Chapter 3 - The Island Of None

"Hmm? I have to get the Flame of the Dead to unlock the skill - Nameless King's Forms? But, where will I find it?" Wain muttered. He was puzzled by the situation.

Wain decided that he would figure it out as he went along and decided to check the description of another skill he had after getting a soul - Nameless King.

[Destruction Sword (Primary Chronicle Active Skill, Common Rating)

You can summon a sword partly composed of darkness and control it at will. Range - 50 meters]

'Not bad, I'll have to develop this skill if possible. But, first, I need to find someone and kill them. Without many souls, I won't be able to do anything.' Thought Wain.

He saw nothing around him that reminded him of human civilization, not even ruins or abandoned houses. He was in a lifeless, ashy desert.

Wain sighed and decided to go forward. He had nothing with him except his knife and small, folding binoculars. If he did not find food and water sources soon, he would die of exhaustion.

'Force the essence of the world to retreat and then die of dehydration three days later. That would be some unfunny joke.' Thought Wain as he continued walking forward for three hours straight.

The only vegetation in this ashy desert was the few dry trees. There wasn't a drop of moisture in them, much less any fruit.

Wain continued onward, pondering the events that had transpired. Initially, he thought the dark mist would kill him, but in the end, he was able to force his way through to the other world and even gain a soul. This meant that his journey wasn't over yet. It was just beginning.

Two hours later, Wain saw a lizard of abnormal size in the distance. It was about a meter high and three meters wide.

'Is it some mutant, or are there monsters in this world too?' Thought Wain looking at the lizard. It was trying to dig something up in the ashy sand at that moment. It was an unsuccessful endeavor, for all it could find were bones.

'I was lucky. My dinner was waiting for me on the way.' Said Wain to himself and used the Destruction Sword.

Since the range of this skill was 50 meters, Wain created a sword right over the lizard. By the time the reptile suspected something, it was already too late. The dark sword collapsed on the lizard and easily cut off its head.

Wain smiled and headed toward the reptile's carcass. In addition to food, he would also get a soul. Barring the soul of the Guardian of this world, this would be the first soul he would receive.

Whooosh.

A white, tiny soul flew out of the lizard's body and into Wain's body. He immediately looked at the spoils he received.

[Soul of the Ash Lizard(Damaged)

Chronicle: Primary

Rating: Common]

Of course, compared to the Nameless King's soul, this soul was trash, but such souls could also be of considerable benefit.

'Damaged? Maybe I should use it?' Thought Wain.

In this world, creature souls were globally divided into three categories: Whole, Damaged, and Destroyed.

Each category of soul differed in its effect. For example: if you crush some Whole soul, there is a chance of getting a skill or item. Perhaps the skill or item would have something in common with the soul of the killed creature, or perhaps it would be very different.

Each soul also gave its owner specific bonuses and one ability. Of course, this was only the beginning. A soul could be made much stronger and more variable. But, at this point, there was a nuance that Wain was well aware of.

If he put this soul into his Soul Altar, in case he didn't need it anymore, he would have to destroy it, and he wouldn't get any bonuses. Wain doubted that the soul of some weak lizard was worth his attention.

"Too bad I can only have one extra soul for now. Well, let's see what I get." Mumbled Wain and crushed the soul.

[You have acquired the Soul of the Ash Lizard]

[You have acquired the Soul Essence of Ash Lizard level 2. Agility+2, Stamina+1]

[You have reached level 1. You get 3 status points to distribute freely]

Wain would not get a stat boost when using Destroyed Soul, only Soul Essence. That was the main difference between the two categories of souls.

"Not bad, pity I can't get a skill or item by crushing a Damaged Soul. Speaking of which, it's time to look at my status. There must have been a lot of changes." Wain muttered, and an image appeared in front of him the next moment.

[Wain Norheim

Level: 1

Race: Human

Soul: Nameless King

Additional Soul: None

Title: None

Status Points: 3

Strength: 7 / Agility: 11 / Vitality: 6 / Stamina: 9 / Energy: 77]

'Why is the Energy parameter so high?' Wain thought to himself.

