Stirling touched his forehead, startled to discover a hard object on his finger—a small bone ring. It is likely he picked it up during his fight underwater in the cave. Somehow, it ended up on his left ring finger. The ring was ancient. Its pale surface had a faint yellowish hue. After a long submersion, it achieved a flawless blend with Stirling's skin. In the darkness, it emitted a faint glow.

  Stirling examined the ring with great attention to detail. On its front was an indistinct yet imposing square-shaped human face. Beneath it was a single inscribed word. On the back was a short line of script. It was in an old style so strange that even Stirling, a PHD in history, couldn't recognize it. The band featured intricate engravings of various patterns and runes. It gave off a sense of deep mystery.

  He examined the carved face with great attention to detail. The eyes looked deep and shadowy. At first, the inscribed characters seemed to shift, like tadpoles in water. A sense of dizzy filled Stirling. As he peered into the eyes, he questioned whether he was hallucinating. The characters sped up, mixing with soft hisses and rushing into his mind.

  Stirling unprepared. He clenched his teeth, his eyes turning red. His hands gripped the bedsheets with force, and sweat dripped from his brow. He was in intense pain but stayed silent. He didn't want to alert the two old people nearby.

  At that moment, a vivid vision unfolded before his eyes—an image of the fall of the gods.

  Billions of years ago, deities and humans lived together in harmony in this universe. Out of thousands of deities, three are the most powerful: the Creator, the Destructor, and the Maintenor. Their power is equal to each other, so they co-founded the parliament of the Gods, where they took turns ruling. But peace was short-lived; the combined rule of the three gods did not last long before a brutal divine war broke out.In this harsh conflict, the sky fell, the earth cracked, the deities fell one by one; the three supreme deities were not exempt at the end. Even after peace returned, the curse brought on by the gods' fall cast the world into an ominous place. But in a legend, the God of Creation crafted a ring from his finger bone in his last moments. This ring was called Hope because it carries a part of his divine power and a blessing.

  The scenes in his vision faded when he turned his eyes off the face carved on the ring. They came back as soon as he turned it back on.

  An idea jumped and then made him frown. Could this be the legendary ring?

  And using it means sacrificing one's own life? What kind of magical artifact demands such a cost? This is no mere ring—it is a life-draining ritual tool.

  Feeling unsettled, Stirling posed a new question:

  He tried to focus inward, but this time, no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing came to mind.

  After a dozen minutes of effort, Stirling saw nothing. Disappointed, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

  Bench.

  [Current enhancement require a lifespan of 3 days. Enhance?]

  Earth wall.

  Current enhancement require a lifespan of 20 days. Enhance?

  Broken bed plank.

  Current enhancement require a lifespan of 1 days. Enhance?

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Stirling affirmed with a quiet nod.

  After Stirling enhanced it, he saw a white light from the wooden board. At the same moment, a new prompt appeared.

  【Enhancement Successful, Remaining Lifespan: 8 years and 32 days】

  Stirling was so startled by this message that he almost jumped out of bed. Also, the magic ring diminished the joy he had felt.

  Stirling got up and sat on the bed board, his mind racing. He remembered the dried meat and muddy water that the old couple had fed him over the past few days.

  His own thoughts startled Stirling, but soon he forced himself to calm down.

  Stirling took a deep breath and then looked at the reinforced wooden board.

  The old, cracked wooden board looked brand new. It had a thin layer of red oil varnish, which made it seem odd on the worn wooden bed.

  Brand-new redwood boards

  A brilliant piece of rosewood has a red oil on its surface. This oil repels mosquitoes and insects, making it top-class!

  Stirling couldn't believe his eyes. He exclaimed in shock that the enhancement was outrageous. It was no longer about fixing the wood. It had completely changed inside.

  In that case.

  Stirling thought about this and checked his body and limbs. After a few minutes, he realized nothing had changed since the day before. At that moment, he felt pity.

  Stirling had intended to strengthen and repair his body, but it didn't work. Sighing, he then pushed the conspicuous red oil board into the gap between the wooden bed and the wall.

  Stirling lay back on the wooden bed and thought about what to do next after hiding the plank.

  Stirling reviewed his condition and outlined a series of steps in his mind.

  Composure in the face of adversity. This was a phrase his father often repeated.

  The first rays of sunlight peeked through the cracks in the old wall. It marked the start of a new day and the couple's imminent arrival.

  As he expected, a soft shuffling sound came near the wooden door, then a gentle knock followed.

  "Little brother, time for breakfast."

  A hoarse voice came from outside the door, casting a shadow of unease over the otherwise bright room.

  Without hesitation, Stirling answered, "I am coming."

  Shortly afterward, he joined the old couple at the worn wooden table for breakfast.

  "Little brother, you need more food to heal the wound."

  Old Larry pushed the black bread on the worn wooden plate over and signaled Stirling to devour it.

  After last night, Stirling thought something was off with the food Old Larry gave him every day. His eyelids twitched. He spoke with deliberate pauses.

  "Mr. Larry, I've been taken care these days, giving nothing back. It is unfair, so please eat." Then he pushed the wooden plate back toward old Larry.

  Larry, who had been smiling, paused and surprised for a moment. Yet, he regained his composure soon and replied.

  "Well, we have a poor appetite, so please eat."

  As he spoke, Old Larry fixed his gaze on Stirling. Stirling now feels sure of the couple's bad intentions. He knows it is risky to refuse any longer. He took the bread and chewed it with care.

  Watching Stirling eat made the old man, Larry, smile even wider. His dry wrinkles stood out more on his face.

  Stirling rushed to ask, "Mr. Larry, I heard screams outside last night. What happened?"

  Old Larry and the old woman exchanged glances. The old woman then spoke with a blank expression, "Didn't you sleep last night?"

  "I did, but screaming woke me," said Stirling.

  "Haha, you might be hallucinating."

  Old Man Larry shook his head.

  "Maybe."

  Stirling said, waving his arm, and added, "By the way, thanks a lot for your help these days. My injury is almost healed. I'm going to leave in a few days."

  The old lady, who had been calm, rose to her feet with a sudden movement. Her face turned fierce. She grabbed Stirling's arms with both hands and roared, "You want to leave! Where are you going?! Where?!"