, she was clearly not happy with her current situation.


    Rei ignored her protests and spoke calmly.


    - Tighten your left arm, try your best to keep it taut.


    Right after that, he gently pressed the girl''s fingers that were holding the bowstring. With his other hand, he held the hilt of the bow, in case Tessa still did not have enough strength to hold it.


    Even the guy with his strength had to put in some effort to fully draw the atanit-enhanced bow, so Rey didn''t blame the girl, whose physique was toned, but still a little fragile.


    The bowstring dug into her soft skin, leaving a distinct red mark, but Rey kept pulling. When the bow was about two-thirds cocked, it finally stopped.


    - Are you holding? - the guy''s breath tickled his ear a little, forcing the girl to tense even more. She herself did not understand why she reacted so sharply to a simple touch, but she could not help herself. Putting all her strength into her hands, she nodded her head uncertainly.


    Immediately after that, the load began to grow, because Rei gradually relaxed his grip, giving the girl the opportunity to hold the weapon herself.


    She lasted only five seconds, after which the bowstring with a pleasant rumble escaped from her fingers, which she immediately put into her mouth due to a strong burning sensation.


    - Take a glove and continue. a stern voice sounded.


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    Raising a slightly offended look, Tessa nevertheless obediently put on a small leather glove and stood up again.


    - Let''s try with an arrow. Although it''s a little early, I think you''ll enjoy the feeling of shooting with such a powerful bow.


    Following the advice, the girl took one of the arrows and put it on the bow. At that same moment, she again felt Ray''s arms wrap around her body, causing another wave of goosebumps.


    - Do you have to do it like this?


    - Yes. Now focus.


    Tessa could only sigh. She herself wanted to learn, besides, with all her desire, she simply could not resist the guy, because he was stronger, and angering him once again was very fraught.


    The bowstring dug into her fingers again, but this time it didn''t hurt as much. But now the guy decided to pull the bow completely. Only when there was a slight crackle of the bowstring, and the arrowhead was already a few centimeters from the bones of her fingers holding the handle, Tessa heard a voice next to her face:


    - Try to aim.


    Once again embarrassed, she nevertheless lowered her head and closed her left eye. Slightly lowering her left hand, she aimed the arrowhead directly at the torso of Cess, who finally became a little interested in what was happening, starting to wag his tail in satisfaction.


    Tessa again felt the grip on the fingers of her right hand loosen.


    - You can let go.


    Without waiting a second, she opened her hand. The arrow flickered and darted forward with incredible speed. The girl''s eyes practically could not follow her, but the huge black cat, as if playfully, raised its huge paw and unmistakably shot down the arrow. Cess growled contentedly and began to wait for the second shot, he obviously liked the little game. But Tessa froze, because the feeling that shooting from this bow evoked was really amazing.


    She only woke up a little when she felt Rei back away from her. Turning around, still holding the bow with both hands, she looked at the boy.


    - You should practice more. Or just take another bow, although I see you like this one.


    The words made the girl completely come to her senses and her face again became dissatisfied.


    - You think that I will return it to you only because it is still difficult for me to shoot from it. Do not even hope!


    Chuckling, Tessa turned back to Cess. He was alert, waiting for another arrow, but noticing that the girl had just begun to draw an unloaded bow, he lay back on the grass and closed his eyes.


    Ray, with a strange spark in his eyes, watched the girl''s efforts. She was not even going to ask for his help, despite the fact that she herself could hardly pull the bow at least half. And he, thanks to his good mood, decided to relax for the first time in a long time, and the company of a slightly proud beauty was perfect for this.


    Are you going to teach me or not? ¨C with a reproachful glance at him, Tessa finally asked for help.


    With a smile on his face, Rei replied:


    - I showed you the basics. Then just train your hands. Besides, you don''t like it when I touch you.


    The caustic remark angered the girl a little, but since he was right, she could not say anything but the truth:


    - I want to shoot more, so I''m ready to be patient a little.


    - That''s how. OK.


    Tessa noticed the strange look of the guy, but he just helped her to cock the bow, so she decided that she was just imagining it. But now, after another arrow repulsed by Cess, the guy''s hands slid, hugging her tightly. The girl squealed, but did not even try to break free, realizing the futility of this.


    - What are you doing? ¨C her voice was unexpectedly calm, which surprised the guy a little.


    - Oh. Are you not afraid of me anymore?


    "I can''t beat you, so there''s nothing to be done about your concern."


    ¡°You can¡¯t consider me like this just because after so many months in the forest, I turned my attention to a beautiful girl.


    Do you think I care about the reason?


    - How cold you are. Or was I right and are you already in love with someone?


    The question was unexpected, and the guy''s next words surprised her even more.


    If that''s the case, then I won''t bother you anymore.


    Tessa had already opened her mouth to lie. But at the last moment, something stopped the word that was already ready to escape. Without understanding why, the girl froze in indecision for a few seconds. At some point, she felt the guy''s lips touch her neck.


    - Fine. I''m looking forward to the evening.


    The girl remained standing, clutching her bow in her hands, and Rei and the panther returned to the camp, which was already preparing for departure.

 Chapter 50

    Twilight has already completely covered the capital, forcing the streets to thin out more and more. The city, despite the title of the main one in the country, was far from being as safe as we would like to see it.


    But in one of its parts it was as crowded as during the day. Richly decorated stone houses, some even several stories high, scattered along one of the richest streets - a haven for wealthy merchants and some aristocrats.


    Among the crowd, not standing out in absolutely nothing, was an inconspicuous person. The clothes are neat, but not to say that the rich. She only made the man look intelligent enough to be let through by two guards guarding the entrance to the most expensive hotel on this street.


    Walking up to the white wood counter, he spoke a few words to the girl behind it. She nodded and took a tightly sealed envelope from the guy''s hands, which was thus protected from being able to read the contents in the light. The boy knew that in him, and even in him, such precaution seemed excessive.


    ¡°If they grabbed me, they wouldn¡¯t care if it was sealed, not sealed¡­¡±


    After a little grumbling, he still, without attracting anyone''s attention, left the hotel.


    ¡°Although it¡¯s a sin to complain. While they are paying, even if they wrap him with chains, what¡¯s my business. ¡±


    ***


    On the second floor of the institution, in the most expensive of the available rooms, the light from several dozen candles still burned brightly. A girl was sitting on a huge bed covered with snow-white sheets, carefully examining the envelope. After a few seconds, she carefully opened it, letting two small scraps of expensive parchment fall out.


    The first of them turned out to be a letter, if you could call it a kill order. The beautiful face, framed by fiery red hair, frowned more and more, as the same scarlet eyes of the girl slid lower and lower along the even lines of characters.


    Another "client" was far from an ordinary person. Rosa specialized in this kind of murder, but the name indicated in the letter was too well known.


    Garam Sint is Rondal''s finance minister. This man, in the past undoubtedly the most prosperous merchant in the country, was able to take up his post only a few years ago. But the fact that power fell into his hands only recently did not make him an easy target. Standing at the very top of power in the country, he was constantly protected by crowds of bodyguards, but, to the surprise of the girl, the customer had already solved this problem for her, organizing the opportunity to actually kill the target on his own.


    This happened quite rarely and already said that the person who wrote the letter was at least as good as the Third Minister in terms of position. These thoughts were undoubtedly interesting, and Rosa always really liked to find out the reasons for this or that order. Unfortunately, the motive for this murder would be clear even to a newborn.


    - War.


    A single word escaped from plump lips. The voice was very gentle, developed by years of practice, it sounded sweet even when the girl was alone with herself.


    Yes, Rondal was on the brink of war, and this was known to every stray dog living out his life on the lands of this rotten country.


    Rosa lowered her eyes to the last lines of the letter, where it was indicated that she would receive a third of the fee in advance - the rest immediately after the performance. In fact, she wasn''t very interested. The girl did not really want to take such an order, because she would have to immediately leave the capital. The minister, although not very popular with the people, was still a very important person, and the presence of Rosa in the city was only rather conditional secret. If they really wanted to find her, they would undoubtedly have found her, but as long as she did not stand out too much, they would not touch the girl. But this order clearly changed her status quo. And although she did not have a special love for the capital, as well as for all this country, the girl never liked to break away from her habitable places.


    Putting the letter aside, she took the second piece of paper from the envelope with a certain skepticism. It turned out to be an ordinary bill, but the amount indicated on it made the usually cold-blooded Rosa''s eyes open a little, and the corners of her lips crawl up.


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    Three thousand pure gold.


    This amount would be enough for a small middle-level noble family to live comfortably for one or two years. For a commoner, this would be enough for more than one life.


    The girl did not feel a lack of money, but, as they say, there is never a lot of them. After considering something, she even suggested the possibility of a trap, but almost immediately discarded it. In the capital, she had not yet had time to really work, and the law in this country was monitored no better than the death rate of the villagers.


    Turning the bill over in her hands, she thought hard, but a minute later she got up. The opportunity to kill the minister indicated in the letter presented itself only once every few days. Rosa did not like to rush, but since the customer had taken care of everything so kindly, it would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity.


    ***


    Standing in the hallway of a huge three-story building, accompanied by four warriors, Garam Sint looked complacently at the hostess of the establishment, bent in a slight bow.


    - Honorable Minister. I will not tire of repeating how glad I am that you honor my modest establishment with your attention.


    You know how much I don''t like too much chatter. ¨C puffing, the fat as a seal man has responded. The reason why he did not like to talk a lot was obvious - even this was difficult for him.


    - Forgive this old woman. Come with me, today we have prepared something new for you.


    Garam''s eyes lit up and he followed the owner of the best brothel in all of Rondal. Usually, the most important clients were located on the top floor, but this one was different. Especially for the minister, who was a regular guest and experienced considerable difficulties in climbing stairs, a private box was equipped on the ground floor.


    Garam had been here dozens of times already, so leaving the guards at the door, he stumbled without ceremony into a luxuriously furnished room, in the center of which was a large, low-slung bed, which was also specially reinforced to be able to support the minister''s imposing carcass.


    As he walked, he threw off his robe, falling completely naked onto the velvet bedding. Rolling over with difficulty, he waved his hand, and the brothel owner, who was watching, nodded to Garam with a professional smile on her face.


    He raised his eyes to the ceiling, on which he was already familiar with every figure embossed in gold.


    He didn''t have to wait long. Not even two minutes had passed before the door opened.


    The woman who entered was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful the minister had ever seen in his life. And he saw far more than one hundred beauties ...


    The girl''s hair and eyes were the color of fresh blood. The look was so seductive that for a moment the fat man was lost in his lust, in order to drown in it completely in a moment, because after taking a few steps, the girl threw off the dressing gown covering her almost completely naked body.


    The figure was so charming that the minister involuntarily stared, and there were not so many women who could surprise him. She gracefully rearranged her slender legs, approaching the bed. Garam''s eyes moved from the girl''s sweet thighs to her sensitive lush breasts, which, being naked, gently swayed in time with measured steps. The satiny white skin, spotless, looked more like a baby''s skin, in stark contrast to the lacy black panties she was wearing.


    - Accept my respects, sir. Let me take care of you today. Leaning her head slightly, Rosa forced her chest to sway forward in a bewitching way. She didn''t even have to follow the minister''s gaze, she was already confident in herself, which, however, was quickly confirmed.


    - Ofcourse honey. Hurry up and come here. - answered the minister, barely coping with the desire seething inside his body to take possession of the girl standing in front of him.


    Rosa obediently sat down next to him, before that she put on a robe lying under her feet, to which Garam only grunted contentedly, he liked the way this lady presented herself.


    But in the girl, this caused only a sharp attack of disgust, but the same seductive smile played on her face. She sat down next to the minister, stroking his cheek gently with her hand, and effortlessly suppressed the trembling that arose in her body as Garam''s hand slid up her back from bottom to top.


    "Don''t go too long with this pig, or I might really vomit."


    Bringing her face closer to the minister''s huge muzzle, Rose opened her lips slightly, waiting for the cherished moment. The man, if you could call the creature in front of her that, closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss.


    At the same moment, the girl grabbed a special lever in her ring, silently pulling out almost a meter of sharp wire. Slipping close to Gared''s back in a deft move, she gripped the minister''s neck with the only weapon that could be carried past the guards. The wire, without much resistance, dug into the soft flesh of the man and, having passed the subcutaneous layer of fat, finally cut off his oxygen supply.


    He seemed to be too overexcited, because after kicking only a few times he immediately lost consciousness, and after another ten seconds he calmed down forever. Convinced that the work was done, the girl loosened her grip with a sigh of relief.


    Rose got up from the bed and looked around at what she had done. With a satisfied grunt, she let out a rather loud groan - for some time she would need to participate in a small performance of one actor. The girl had no idea if the bodyguards at the door could hear her, but she decided not to play with fate, so for the next half hour she tried her best to portray characteristic sounds.


    Deciding that this should be enough, she disheveled her hair and, biting her lips a little, emerged from the room, winking at one of the guards, who followed the charming girl with an equally longing look.

 Chapter 51

    Leaving Tessa''s tent, Ray rubbed his neck contentedly and put on his hood. The girl this time was much more "open", not worth comparing with yesterday''s behavior, more reminiscent of a frightened kitten. Of course, even now she did not behave like a wild cat, but nevertheless.


    Glancing to the side, he stumbled upon the green eyes of a panther, which, waving its tail measuredly, mowed the tall grass with a bone tip.


    - Go.


    Having received permission, Cess roared contentedly and went on a daily hunt in the forest. Even though Rey fed him with souls, this beast was much more voracious than its owner and, if fed only with energy, could devastate an already steadily thinning supply in less than a week. Remembering a small problem, the guy once again looked into his inner space, counting a little less than a hundred souls this time, which were only consumables. Ninety-six, to be exact.


    Glancing once more with a satisfied grin in the direction of the tent left behind, he went to the edge of the camp. Walking up to a small wooden pole with a torch tied to the top, Rey woke up the mercenary who was leaning back against it¡ªa sentry, if you can call it that.


    - Go. I''ll see. - in this, a little awkward way, he was able to explain his desire to stand guard over the camp. Tessa''s lessons, coupled with the phenomenal memory gifted by the system, gave him that opportunity.


    The man, opening his eyes, only pressed himself closer to the pillar, immediately pulling his hand to the sword hanging on his belt. A strangely shaped gray hood that hides the face and green eyes shining in the uneven light of the torch, coupled with the surrounding darkness of the night, seriously frightened the poor fellow. Only tightly squeezing the hilt of the sword, he finally came to his senses and exhaled loudly. As he was about to swear in displeasure, he pulled himself back. Even though the Pharos were not the most aggressive people, he knew the strength of this particular guy well, and since he was not only a friend, but even an acquaintance, he decided not to play with fire once again. Nodding, he kept his hand close to the hilt and trudged deeper into the camp, now and then throwing a wary glance over his shoulder.


    Ray didn''t even turn his head in his direction, peering into the darkness of the night. The green eyes of the forest saw better than the human, but even he could not properly see the boundless expanse of the plain surrounding him.


    He stood motionless, enjoying the howling of the wind that reigned supreme in this green sea. The guy once again noted how unusual and fresh this sound seems to him after a long stay in the forest. There, too, the wind blew, but it was too different from that.


    After standing like that for almost a dozen minutes, Rei looked around carefully, listening to every rustle of grass, trying to pick out sounds that could not be caused by gusts of the elements.


    Satisfied, he took a green dagger from the Inventory and, moving away from the pillar for a dozen steps, threw it at an impromptu target. The weapon slammed unerringly into the very center. Instead of making another throw, Rey used Retrieve and backed away from the post for another ten steps. Swinging and with a sharp sound, cutting through the air, the weapon hit almost the same place as the previous one, deviating less than half a centimeter. A meager distance, but the guy clicked displeasedly. Taking out another dagger from the Inventory, he threw again...


    So he decided to while away the time, being in the company of mercenaries. He simply could not go hunting with Cess. The cat would have to run too fast to get deep enough into the woods, but he couldn''t keep up at such speeds and the appearance of the saddle didn''t change anything. In order to save the remaining souls, the panther was forced to eat food provided by the squad. Ray didn''t like to swindle like that, so he paid for food for Cess with the carcasses of animals that he brought after the hunt, or with rare animals that live on the plain, but did not have time to escape from the column of mercenaries.


    He also once decided to eat with the others. But, having swallowed a spoonful of a strange gruel, he returned the wooden plate without thanks. After the "taste" of the energy of souls, what the mercenaries ate, he, with all his desire, could not call it food. But, judging by his estimates, the showers were enough to get to the capital, so this problem did not really bother the guy.


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    Two hours have passed. Pulling out five blades from the pillar, all he had left from his journey through the forest, Rey decided to end it there. Firstly, he was a little tired, and secondly, he noticed a small fire in the center of the camp.


    The guy, hiding among a scattering of tents of various sizes, came a little closer. Enough that the sensitive ear could make out the speech of four people sitting next to the fire, but not so close that they could even hope to find it.


    In just one day, he had become remarkably proficient in their language, but many of the words were still unfamiliar to him.


    Here is one of the sitting men, of whom there was simply an overwhelming majority in the detachment, said something indistinct. Of the whole phrase, Rey could only understand "cat" and "forest", but that was enough to guess what was said about his pet.


    The next one said something about Tessa, constantly repeating a strange word, which, judging by the intonation with which the man actually spat it out, did not carry the most pleasant meaning, most likely being the name of not the most worthy female profession. Another often used ¡°non-human¡±, but the colorful epithets that accompanied this term were not familiar to the guy, but, obviously, they did not describe Ray from the best side.


    Even without really understanding the meaning of some phrases, only by menacing looks and sly chuckles, he could understand that the situation was not the most pleasant. The mercenaries were plotting quite a full-fledged rebellion.


    There were quite enough reasons: a strange Faroese who crippled one of the strongest warriors of the detachment and on the same evening had their leader, who, it seems, also did not have much respect. It is understandable, a young girl, who was suitable for some of them as a daughter, was considered the strongest. Although perhaps in this world a gender problem did not exist, Rei did not yet know about it.


    He understood them and at the same time did not. Cohesion must have been in the blood of these people, after several years spent in battles shoulder to shoulder. In addition, the post of leader of the detachment was in fact only for show. All that Tessa stood out against the general background was the dominant place in the column and a slightly larger tent than the rest. During the trip, he did not have time to notice that the girl ordered something to someone, although this should have been taken for granted, because her position was backed up by personal strength. So the position of the leader should not have been particularly attractive to anyone, but after a few seconds, Ray heard the reason, which for these men, it seems, was decisive.


    They needed not the place of the leader of the detachment itself, but the girl. To some extent, the guy understood them, Tessa really was a beauty, and given that before that the mercenary had not warmed the bed to any of the mercenaries, forcing them only to drool lustfully, then it could be confidently said that all the other ¡°reasons¡± to raise a riot were only excuses that the mercenaries tried to explain themselves to the remnants of their conscience. Perhaps there was also a bit of envy mixed in here, because the newcomer on the very first day of his stay in the camp, albeit in a slightly roundabout way, received Tessa''s attention, unlike the warriors with whom she had spent many years.


    And now, with such thoughts in their heads, the four got up and looked at each other and dispersed, most likely to gather like-minded people, who naturally had. In addition, with only four of them, they would hardly have been able to defeat Tessa, because in addition to her own skill, she also had a tiger. Rhea should not be forgotten either, but lust hit the men in the head so hard that they did not think the presence of the Faroese was too dangerous, because his panther was now far away, and he himself, perhaps, would not have stopped them, due to numerical superiority .


    The guy who was watching everything that was happening was carefully moving towards the girl''s tent. He did not even begin to call Tsessa from the hunt, because, as Tessa had said earlier, he was completely sure that he could kill this entire detachment alone. Walking soundlessly, Rei involuntarily noticed how his palms trembled finely. Someone else could write it off as fear, but one look into the guy''s eyes would be enough for him to realize his mistake. Now the guy was a little scared and surprised only by the state of his mind, because his whole being was filled with such a strong anticipation of the imminent battle that he could hardly restrain himself from laughing.


    Taking a few more steps towards the already slightly familiar tent, Rey stopped and frowned slightly. It was in one detail that he had not thought about before. He could certainly kill the mercenaries, but not in the form of a forest, which meant that Tessa, whom he was not going to kill, would know his secret.


    Deep in thought, Rey nevertheless continued to move towards the tent of the mercenary. Time was running out, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to hold back his hands, which reached for the daggers at his belt.

 Chapter 52

    Tessa woke up when the blissful smile frozen on her face covered the palm of the guy. Waking up, she looked with incomprehension with sleepy eyes at the silhouette barely visible in the darkness of the tent.


    - Do not be noisy.


    After waiting for the girl''s nod, Rey let go of his hand, giving her the opportunity to finally ask the obvious question.


    - What''s happening? Tessa hadn''t fully recovered yet, which wasn''t surprising, given that she''d only fallen asleep a few hours before, after working hard.


    - Something interesting. ¨C looking through the fabric of the tent, he noticed several dozen people in the distance, some of them holding torches in their hands.


    "ABOUT. And there are quite a few of them¡­ I hope there are no people loyal to Tessa in this squad, otherwise it will be a little inconvenient.¡±


    Turning to the girl, he calmly said:


    - Your people started something like a riot.


    - Eh?


    Looking at him with surprise, the girl got up and, standing next to him, also looked out. Disbelief appeared on her face the moment she saw a crowd of smiling mercenaries walking slowly towards her tent. Unlike the guy, she immediately understood what they were up to.


    - Like this.


    - Realize everything quickly, as you can see, time is running out.


    Ray''s words seemed to have some effect, because Tessa immediately asked a second, no less obvious question.


    - Wh-what should we do?


    - Finally.


    Once again stealthily glancing at the steadily approaching and gradually growing crowd of mercenaries, the guy turned to the girl and spoke as seriously as possible:


    "I''ll help you if you promise you''ll just stay here," Ray added a little sternness to his voice, "and won''t look at what''s going on outside." Even briefly. Just sit here with your ears closed.


    - What? What are you talking about? Let''s just run away. They won''t be able to¡­


    - I''m not going to run away. - interrupting the meaningless statement, the guy thought for a moment about the words of the girl. ¡°But you could, I¡¯ll distract them for now.¡± Take the cat and leave the camp.


    - You are crazy? There are hundreds of warriors there! What will you do?


    The girl was not even going to listen to his words. Realizing that in this way he would not achieve anything, Rei without further ado drew his dagger and hit the hilt in the temple of the mercenary. He didn''t know how hard to strike, so he did it quite gently, but it was enough - Tessa''s body instantly went limp and fell on a soft sleeping bag.


    "Sorry. I wouldn''t want to kill you either."


    Mentally apologizing, the boy took the form of a snow kite, instantly slipping out of his armor. Turning into a forest one again, he put it in Inventory and, after a little thought, nevertheless gave the order to Tsess to return and kill everyone who would run away from the camp, and he had no doubt that there would be such.


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    Immediately afterwards, he again turned into a snow kite and slipped out of the tent. Making sure that he had at least a few more minutes - the mercenaries decided to gather as many people as possible, he rushed at full speed to the horses. Most of them were tied to carts or small wooden poles. There was simply no time to let them all go, so Ray acted differently. Assuming his forest form again, he grabbed the nearest torch and threw it at one of the wagon trains, which blazed almost instantly, carrying a few blankets and spare tents. Deciding that this was enough to frighten the horses and make at least some of them escape, or even just burn in the fire, Rei changed his form again ...


    ***


    - I don''t care about your opinion. It was my idea, so I''ll be the first. Having said this, the tall mercenary in front of him licked his lips contentedly. There was no man in this detachment who would not want to spend the night with such a beautiful girl, and he himself was no exception.


    Looking at the crowd moving behind, who were constantly swearing and scolding, discussing, it seems, exactly their place in the queue, the mercenary decided to somehow coordinate them.


    Let''s take care of the tiger first. Our dear leader will not be difficult to deal with, but the cat can create problems.


