Alpha and the Main Bird shook their heads. Several more fell. Alpha, howling, ordered a few of his brothers to capture the fallen ones and disarm them.

The Main Bird did the same. For a while, they forgot about their hostility and even helped each other catch the fallen brothers. After catching them, they cut off their legs, tails, and wings, and then ran away, taking their limbs with them.

Alpha, seeing how the fallen ones tried to attack, understood that one day he would also fall, like his enemies, and no one would be able to save him. The only thing left was to prolong his existence, and only food could help.

Looking at the Main Bird, who was greatly frightened by the explosion, Alpha became demoralized, as did others. But he didn't dare to run away because they hadn't found anything for a long time, and these flying parasites were watching them to steal their food in the end.

The Main Bird could no longer stand it. A cry burst from her illusory beak. Alpha looked at her proposal with disbelief, but, looking at his flock, gave them time to think.

The Main Bird cried, agreeing, but not for long. The longer they wait, the more dangerous it could all become.

Alpha, looking at the birds, could not understand why they needed cooperation. Maybe he felt their strength, but he was a sly coward. He often watched them and even sometimes stole their food, causing several brothers to fall and no longer think clearly. What should they do?

***

Creating undead, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Several times he tried to ask the book, but all he heard in response was, "When the time comes. You must find out for yourself if you want to become a powerful necromancer. Even if you are in danger."

After that, he disappeared and reappeared as a tattoo on his left hand.

"What could I be missing? Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Let's take a closer look at the process. I create six runes for a regular corpse and eight if there's a soul in it. I spend five to ten seconds on each rune. Only the seventh and eighth runes were created in twenty to forty seconds. At first, I spent five minutes creating two runes. Apparently, I've improved my skills... From my experiments, I've learned that if the runes are created incorrectly, the corpse can explode. I also noticed that I can insert a circle while the corpse is still stable, but it takes longer and is more costly."

Looking at his army of rats, he thought, "I created undead, but I really don't understand much. It's better to say I don't know anything. But I'm starting to gradually realize and understand how everything works. Maybe I'll try creating only the runes without connecting them?"

With this thought, he began drawing runes on his hand. After creating all six, he broke the connection between energy and runes. Strangely enough, they did not explode but began to dim. After which they disappeared.

"What if I continue to fill them with energy?"

Creating the runes again, he did not break the connections. On the contrary, he began to feed them with more energy. They began to glow brighter and brighter until they suddenly stopped.

"Hmm, this is interesting. They could become good sources of light. It's a shame it's useless for those who can't see in the dark... But what if..."

Searching for ideas of what to do with them, he began to incorporate them into the corpse. Strangely, this happened quickly, without any loss of energy or time. Afterward, he connected them into a circle.

The corpse stood up... but it was different. It was more energetic than the others. If the others were languid, as if ready to fall from the wind, this one stood confidently. Even it didn't have the same scary spinning eyes as the other undead. Could it be that the runes weren't working at their maximum with the others?

With that thought in mind, he touched one of the old undead. Feeling the circle, he began pouring energy into it. Hm... it was hard, but he began to glow brighter, until he couldn't take in any more energy.

At the same time, the undead rat seemed to be... healthier than it was at the beginning.

Its eyes weren't spinning like some of the other scary dolls anymore. And the best news was that the whole process took no more than ten seconds.

Having made eight more rats, he began to create new servants according to a new scheme.

After a few minutes, he realized that this method was more effective than the previous one.

Only because he already had some experience and knowledge. And if you pay closer attention, you can guess that this method is complex. You need to control the energy, the runes, and so on. It's like imagining a painting and then trying to recreate it, but you can quickly forget. But if you've already created that painting several times, it's harder to forget all the details.

Or how teachers keep track of children in special notebooks in the early grades. How to say it correctly or better, how big and long should a letter be, and of course, a word.

It is wrong to use a line for just one word. It is costly, stupid, ugly, and of course, impractical.

Well, what I wanted to say is that I learned what size each rune should be to be efficient and not costly. And most importantly, to have harmony between them.

Yes, it's genius! Without even knowing that I learned the basics of runes. And now I can recreate them anywhere. I'm a genius.

The book pulsed once, and a message came to the brain: "No, you're not a genius. Your level of thinking is statistically lower than that of an ordinary person from this world."

"Here's your book, have fun," he said when he read the message.

The book lit up again, and a new message came: "I don't understand what you're trying to say. But I must inform you that you are in danger. Don't forget."

"Hmm, he only knows how to joke and doesn't want to teach me. Greedy jerk," he thought.

"So, a few more corpses, and that's it. I can't increase my army anymore." After collecting the last corpses, he saw a saw in the sand.

"Oh, right, I had a homemade saw. Where were you all this time, damn it?" he thought. Taking the saw and the corpses, he began to create a new party of undead.

***

Alpha, watching as the rat corpses were taken away by a human hand, was filled with both joy and fear.

He was glad that the enemy was a human or human-like creature, which meant that they didn't have to be strong if they were hiding.

But he was also afraid because of his instinct and the purpose of the corpses, which could rise again. At least, he could only feel a few souls and nothing more. It was strange how so many bodies couldn't rise. His own kind and enemies would rise even when their souls had departed.

But the rats had not risen all this time, which meant that their souls had been fully consumed. And there weren't many of these monsters.

The Head Bird also saw the human hand and it gave her courage. She shouted at Alpha and asked for his decision.

Looking at the hole, Alpha decided to take a risk. With a powerful howl, he gathered the whole pack and surrounded the tree. Even if the order didn't appeal to the pack, they still followed it and even showed their backs to the birds, showing who their current target was. This action showed Alpha's choice.

This greatly pleased the Head Bird. Letting out a cry, all the birds took off and began circling above the tree, forming a circle.

***

"Ugh. The latest ones." he said as he stood up, hearing a loud howl. "Can't they take it anymore? Well, I'll test my army."

Looking at the dozens or hundreds of rats, he wondered where so many corpses had come from. "Strange, I remember killing only forty rats. Hmmm, mysticism, what can I say. Maybe they came on their own? And if so, how? Some of them could have come specifically to hide and seek revenge. And finally became food for those rats. But where is the rat itself?"

Looking around, he saw a huge mass of fur in the corner, eating a rat and fighting with it. But it quickly lost and was eaten itself... an undead rat.

This must be him. He is eating now. He looks even bigger than before. If he eats everything that comes his way, he will inevitably become fat.

He wanted to approach closer when he heard the growling of dozens of wolves. He was ready to order an attack, but remembered one thing.

"Hey, Book. Can you teach me some attacking spell?"

The book appeared in front of him. The empty page filled with words: "For the time being, you should pay more attention to your physical condition. There's no point in killing someone with one blow if you can be killed in one second. Train your will, spirit, and mind. A true necromancer must be able to control an army regardless of its size, otherwise, the commander will not be able to control it."

"I don't know what to do. Should I be offended or accept the truth... I don't know if this is right, but I'm sure of one thing. If I keep hiding like a coward when I have a chance to gain combat experience, then, just like playing Dark Souls, I won't be capable of anything. After all, I played as a knight-mage."

He looked at his powerful army of rats and pointed to the exit where the wolves were already waiting.

"Everyone outside!" he shouted loudly.

All the rats ran out like madmen towards the exit. The ground began to shake, and there was only one question left: where did all these rat corpses come from if he knew for sure he only killed less than forty?