Nameless King

Strange as it may sound, Wain's knowledge of his race was seriously limited. Before the souls appeared and the apocalypse began, he, like the others, was not even aware of the existence of other races.

Wain thought that only humans existed and that the other races were fiction, and until recently, that was true.

But when he entered the World of Darkness, Wain realized that he had a special position shrouded in mystery. All Wain knew about humans was that the other races had a great interest in them.

Sven poured himself a glass of whiskey, took a sip, and said, "I think I should start with the story. I'm only going to tell you what I know and what I'm at least 90% sure of. Even I can't claim that my information about humans is entirely true.

Humans were considered a common and even a very weak race long ago. This is not surprising, as there are many races, and only a few can reach the top. The rules work the same everywhere.

But, at one point, the situation changed, and humans were no longer at the bottom of the food chain. They became stronger and so dangerous that the other races wanted to destroy them. It was a declaration of war by the most powerful races against one.

I don't know what happened then, it was too long ago, but somehow humans became a major threat to the other races."

"Do you know why humans were considered dangerous and decided to destroy them?" Asked Wain.

"Yes." Sven nodded. "You can be compared to a blank sheet of paper. Your greatest strength is that you are nothing and, therefore, can become everything. But, that is not the main reason why the other races have become wary of you."

"What do you mean when you say that humans are a blank sheet of paper?"

"I mean that, unlike the other races, you have no starting point. You choose which path you take. For example, many races have lived for hundreds of years in high-temperature locations where a fire is always burning, lava flows, and volcanoes erupt. Obviously, every member of such a race would have fire powers.

Of course, members of these races also have great variability. They can choose their fighting style, ranged or meleed, their role during combat, and so on. Also, powerful members of fire races can come to something other than fire after a few evolutions, but it takes a lot of time and a bunch of strength.

However, everyone's start will be similar, and it's 99.99% likely to be fire. The same goes for the other races. For example, Vampires will always be pretty good with blood magic and have amazing physical characteristics." Said Sven.

Wain nodded. He listened carefully to Sven, afraid of missing a detail.

"On the other hand, humans can become anything. You have no attachment to any attribute, fighting style, type of skills used, and so on.

Whereas the number of paths in other races can be compared to a few threads going in one direction and gradually branching out in the distance, humans have thousands of threads spread out in all directions and endlessly divide and join."

"Hmm, I see." Wain said slowly. "But, the one who can do everything can do nothing. Right?"

Wain believed that people who try to become proficient at everything at once would end up getting nowhere. In this case, it was quality, not quantity, that was important.

"Yes, your words make sense. Variability can be dangerous. On the one hand, going only to the fire way or the wind way looks much more effective. It's stable, and a person can be certain of the end result.

However, variation has the most potential. That's why powerful members of races try every way to find new ways of development.

Of course, humans have a harder start because they are initially nobody. The higher they get to the top, the stronger they become compared to other races, but this does not mean that they are invincible.

It is not always the case that dozens of skills or unique abilities will be stronger than a flame that has been honed for decades. There are a lot of people who have only gone one way and even didn't try to change it, but they are very powerful." Said Sven.

"That's been dealt with, in which case people really are a white sheet of paper. Go on."

"Sure." Sven nodded. "What I was talking about before can be called a feature of your race. As we found out, variation has minuses and pluses, and so that's not the reason why the other races wanted to destroy you. But first, I want to talk about the peculiarities of your physiology."

"Hmm?" Wain looked at him, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"Humans, unlike other races, cannot accumulate Soul Essence and thus become stronger. For example, some monster can eat energy crystals, becoming more mighty. You can't do that.

You can't be in a place rich in Soul Essence and gradually absorb this energy into yourself. It's impossible for you. This is also the main reason why humans were considered one of the weakest races because you could not even go beyond the limits set by the physical power of your bodies." Sven said.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. It's pretty sad. Is there any explanation for it?"

"I don't know." Sven shook his head. "The simplest answer is that you're just unlucky to be born with bodies like this. It is a stigma and a curse that is placed on everyone human without exception. However, there's something even more amazing about your physiology than your inability to accumulate Soul Essence."

Sven took a sip and continued, "You are a blank sheet of paper and therefore possess great variability. That being said, you can't accumulate Soul Essence, so there's no point in having variation because you can't even begin your way without energy.

However, that all pales in comparison to the fact that you have no souls of your own. Huh, honestly, that sounds like a joke. In a world where everything depends on energy and souls, humans have nothing."

"Didn't expect to hear that..." Mumbled Wain.

'However, now I have the answer to why people don't get souls for killing other people. You can't get something that isn't there.' Wain thought.

"But, that said, somehow people became strong, they became feared by other races, so what happened? Why did those who had nothing get so much power?" Wain asked.