    Everyone nodded in understanding, most of the crowd separated and went to the back of the camp. The remaining eight people slowly surrounded the tent standing almost in the very center of the parking lot. Three of them held torches in their hands, dispersing the surrounding darkness. The men were in high spirits, and thanks to a fertile imagination, something else was upbeat. None of them even suspected that they had only a few minutes left to live.


    The unspoken leader of the uprising, was already a few steps from the entrance to the tent, when he heard a loud hiss behind him. And the strangest thing was that it seemed to him that the sound came from near his ear. An uncontrollable wave of goosebumps ran through the man''s body and he, not daring to take a step further, slowly turned his head.


    At the same moment, his heart was gripped by such a strong fear that he could not even find the strength to scream. My knees buckled, and the torch fell from my hand. It was worth paying tribute to the warrior, despite the fact that his body was convulsing, his palm, trembling like a leaf in the wind, reached for the sword. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the man understood that it was useless, but he could not help himself.


    - N¡­n-no.


    The frightened voice broke off almost instantly - with one jerk the monster tore off his head, and the flow of blood that had hit from the neck stopped almost instantly, because with a low hiss, the wound melted, turning into an even more impartial sight.


    The fact that one of the torches had disappeared did not go unnoticed. Two mercenaries with the same satisfied mines went to check if their comrade was too hasty, wanting to take all the fun for himself. The torch lying on the cold night grass gradually smoldered, but the men could see the headless body. One immediately reached for the weapon, but at the same moment he heard a soft sliding sound, he only felt how the hand that did not have time to reach the blade tightly pressed against the torso, and a second later the six men who were still alive heard a loud crack of bones, and a chomping sound, with which blood escaped from the throat of the mercenary''s body compressed like a tube of toothpaste.


    - What the!? - as soon as the partner standing next to him said this, his body flew up a good ten meters, and the cry of the poor fellow guaranteed that there were no more sleepers left in the camp.


    Another of the mercenaries, who held a much-needed source of fire in the current situation, watched the previous man fall to the ground and, if he survived, broke enough of his bones to lose the ability to move. Drawing his sword, he ran to his comrade, but after taking a few steps he stopped. What he saw before him would undoubtedly haunt him in the worst nightmares for the rest of his life, but he did not have long to live.


    At the level of his head, swaying measuredly from side to side, was the head of a snake. Black, as if the night itself, it was at least a meter in diameter, and its green-shimmering eyes seemed to look directly into his soul. The mercenary froze, trying to calm the horror that pierced through his mind. He lifted the blade, but it shook like the fire of a torch, which he clutched like the last, life-saving straw. The last thing he managed to see was the mouth of a snake that dug into his chest. The sternum broke instantly, piercing the lungs and heart. The hand holding the sword fell powerlessly down, along with the already lifeless body of the man.


    Momentarily transformed into a woodsman, Rey immediately absorbed the soul of the mercenary - in the body of a snake, he could not use any skills. Leaving the soul, hoping to pick it up later, was also not very reliable, the gray souls disintegrated too quickly, and he was not sure that he would have time to kill the mercenaries during this time. Once again turning into a Sun Eater, the boy continued his hunt.

 Chapter 53

    A minute later, the entire camp stood on their ears. The screams of men dying here and there, the neighing of horses burning in the fire and the distant roar of the tigress merged into one. Rey stopped collecting souls, it took too long, and there were not so many of them, because when the horses were calmed down, many mercenaries would simply run away. It was only while some of them were still dressing, equipping weapons, others were figuring out what was happening, and still others were staying in tents.


    The only thing was that every living organism in this camp in the eyes of the snake was a large luminous spot. Rey did not attack those who had not yet had time to really wake up, killing only that part of the warriors who had already managed to understand what exactly was happening.


    Right now, he was aiming for one of the biggest heat pockets in the camp. Only a few jerks were needed for the twenty-meter body of the snake to get to about two and a half dozen mercenaries, who had already beaten the tigress Tessa pretty badly. The cat did not have time to escape, and now one of its paws was seriously injured, almost losing mobility. A sword protruded from his stomach, and an arrow was in his left eye. But even in spite of this, she managed to bite one of the mercenaries to death, and another one with a torn stomach was still giving up the ghost.


    Without thinking for a long time, Rei tensed his body and with one blow of his tail literally swept away a dozen mercenaries standing in a heap. The bodies broke with a crunch, and the serpent, paying no attention to them, once again grouped itself and rammed the second group of warriors uncontrollably. To the accompaniment of frightened screams, the bodies scattered in all directions from the serpent raging in the very center of the battle. Both whole mercenaries and separate body parts flew in the air, pouring bloody rain on the ground.


    The worst thing was that most of the warriors simply did not understand exactly how they died. In the darkness of the night, the body of the snake, which did not reflect an ounce of light, was barely visible due to the speed at which it moved.


    Not even a couple of minutes passed, and heart-rending cries gradually subsided. Having turned into a forest, Ray began to pull to himself all those who had time to free themselves from the mortal bodies of the soul. He missed a few, which means that some of the mercenaries were still alive. Unfortunately, there was no time to finish them off, so the guy immediately turned back, heading to another ¡°hot¡± place, to a huge fire, next to which a considerable number of people also gathered. Watching all this, the bleeding tigress only growled in her gut, in her only eye, a spark of surprise flared, but after a few seconds she died out, and the look of the beast lost focus.


    When the guy arrived at the place, three especially smart mercenaries were already on horseback, and two were even a few dozen meters from the camp, they didn¡¯t even think to help their comrades, although it would be strange to blame them. A dozen more tried to calm the horses and put out the fire, which was already creeping up to the tents.


    Crashing his head into the body of one of the horses, Rey threw the rider to the ground, ceasing to pay attention to him. He did the same with the other two and immediately rushed in pursuit of a pair of fugitives. He caught up with them in a matter of seconds. The body of the snake was so swift that the poor horses had no chance.


    Ray didn''t hesitate. Having broken the legs of the horses with his body, he was convinced that the mercenaries had died falling off the animals galloping at full speed and rushed back to the camp. This direction of escape was worth guarding especially carefully, because it led directly into the open plain. The opposite side of the camp faced the forest, but Rey didn''t worry about that. There they will be met by Cess, who now had to return to him faster than the wind.


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    Most of the horses had already fled from the fire, turning over several carts and freeing themselves, but he did the same with the rest - with one blow of his tail, he swept away a slender row of frightened animals, depriving them of the ability to move due to the fractures received, and some even died on the spot. After dealing with several more yelling mercenaries, who could clearly see the gigantic body of the snake thanks to the flames of the fire, Rei rushed forward again.


    Now his path lay in the very heart of the camp, where small groups of mercenaries had already begun to form, still not understanding how their comrades died, whose bodies were scattered around the entire perimeter of the camp.


    The extermination did not take long. Within three minutes, Rey was slowly making circles around the last group of six mercenaries. Four of them held weapons, two swords and two spears with trembling hands, another huddled into a ball crying like a small child, the last one simply lost consciousness.


    The guy was just playing with them. He was sure that no one else was alive in the camp except them and Tessa, who, as far as he could see, was still lying in her tent.


    Pausing for a moment, he lifted his upper body into the air, stopping at the five-meter mark. One of the warriors had a torch, so they could more or less clearly see the monster that had killed their squad. Ray was sure that each of the men understood that one way or another they would die, but not one had the courage to attack the monster. So the guy decided to help them. The speed of his movement was like lightning. With one throw, he grabbed the upper body of the nearest man in his mouth. Shaking his head several times, he threw the hissing corpse at the feet of the mercenaries. This body had some very powerful acid instead of saliva, so the upper part of the dead mercenary looked incredibly ugly.


    Now every one of them was yelling and roaring. One of the warriors dropped his weapon and rushed in the opposite direction. A second later, without taking even three steps, he flew back as if hit by a train, and the silhouette of a huge tail that arose in the darkness of the night again disappeared somewhere in the distance.


    Deciding that he got a little carried away, Rey finished them off and turned into a woodlander. Concentrating, he made all the souls in the area, which had not yet had time to disperse, fly to him. If the soul had already left the body, it was at the mercy of the Soul Lord, but even so, some of the souls melted while he killed the mercenaries, another part disappeared right during the rather slow flight to Ray. He could make a certain soul fly faster, but that would stop the others.


    Among several dozen souls of mercenaries, at least a dozen horses flew, which pleased him a lot, it seems that the souls of these animals could exist outside the body longer than human ones. Another surprise was the soul of the tigress.


    When he finished he sighed and looked around. The surrounding space was more like not a battlefield, but one of the circles of hell.


    There was blood everywhere. It was hard for Ray to take a step without feeling the sticky liquid on his bare feet. Fortunately, the body itself would have been cleansed over time, so he only had to put up with the annoying champing of wet grass.


    Having reached Tessa''s tent, he made sure that the girl was still unconscious, and having wiped his hands here with a piece of cloth he had found, he left. He immediately transformed into a Desert Hawk and took off into the sky. Rising higher, Ray realized that the bird''s eyes see quite clearly and flew in the opposite direction from the forest. He moved in large zigzags, trying to inspect the largest possible area. As a result, having examined everything in this direction within a radius of five kilometers, he returned empty-handed. Or rather claws.


    By this time, the heavily breathing Cess was already waiting for him in the camp, who also did not find anyone on his way, and Ray was sure of the cat''s hearing, if his pet did not find anyone, then there was simply no one there. Stroking the soft wool, he pointed out the direction in which the horses were. He quite roared and ran there, obviously and without instructions from the owner, smelling the fried horse meat.

 Chapter 54

    Ray sat next to Tessa, looking at the look of surprise on her face. The guy thought about what he should do now. If he took the girl with him, she would noticeably slow him down, but he just couldn¡¯t just leave her.


    I didn''t want to kill either.


    Grimacing at the smell of blood coming from outside, Rei thought about what he had done. He clearly felt no remorse or remorse. The brain simply did not find the reasons that could make the guy torment himself with remorse.


    It wasn''t even that Rey saw the mercenaries as non-living as part of the game. No. He considered them quite real, like himself. It''s just that his attitude to life has become much easier. This applied to animals and, as it turned out today, people.


    When he killed them, he didn''t feel any kind of kinship with them or anything like that at all. The sensations were almost identical with hunting for animals in the forest. Unless they also screamed funny.


    Pushing unnecessary thoughts out of his head, Rei looked at Tessa again. Now he was already in armor, and in his hand the guy held a dagger, driving his claw along the small scratches dotting the blade. After a few moments, the boy''s eyes cleared and he stood up. He grabbed the blade and returned it to its sheath.


    Ray left the tent only a few minutes later. He had a girl in his arms, and in his Inventory was a bag with everything he could find inside. Laying Tessa on that rare piece of soil that was not stained with blood, Rey assembled her tent and secured it to Zessa''s saddle. He did the same with a rather heavy bag of things. A kind of parody of a handbag. While the boy wasn''t sure what exactly the women of his homeworld were wearing in their portable junk storage, this one clearly surpassed them. Everything was here. From the most dangerous weapons to underwear.


    Collecting these things, Rey realized that she would slow him down much more than he initially thought. Tessa needed to sleep, eat, rest... These problems could be solved by the energy of souls, and the guy decided that he might reveal his secret to her, assessing the girl''s reaction to what had happened. Now, under the displeased look of Tsess, who clearly did not like the role of a cargo animal, he began to stuff food and cutlery into another bag. In the process, he became more and more aware of how much of an advantage the Inventory provides to the players. And even more so for him, because everyone else also needed to eat and sleep.


    Having finally finished these simple preparations, he approached Tsess. Surprisingly, he didn''t crouch as usual, giving Ray a chance to mount. He just shook his back dejectedly, demonstrating his unwillingness to carry all unnecessary rubbish on himself. The guy understood him. Cess was a predator, not a domestic donkey, but he was not to be that way for long. And if at least one of the horses survived or did not run away, then there would not have to be at all.


    - Be patient. It won''t be an hour before I put it away. - habitually doubling mental and verbal appeal, Ray stroked the soft fur of the panther. This beast, albeit involuntarily, was his most faithful comrade. And although he could not speak, the guy noticed that every day he was becoming more reasonable. Sometimes he could even read quite human emotions in the cat''s eyes. Or maybe he just spent too long in the company of animals ...


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    Thinking about this, Rei remembered another important thing. Cursing and blaming himself for his indiscretion, he ran to the far end of the camp, where a minute later a fire broke out. Some time passed and the fire grew. And when Rey returned to Cess, almost the entire camp was engulfed in flames. Fortunately, the mercenaries managed to put out the previous fire before they died, otherwise he would not have had time to collect things.


    Climbing onto the saddle with a girl in her arms turned out to be quite difficult. Which irritated Cess even more. Ray was even ready to swear that he saw how he rolled his eyes, but shaking his head and driving away stupid thoughts, the guy still managed to saddle in half with grief. He sat the girl in front of him, clasping his hands.


    It was in this form that they slowly moved out of the burning camp. The wind blew against his back, bringing with it the smell of burning and death, but after a few minutes it disappeared. Looking back for the last time, Rei glanced at the huge fire. It will now be more difficult to understand the cause of the death of mercenaries. It didn''t bother him that much, but setting the parking lot on fire wasn''t too hard, either, so he didn''t think it was too much of a safety net.


    Turning his head, he looked at the endless plain. She lived her own life, and the petty quarrels of the ants did not bother her at all. The wind still howled, creating waves on the surface of the green ocean, watching which Rei involuntarily relaxed, surrendering to the surrounding atmosphere of peace. Cess also began to walk more slowly - it seems that the majestic beauty of nature was also not alien to the cat.


    Tessa woke up only half an hour later. The guy even began to worry if he hit her too hard. Nevertheless, in the body of the forest this very force was much greater and the blow, which seemed to him soft, deprived the girl of consciousness for almost an hour.


    Immediately clutching her head, she groaned in pain. It wasn''t until a few seconds later that Tessa finally opened her eyes. Looking around in surprise, she did not immediately understand what was happening, but did not ask anything. Turning her head, she noticed the same serene, like a mountain stream, the look of a guy. Ray''s calmness was suddenly transferred to her and the girl was finally able to think things over properly. My head still ached terribly, but my thoughts gradually gathered into a holistic puzzle. She remembered the guy¡¯s words about the rebellion, the crowd of mercenaries marching towards her tent, whose faces burned with undisguised lust, and a strange request not to go outside¡­


    A moment later, the girl''s body was covered with goosebumps, and the gradually arising trembling became noticeable even to Ray, whose hands still firmly held Tessa in the saddle.


    - You ... them. - the words were given to the girl hard, so he decided to help.


    - Yes. I killed everyone. I''m sorry, but we couldn''t save your cat. The voice sounded as calm as ever. It was as if the guy hugging her was not talking about the murder of hundreds of people, but simply had the most ordinary conversation with her, which had become so familiar these days.


    This time, Ray''s calmness had the opposite effect. Tessa trembled even more and the guy felt that she was ready to try to escape at any moment.


    - Are you afraid of me?


    There was no answer.


    - You want to say that it cost them to give you?


    Even though he said so, Rey was quite clear that this reason was not the only one. And maybe not even the main one. He just wanted to have fun. A bit odd, but still. And the fact that the warriors wanted to attack Tessa only served as a kind of catalyst, and the guy didn¡¯t need more.


    ¡°This, incorrect, is the difference from ordinary hunting. I can''t just kill people just like that."


    The sudden thought seemed rather curious to Ray, but at that moment he was distracted by the sobbing sounds coming from the girl sitting in front of him

 Chapter 55

    The silent weeping continued for several minutes. Ray didn''t say anything to Tessa and just tried to distract himself somehow.


    Right now, he finished counting the souls he had, which were a little more than one and a half hundred. In fact, he spent almost three dozen souls of beasts from the forest during the battle. There was one very unpleasant reason for this, which was especially acute in the form of the Sun Eater - fatigue. If in the body of a snake it was not felt so strongly, then when returning to the form of a forest one, it could even make him lose consciousness. Ray revealed this feature back in the forest. Then everything ended well thanks to Cess, but he was not going to repeat the mistakes.


    In fact, the principle was quite simple. The Sun Eater''s body was too large and was actively expending its own energy during intense combat. As long as he remained in the body of a snake, this fatigue did not bother him too much, but when Rei changed form to a smaller and less durable one, the body simply could not withstand the load that had fallen on him. Therefore, one had to gradually feed oneself with souls while in the form of a snake. The guy still didn''t understand why he couldn''t absorb the surrounding souls in the form of animals, but as long as he had a supply, it didn''t bother him too much. It was good that he could interact with those souls that were inside him.


    There was another way that allowed saving souls. All he needed to do was rest in snake form, but it was rather slow, and the only way he knew how to speed things up was food. That''s just enough energy-intensive food in the camp were only the bodies of mercenaries and horses. The latter were too large and would take a long time to digest, even despite the acid in the saliva, which means that he could not change the form to a less voluminous one until the food was processed. He was not ready to eat the bodies of people. And it is unlikely that it will ever be ready.


    The most baffling thing about this principle was that fatigue did not adjust to the size and strength of the body like wounds. Rey didn''t understand why it happened this way, but he was genuinely glad that the ability was designed in such a way, because a slight cut for the Sun Eater''s body could turn into almost a fatal wound for anyone else. In addition, he could also heal them with higher efficiency, just by doing it in the smallest of the forms. True, the body of the snake was so strong that the guy could not yet imagine with what weapon it was possible to pierce the scales of this monster. He himself was sure that he could hardly scratch it, and this with the use of skills. Although he could not check the real result, so it was all more of an assumption.


    The Sun Eater''s form was also strange in that it consumed a lot more souls to power up. If the soul of a person to become green absorbed one or two hundred souls, then the snake required about ten times more. And although Ray could not give exact numbers, because each soul had a different amount of energy, the guy was sure that he rather underestimated the scale of the gluttony of the snake, because most likely they were much larger.


    Another problem was that from the moment when the soul of the Sun Eater turned green, gray souls practically ceased to be useful for its development. To obtain a visible result, it was necessary to pour at least several hundred such souls into the soul of a serpent. Or he needed strong white souls, and he rarely met such souls in the forest, so it turned out that the snake stopped growing, although Rey continuously ¡°fed¡± him.


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    But it also brought some benefits, because it was only thanks to the Sun Eater that Rey once again confirmed that the green form of the soul was not the final one. Albeit extremely slowly, but the snake continued to grow, which means that the human soul could also be made stronger. But its growth could not be confirmed in any way, because there were no visible changes with the human body.


    The boy was contemplating whether to feed some of the souls to the Sun Eater right now, or whether it would be better to wait when he felt the girl grab his hands. At first it seemed to him that she was trying to unclench them, because Rei still held her in the saddle, clutching the reins in his hands, but after a couple of seconds he realized that he was mistaken.


    Tessa just held his hands.


    - I am not afraid of you. Forgive me for crying. - the girl tried to give confidence to the words, but it turned out frankly badly for her, because she stopped crying only a minute ago.


    - That''s how? Why? I killed so many of your former comrades. And if I hadn''t shown up, maybe they wouldn''t have attacked you.


    The girl thought for a minute. Ray heard her heartbeat quicken, and the hand holding his own tightened even more.


    - How can I consider as comrades people who have done this? If it wasn''t for you...they would...


    - Don''t make me a hero. I had my own reasons for killing them, besides helping you. And, most likely, they broke only because you spent the night with me. It is unlikely that you would have been touched if you had not done this for such a long time.


    Tessa fell silent again, considering his words. Ray, after waiting a bit, asked the most important question:


    "You need to decide if you want to follow me?" If not, then I will take you to the nearest city or just return the food and things right here. Think till morning.


    The girl remained silent. An hour went by, then another...


    ¡°If she accuses me of killing people, it will be easier to just not take her with me. And while it probably will¡­¡±


    - I''ll go with you. Tessa suddenly spoke up. But an even bigger surprise was that her voice returned to normal. And when she turned to face him, Rey couldn''t see a shred of doubt in her emerald eyes.


    ¡°Somehow she recovered too quickly after what happened ...¡± - even though Rei thought so, he decided not to stir up this topic.


    - Why did you decide so?


    Slightly straightening up in the saddle, the girl continued in her more self-satisfied tone, which was more characteristic of her:


    "You''re going to go to the capital, right?" But you have no idea how to get there. I will guide you.


    - And then?


    - Then ... - the voice was a little strange, but the guy did not pay attention to it, - I will also go with you.


    - I''m going to travel and not always my route will be safe. You can die... Think again.


    "Do you think being a mercenary I''m not used to danger?" My decision will remain the same.


    But you must have a reason. What is it?


    The guy noticed how Tessa had already opened her mouth to say something, but in the end she only turned away, lowering her head slightly. At that moment, Rei heard the girl''s heart beat faster again.


    Understanding the possible reason, he ignored the inappropriateness of his words and directly asked the question:


    - ...fell in love?


    Surprisingly, Tessa, usually sharply reacting to any trifles, only lowered her head more when she heard him.


    Thinking for a moment, Rei realized that there was nothing strange about that. The body and appearance of the players were designed to fully meet the concept of "beauty". In the form of the forest, the external features practically did not change, except that the skin tone changed slightly, and the claws became sharper. Besides, like any girl, Tessa instinctively reached out to the one who was stronger, especially after he protected her.


    The guy sighed and muttered something, released one of his hands and grabbed a bag of things, sending it to Inventory. The girl, of course, noticed this, but Rey was ahead of her by an unvoiced question:


    - I need to tell you something...

 Chapter 56

    Trying with all her might to suppress the violent trembling throughout her body and the almost irresistible urge to turn around and run away, Tessa stood and looked at the head of the Sun Eater hanging over her.


    - How is it? R-ray¡­


    Deciding that this was enough, the guy again took the form of a forest. Taking a few steps forward, he approached the girl, who was trying to make sense of what she had just seen. Ray reasoned that it was better to tell her now, because sooner or later she would have found out anyway if she had followed him. He did not know how the inhabitants of this world would react to such an ability, and now was a great opportunity to find out. Perhaps there was nothing special about the change of appearances and all this time he was winding himself up. So, if Tessa reacted normally to the news, it would be great, but if she started to be afraid of him or wanted to run away, the guy would try to explain everything and calm her down. Of course, this might not work. In this case¡­


    He was ready to kill her.


    Somehow it felt a little wrong, but keeping the secret was more important.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably hard for her to comprehend this, after what she¡¯s experienced, but I don¡¯t want to wait either.¡±


    Tessa, at that moment, seeing that Rey had returned to his forest form again, sighed calmly. Although he warned her in advance, before the snake she felt such an all-pervading horror that she could not even move, but for some reason, when the girl saw the familiar appearance of a young guy in front of her, her fear almost completely disappeared. Tessa subconsciously knew that the serpent and the Pharoese were the same creature, but right now she felt calmer.


    The two stood silently and looked at each other. Ray tried to understand what the girl was feeling now, and she, in turn, tried with all her might not to look away from her deep green eyes. The guy did not pay attention to the fact that he was completely naked, but Tessa was very worried about this.


    - Aren''t you interested in what I am? - He decided to be the first to ask a question, but in the eyes of the girl slipped only bewilderment.


    It became clear that she also did not know his race.


    Tessa froze in place, not knowing what to say to him, and the guy pondered whether he could learn more about his abilities in the capital of Rondal.


    ¡°Even just by finding a description of creatures that could change shapes or absorb souls, I can clear up a lot for myself. It would be nice to also find information about the Sun Eater."


    The snake''s body held many secrets. In addition to the huge size, the strongest scales of an incomprehensible color and a strange name, Ray was most surprised by the acid in his saliva. She appeared after the soul of the snake turned green, although before that it was quite ordinary. It was worth assuming that with subsequent growth, the body would change again, so it was quite important to know exactly how.


    Tessa noticed that the guy was thinking about something, so she decided to say at least something:


    - Everything is fine?


    - Yes ... - looking up from his thoughts, he once again looked at the girl.


    "She doesn''t seem to be afraid."


