Nameless King

Wain was amazed at the power that lurked in the Three Wanderer Steps. He hadn't expected that one swing would bring such destruction.

"AHAHAHAHA, this is incredible, but... I have to be careful." Wain muttered, looking at his trembling right hand.

The recoil from that punch was pretty serious. He needed a little practice to master that skill fully. Any great power had a corresponding recoil, and to level the recoil, one had to have a certain mastery.

The Ring of Damned flashed, the platinum sword disappeared, and a blue pack of cigarettes appeared in Wain's hands. 

He lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke a few seconds later. It turned into a pawn and then dissipated.

"Hmm, it's a month until the island will appear, I don't have much time, but all I have to do is find a vehicle. I can afford to spend some time training."

...

Wain spent the next three days training. When a person received a new skill, he knew immediately how to use it.

The symbol held not only energy but also a formula with detailed instructions. 

The Soul Altar absorbed and stored this information. However, just knowing how to use a skill was not enough for decent results.

It could be compared to knowing how to drive a car. Millions of people could do it, but only a few of them knew how to do it professionally. 

Of course, not everyone needs it, but it took time and effort to achieve a certain mastery in any endeavor.

Wain practiced, used one skill after another, and in between smoked and drank potions to restore energy. The taste was awful, but Wain was pleased with the effect.

Eventually, Wain turned several caves into huge craters and smoked all the cigarettes completely. Wain thought he had achieved excellent results and decided it was time to rest in pleasant surroundings.

Seal of Darkness erupted, and in a few steps, Wain entered the ink.

After battling Haden, visiting the arena, and the Purgatory area with the Aristocrat's mask, Wain had a lot of questions. Fortunately, Wain knew someone who could tell him anything for a reasonable fee.

Wain had only four hundred souls left after using souls to level up, gain essences, and improve skills. However, two hundred of them were Rare Rated, and they were all First Chronicle. For that, he could get quite a few Void Souls.

At this point, all souls other than Whole were completely useless to Wain. 

He could no longer accumulate Soul Essence and increase his stats. Excluding skills and equipment, Wain reached his maximum as a Fist Chronicle creature.

He needed to overcome the barrier and take the next step for further advancement. Although, given the conditions for starting the second evolution, it was easier to start the apocalypse once more than to fulfill them.

So Wain was going to use his souls to trade with Sven. He could now afford to collect souls and exchange them for Void Souls, increasing his fortune.

Even though Wain owned one Void and was strong, he was quite poor. He had good equipment but no money. 

That didn't bother him at the moment, but he realized that the more he interacted with the World of Darkness, the more critical money would become.

Some hated money, some valued it more than anything else, but there was no denying that money was a great power. Millions of people died because of it. Wars broke out, betrayals and other terrible things happened.

However, money was also capable of giving happiness and joy. Like most things in this world, money didn't just have a light or a dark side. It depended on the situation, and sometimes its value was astounding.

...

Wain found himself in a spatial rift and headed for the wooden door. He walked into the bar, and as before, it was cozy and smelled nice.

No matter what happened in the world, this bar would never change, and its majestic aura would remain forever, but the most important element of any bar, of course, was the bartender.

Sven was in classic uniform as always and slowly wiped his glass with a silk rag. His movements were graceful and fluid.

"Good afternoon." Sven said, smiling, setting the glass aside.

Wain nodded and took a seat behind the bar. He looked at the various, sparse bottles of liquor behind Sven and said, "I want something strong and spicy this time. Is that possible?"

"Sure, I can do anything, but first the payment."

"How many?"

"If you want an ordinary cocktail, just three Void Souls, but if you want something special, I want ten Void Souls. It's up to you, but I'd advise you not to skimp. My cocktails can cost a lot more."

"Of course, ten Void Souls for your cocktail is a small price to pay." Pronounced Wain and a hundred Void Souls flew out of his hand.

Sven waved his hand, and the souls headed toward him. He turned them into three gray souls and headed for the room behind the bar.

Usually, Sven used a lot of ingredients to make one cocktail, but this time it was different.

He brought a small, clear container from the pantry that contained a single pepper. It had a strange jelly-like consistency.

Sven took a glass from the shelf and held the pepper over it. Then he took a lighter out of his pocket and slowly melted the pepper. Only a few drops filled the bottom of the glass, but it was worth a few Void Souls.

The second component of the cocktail was an expensive whiskey and a few ice cubes. The clear ice cubes turned red and looked like rubies, to Wain's surprise.

"The 'Hell's Jelly' cocktail is ready." Sven muttered and slid the glass over to Wain.

He took the glass to his mouth and took a sip, after which he became very thirsty. Wain felt like a fire in his mouth, and he had just drunk lava from a volcano in hell. It was hot but invigoratingly pleasant.

This cocktail was worth ten Void Souls, and besides the taste of Wain got a few other bonuses.

[You drank the 'Hell's Jelly' and felt the heat of this drink. Resistance to fire attacks is increased by 20% for three hours. The power of fire attacks is increased by 15%. Any healing spells based on fire increased by 40%]

'Wow... That's pretty interesting.'

