From Disposable Prince to Level 9999: Forbidden Evolution

8. A 'Black Lotus' party

AT THE SAME TIME

HUAN

The tavern noise rebuilt itself slowly after the soldiers left. Mugs clinked again, conversations resumed, but thinner, watchful. The man across the room still hadn't looked away from me. He stood and lanternlight followed him as he approached our table. His hood slid back deliberately this time. Horns, curved, dark, unmistakable. He stopped beside us.

"You are not subtle." He said calmly.

"You staring for a reason?"Garrick's chair scraped slightly as he shifted.

"Just confirming."The man tapped one of his horns with a knuckle. 

His eyes moved to me.

"Name's Charlie. C-rank. Half demon."He said and tilted his head faintly. "Like you."

I held his gaze.

"And?" I asked.

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"You fight controlled, efficient. You didn't flinch when the palace walked in." His eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not common."

"Spit it out."Garrick folded his arms.

Charlie leaned forward.

"I am building a party, small, strong. I want him in it."Charlie explained.

Silence settled at the table. Before I could answer, the system pulsed sharply in my mind.

"PARTY FORMATION OPPORTUNITY DETECTED

OPTION A: FORM PARTY (HOST AS LEADER). BENEFITS: CONTROL STRUCTURE, LOYALTY ALIGNMENT, EXPERIENCE BONUS +15%. RISKS: EXPOSURE, LEADERSHIP BURDEN.

OPTION B: ACCEPT INVITATION (JOIN EXISTING STRUCTURE). BENEFITS: REDUCED RESPONSIBILITY, IMMEDIATE STABILITY. RISKS: LIMITED AUTONOMY, UNCERTAIN COMMAND."The system suggested.

The words hovered in cold clarity, Charlie waited and Garrick glanced between us. 

"Well? You climbing alone forever?"He asked.

I didn't answer immediately. Option B was simpler, less responsibility, less visibility, but less control and control mattered. I looked at Charlie.

"If I join." I asked. "Who leads it?"

"I do."Charlie didn't hesitate. 

Honest. Garrick nodded once. 

"Makes sense. He is C-rank."He said.

The system pulsed again.

"RECOMMENDATION: OPTION A INCREASES LONG-TERM GROWTH POTENTIAL."The system suggested.

Long term, not short term comfort. I exhaled slowly.

"No." I said.

Charlie blinked once. Garrick tilted his head. 

"No?"He asked.

"I won't join your party." I clarified.

Charlie's eyes sharpened slightly, not offended, but alert.

"I will form one." I continued evenly.

Silence.

"You?"Garrick barked a short laugh. 

"Yes."I said.

Charlie studied me carefully now.

"On what basis?" He asked.

"Efficiency." I said. "Discipline, no wasted motion, no reckless deaths."

Garrick's grin faded into something more thoughtful.

"And leadership?"Charlie leaned back slightly.

"I don't shout." I said. "I decide."

The tavern noise seemed distant, Charlie's gaze searched my face.

"You are D-rank." He said.

"For now."I said.

That earned the faintest smile from him.

"Bold."Garrick cracked his knuckles. 

"HOST HAS SELECTED: OPTION A. NEW OBJECTIVE: ESTABLISH CORE PARTY MEMBERS (MINIMUM 3)."The system chimed softly.

Charlie rested his forearms on the table.

"If you lead." He said slowly. "What's the goal?"

"C-rank." I replied. "Quickly, then higher."

"No glory chasing?" Garrick asked.

"No."I said.

"No random dungeon dives for fame?"Garrick asked.

"No."I said.

Charlie's smile returned, sharper now.

"Structured growth." He murmured.

"Yes."I said.

He extended his hand across the table.

"Then I will join your party."Charlie said.

"That fast?"Garrick blinked.

"Anyone willing to refuse control when offered it isn't reckless. That’s rare."Charlie didn't look away from me.

Garrick leaned back, considering, then he shrugged.

"Fine. If we are doing this, we do it properly." He extended his large hand as well. "I am not taking orders from an idiot. Don't prove me wrong."

"I won't." I said.

Three hands met over the wooden table, firm, deliberate. No cheering, no theatrics.

"PARTY ESTABLISHED. LEADER: HUAN BLACK. MEMBERS: CHARLIE (C-RANK), GARRICK (B-RANK). PARTY BONUS ACTIVATED: +15% SHARED EXPERIENCE."The system pulsed once more in approval.

Charlie withdrew his hand first.

"If we are doing this." He said calmly. "We need a name."

"Already? We have been a party for twelve seconds."Garrick snorted.

"Names matter." Charlie replied. "Reputation starts there."

I leaned back slightly, watching the tavern lanternlight flicker against the table's surface.