His interest grew with each passing second. He realized that Sven was talking about things Wain knew nothing about, but that was not what was most important at that moment. Wain wanted to know what members of his race were capable of in the World of Darkness.

"Yes, I don't know under what circumstances it happened, but I know what changed. At one point, humans began to devour the souls of other beings, they became soul eaters. It was a real catastrophe and a disaster for all races in this world." Sven said slowly.

At that moment, dozens of different thoughts appeared in Wain's mind. His understanding of the world began to rearrange itself, and the information he knew became hundreds of puzzles that gradually became one picture.

He had only met members of other races a few times before. Monsters aside, only Purple Pilgrim, Ria, and her juniors were from other races.

He realized that the way the soul system worked for humans and others was radically different. Wain could not have known this, as he had never interacted with members of other races.

"Other races can't devour souls, right?" Wain asked.

"Yes." Sven nodded. "Of course, souls are good for everyone. But if you kill another creature, all it has to do is destroy the soul and devour the energy. That's your way of getting stronger. It is said to be the most disgusting and horrible way of all. Most races despise you for it."

"Hmm... But what do the other races do with souls? It's a bit confusing to me as a human. I'm used to using souls this way, and I don't know the others." Asked Wain.

"It's nothing unusual. Other races can also use the souls of other beings to become stronger, but their methods are completely different from yours. However, they do not use souls, but the energy within them, a big difference.

Since you own one Void, you've probably seen monsters absorb energy from crystals. Right?" Sven asked.

"Yes." Wain nodded. He remembered when the Ice Knight did this. Then Frigus spread the crystals around him and gradually absorbed their energy.

"It's a similar situation with souls. For example, if a Vampire killed an Elf and got his soul, he would have to take time to get the energy out of the soul and absorb it.

I'm not sure you know more about this than I do, but as far as I know, humans get a lot more energy when they devour souls. There is a fairly simple and logical explanation for this.

The process of absorbing energy from a soul can be compared to eating fruit. However, to begin with, the fruit has to be peeled, washed, and sliced before you can eat it, this is an example. But, humans eat the 'fruit' whole and are not penalized for doing so.

For example, if a Vampire absorbs energy from the soul of the Elf he kills, he will get 50% of the total energy. In comparison, a human won't waste time on this process at all and will receive 100% since he doesn't perform soul cleansing and get rid of the excess. I use conditional figures for ease of explanation.

Members of other races may also try to absorb a soul at once without purification, but that would be a big mistake. In such a case, a person will receive much less energy and risk harming himself somehow."

'So that's it...' thought Wain.

He hadn't expected to have such an amazing ability compared to other races. A year ago, Wain had not suspected the existence of other worlds, souls, superpowers, and so on.

So when he figured out a bit of how the new world worked, he decided that everyone was the same. This was no mistake since Wain had only recently met members of other races, excluding monsters.

Even now, when he learns something new every day, there are still more questions than answers.

"I get your point, and it sounds strange to me. Why have humans considered hideous creatures if our ways of absorbing energy are simply different?

Humans can quickly absorb 100% of their soul energy, that's definitely a huge plus, but we also have disadvantages. We can't absorb Soul Essence from the environment, and energy crystals and other such items are useless to us.

We are more varied, but we have a harder start. It's easier to reach heights when you know which path to follow rather than being in a four-dimensional maze of millions of choices.

In my opinion, you could call it a balance. Everything has advantages and disadvantages." Said Wain.

Sven took a sip of whiskey and muttered, "Wain, honestly, I have the same opinion, but my thinking is different. Also, don't forget that I have a unique position and capabilities, and there are very few like me. I have a lot of experience, and I understand the reasons why most races hate and despise humans."

Wain looked at him interestedly.

"It's all about worldview and treating souls as an integral part of the world. You are human, and for you, soul-eating, variation, lack of your own soul, and inability to absorb Soul Essence are normal.

However, for the other races, this nonsense goes against their understanding of the world and their moral values.

You people are like heretics who break every established rule of this world. Just as many are uncomfortable with the idea that their soul can be eaten like some piece of meat, it is disgusting and unacceptable.

Of course, there are such persons with opinions similar to mine, but they are very few, and they will never say that they do not understand and do not support this attitude to humans. They will be declared traitors and killed.

Don't forget such factors as public opinion, prejudice, bandwagon effect, reluctance to measure up to changes, and the wrongness of one's knowledge of this world. Also, not everyone is aware that there once was a race like humans."

"I see." Wain nodded. "Your arguments sound logical."

When Sven gave so many examples and showed how other races looked at this situation, Wain realized nothing was surprising.

In his world, humans did the same thing. They had been feuding for hundreds of years to prove whose opinion was right and who was in charge.

There were many reasons, but none of them were as global as destroying the concept on which the whole world was built.

The Humans did just that, which is why the other races still hated and disliked them as something alien, even years after they disappeared.