He didn't expect the drink to have special properties like some object. At that moment, Wain wondered what the cocktail was. 

Was it a drink that a chef or bartender with special skills could make, or despite its appearance, was it an alchemical potion or decoction?

"Excellent, as always. I have many questions for you, but I'd like to buy something first." Said Wain and pulled an empty pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

"I see, you smoke quite a lot. These cigarettes are ten times more powerful than regular cigarettes, but it doesn't seem to have stopped you."

"I need new ones, three packs, too."

"Sure." Sven smiled weakly, and the ring on his finger shone brightly. "I'll offer you three options in different price ranges. I'm sure you'll like something for sure."

Three packs of cigarettes appeared on the bar. One was red with a gold frame, the second was black with a bright blue star in the center, and the third was white with a black palm sign on it.

Sven pointed to the red pack of cigarettes and said, "These are 'Scarlet Seduction. It tastes nice has an unusual sweet aftertaste and red smoke. One pack is worth five Void Souls."

Wain nodded, and Sven moved on to the next option.

"This 'Last Spark' is perfect for those who want to feel fresh and pleasantly cool despite the smoke and the usual warmth of cigarettes. The smoke is black with small blue particles. Worth 10 Void Souls, but I must warn you that these cigarettes can not be lit with a normal flame. You need a special icy one."

"Unusual, how much is a lighter with such a flame?"

"Twenty Void Souls, but if you buy three packs of 'Last Spark' cigarettes, I'll make a small discount."

"I see. Tell me about the last one."

"Sure." Proclaimed Sven and pointed to a white pack of cigarettes. "It's the 'Last Sign of Death,' and the appearance of the cigarettes is rather unusual. They're completely white, just like the smoke. It tastes nice and has a unique flavor. Also, if you're interested, this smoke has special properties."

"Hm?"

"If it is inhaled by someone other than you, it will act as a tonic. It will lead to relaxation and tranquility. This effect is due to the unusual combination of herbs used. The price is 15 Void Souls per pack."

Wain nodded and extended his hand forward. Ninety blue souls flew out of it, the equivalent of forty-five Void Souls.

Sven took the souls and handed Wain three white packs of cigarettes. He decided to try out the novelty right away. Wain brought the flame to the cigarette and then blew out a white puff of smoke.

He had never felt anything like it. Most cigarettes had a rather unpleasant taste and often had a bitterness or bad smell, especially the cheap brands.

'Huh, it's like I absorbed a cloud, and it burned up inside me. Damn, it's so weird, but at the same time, I don't feel like stopping.' Wain thought.

"Anything else?" Asked Sven and removed the packs of cigarettes from the bar.

"Of course, besides being a bartender and a salesman, you're also an informer. I visited some interesting places recently, one of which was the Rank-B Arena. There I met several members of races unknown to me."

"You can meet anyone and anything in the arenas. They are quite crowded places."

"Yes, unfortunately, my knowledge of other races is limited, and I want you to tell me about the strongest and best-known races. About their peculiarities, details of their lives, and so on." Wain said slowly.

"All right, it's not difficult, but the conversation will get long and informative. I want you to tell me first what races you've met, describe them, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about them."

"Understood, then I want to ask about the ones I've met the most. Recently I had to stain my hands in their blood. Tell me about the Elves."

Black Rabbit told Wain about the Elves, but briefly and without detail. Wain wanted more, he respected information and thought it a weapon capable of changing the whole world.

"Elves... Good choice. One second, I have something that will make our conversation more interesting and informative." Pronounced Sven and headed for the storeroom.

He brought a sphere of dark blue light from there, he placed it on the table, and touched the sphere with his hand. 

Then the sphere glowed brightly, and a 3D image of two beings appeared. They were elves, a woman and a man.

"Let's start with the appearance. All Elves are quite well developed physically. They are tall and have an athletic build. To meet fat and short Elf is as hard as a unicorn. Their hair is usually white, blond, blue, or green. Other variations are sometimes found as well. Eye color is blue, green, and rarely amber. 

They love nature, living in forests or mountains. Elves do not like areas such as volcanoes, flaming lands, or deserts and avoid them. They take care of animals and plants. Most elves are vegetarians, it used to be thought that they never lie, but that's not true."

"Huh, that's pretty detailed information, and I take it this is just the beginning. Right?" Asked Wain.

"Of course, appearance and residence have been dealt with. Now we move on to the elements and the type of skills used. Elves, like some other races, have no attachment to any attribute. However, 99% of Elves use only a few.

They mainly use air, water, ice, light, sometimes earth, and neutral attributes. They disapprove of those who use the Fire or Sand attribute, but it is not forbidden. However, Elves who venture down this path will meet with public censure."

"I take it their forbidden attribute is darkness?"

"Yes, this power is forbidden to them. Those who practice the attribute of darkness are sought out and killed without trial.. They consider it an insult to all elves, nature, and especially the power of light."