The morning sun didn't rise; it interrogated. It pierced through the high-end, UV-filtered windows of my bedroom like a searchlight, finding every sore muscle and bruised rib I'd earned the day before.
I sat up, and my spine made a sound like a bag of dry sticks snapping.
[Good morning, King.]
[Status: Sore, Grumpy, and still technically a 'Zero'.]
[Current Stamina: 45/100 (Recovering)]
[Daily Task: 50 Burpees. Reward: +1 Agility. Penalty: A very cold shower. Literally.]
"I'm going to kill that System," I croaked, rubbing my eyes. "One day, I'm going to find the physical manifestation of this thing and kick it in the teeth."
I stood up, and for the first time, I felt the change. The +10 Strength wasn't just a number on a screen. My body felt... denser. Not bigger, but tightly wound, like a spring that had been pulled back an extra notch. I walked to the mirror and focused.
King's Eyes: On.
The world didn't change color this time; it gained layers. I could see the mana-flow in the walls—the conduits that powered the climate control and the security sensors. I looked at my own reflection. I was still pale, still dark-haired and tired-looking, but there was a faint, golden hum vibrating around my heart.
[Current Quest: The Trojan Sister.]
[Time Remaining: 71 Hours.]
"Right. The parasite."
I dressed in a fresh uniform, wincing as the fabric rubbed against the 'sting' site on my ear. I needed to get through breakfast without my parents noticing I was no longer a useless sack of meat. In the Desmerk house, "different" meant "dangerous."
The dining room was a cathedral of glass and white marble. My father, Richard Desmerk, sat at the head of the table, a holographic tablet hovering before him. He was a man built of sharp angles and cold efficiency. To the world, he was the S-Rank titan of infrastructure. To me, he was a boss I hadn't been hired by.
My mother, Hee-sun, sat opposite him, her eyes flicking across a series of thermal graphs. Her talent, [High-Speed Calculation], meant she saw the world in spreadsheets.
"You're late, Raven," my father said, not looking up from his tablet. "And your gait is off. Did you injure yourself during your... 'incident' yesterday?"
"Just a cramp, Father," I said, sliding into my chair. I kept my eyes down, but my King's Eyes were wide open.
Juno sat to my left, elegantly cutting a piece of high-protein synthetic steak. To anyone else, she looked perfect. But through my new vision, she looked like she was rotting from the inside out.
A sickly, emerald-green vapor was coiled around her spine, its "roots" digging into her neck. Every time she breathed, the vapor pulsed. It was a parasite—a "Troop" of the God of Greed, slowly siphoning her SSS-Rank mana to fuel something else.
"Eat," my mother said, her voice devoid of warmth. "Your sisters have a press conference at the Association headquarters this afternoon. Try not to embarrass them by looking like a corpse."
"Wouldn't dream of it," I muttered.
"He's lying, Mother," Serena chirped. She was sitting across from me, her legs kicked up on an empty chair. She was vibrating again—just a little—making her fork hum against the porcelain. "He's hiding something. His heart rate is... interesting this morning. It's steady. Too steady for a Zero."
She leaned across the table, her eyes wide and chaotic. Serena was the wildcard. Juno hated me with pride; Serena hated me with curiosity. She reached out, her hand blurred by her [Molecular Vibration] talent, intending to flick my forehead with enough force to send me through the wall.
Usually, I'd just take it. I'd flinch, and she'd laugh.
This time, my hand moved before I could even think. I caught her wrist.
The table went dead silent. My father's tablet flickered. My mother's eyes snapped up from her graphs.
Serena's wrist was vibrating violently, her power trying to shake my grip apart, but my +10 Strength held firm. It felt like holding a live wire, but I didn't let go.
"Don't, Serena," I said, my voice dropping into that cold, resonant tone I'd used in the alley. "I'm not in the mood for games today."
Serena's smirk faltered. Her eyes darted from my hand to my face. "Your grip... it's solid. How?"
"Raven." My father's voice was a low growl. "Release your sister."
I let go. Serena pulled her hand back, rubbing her wrist. There was a faint, red mark where I'd held her. She wasn't angry; she was grinning like a scientist who'd just found a new species of bacteria.
"Father," Juno said, her voice tight. I looked at her. The green parasite on her neck flared, its color deepening. She looked pale—genuinely pale. "I have a headache. I'll be in the car."
She stood up, her movements stiff. As she passed me, the King's Eyes screamed a warning.
[Detection: Troop Signature identified as 'Greed's Needle'.]
