I felt an invisible force crushing me against the ground.
Cold… so cold…
The pain was unbearable. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't move a single inch. I tried, but it was useless—my body wouldn't respond. I struggled with all my might, though I could feel my consciousness fading away, dragging me into the darkness.
Refusing to die, I gathered what little willpower I had left and made one final effort. Something moved. It was just for an instant… and suddenly my body lunged forward.
The sound of something dry falling around me was the first thing I heard.
I gasped desperately, filling my lungs with icy air.
"Breathe… breathe. You're still alive!"
After several ragged breaths, the burning in my lungs began to fade, and I managed to calm down enough to look around.
Before me stretched a sea of pure, pristine white. The sky, covered by a thick layer of gray clouds, looked like a slab suspended over the world. When I looked down, I noticed I was half-buried in the snow.
I had never seen snow in my life. It was cold to the touch, its texture like damp sand, though lighter… more like the frost that builds up on the walls of a freezer.
As I slowly freed myself, something caught my attention. I saw what had kept me pinned down—and when I did, the blood in my veins froze even more. My eyes widened, and I didn't even realize when I fell backward.
Beside me lay an enormous bear, so massive it seemed like a freak of nature. It was easily over two meters tall, its milky-white fur covered in multiple bleeding wounds.
But the most shocking of all was the gigantic icicle protruding from its back.
What the hell…? Is that supposed to be a bear?
"Hey… you're not thinking of getting up and eating me, right?" I muttered with a nervous smile, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.
Slowly, I began digging around myself, pushing away the snow until I was completely free. Then I crawled to firmer ground where I could stand without sinking again.
With cautious steps, I circled the creature until I stood before it. What I saw was… unreal.
An ice spear as thick as my torso was embedded in its chest. Around it, open wounds and claw marks covered its body, staining the snow red. Its own claws—each as long as a human finger—were splintered, as if they had struck something impossibly hard.
But the worst part was that the bear was still breathing.
Grrr…
The sound made me jump back. I didn't want to become its last meal.
The freezing wind bit at my skin. Only then did I realize I was completely naked. Not a single piece of clothing on me. The cold cut deep into my bones—but luckily, there was no one around to witness my pathetic state.
The bear tried to rise. Its dark eyes glimmered with a mix of rage and pain that paralyzed me. It lifted itself just a few inches… and then collapsed again with a dull thud.
A dry laugh escaped my lips. I didn't know if I was laughing out of fear, despair, or madness.
I was alone, in an unknown place, with a dying bear at my feet and not a shred of clothing. I had to do something if I wanted to survive.
"Come on… survival classes, don't fail me now," I muttered.
I looked around, searching for anything useful, but the only thing I had… was the bear.
My eyes fell on the icicle stuck in its body, then on its claws. They were like natural knives. If I could pull them out, maybe I could cut some of its fur and make something to protect myself from the cold. But first, I had to finish what nature had started.
I swallowed hard. The thought made my stomach churn, but I had no other choice.
I approached slowly. The bear tried to move, struggling for life, though it no longer had any strength left.
I grabbed the icicle. It was thick, freezing cold, and almost as wide as my torso. With effort, I managed to move it a few inches, and then, leaning forward, I pushed with all my strength.
The sound was horrific—a wet, squelching noise followed by a guttural roar that died out into the air. The bear's body tensed… and then went completely still.
At that moment, a voice echoed inside my head.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast: Winter Bear]
[You have received an item: Armor of Darkness]
I blinked, confused.
What was that?
Did I just hear a voice inside my head?
Or am I losing my mind?
I frowned—not because of the smell of blood coming from the Winter Bear's corpse, but because of the confusion consuming me. I was absolutely sure I'd heard a voice. It sounded… metallic, robotic, like those systems that announce rewards in video games.
Could it be…?
I closed my eyes, recalling the stories and novels I used to read years ago. Maybe…
"Status," I murmured. Then, almost in a whisper: "Information. System."
The moment those words left my mouth, something happened. In front of me, golden symbols began to materialize—floating runes with a Nordic look, glowing warmly against the freezing air.
Somehow, without knowing why, I could understand them. The runes rearranged themselves into legible text before my eyes, and when I read it, I could only let out a silent gasp.
---
Name: Abel
Rank: Sleeper
Title: —
Summon: —
Memories: [Armor of Darkness]
Skills: [Fire]
Innate Ability: [Flame Control]
---
That's it?
A dry laugh escaped my throat.
"What kind of ridiculous system is this?" I muttered to myself. "Where are the levels, the health bar, the experience?"
I let out a sigh. My breath condensed into a faint white mist. Small snowflakes began to drift down, silently swirling around me.
I had to move. A storm was coming, and staying here would be suicide. But first, I needed clothes.
My eyes went back to the floating text before me. 'Memories: Armor of Darkness.'
Maybe… if this was like an item in a game, I could equip it. But without a visible inventory, how was I supposed to do that?
I closed my eyes and focused on the name of the item.
A tingling sensation ran through my body. When I opened my eyes, thin golden threads began to appear around me, weaving together with smooth, precise movements. In a matter of seconds, a full outfit had formed around me.
It was a black armor—though not made of metal. It looked more like a blend of fabric and shadow, soft to the touch yet firm, with a long coat that shielded me from the biting cold.
I looked over the clothing now covering me.
Despite the name, it lacked the usual plates or rigid parts of an armor.
Will it really be able to protect me?
There was no way to test it, so I decided not to worry for now. What mattered was that I wasn't freezing anymore. Plus, the outfit was light and surprisingly comfortable.
"Not bad… not bad at all," I whispered, staring at my hands wrapped in dark fabric.
My attention returned to the bear's body. I had no tools or weapons to skin it or cut meat. I needed something to defend myself—something that could help me hunt or survive.
I turned to leave when a dry sound stopped me. Something had fallen onto the snow.
I approached the corpse carefully and saw, shining amidst the white, two glowing fragments.
"What are these?" I murmured, picking them up.
They were cold to the touch, with a soft light pulsing inside them, almost as if they held living energy. Not knowing what else to do, I slipped them into the pocket of my coat.
I looked up. Everything around me was white—endless. The sky was blanketed with gray clouds that promised a coming storm.
With no clear direction, I chose one at random and started walking.
Any path was better than staying next to the corpse of a giant bear.
I didn't want to find out what other creatures might be drawn to the smell of its blood.