    - Well, didn''t you change your mind? Still want to follow me?


    After waiting for an affirmative nod, Rei continued:


    - Then tell me, maybe you know something about beings capable of transforming like me?


    Tessa answered immediately:


    - Not. I haven''t even heard of anything like it.


    - That''s how... Okay.


    Seeing that the guy was thinking about something again, the girl hurriedly spoke:


    - Could you get dressed? Still... it''s cold at night.


    Those words made Ray smile.


    - She''s not dressed too warmly either. And what didn''t you see there? Having said that, the boy took another step forward. Now he stood almost close to Tessa, who again turned away, trying not to look at the naked guy.


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    After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rei said in an unexpectedly serious voice:


    ¡°You should be afraid of me, even hate me. If I had not appeared, you would now be among your comrades, and your tigress would be alive.


    The girl answered in her usual commanding tone, but now it seemed softer:


    ¡°But if I leave now¡­ I¡¯ll be left all alone.¡± So shut up and let''s get up for the night.


    The guy understood that Tessa was aware of all this without his words, but nevertheless decided to stay with him. Smiling again, Rei took out the armor from the Inventory.


    - Speaking of which...


    ***


    - Incredible! You don''t need to eat or sleep. No wonder you didn''t have any supplies with you when we met. By the way, the way you hid my things that¡­


    - How noisy you are. If I knew you were so talkative, I wouldn''t have taken it with me. - Ray''s indignation was quite justified, because the last ten minutes Tessa did not stop talking for a moment.


    But the girl seemed to be much more forgiving than he had originally assumed. Looking at her now, it was impossible to say that during that night she had endured as many shocks as a person would have for a lifetime.


    - Nonsense. You love talking to someone so much. What has changed now?


    Unable to find an answer, he just sighed.


    ¡°Now you don¡¯t need to eat and rest either.¡± And how can you call what you eat normal food?


    - Hmph. Kshims porridge is the perfect balance of price and nutritional value. Why did you decide that your way is better?


    - You''ll see for yourself. - Saying this Ray pulled Tessa to him. She clearly took this gesture wrong, because she began to break free, muttering something about perverts and the fact that it was inconvenient to do such riding.


    The guy did not pay any attention to her not very active attempts to escape. From his chest, a grayish clot of energy escaped and entered the girl''s body.


    She instantly froze.


    Now Tessa felt an incredibly refreshing wave of coolness spread to every corner of her body. In surprise, she even let out a sweet moan, but the effect did not last long. The girl turned her head incomprehensibly, but at the same moment she realized that her fatigue had vanished, and the feeling of hunger that had begun to arise disappeared.


    - It''s... I feel better. Much better! How did you do this?


    ¡°So one soul was enough for her? She''s much weaker though, so that''s okay."


    Ignoring the girl''s question, Ray asked his own:


    - Describe exactly what you felt.


    The girl thought for a moment. Pulling her neat eyebrows together, she tried to describe her feelings as accurately as possible, without missing the slightest detail. After listening to her, the guy noticed a slight difference.


    - What about the taste? Didn''t you feel a special taste of this energy?


    Although he could not accurately describe his feelings, it seemed to Ray that Tessa should understand what he was talking about, but the girl only tilted her head to one side, causing her long braid to flutter.


    - Not. All I felt was a pleasant chill.


    The guy was silent, but the girl did not back down:


    - Tell me. What''s the taste?


    - Who cares? You will still eat your porridge. Maybe you''ll learn to be more obedient.


    Widening her eyes in surprise, Tessa was about to start to resent, but right before the first word escaped her lips, the girl pulled herself up.


    - Well, okay.


    When she turned away, Rei only grinned, however, a calm smile also played on the girl''s face.


    They silently moved forward until about an hour later, the guy felt a change. The smile on his face grew even wider.


    "Status"


    Name: Ray???


    Race: ???


    RACIAL FEATURES:


    [Immortal]


    [Many Faces Level 3] (Human, Celestial Tildas, Kuring, Snow Serpent, Pharos Forest Native, Sun Eater, Desert Hawk...)


    [Soul Master Level 5]


    ???


    SPECIALIZATIONS:


    [Hunter Lv 7]


    (Detect Animals, Trap, Increased Damage to Animals(3x), Dominate(Devil Panther), Hunter''s Mark, Vanish)


    [Dagger Mastery Level 5]


    (Retreat, Cleave, Penetration(2x), Haste)


    [Archer Lv6]


    (Firing range increase (4.5x), Power shot,


    Trajectory correction, Downpour)


    [Throwing: Daggers Lv. 4]


    (Return, Throw Range Up(2x), Shot)


    [Rider Level 3]


    (Relentlessness(3x), Bareback)


    [Trickster Level 3]


    (Powered Jump (2x), Dash)


    Having ordered Tsess to stop, he asked the girl to get down and, ignoring her surprised look, removed the saddle from the panther.


    Climbing on his pet again, he got used to the new sensations for some time. Earlier in the forest, sitting on the back of Cess was as pleasant as on a piece of wood, the steel muscles of the cat were too hard and therefore the main part of the load fell on the guy''s legs, with which he supported himself. Now, when the level of the Rider had increased, it was even more comfortable to sit on horseback than when the panther had a saddle. As long as Rei did not move, there was a feeling that Cess''s back was covered with something thick and viscous, reminiscent of jelly. It firmly held him, not letting him fall, but as soon as the guy consciously tried to move, the resistance disappeared.


    - How strange ... Forward!


    With a sharp cry from the owner, the panther took off. Zess increased speed, and the only problem for Ray now was strong shaking, but now he was not afraid to fall off.


    The cat ran faster and faster. At first, the guy could sit quietly, but when the speed became too high, he had to bend down close to the body of the panther, almost hugging his pet. It was also strange that there was no need to hold hands either. As soon as he placed his palms on Cess''s fur, they themselves were fixed in place by the same invisible viscous substance.


    Convinced that he could now keep on riding even when the pet did not restrain himself, Rey ordered him to slow down. Now he was just enjoying the feeling of freedom that came naturally. Looking at the night plain, he felt the gusts of an unstoppable wind with his whole body.


    ¡°Soon I will be as free as this wind. You just need to finish one thing ... "


    Stroking Tsess, the guy found out that he could do it calmly, because the feeling of viscosity disappeared at his request. Freezing for a moment, he immediately ordered the panther to turn around.


    - I''ll tell her that I just wanted to ride alone ... It''s good that I remembered not too late.

 Chapter 57

    The sky-blue tildas had already been flying over a small settlement for several minutes, a hundred or two houses, no more. The sharp gaze of the bird did not miss a single important detail. Having made another circle, he turned towards the plain and flew away.


    Approaching the ground, Ray landed on the thick grass already in the form of a forest, forcing Tessa to cover her eyes with her hand.


    ¡°You could get used to it already¡­ And last night, for some reason, you were not shy.


    - Shut up. And get dressed quickly. - answered the girl, imperceptibly peeping through the cracks between her fingers.


    The guy just chuckled and took out the armor.


    Having dressed, he climbed the Cess. In fact, Ray could have continued to move around in the form of a bird, but Tessa asked him to ride alone on the first day. He understood the reason, besides, being able to constantly hug a beautiful girl was quite pleasant, so for the last two days they had been moving in this way. And so, this morning, thanks to the speed of the panthers, they were able to reach the Rondal border earlier than planned.


    Ray asked the question as soon as his hands were on the girl''s toned waist.


    Why is there no security there? This is the border.


    Hearing the question, Tessa sighed wearily.


    ¡°There are no other countries here for the border to be guarded. Perhaps the forest people, but they will never stoop to attack the defenseless villagers.


    ¡ª That''s how. Then why is the settlement in such decline? I saw quite large fields of this kshims. Maybe it''s the war?


    - Not. The war hasn''t really started yet. It''s about Rondale. Saying this, the girl turned to Ray. There was a clear reluctance to tell useless stories in her eyes, but the guy didn''t care. He pinched her cheek and said:


    ¡°We have plenty of time, so you can take your time and tell everything in as much detail as you can.


    Pushing Rey''s hand away, she glared at him displeasedly, clutching her flushed cheek. Taking a deep breath, Tessa leaned her whole body back, falling on the guy''s chest and began the story.


    - Once upon a time, Rondal really was worth talking about. My father told me that until two hundred years ago, the country was prosperous and could compete in wealth with half the cities of the Free Lands combined. You haven¡¯t been there and you don¡¯t quite understand how great this place is. Each city is like a separate state. There is no division into races, no slaves, anyone can do anything and no one will pay attention to the color of his skin, the number of eyes or hands. And also¡­


    ¡ª Tessa. You got distracted. Ray decided to interrupt her when he noticed that the girl had clearly deviated from the original topic.


    She clicked her tongue in displeasure, but nevertheless resumed the story:


    ¡°Two hundred years ago, the ruling dynasty changed in Rondal. There is not the slightest doubt that the past greatness of the state was associated with wise and prudent rulers. With the advent of the new government, everything changed to the opposite. Not to be found in the whole kingdom of a person who would not know the reason for the fall of Rondal.


    Ray continued to listen carefully to the girl, although he already understood the big picture.


    ¡°The current king, Ader''krim Siral Munk, has brought the country to near ruin. The village that you saw is still in pretty good condition by Rondal''s standards, and that''s only because it''s on the very border, next to the forest, and people can try to hunt. In the extreme east of the country, it is almost impossible for ordinary villagers to survive.


    - You''re not exaggerating? It is even deliberately difficult to bring the country to such a state. And people would not tolerate such treatment, because they can start an uprising, not to mention simply go into the forest or into the plain.


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    - Heh. Not a day goes by in Rondal that a rebellion or rebellion does not break out here and there, but the king took care of it. In every city there are lawmen, crown servants or guards, these bastards, whatever you call it, the essence will not change. So they do not allow ordinary people to exist normally. Of course, their kingdom provides at the proper level, and thanks to this, the rest of the population here is actually slaves, from whom even food is taken away by force. - the girl spoke with sincere hatred in her voice and it can be understood, because she grew up in this place.


    ¡°As for going into the plain or the forest¡­ There are many dangerous animals in the north of Pharos, and to live in the plain you need to work the land, and the tools, as you probably guessed, simply won¡¯t give up power.¡± But even despite this, the villagers often run away and somehow cope, but the first shoots on the fields created in the wild lands, which are sprinkled with the blood of the poor fellows, are burned by the guards.


    Ray''s face grew darker as the story progressed.


    - So the inhabitants of the country can be divided into two groups. Those who are lucky enough to serve the crown, forgetting about conscience and dignity, but well-fed and with a roof over their heads, and those who have to be a slave all their lives.


    ¡°Even in cities, life is not much different from that outside their walls. Probably only in the capital you can live without worrying that you will die of starvation, and even then not everywhere. - Having said this, Tessa fell silent, thinking about something of her own. Ray, too, plunged into thought, he compared the society of people described by the girl, and what he had seen while living among the forest.


    Tessa accurately guessed his thoughts, immediately voicing them:


    ¡°People don''t have the same cohesiveness that your people have. Why, if they had at least a tenth of the spirit of unity and mutual assistance that the children of the forest have, the country would prosper.


    After considering her words, Rei suddenly spoke up. Unconsciously, he just wanted to stand up for the race, of which he still considered himself a representative, albeit in the very backyard of the subconscious:


    ¡°You can''t blame everyone. You yourself said that the kingdom fell into decay with the advent of a new ruling dynasty. People are herd animals, and if someone like that is at the head of the herd... However, I think there is no point in explaining. You have already described the result.


    Tessa nodded her head, but there was no noticeable improvement in her mood.


    - Can we get to the capital without entering villages or cities? - Asking this question, Ray looked into Tessa''s eyes. The girl was clearly sad, but the guy had no idea how to cheer her up.


    - Yes. But a huge river flows not far from here, and in order to cross it, we will most likely have to enter the city. Or make a big detour to get to a bridge that Cessa can handle. We can do the rest of the road to the capital without entering the settlements.


    ¡ª That''s how. Is this city far away?


    - Not. We''ll be there by noon.


    - Fine. Then go. As Ray said this, he heard a bird cry above him. Instinctively, he looked up and saw a small hawk flying towards the forest. At that moment, the guy came up with a great idea.


    Leaping off the panther''s back, he turned his head towards the girl, already beginning to take off his armor. Tessa looked at him in surprise, but after a moment, Ray clarified his actions:


    - Do you want to fly a little? Maybe from a great height this country does not look as vile as you are used to seeing it.


    - What do you mean? Ray did not miss the spark of interest that lit up in her sad eyes.


    - Let''s try first. If you feel the same way as riding on Cesse, then everything is in order, and if not, then it is better not to risk it. Having said these words, the guy turned into a Desert Hawk under the perplexed look of the girl.


    Tessa opened her eyes in surprise. Even while riding a panther, she had to tilt her head back to see the bird''s head. At the same moment, the hawk turned to her, pointing its beak at its back.


    As if waking up, the girl jumped to the ground and in a few movements found herself between huge wings. At that moment, she remembered Ray''s last words.


    "It''s okay, I can handle it." Even though she said so, Tessa still clung tightly to the large feathers.


    And not in vain. After all, in a moment the hawk soared into the air with one jerk. The girl couldn''t help but scream. A few movements of huge wings and now the bird is already a couple of hundred meters above the ground. Apart from the whistle of the wind, only Tessa''s piercing shriek broke the silence, which gradually turned into ecstatic laughter as Rey leveled off in the air, slowing down. The wings opened to their full extent and the hawk, as if floating through the air, serenely soared over the vast plain.


    To the right was a forest, somewhere far below, a small spot could be seen a village. From such a height, it seemed as if the whole world could fit in the palm of your hand, you just had to want to. Looking up at the clouds, Tessa smiled and looked at the hawk''s head. There was no longer sadness or sadness in her eyes, only a bright fire, which should burn in the eyes of a young girl in love.


    - Thanks. ¨C almost inaudibly whispering these words, the girl screamed at the top of her voice, ¨C Faster!


    At the same moment, she regretted her request, because Rei folded her wings and jumped at full speed down to a small black dot that was moving among the green sea - Zess tried with all her might to catch up with her master, but the cat was clearly inferior in speed to a huge hawk.

 Chapter 58

    As Tessa said, after a couple of hours, the city became visible. The girl tried to tell Ray as much as possible about the internal structure and the order that the new ruler had established throughout the country. The same one listened attentively, trying to understand at least the general picture of Rondal''s hierarchy.


    At the very bottom were the vast majority of people, ordinary residents whose fate was not much different from a weak-willed labor force. Almost all the results of their labor were confiscated for the sake of their superiors, who cared little for the fate of the poor fellows.


    It was up to the guards to see to it that the former worked with due diligence. This stratum of society lived relatively normally, but only at the expense of the common people. The problem was that there were also a lot of guards themselves, because they had to suppress the people during large and local uprisings that arose with great frequency, so they absorbed a lot of resources. It was somewhat reminiscent of a somewhat perverse analogue of the army, the soldiers of which were supposed to fight against their own compatriots. As Tessa explained, the main criterion for recruiting guards for service was their character. After all, soft-hearted people will not be able to turn a blind eye to the suffering of their fellows, but better living conditions are rapidly changing the worldview of many of them.


    Even higher in the hierarchy were the city authorities and officers appointed by the capital. Then came the nobles, the political elite of the country and the highest ranks of the lawyers, over whom stood only the family of the monarch.


    The city was getting closer and sharp vision of the forest already allowed Ray to see something.


    Glancing at the shapeless pile of stones that apparently served as some kind of city wall, Rey began to be convinced that everything Tessa had said was the pure truth. Perhaps the girl even downplayed the scale of the country''s decline. However, this was soon confirmed.


    There were more than three kilometers to the entrance to the city, but the guy could clearly see the gloomy scene unfolding in front of a hole in the wall that marked the entrance to the city. The burly man was turned with his back to the plain, so his huge carcass blocked the view, but even so, only by the nature of his movements and the lowered pants, the guy could guess what the guard was doing, and Rey had no doubt that it was he, because on the other side of the entrance to the city stood another similar boar, and on his clothes was the same symbol as on the back of the first.


    Tessa felt the guy''s arms embracing her tense up a little, and the air around seemed to become heavier. Turning her head, she noticed that Rei was looking towards the city, and murderous intent flickered in her green eyes. Unfortunately, even looking closer, the girl could not notice the reason for such a change, but decided to distract the guy at least a little.


    Ray, there is one problem. You can put on a hood and hide your claws, but if they decide to check us, they will definitely not be allowed into the city. It''s one thing, if we had a whole detachment with us, the guards would even be afraid to approach us, but now ... They will not let the non-humans enter. Although, most likely, they will only run away when they see Cess.


    - Everything is fine.


    Tessa didn''t understand what he meant at first, so she turned her head again to gasp involuntarily. The girl looked at the guy''s changed skin color with eyes full of surprise. As if in disbelief, she grabbed his hand, looking down at his nails.


    Ray decided to immediately answer the question she had not yet voiced:


    I can take on any form. Besides, I was originally human too.


    When the guy said that, he looked towards the city again. Now he could hardly even see the hole in the wall where the guards were standing next to, but that didn''t take away the bad feeling in his chest.


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    ¡°Do I even have the right to judge them?¡± When that thought flashed through his mind, Rei resolutely pushed it aside.


    ¡°The past cannot be changed. Why bother worrying about it?"


    After calming down a little, he looked down at Tessa, who was still crushing his fingers in her hands.


    - Played enough?


    Hearing the guy''s words, the girl froze and let go of someone else''s hand.


    - Sorry. Pouting her lips, she turned her back to him, thinking about how much she doesn''t know about the person next to her. Without noticing it herself, the girl only after a few words of the guy began to perceive him as a person.


    Rei only smirked at such a cute reaction, ordering Cess to speed up a bit. Panther gladly complied, and three kilometers to the city were left behind in a matter of minutes.


    As they moved, Tessa realized the reason that had made Ray so gloomy earlier. Although she grew up in this country, such scenes even made her hate Rondal with all her heart.


    Near a large stone, at the base of the wall, a young girl stood, leaning on the gray rock with her hands. Her long skirt was pulled up now, and thin streams of tears rolled down her face. The poor fellow''s eyes were tightly closed, but it was unlikely that this helped her much to move away from what was happening.


    Behind her stood a fat man, naked from the waist down, with the symbol of the city guard on a shabby, coarse shirt. He moved his hips with a strained puff, and his partner, slyly chuckled, but a slightly upset look clearly showed that he was unhappy with the second place in line.


    After a dozen more pushes, the first guard firmly grabbed the girl''s waist, and his thick legs trembled slightly. She screamed something, but she could not escape from the strong grip of the man. Finally pulling away, the guard looked at the girl who fell to her knees, a trickle of white liquid flowing down her thigh, and her eyes, which had not been very lively before, were now almost completely empty.


    Satisfied fat man without saying a word, pulled on his pants and went to the second. Accidentally turning his head towards the plain, he almost tangled in his own feet, but he could hardly keep his balance. Fifty meters away, towards the entrance to the city, a huge panther was slowly walking.


    His comrade also noticed the beast, so without waiting a second, he moved away from the hole in the wall. The first guard, noticing his actions, hurried to repeat them, but a girl appeared on the way.


    ¡°Please¡­ you promised me four coppers¡­¡± Her voice trembled so much that the words could hardly be made out, but the guard didn¡¯t care at all that she was mumbling. Kicking her foot, he hastened to get out of the way of a huge cat. What was the surprise of the man when the thin girl was able to rise to her knees after his blow.


    ¡°Sir, I beg you. I haven''t eaten anything for two days. Only four¡­


    - Get out of here! I''m not rich enough to pay for every dirty crack. ¨C making sure that he had gone far enough, the guard roared without letting the girl even finish speaking. She only cried harder, not paying attention to the fact that just a couple of meters away he stopped her Cess.


    - Pay her. A calm male voice sounded.


    The dumbfounded guard froze. Only after a moment, he realized that the eyes of a young guy in a strange gray armor turned to him. He was even about to open his mouth, but prudence and the desire to live took over. Taking out a few rounds from a bag on his belt, he approached the girl and put them in her hand. All the while he walked, his eyes darted between Ray and Cess. You could see how his legs trembled when he looked at a huge cat that was almost twice as tall as himself.


    The girl, realizing what had happened, turned her head to crawl away a few steps in fright. At that moment, Tessa jumped off the back of the panther. The eyes of both guards involuntarily stuck to her. She wore quite a few clothes. The reason for this was that her fighting style was entirely based on maximum mobility, so a minimum of clothing was justified.


    Approaching the frightened girl, she begged her to get up. She, still not fully understanding what had happened, looked at Tessa, and then at a few coins in her hands. Her sunken face conveyed a whole gamut of incomprehensible emotions. Casting a look full of fear and hopelessness at the guards, she quietly thanked the girl standing next to her.


    Tessa''s heart ached at that moment, as if pierced by needles. If she had been unlucky a few years ago, she could have stood in the place of this poor fellow. But even so, it was not difficult for her to understand why this girl was looking at the guards with such a look.


    Turning to Ray, she spoke.


    ¡°That doesn''t make sense. As soon as we leave, these bastards will not only take the money, but also beat her half to death.


    At that moment, the hearts of both guards missed several beats. They stood at some distance, but still clearly heard Tessa''s words. The two looked at each other, but had no idea what to do. At that moment, Rei barely perceptibly nodded and jumped down to the ground. Without a word, he walked towards the first guard. He, looking into strange green eyes, saw only calmness there, but for some reason he involuntarily took a few steps back.

 Chapter 59

    The fat man was about to say something, but at the moment when he decided to open his mouth, there were just five meters between him and Ray.


    "Dash" - with a mental order, the guy''s body flashed with a dim green light and he disappeared from the guard''s field of vision for a moment. At that very moment, the man felt a strange chill deep in the center of his chest. Lowering his head, he saw a hand in gray armor. She was holding the same gray dagger, the blade of which almost completely entered his body. The stunned eyes turned slightly to the side to meet the same calm look of the guy as before.


    The second guard was about to scream when a huge black shadow appeared in front of him. He did not even have time to turn his head when his body, like a leaf under a squall of wind, flew towards the wall. The sound of the collision turned out to be surprisingly soft and somehow wet. Cess just growled softly and lowered his huge paw, watching the man who instantly lost his life.


    The massive carcass of the guard was slowly sliding down the stone surface with an unpleasant sound. Visually, the body seemed intact, only the head burst upon impact like a ripe watermelon, painting a huge piece of the wall in scarlet.


    Even stranger was the fact that the girl who had been supported by Tessa until now didn''t even scream at the sight of such a scene. Rei had no idea what she had to see in everyday life, but the restraint with which she took what happened spoke eloquently of how "well" the ordinary people of Rondal lived.


    Turning into a forest, the guy carefully listened to the environment. Apart from the quickening heartbeats of the two girls, the low sound of the river, and the bodyguard Tsess playing with the body, nothing stood out in the silence.


    ¡°Only these two are guarding the entrance to the city?¡±


    Ray was surprised, because he was already quite ready for a good battle, but he had to be disappointed - no one reacted to what happened. Looking at the body of the second guard, whose soul was already flying towards him, the guy relaxed and returned to human form.


    Finally pulling the blade out of the man''s body, he let it fall to the ground. Carefully examining the corpse, Rey realized that the guard had absolutely no weapons.


    ¡°Though, if the entire population is in the same condition as this girl, then it will not be difficult for these hogs to cope with them with their bare hands.¡±


    Taking a small pouch from the guard''s belt, he approached the body of the second, intending to rob him too. Noticing the approach of the owner, Cess growled with displeasure, but nevertheless removed his paw from his ¡°toy¡±.


    The shirt on this man''s body was streaked with claw marks. Ray immediately guessed what kind of fun Cess had come up with, he was checking if he could tear the fabric without hitting the skin. And, obviously, the cat controlled its claws with absolute precision, because the guy could not see a single superfluous scratch on the body of the guard. Is that a piece of meat that replaced his head a little spoiled the picture.


