Nameless King

"What kind of equipment do you need this time, and how much money do you have?" Sven asked.

Not only was he an incredible informer and skilled bartender, but he was also a prestigious merchant with an extensive range. For a reasonable price, he could offer many different options.

"I have 490 Common Rating Souls, 40 Rare Rating, and 10 Epic Rating. All First Chronicle Souls." Said Wain and the souls flew out of his palm the next moment.

More than half a thousand souls floated around him like bright fireflies. Within each soul was hidden power and energy. Souls were priceless, but they were also currency, like gold coins to buy equipment.

Wain waved his hand, and all the souls headed toward Sven. Then the bartender turned them into 89 Void Souls. Compared to the last time, Wain had a lot more money now.

Whoooosh.

The gray souls headed toward Wain as their rightful owner.

"What would you like?"

"Hmm, I bought some items from you last time. They were useful, but I decided I needed something powerful for the long haul. I think for almost a hundred Void Souls, I could buy something like that." Said Wain.

He thought the consumables were useful, but he felt he was missing something. He had only recently gotten a good weapon and had not yet had time to try it out in battle. Wain could not rely on fighting on short-lived items that could run out at any moment.

"Of course, but before I do, I want to tell you something. In addition to the usual gear, weapons, armor, and consumables, I also sell Soul Chests, Spiritual Boxes, and Spell Books." Sven said with a smile.

"Wow, that sounds interesting."

"But, it's not that simple. All the chests, boxes, and books are hidden. I, like you, won't know what's in there until the last moment. Whether you get a good item or a bad one, you'll have to pay full price. It's roulette." Smiling, Sven said.

"I see. You decided to convert the bar into a casino. Given the number of visitors, it might be the right decision." Wain said with a chuckle. "What are the prices?"

"If we're talking First Chronicle, you'll have to pay 100 Void Souls for a random Spiritual Box, 300 for a random Soul Chest, and 700 for a random Skill Book."

"Well... I didn't expect the prices to be that high. What was the point of offering me this if I don't even have 100 Void Souls?"

"For you, for the first time, as an exception, I'll give you an eleven souls discount. Do you want to try to get a random Spiritual Box?" With a slight smile on his face, Sven said.

"Huh, what are you determined to rob me of? What's the point of me spending all my money on some unknown thing? What's more, I'm not sure if some consumable is worth 100 Void Souls. That's too much for such a thing."

"Suit yourself." Sven shrugged. "But, as I said earlier, I'm one of the most honest merchants. If I'm offering you a venture like this, it means you can get an item worth many times more than 100 Void Souls. However, the Spiritual Box might be trash. There's no right or wrong decision here."

Actually, Wain wanted to try his luck and give in to the excitement, but he knew that with a 99% chance, it would be a big mistake. He could have spent 89 Void Souls much more profitably.

"What can you offer for 89 Void Souls? I'm willing to spend it all." Wain said calmly.

Sven looked at Wain intently and, after a while, said, "I could be wrong, but it seems to me that you like cloaks, and you also prefer to be fast and strong but poorly protected. Given your equipment, you wear a light type of armor."

"That's right." Wain nodded. "I'm really a big fan of a coat."

A glint flashed in Sven's eyes.

"Good, then I have a proposition for you. As far as I can see, your current cape has mediocre protective qualities, especially compared to First Chronicle gear. However, it has a unique feature that it would be a pity to lose."

'Was he able to see the description of my cloak, or did he understand it from the appearance and its structure? Does Sven have a special skill, or is it due to his vast experience?' Wain wondered.

He was not surprised that Sven was capable of something like this. He was an informer and a merchant. Such a person was bound to have unique abilities.

'Wain, you have two choices. For 89 Void Souls, I can offer a high-end First Chronicle cloak, with excellent defensive properties, passive and active skill."

"Or?"

"Or for the same price, you will also get a cloak, but with worse protection and no active skill. However, in addition to it will be a special blueprint and item with which you can combine two cloaks into one. Of course, you'll need a blacksmith for that." Sven said.

Wain immediately replied, "The second option."

Whooooosh.

89 Void Souls flew out of his palm and headed toward Sven the next moment.

"Okay, one second."

Sven headed for the door behind the bar and returned with a massive, stone chest a short time later. It was quite large, a man could fit in that chest.

Click.

Sven opened the chest. Inside was a long, dark blue cloak with black patterns of weeping ghosts. An eerie and unpleasant aura emanated from the cloak.

Next to the cloak lay a drawing and a small metal cube consisting of hundreds of gears. It was a special mechanism.

"This is yours now." Sven said proudly and stepped aside.

Wain touched the cloak and saw its description.

[Wailing Ghost (First Chronicle, Epic Rating)

This cloak was created uniquely and naturally. Usually, armor is created by blacksmiths or tailors, but the origin of this cloak is special.

