Nameless King

"You want simple luck to decide who dies and who stays alive?"

"Yeah, that's a pretty good option. Don't you think so?"

"I agree."

Wain nodded, and the Ring of Damned glowed brightly. A simple coin appeared in his hand, and after they chose sides, Wain tossed it up sharply.

The coin slowly fell, and Wain was the winner.

"Damn, I hate losing." Eva muttered.

"Huh, you're definitely not the unluckiest person in this situation. Go for it." Wain said and rushed off toward the fight. Eva followed him.

The lotus girl attacked the guy, but suddenly Wain appeared in front of her. He blocked her punch and threw her aside. Behind her, Eva instantly appeared.

She punched the girl in the face and knocked her unconscious with one powerful punch. The girl hit her head seriously on the ground but survived.

"What was the point of flipping the coin if you did your own thing anyway?" Wain muttered. He realized that Eva had chosen the fourth option, to intervene, but not to kill anyone.

"Who are you people?" The guy with the rose bounced back and got ready to fight.

"Don't worry. We don't want to fight you. We just have a few questions we want answers to."

The guy didn't answer anything, but it was clear by his pensive grimace.

"What is this place, and why does this lotus look so unusual?"

"What...? You're not one of THEM?" The guy was puzzled, and as he calmed down, he took a closer look at Wain's and Eva's appearance.

"You're not Plants...who are you?"

"Elves, we happen to be in Virfal, so you can consider us tourists." Wain shrugged.

"I see. I guess that's true." The guy sighed in relief and bowed slightly, "My name is Kuno, Scarlet Rose, and I'm a Scarlet Rose family member. Nice to meet you."

"Eva Noir."

"Wain Norheim."

"Explain what's going on here." Wain asked seriously, and his aura intensified. He wasn't sure yet if Kuno was an enemy or a friend and had to remain vigilant.

"I'm not sure I can divulge secret information that only the powerful families of District Five know about tourists."

"You don't seem to understand the situation. I'm not asking you to do this. I'm ordering you. You have no other choice, either you tell us everything now, or we kill you. We have another witness besides you, so don't think you're unique and irreplaceable." Wain said coldly, and his eyes became sharp as a blade. He was ready at any moment to attack Kuno and kill him.

"Did we really make the wrong choice?" Eva murmured, further exacerbating the situation.

Cold sweat appeared on Kuno's forehead, and he gave up.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything. Don't get me wrong, you don't need to know about this. It only concerns Plants and Virfal. What's more, even before the Merger of Worlds, Virfal very rarely had members of other races."

"Stop procrastinating." Eva uttered.

"We are now in a secret passage between the Dandelion District and the Rose District. Only the people of the Fifth District know about this place. This flower is the Blood Lotus, and I was sent here to protect and destroy it."

"Protect? Destroy? Why were you fighting this girl? Is she also a member of some powerful Rose District family?"

"Yes, that's right. This girl is from the Fallen Lotus Family, and they are to blame for many of the negative changes that have appeared in Virfal lately."

Wain pondered. As he suspected, the Knight of the Bloody Rose had activated for a reason. He still smelled the scent that was to lead him to the secret and treasure of this city.

"Tell me more about that."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Kuno shook his head, "The situation is complicated, and I don't have all the information. I don't want to lie or confuse you. I was sent here to deal with the problem, the rest is out of my hands."

"In that case, I want to talk to someone who knows. Is that possible?" Wain said seriously.

"Yes." Kuno nodded, "My older brother knows all about it, but I'm not sure he'd want to talk to you."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll solve the problem."

"All right, but I need to destroy the lotus before it." Kuno said and headed for the flower, but Wain stopped him.

"I'll do it myself." Wain walked over to the Lotus and squeezed its core with force.

Whooooooosh.

His eyes filled with blood and a change occurred with the Knight of the Bloody Rose. His hair glowed, and his sword flashed a blood-red light.

'This is it... but only part of it...' The knight's harsh voice sounded in Wain's head.

The Lotus exploded, and the petals turned gray and quickly dried. Wain could absorb special energy, and several messages appeared before him.

[You have absorbed a small amount of Blood Essence. Your blood purity will be slightly increased.]

[Your blood purity has been increased by 0.1%.]

[You have received the title of One Who Felt the Blood.]

[Your blood purity has exceeded 50%.]

[You have gained the Title - Crossing the Line]

The Blood Essence permeated Wain's body, and he felt as if each of his blood vessels became several times wider and faster. His pupils narrowed, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

'So this is what it means to increase blood purity and get a Bloody Essence. It's unforgettable. Now I understand why so many people go after it and are willing to risk their lives.'

"Wain, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that now I'm pretty sure we owe it to ourselves to stay here for a while and learn all the mysteries of this town. There are some exciting discoveries ahead of us. I know it."

"Are you ready to go?" Kuno asked.

Wain and Eva nodded.

"Okay, what will you do with her?" He pointed to the lotus girl.

"Nothing, consider it a small gift. She was only needed as a backup plan, nothing more. That's enough talk, we don't have much time."