Chapter 3: The Foundation of the Void
The cavern was no longer silent. It was filled with the sound of grinding bone and the sizzling of liquid light.
Kael's body arched off the muddy floor, his spine curving like a bowstring. The Rebirth process wasn't a gentle healing; it was a violent reconstruction. His human DNA was being overwritten by something ancient, something that didn't belong to the laws of Aethelgard.
"Don't... pass... out..." Kael hissed through clenched teeth. Blood leaked from his tear ducts as his shattered femur snapped back into place, the bone density increasing until it was harder than the Star-Iron he had spent years mining.
Every nerve ending felt like it was being dipped in molten gold. He watched, horrified and fascinated, as his pale, sickly skin peeled away, revealing a new layer that looked like polished marble, faintly humming with a hidden power.
[Ding! Reconstruction 40% complete...]
[Integrating 'Void Heart'. Initiating Mana-Drain adaptation.]
A black vortex opened in the center of Kael's chest, where a Mana Core should have been. In this world, everyone was a "battery" for mana. But Kael? The System was turning him into a Black Hole.
The ambient mana in the cavern—the purple energy leaking from the spatial rift and the lingering essence of the dead Void Crawler—was violently sucked into Kael's chest.
[Warning: Host's body is currently Rank 0. Absorbing high-density energy will cause cellular collapse.]
[Solution: Converting excess energy into 'Void Points'.]
The pain reached a crescendo. Kael's vision turned white, and for a second, he felt his soul leave his body, looking down at the mangled boy being remade by golden and black lightning. Then, with a final, thunderous heartbeat that echoed through the entire mine, the light vanished.
Kael fell back to the ground, gasping.
He stayed there for a long time, listening to the drip of water from the ceiling. He felt... different. His senses were sharp—too sharp. He could hear the heartbeat of a rat three tunnels away. He could smell the ozone from the rift.
Slowly, he stood up. There was no pain. His clothes were rags, soaked in blood and grime, but the body underneath was lean, corded with whip-like muscle, and radiating a cold, predatory pressure.
"System... status," Kael whispered.
A sleek, translucent blue interface expanded in his field of vision.
[Host Status Window]
Name: Kael
Title: The One Who Defied Fate
Rank: 0 (The Absolute Beginning)
Sub-Rank: Early-Stage
Level: 3 (Exp: 450/1000)
Life Force: 42% (Warning: Life Span reduced by 50 years due to 'Beginner's Grace')
Attributes:
* Strength: 15 (Mortal Average: 5)
* Agility: 18 (Mortal Average: 5)
* Endurance: 20 (Mortal Average: 5)
* Intelligence: 14 (Mortal Average: 7)
* Void Essence: 100/100 (Replaces Mana)
Unique Skill: * [Devourer's Gaze (Lv.1)]: Passive. Can see the Rank, Weakness, and Mana-flow of any target within 10 meters.
* [Void Step (Lv.1)]: Active. Move through the shadows for 2 meters. Cost: 20 Void Essence.
Kael stared at the stats. His physical attributes were already triple that of a normal human, yet he was still technically Rank 0.
"My lifespan..." Kael muttered, touching his white-streaked hair. "I gave up half my life to kill that bug. I don't have much time."
[Ding! Host is correct. To regain your life force and ascend, you must 'Devour'. The 12 Ranks of this world are your stepping stones.]
[The 12 Ranks of Aethelgard:]
* Novice
* Acolyte
* Adept
* Master
* Grandmaster
* Lord
* King
* Emperor
* Sovereign
* Saint
* Demi-God
* Ultimate God
"Ultimate God..." Kael gripped his fist. The air around his hand distorted. "Brunt is a Mid-Rank 1 Novice. To the world, I'm still a 'Zero'. But now... I'm a Zero that can eat Ranks."
He turned his gaze toward the corpse of the Void Crawler.
[Would you like to Devour the 'Rank 3 Void Crawler' remnant?]
"Yes," Kael said firmly.
Black tendrils shot out from his shadow, wrapping around the massive beast. In seconds, the chitin, the flesh, and the remaining mana were liquidated and pulled into Kael's shadow.
[Devour Complete!]
[+1200 Exp! Level Up!]
[Level: 4]
[Reward: Skill 'Void Scythe' (Mimicked from the beast).]
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from the tunnel entrance. Torches flickered against the walls.
"The tremor came from here! Hurry!" a voice shouted. It was Brunt, accompanied by three other mine guards.
Kael stood in the center of the carnage, his white-streaked hair fluttering in the cold wind of the rift. He didn't hide. He didn't run. For the first time in eighteen years, he felt a cold, dark hunger.
"Zero? You're alive?" Brunt stepped into the clearing, his jaw dropping as he saw the blood-splattered Kael and the missing corpse of the beast. "What happened here? And your hair... why is it white?"
Brunt's eyes fell on the 'Fang of the Ruined King' dagger still in Kael's hand. Greed instantly replaced his confusion.
"That dagger... that's a magic artifact! You thief! You stole that from the ruins, didn't you?" Brunt drew his heavy iron mace, his Rank 1 mana flickering around him like a weak candle. "Hand it over, trash, and maybe I'll let you live as my slave."
Kael looked at Brunt. Through [Devourer's Gaze], he saw Brunt's mana core—a flickering, pathetic yellow spark in his chest. He saw the crack in Brunt's stance, the slow pulse of his jugular.
"Brunt," Kael said, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "You've spent five years calling me 'Zero'. Do you want to see what 'Zero' actually looks like?"
"You're asking for death!" Brunt roared, charging forward with his mace raised high.
Kael didn't move until the last second.
"Void Step."
Kael vanished into the shadows.