The shadows of the Gray District's industrial zone were long and jagged, cast by the skeletal remains of rusted gantry cranes. Alex hauled the heavy Void-Locked Chest into an alleyway, the metal scraping against the concrete with a sound like a whetstone.
He didn't need [Divine Sight] to know they were coming. The air behind him hummed with the synchronized, metallic rhythm of elite boots.
"Stop right there, scavenger," a cold voice echoed.
Three men stepped out of the gloom. These weren't Victor's usual school lackeys. These were Drake Syndicate "Retrievers"—C-Rank professionals dressed in tactical weave armor, their eyes glowing with the dull blue of combat-enhancing ocular implants.
"The Young Master is a generous man," the lead Retriever said, drawing a high-frequency vibrating blade. "If you hand over the chest and your cloak, we'll make the 'cleaning' quick. No pain. Just a reset."
Alex stopped. He didn't turn around. Instead, he knelt beside the chest.
[Warning: Three C-Rank Combatants detected.][Enemy A: Combat Specialist (Power: 45)][Enemy B: Speed Specialist (Power: 42)][Enemy C: Mana-Marksman (Power: 38)]
Alex's current power level hovered around 30. On paper, he was dead.
"I told the auctioneer this box was a paperweight," Alex whispered, his hand touching the rusted surface of the chest. "But that was a lie."
"Talking to a box won't save you, kid," the lead Retriever sneered. He signaled the marksman.
Zzzzt—
A bolt of compressed mana hissed through the air, aimed directly at Alex's shoulder.
Alex didn't dodge. He slammed his palm against the chest's lock. [The Void Hand: Activated.]
He didn't try to pick the lock. He scavenged the very concept of the 'Seal' itself.
[Detected: Void-Lead Barrier. Scavenging...][Barrier Essence Absorbed. Your 'Void Hand' has evolved: +5% Penetration.][The First Flame: Unsealed.]
The bolt of mana hit Alex's back—but it never touched his skin.
A pillar of white-hot, primordial fire erupted from the chest, vaporizing the marksman's bolt mid-air. The shockwave sent the three Retrievers staggering back, their ocular implants flickering as the temperature in the alley spiked by a thousand degrees.
The "rust" on the chest didn't melt; it simply ceased to exist, revealing a core of pulsating, obsidian-like glass. Inside, a single ember floated—a spark of the [First Flame].
[Warning: Primordial Essence detected. Direct contact will cause spontaneous combustion.][System Note: Only a 'Scavenger' can handle the heat of the world's origin.]
"What... what is that?" the lead Retriever gasped, his blade vibrating so hard it began to crack.
Alex reached into the white fire. His hand began to char, the skin turning black, but his [Attribute Alchemist] went into overdrive, desperately converting the heat into raw, volatile power before it could consume him.
[Temporary Attribute Infusion: Primordial Heat.][Strength: 33 -> 85 (Overflowing!)][Agility: 26 -> 60]
Alex stood up. He was no longer a boy in a cloak. He was a silhouette of ash and embers. When he stepped forward, the concrete beneath his feet turned to molten slag.
"You wanted to see what was in the box?" Alex's voice was a dual-tone of human grit and roaring furnace.
He moved.
The Speed Specialist didn't even have time to blink. Alex appeared in front of him, a hand closing around the man's throat. The tactical weave armor, rated for B-Rank impact, melted instantly like wax under Alex's grip.
"Here. Take it," Alex hissed.
The fire from Alex's palm surged into the man. There was no scream—only the hiss of moisture leaving a body. The Specialist turned to ash in a heartbeat, his armor falling to the ground in a heap of molten slag.
[Target Eliminated. Scavenging...][Gained: Speed Talent Fragment (1/5). Gained: Agility +2.]
The other two Retrievers froze. The professional coldness in their eyes was replaced by a primal, stuttering terror.
"Monster!" the marksman screamed, leveling his rifle for a desperate burst.
Alex didn't wait. He lunged, a trail of white fire following his every movement. He was a comet in a narrow alley. He punched through the lead Retriever's vibrating blade, shattering the high-frequency steel like glass, and buried his fist in the man's chest.
[Target Eliminated. Scavenging...][Gained: Combat Instincts (C-Rank). Gained: Strength +3.]
The marksman turned to run, but Alex simply pointed a finger. A lash of the [First Flame] snaked out, tethering the man's soul. With a violent tug of [The Void Hand], Alex didn't just kill him—he stripped him.
[Scavenging Active Mana...][Warning: Your body is reaching the limit of 'Primordial' containment.]
The marksman collapsed, his body intact but his mana core completely hollowed out. He was alive, but he would never even be an F-Rank again. He was less than a civilian. He was a void.
Alex stood alone in the smoking ruins of the alley. The ember of the First Flame returned to the obsidian chest, the lid slamming shut with a heavy, final thud.
The white fire died down. Alex's charred skin began to flake off, revealing new, pale, and incredibly dense flesh beneath.
[Refinement Complete.][Strength: 42 (Permanent)][Constitution: 35 (Permanent)][Rank Up: D-Rank Scavenger (Stripper).]
Alex looked down at his hands. He was shivering, the cold of the night biting at his newly forged skin. He had survived, but he knew the Drake Syndicate would send more than just three C-Ranks next time.
He picked up the obsidian chest. It felt light now, as if it were a part of him.
"Old Jack was right," Alex whispered, his voice returning to normal. "The world is just a pile of trash waiting for someone who knows how to burn it."
He vanished into the darkness, heading back to the only place that was safe.