Evolution of the Ruined Heir

Malakai peered through the door, but he couldn’t see anything. ‘It’s too dark.’

But with his Vita Sense, he could feel the stairs Rhett was referring to.

At his nod, Rhett began descending, Malakai close behind. After a few moments, they reached a door, and Rhett knocked on it in a rhythmic pattern.

‘A code,’ Malakai noted.

There was a pause… then the door opened. The first thing to reach Malakai was the sound.

Loud cheering. Roaring. Feet stomping the ground. Screaming.

All of it jumbled together into a chaotic wave that slammed into him, threatening to rupture his eardrums.

Then came the light.

White, blinding light pierced through the darkness, forcing Malakai to raise an arm to shield his eyes.

“Ah, right,” Rhett’s apologetic voice came. “Forgot to warn you about that. Sorry.”

Malakai exhaled. He blinked several times to clear the light from his vision, then walked in with Rhett as the door shut behind them.

‘Wow.’

That was Malakai’s first impression.

It was nothing like what one would expect, considering the rundown cottage outside. It felt like he had stepped into an entirely different world.

It was built like a coliseum. On numerous elevated tiers were rows of seats, arranged in a circular manner and filled with people roaring at the top of their lungs.

High above were screens displaying the different battles taking place in multiple rings down below.

“Welcome to the Red Maw,” Rhett said proudly, like he was showcasing his creation.

Malakai didn’t respond. The sudden shift in scenery, especially with the stark contrast between outside and inside, was enough to overwhelm anyone. Still, he took it all in within a second.

Almost immediately, he returned to his cold demeanor.

“In this place, you’ll find almost anything you want,” Rhett continued, gesturing toward a door at the far end of the space. Boldly written on it was the word CARD. Then he gestured toward the others.

“Card games, dice rolls, roulette, vita duels, you name it.”

Rhett kept on talking, but Malakai wasn’t listening. He had entered his own world. Observing.

‘The guards inside are different from the ones outside.’

Each door had men in black suits stationed beside it, smooth black masks covering their faces.

Compared to the relaxed and unprofessional guards from before, these ones were sharp. Alert. Their cold gazes scanned every passerby.

‘Where does that door lead?’

His eyes landed on a door guarded by more men than any of the others. Unlike the rest, this one had no writing on it.

Malakai turned his gaze away and focused on the mission.

Soon, Rhett led them to a long line filled with impatient people.

“We’ll register you and place our bets here,” Rhett explained.

Like Rhett, Malakai noticed some of the people in line had others beside them.

‘Other fighters,’ Malakai noted.

They waited their turn, and Malakai’s ears caught something that made him narrow his eyes.

“What will you be wagering with, points, resources… information?”

It came from the attendant speaking to the people in line. But of all the words, one stood out to Malakai.

‘Information.’

‘I see…’

At that moment, Malakai’s perception of the Red Maw changed completely. He believed had just uncovered the true nature of this place.

‘An information den.’

He’d read about places like this in several books. People from all over the city gathered here, the amount of information being exchanged was sure to be massive. And vital.

Right now, Malakai needed information.

‘I’ll have to shift my plans a bit.’

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard multiple footsteps approaching from behind.

“Captain Rhett. It’s a pleasure to have you again.”

As they turned, Malakai’s eyes landed on a masked figure. He was clad in a pure white suit, with a white fedora on his head, holding a black cane in his right hand.

‘A node formation evolver.’

Malakai found it odd. The figure was clearly a node formation evolver, but the guards behind him radiated an aura far more powerful, synergy stage evolvers.

Still, they clearly followed him. He also noted the other people around them stepping back and gazing at the man with wary eyes.

‘He must be an important figure here. Potentially the owner,’ Malakai gleaned. He didn’t say anything and let Rhett do the talking.

“Ah, Whiteshade. The pleasure is all mine,” Rhett laughed, waving his arms.

“Hm.” The figure nodded, tapping a finger on his cane. “I see you’ve come with your fighter today.”

The figure turned to Malakai, piercing blue eyes narrowing slightly. His focus remained on Malakai even after several seconds.

‘There’s no way he can find out,’ Malakai reminded himself.

The hunt had been shown around the west. Currently, Malakai was a walking celebrity. He had Nyx change the structure of his face to avoid getting found out.

“Yeah,” Rhett responded after a second, smiling. “I have eyes for talents and money. I saw him making me a ton of money the instant I found him on the streets.”

Whiteshade kept staring at Malakai even after Rhett spoke.

“Is there a problem?” Rhett asked, but Whiteshade still kept staring into Malakai’s eyes as though entranced.

“What’s his name?” Whiteshade asked after a moment.

“That is of no concern to you.”

The guards behind Whiteshade tensed. But before any one of them could move, he hit his cane on the concrete floor.

He sent a cold glance toward them, and they each straightened before bowing their heads.

‘Idiots,’ Whiteshade thought coldly.

Rhett was known by all in the city as a drunk and a waste. Always acting friendly and free, and many always seemed to forget that he was a freaking Bloom. He could raze this place to the ground in a second.

‘But it’s a chance.’

Still, there was a reason he hadn’t packed up and moved his operation the instant Rhett discovered this place.

He had seen the opportunity.

Whiteshade stood straight and faced Rhett, whose expression had somehow turned cold.

“Forgive my rudeness, Captain Rhett. I misspoke. Allow me to make it up to you.”

Rhett’s grin returned as he heard that, and Whiteshade pressed on.

“You seem confident in your warrior, so I thought I would give you a chance for a bigger win. How would you like to be the main event tonight?”