Chapter 186 - The Irrelevance Of Borders

Wain decided to accept Black Rabbit's offer, and when Mimic heard this, he immediately headed for the crystals. The Ice Knight was on guard, he could not trust the monster he had just met. The energy crystals were too valuable a resource.

"Okay, let's get started." Mumbled Black Rabbit and opened his mouth wide.

The next moment, the blue crystals gradually began to fly into the chest as if powerful wind currents were sucking them in. 

The monsters stared at the scene in bewilderment, some thinking that Wain had decided to give everything to Mimic, and they didn't like it. However, they had no say.

After a few minutes, Blac Rabbit absorbed all the crystals, and the massive pit was empty again. Wain reassured the disturbed monsters with a few words, he did not want a civil war to break out.

"It must be like reinforcing so many crystals?" Asked Wain.

Black Rabbit shook his head, "No, keeping other objects is a natural process for me. It's also how the crystals are infused with energy themselves. I don't have to do anything, just wait. In ten hours, all the crystals will be 5% more efficient."

"Great."

"Hey, Black Rabbit, you said that a member of another race can help a monster get through Awareness, but what a person has to do in that case?" Asked Wain.

"А? Why do you need to know that?"

Wain shrugged, "I'm just curious."

"Hmm, okay. A member of another race must touch the monster and give it a name. If all the conditions are met, it will work. Okay, I'm going to have a chat with someone. I'll be back in ten hours."

"Wait."

"What?"

"All fighting is off-limits in this place. As long as there are no wars, we have an idyll and a training paradise. Of course, no one bans sparring." Proclaimed Wain.

"Oh, great, I never liked to fight. There's no point in that, it's better to drink tea and relax." Said Black Rabbit walking away into the distance of the ice caves.

Wain walked up to the Ice Knight, "I'm not sure if I can do it, but tell me, what name do you want?"

The Ice Knight was puzzled by such a question. Even though he was a monster, unlike Black Rabbit, he did not know what Awareness was. Most monsters would learn about this process naturally if they were lucky enough to go through it.

"Well? What name do you want?"

The Ice Knight came to his senses and pondered. After a while, he tried to explain to Wain what he wanted through gestures, but it was a hopeless idea.

"Wait, I don't understand anything. Put a name on the ice." Wain suggested.

The Ice Knight nodded, and the ice blade glittered, but that too was a failure. The monster could understand Wain's speech, but it did not know the alphabet of the language in which Wain spoke. Instead of letters, he saw incomprehensible symbols on the ice.

"Damn, that was harder than I thought." Wain muttered.

He could have come up with a name for the Ice Knight himself, but he didn't want to do that. Wain felt that the Ice Knight wanted to name himself, and Wain could not deny that wish.

"Okay, this is going to be difficult, but there's another option." Said Wain looking at the monster. "You want your name to start with the letter 'A'?" 

...

Thus more than ten minutes passed while Wain went over the letters. Of course, the Ice Knight didn't know what the letters looked like in writing, but he cared about the sound. Eventually, Wain could figure out what name the Ice Knight wanted with this method.

"Okay, now it was time to find out if it made sense." Said Wain and touched the Ice Knight.

Of all the conditions Black Rabbit said, Wain didn't fit only one. He was a First Chronicle creature when he should have been at least a Second Chronicle. However, he also didn't know if his blood fit the condition.

'Hmm, I'm probably worried about the blood for nothing. It's probably important that the blood of a race is considered pure, which means that everyone's blood, including mine, is 100% pure.' Wain thought.

According to Black Rabbit, his idea was that for blood to be considered mixed, one had to have a child from a member of another race. However, there was no other race among humans besides themselves. In that case, like any other human, Wain's blood fit that condition perfectly.

"All right, here we go. Your name is now Frigus!" Wain said loudly, but nothing happened.

He thought his idea had failed, and it was initially unsuccessful. Wain was about to remove his palm from the Ice Knight's armor, but suddenly the space around him trembled.

Several cracks appeared in the air, from which a dark mist rose. It headed toward the Ice Knight and Wain, enveloping them completely. It was like a massive tomb created especially for the two of them.

All the monsters immediately headed there, including Black Rabbit. He thought some battle had begun and was going to help Wain.

Whooooooosh.

The next moment various seals began to appear on the tomb and the bodies of Wain and the Ice Knight. They were similar to those that prevented Mimic from fully saying his name.

More seals appeared on Wain's arm with each passing second. He began to feel heavy. It felt as if his arm weighed several tons, as well, as infernal pain pervaded him. His body struggled to cope with the strain Wain had condemned himself to by deciding to give a name to the monster.

"Wain, stop! Nothing will happen to him, but the energy could tear you apart if you keep resisting! Just let go of your hand, and it will be over!" Shouted Black Rabbit.

He knew that Wain could even die in such a situation, and Mimic couldn't let that happen. If the dark mist kills Wain, it threatens to cause many problems associated with this Void.

'Damn, looks like I was too presumptuous. I need to get stronger before I can help the Ice Knight get through Awareness, but... I'm just a little short, I need to take one more step, and I can break the barrier despite the rules.'

Tremble.

Every monster in Frozen Land had goosebumps running down their bodies the next moment. It was their natural response to the incredible power emanating from the other creature. 

They sensed danger and mortal threat, but no one was going to run away. They stared intently at the dark fog.

[Your emotions, desires, and behavior are consistent with your status. You are the Nameless King, which means that your path is unshakable.]

[The special effect of your main Soul, Nameless King, has been activated.]

Whoooosh.