Unlike the other characteristics, Energy had a special purpose. It was a parameter that determined the power of the skills a person used and the time of action. The more Energy people had, the longer you could fight. Previously, everyone except Wain had this parameter since he was the only one who didn't have a soul. But, now, this parameter was finally open.

"There was so much power lurking in me, understandably." Wain was not surprised.

There was no limit to his self-confidence. After all, he was the one who had the power to decide the fates of entire countries before the world changed.

Wain swung his hand, and the dark sword cut the dried wood into several bars. Wain could control the sword with his mind, but manual control was more accurate and quicker. It was a matter of practice and experience.

Next, Wain gutted the Ash Lizard and quickly lit a fire. With his survival skills, such a thing was easy to do.

By the time the Ash Lizard meat was roasted to a crisp, it was already dark, and the blue moon was illuminating the ashy lands.

Wain happily ate the very juicy and tasty meat and regained his strength. But, the water problem was still fundamental.

When Wain had eaten about half of it, he saw some silhouette heading in his direction.

'Does someone live here? Is it a person?' Warned Wain. He had not seen a single hint of human presence in several hours of traveling through this area.

The figure heading toward Wain was dressed in a gray, half torn cloak, and in his hands was a simple wooden staff on which he leaned.

"Good afternoon, young man." A hoarse voice was heard.

The speaker was an old man in his seventies. But he didn't look human. He had gray skin, completely white eyes, and black fingernails. Moreover, he had two short horns on his head, one of which was broken.

Wain nodded and said, "What do you want?"

Immediately after, Wain used the Destruction Sword. The dark sword loomed over the old man's head. Wain was not about to let his guard down.

The old man crouched next to Wain and said, "My name is Marakt Ronik. What is your name?" He was not embarrassed by the sword looming over him.

"Wain Norheim," He answered briefly, staring intently at Marakt.

Cough. Cough. Cough.

The old man coughed a few times then said, "Wain, do you mind if I join you? I haven't eaten anything in days."

"Why would I help you?" Wain asked.

"In return, I'll tell you more about this place. You know, it's not often you meet new people here, or rather never. I was shocked to see someone building a fire and roasting a lizard on the fire. You probably don't know anything about this place." Marakt said confidently.

'This old man isn't easy. I doubt he's lying. He knew at a glance that I wasn't from around here. That's not surprising, though.' Wain thought and handed the old man a piece of meat strung on a knife. But, the Destruction Sword continued to hang over Marakt's head like a sword of Damocles.

Marakt nodded and gladly took up his meal. The lizard was large enough to feed several people.

"Speak," Wain said stiffly.

"Well, well, don't be so impatient. Without intrigue, there won't be any interest." Proclaimed Marakt and swallowed another piece of meat.

Wain waved his finger, and the Destruction Sword began to swing from side to side like a pendulum.

"Okay, let's get started. Wain, I'll start by saying that the place we're on is an island. It's not very big. You can get around it in about a week. But, it's not an ordinary island. It doesn't exist."

"What do you mean?" Wain asked.

"You must have seen a dark pillar that pierced the sky a few hours ago. I don't know what it was. The whole world has seen that pillar, all those who live in other parts of this world. But, they will never find that island in their lives. It is impossible. Otherwise, some traveler would have come here a long time ago."

"But how is that possible? And can I get off this island?" Wain asked.

The prospect of remaining in an ashy desert where the occasional giant lizard could be found did not appeal to him. He had to find a way to the people here. Otherwise, his journey would end here.

"Khe, khe, this island does not exist because it is both in the world of the living and the world of the dead. Otherwise, this island is also called the Isle of the Damned."

Marakt swallowed a piece of meat and quietly said, "Everyone knows the way to escape from here, but it requires fulfilling impossible conditions.

Wain looked at the old man with interest.

"To get out of the Isle of the Damned, one must combine both the energy of the living and the energy of the dead.. To do so, the living must receive the Flame of the Dead, which lies in the bowels of this island."