Ash stood in silence.
The broken remains of the Dragon Flyer lay scattered across the floor, its body crushed beyond recognition.
Yet his attention wasn't on the corpse.
It was on the screen in front of him.
Level.
"…So it's real."
His red eyes flickered with a strange light.
Not fear.
Not disbelief.
Excitement.
A system.
Stats.
Power.
A new world.
A slow smile formed on Ash Dante Corleone's face.
"If this is how the world works now…"
His voice dropped slightly.
"…then I just need to become stronger than everyone else."
RAAAAAH—!!
The roar came suddenly.
Violent.
Close.
BANG—!!
The door shook violently.
Ash's head snapped toward it instantly.
Another bang followed.
Harder.
More aggressive.
BANG!!
BANG!!
Something was trying to break in.
Ash's expression didn't change.
"…Zombies."
The grunts from the other side confirmed it.
Not one.
Not two.
Several.
The wood cracked slightly under the pressure.
The handle rattled violently.
Ash stepped back slowly.
Not in fear—
But in preparation.
He glanced around the room quickly.
Weapon.
His eyes landed on the broken chair.
Without hesitation, he picked up one of its legs.
The end was jagged.
Sharp enough.
"Good."
"Good."
He moved to the side of the door, pressing his back against the wall.
Not directly in front.
His breathing slowed.
His grip tightened.
"Come."
The banging intensified.
Then—
CRACK—!!
The door burst open.
Two zombies stumbled inside immediately, tripping over each other in their rush.
Their bodies were grotesque.
Skin torn.
Blood dripping.
Flesh hanging loosely from their faces.
Ash moved.
Fast.
Silent.
Deadly.
Before they could react—
THRUST—!!
The wooden spike pierced straight into one zombie's eye.
A dull, wet sound echoed.
It dropped instantly.
The second turned toward him—
Too slow.
Ash stepped forward and slammed his foot into its leg.
CRACK.
The joint snapped.
The zombie collapsed.
Ash didn't hesitate.
He drove the spike down into its skull.
CRUNCH.
Silence.
Then—
The system appeared.
[You have killed a Level 4 Zombie.]
[Stamina +4]
[You have killed a Level 3 Zombie.]
[Stamina +1]
[You have leveled up.]
[Current Level: 4]
[You have gained 2 stat points.]
Ash exhaled slowly.
Stronger.
He could feel it.
But then—
Another message appeared.
And everything changed.
[You have awakened a God-Rank Talent.]
Ash's eyes narrowed.
"…God-rank?"
The next line appeared.
[Talent: Frost Sovereign]
For a brief moment—
Everything went still.
Then—
"—!!"
A terrifying cold exploded inside his body.
Ash dropped to one knee instantly.
"Ghh—!!"
It felt like his veins had frozen.
His heart clenched violently.
Cold.
Unbearable cold.
His breath turned into mist.
Frost spread across the floor beneath him.
The temperature in the room dropped sharply.
Pain shot through his entire body.
But Ash didn't scream.
He endured.
His fingers dug into the ground.
His teeth clenched tightly.
His red eyes burned brighter.
"…This…"
"…is power."
The cold intensified.
Images flashed through his mind—
A frozen world.
An endless winter.
A throne of ice.
And something watching from above
Then—
Silence.
The cold vanished.
Ash remained still for a few seconds.
Then slowly stood up.
His breathing returned to normal.
"…Frost Sovereign."
He raised his hand slightly.
A faint layer of frost formed around his fingers.
A small smile appeared.
"Interesting."
But he didn't relax.
Because—
Two zombies were still outside.
Ash turned toward the bathroom.
"If this works…"
He turned on the tap and filled a bucket with water.
Then—
He focused.
He tried to feel the energy inside him.
Mana
At first—
Nothing.
Then
A faint response.
Cold.
He guilds it.
Slowly.
The surface of the water began to freeze
Ash opened his eyes.
Success.
A dangerous glint appeared in his gaze.
"Good"
He picked up the bucket and walked toward the door.
The zombies outside were still there.
Still waiting.
Ash took a deep breath.
Then—
Opened the door.
The two zombies rushed in immediately.
Ash stepped forward.
And threw the water.
SPLASH—!!
At the same time—
"Freeze."
CRRRRRACK—!!
Ice spread instantly.
The zombies froze mid-motion.
Perfect statues.
Ash walked forward calmly.
Picked up the wooden spike.
And struck.
SHATTER—!!
Their bodies exploded into frozen fragments.
The system responded.
[You have killed a Level 3 Zombie.]
[Stamina +1]
[You have killed a Level 4 Zombie.]
Ash stood still.
Thinking faster than before, he realized that after killing enemies of the same level, he still didn't receive bonus status. He chose to target higher-level foes above his own.
Then—
He turned toward the window.
Screams still echoed outside.
Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
He looked… pleased.
"Good."
His red eyes glowed faintly.
That makes this more interesting."
Because if everyone had power—
Then this world…
Would become a battlefield.
And in a battlefield—
Only one stands at the top.
Ash clenched his fist slowly.
Frost spread across his knuckles.
"In this world…"
His voice dropped.
Cold.
Certain.
"…I won't follow."
A pause
Then—
"I'll rule
Ash look around ,in fact, this was not the best place he quickly said, " Let me pick up a few things and then I'll leave this place."
He quickly grabbed a mountain backpack and stowed the cable he had used earlier, two large bottles of pure water, and some snacks he had bought earlier. He had nothing else of use there.
Hhad no choice but to walk to the door to get out of the building.