    Opening two bags, he poured the contents into his palm. Inside were small, fingernail-sized coins. Three silver and several dozen copper rounds fit easily in his palm.


    - It''s a lot? - Approaching Tessa, he asked a question of interest to him.


    Earlier, the guy learned something about the money of this world. They did not have a name, they were simply divided into copper, silver and gold. The denomination grew through one hundred, so the calculation was quite simple. But the very value of this money was rather vaguely clear to him, and the fact that the girl was paid 4 copper coins for ¡°one time¡± said too little.


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    Looking at the outstretched hand, Tessa shook her head.


    - Not good. There will be enough for the two of us for about five days in a relatively good inn.


    This fact surprised Ray more than he expected. There were about 330-340 coppers here and that would be enough for less than a week for two people. The girl sold her body for only four of these coins ...


    ¡°And they disdain to let non-humans into the city?¡±


    Clenching the coins in his hand, Rei poured them into one of the pouches.


    "I''m sure the developers wanted to create a different world."


    Following the greedy look of the girl, who did not take her eyes off his hands while he held the money in them, the guy threw the bag to her. Whether because of surprise, although, rather because of a banal lack of strength, she could not catch him. Literally falling to the ground with him, the poor thing grabbed a small purse with both hands, pressing it to her. She kept thanking the guy who was already on his way to Cess.


    With a last glance at the girl, he called Tessa back to help her up.


    ¡°Or I overestimated people too much¡­¡± - the guy involuntarily thought.


    Climbing onto the back of the panther, Ray waited for the mercenary and casually glanced at his hands, which no longer had their usual claws. For a moment, he felt a strange disgust while in this form, but after a second it disappeared without a trace.


    After entering the city, the boy and girl saw only two small wooden huts on either side, which seemed to serve as guardhouses. There was nothing else on this bank of the river, which flowed twenty meters ahead. Four more guards were on the other side of the stone bridge, which was in about the same condition as the wall.


    They sat on small wooden benches, two on each. Between them, several empty skins lay on the ground, and two more were now actively used. And only one look of the reddened faces of men was enough to guess the contents of the containers.


    ¡°Does this world also have alcohol? Tessa didn''t say, though, come to think of it, I didn''t ask."


    Ray tried to remember if he''d seen anything like that with the mercenaries, but eventually realized that they didn''t have strong drinks with them, which was rather strange.


    ¡°Maybe people here just have a different mentality.¡±


    The guy completely surrendered to his thoughts. He didn''t care at all that two people had died because of him a minute ago.


    But the same could not be said about Tessa. Even if she understood that those two had almost no human dignity left, but she also understood that they were still people. People who died just because she said a few words.


    The guy sitting behind her was a little belated, but still noticed it.


    - You''re a mercenary. Does the death of two people really bother you that much?


    Hearing his words, Tessa answered rather quickly:


    ¡°In combat, life and death go hand in hand. If you do not kill, then you yourself meet death, and this ...


    - You worry too much. Besides, you didn''t kill them, I did.


    The girl turned to him and looked straight into his eyes.


    - Don''t you feel anything at all?


    - At all. - Ray answered instantly and in his eyes Tessa really could not distinguish anything, only confidence and calmness.


    ***


    All the way through the city made Ray only more and more convinced that Tessa''s story did not convey even a tenth of how much the people living in Rondal suffered.


    Looking at a group of children who were dressed in some scraps of burlap, and not close to being clothes, the guy tried to distract himself with reflections on the past. He recalled the stories of his old world, which described fairytale kingdoms, shining like a gem on the outside, but rotten on the inside. Rondal was different. He was rotten through and through, literally completely. And so strong that a small push would be enough for the state to be left as a ruin, under which millions of innocent lives will be buried.


    Glancing again at the children, who might have wanted to run up to beg but were too afraid of Cess, Rei noticed an ironic detail. The strange situation caused such mixed feelings in him that the guy did not even know how to react. The thing was that even though the children were dressed in anyhow, barefoot and all covered with abrasions, they themselves were absolutely clean. Everything that could pollute the bodies of the inhabitants of this world, as well as the bodies of the players, gradually disappeared from them.


    "Madness."


    Clutching the reins tighter, Rey ordered Cess to speed up. He did not want to stay in this city for one extra second.

 Chapter 60

    Unfortunately, the guy''s wishes were not destined to come true.


    After spending several minutes in a city filled with an atmosphere so oppressive that it seemed as if the very air was sticky, Rey and Tessa finally made it to another hole in the wall. It was exactly the same as the previous one, with one exception - now the passage was blocked by a nondescript, but rather large carriage.


    Several dozen onlookers gathered near the nearest houses, which meant that the carriage had been standing here for some time. Three guards stood in front of the carriage with satisfied grins on their faces, they, in fact, did not let her pass. The fourth stood next to the two riders, arguing furiously about something. At the very least, he waved his arms at the same time like a real conductor. The coachman, with a bored look, detachedly watched what was happening.


    The conversation was quite hard to hear, so when the crew was about fifty meters away, Rey ordered Tsess to stop and put on his hood. At the same moment, claws appeared on his hands, but it was quite difficult to notice this because of the panther fur in which he dipped them.


    - ... verification is required. I''m sorry, gentlemen, but those are the rules. the guard said with mock disappointment. ¡°Of course, if what¡¯s inside the wagon is really that secret, I¡¯m willing to try to convince my colleagues, but you must understand¡­¡±


    At that moment, one of the riders tore off a heavy bag from his belt and threw it to the guard. He deftly grabbed it and without even trying to hide it, poured the contents into his palm. Seeing several dozen silver rounds, the guard clenched his fist greedily.


    ¡°I thank you for your generosity, but my comrades are very faithful to their duty. I do not want to offend you, but ... - his tongue was hung well, and coupled with remarkable arrogance, this paid off. The second rider threw him the same bag.


    - Gentlemen, if you need help in choosing a place to sleep, you can not hesitate to contact me. - said the guard, after which the other three hurried to clear the road.


    The riders, without giving any of them even a glance, moved forward, the carriage immediately following them. But, they could not go far, because now a huge panther blocked their path.


    Noticing that the riders were slowing down, Rey asked the bewildered Tessa to dismount. She was too upset about what happened before entering the city to argue with him, so she just silently jumped to the ground.


    - What a curious armor you have, traveler. Can you tell me where she might have come from? one of the horsemen spoke, stopping ten meters from Cess.


    Surprisingly, the sight of the beast didn''t seem to frighten them in the slightest. There could be two reasons for this: either they were so strong that they could not be afraid of the panther, or they were simply sure that the enemy would not dare to attack them. Which one was true, Rei couldn''t tell no matter how hard he tried. Both riders were strongly built, and under the loose robes, the contours of the armor clearly showed through. Inwardly, the guy wondered how the guards were smart enough to stop this couple, but this did not bother him too much.


    Now he was thinking about whether to contact them. The reason why he decided to block the way for the riders was not too serious and, it would seem, should not worry the guy, but for some reason he did not want to just pass by.


    ¡°The guards must have heard as well. Although, it''s not surprising that they simply ignored such a thing ... ¡±Rei¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the call of the second rider:


    - You''ve been asked a question!


    Turning his head, the guy looked at the man, who had already lowered his hand to the blade attached to his belt. Quickly replaying in his head the words of the first horseman, which Rei paid no attention to at first, he realized that most likely the people in front of him already knew what kind of armor he was wearing.


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    "So even better. Now you don¡¯t have to think long about what to do.¡±


    Breaking off the spot, Cess jumped to the first rider. A cat could overcome a distance of ten meters in one jump, so the man could only realize what had happened when he crashed into the ground, flying off the saddle.


    It was worth giving the soldiers their due. The second rider instantly reacted to the attack, but at the moment when he took out his sword, a gray dagger was already flying at him. Raising his hand, he barely had time to cover his head, into which, in fact, the weapon glowing with the green light of the Shot flew.


    There was a metallic clang, but the dagger punched through the armor and pierced into the forearm. The rider was clearly an experienced warrior and such an injury only made him grimaced, but at the moment when he lowered his hand, he could only notice a flash of green light, and the next moment, a guy dressed in gray armor appeared in the air in front of him. The dagger in his hand, shining with the same emerald glow, was already rushing towards his neck. The warrior hoped to defend himself with a sword, but the hand did not go even half way, when the world before his eyes revolved. A second later, the severed head rolled down the dusty road.


    Rey didn''t stop there, grabbing his blade and stabbing it into the horse''s neck, which let out a loud neigh, and after a moment fell silent, falling on its side.


    Only after making sure that precious souls had escaped from both bodies did he turn his head. Cess coped faster than him and had already found a new toy. The guy did not understand why the panther liked doing this so much, but as long as it did not bother him, he was not going to deny the pet entertainment, albeit a little cruel. Right now, he was hitting the head of the coachman with a huge paw, who, it seems, in a futile attempt to escape, did not manage to take even five steps. After another poke of the cat, the man swallowed a portion of the dust from the road, but still tried to get up. Cess clearly did not like this, he again hit him on the head, causing it to crash into the ground. It was clear that the cat was restraining itself as best it could so as not to accidentally kill the poor fellow, but even so, the coachman would not have survived many such blows.


    Realizing that everything is under control here, Rey glanced towards the guards. He hoped that they would do something, but all four of them, now and then looking over their shoulders, fled towards one of the gatehouses, located next to the hole in the wall. After thinking for a moment, the guy decided that enough murders for today. If these men had not identified him, he would not have killed them either, nevertheless, what they were doing was none of his business, but now ...


    After waiting for the fourth soul to fly up to him, Rei extended his hand to the side. At the same moment, the dagger escaped from the body of the second rider and flew into his palm.


    - Enough, Cess. he ordered the pet, taking a few steps towards the carriage.


    Panther was also clearly tired of the coachman, because the man had almost stopped twitching. Stepping over the body of the poor fellow, Cess waved his tail. The bone tip entered the man''s back with surprising ease, practically cutting him in half.


    Nodding, Ray walked over to his body and wiped the weapon on the dead man''s clothes, absorbing the coachman''s soul in parallel. After that, as if he remembered something, he searched all three corpses in turn. Everyone had a small purse, which looked quite expensive. Imagine the guy''s surprise when, pouring their contents into his palm, he saw an unexpected silver. No, almost four dozen coins shimmered in the midday sun with pure golden highlights.


    At first, Rey was delighted with such prey, but after a few seconds, he frowned. With a quick glance at the decapitated body, he realized that perhaps he had messed with these people in vain.


    ¡°Who are you, if you carried so much money with you?¡±


    Approaching the corpse, the guy cut open the outer clothing that covered the armor. At that moment, a step away from him, Tessa''s voice rang out:


    - Ray... You... - the girl didn''t know what to think. Right in front of her eyes, the guy without saying a word killed three people and even their horses. Even then, she froze, not knowing what to do, and when he also shamelessly robbed the dead, Tessa was simply stunned. She came to her senses only when, as it seemed to her, Ray was going to take away the clothes of the poor fellows.


    - There is a crying child in the carriage. Calm him down. Or rather her. - Having said these words, the guy continued to tear the clothes of the dead rider, not paying the slightest attention to the fact that the girl was still standing nearby. As the armor became visible, Rey could make out the strange mark that had been applied to the metal breastplate. He was unfamiliar to him, but Tessa, as soon as she saw him, cried out in a voice full of surprise:


    ¡°The symbol of the royal guard!?¡±

 Chapter 61

    Hearing the exclamation, Rei only frowned.


    ¡°So it is. They really were big shots¡­¡±


    Finally leaving the corpse alone, the guy turned to Tessa.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get along well with children, so I leave that to you.


    ¡ª Eh? - the girl froze for a moment, but remembering the guy''s previous words about the child in the carriage, she immediately turned her head towards the carriage.


    "So that''s why you killed them?" she asked with some hope.


    But the guy did not immediately answer:


    - What is the reason?


    ¡°Are you ready to just kill people like that!?¡± And how do you know why the baby in the carriage is crying? And also the horses...


    ¡°I killed them for a reason. Ray interrupted Tessa. ¡°Since it bothers you so much, you know that by killing them, I became stronger. This also applies to animals. As for the child, - casting a glance in the direction of the carriage, the guy continued, - we can leave right now.


    Having agreed, the guy again became a man and moved towards Tsess, who also heard crying, so now he was standing next to the carriage door. The girl, not understanding what Rei was talking about, just clenched her fists, quickly walked past the guy and stopped next to the panther. The cat immediately moved, letting Tessa, who exhaled loudly, who tried to put on a friendly expression on her face, open the door. From this distance, she also clearly heard the girl''s cry, so she was not going to scare her even more, even if she was very upset and angry because of Ray''s behavior.


    Opening the door, as plain as the rest of the carriage, Tessa realized that the interior of the carriage was an order of magnitude richer. On a bench lined with soft fabric sat a girl of about five, hugging her knees, she quietly cried, now and then calling her mother. The dress she was wearing fluttered in time with her long black hair as the little girl lifted her head to look at Tessa.


    At that moment, the girl froze, not knowing what to say. Looking at the crying girl, she had no idea how to behave. After standing like that for ten seconds, she came to her senses only when a huge black head pushed her away with force - Cess was also interested in what was inside the large wooden box.


    Recovering only after a few breaths, with horror in her eyes, Tessa rushed to the panther, trying to push away the huge beast, which could frighten the girl even more.


    What was her surprise when the soft sobs that came from inside the carriage subsided.


    - Baby, don''t be scared, this cat is good. - all that Tessa could squeeze out of herself, trying with all her might to push the panther away, but it was like trying to move a mountain - Zess did not even move. But the girl''s torment did not last long, having seen enough of the human child, the cat moved, giving Tessa the opportunity to stand in front of the door again.


    Rey just stood by watching what was happening, but decided to give the girl, who also didn''t seem to have much experience with children, a hint:


    ¡°You shouldn''t show her what''s outside the carriage. Better yet, just tell the guards about it and let them figure it out.


    This remark received only an angry look from Tessa, who, plucking up courage, spoke to the baby again:


    - Hey. Are you okay? Nothing hurts?


    The girl only looked at her in surprise and shook her head, indicating that she was not injured. But after that, she lowered her head again, whimpering softly. Tessa, frightened, turned her head to Ray, hoping to get advice, but he only shrugged his hands, saying: "You figure it out yourself."


    Not knowing how to approach the girl, she frantically thought about what better to say, but at that moment her eyes caught on Cess, who yawned lazily, sitting down next to his master. Tessa''s eyes lit up and turning her head towards the baby, she spoke softly:


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    Did you like that big cat?


    The girl, without taking her head off her raised knees, nodded in the affirmative.


    ¡°If you try not to cry, I''m sure he''ll agree to give you a ride.


    Surprisingly, the plan worked for ¡°Hurrah!¡±, the baby finally raised her head, and the sobs that had time to intensify again began to gradually subside.


    ¡°R-really?¡± ¨C breathed a little trembling, barely audible voice.


    - Of course, let''s go. I will introduce you to him. - Tessa held out her hand to the girl, trying to smile as friendly as possible.


    The little girl glanced at the outstretched palm, and rising slightly, hesitantly held out her own.


    After confirming that the child had taken her hand, Tessa turned to Ray.


    Take off your hood, please, it''s too scary. And ask Cess to play with her.


    Hearing the request, the guy thought for a moment, but still decided to play along:


    "Don''t hurt her." Giving Cess a mental order, he pulled off his hood.


    Nodding, Tessa turned her head back. The girl stood in the middle of the carriage, wiping her tears with one hand.


    - Let''s get to know each other first. The cat''s name is Cess, I''m Tessa, and you?


    ¡ª Mia. ¨C hardly audibly whispered girl. - Mia Ains.


    Is she an aristocrat? Wait¡­ Ains!?¡± - when this thought flashed through the girl''s head, she could hardly help but show her surprise on her face. Forcing herself to calm down, Tessa continued in the same friendly tone:


    - Nice to meet you. And now, let''s go to Cess, but there is one important condition, - giving a strict voice, the girl finished, - you will need to close your eyes for a while and not peep. Promise?


    The slightly strange request did not embarrass the little girl at all, and hearing Tessa''s serious tone, she, after a little thought, nodded confidently.


    - That''s good. Go here. Saying this, she extended her other hand forward. Before taking the girl in her arms, Tessa looked at her expectantly, and she immediately closed her eyes, trying with all her might to show that she was not going to peep. Carefully picking up the baby, the girl went around the carriage in a few steps, standing so that the bloody scene that unfolded just a few meters away was not visible.


    We can''t take her with us. Ray said, who also stood next to him. He spoke the language of the Pharos.


    An unfamiliar male voice made the baby shudder perceptibly, but she still did not open her eyes, only clutching Tessa more tightly.


    ¡°Her mother is First Minister Rondala. - not paying the slightest attention to the remark of the guy, the girl spoke in the forest dialect. ¡°And judging by what happened here, most likely the girl was kidnapped.


    Ray was a little surprised to learn that the small fry is a very important person, but soon, after thinking it over, he came to his senses.


    - This does not change anything. Give it to the guards. I''m sure they wouldn''t dare harm the minister''s daughter.


    We are going to the capital anyway. We can take it ourselves. - after a little thought, she decided to try to convince the guy, because she categorically did not want to leave Mia with such people. We will definitely be rewarded for saving the girl.


    The guy just shook his head.


    - It won''t. She''ll have to be fed, and we''ll slow down. Not to mention the fact that instead of a reward, they can simply accuse us ... - Rei froze in mid-sentence, smiling strangely. Tessa shuddered at that smile, but the guy immediately continued. - You''re right. We can take her. She is still small and will not understand anything if I quietly remove hunger and fatigue.


    - You ... - the girl wanted to speak, understanding the reason for such a change, but Rei interrupted her.


    ¡°I won''t kill anyone for no reason. But I can''t do anything about the fact that I need to kill. You can''t change anything, so just accept it.


    Looking at him dumbfounded, Tessa stroked the head of the girl, who was clearly frightened by the incomprehensible conversation.


    Why do you need to kill? she asked, looking at the boy in disbelief.


    - I already said: to become stronger. Every creature I kill gives me its soul. It was thanks to their energy that you could not eat or sleep in the last days.


    Tessa did not answer, continuing to look at the guy with a strange look.


    - Do you think it''s bad?


    The girl was silent.


    - I see that yes ... But, what exactly is wrong with this? I am who I am, but I promise not to kill everyone in a row. In the forest, I hunted animals, surviving thanks to this. And the only people I killed were two bastards raping a girl and three scum who kidnapped a child. It''s not even worth talking about mercenaries. So why do I scare you?


    Tessa looked down, but Ray noticed that she was biting her lip, thinking about something. The painful silence lasted for several seconds, until the girl interrupted him. She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye.


    - Good. I believe you and feel that you are not evil. At least not so much that I couldn''t put up with it¡­¡± The girl said the last phrase very quietly, but Ray could hear her. Nodding, he turned his head to the girl, who had closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the strange conversation to end. Glancing at the little girl''s face, he thought about Tessa''s words, which must have been uttered under the influence of the same feeling that made her follow him.


    "I think I''m a lot worse than she would like."


    - You can open your eyes. Tessa said softly in a language familiar to the girl.


    By this point, Rei had already turned away, taking a couple of steps towards Cess, who was sitting here. For a long time painful thoughts in his head did not linger. Now he was thinking about how to make the most of this situation.

 Chapter 62

    Rei was right, Miya had indeed slowed their progress. The path to the capital, which he planned to overcome in a day, now promised to stretch almost twice. But, for some reason, watching a little girl who, having spent only a few hours with two strangers, could play carelessly with Tessa, he felt his heart warm.


    The joyful smile of Mia chasing Cess made his faith in people, which, after what he saw in the city resembled a smoldering candle, burn a little brighter.


    Now their small detachment stopped for a forced break, because even though Rei helped the girl with souls, she still could not stay on horseback for too long.


    Stopping, the cat lay on its stomach, allowing the girl to stroke the head, which was larger than herself. Rei couldn''t help but be surprised at this behavior of the pet, because even Tessa did not allow himself to be touched too much, and with Mia he behaved unexpectedly soft.


    - Nice cat. I''ll introduce you to Ruth when we get home. You will definitely make friends with her. - the girl said, continuing to stroke the huge head of the panther, which closed its eyes, enjoying the caresses.


    - Mia, - sitting down next to the girl, Tessa looked at her, - how did you end up in that carriage?


    Hearing the question, the girl frowned cutely, but still answered:


    - Uncle Farnes told me to sit there. And those uncles didn''t want to take me back. - the girl stopped stroking Cess, and tears began to collect in her eyes.


    At the same moment, the girl sitting in front of her caught herself and waved her hands, trying to calm the baby who was ready to cry.


    - Do not worry! You will be home soon, Cess is very fast, you will not have time to come to your senses when you return to your mother.


    During the short trip, Tessa managed to understand that the mention of the girl''s mother and Cess in one sentence gives an incredible effect. And so, as soon as she said this, Mia immediately calmed down, rushing to hug the panther, however, it was too big and it looked like a girl crashed into a cat with her arms outstretched.


    Tessa, satisfied with the work done, turned to Ray. Noticing her shining eyes, the guy realized that for some reason she was hoping for praise. It wasn''t anything like that, so he smiled slightly and nodded at her.


    Surprisingly, such an ordinary gesture made the girl beam. Joyful, she turned back to Mia, who was rubbing her face against Cess''s soft fur. The cat obviously treated the baby very well, because she reacted quite calmly to the girl stuck to her cheek.


    ¡°Somehow all this is strange. Did the child really affect her that much? Ray thought as he watched the unusually peaceful scene.


    ¡°Although¡­ Better that way than if she was thinking about something bad.¡±


    Glancing at the sun, which had already gone down quite a bit, the guy got to his feet.


    - Let''s go. The less we rest, the faster we will get there.


    Hearing his words, Tessa asked the girl:


    ¡°Miya, do you think you can ride a little more?¡±


    The girl nodded, not taking her eyes off Cess''s paws immersed in the grass, which he now squeezed, then unclenched, releasing huge claws.


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    ***


    The journey went smoothly. They moved straight to the capital, mostly bypassing the well-trodden roads. Along the way, they met only a few horsemen, among whom only a strange red-haired girl, whose face was hidden by a hood, clearly stood out. She moved towards them and was the only one who did not even deign the colorful company with a glance. The girl just drove by without raising her head.


    Rey wouldn''t have paid much attention to her either, but Zess growled softly as she approached. True, the girl did not take any action that could harm them, so the guy quickly forgot about her.


    On the same morning they reached the capital. The city was clearly the richest of all that Ray had seen before from a distance. So far, he could judge this only by the city wall, but it looked quite neat, almost five meters high, it could not be compared with those that the guy had seen before. The same was true for the guards. Six patrolled the foreseeable section of the wall and the same number were near the checkpoint at the gate.


    The sun had only recently risen, and there were only two carts near the entrance to the city, waiting for an opportunity to get inside. Rey ordered Cess to slow down, so they got there just as the last cart was finished checking.


    At Tessa''s request, the guy made himself clothes from the fabric of her tent, because she did not want them to have the same problems again. Ray''s skill in such a case was only enough to cut a hole in a large piece of cloth for a head. The resulting cloak now covered his torso and belt with daggers, and the guy¡¯s legs were still dressed in armor, but it didn¡¯t stand out so much without a hood and a breastplate.


    - Stop! shouted one of the guards when the gate was about twenty meters away. These men were clearly not as brave as little Mia and didn''t want Cess to get too close. They looked much better than the first guards Rey met. Shiny armor covered most of the body and, despite the rather hot weather, the men were not going to take them off, serving as expected. Each had a sword hanging from his belt, and four archers on the walls were already holding arrows at the ready, ready at any moment to shoot at the huge beast.


    - For what purpose did you come to the city? ¨C shouting asked the same guard.


    We are mercenaries. We heard a rumor that the war would start soon, so we decided to earn extra money. Rey answered just as loudly.


