The frozen wind began to blow.
Ash drifted slowly through the air.
Flames crackled as burning houses continued collapsing into embers.
And the sword—
the sword finally finished falling.
But it never reached Saltraf.
A dark symbol burned across the boy's chest.
The First Zeroth Mark.
It glowed faintly beneath torn clothing, pulsing like a heartbeat older than the world itself.
The blade stopped the moment it touched the air above him.
Not because of strength.
Not because of defense.
But because reality itself refused to let it fall.
The stranger frowned.
For the first time since arriving in the village, his calm expression changed.
Something felt… wrong.
Very wrong.
Saltraf's eyes slowly opened.
They were no longer the same.
The frightened child who had watched his mother die was gone.
In his place lay something quieter.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Yet vast beyond understanding.
Primordial Zeroth System Online
Host: Saltraf
Status: Critical
Body Damage: 87%
Emergency Reconstruction Initiated
Energy surged through his broken body.
Bones shifted.
Cracks sealed.
Blood vessels reconnected.
Muscles trembled violently as they forced themselves back together.
Saltraf gasped.
Air flooded into his lungs.
Pain exploded across every nerve in his body.
But beneath the pain…
something else awakened.
Power.
Not cultivation.
Not spiritual energy.
Something far stranger.
Something that did not belong to this universe.
The stranger stepped back slightly.
His instincts screamed danger.
That feeling—
the same terrifying presence he had briefly sensed earlier—
was now growing.
Rapidly.
"What… are you?"
His voice was quiet, but the tension inside it was unmistakable.
Saltraf slowly pushed himself up.
His body trembled.
Not from weakness.
But from something new flowing through him.
His vision felt sharper.
His senses clearer.
Even the air felt different.
The voice inside his mind continued.
System Function: Zeroth Adaptation
Environment Analysis: Active
Threat Detected: Peak Zeroth Dominion Realm
Saltraf's eyes slowly lifted.
They met the stranger's gaze.
For a brief moment—
the assassin felt something impossible.
Fear.
The boy's voice came out hoarse.
Almost unfamiliar to his own ears.
"You…"
His fingers curled tightly against the dirt.
"…killed her."
The stranger's eyes narrowed.
"So what if I did?"
His killing intent surged outward again.
The pressure of the Peak Zeroth Dominion Realm returned like a collapsing mountain.
The ground cracked.
Ash exploded into the air.
The air trembled beneath his aura.
Normally, such pressure would crush a child instantly.
But Saltraf did not move.
He did not fall.
He did not break.
The First Zeroth Mark glowed brighter.
Inside Saltraf's mind, the system responded.
Threat Adaptation Initiated
Analyzing Zeroth Dominion Realm Energy
Adaptation in Progress
Saltraf suddenly inhaled sharply.
The crushing pressure surrounding him began changing.
Shifting.
Adjusting.
His body was learning.
Adapting.
Evolving.
The stranger's eyes widened slightly.
Impossible.
The boy should already be dead.
Yet the oppressive aura surrounding him was… weakening.
No.
Not weakening.
Being resisted.
The stranger moved instantly.
His sword flashed downward in a killing strike.
This time, he would not hesitate.
The boy was dangerous.
And dangerous things had to die.
But Saltraf moved.
For the first time.
His body twisted sideways.
The blade sliced past him, cutting only air.
The stranger's eyes widened.
The movement had been slow.
Clumsy.
Yet somehow…
perfectly timed.
Saltraf's hand grabbed a broken piece of wood from the ground.
The same weapon he had used earlier in rage.
But now—
something about it felt different.
The system spoke again.
Primitive Weapon Detected
Material Integrity: Low
Enhancement Protocol Activated
The wood darkened slightly.
Strange patterns crawled across its surface.
The air around it vibrated faintly.
Saltraf swung.
The assassin raised his arm casually to block.
The wooden weapon struck his forearm.
CRACK
The sound echoed across the ruined village.
The stranger froze.
His eyes slowly lowered.
A thin line of blood ran down his arm.
Impossible.
Even high-grade weapons struggled to damage his body.
Yet a piece of wood…
had drawn blood.
The stranger stepped back.
For the first time since entering the village—
he was cautious.
"You… what are you?"
His voice carried a hint of disbelief.
Saltraf didn't answer.
He didn't even fully understand what was happening himself.
All he knew was one thing.
His mother was dead.
And the man standing before him was responsible.
His chest burned.
The Zeroth Mark pulsed.
Something deep inside his blood awakened.
The system spoke again.
Bloodline Resonance Detected
Bloodline Classification: Unknown
Universal Records: Erased
Saltraf felt something rise within him.
Like a sleeping beast opening its eyes.
Memories that were not his.
Power that did not belong to this world.
The assassin sensed it too.
His instincts screamed danger louder than ever before.
"This ends now."
He vanished.
His speed exploded far beyond before.
A true killing technique of the Zeroth Dominion Realm.
He appeared directly in front of Saltraf.
Sword descending in a fatal arc.
But the moment he moved—
the system responded.
Host Survival Probability: 12%
Adaptive Override Initiated
Saltraf's body moved on its own.
He stepped forward.
Inside the assassin's guard.
The stranger's eyes widened.
Too close.
Saltraf's wooden weapon pierced forward.
Straight toward the assassin's chest.
The man tried to dodge.
But his body felt slow.
Heavy.
As if something in reality itself resisted him.
The wood struck his chest.
CRACK
The sound was louder this time.
Far louder.
The stranger staggered backward.
Blood burst from his mouth.
His eyes trembled with disbelief.
A fracture had appeared across the symbol on his chest.
The same mysterious mark that had once flickered earlier.
Saltraf stood there breathing heavily.
His body trembled violently.
The system's power was overwhelming him.
But the assassin was still alive.
Still dangerous.
Still capable of killing him.
They stared at each other across the ruined village.
Smoke drifting between them.
Ash falling slowly like black snow.
Saltraf tightened his grip on the weapon.
His eyes burned with something deeper than anger.
Something colder.
Something endless.
The assassin wiped the blood from his mouth.
Then slowly smiled.
But this time…
the smile was not amused.
It was serious.
"So that's it."
His aura began rising again.
Far stronger than before.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
"You're not just some child."
His sword ignited with crimson energy.
The phantom beast behind him began forming again.
But this time…
its roar was even more violent.
"Interesting."
The assassin raised his blade.
"Then let's see…"
His killing intent exploded outward.
"…what you truly are."
Saltraf took a single step forward.
The First Zeroth Mark blazed like a dark star.
And somewhere far beyond existence…
an ancient entity watched silently.
Waiting.
Curious.
Because the true awakening…
had only just begun.