[Function: Mana-Siphon and Mind-Link.]
[Warning: The host is reaching critical depletion. The 'Needle' will take full control in 48 hours.]
I watched her walk out, the green smoke trailing behind her like a funeral shroud. My family was so blinded by her "perfection" that they couldn't see she was being hollowed out.
"Raven," my father said, his gaze heavy and suspicious. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but remember your place. You are a Zero. A guest in this house. If you touch your sisters again, I will have the security drones escort you to the Low-Sector dorms. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," I said, standing up. I didn't finish my breakfast. I couldn't. The smell of that green rot was making me nauseous.
The school bus was the usual gauntlet of insults, but I tuned them out. I had bigger problems than Kang-dae's ego. I had forty-eight hours to save a sister who would happily watch me drown.
As I walked through the school gates, the atmosphere felt... different. People were whispering, huddling in groups.
"Did you hear?"
"Yeah, some S-Rank rogue wiped out a Union squad in Gangnam last night."
"They say he froze them solid. No mana signature. Just... ice."
I kept my head down, pulling my hoodie over my hair.
"Raven! Hey!"
Suji and Min-ho ran up to me. Suji looked like she hadn't slept, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Raven, thank god," she whispered, grabbing my arm. Her touch was frantic. "Did you see the news? The Association is locking down the district. They're looking for 'The Anomaly'. They're scanning everyone with a talent rank below B."
"Why below B?" I asked.
"Because they think the person is hiding their rank," Min-ho said, his [Enhanced Sight] eyes twitching as he scanned the rooftops. "There are drones everywhere, Raven. If they find out you were in that alley..."
"I wasn't," I lied smoothly. "I walked home the long way. Missed all the excitement."
Before they could ask more, a sleek, silver motorcycle roared through the school gates, scattering students like pigeons. The rider was a girl in a tight, white leather suit. She pulled off her helmet, and a waterfall of platinum-blonde hair spilled out.
She wasn't Lilith. This girl was different—regal, sharp, and radiating a mana signature that felt like a mountain of ice.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Elena Vance," Suji whispered, her voice full of awe. "The 'Ice Princess' of the American Branch. Her dad is the Chairman of the Union's Western Division. What is she doing in a Korean high school?"
Elena scanned the crowd, her gaze cold and dismissive. Then, her eyes landed on me.
She didn't look away. She climbed off her bike and walked straight toward us, the crowd parting like the Red Sea. She stopped two feet away, her icy blue eyes boring into mine.
The air temperature around us dropped ten degrees.
"Raven Desmerk," she said. Her Korean was perfect, but carried a heavy, aristocratic accent. "I've traveled six thousand miles to meet the man who faints at a mosquito bite."
She stepped closer, her face inches from mine. She was tall, nearly my height, and she smelled of expensive perfume and sharp winter air. She reached out, her gloved hand tilting my chin up. It wasn't a gentle gesture; it was an inspection.
"You don't look like a hero," she whispered, her eyes searching mine. "And you don't look like a king. You look like a boy who's very good at lying."
"I'm also very good at napping," I said, trying to maintain my 'Zero' persona. "If you're looking for an autograph, you'll have to wait. I have a failing grade in History to maintain."
Elena's lips quirked into a tiny, dangerous smile. "The God of Greed is missing two of his best 'Troops'. And the scent of the Void is all over this courtyard."
She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear—the same spot Lilith had bitten. "I'm going to be watching you, Raven. If you're the Anomaly, I'll be the one to put you on a leash. And if you're just a Zero... well, I've always wanted a pet."
She pulled back, her eyes sparking with a challenge. She didn't wait for an answer; she just turned and walked toward the main building, her hips swaying with a deliberate, provocative rhythm.
[Warning: Host's heart rate is dangerously high.]
[Detection: New 'Player' identified. Elena Vance (Rank: SSS-Rank / Potential Candidate).]
[Note: She's spicy, King. But she'll kill you if you slip up.]
"I really, really need a nap," I groaned, leaning my head against a cold locker.
Between the green parasite eating my sister, the silver-haired psycho stalking the alleys, and now an American Ice Princess breathing down my neck, my quiet life was officially a dumpster fire.
[Stamina: 30/100]
[New Objective: Infiltrate the Student Council Office. Elena Vance is hiding a 'Key'.]
[Reward: +30 Strength, Skill: 'Sovereign's Presence'.]
"Of course she is," I muttered. "Because why would anything be easy?"