    The answer clearly satisfied the man, as he immediately gave a signal to his comrades and they cleared the passage.


    - Come on in. - throwing a strange look at the child, he still did not ask anything more.


    Rei didn''t say anything either, asking the only question he was interested in after they had passed through the gate:


    Why didn''t they charge us for entry?


    Tessa, having heard his words, thought a little, but the guy himself saw the quite obvious reason, he just decided to clarify.


    - Well, they would have to approach Cess or ask you to go down yourself. It seems that their pride and hands are worth more than a few coppers. the girl said with a sneer, confirming Ray''s thoughts. He just nodded and looked around.


    The part of the city they were in was clearly a trading part, and the difference between the capital and the border town they visited was so huge that it was not worth mentioning. It was quite busy here even at this early time. Here and there, stalls and even rare shops that have been open since the morning were already opening.


    Ray peered at the goods, trying to find something interesting. Now he had with him a rather impressive amount of money in gold, even by the standards of the capital, received from the guards, so he could afford some expenses. But, most of the merchants sold snacks or any everyday trifle, and the guy was ready to buy only arrows from weapons, but the gunsmith never caught his eye.


    Mia, unfortunately, did not know the way to her house. She could only say that it was very large and beautiful, so she had to ask passers-by for directions. However, the estate of the First Minister was really huge and there were quite a few people in the city who would not know its location. True, Tessa still had to go down to clarify the path, because the townspeople did not approach Cess closer than one or two dozen meters.


    And now, after almost an hour of wandering, they finally managed to find a huge building, with no less huge forged gates, next to which stood four armed guards. It, like most noble estates, was located almost in the very center of the city, next to a huge castle, thanks to which it was possible to find it. They were lucky and Mia was able to remember the way, starting from the palace, so now they were already approaching the guards, who also managed to notice a huge black panther stepping rhythmically in their direction

 Chapter 63

    The men clad in dark gold armor visibly tensed, but to give them their due, they did not retreat. Having each taken his position in front of the gate, the four warriors put their hands on the swords hanging from their belts. Their faces were covered by the visors of their helmets, but for some reason Rey had no doubt that now there was no fear in their eyes of the majestic predator that had stopped ten meters from them.


    The guy dismounted and, taking Mia out of Tessa''s arms, stood a little ahead of the pet. Seeing the girl, the guards tensed even more, but clearly did not understand what exactly they needed to do. Fortunately, Ray decided to help them.


    - Call the mistress of the estate, I think she managed to miss her kidnapped daughter. He spoke calmly, but the guards visibly hardened upon hearing his words. It was evident that their plate gloves gripped the hilts of their swords more tightly. Tessa, who also jumped to the ground next to Ray, immediately decided to clarify the situation, because she already guessed what exactly the guy was trying to achieve by saying in a similar manner:


    - We met a carriage in the border town, which was accompanied by two royal guards. Mia said that a certain Farnes put her there. Don''t get us wrong, we just wanted to take the girl home. - She tried to speak as sincerely as possible and it paid off. Which was no wonder, because the male name voiced by the girl was well known to each of them.


    Without saying a word, they changed formation, and one of the guards hurried to report what had happened. Another of them spoke to strangers:


    - Release the young mistress. Then we can trust you.


    Hearing a clear young voice, Rei literally imagined a knight proudly sitting on his horse. To drive away the delusion, he even had to shake his head, however, with this gesture, he also gave the warrior an answer.


    ¡°I will hand it over to my mother.¡± Still, you can not be trusted, because this Farnes was like you from the estate, so do not blame me. Yes, and I''m far from being such a noble person as to return the girl just like that. The guy said spreading his arms.


    - How dare you!? shouted the young "knight" as he drew his blade.


    The reaction was so predictable that Ray couldn''t help but smile. His hands, hidden by a makeshift cloak, were clutching the handles of daggers all this time.


    - No need. Why are you provoking him? - Tessa''s voice was heard from the side, to which the guy only grunted displeasedly.


    - He was the first to draw his weapon, and if he makes one more unnecessary movement, he will not see today''s sunset. ¨C in the eyes of the guy flaming thirst for battle. He even ordered Cess not to interfere - he was so eager to clash with these warriors, who were clearly well trained.


    The ¡°knight¡±, on hearing the words of a young man whose clothes resembled a beggar, literally caught fire with rage, but one look in the direction of the panther cooled his heart, ready to explode from humiliation. He was considered one of the strongest warriors in the estate, and then some ragamuffin threatens him with death. Of course, the vanity and pride of the young warrior were hurt, but he did not dare to act thoughtlessly, being really well trained.


    That''s just his fleeting glance in the direction of Cess did not escape Ray, even despite the visor of his helmet.


    "Don''t be afraid, if you want to fight me, he won''t interfere, I promise you." ¨C all so same quietly said guy. But the warrior seemed to hear only that part of the phrase, which mentioned that he should be afraid of someone.


    - Then attack. Or do you only know how to shake the air in vain? the warrior retorted, taking a stance.


    Rey did not need to be invited twice, taking a few quick steps towards the warrior, he disappeared with a flash of Dash. There was a metallic chime from the collision of two blades. The guy was about to continue the attack, but the armored "knight" slightly changed the position of his sword, pointing it straight at the opponent''s face.


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    "Retreat." - Rei reacted instantly, breaking the meter distance with a few steps back.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m a bit unused to fighting people.¡± - he thought, intercepting the daggers more comfortably.


    "But it will be a great experience."


    The boy was about to attack again, but at that moment the warrior took a big step forward, and his body shone with the same green color. He moved only a meter towards Rei, but the skill was also accompanied by an instant blow, aimed at the stomach, protected only by a thin layer of tent fabric.


    The reflexes of a human were not worth comparing with those that Rei possessed in the body of a forest, but nevertheless, he was still able to parry the blow, though he had to use both daggers for this, but even so, an unpleasant numbness spread through his hands.


    The young warrior was not taken aback, because having withdrawn his sword, he immediately raised it over his head, and the blade covered with green flashes betrayed the use of another skill.


    "Badly." - a thought flashed through the guy¡¯s head, because both the Charge and the Retreat were not yet ready, and he was not going to try to repel the blow, because this skill looked much more dangerous than the previous one.


    The hesitation was unacceptable, so he instantly used one of the strongest abilities available to him and the day that she needed to recharge did not bother him, because now at stake was at least a serious injury.


    "Disappearance." - With an instant mental order, the guy''s body literally melted into the air with a greenish mist. The blow of the warrior with a loud whistle cut only the air, but he could no longer raise the sword. A little to one side of him stood an unharmed Rey, whose body appeared in the air, only his hand was laid aside, and the dagger clamped in it to the hilt entered the eye slit on the helmet of the already dead young guard.


    Tessa, watching all this, only lowered her head, fortunately, she hugged Mia from the very beginning, not wanting to show her the battle scene.


    For several moments there was deathly silence, which was interrupted by the clang of the sword, which, having fallen out of the hands of a warrior, hit the masonry. Behind him, the body wrapped in armor fell, making even more noise.


    This was immediately followed by two near-synchronous sounds, with which the two guards drew their swords. Ray, however, continued to watch the scene unperturbed. The battle that had been fought clearly showed him that it was no longer worth indulging Tessa and taking off her armor, even though it would clearly show through under the fabric of the tent. He decided the same about his appearance, because he was sure that with the capabilities of the forest body he would not have had to use the last skill, but now it was too late to change it - the soldiers saw that he was a man, albeit with a strange color of hair and eyes.


    Noticing that although the comrades of the deceased had drawn their blades, they were in no hurry to attack, Rey chuckled and turned to the body of the ¡°knight¡±. Mentally reaching out to the soul that soared above his body, which, unfortunately, was only a little lighter than the usual gray soul of a person, he instantly absorbed it.


    After that, he looked again at the two men, who were still looking at him with such undisguised hostility that their eyes, burning with anger, stood out even through a thin slit in their helmets.


    Undoubtedly, blood would have been shed again if it were not for the imperious, but at the same time so beautiful voice that came from the side of the gate of the mansion:


    - What''s going on here?


    As soon as the soldiers heard these words, they instantly stepped back, but did not hide their weapons, still carefully following every movement of the stranger.


    A few seconds later, a woman appeared in the gate opening, whose beauty made even the usually imperturbable Ray involuntarily stare.


    Her thick dark hair, which fell to a seductive waist, shimmered dazzlingly in the color of the sun, and her beautiful forms could not be hidden by the canopy of clothes. The woman had exactly those facial features that could be called aristocratic, and a slightly cold look of amethyst eyes only complemented the majestic image. She was dressed in a long black dress, decorated with fur, and her open shoulders involuntarily attracted the eye.


    Finally stopping staring, the guy decided to answer:


    - The young warrior decided to try his hand. Alas, he was out of luck. Returning the weapon to its sheath, he continued. ¨C And we came here to return the girl, who, judging by the reaction of these warriors, is your daughter.


    Hearing these words, the woman looked at Tessa incredulously, and when she noticed the little girl, from whom she tried to hide the body of a warrior, all the coldness disappeared from her eyes, replaced by the deepest tenderness that made Ray once again stare at her.


    - Mia! An excited scream came from her scarlet lips. She tried to run up to the girl, only to be immediately stopped by the guards.


    True, at the same moment when the little girl heard her name, uttered in such a dear voice, she joyfully screamed in response and rushed to her, not paying attention to the slightly saddened Tessa, who still smiled, looking at the girl, who after a few seconds turned out to be in the arms of a mother.

 Chapter 64

    The touching scene lasted several minutes. Ray all this time rather calmly watched the reunion of mother and daughter, but Tessa was clearly upset that she would have to be separated from the baby, to whom she managed to become unexpectedly strongly attached. The guy did not really understand how to console her, but did not want to see his companion in such a dejected state.


    - Don''t worry like that. He said placing his hand on the girl''s head. She even flinched in surprise when she felt her hair being stroked.


    At that moment, she really got distracted, thinking about how surreal this scene looks. Ray just killed a man a moment ago, and now like this, albeit clumsily, but quite carefully, he is trying to cheer her up.


    - Yes. Okay. - she answered, but did not push away the guy¡¯s hand, however, he himself removed it after a moment, but the girl¡¯s mood improved for reasons that were a little unclear even to herself.


    When they looked back towards the gates of the manor, they noticed that the small reunion had come to an end and Miya had been taken away by several maids. The girl obviously did not want to be separated from her mother, but she whispered something to her and the baby quickly calmed down. After that, the woman immediately turned to the boy and girl who were patiently watching everything:


    ¡°I am grateful to you for returning my daughter, but¡­¡± she paused for a moment, looking at the body of the ¡°knight¡±, which still lay in the middle of the road, around which onlookers had already begun to gather.


    ¡°Your warrior was the first to draw his weapon and himself invited me to attack. These two gentlemen can confirm my words. Rei pointed with a glance at the guards still holding their weapons.


    The woman looked at them and, after waiting for a slightly forced but affirmative nod, turned back to the guy. But he spoke first:


    ¡°I am not familiar with the hospitality rules of this kingdom, but perhaps you would consider it proper to invite guests to the house?¡± - the guy''s gaze swept over the already quite impressive crowd, which still continued to grow.


    The mistress of the house understood him perfectly, because she immediately ordered the guards to hide the weapons, which they immediately did, giving way to the gate.


    - Absolutely right. Mia is at home and I am ready to close my eyes to this unpleasant incident, and now, - the woman pointed with her hand in the direction of the huge mansion, - be my guests.


    - With pleasure. Ray nodded slightly. Turning his head towards Cess, he ordered him not to attack anyone without his permission, after which he set off with a confident step towards the gate.


    The guards visibly tensed when the cat was closer, but did not dare to violate the order of their mistress, so they did not take out their swords, but the mistress of the house herself remained just as calm, but the guy noticed a strange spark of interest in her eyes when their eyes met. Fortunately, Tessa at that moment was looking at a huge three-story building, which really could be called a work of art, so she did not notice this gesture from the mistress of the house.


    ¡°Your¡­pet will be taken care of, don¡¯t worry.¡± - proving her attentiveness, the woman immediately said, giving several orders to the servants standing here. Those with undisguised fear listened to her words, now and then casting wary glances in the direction of Cess. Ray understood that the cat would not allow strangers to approach him just like that, so he decided to lend a helping hand to the poor fellows.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, milady. All he needs is food, and he can sleep in the open.


    The woman only nodded to him with understanding and a bit of gratitude, after which she led the couple after her. Zess, according to Ray''s order, settled right next to one of the far walls of the mansion. So it will not be visible from the street, and it will be easier for the servants to move around without fear of getting too close to the beast.


    Entering the huge doors of the estate, Rey and Tessa found themselves in a large hall that served as an entrance hall. Now, in addition to the hostess herself, who, having shown extreme politeness, despite the rather early time, decided to keep them company, there were five more people next to them: the minister¡¯s bodyguard and four servants, two of whom immediately went to prepare food for the guests, according to the order of the mistress.


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    As they walked along the richly decorated corridors of the estate, which stood out not only with soft carpets covering the floors and picturesque paintings that adorn every wall without exception, but also with a huge number of windows made of the highest quality glass, which was a kind of indicator of the wealth of the owners of the house, because this the material was quite rare for this world. At least, this was the first time Rei had seen it in such huge numbers.


    The mistress of the estate did not say anything until they left the house on the other side of it, hitting a huge garden full of amazing natural beauty. In the middle of a small field of flowers stood a wooden arbor, in which they stopped.


    After ordering one of the maids to bring drinks to the guests, the woman finally turned to Tessa and Ray. If the girl''s eyes now and then wandered among the well-groomed vegetation of the garden, then the guy remained calm and paid most of his attention to the minister''s bodyguard, who also reciprocated, because he already knew about what happened earlier. It wasn''t a young guy like the one Rei had recently killed. The man, or rather even the old man, had absolutely gray hair, but this did not remove sharpness from his gaze, but strength from his body. His experience and skill could only be felt by looking at exactly how he followed his mistress. The look, the position, even the speed of movement, everything was aimed at repelling any attack directed towards the woman. It was a rather strange gesture on the part of the hostess of the house - to leave Ray weapons, but if she did not care, then the guy even more so. Tessa was also left with short daggers, which she used instead of claws, which took some time to equip.


    ¡°Let me introduce myself,¡± the woman interrupted the guy¡¯s thoughts, forcing not only him, but Tessa, who is hovering in the clouds, to turn all attention to herself, ¡°My name is Leafina Ains. As you may know, I am the First Minister of Rondal.


    The woman spoke in a completely calm tone, without any arrogance, but this only more clearly displayed the halo of grandeur literally hovering around her.


    The guy answered her in the same manner:


    - I''m Rey, and my companion''s name is Tessa. We are very honored by this acquaintance. He bowed slightly, though it was more like a nod. This gesture caused displeasure in the look of the bodyguard, but he limited himself to only a reproachful look, not daring to say anything inappropriate in the presence of his mistress.


    ¡°I am also very pleased to meet you. And now,¡± the woman looked from the girl to the guy, ¡°I would like to sincerely thank you for bringing Mia back. You can''t imagine how much you have done for me and possibly for the whole of Rondal.


    Her voice became a little thoughtful when she said this, but the reasons for such a change were completely incomprehensible, and the woman did not seem to be going to say anything. A few seconds passed in silence, but almost immediately Lifina''s eyes cleared and she spoke again:


    ¡°If you are not too tired on the way, I would like to quickly find out the details of what happened.


    - Certainly. We can talk right now. - Rey was well acquainted with the rules of decency, which, as far as he could judge, were the same as in his previous world, so after waiting for the invitation of the hostess, he sat down on a wooden bench, after which he began the story, which did not take much time. The woman''s face remained surprisingly calm as she listened to the story, and it wasn''t until Rei had finished that she sighed a little sadly.


    Farnes is one of the people in charge of the security of the estate. He always treated Mia very warmly. I can''t believe...


    At this moment, the bodyguard standing a little behind the woman spoke, taking advantage of the pause:


    ¡°My lady, these words can be easily verified by checking them with your daughter, but Farnes¡­¡± the old man literally spat out the name. He didn''t seem to have much sympathy for the person in question - he left the manor two days ago, explaining it as urgent business, so I think they can be trusted.


    Leafina just nodded, raising her head again and looking at Ray.


    - Thanks again. I owe you a great debt, so if you need anything, you can contact me directly.


    Hearing these words, the guy did not think for a long time and voiced his wishes immediately:


    ¡°We are ordinary mercenaries who planned to stay in the capital for some more time, but we have some problems finding accommodation and repairing equipment, so if you could advise us on the services of a blacksmith and a good hotel, we would be very grateful to you.


    Most of all, Ray''s words surprised not the mistress of the house, but Tessa, who was sitting next to him. With a great effort of will, she suppressed the surprise that flooded over her, because just a few minutes ago this guy said that he was going to give the girl away only in exchange for a reward, and now for some reason he has radically changed his mind.


    ¡°Maybe he was just trying to provoke that guard?¡± the girl thought, though as she looked at the woman sitting in front of her, she vaguely imagined another possible reason for Ray''s behavior.


    ¡°That is very noble of you. I will have the city''s best blacksmith brought tonight, and as for lodging for the night," at that moment the woman''s violet eyes crossed again with the boy''s completely green eyes, "you can stay at my estate as long as you wish.

 Chapter 65

    At this moment, the bodyguard spoke, a little ahead of the guy who had already opened his mouth:


    - Madam, this is not the best solution. You should consider the possibility that they may be in cahoots with Farnes and "those" people. Leaving them in the manor is too dangerous, and if we take into account that beast ... - he didn¡¯t care at all that the guy and the girl were sitting right in front of him, the old man¡¯s main task was to protect his mistress, but she decided to interrupt him:


    - I understand it. And I''ve already made a decision. - in Lifina''s voice, notes of severity were cut through, recognizing which, the bodyguard hastily retreated.


    Ray only noted for himself that both the minister and her bodyguard knew perfectly well who was behind the kidnapping.


    ¡°Since such is your decision, milady, we will not refuse.


    Lifina only nodded at these words, but the guy immediately continued:


    "Now, if you don''t mind, I''d like to unpack some of my things and get some rest before breakfast."


    - Of course, you will be taken. - the woman gave instructions to the maid and she asked Ray and Tessa to follow them.


    He got up and, saying goodbye to Lifina, went towards the house. At that moment, three glances were directed at his back at once. One belonged to Tessa, who looked at the guy walking in front of her with slight incomprehension and experience, the girl hoped with all her heart that she was mistaken about the reason that made him stay on the estate.


    The second look belonged to the bodyguard. The old man, deep in thought, watched the retreating guy, and many years of intuition told him that the appearance of this man did not bode well.


    The third was Lifina, who now looked at the unexpected and very strange guest with completely undisguised interest.


    - These are far from ordinary mercenaries ... - the old man muttered, but the woman heard him.


    - You are too worried, Griham, - the minister raised her hand, and the old man at the same moment put his own under her palm, helping the woman to rise, - I am sure that they are not going to harm us. But you are right about something. The girl may really just be a mercenary, but this guy...


    - Agree. the old man nodded. ¡°He acted too calm in your presence, and the fact that he was able to kill Caim so easily speaks volumes. This boy, Goddess accept him, was undoubtedly one of the best swordsmen of the estate, if not the entire capital. Despite his young years, he could give quite a decent fight even to me.


    The light in the woman''s eyes shone a little brighter, but after a second it was replaced by a look full of motherly love:


    - I promised Mia that I would spend the whole day with her. Now I don''t have to go meet those bastards, so I can spend a little time with my daughter.


    - We will not do anything in response? Griham asked with a bit of bloodthirstiness, not paying the slightest attention to the expression that had just sounded, inappropriate for a noble person, because he himself completely agreed with his mistress. But Lifina just shook her head.


    - The country is already on the brink of war, it is not worth aggravating an already not the best situation even more.


    The old man thought for a moment, but was forced to nod slightly disappointedly, agreeing with the correctness of such reasoning.


    ***


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    Falling onto the bed, Rey froze for a moment at the unexpected softness. His body literally plunged into an air mattress, and because of the habit, the guy even felt a certain awkwardness. Smiling silly, he looked up at the white ceiling of the guest room and forced himself to relax.


    It lasted him five whole minutes, after which he got up a little unhappily on the bed and looked around. The room was moderately spacious and quite richly furnished, except that Ray''s whole being, his whole being, felt extremely uncomfortable here. It would seem that the hostess herself invited him to stay and he should not feel that way even despite the slightly wary attitude of the servants and guards, which, by the way, was quite justified. It''s just that he got too used to freedom, and these walls, like an ephemeral vise, pressed on him, making him miss the forest that had become so familiar.


    Shaking his head, the guy got to his feet and took out armor from the bag, more precisely, its upper part.


    "I''ll have to find some gloves and a mask so I can move around in forest form just by wearing the hood."


    At that moment, another thought came into his mind that made him smile.


    ¡°And it is unlikely that anyone would dare to touch a person for whom the First Minister of the country can vouch.¡±


    Thinking about this, Rei clenched the armor in his hands and finally began to put it on. In it, he felt much calmer, although he could at any moment turn into a black snake, the scales of which were clearly stronger. But even in spite of this, the armor became too dear to him. Even in the forest, one could count on the fingers of two hands the creatures that could break through it with a direct attack. Scratch - yes, which, by the way, they did, therefore, from the small cloak that was originally on the back, now only scraps remained, and the entire surface of the armor was dotted with a generous scattering of scratches of different depths. But far from every creature would be able to break through the abnormally strong defense, and those who were capable of such a feat, Ray tried not to let them get close enough.


    Finally putting on the armor, he moved his arms contently, enjoying the sensation. The armor was strong, but quite light and did not hinder movement at all, which was a great success, considering that it did not originally belong to him.


    When this thought flashed through the guy''s head, he remembered the face of his teacher, who, choking on his own blood, lay in front of him, breathing his last breaths.


    Clenching his fist, he took a deep breath and another familiar silhouette appeared before him, but this time he did not see a face, only a head covered with a thick tie of white bandages and strange, so human-like eyes. But Rei was sure that it was not a person, and not only because the figure of the creature was slightly more elongated than a human, but because he had never seen a single emotion in the eyes of this creature. No interest, no regret, not even sadistic satisfaction, or rather pleasure. People can be emotionless, but not to such an insane degree.


    Finally exhaling heavily, Rey opened his fist and went to the window, wanting to leave the estate in this way. Their rooms were on the second floor, and thanks to Enhanced Jump, even twice the height wasn''t too dangerous for him. The main thing was to land successfully, and he had already managed to learn this in the forest.


    As he was about to open the doors, he glanced out into the yard. The scene unfolding below was the exact opposite of his heavy thoughts.


    A little girl stood in front of a huge panther. Next to Cess, Mia really looked very tiny, but the baby obviously did not care. She said something to a huge cat, but she only lazily licked her paw, occasionally throwing a look at her full of misunderstanding and slight disdain.


    Looking around for a bit, Rei noticed two guards nearby who were ready to tear their hair out, not knowing what to do. The guy didn¡¯t doubt for a second that if it weren¡¯t for the helmets, the men really would have done just that, just like this portly maid standing a little further away. Her eyes were filled with sincere horror when the woman watched a huge monster, which only awkwardly turned, could interrupt such a short life of her young mistress.


    Ray did not worry about the girl at all, he was sure that Cess would not harm her, especially by accident - the cat controlled her body even better than himself.


    Miya was still chatting nonchalantly with the panther, but a moment later, either because of her cat nature, or wanting to tease the poor servants, and Ray had no doubt that the cat''s intelligence was enough for this, Cess, slightly He opened his huge mouth and, instead of his paw, ran his tongue over the girl''s face. At that moment, a momentary silence reigned, which was interrupted by a whole series of sounds, which, merging into an amazing cacophony, returned the gloomy mood of the guy back to normal.