"A name shouldn't sound loud." I said. "It should sound inevitable."

 "That's dramatic."Garrick raised a brow.

"Controlled growth." Charlie murmured. "Hidden strength."

"Black Lotus."My fingers tapped the wood once.

Silence and then Garrick blinked. 

"Lotus? Like the flower?"He asked.

"Grows in mud." Charlie said quietly, eyes narrowing in thought. "Rises clean."

"Black." Garrick added slowly. "Hidden, not flashy."

"It blooms when ready."I nodded once. 

A faint smile crossed Charlie's face.

"Black Lotus." He repeated.

"Better than 'Three idiots with swords'."Charlie nodded once. 

"Then it's decided." I said.

"PARTY NAME REGISTERED: BLACK LOTUS. LEADER: HUAN BLACK. BONUS: +15% SHARED EXPERIENCE."The system said.

Charlie stood.

"Morning. We register formally."He said.

 "If the guild doesn't faint first."Garrick drained his mug.

The hall was quieter than the tavern had been, but tension always lived here. We walked in together.

Three figures, Me D rank, Charlie C rank, Garrick B rank. Conversations thinned almost immediately. A B-rank walking beside a fresh D-rank wasn't subtle. Ina looked up from her desk, her pen paused mid stroke. She glanced at Garrick first, then at me and then at Charlie.

"Explain." She said flatly.

Charlie placed both hands on the counter.

"We are registering a new party."He said.

"Leader?"Ina's eyes flicked to me. 

"Huan Black." Garrick said before I could.

The entire desk row behind us went silent.

"A D-rank?” Someone muttered.

"Garrick's lost his mind." Another whispered.

Ina didn't react outwardly, but her gaze sharpened.

"You." She said to Garrick. "Are B-rank."

"Yes."Garrick said.

"You have existing offers."Ina added.

"Yes."He said.

"And you are choosing to join a D-rank party."She confirmed.

"Yes."Garrick said.

No hesitation then her attention shifted to Charlie.

"And you?"She asked.

"C-rank." Charlie said calmly. "Confirmed."

"And you are also joining under him."Ina said.

"Yes."Charlie confirmed.

She leaned back slightly.

"Why?"She asked.

"Because he wins."Garrick crossed his arms. 

Murmurs spread as Ina looked back at me.

"You understand the implication?" She asked. "If this fails, it reflects on both of them."

"It won't fail." I said evenly.

She studied my posture, my breathing, no arrogance just certainty.

"Party name?" She asked.

"Black Lotus." Charlie answered.

A few adventurers exchanged looks.

"Sounds ominous."One said.

"Trying too hard."Another added.

Ina reached beneath the desk and pulled out a formal registry slate.

"State structure."She said.

"Leader." Charlie said, nodding toward me.

"Frontline." Garrick added. "Heavy engagement."

"Adaptive strike." Charlie said for himself.

Ina's eyes returned to me.

"And you?"She asked.

"Command and execution." I replied.

A faint silence followed. She wrote the name down carefully. Then pressed the guild seal onto the parchment, the stamp echoed louder than expected.

"Black Lotus." She said formally. "Registered."

The crystal embedded in the desk pulsed faintly as it scanned our badges. A subtle glow ran across mine.

"Provisional D-rank party." She continued. "However-" She paused. "Due to internal rank composition, missions available to you will extend to mid C-tier."

The hall stirred.

"Already?"One asked.

"That’s unfair."Another added.

Garrick smirked slightly, Ina ignored the noise.

"You will be evaluated closely." She said. "Rapid growth invites attention."

"Understood." I replied.

She leaned forward slightly.

"You are aware." She added quietly. “That rumors will start.”

"They already have." Charlie said calmly.

"Hey, Garrick! Since when do B-ranks take orders from kids?"From the back of the hall, someone called out.

Garrick turned his head lazily.

"Since I decided to." He replied.

That shut it down. Ina slid three small insignia across the counter, black enamel with a subtle lotus crest etched in silver.

"Guild mark for party recognition." She said.

Charlie picked his up, Garrick took his, I lifted mine last.

Cool metal, unassuming, but deliberate.

"PARTY STATUS CONFIRMED. BLACK LOTUS ACTIVE. EXPERIENCE BONUS +15%. NEW OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE FIRST C-TIER MISSION."The system said.

Charlie glanced toward the mission board.

"Well." He said lightly. "Shall we upset the balance further?"

Garrick cracked his neck once.

"Let's see if the kid’s leadership holds."He said.

Eyes followed us as we turned toward the board. Not mocking now, measuring. A B-rank joining a D-rank leader. A half-demon C-rank aligning without hesitation. A new party name already whispering through the hall, Black Lotus. We hadn't even taken our first mission together, and the capital was already watching.