On one continent, there was a cave where hundreds of ghosts lived in peace for decades. They enjoyed life and existed peacefully, admiring the beauty of nature. But, as in any story, this one had an end, and unfortunately, it was a bad one.

One day a tailor came to the cave. He was looking for ghosts to create a unique and unrepeatable outfit. The tailor had a unique skill and would surpass himself by creating a true masterpiece.

The tailor easily defeated and subdued the ghosts, but when he took out a needle and began stitching the ghosts together alive, the rage of the monsters reached its limit.

They sacrificed themselves into a cloak but completely consumed the tailor and turned him into a madman who killed himself. In the end, the ghosts also ceased to be themselves. There was no winner in this story, only defeated.

*There is a small chance of dodging a physical attack.

*There is a very small chance of dodging a magical attack.

*Resistance to phantom attacks is increased by 15%.

*Damage against ghost creatures increased by 20%

*Vulnerability to weak and simple illusions.

*Passive skill "Echoes of Madness" created.

-Echoes of Madness.

Because of their cruel fate and ruined lives, ghosts have become mad. They were able to defeat their enemy but lost their sanity forever. This fate will befall every owner of this cloak without exception. It is a cursed object, and no one can use it without risking their sanity.

However, as long as the wearer is not insane, this power can be used to disorient enemies. When touched, several ghosts will penetrate the enemy's body and inflict mental damage].

"Holy shit... It's not a cloak, it's a pandora's box. However, I like it." Quite said Wain and moved on to the blueprint.

[Drawing of the Mad Tailor (First Chronicle, Epic Rating)

This blueprint contains a piece of knowledge of the mad tailor who suffered a cruel fate. However, before he finally lost his mind and died, he created unique blueprints that no one else could replicate.

An experienced tailor or blacksmith with a special soul will be able to use this blueprint, which details the method of fusing two essentially similar cloaks. If successful, a terrible and great cloak will be created, comparable to the finest masterpieces].

Wain nodded. He was worried that he would need to find a tailor to merge the cloaks, but Lea could handle it, given the circumstances.

'Lucky Lea has a special soul. Otherwise, I'd need a unique tailor.' Thought Wain and touched a cube of hundreds of gears.

[Cube with Phantom Liquid (Primary Chronicle, Common Rating)

Despite the low rarity and Primary Chronicle, this is a unique and specific item hard to get. This cube contains only one drop of Phantom Liquid, which required killing a hundred ghosts under one month old to create.

Only mysterious alchemists and a mad tailor have found a use for this liquid.

The cube is a complex mechanism that requires the energy of a ghost to activate. Otherwise, it would be impossible to obtain the Phantom Liquid].

"Not bad. It's definitely worth 89 Void Souls." Said Wain and moved the stone chest with all the items to the Ring of Damned.

Then he pulled out a blue pack of cigarettes and, after a few seconds, blew out a puff of smoke. It turned into several ghosts flying around in a circle.

"Pleasure doing business with you, but a little sorry you turned down my offer to try your luck." Smiling, Sven said.

"Okay, thanks for the cocktail. It was awesome as always." Said Wain and shook off the ash, and headed for the exit of the bar.

"See you later. You're always welcome here."

Before opening the door, Wain stopped and turned around and asked, "Sven, when we talked about races, you always said 'they'. That means you don't count yourself among them, then what race are you?"

Sven was curious to know more about humans and Wain in particular. However, Sven was also a mysterious character, and Wain knew almost nothing about him.

When Sven heard Wain's question, he smiled and said, "Everyone has their secrets, and this is one of mine."

"I see. That was to be expected." Said Wain and opened the door.

When Wain had gone far enough, Sven took a deep breath and muttered.

"Humans... I had to think of them again. When I met the members of this race, a shiver went through my body. Every one of them is truly great, at least the ones I've met or heard about. Wain is like them, he is a thousand times weaker, but he gives off a special aura and awe..."

...

Wain decided not to return to Frozen Land, for it made no sense. Frigus and Black Rabbit were busy making potions and digging an underground tunnel. They needed time to do it and a lot of monsters to help them, so Wain couldn't start a war.

He had to let them work and explore Frozen Land. Wain understood that there was no point in being at war all the time, especially when there were no suitable opponents.

The overall strength of the monsters, the exploration of the territory, and the use of resources were just as important in creating a powerful Void.

At this point, Wain had three main goals to accomplish in the near future.

He had to mine the last piece of the map, find an air vehicle to get to the island and unlock the fourth form. After that, Wain had time to gather the necessary souls in the arena and go to the island in full combat readiness.

'Hmm, perhaps I could use the Cursed Swordsman and ice to get to the island, but it's too risky. The monsters in the seas and oceans must be incredibly strong. All this time, they've been progressing and haven't encountered land enemies.' Thought Wain and opened the inky door.

He stepped forward and found himself in a golden temple.