    At first, Mia''s ringing laugh sounded, which also did not expect this from Cess. The other sound was much louder - the same stout servant girl, unconscious, fell on the stonework of the yard. The guards accompanied her, tugging at their sheathed swords. The poor fellows were in the most difficult situation, because if the baby gets hurt, or God forbid something worse, their heads will undoubtedly leave their shoulders noticeably trembling due to the absurdity of what is happening.

 Chapter 66

    Even though it was quite fun to watch what was happening, Rei decided to intervene anyway, because the servants really didn¡¯t deserve this. Just as he opened the window sashes and was about to jump off, he noticed two more silhouettes appearing from behind the manor wall. The guy instantly recognized the hostess, in whose eyes the same fear flashed as that of the poor maid, when she noticed a huge monster next to her daughter. The bodyguard was about to rush to the girl when he noticed how she, finally wiping her face, again rushed to hug the panther.


    Griham froze in half a step, looking at his mistress, who, despite the fact that a moment ago she was filled with sincere motherly horror, realized the situation much faster than the old man standing next to her. The slight bewilderment in her gaze quickly receded, replaced by a bright smile. The old man, noticing the change in Lifina''s face, also calmed down and looked at the surreal picture.


    - It looks like this beast is not as dangerous as it looks. - the woman said, watching her daughter, who smiled happily trying to grab the cat''s twitching ear, but still could not reach it.


    At this phrase Griham just shook his head.


    - Not. Rather, it was the young mistress who managed to make friends with him, which is incredible in itself ... There is another option that is much more realistic, - the old man looked at Lifina and made his voice serious, - the owner of this beast could order him to behave like this.


    The woman thought for a moment, then automatically turned her head in the direction of the estate. To her surprise, she noticed a familiar face in one of the windows. Amazing green eyes looked into her own, and in a moment the figure of a guy darted right out of the window.


    Griham noticed Ray a moment later, so he reacted while he was still in the air. With one movement, he rounded Lifina and was already in front of her, but this was unnecessary. When the guy''s feet touched the ground, he only glanced at the bodyguard, who still managed to note the noiselessness of the landing.


    - Excuse me, Cessa, if you are worried about your daughter, I will order him to leave. And the servants won''t be so nervous. - he turned to Lifina, nodding towards the plump maid, who did not have time to recover, despite the help of another girl.


    - It''s not worth it, if Mia likes to spend time with him, then I will not take away this opportunity from her.


    Ray only nodded at these words and drew attention to Griham''s strange, searching gaze that wandered over his armor.


    "Oh. So he recognized her too? - the guy thought a little sadly. He hoped that he would not have to explain something to this old man once again, but, unfortunately, his hopes for the umpteenth time were not destined to come true.


    ¡°Mooncaller Armor¡­ Young man, how did you get your hands on this treasure?¡± - Surprisingly, the old man''s voice sounded less alert than before, it even appeared, albeit completely imperceptible, but nevertheless, notes of interest and something resembling respect.


    This caused Ray to reconsider his opinion about this bodyguard a little, although he hadn¡¯t thought very badly of him before, yet his suspicious attitude was only due to concern for the safety of his mistress.


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    - Trophy. And, as you have already noticed, very valuable. - the guy answered honestly, but without unnecessary details. However, the old man did not ask anything more, but Ray was very interested in how Griham knew the name of the armor, because Arvus said that he received the armor as a reward in a tournament held in the capital of the forest people. Of course, his teacher could lie, but he could no longer find out the truth, and if he asked the old man a question, he could arouse suspicion. True, he was still curious, so he decided to come in from afar:


    Are you interested in this armor?


    At that moment, the bodyguard realized that he looked very inappropriate, so he hurried to apologize, but not to Ray, but to Lifina, who was not particularly worried about Grikham¡¯s behavior, because now she was closely following Mia, who had now brought some - a cat.


    - It really is. If my memory serves me right, and I am sure that it is, then the armor should be made from the body and skin of the Gilfar, of which there are very few left today. - unfortunately, the words of the old man carried little new information, but the guy did not count on much, and therefore was not particularly upset.


    - You wanted to meet the blacksmith to fix it? - the old man became unexpectedly talkative, but he chatted on business, so Ray was even glad of such a change.


    - Yes. As you can see, he managed to wear out.


    - Then I must disappoint you, but the blacksmith of the capital cannot restore it to its original state. He simply does not have the materials needed for this.


    - That''s how. The guy was a little sad, but not much more. Well, I hope he can fix it up a little. This will be enough. - after Rei said this, the old man nodded and took his place next to Lifina, but even in spite of all his many years of experience, he still sometimes threw a rare glance towards the guy, who at that time thought about what he had heard.


    ¡°So it is difficult to repair. Maybe I should wear regular atanit armor and wear this one only when necessary?


    "You can still try to find something to replace in the capital, although according to Griham, this material is considered too valuable, so you should not count on much."


    Ray was pulled out of his thoughts by Mia''s smug voice.


    ¡°Here, I promised to introduce you. This is Ruth. - said the little girl, literally poking a small red cat in the face of Cess.


    He obviously did not like the gesture, because he only snorted his nose, causing the red hair of the pet to fly up, and the animal itself to twitch in horror in the hands of the girl. She, despite the fact that Ruth was very small, still could not hold her in her hands and the cat rushed headlong home.


    Mia looked after her pet with a sad look, and then her displeased eyes turned towards the panther, who looked arrogantly at the girl. Cess was clearly pleased that he was stronger than the other beast, so now he was expecting a well-deserved praise. But the girl clearly did not understand the feelings of the animal, because with a cry of "Bad Cess", she turned around and ran away towards the house.


    Panther was obviously very surprised, but did not even think of catching up with a strange human child. Looking around, he found his ideal refuge in the form of a shadow cast by a fairly large tree, where he fell onto the grass, tiredly closing his eyes. It seems that playing with children tired Tsess much more than continuous night hunting in a forest full of predators.


    Rei just shook his head as he watched. Panther seemed to him more and more reasonable, but the guy, like many times before, attributed this fact to his own imagination.


    At that moment, he heard a gentle female voice from the side:


    - Dear Ray, the blacksmith should be closer to noon. I''m sorry I can''t keep you company, I want to be with my daughter.


    - Do not worry. And you can call me by my first name. - Having said these words, the guy nodded and went towards the gate.


    The woman followed him with a thoughtful look, but when the figure in gray armor disappeared from her field of vision, Leafina immediately went towards the estate, wanting to quickly find Miya.


    Walking around the house, Rey reached the gate, but suddenly stopped, causing the guards to turn their attention to him. Looking around, he wandered around the windows of the second floor of the manor.


    ¡°Maybe you should call her too.¡± - with this thought, the guy turned around and went back to the mansion.

 Chapter 67

    Ray was absolutely right when he invited Tessa for a walk, because it was very useful for her to unwind, and the fact that the guy showed at least some attention to her besides the night one made her very happy. A girl with a satisfied face looked at the city, which, it is worth noting, was quite rich. True, this was not strange, given the fact that they wandered around its central part, which was located around the palace, and the capital itself was "fed" at the expense of resources collected from all over the country.


    A couple, consisting of a guy dressed in strange armor, with flaming bright green hair and the same eyes, and a half-dressed beauty attracted quite a lot of attention. But the girl did not pay much attention to the views, looking at the architecture of the capital, and Ray could not understand why he felt so strange in the human body.


    "It''s too useless." - a thought flashed through the guy''s head when he could not hear the conversation of the men standing nearby.


    Thinking about it, he realized that it was not necessary to wait until noon, and he could look for something that could help him disguise himself now. Fortunately, each store had a sign, and with an almost absolute memory, reading and writing was child''s play for him.


    The languages of Rondal and Pharos were alphabetic, and since Rey could at any time recall the image of the letter he needed, even if he saw it only once. The whole process was reduced to practice. He read rather slowly, but the discomfort gradually receded and his eyes caught on a rather impressive-looking building, next to the entrance to which there were real knightly armor, and on a sign hanging next to them, in some slightly rough type, the words ¡°Military shop".


    Grabbing Tessa by the hand, who would have continued to go forward thoughtfully if the guy hadn¡¯t stopped her, he dragged the girl towards the store without explaining anything.


    The inside of the building was also quite impressive and, as Rei had hoped, provided a fairly large selection of goods. However, he wanted to buy only a mask and gloves, but after looking at the girl, he changed the plan a little.


    - Good afternoon. a puny old man behind the counter greeted them. He glanced at the visitors and, since the store was empty, most likely due to the morning time, immediately spoke to them:


    - Are you looking for something specific?


    - Yes. A cloth mask is needed to cover the lower part of the face and strong, thin gloves. - throwing another glance in the direction of the girl, whose eyes were now examining the goods placed here and there, Ray added. - and light, non-restrictive armor. Fabric is also suitable, however, the lady will choose herself.


    Hearing that the conversation was about her, Tessa paused in surprise from looking around the store and looked at Ray with incomprehension.


    Why do I need armor? I have a few more sets. She said looking at the clothes she was wearing.


    - She''s too open. You''re drawing unwanted attention.


    The guy spoke as calmly as ever, but the girl''s brain instantly found another possible reason.


    "Don''t you want other men to look at me?" A sly smile adorned her pretty face as the girl, bending her back slightly, looked up into Ray''s eyes.


    He took a moment to consider her words and concluded that she might be right.


    - There is some truth in this. I am a very greedy person, so it is not surprising that I do not want to share.


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    The answer seemed to satisfy Tessa, for she nodded like a pleased cat and wandered off to the other corner of the shop. But after a moment, one idea came to her mind, which she hurried to immediately implement. Turning around, the girl again approached the guy.


    - I''ll buy other clothes if you promise you won''t pay any more attention to that woman. Tessa was absolutely sure of her offer, but the guy''s answer made her smile crack.


    - It''s your business. You can stay in this.


    After that, the guy, ignoring Tessa frozen in place, approached the old man, who had already returned behind the counter, holding a lot of equipment in his hands.


    Ray chose the mask right away. A thin fabric that actually glowed through the light, but nevertheless perfectly hid the face and did not make it difficult to breathe. The color was dark green. The guy thought that this would help create the appearance that the face seems greenish not because of the natural shade, but because of the color of the mask. He already had one, made back in the forest from a piece of armor, but it was not intended for camouflage, but for protection from coarse dust and some poisonous spores, so it was too dense and it was constantly uncomfortable to walk in it.


    But Rey fiddled with the gloves for a while. The choice was quite large, from thin, pleasant to the touch fabric, to thick leather gloves, which could well protect against the sliding blow of the blade. Finally, his eyes landed on a pair of gray gloves, made of rather strong but not too thick leather. The guy was attracted to them by small metal tips, made in the form of small, but rather sharp claws.


    Smiling at the irony of the purchase, he informed the seller of his choice and, after trying on new clothes, he purchased three sets of each. After that, Ray asked about another thing of interest to him, which he remembered only after going inside the shop. At the same time, he did not pay any attention to Tessa, who fixed her angry and slightly disappointed look on his back.


    ¡°Here are the best throwing knives available. ¨C put the old man on the table a pair of identical blades. They were almost half the size of what the guy was used to, but they were somewhat more convenient to use. After tossing one of them in his hand, he was satisfied, so he bought three dozen more daggers, spending almost seven gold pieces in total. The lion''s share of the sum was the price for the knives, which, indeed, were of high quality, which was clear even to Ray, who was not very experienced in this matter.


    Thanking the salesman, he turned to Tessa and met her withering gaze.


    - Let''s go? Or have you changed your mind? - the guy nodded towards the sets of women''s cloth armor still lying on the counter.


    The girl stood still for a moment, after which she quickly left the shop. Ray just shook his head and, after saying goodbye to the salesman, followed her. As soon as the door closed with a soft knock, and the guy was on the street, a displeased voice of the girl was heard from the side:


    "If you''re not interested in me, then why did you drag me with you!?"


    The guy was a little taken aback by this, but he did not show it.


    You chose to follow me. I didn''t force you to do anything. came the calm, confident reply.


    Tessa did not answer, continuing to stare at the guy in a daze. The look was very unpleasant, so Ray decided to at least somehow clarify the situation.


    - I just did not want to travel alone, but I liked the company of a lovely, albeit a little talkative girl. As you like now. - it was undoubtedly true, just not all ... The guy did not say that now, if Tessa decided to leave, he would still kill her, although with much more reluctance than before.


    The girl, after listening to his words, only bit her lip, because the person standing in front of her clearly did not share her feelings and she could not do anything about it.


    "Then I''ll make you look only at me." Thoughts flashed through her head, instantly changing her depressed mood to the opposite.


    Tessa''s gaze changed. Now he has some confidence. Ray did not quite understand the reason, however, she did not particularly interest him. The character of the girl was very changeable, which he had already managed to get used to a little, so such a change did not surprise him much.


    Taking out a mask and gloves from a small bag, he put them on, after which he immediately put on his hood. After a moment, small claws appeared under the gloves, and the guy''s skin tone changed a little. But not one of the rare passers-by wandering along the street noticed this. Even Tessa standing right in front of him, judging by the fact that she did not react at all, could not tell whether Rey had turned or not. He even asked her again, and after confirming his guess, contentedly wandered down the street. Now he clearly heard even conversations inside some houses, and the body obeyed much better than a human, which could be seen from the slightly changed gait of the guy.


    The girl, throwing another slightly strange, but quite confident look at his back, quickly caught up with Ray.

 Chapter 68

    The guy''s mood improved at the same moment when he returned to such a familiar form. The point was both in the higher possibilities of the body, and in the fact that in the form of a man he was uncomfortable also because this race suddenly began to cause him some disgust after everything he had seen in such a short period of stay among them. If some time ago, Rei still somewhere deep, in the very back of his consciousness, considered himself a man, now he has completely renounced this race.


    Another contributing factor to his high spirits was the girl who suddenly began to act the same as before the unpleasant conversation next to the gun shop. Rather, she became even more energetic, and the spark of confidence and some anticipation burning in her eyes even strained Ray a little, because he had no idea what exactly caused such a change. But the fact that Tessa wasn''t acting like a resentful child and ruining a great sunny day with it was far more weighty than this uncertainty.


    But it seems that providence itself was not on the side of the guy. Although, depending on which side you look at ...


    ***


    Two warriors on white horses rode on either side of the young man. He looked no more than sixteen years old, but there was so much arrogance in the boy''s sleepy eyes that even some experienced old people would envy. He could hardly stay in the saddle of the same white horse, constantly lamenting that his father had interrupted him from important matters so early.


    Why couldn''t you wait a couple more hours? I didn''t sleep at all. The boy said suppressing a yawn.


    - Excuse me, young master. The marquis ordered to bring you when he learned that you had again spent the night in that place.


    - Hehe. You would also do well to unwind. Always so serious.


    ¡°But not every night¡­¡± - one of the personal bodyguards of the Marquis''s first son thought involuntarily. He did not dare to say such a thing aloud , although both he and his partner were already notably tired of the addictions of the young offspring of their master.


    This was the case when the apple fell very far from the apple tree. The guy''s father, Irf Lotsz was one of the most respected people in the capital. It was very rare that the nobles of Rondal were truly worthy of their titles, but the same could not be said of Irf. He was one of the personal subordinates of the now-deceased Third Minister, the search for whose killer was never successful, although quietly carried out even now. It was Irf who was the first candidate for this post, and one could almost certainly say that it was he who would become the new Minister of Trade and Finance. Prior to that, he was responsible for providing the capital with food, and since he performed the work quite honestly, he enjoyed the support of the people.


    But here is Tirf, his son, despite the fact that he was named after his father, resembled him as much as a chicken resembles an eagle. Perhaps the guy was not stupid, but raised in wealth and luxury, he was too conceited. And first of all, this was expressed in one not the most worthy predilection of a guy with whom his father had experienced considerable problems since his son turned 14. Tirth was insanely promiscuous. And now two bodyguards have already taken him from the brothel for the umpteenth time. They obviously did not feel pleasure from the fact that they were considered almost constant guests there, because it spoiled the precious reputation of their master, but even the father himself could not do anything with his son''s addictions, let alone ordinary guards.


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    Casting another glance at the sun, which had already risen fully, Tirth tightened his grip on his stirrups. His sleepy body was clearly not ready for riding after a stormy night, but he did not want to resist his father. Being the only son, he enjoyed the immeasurable love of his parent, however, the boy treated his father in exactly the same way, at least as long as he did not limit him in anything.


    Rubbing his eyes again, he looked ahead and noticed a strange couple a hundred meters ahead, which had just come out from around the corner of one of the houses. A warrior dressed in gray armor, whose face was covered by a rather wide hood and a stunning girl, who was wearing only a short skirt and a small cloth breastplate. Her black hair, tied into a long braid, swayed from side to side with her every step. They stretched up to the seductive thighs of the beauty, inevitably drawing attention to them.


    As they moved, the distance to the girl shortened, and Tirph could see emerald green eyes, one look at which made him finally decide.


    He tightened his grip on the horse''s sides and forced it to speed up. Two bodyguards followed him, and following the boy''s longed-for look, they understood the reason. Both of them had a forced expression on their faces when they realized the reason, because such situations, albeit extremely rarely, had already happened.


    Ray stood and watched the trio of horses rushing towards them. He easily made out the face of a guy galloping slightly ahead and, turning his head towards Tessa, sighed heavily.


    Looks like the walk is over. - he turned to the girl, who, until now, did not understand why there was so much skepticism in his voice. But when, after a few seconds, a trio of horses stopped next to them, and the boy sitting on one of them looked at her body with an appraising look, she cursed in her hearts.


    Ray, at that time, looked up to the sky, trying to understand why he was so guilty before the gods of this world, if any, that even an ordinary walk around the city could not go smoothly for him. However, he was not indignant for long, because what was happening was a great way to get souls, which he could now use only to drive away sleep. After all, the minister, obviously, will not leave his guests without food, and Ray was not going to refuse the dishes that the highest ranks of the country eat. Souls, in the middle of the capital, were quite difficult to gain, and although he had quite enough of them, he was not going to refuse the opportunity to get a few more, because this resource cannot be called superfluous with all the desire.


    ¡°Young lady,¡± the boy began, dismounting from his horse, ¡°would you like to keep me company? I assure you that you will not be disappointed, and the time spent together will leave you with only pleasant memories.


    He was a little shorter than Tessa, and Rey towered over him by a full head and a half. The guy, looking at the clothes and accompaniment of the young man in front of him, understood that he had grown up in an atmosphere of universal worship, but the picture that he observed looked so comical in his eyes that for the first time in such a long time, he could not contain sincere laughter. Even though it was only a few chuckles, they were loud enough for all four of them to turn their gazes to him.


    The most stunned was not even the young son of the Marquis, but Tessa, who, opening her eyes in full breadth, turned to the guy. For the first time in all her time with him, she heard him laugh. No, of course, Ray sometimes expressed his emotions on his face, but so that ...


    - What''s funny, smerd? the boy said quite calmly, interrupting the girl''s thoughts. All courtesy had disappeared from his voice, but as soon as he stumbled upon the stern look of strange green eyes hidden by the shadow of the hood, he involuntarily took a step back. For some reason, these eyes seemed inhuman to him, but the view was blocked by the broad back of one of the bodyguards.


    A man dressed in a leather breastplate, sheathed closer to the center with metal, was already holding his palm on the hilt of the sword. He understood that he was not acting very worthy, but such was his work, for which he received money, and a lot of it, so the man was ready to work it out. In addition, both bodyguards were very devoted to Irf, because they had served with him for more than one year, and one way or another, the master did a lot to win the loyalty of his people. And it is worth noting that he succeeded. The bodyguards were ready to give their lives for his son, knowing that their families would continue to receive their share of the salary, even with the worst outcome.

 Chapter 69

    Looking at the bodyguards who were already on alert, Rei quickly looked around. There were quite a few people watching what was happening, so it was possible to finish here before the crowd gathered. Despite the morning time, they were quite close to the very center of the city, so that the noise of the fight could attract unnecessary witnesses.


    Ray had already begun to think about the way in which he would take the life of the arrogant boy, because he was not going to make allowances for his age, but what was his surprise when he realized that he had greatly underestimated the scale of the boy''s depravity. He interrupted the thoughts that the guy liked so much with his next remark:


    ¡°I am the son of Marquis Lotsza. Think twice before drawing your weapon in front of me.


    Ray didn''t laugh this time. It wasn''t that he cared too much about the boy''s status, but the situation was slightly uncomfortable.


    Thinking it over, he looked at Tessa. In the eyes of the girl was a sincere plea to avoid bloodshed. The guy himself, despite the fact that he needed the souls, did not want to attract too much attention to himself, because in the future, the murder of the son of the Marquis would be too noticeable and Ray had a little doubt that the minister would harbor the killer of the children of officials. And if she drove them away... Three souls weren''t worth it.


    ¡°Although, after all, it will be possible to take the souls of those who come to avenge him, the same applies to the Marquis himself ... Or is this already too much?¡±


    Thinking about it made the guy rub his temples. In the end, he decided to just wait. If the boy doesn¡¯t cross the line and just falls behind, he won¡¯t attract attention once again, but if he does otherwise¡­ After all, Ray really wanted to finish him off, probably even more than the guards in the border town, but this was the case when there was a pretty good reason.


    And Tirth justified the hopes placed on him. One look at Tessa''s body made the boy forget that an unknown warrior was standing next to her. Sighing, he turned back to the girl.


    - I''m sure you have no reason to refuse. The thing is, I''m in a bit of a hurry, so I''d like you to come with me right now.


    Such impudence stunned even the girl, so she just stood there, not knowing how to resolve this conflict so that it ended in peace.


    Fortunately, Ray decided to help her, or rather even Tifra, to approach the cherished line. Tessa only felt the guy''s hand fall on her waist, with which he pulled her to him.


    - She is mine. he said. There was no pressure or insistence in his voice. A common phrase that sounds like a greeting, or in this situation, rather, as something taken for granted.


    The girl, however, as well as Tirf, looked at him in amazement. Tessa at that moment did not understand what his statement meant and how to take it. Whether it was just a provocation, or the truth. And if the latter, then why does he talk about it as if she belongs to him.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you¡­¡± Tirf began, but was interrupted:


    ¡°I will give you three only one opportunity to leave, for the simple reason that it would be unnecessary to kill the Marquis''s son. At least for now. - Ray said the end of the phrase rather to himself, but nevertheless the words sounded loud enough for the bodyguards, and the boy himself, to hear her.


    - How dare you!? he roared. The fragile voice broke and turned into a squeal, which only pissed off the son of the Marquis even more. - Finish him off. You heard he threatened me. Let''s just take the girl.


    The bodyguards, having heard the order, perceptibly tensed up. And not only because it was extremely unpleasant to perform it, but also because there was not even a shred of fear in the eyes of the guy standing in front of them. Completely green, they glowed with a poisonous glow of confidence and, oddly enough, impatience.


    Ray released the girl and reached for the daggers, inwardly exulting.


    ¡°I think Lifina will have enough of the explanation that I was just defending myself. And if you also mention that they wanted to kidnap Tessa ... ¡±- the smile that appeared on his face would undoubtedly have alerted the two men even more, only it was hidden by a mask.


    But some did not share his intentions.


    The figure of Tessa that appeared in front of Ray clearly did not fit into the already practically realized plan.


    - Please, leave. We were just walking around. Besides, we are the personal guests of the First Minister. I''m sure you don''t need extra problems, just like we do.


    The guy tightened his grip on the daggers when he realized that just three souls and a great opportunity to learn more about the combat capabilities of the inhabitants of this world smoothly flew into hell. But he was not going to give up so easily, yet there was no one to confirm the girl¡¯s words.


    - Tessa. I''m not forcing you to kill people, but if you don''t leave now, I''ll have to punish you. - now the voice was not habitually calm, which is understandable, because Ray was very angry with the girl''s behavior.


    What is happening now has become even more chaotic than it was before. The two bodyguards stood indecisively, not knowing what to do. Tirf was in the same situation, thinking hard about whether the girl was lying or not.


