The Last King Of Darkness

"There must be something unusual about this human regime."

Rod pondered and did not pay too much attention to their glances.

He had only passed a small part of the challenge and still did not know what the final trial would be like.

In front of his own safety and destiny, everything else seemed trivial.

Moments later, a Red Fighting Priest came over and said loudly, "First team, enter the waiting room."

The quiet square stirred slightly as the teenagers of the first team appeared extremely excited. They followed behind the Red Fighting Priest, entering the towering palace.

The interior of the palace was vast, with a ceiling so high it was out of sight, and the flames burning on the stone pillars dispelled every shadow.

The priest led them to a side hall and said, "The final trial of the Fire Trial is about to begin. When you hear the sound of the horn, step into the Main Hall and touch the Fire Holy Grail in the order directed by the Main Priest, do you understand?"

"Understood," the teenagers answered in unison.

The priest nodded, turned around, and left the side hall, leaving only a roomful of boys and girls.

They looked at each other, their eyes twinkling with irrepressible curiosity.

A soft buzz soon arose, much like the classroom after the teacher had left.

The teenagers could not contain their excitement and were eager to interact with the people around them.

It did not take long for the side hall to become noisy with chatter.

They excitedly shared all they had seen and heard, exchanging all the information they knew, and talked about the futures they envisioned.

"...I heard the City Defense Army is expanding, and you don't need to be very high level to join. Ninth Level combatants can get a weekly salary of eight hundred."

"But the City Defense Army has requirements for Soul Traits, what if yours don't match?"

"Then I'll join the Conquest Legion. The salary is double. In a few years, I could move my parents to Upper City to live in a big house and light the Big Spirit Lamps."

"But the casualty rate in the Conquest Legion is very high..."

"So is the pension."

...

"Hey, did you know? Ghost Spirits are causing trouble in Thousand Lake Town again."

"No way, is the price of meat going up again?"

...

"What if you can't ignite your soul?"

"Impossible, the previous two tests have already done a comprehensive check on our souls. Even if we can't become Spiritual Fire, being Starfire is no problem."

"But I heard my brother say that many fail during the final trial."

"Those must be the ones who cut in line or cheated their way in. That's the dumbest thing anyone can do; no one can deceive the fire, they're only fooling themselves."

...

Rod listened quietly.

This was the best way to gather information, which could help him quickly understand the kingdom.

Suddenly, a beautiful girl with dazzling blond hair, wearing thigh-high boots and a tan long skirt, came up to him and generously extended her hand.

"Good day, I'm Kashan from Mibor. I'm pleased to meet you. My dream is to join the Knight Order and become an elite White Spirit Knight."

There were small gasps around, indicating that this was a lofty goal.

Rod blinked and stood up, taking her fair and delicate hand in his own. He echoed her manner of speaking.

"...Good day, I am...uh, Rod from Redstone Village. Pleased to meet you."

As he was about to sit down, he found that the blond girl Kashan was still holding his hand. Her small hand was strong, and her pale blue eyes stared at him intently.

"You haven't shared your dream."

Rod scratched his head: "I've lost my memory; I don't know what you're talking about."

His words drew many gazes in an instant.

"Lost your memory? Can't a Healing Nun cure that?"

"Wow... an amnesiac pure-hearted beautiful boy!"

Kashan's eyes gleamed as he spoke with a slightly cheerful tone.

"I'll explain briefly. I hope to hear your choice."

"Once we become students at Jinworth Academy, we automatically qualify as reserve combatants. After graduation, the vast majority will become combatants, while a few will switch to logistics or production personnel."

"Generally speaking, there are five legions we can join, namely the City Defense Legion, the Conquest Legion, the Investigation Legion, the Knight Order, and the Night Watcher Legion."

"The City Defense Legion, Conquest Legion, and Investigation Legion are the three main forces, while the Night Watcher Legion is a special force."

"And the Knight Order is the smallest and most elite legion."

Kashan's gaze fixed on Rod, the answer he wanted to hear was evident without being spoken.

Rod obliged smoothly.

"Knight Order."

A subtle smile appeared on Kashan's delicate face.

"I'm glad our choices are the same. My mother is a central medical practitioner in the Healing Cult. She might be able to cure your amnesia."

Rod didn't pay much attention to it, as Aunt Youse was also a central medical practitioner and hadn't cured him, but he thought it was always good to have more options.

"Thank you."

Kashan said with a hint of pride, "No need to thank me."

She turned and walked away.

Rod breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue listening when, in a blink of an eye, he saw six or seven girls gathering around him.

Their eyes were shining with intent, obviously scheming something indecent, craving his body.

If it had been in the past, Rod would have enjoyed a verbal sparring with these learned individuals, show off his prowess, be greeted from both sides, and share all he had.

But now, he had no interest in entangling with them. Catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye of a lonely grey-haired boy sitting in the corner, he walked up and extended a hand.

"Good day, I'm Rod from Redstone Village. May I get to know you?"

The girls showed an indescribable disappointment on their faces, while the grey-haired boy burst into a surprised and delighted expression.

He got up in a hurry, took Rod's hand, and was so excited he was almost unintelligible.

"Of course, of course you can. I am Wayne from... not, not Black Ghost Village, but Black Bull Village. Pleased to meet you."

Rod said with a smile, "Brother, don't be nervous. We're just chatting. I've lost my memory and can't remember much. Could you talk to me about some things?"

The grey-haired boy Wayne stammered, "But... but I don't know much either. Black Bull Village hasn't produced a Fire Holder in ten years. They know much more than I do..."

"It's alright, let's just chat. Maybe every little thing you say will be new to me."

"Yeah."

Wayne agreed with a voice suddenly filled with joy, and with even more enthusiasm, he responded again forcefully.

For the next little while, Rod thought, listened, and chatted at the same time.

Of course, he mostly listened, only occasionally asking questions or issuing surprised exclamations to show his engagement.

To his delight, this grey-haired boy seemed to know much more than he had expected and spoke in very basic terms, which was perfect for someone like him who knew nothing.

And the grey-haired boy Wayne was also very happy; he had never imagined that someone would be interested in the old stuff he was talking about.

Yes, chatting must be the most interesting thing in the world.

Wayne tried his best to recall how he felt when he first came across this information, attempting to describe what he knew from the perspective of someone who had completely lost their memory.

This approach worked very well, and Rod even diverted most of his attention to the conversation with him.

Just as Rod was rapidly acquiring information, a red-haired fat man came over and took a disdainful glance at them. With an arrogant tone, he said,

"Don't hang with that bumpkin from Black Bull Village, Rod. You'll soon learn that there's a huge gap among Fire Holders. Friends are important. Come with me, I am Manolo Bana... Human Feces."

He lifted his chin as if waiting for Rod's astonishment.

Rod almost doubted what he had heard, repeating the pronunciation while biting his tongue.

"Human... Feces?"

What did that mean? Was there a specific emphasis that he was human waste and not some other kind of waste?