Nameless King

Crackle. Crackle. Crackling.

The cocoon of branches cracked and shattered into small pieces as the man in the long black and red cloak moved his hand.

Wain slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and grabbed his head as if it hurt from a bad hangover.

"Fuck... I feel like I've died and been reborn several times..." Wain uttered with a pained look while shaking his head.

"Well, well, you're finally awake, aren't you?" Sven said with a slight smile on his face while wiping the glass that had several red stains on it as though from blood.

"Yeah... How long have I been asleep? Probably a few days, right?" Wain asked with an awkward look as he jumped off the table.

"You underestimate yourself. It's only been a few hours since you passed out. Your body is much tougher than you think." Sven uttered before putting the glass aside.

"What...? Just a few hours?" Wain muttered while in disbelief as his eyes went wide.

"Ahahahaha, you shouldn't think it's all your fault." Marlis said with a bored look, "Sven and I used energy and skill to make you recover faster, so without our help, you probably would have slept for weeks, but we don't have that much time."

Wain was silent with his mouth open for a while, then his gaze grew serious as he with a slight nod headed toward the bar.

"Thank you. I can feel it, my mind still can't comprehend that despite all the wounds and exhaustion my body is in perfect condition." Wain uttered as a slight smile appeared on his face, then he stared at Marlis and with a serious look asked, "Now will you take me to Death Shore?"

"Sure. You've fulfilled my condition." Marlis shrugged in a careless manner, "However, prepare yourself, this will be one of the most dangerous journeys of your life."

"Hmm?" Wain raised an eyebrow as he bowed his head.

Marlis was about to say something, but suddenly someone interrupted her.

"Hey! Don't you think you're in too much of a hurry?" Osvald said with a broad smile on his face as he put his hand on Wain's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Wain frowned, "I realize it's going to be dangerous, but I'm ready for it. I can't just sit here, I have to act!"

"Huh, I understand you, however, shouldn't you be properly prepared?" Osvald spoke before releasing some of his aura, "You're on Third Stage, but you still haven't completely filled it out, have you?"

"Yeah... After I made my breakthrough I headed straight to the Colosseum... It will take me weeks or even months to get enough souls, I don't have that much time!" Wain said in a serious manner as his eyes turned deadly cold.

"Well, maybe you're right, but you forgot something." Sven said as he waved his hand.

Tremble.

The space in front of him distorted as a massive gray soul appeared.

"You got an incredible amount of souls in the last fight. Void Souls are different from the souls you get from monsters, but they have energy in them anyway, and considering how many you have..." Sven said before handing the soul to Wain.

Wain caught the soul and muttered, "If I use them I can get to the limit of the Fourth Chronicle..."

"Bingo!" Osvald exclaimed while clapping Wain on the shoulder, "Moreover, this way you will become much stronger and learn the conditions to reach the Fifth Chronicle!"

"Agh... When I saw my conditions, I thought at that moment my heart would stop..." Sven uttered with a slight smile on his face while shaking his head, "It was a real disaster."

"Can I do it here?" Wain asked as he stared at Sven.

"Sure." Sven nodded, "However, you'll have to follow me. Your energy might get out of control while absorbing so many souls, so since I don't want you to destroy the bar I'll provide you with a more suitable place."

"Where?"

"Just follow me." Sven smiled weakly as he headed for the door behind the bar.

Wain nodded and they found themselves in a place where Sven kept going to get some, special ingredients for cocktails.

Whooooooooosh.

As soon as he entered he was hit with a cold gust of wind that as though it could freeze anything.

"Damn... What is that?" Wain uttered with a dazed look.

They were in an icy passageway that led into a vast room the size of which was enormous.

"Let's just say it's my refrigerator. I have to store my ingredients somewhere, don't I?" Sven grinned as he headed forward, "Come on, I'll show you your room. That's where you'll be able to get out of holding back."

"Why not use the ring? I'm sure there's enough room in your ring to fit a whole world in there." Wain asked while looking around.

On the walls, there were various fruits, herbs, and even monster parts in glass vaults. To the right were the most numerous ingredients as the further they went the rarer the ingredients were.

"Well, even my ring has certain limits, besides, the ingredients need a low temperature to keep them fresh. Inside the ring, time doesn't run, but that effect doesn't work for rare ingredients." Sven shrugged as he stopped.

In front of them was a massive stone door with icy runes on it.

Tap.

Sven touched the door as it slowly opened, with a loud rumble that shook the entire cave. Behind the door was a simple square room with perfectly flat walls.

"In this place, Osvald has made a breakthrough several times, as have I and Marlis. These walls are strong enough to remain unscathed even after a dragon strike, so you don't have to worry about anything here." Sven uttered in a serious voice as he waved his hand.

"Great. That's what I need right now." Wain nodded with clenched fists, "Now I will devour millions of souls!"

"Sure. When you're done, just touch the door and it will open. Well, good luck." Sven said in a careless manner before leaving.