    Tessa herself turned to Ray with an expression of extreme surprise on her face. She was worried not only by the strict tone of the guy, but also by the mentioned punishment.


    - Eh? - that''s all she could squeeze out of herself, before the guy spoke again:


    - Yes, and you should not be afraid of them so much as to stoop to a lie. I''m nearby. You could just say that you can''t stand the spirit ... - the look was already directed from top to bottom, and the tone in which Rei spoke only increased the effect of the last word, which he uttered with some delay. - ... kids.


    It worked so well that the guy was even surprised, because he was not sure that he could deceive a boy who grew up among the intrigues and deceit that were an integral part of high society. Perhaps it was because his face was masked, but looking at Tirth''s jaws literally breaking from the pressure, Ray realized that he was thinking too much about it.


    The son of the marquis laughed a little strangely, and then, in an unexpectedly calm voice, said:


    - I even for a second believed the words of this slut. Why would Milady Ains host some ragamuffins? - turning his head to the bodyguards, this time he ordered in higher tones, - Finish him off! Father has already been waiting for us too long.


    It is worth noting that the hesitation in the eyes of the two men was still present, but after the words of their young master, this hesitation faded a little. Maybe it was because they also didn''t like this attitude from the commoner they met, or maybe something else. But Ray was worried only in the first moments. Right now, he just waited for the moment when one of them would draw a weapon - nothing more than another excuse for Lifina, but nonetheless.


    - If they attack, immediately kill the horses. Rey turned to Tessa, while taking a few steps back.


    Still, he had no idea what skills swordsmen had, and one fight with a manor guard hadn''t shown him much.

 Chapter 70

    He didn''t have to wait long. One of the men remained next to Tirf, while the second, already familiar to Ray, moved a meter forward with a green glare, and the sword, taken out of the scabbard right in the process, was steadily approaching his neck. Perhaps if the guy was in human form, this skill would be dangerous, but the reflexes of the forest were so developed that even the movements created by the skill were clearly visible to him.


    As it turned out, this skill was similar to Dash. The body did not move forward immediately, similar to the Retreat effect. It was just that the movement accelerated so much that it was almost impossible to see it, however, this only concerned human eyes.


    With exactly the same green flash, Rey disappeared, only to reappear a meter behind in the same instant.


    He still hasn''t drawn his weapon. The thing was that the guy was confident in the ability to cope with the swordsman standing in front of him. It was not even the advantage of the player, and hence the number of skills. It was just that the body of the forest, strengthened by souls, was too superior to the human. And disarmament could force the enemy to use some kind of trump card, which would be useful to know now, because the skills were most likely the same for the same type of weapon.


    ¡°Although, there are many types of swords, as well as techniques and fighting schools. We need to check it out somehow." - Ray''s thoughts were interrupted by another skill, which, it should be noted, disappointed him very much, because it was the same blow from above, which was used by the now dead guard of the estate.


    The guy was able to get away from him without the support of the game system - the physical abilities of the body were more than enough for a quick step to the side.


    The bodyguard made a few more swings, but those, not being accelerated and enhanced by skills, were clearly unable to hit Ray. He simply broke the distance, and so quickly that the man even hesitated.


    Once about seven meters from the opponent, the guy took a moment to look around. The two bodyguards clearly understood that the situation was not the most pleasant, because the fact that using two skills one of them could not only kill, but even injure the opponent already said something.


    - Tessa. Horses.


    With just two words, Rey didn''t give his opponents a chance to change their minds, and he deviated from his original plan, which was to finish everything quickly. He took out his daggers and, raising his weapon in front of him, walked towards the first bodyguard at a fairly fast pace. The man''s skills, most likely, did not have time to recharge yet, however, the guy did not worry too much, if only because he had already seen a couple, and the rest, it seemed, like his were passive.


    "Acceleration."


    A small green trail appeared behind Ray. The bodyguard visibly tensed, and the next moment the boy''s body blurred. Only the dust kicked up by his foot and the residual green light reminded him that someone had been standing there a moment ago.


    The movements of the forest were already faster than those of a person, and accelerated three times and even more so. The man, to his credit, still managed to block one of the daggers. Even the attacking guy was a little surprised by this, but only attributed it to the lack of his own combat technique and experience in fighting people. However, it did not matter, because the second blade, at the same moment when the weapon collided, also shone with the green light of the applied skill.


    "Dissection."


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    With a splash of blood, the hand, with the sword still tightly gripped in it, flew up almost two meters into the air. The bodyguard didn''t even have time to scream when another dagger slammed into his throat.


    The guy did not look at the man''s body that began to fall to the ground. Only two seconds had passed since the activation of the Haste, but he was not going to waste the remaining three either.


    With a flash of light, his body moved five meters forward, directly in front of the second bodyguard who was already ready. At that moment, Rey saw with his own eyes another new skill, because in front of the man, or rather in front of his sword, a translucent green barrier with a diameter of about a meter appeared. It was he who stopped the dagger rushing forward.


    We have to admit that this made the guy freeze in place. The time he spent trying to smash through the barrier with his blade was just long enough for the Haste effect to wear off. Realizing this, Rei immediately jumped back.


    The thing was that this skill accelerated only the body, but not the brain. If you couldn''t control your three times faster movement, then you couldn''t use the skill to its full potential. Fortunately, the reflexes of the forest were high enough to control the body at such speeds, but even the five seconds that the skill worked gave some kind of load on the brain. A small but momentary disorientation was present.


    "Every time it gets better and better." Ray mentally noted, remembering how the first time he used this skill, he almost broke his leg.


    He just waited, carefully studying the barrier. He was not so big, but, crouching, the man could hide behind him completely, which, given his strength, which the guy managed to verify, made him extremely useful.


    The shield didn''t last long. In less than three seconds, he melted into a haze. Mentally, Rei noted for himself that, like the skill of the fifth level of Dagger Mastery, Acceleration, it lasted for about five seconds, which means that, most likely, it was also quite difficult to master for the inhabitants of this world.


    ¡°So the structure of specialization development is similar for all types of weapons? Although it is impossible to say this with certainty, it is still only a single example.


    The boy''s thoughts were interrupted by the neighing of a horse.


    At that moment, Ray was struck by lightning.


    ¡°Boy¡­¡± - turning his head, he noticed Tirf, who was already climbing onto the back of the steed.


    Without wasting even a second, the guy moved towards him. Except with a flash of his already familiar movement skill, a bodyguard appeared in front of him. Blocking the swing of his sword, Rei noticed out of the corner of his eye that the son of the Marquis was already on horseback.


    - Tessa! Stop it! - the guy managed to shout, dodging another attack from a man who, it seems, really didn¡¯t care about his life, because he completely went on the attack, forgetting about protection. The faithful servant really wanted to win more time for his young master.


    The guy tried his best to finish him quickly, but this bodyguard seemed to be stronger than the previous one. At the very least, his swordsmanship was at a higher level, because to break the distance as before, Ray was not given a constant onslaught. Movement skills were also not yet available. He won¡¯t be able to use the dash for almost a minute, and the Retreat, even if it will be available after a few seconds, but this time will be enough for the boy to hide, especially on horseback.


    The guy fought off attack after attack. He saw many holes in the enemy''s defense, but none of them opened the vital points of the body, which means that there was not much point in attacking them, because it was fraught with actual injury. Nevertheless, he was significantly inferior to the bodyguard in terms of technology, and, as it turned out, this advantage was enough for an experienced warrior to level the difference in physical parameters.


    As he dodged another sweeping blow, Rei realized he could still hear the horse''s hooves. And that sound continued to fade away. He tightened his grip on the daggers, realizing that Tessa had not listened to him, but the next moment he saw the silhouette of a girl emerge from behind the warrior ready to make the next attack.


    The blow was clean and deadly. The man only opened his eyes in disbelief when he felt cold metal piercing his neck. In a moment, his eyes went out and the dead body fell down, forming a pool of blood next to it, repeating the fate of his comrade.


    Ray didn''t appreciate the irony that both bodyguards died from identical wounds. Without giving Tessa even a glance, he turned his head to the side. Tirf was no longer visible, but the lad stood like that for some time.


    Only after a few seconds did he turn his head to look at the girl who was still clutching the bloody dagger in her hand.

 Chapter 71

    The boy''s eyes made Tessa take a step back and, for some reason, tighten her grip on the dagger.


    - I ... - her voice trembled when Ray took a step towards her.


    At that moment, she was expecting some kind of reprimand or even something worse, but the guy just walked by.


    - Let''s go to. A crowd will soon gather.


    The guy stopped for a moment to look at the girl and two gray blobs flying towards him. After that, his sharp eyes swept over everyone in the crowd, but as he expected, no one saw the soul. As Tessa had told him before, the same was true of the energy he fed her during the journey. True, the guy still treated this with caution. He knew that there were exceptions to the rules in this world, like those noted by Tian''Areth or special beasts, so he tried to be vigilant.


    Tessa was surprised at Rey''s calm tone, because a moment ago his eyes clearly expressed a different emotion. The girl quickly caught up with him, but could not get rid of the thought that something was wrong.


    After waiting for Tessa, the guy took another look towards the battlefield. This time he drew attention to the two remaining horses, which, despite the battle, still continued to stand a little apart. Rey really regretted that two souls were gone for nothing, but just going back and killing them would be too suspicious, besides, there was another reason to leave them. And now she just looked at him with incomprehension in her eyes.


    The guy caught himself thinking that he could not suppress a smile looking at Tessa, tormented by doubts.


    "Okay. I''m sure it''s worth it." With that thought, he sped up. It was necessary to stray at least a little through the alleys before returning to the minister''s estate.


    Rei didn''t say a word during the whole time he was running around, which scared the girl even more. She would understand if he yelled at her, threatened to quit, but the guy did nothing at all. But Tessa was sure that the look he looked at her when he realized that Tirf Lots had escaped could not mean anything.


    Ray, then...


    - Later. The guy interrupted her hesitant speech.


    ***


    They reached the estate of the First Minister only after half an hour, which was quite a long time, considering that the guy and the girl fled all the way.


    However, looking at them, it was impossible to say that they had run ten kilometers. Tessa was only a little out of breath, and for Ray in the form of a forest, such a pace of movement was not much different from a walk.


    After passing by the guards, who did not stop them, the guy and the girl finally ended up on the estate.


    ¡°Ask the servants to prepare some clothes for us. Still, you should not come to breakfast in armor. Ray said as he walked towards the manor. He never took off his hood and mask, deciding to rest in the form of a forest.


    At first, the girl did not understand what he meant, but after a little thought, she was forced to agree with him.


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    ***


    The clothes brought by the servants turned out to be the most ordinary - a loose white shirt, and a pair of trousers and boots. However, the guy was not famous for selectivity, therefore, putting on new clothes, he mentally praised the one who picked them up, because even the shoes fit well.


    Stepping out into the corridor, he followed a young girl who led him towards the dining room. Along the way, he met Tessa, who, oddly enough, was also dressed just like him.


    "It even suits her." - Rey mentally noted, trying to imagine a mercenary in a dress, but the image did not want to form.


    By the way, he did not speak to the girl, leaving her in suspense. He didn''t really blame Tessa too much, but she could use a little lesson. Although, it''s still how to look, for her it will obviously be memorable.


    As Rey thought about it, his mood shot up again, wiping out fresh memories of the impudent son of the marquis who still managed to escape.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s even for the best? There will be fewer problems." Ray turned his head to Tessa. "Really, she better think I''m really angry."


    The dining room was quite large. The guy at first thought that they would have breakfast with the servants, but the hostess seems to have decided to sit at the same table with them.


    - And here you are. I was told that you went out into the city for a walk. And how do you like the capital? - Lifina showed concern, on whose knees her daughter was sitting, eating some kind of dessert on both cheeks.


    - The impression of the city was a little overshadowed by the fact that we were attacked in the middle of the street.


    The minister''s eyes lit up. But not feelings, but interest.


    - I see you are not injured, that''s good. Of course, this is not the best topic for breakfast conversation, but I hope you satisfy my curiosity?


    - We''re really fine. As for the attackers, there were three of them. One introduced himself as Tirf Lotsz, the rest, unfortunately, did not have time to name themselves. - Ray spoke quite calmly, and when he finished, as if nothing had happened, he put a portion of some gruel with berries into his mouth.


    But Lifina, hearing his words, changed a little in her face. But the expression was more tortured than accusatory. The woman sighed and stroked her daughter''s head.


    - Were they the same bad people as those who took me away? Mia suddenly asked.


    Rei was not taken aback and immediately answered:


    - Yes, only this time they wanted to take Tessa.


    - You taught them a lesson, didn''t you? - the girl clenched her fists in displeasure, looking straight into the guy''s face, to which he only nodded seriously.


    - Of course, the truth is one boy managed to escape. But I''ll be done with him by tomorrow morning, so don''t worry.


    The girl also nodded, repeating Ray''s gesture, only the serious expression in her performance looked so cute that the guy could not help but stingy, but smiles.


    But the Minister obviously did not like his words.


    - Tell us in more detail what exactly happened. This is pretty serious. Irf Lotsz is a very important person in the city. But I''m well acquainted with his son''s... preferences, so I have no doubt that you didn''t start the conflict.


    Ray did not refuse and briefly told about what had happened. Tessa only occasionally nodded her head. He tactfully left out some details, because Mia was still sitting at the table, and her mother did not seem to be going to take her away. However, the guy didn''t care.


    ¡°¡­so if Tessa had been on my side in this fight, the outcome would probably have been a little different. he summed up.


    - Ray, I ... - the girl wanted to say something, but the guy''s words for some reason touched her to the quick, so she just lowered her head. She did not touch the food again, continuing to silently listen to the conversation.


    - It''s even good. - trying to cheer up Tessa, said Lifina. ¡°If Tirth had been hurt, there might have been unnecessary trouble. But don''t worry, while you''re here, Lotsz won''t even dare to squeak.


    ¡°I am very grateful to you, but, as already mentioned, tonight I was going to¡­¡± Rei stopped in mid-sentence, looking down at Mia, who was not at all worried about the conversation. The baby with a clear conscience hamstered some fruit. - Hmm. I was going to finish the job. - the guy tried to convey the meaning embedded in the words with his eyes. He did not care about the boy, but he could take advantage of the situation in different ways. And the minister easily understood his intentions.


    Ray had only time to notice a slight smile that flashed across her face when she decided to play along with him:


    - Can I convince you? Or somehow compensate for the inconvenience caused?


    The smile on the boy''s face grew a little wider.


    "So I''m not wrong."

 Chapter 72

    The silence that lasted for a few seconds made Tessa raise her head.


    The girl even froze for a moment, watching the two people.


    In the eyes of both, sparks of interest danced, only in the green eyes a certain expectation froze, while in the lilac ones - anticipation. Tessa, as if in reality, saw a thread connecting two strange, filled with incomprehensible emotions of her gaze, but after a moment the thread broke.


    The minister lowered her eyes to the girl sitting on her lap. His gaze changed again, filled with tenderness and care. Not a trace remained of the mystery that had been there a moment ago.


    The guy only smiled even wider and also lowered his gaze, only his eyes burned with the same expectation as he picked at the food on the table with a silver spoon.


    - Honey, run and play with Cess. I''m sure he''s not mad at you anymore.


    The girl looked up. Smiling, she jumped to the floor and, saying goodbye, ran into one of the corridors, where a maid followed her.


    Imagine Tessa''s surprise when at that moment Ray also turned to her, but after a little thought, he again looked at the minister.


    "Eh? He¡­ wanted to drive me away!?¡± - the wave of indignation that swept over the girl when she realized that the guy sitting next to her had just indirectly compared her to a small child made her accidentally bend the cutlery.


    - As far as I understand, you know who exactly kidnapped the girl? Ray suddenly changed the subject.


    Lifina, hearing his question, did not seem to be even surprised, as if she knew in advance what he wanted to ask, Tessa, on the contrary, was only more angry, because she was more and more afraid of this woman.


    - Yes. My colleagues. Two ministers.


    Ray''s answer didn''t surprise him, though, in order to be able to steal a girl from such a well-guarded mansion, one had to have sufficient resources. But the surprise for the guy was a slightly different fact.


    - Do you have to tell me about it?


    The woman just smiled at those words.


    - It''s not too much of a secret, besides, now I''m completely sure that you have nothing to do with these people. When Lifina uttered these words, her eyes turned to Tessa.


    Rei also involuntarily followed her gaze, after which he also smiled with understanding. The girl was too sincere and any emotion was read on her face too easily.


    The guy nodded, which made Tessa still break the unfortunate spoon. That''s what cooled her down a bit. Rushing to apologize, she threw a menacing look at Ray, but he simply ignored it.


    And what was their motive? The guy asked the next question.


    The woman thought for a moment, but finally she spoke:


    It''s not such a secret either. The Second and Fourth Ministers are interested in starting a war against the Pharos. I and the late Third Minister were against it.


    - I.e¡­


    - Yes, - Lifina picked up, - The third was killed, and my daughter was kidnapped, and, it is worth noting, you arrived just in time. A day late and by now Rondal would have been preparing for war.


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    The guy didn''t answer. Now he was thinking about something, at least that''s how it looked from the outside. His completely green eyes perfectly concealed his true thoughts, in which he scolded himself in every conceivable and inconceivable way for being in such a hurry.


    Ray was really upset, because he went to this country mainly because of the war, which was the perfect source of souls. And now the journey seemed pointless, although the guy knew that most likely he would have gone here anyway.


    Even though an ordinary person would not notice the change in the guy''s behavior, but Lifina''s experience allowed her to understand something.


    - You are not happy with this outcome? The woman''s voice was as serene as ever, like a gentle breeze, but Rei, who was sitting in front of her, could catch a little chill in it.


    We are mercenaries. And now, it seems, they are left without work, which means there is no point in staying here anymore. ¨C guy not tried to add in voice regret. He spoke in the same calm tone as usual, because he understood: Lifina sitting in front of him would catch any falsehood.


    But as he watched the reactions of the two women, Ray realized that they had taken the message exactly as he wanted it to convey.


    Tessa literally beamed when she realized that they would soon leave this house. But Lifina, on the contrary, became a little sad. Although the guy could judge this rather vaguely, the woman knew how to hide her emotions much better than himself.


    - You are my dear guests and you can leave when you see fit. There is nothing more important in my life than my daughter, and you will only insult me by allowing the thought that I would drive you away. Moreover, you can consider this house as yours, its gates will always be open for you.


    The boy just nodded at those words. After that, I had breakfast for some more time, but this time there was silence in the room.


    ***


    Ray stood in front of the window, hands folded in front of him. He looked at Cess, who was trying to protect his nose from Mia''s attacks. At least he pretended to try, jerking his head from side to side, when it would have been enough just to raise it so that the girl could not reach him.


    Even such a peaceful scene could not help the guy to escape from his thoughts. He was in a rather strange state. Inwardly, he understood that he had saved the country from the war, reunited mother and daughter, committed a worthy deed, but on the other hand ...


    He needed a war. All the way, Ray imagined how the souls of hundreds of dead soldiers fly towards him in a single stream, giving at the same time the strength that is so much needed now.


    This war was to be the last step on the road to revenge. He was certain that the souls gained would be enough to last in his Sun Eater form for a very long time.


    The fists in the boy''s hands clenched.


    "What to do¡­"


    Ray stood like that for a few more minutes, until he was distracted by a knock on the door.


    - Come in. ¨C answered the guy, turning his head to the door.


    There appeared the head of a young girl, who, with some embarrassment, turned to him.


    ¡°Mr. Ray, I was told to report that the blacksmith has come.


    The boy thought about her words for a moment, but after a second he nodded. Grabbing a sack standing right there, he asked the girl to wait outside the door.


    After the maid left, he took out all the daggers he had and the Armor of the Mooncaller from the Inventory, then put them in a bag and followed to the door.


    A few minutes later, the guy was already standing in front of a heavily built middle-aged man. There was a sparse gray in his short black hair, but this only added to the image of the blacksmith, and this was undoubtedly him, formidability.


    Lifina stood nearby, along with Griham, who was now less wary of the guy. Maybe the mistress said something to him, or maybe it was because Ray was unarmed.


    - Let me introduce you. the minister began. ¨C This is Antor Gran ¨C the best blacksmith of Rondal and my good friend. And this young man''s name is Ray. He, - Lifina fell silent for a moment, but it seemed to the guy that she did it on purpose. This woman hardly ever did anything without a clear plan. Also my good friend. ¨C nevertheless she finished with a slight smile, which caused the bodyguard standing next to her to clear her throat in displeasure.


    - Pleased to meet you. Ray held out his hand.


    - As I. replied the blacksmith.


    The man''s handshake was firm, and his hand was callused, which is not surprising, given his profession. The guy even felt a little uncomfortable, because his palms were soft, the same as when they appeared in this world.


    Another feature of the game. Even the scars disappeared from the bodies of the players, to say nothing of the calluses. True, it took some time, which depended on the severity of the injury, but, for example, the terrible marks left after he tore his own stomach turned into a memory after a month.


    "So why did you need my services, boy?" - sounded a low bass, in which, despite the presence of the minister, notes of discontent nevertheless slipped through.

 Chapter 73

    Antor was very surprised when Rey took out the atanit daggers from his bag. They were in fairly good condition, but if you looked closely, you could see small notches that covered the surface of the blades.


    But when the armor appeared, the blacksmith''s eyes opened wide. Without waiting for permission, he pulled his hands forward, literally tearing the armor off the guy. He, in general, did not mind, because he vaguely guessed how valuable she was, especially in the eyes of a person of such a profession.


    ¡°Armor of the Mooncaller¡­¡± Rei heard this name for the second time. But, like Griham, the blacksmith said no more.


    Antor carefully examined the armor. She was in a much more deplorable state than the weapon, which was made of a stronger material. Most of the damage was scratches and even quite deep, but the biggest was the acid mark on the lower back. He went through about three-quarters of the thickness of the armor and looked rather dangerous. It was on this damage that the keen eye of the blacksmith lingered.


    "What did you do to piss him off like that?" the man asked with slight reproach.


    The question was more of a rhetorical one, but Rey remembered the day the armor was damaged very well.


    - Acid worm. ¨C with obvious disgust barked guy. - For the first time I met these creatures, but, as you can see, they hit me only once, I did not repeat the same mistake twice.


    The creature was very dangerous. Moved underground and attacked with a spit of strong acid, the result of which Antor was now observing. When the worm attacked him, Rei was ready and dodged the monster''s first spit, which was as thick as a grown man''s thigh. But then he had no idea that the worm had two heads, which is exactly why he was stabbed in the back.


    Unfortunately, those present did not seem to know which animal the guy meant, but he was not going to say anything more about it. Now he was worried about another question:


    - Can you repair the armor?


    The blacksmith frowned. For a while, he fiddled with the armor in his hands, squeezing different places, but mostly he paid attention to the acid burn. After a few minutes, he shook his head in disappointment.


    - I don''t even have atanite to replace the damaged inserts, let alone Gilfar''s skin. I could cover them with strong leather, but...


    The words he heard did not disappoint Ray too much, because he was ready for the fact that the armor would not be completely restored. But here''s what the blacksmith said, he did not let past his ears.


    - That is, you just need an atanit?


    Antor looked at him, and then looked at the daggers.


    ¡°I''m sorry man, but there aren''t enough of them.


    - I have one-piece armor, I''m sure it will be enough.


    The blacksmith''s eyes widened once more, then lit up brightly.


    ¡°If you are willing to sell the rest of the materials, I will pay a fair price for them.


    Ray only nodded at this proposal, which made the blacksmith very happy. He grabbed his hand and did not stop shaking it, while he assured that he would personally do the work, not allowing the assistants to even look in the direction of the armor. The guy didn''t care much. Anyway, he was going to give Antor the armor, which did not fit him, so the extra way to earn money did not interfere with him.


    - How long will the repair take? he asked as he pulled his hand out of the blacksmith''s grip with difficulty.


