The frozen world shattered like broken glass.
Time rushed back in violently, slamming into Leo's senses all at once.
The monster's claw was inches from his face.
Instinct took over.
Leo rolled sideways as the claws struck the wall where his head had been, concrete exploding into dust. Pain flared through his ribs as he hit the ground, but adrenaline drowned it out.
The screen was still there.
Floating.
Unreal.
WELCOME, LEVEL ZERO.
His breath came out ragged. This isn't real. I'm hallucinating.
The monster roared and lunged again.
The screen flickered.
[WARNING: HOST BODY CRITICAL]
[LEVEL ZERO CONDITION TRIGGERED]
A second panel unfolded beneath the first.
LEVEL ZERO PROTOCOL — ACTIVE
Text scrolled rapidly, faster than Leo could read, but one line burned itself into his mind.
Level Zero is not weakness.
It is absence.
And absence may contain anything.
The monster leapt.
"MOVE!" Leo shouted, though no one was there to hear him.
[PERMISSION REQUESTED]
[TEMPORARY SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
"Yes!" Leo screamed. "DO IT!"
The world warped.
Not exploded—collapsed inward.
The monster froze mid-air, its shadow stretching unnaturally, like it was being pulled into a void.
Leo felt something unlock inside him.
Not power.
Space.
An infinite hollow where limits should have been.
[OVERRIDE ACCEPTED]
The monster screamed.
It didn't sound like pain.
It sounded like fear.
The shadow peeled off its body, unraveling into strands of black mist that were sucked toward Leo's chest. The creature convulsed violently, its physical form cracking as if reality itself rejected it.
"What—what am I doing?" Leo gasped.
[ABSORPTION: PASSIVE]
[LEVEL ZERO HAS NO CAPACITY LIMIT]
The monster collapsed inward, folding like paper being crushed by an invisible hand.
Then it was gone.
No corpse.
No residue.
Just silence.
Leo dropped to his knees, gasping, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
The alley was empty.
The broken wall slowly repaired itself, concrete crawling back into place as reality stabilized. The rift behind him sealed with a soft crack.
The screen updated.
ENTITY ABSORBED
SOURCE: LOW-CLASS VOID BEAST
REWARD: NONE
"No reward?" Leo whispered hoarsely. "I almost died."
Another line appeared.
LEVEL ZERO DOES NOT RECEIVE REWARDS.
LEVEL ZERO BECOMES THE REWARD.
Leo stared.
"What does that even mean?"
The screen paused.
Then, for the first time, the System responded directly.
LEVEL ZERO IS A STATE THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST.
YOU WERE NOT MEANT TO AWAKEN.
Cold crept down Leo's spine.
"Then why did I?"
The text flickered violently, lines overlapping, red warning symbols flashing.
ERROR: QUERY EXCEEDS PERMITTED ACCESS
The screen minimized itself abruptly.
Only one line remained.
SURVIVE.
Then it vanished.
Leo collapsed backward, staring at the night sky above the alley, chest heaving.
Minutes passed.
Maybe longer.
Eventually, the shaking stopped.
He forced himself to sit up.
The alley was clean. Too clean. Like nothing had happened.
No blood.
No signs of the three awakened.
Had it all been erased?
Leo staggered to his feet and checked his wristband.
It buzzed violently the moment he touched it.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Unregistered anomaly detected.
Source: UNKNOWN.
Status: UNDER OBSERVATION.
His heart skipped.
"Observation by who?" he muttered.
A new alert replaced it.
CIVIC NOTICE UPDATED:
Survival assistance suspended pending review.
Leo laughed bitterly. "Of course."
He stumbled home, every step sending pain through his ribs. The building he lived in was barely standing, a concrete slab stacked with other failures.
Inside his room—if it could be called that—Leo collapsed onto his mattress and stared at the ceiling.
The System screen reappeared silently.
Smaller now.
Less aggressive.
Almost… cautious.
LEVEL ZERO — STATUS PANEL
CLASS: NONE
LEVEL: 0
STATS: NONE
SKILLS: NONE
Then, at the bottom, something new.
ANOMALY SLOT: 1/∞
Leo frowned. "Anomaly slot?"
The text pulsed.
LEVEL ZERO CANNOT LEARN SKILLS.
LEVEL ZERO CANNOT GAIN STATS.
LEVEL ZERO CAN ONLY CONTAIN ANOMALIES.
A memory flashed in Leo's mind.
The monster being pulled into him.
Absorbed.
"You're saying…" His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't get stronger."
CORRECT.
"I get stranger."
The screen didn't deny it.
Leo swallowed.
Most awakened climbed ranks. Improved stats. Learned skills.
He did none of that.
He was a hole.
A walking contradiction in a system built on structure.
A knock echoed suddenly.
Leo froze.
Another knock. Louder.
"Leo Vance," a voice called from outside. Calm. Professional. Dangerous.
He checked the time.
2:14 AM.
No one came to the lower districts at this hour unless something had gone wrong.
He approached the door slowly.
"Who's asking?"
A pause.
Then—
"System Compliance Division."
Leo's blood ran cold.
The door scanner lit up on its own, overridden.
A badge symbol appeared on his wall.
AUTHORIZED ACCESS GRANTED
The lock disengaged.
The door slid open.
Two figures stood outside.
Black uniforms. No guild insignia. No visible stats.
Their eyes glowed faintly blue.
The woman in front smiled politely.
"Congratulations," she said. "You're the first Level Zero we've seen in thirty-seven years."
Leo clenched his fists.
"And the last?" he asked.
Her smile widened.
"That depends on how useful you are."