While I was lost in thoughts of vengeance, a familiar voice drifted through the open window.
Shinro Akagage.
In my first life, we had been friends—at least, I thought so. Together, we discovered a hidden treasury deep in the forest. That day, Shinro had laid his hands on the Holy Sword, and fate decided he would be "the Hero." The same fate that would later demand my head.
A woman's voice called from outside my door.
"Julian! Come downstairs! Shinro's here, he wants to play with you!"
My lips curled. "I'm busy," I replied flatly.
Without another word, I unlatched the window. No one saw me slip out.
The wind whistled past my ears as I leapt.
"Wind Magic—Float."
A gust caught me, breaking my fall. I landed on one knee, feeling the strain immediately. My young body trembled. Weak. My mana was pitiful. But my goal was clear—reach the forest, find my old weapon, and deal with that cursed Holy Sword before Shinro could claim it again.
I strode through the village streets. Merchants shouted their prices, carts rattled over cobblestones, children laughed and played in the dust. Before I could reach the gate, two guards stepped into my path.
"Hey, kid, where do you think you're going?" one asked.
"Go back inside," the other said. "Monsters roam outside the walls. You don't want to be eaten, right?"
I knew he was right. In this body, I couldn't even kill a goblin. But I also knew what lay in the treasury—artifacts that could restore my strength and more.
I forced a sheepish smile. "Uh… my friends and I are playing hide and seek. I won't go far—just by the village's edge."
The guards exchanged glances. One shrugged. "Alright, but don't go far."
I nodded, feigning obedience. As soon as I passed the gate, I veered toward the forest and whispered, "Wind Magic—Accel."
The world blurred as I darted between trees and over roots. Then—sudden weakness. My limbs went numb, my vision dimmed, and I collapsed. The earth was cold beneath my cheek, and darkness claimed me.
When I woke, the sun hung low—afternoon already. I dragged myself upright with the help of a thick branch and limped onward.
By the time the forest shadows stretched long, I found it—the place burned into my memory. My fingers searched the ground until they found the rock. I flipped it, revealing the hidden button beneath.
Click.
The ground trembled. Dust and stale air burst upward as stone stairs descended into darkness.
Cobwebs brushed my face as I entered. The cracked walls whispered of centuries gone. I reached the massive door Shinro and I once opened together. With a push, it groaned wide.
Gold coins. Stacked chests. Weapons. Artifacts. The scent of age and greed filled the air.
A glint caught my eye—a necklace. I lifted it, and words appeared before my vision.
> Appraisal Necklace – Grants the wearer the ability to appraise items.
"So… I can see an item's true nature just by wearing this?" I muttered.
I scanned the room and froze at a crimson glimmer behind a pedestal. It was a silver-toned ring, its rugged frame shaped like clawed prongs gripping a red marquise-cut gem.
Ring of Hell.
> When you kill someone, this ring can transform them into a demon under your command. The target loses all memory and will not resist.
A dangerous smile tugged at my lips. I slid it onto my finger—
Pain stabbed through my chest. My breath hitched. My vision bled crimson.
When it faded, my reflection in a cracked mirror stopped my heart.
White hair. Red eyes.
"What the hell…?" I tried to pull the ring off. Useless. It was part of me now.
I turned—and there it floated. The Holy Sword, untouched since my first life. And near it… my weapon. The one I once used to protect this nation.
Now, I would wield it to destroy.
My hand closed around the hilt. A dark red aura erupted, swallowing the room. I rose into the air, crimson light twisting around me. My old blue aura was gone—replaced by pure malice. When my feet touched the ground again, I wore a crimson coat with black stripes, like the uniform of a king of ruin.
I approached the Holy Sword. With a single swing, its blade shattered. The handle clattered to the floor. I smirked.
While searching further, I spotted a book half-buried in gold. I reached for it, straining. My foot slipped, sending me back into the pile. The ring on my finger pulsed. A crimson glow enveloped the coins, and in an instant—they were gone.
"What—?"
I touched another artifact. It vanished into the ring. My mind raced. Could this… be an item box? I thought of the book—and it appeared in my hands.
A laugh escaped me. "Better than an item box."
One by one, I absorbed every coin and artifact into the ring, leaving only the broken Holy Sword behind.
---
On my way out, movement caught my eye. A goblin burst from the bushes, swinging a crude club. I jumped—too high, passing over a tree. My body hit the ground, and the goblin charged again. Its blow connected—but instead of pain, it was sent flying into a tree.
"Knockback…?" I grinned.
I walked toward the dazed creature. With a flick of my hand, its body shattered like glass, blood splattering the earth.
The Ring of Hell pulsed. Crimson light swallowed the corpse, and when it faded, the goblin stood again—skin darkened to blood-red, eyes glowing yellow.
My grin widened into a sharp, feral smile.
"So this… is the power of the Ring of Hell."
My laughter echoed through the forest.
"Hahahahaha…"