**Chapter 4 — Cold Judgment**
The sun—or whatever passed for sunlight in this dimension—barely touched the horizon when the forest trembled with movement.
Icarus Grimm's eyes flicked toward the distant silhouettes. Participants.
They had approached him earlier, curious, reckless. Now, they were coming to challenge the anomaly—the Voidborne who commanded monsters without even moving a finger.
A faint smirk curved his lips. There was no warmth in his expression. No hesitation.
He didn't care about alliances, friendships, or mercy.
This was a test. And Icarus intended to win.
---
**[NEXUS ALERT]**
**[Master, hostile participants approaching.]**
The first of them—a tall man with a massive sword—charged forward, muscles bulging, eyes full of excitement and arrogance.
Icarus barely moved. The air around him thickened, shadows pooling at his feet.
**[VOID PRESSURE — ACTIVE]**
The man's steps faltered. His sword trembled in his hands. A low groan escaped his throat as invisible forces pressed down, pinning him to the ground.
"Wh-what…?" the man gasped, struggling in vain.
Icarus's gaze met his. Cold. Calculated. Lifeless.
"…You shouldn't have come near me."
With a subtle flick of his wrist, the man's sword snapped in two. The next moment, darkness surged forward, engulfing him.
The forest fell silent. The body crumpled, leaving only a shadow where he had stood.
---
The others hesitated. The woman with twin daggers, the boy with glowing markings—they could feel it. This was no ordinary participant.
"Run," Icarus said softly, his voice like ice.
But none of them moved. Curiosity and fear warred within them.
It was enough.
---
Adaptive Resonance flared. His muscles tightened, senses sharpened, and void energy hummed beneath his skin.
The woman lunged, twin daggers aimed at his chest. Icarus didn't dodge. He didn't need to.
A single step, a whisper of movement, and the air itself seemed to bend.
The daggers froze midair. The woman screamed, but the sound never left her throat.
Icarus extended his hand. Shadows erupted, consuming her in a spiral of void energy. When it dissipated, she was gone.
The boy tried to escape, but Icarus was faster. His presence alone bent the space around him. The boy was swallowed by shadows before he could blink.
---
**[NEXUS NOTE: Master eliminated hostile participants.]**
**[Void Resonance at 70% capacity.]**
Icarus exhaled slowly, his expression unchanged. Not a flicker of remorse. Not even satisfaction. Only icy calm.
"…Let this serve as a warning," he said.
Monsters in the surrounding forest remained passive, sensing the Voidborne authority radiating from him.
---
After the skirmish, Icarus walked forward, stepping lightly over the terrain. The **mountains stretched endlessly**, jagged and majestic. Rivers shimmered like liquid crystal, winding through valleys untouched by time. Strange forests swayed with a rhythm older than any human memory.
He paused at the edge of a cliff, observing the vast expanse of the Creator's Dimension. A slight breeze brushed his hair. Even in his cold nature, he allowed himself a moment to **enjoy the view**.
The way the rivers split and rejoined, how sunlight glinted off crystal-like lakes, the rhythm of the wind through untouched forests—it was perfect.
"…Not bad," he murmured, almost to himself. A faint, rare smirk appeared.
Yet even as he admired the scenery, the predator in him never rested. He scanned the horizon, calculating, observing, preparing for the challenges yet to come.
---
He knelt by a crystal-clear river, watching his reflection shimmer against the water. His eyes glowed faintly, shadows swirling at his feet. The thought crystallized sharply in his mind:
"This world… this Crucible…" he muttered. "…it's not just survival. It's a ladder. A game for power."
He clenched his fist, void energy pulsing faintly along his arm.
"I will not just survive. I will dominate. I will become the **Creator's Fragment**. I will surpass all Creations. And anyone foolish enough to stand in my way… will not live."
---
**[NEXUS CONFIRMATION]**
**[Master has established primary goal: Attain the status of Creator's Fragment.]**
"Good," he whispered. "…Then every step I take will lead toward that goal. No distractions. No mercy."
---
Icarus began to explore further, moving through the valley. Strange plants with luminescent leaves dotted the ground, streams of clear liquid flowed in impossible directions, and distant mountains twisted in ways that defied geometry.
As he wandered, he noticed **the faint hum of the void**—an anomaly in the air, dark mana pulsing in irregular waves. Normally, such energy would disrupt or harm any mortal being.
But not him.
**[NEXUS ALERT: Void Anomaly detected.]**
**[Master is unaffected due to Voidborne immunity.]**
He stepped closer, letting the dark mana envelop him. The energy twisted, coiled, and screamed, but his body resonated with it. Every pulse fed his strength, every dark tendril bending harmlessly around him.
"…Interesting," he murmured, feeling the raw power of the dimension coursing through him.
---
Without realizing it, his eyes flickered with the **dormant power of Nihyron**. Void energy poured from his pupils in small, controlled streams, and the anomaly reacted. The dark mana rippled violently, then **split apart**, forming jagged openings in the air itself.
**[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]**
Attention, participants:
**Gates of the Voids have been opened. All individuals are strongly advised to maintain a safe distance.**
---
Icarus looked toward the massive void rifts forming above the valley. He smirked faintly, turning toward Nexus.
"Nexus," he said calmly.
**[Master?]**
"This… the void gate. Should I—?"
**[Affirmative, Master.]**
**[Entering the void will allow full absorption of void energy. Your progression will be accelerated exponentially.]**
Icarus adjusted his stance. A faint swirl of void shadows wrapped around him as he leapt toward the rift. Time seemed to bend, the wind itself reacting to his passage.
---
Inside, the world shifted. Darkness stretched infinitely, punctuated by jagged bursts of black light. Void energy surged, violent yet harmonious, writhing as if alive.
He moved with precision, collecting the ambient energy into himself. His body resonated, every muscle, every fiber absorbing the power. Adaptive Resonance flared repeatedly, the longer he stayed, the stronger he became.
One week passed in the void. Or, according to the overworld… three months.
Another week. Another surge. Five weeks in total. When he finally emerged, the **gates of the void collapsed behind him**, energy thrumming faintly in the air.
Icarus's presence alone warped the landscape. Even the mountains seemed smaller, rivers slower, as if recognizing his dominance.
---
**[NEXUS NOTE: Master fully absorbed void energy from the anomaly.]**
**[Void resonance at 100%.]**
He looked at the horizon, untouched, endless, waiting.
"…Now," he whispered, voice cold as the void itself, "…it's time to prepare for what's coming."
Monsters would soon appear. Participants would scramble. And in the shadows, Icarus would rise, unchallenged, closer to the goal he had already set.
Cold. Calculating. Perfectly unrelenting.
This was the **Voidborne's way**.
And the world would soon learn the meaning of that name.