A dark pillar of energy burst from Wain's body the next moment. Space trembled, and cracks began to appear in the mist on the tomb. It looked as if Wain's power was changing the rules. 

Of course, Wain was not omnipotent, but the passive power of his Main Soul was fantastic.

"Come on!" Shouted Wain.

Dark Mist tried to contain Wain's power, but his energy only increased. Eventually, the seals and mist shattered into multiple shards, and Wain's eyes glowed brightly. His blood boiled like lava in a volcano, answering his call.

The pillar of energy turned into a small sphere that was like a pulse through Wain's hand and into the Ice Knight's chest.

Whoooooosh.

The seal on the Ice Knight's chest flashed, and there was an energy surge around him. Wain was thrown aside, and the icy walls of the caves began to collapse. The monsters had to run away, as it was a dangerous situation, but no one moved.

They were mesmerized by the scene. The monsters were not looking at Wain but the Ice Knight. Wain miraculously gave him the momentum he needed, though he did not meet all the conditions.

The Ice Knight's body glowed brightly, and then a layer of ice began to appear on his armor. Gradually he was encased in a massive block of ice, which became denser by the second. 

At the time, it was impossible to see what was inside as the ice became too dark.

"Fuck... That was too much..." Proclaimed Wain, vomiting out a mouthful of blood.

He had expended too much energy and could even go against the rules because of his strength, but he couldn't hide from the recoil. His body was at its limit, Wain had numerous wounds all over it, his organs struggling to keep him alive.

Everything was floating in front of him, but he tried not to lose consciousness. Wain wanted to see what changes would happen to the Ice Knight at all costs.

After about thirty seconds, it began to crack. Wain smiled as he watched his strongest monster or warrior emerge from the ice.

The armor on the knight has been completely transformed. It became less bulky more comfortable for increased mobility. The armor was blue with a white flame pattern on the shoulders and chest.

Likewise, the knight's weapons had changed. Instead of an outgrowth on his arm, he now had two long, icy swords. The swords were smooth and sharp on one side of the blade, but they looked like saws on the other. These swords could be used to cut and tear the flesh of their enemies.

The most remarkable change occurred to the Ice Knight's appearance. His white hair became slightly shorter and was just below his shoulders. His eyes were no longer ugly and wild. They were as cold and calm as the sea in the calm.

His mouth became less unsightly, as did his teeth, which used to stick out haphazardly in all directions. Frigus became more human-looking, but the distinctive monster traits remained.

Whooooosh.

He swung his swords and fastened them to his back. They froze to the armor and held firmly as if they were in a sheath.

Frigus walked over to Wain and said with a smile, "Thanks, now I have a name too."

"Huh, I never thought giving names was so traumatic..." Wain muttered and passed out.

Frigus smiled and gently picked Wain up. He carried him to the icy lake, submerged him in the water, and went off to lead hundreds of monsters.

Wain's wounds were not fatal; he would easily survive, even without medical intervention. His regeneration was sufficient, but it would take a large amount of time since his entire body was wounded.

His body cooled, and the passive skill did its job. Invisible threads healed torn tissues as well as internal tears. At that moment, deep within Wain's mind, changes began to occur.

Inside the dark castle, in the center of the hall on a gray platform, sat three silhouettes as before. The icy energy was directed toward the Cursed Swordsman, but it was not enough to destroy one of the chains this time.

"I need more energy..." The man in the tattered cloak muttered slowly.

"Yes, but your process is proceeding smoothly, which cannot be said of you. Isn't it?" Pronounced the Blind Sorcerer looking at the man in black and white armor floating in the air.

"Ehh... It was hard to get back to normal last time, but that's the true balance. Absorbing and dominating one of the two sides but keeping the overall balance. After all, darkness is light, and light is darkness, but I need more time..."

At that moment, his armor was mostly black, the white was about 40%, and half of his face was covered by a black demon mask.

Cursed Swordsman wanted to say something, but suddenly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA." There was loud laughter in the distance.

The three men were surprised, they turned around and saw a silhouette wearing a white mask. 

It looked like the kind that aristocrats wore at masquerades or secret meetings, where everyone had to keep their identities secret.

"What? How did you get in here?" Blind Sorcerer asked in amazement.

"It's easy. Didn't you feel the recent surge of energy? I used that moment to get in here, albeit temporarily."

"Decided to say hello?" Said the Code of Light and Darkness.

"Something like that. Hmm, that's not a bad thing." Said the silhouette pointing to the crown floating in the air. "For now, however, it's just symbolism and nothing more. For a demon to wake up, the angels need to start acting..."

Whooooosh.

The silhouette waved his cloak and disappeared. The others said nothing, they thought about his words.

...

Wain lay in the icy lake, finally beginning to come to his senses. His wounds were 70% healed, and he was ready for anything. Wain slowly opened his eyes and heard the already familiar crackle of breaking ice on his body.

He stretched and heard his bones crunch, then slowly climbed out of the lake.

'Damn, why does it feel so much colder in this place? I'm sure the water was warmer before, and that's considering my stats have increased considerably.'

He looked around and saw several monsters standing in the passage. They had been sent here by Frigus as protectors of Wain's peace.

"I was wounded, but it went as I wanted. What's more, I seem to have begun to understand a little bit about how my main soul works. In addition to the powerful skill with forms, Nameless King also has a strange passive effect. Thanks to it, this world couldn't destroy me." Wain muttered.

He shook his head, and his Seal of Darkness glowed brightly.. He wanted to see how much the monsters had time to explore.