    He was silent for a few seconds, thinking about something and finally said that it would not take long to remove part of the armor and attach it to another, which means that by the evening the work would be ready. After that, taking one of the armor, for which Ray had to return to the room for the sake of appearance, gilfar armor and several daggers, he left, promising the guy to bring a few more bundles of the best arrows, as he asked.


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    It seems that the blacksmith really was an important figure, because Lifina personally escorted him to the gate. They were talking about something, but unfortunately, in human form, Rei couldn''t hear anything.


    - Antor is the only blacksmith in the city who can work with atanit. You are very lucky guy, because he does not take orders from commoners. Griham decided to remark when the blacksmith left. For this, he received only a reproachful look from Lifina, so he hastened to apologize, again to her.


    Ray didn''t care about the circus. After dryly thanking the minister, he was about to leave for the manor when he remembered that she could help him with one thing.


    - I''m sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where the library is in the city?


    The woman, perhaps surprised, did not show it in any way, immediately answering:


    - Books are a very valuable thing and the only library is located in the palace, however, you may be interested in my personal collection.


    The guy was a little surprised by this, but after a little thought, he realized that here the books were most likely written by hand, which was too surprising for him.


    Lifina''s collection was quite large by the standards of this world - no less than a couple of thousand books, which, as Rei expected, turned out to be handwritten.


    - Are you looking for something specific? asked the minister standing next to him. She personally led him to this wing of the building, because it was closed to servants and ordinary guests.


    - It is hard to say. I know what I''m looking for, but I can''t explain it.


    The answer was very strange, but he satisfied the woman, because she did not notice the lies in the guy''s words.


    - In any case, you can stay here as long as you want. All books are sorted by subject, I hope this will make your search easier. - Dropped Lifina, after which she left.


    Ray, on the other hand, spent the next four hours in the library. Here he really ran into the problem of reading a foreign language, but since he only skimmed through the descriptions of books, and even then not all of them, the browsing did not take so much time. Fortunately, they really were sorted, otherwise it could take more than one day.


    All the time while the guy was in the library, his face was gloomy. The thing was, he didn''t find what he was looking for. Not even a distant mention. Nothing at all.


    Rey wasn''t lying when he told Leafina that he didn''t quite understand what he was looking for. The fact was that the word describing the phenomenon he was looking for was not in any of the two languages \u200b\u200bof this world that he had already managed to learn. And to describe it, not understanding clearly what exactly you are talking about, was quite difficult. Tessa, for example, could not understand him even when he gave an example.


    Magic.


    Neither the Pharos nor the people used this word. It was not at all in their vocabulary, because they simply did not have such a thing as ¡°magic¡±. They took skills for granted, and apart from them there was simply nothing that stood out. At all.


    And Ray would have thought so too, because he himself had not seen anything that could be called magic either in the capital or in the city of the people of the forest. He could not consider his own example as indicative, because his ability to transform was innate and he could not classify it as magic. More precisely, he had no idea whether she was or not.


    But the problem was that Rey could still see the magic. And not once. He could watch her so often that he already hated her.


    The guy put the book on the shelf. She was the last of those in which there could be at least something, but, unfortunately, it turned out not to be so.


    The boy clenched his fists tightly. And not only because the search did not bring results, but also because this activity awakened in him memories that were far from the most pleasant, but because of the damn memory, they were also very clear.


    It was as if Rey saw his legs and arms burn again in the blue flame created by his tormentor, heard the bones crack, slowly but inexorably turning into ashes. And turning his head to the side, he even froze for a moment, imagining the indifferent eyes of a creature that did not react in any way to the heart-rending scream that escaped from his throat many, countless times ...


    It took some time before the guy came to his senses. After that, he, having suppressed hatred and anger, finally unclenched his whitened fists and continued his thoughts. That creature in the forest could create fire from nothing, but the most amazing thing was not this ability, no. What amazed Ray the most was the healing. Any injury, even one that is quite considered fatal, disappeared under the influence of the monster''s magic like an obsession. Lost limbs regrow right before my eyes, torn skin covering bare muscles like a tidal wave. Once, in a matter of seconds, that creature restored even the completely missing lower jaw ...


    But even this magic brought agony. Feeling when your own bones, muscles and nerve endings grow in a matter of moments was no less painful than when they disappear. At such moments, Rey, resigned to his fate, only regretted that he had stopped losing consciousness and that this useless body belonged to him ...

 Chapter 74

    Ray came out of the library very depressed or even devastated. He was sure that if he could not find any mention of magic here, then there was no point in going to the royal library either. Yet such a phenomenon would be quite noticeable if it existed among people. At the very least, it should have found at least a passing mention in the books.


    For a while, he wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the manor, catching the glances of many servants on him. They only whispered behind his back, but he did not even try to make out their words. Now the guy was only worried about the fact that even in the capital he could not find anything about a strange creature that lives in the middle of the forest.


    ¡°Though it''s hardly surprising. They know little even about the ordinary animals of Pharos, to say nothing of the creature that lives in its very depths.


    At some point, Ray stopped. The rays of the sun, which had begun to slope towards the horizon, gently fell on his face through the huge opening of the window. His gaze shifted straight down from the fiery celestial globe. The guy looked somewhere to the west.


    Pharos could not be seen from this distance, but Rey''s affinity for that forest was too strong for the question of visibility to mean anything.


    ¡°Maybe we should look for something in another capital, since this country is so useless.¡±


    Ray stood like that for a while longer, enjoying the scenery, until his eyes, which had been slightly clouded before, gradually cleared up.


    ¡°There is nothing to think about it. If there is nothing, then so be it.¡± Resigned to the hopelessness of the current situation, Ray looked around.


    He had no idea which part of the estate he was in right now. Fortunately, the layout of the building was not complicated and, having reached the stairs, the guy found an exit to the courtyard, where he sat down on a small bench in the shade of a tree. Now he wanted to think about how exactly it should be done, since nothing could be found in Rondal, and the war was not yet planned. There was no particular reason for him to stay in this house. Comfort did not appeal to him, and he was not going to allow himself to rest or just sit back. At least until he takes revenge, and after that ... The guy did not have time to look so far into the future, but he was sure that when the burden of anger fell from his heart, it would be easier to resolve this issue.


    Thinking it over again, he realized that the only thing that could perhaps delay him a little was a pair of purple eyes that seemed to see right through him. In fact, it didn''t even matter that much. Yes, Lifina was a beautiful woman. If Tessa was beautiful and a slight inexperience only added to her attractiveness, then the minister had a special mature charm that attracted and fascinated no less ... Or maybe even more.


    The thought made Ray shake his head in displeasure.


    "Women¡­"


    The voice in his head sounded slightly forced, because the guy understood that he really had a weakness for the opposite sex. Perhaps it was the echoes of a past life. The life of a man who devoted himself to art. A person to whom beauty was not alien in any of its manifestations. Only now there was nothing left of ¡°that¡± young guy, and only some stupid echo haunted him even in another life.


    After thinking it over again, Ray came to the conclusion that he could not do anything about it, and he did not really want to. Still, what would be the point in a new life in the free world, if even here he limited himself to carnal pleasures? He had about the same opinion about such things as morality, ethics, morality ...


    The guy internally laughed, because he understood that none of these concepts applies to him even remotely. But he did not even feel the slightest remorse. Maybe because he felt stronger than other people, or maybe because his conscience burned down along with the bright hopes that filled the heart of ¡°that¡± person who appeared in this world. Left somewhere deep in the forest, inside a small wooden hut, on a torture table that had time to soak through his blood and suffering.


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    Ray turned his head to the west again, but this time the anger didn''t get the better of him. He looked towards Pharos with the certainty that the day of his revenge, and therefore freedom, was near. So close that the guy could already feel that pleasant warm feeling with which his hands would be covered with the blood of a hated creature, with which he would tear out a still beating heart from his chest covered with bandages in order to crush it, tear it to shreds, and with it everything holding him back. fetters.


    It was in this state, with flaming anticipation and expectation of reprisals, that the minister caught him with her eyes. Ray was so forgotten that he did not even hear her steps and came to his senses only when the woman herself turned to him.


    - What are you thinking about?


    Hearing a slightly pleasant female voice, the guy reflexively turned his head. Lifina stood three paces away from him, looking attentively straight into her green eyes. Ray heard her question, but now he noticed something else - the woman was alone, without a bodyguard.


    It seems that the minister understood the reason for his silence, so she decided to clarify this point:


    - An hour ago the news came that Griham''s wife and daughter were seriously ill, I can''t say anything more specific, but he went to them.


    The guy''s eyebrow went up when he heard the reason for the bodyguard''s absence.


    - Left his mistress without protection? The tone wasn''t caustic, but Lifina still didn''t like the remark.


    - Not. A man like him... I myself ordered him to return to his family.


    Rey just nodded at that, looking back in a direction only he knew.


    Lifina, following his gaze, suddenly sat down beside him. And sat pretty close. At least closer than an aristocrat would be supposed to sit.


    ¡°I told you about Griham, but you never answered my question. ¨C she noticed, turning her head to the guy.


    He just continued to look beyond the horizon.


    - But I didn''t ask you anything.


    There was an awkward silence.


    In the end, Ray still turned to the woman, who looked at him with the same interested look. The guy did not understand what caused such an attitude. Perhaps it was because he was being too free with her. Gratitude was a less likely reason, but Ray definitely put his own appearance at the very end of the line, because for a woman of such status she hardly meant anything. Although, he did not understand a woman''s heart so well. He didn''t really understand himself either.


    Looking into his clear eyes, Rey nevertheless spoke:


    - I was thinking about murder.


    He carefully watched the woman''s reaction, but she showed neither disgust nor fear. Nothing at all. Although, most likely, she simply very skillfully concealed her own emotions.


    - Do you like to kill? Or was it someone specific? - a very strange question for the minister of the country sounded.


    But even more, he struck the guy with the fact that Ray could not give an answer to him right away.


    "Kill?"


    Lifina noticed a slight hesitation in her interlocutor''s gaze, so she patiently followed any change that happened to the guy, every, even the most insignificant body movement.


    "I kill to get souls... to get stronger." A thought flashed through the boy''s head. She sounded sensible, but not at all convincing. Maybe this could serve as a momentary excuse for himself, but when the question was put directly, Ray could not come up with an answer. At least not so fast.


    A few more seconds passed. The silence dragged on. Lifina patiently waited, and the guy cautiously, but calmly, recalled ... He himself did not understand why he was doing this, attributing everything to his past mood, inspired by unsuccessful searches. Maybe deep down he wanted to think that he was wrong, because a minute pause was enough for him to make sure that the woman was right.


    But Rei could not name the exact moment when the change took place inside him. Once he escaped, killing was a necessity, since it was the most efficient way to gain strength, but remembering the murdered manor guard, the guy realized that he was taking lives not only for this reason.


    ¡°Probably, it happened back in the forest. At some point, hunting and the truth was no longer a test ... Now the game has simply changed. ¡± - thoughts flowed calmly, washing away all doubts in a smooth stream. The guy did not even for a second think about the unnaturalness of his thoughts. However, this world itself pushed him, and so much so that it was impossible to resist, and Rei was not going to resist.


    To live in a new world, limited by the rules of the old ...


    "What nonsense" - thinking so, the guy again met the eyes of Lifina.


    - You''re right twice ... - after a second of silence, the guy finished the sentence. ¡°I¡¯m a mercenary, it can¡¯t be otherwise.


    Only the minister realized what the man sitting next to her was trying to say. Ray looked west again and no longer saw the strange smile that flickered across the woman''s face.

 Chapter 75

    After a short pause, Lifina spoke again:


    - What decision did you make regarding your stay at my place?


    Rey continued to look somewhere in the distance, but still answered:


    - As soon as my equipment is ready, we will leave.


    - Won''t you stay even for a day? Disappointment slipped into his voice, but so subtle that the guy did not pay attention.


    "Won''t it be easier for you if a troublesome person like me leaves?" Ray finally turned to the woman, looking into her purple eyes. "Or would you like to part with me?" he asked with a slight grin.


    But Lifina looked at him quite seriously. The look of the woman did not reveal her thoughts, but she did not leave her bright green eyes for a second.


    - You''re right. I wanted to ask you for one favor.


    Ray was a little disappointed, but he didn''t show it, except that the corners of the Minister''s lips turned up a little anyway. The boy didn''t say anything, just continued to stare at the beautiful face, now even closer than it was at the start of the conversation.


    - I would like, - Lifina decided to explain, realizing that Rey decided to remain silent, - that you would accompany me to one meeting tomorrow. Like I said, Griham can''t be there right now to protect me in case of emergency, so I was hoping you could help me with that.


    The guy carefully watched the woman''s face, but she was still as calm as ever. Not a single muscle in her face betrayed her thoughts.


    ¡°Are there no more worthy warriors in the manor who can protect you?¡± That was the question Rey wanted to ask, but he didn''t understand women''s hearts that badly. And what efforts such a proposal should have cost to the First Minister of the country, he did not even want to think.


    - You have not yet had time to pay off for that case with the son of the Marquis, and now you have decided to increase your debt even more? I''m afraid the price for everything may be too high. - he said thoughtfully, slightly bowing his face and finding himself already dangerously close to the lilac eyes glowing with increasing interest.


    - Don''t worry, if you can take care of me, I promise I can do the same. Lifina also leaned forward a little, and Rei could feel her tart breath on the skin of his face.


    The ambiguity of the phrase was so opaque that there was nowhere else to go. Rei leaned a little further, but at the same moment the minister pulled away, rising to her feet.


    I''m glad we were able to come to an agreement. I''m sure I''ll be much calmer with such a skilled warrior by my side. A charming smile appeared on his beautiful face, and only the fact that he himself liked this little game stopped Ray from jumping on Leafina right here. - I''ll tell you a secret, even Griham praised you ... Or rather armor ... But is there a difference?


    The guy was not going to say anything, and the woman, throwing a last look in his direction, simply left. He silently watched her, trying to calm the desire to tear off her dress and ...


    At that moment, Rei remembered that there was something else that he was going to do today, and since his armor and weapons were being repaired, the time was right... Although, perhaps it was because he was a little excited after talking with Lifina.


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    Without becoming a long think, he hurried to the estate. The guy had no idea where Tessa was now, but he hoped to find her in the room. And so, having flown the stairs to the second floor and frightening off several maids, he literally crashed into the door of one of the rooms. It turned out to be not locked, and a girl, dressed in the already familiar open outfit, was peacefully snoring on the bed. She opened her eyes slightly belatedly because of the noise. By this time, Rei was already standing next to her, and in his hands, straight out of thin air¡­ a rope appeared.


    Sleepy, Tessa came to her senses only when the guy turned her over on her stomach. She only felt a little pain and discomfort as both of her hands were forced behind her back.


    - E..? Stop! - the girl tried to escape when she saw the rope in Ray''s hand. - Ray! Do not dare!


    She tried to break free, but the boy firmly held her forearms brought together with his hand. The dream was taken away as if by a hand when she felt how her arms bent at the elbows were pulled together by a rope.


    - What are you doing!? Let go now! - Tessa realized that the guy really let her go, but when she tried to move her hands, she realized that her forearms were tightly tied to each other. She froze for a moment, and turned her head towards the guy, who looked lustfully at her body unable to resist.


    - Ray? .. - Tessa said with some apprehension, swallowing the lump that had risen to her throat.


    The guy leaned towards her face and, running his hand through her thick black hair, whispered in her ear:


    - I promised to punish you. And you were a very naughty girl and deserved a good lesson.


    - Not. You won''t dare. Let me go or I''ll scream!


    ¡°Then I will shut your mouth, and the lesson will become more painful.¡± Sadistic notes now and then erupted in his voice when he spoke.


    - You... I didn''t do anything! I even helped you with that swordsman!


    ¡°But I asked you to kill the horses. Then the boy wouldn''t be able to leave, and I''d get more souls. It would be understandable if you didn''t want to kill people out of some stupid principle, but you still killed that bodyguard. Ray paused for a moment, running his hand over the girl''s cheek. ¡°So you just didn¡¯t want to do what I asked. Now I will teach you to be more obedient.


    Tessa didn''t know what to say. Now the guy seemed like a madman. His usual behavior was also far from normal, but now¡­


    - I will obey! Promise! If you just wanted me, why the rope!? - the girl tried to reason a little with the guy, but she did not succeed.


    You still need to be punished. And another time, when you think about disobeying, remember what is about to happen. Grabbing a piece of fabric that covered her breasts with one movement, he tore it without much zeal.


    Tessa squealed as she felt a chill goosebumps through her body. She couldn''t help it. Unable to move her arms, she was just a toy in the hands of this maniac.


    - I''ll do whatever you say, just untie me. Why¡­ AAA! - the words of the girl were interrupted by a rather strong slap on the ass.


    - Shut up. I told you I came to punish you. If you liked what I''m about to do, I wouldn''t tie you up. - the hand, still remaining on the elastic buttock, slowly went down a little, touching ...


    The girl''s eyes widened as she realized what Rei meant.


    - Not! Please don''t! I won''t do it again! Ray, I''m sorry. I swear not this! - that''s just the girl''s cry only led to the fact that the guy, grabbing the edges of her skirt, pulled it down along with the linen. - Not there! Ahh!


    Another sonorous slap on the now naked ass made the girl scream, and the first tears appeared in her eyes. On the soft white skin of her ass stood out a clear trace of the palm. Rey held back his strength, but even so, the blows were quite painful.


    - I asked you to be quiet. I myself don¡¯t want to close your chatty mouth, but if you give out something like that again ... - the guy lifted the girl¡¯s face by the chin, and his eyes clearly showed that everything said was not a joke.


    Now Tessa was truly frightened. If before that she still hoped that she could somehow dissuade the guy. His last glance clearly showed that all her attempts were in vain.


    The girl watched with an exhausted look as two strong hands grabbed her ass and lifted her up with force. She could only hold herself in this position with the help of her legs, resting her face on the pillow.


    - You look good. - the guy grinned, unceremoniously moving his palm over his lush, toned buttocks. Each touch to the skin that had not yet departed from the blows responded with pain, but the girl did not dare to make another sound.

 Chapter 76-78

    Ray knelt in front of Tessa, who had fallen asleep, for another minute, before shaking his head drove away the obsession. Slowly lowering his gaze, he noticed that the girl''s breathing had already become calm and measured.


    It only made him smirk strangely.


    ¡°Amazing¡­ Just yelled at the whole house, and now she¡¯s already sleeping without her hind legs.¡±


    With that thought, a gray mist escaped from the boy''s body and slowly entered the girl''s body. She only twitched a little, but did not even think to wake up.


    Ray, looking around the room, found his clothes, which he hurried to put on. After that, he went to the closet and, taking a blanket from there, covered the girl with it.


    Without stopping any longer, he headed for the door, mentally noting that the time could already be called evening, which means that his equipment should be ready soon.


    ***


    An impenetrable dark ball flew with great speed through the black space, devoid of any reminders of light. The ball itself was quite a living being, for which the local darkness was the most comfortable of all possible environments.


    Woven from the darkness itself, he felt very good in the midst of pitch darkness. The energy of this place filled him with strength, so necessary for the speedy execution of the order of the lord.


    When the face of its master appeared in the creature''s memories, he increased his already mind-blowing speed even more with reverent awe, mixed with a bit of fear.


    ¡°Have they really come yet?¡± - a thought flashed through the mind of the servant, when he saw in front of him the place of his destination, where the master himself was waiting for him.


    ¡°Of course¡­ Why else would the lord decide to call me out of the blue¡­ They¡¯re definitely here¡­¡±


    In front of the black ball, which stood out even against the background of the surrounding darkness, there was a huge cycle of darkness energy. A weaker creature would have already exploded from the surrounding pressure, but the ball, as if not feeling the danger of this place, flew with the same speed into the abyss even darker than the one in which it had previously been.


    ¡°Zayol¡­¡± the voice of his master sounded in the mind of the servant. He was so overwhelmingly powerful and low, filled with such obvious carnivorousness that even a creature created by darkness itself experienced primal fear.


    - My lord, the sixth servant came to your call. Zael replied, stopping at a respectful distance from the creature''s tyrannical size. His mental voice was more like a hiss mixed with a chirp. He could not compete with the lord of darkness, but he could force the lower dark ones to obey only by the power of his voice.


    The ball of darkness took its rightful place next to its five brothers. If Zael''s body was woven from darkness resembling gas, then the giant in front of him was indestructible in his strength and in the amount of energy of darkness flowing in his body. The surpluses of this power now and then flowed in liquid drops down the completely black maw of a huge dragon-like giant. It was impossible to distinguish individual parts of his body, but not because of the surrounding darkness, everyone present felt the flow of world energy too well to rely on such a useless thing here as sight. It was just that their master''s body was so impenetrably dark and overflowing with the power of darkness emanating from it that the perception of other creatures was distorted before they could get close enough to distinguish anything other than a vague silhouette.


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    ¡°Enemies have appeared in our world¡­¡± the heavy voice of the lord sounded again. Even though it only resounded in the minds of the servants associated with it, the space rippled as the strongest used their power. ¡°The Lunar Ones brought a few small insects with them¡­ And they are right¡­ If another Reverberant is born here, we will undoubtedly become the strongest¡­¡±


    How much time do we have, sir? one of the servants asked.


    - Not enough ... They broke through quite successfully ... - the lord''s voice filled with hatred growled. "We need to pick him up...


    There was dead silence for a while, broken only by the distant sound of the energy cycle. A minute passed and Vladyka finally turned to his servants again.


    - Zael, you will hide my son¡­ - these words made the sixth servant get worried in earnest. And not only because the tone of the overlord''s voice became serious, but also because this mission was too difficult. I will open the way...


    After finishing his thought, the lord opened his huge mouth, causing all six servants to recoil due to the huge flow of energy caused by this action. In front of the throat, filled with rows of huge fangs, as black as the rest of the body, a small cycle of darkness energy began to form. When the servants realized what was happening, they immediately moved away from the master, because the spell he was casting was too powerful even for creatures of their power level.


    Slowly, a huge black stigma appeared above the formed wormhole, which began to gradually descend until it completely merged with the energy cycle.


    Silence fell again after that, but this time it was more oppressive.


    ¡°Two hundred cycles should be enough, then come back¡­¡± the lord again conveyed his thoughts to the servants. ¡°If they retreat early, I myself will summon you¡­¡±


    - My Lord. Zael began. "I''m not questioning your order in any way, but... I''m not sure I''m qualified to protect..."


    The dark ball continuously changed its shape, now shrinking, then releasing spikes all over the surface. Sometimes small waves even appeared on it. This clearly showed how worried the sixth servant was, because the mission he had been assigned was too important.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let the others go¡­ Their absence will affect our combat power too much¡­ Your abilities will not be so useful, because the enemies came to us by themselves¡­¡±


    After considering the words of the master, Zael was forced to agree with such reasoning.


    ¡°But¡­ If you need to fight¡­¡± the sixth servant said timidly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight¡­ I chose a suitable place¡­ There is little energy there, just hide it and wait¡­¡±


    - Yes, my lord. Zayel answered a little disappointed. He was in no way upset that the overlord called him unnecessary for the coming war or that he was sent to another dimension. The sixth servant was worried only about the fact that he might not save the son of the lord, because then his existence would be really useless.


    ¡°You never let me down, Zael¡­ Don¡¯t let me down even now¡­¡± growled the lord of darkness, suppressing the power emanating from the cycle. At the same time, a small black object appeared from under his body, in which the energy of new life was blazing. Very weak, still absorbing the power of the darkness surrounding him, but in the future promising to have the power to tear worlds apart.


    A small black egg, on the surface of which streaks of light, so rare for the space of darkness, appeared. They did not cut the surrounding darkness, but seemed to merge with it together, creating a completely new, hitherto unseen mixture of energies.


    - Go, Zael ...


    When the lord said this, the egg slowly floated towards the black ball, which simply swallowed it, hiding it inside itself.


    Peering into the darkness of the whirlpool, the sixth servant condensed his shell to reduce the effect of the transition on the unborn Ripper, after which he flew straight into the wormhole.