Darkness again.
But this time, it wasn't the oppressive void of rebirth. It was memory—faint, warm, and distant. Nero stood barefoot in a moonlit dojo, sweat dripping from his brow. His hands were calloused, his muscles honed through endless repetition. Blades lined the wall behind him. Spears. Swords. Daggers. Hammers.
"Master, why do you train with everything?" a young disciple had once asked him.
Nero had smiled. "Because I seek a style that is mine. One that answers no form, but adapts to all. A style that isn't limited by the weapon—but defined by the wielder."
He named it Nero Style.
Every movement was designed to flow with any weapon. He deconstructed martial philosophies, rebuilt them from instinct. He wasn't the strongest, but he was the most unpredictable. He learned every form—then broke every form. It was obsession. It was love.
And now, in Hellworld, he was rebuilding again—from the ground up.
___________________
The taste of ember flesh lingered on his tongue. Nero sat in the crevice of a scorched canyon wall, his sharp eyes scanning the desolate, blood-hazed birthing grounds. Dozens of newborn demonkin had spawned in the surrounding area—each born with an element, each instinctively driven to kill.
But only one lacked an element.
And only one had tasted another.
---------------------------------
> System Notification <
New Trait Acquired: Minor Fire Resistance
Gained through consumption of Ember Demon.
VIT +1
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
[ Status Window ]
True Name: Numen
Alias: Nero
Race: Demonkin (Variant - Non-Elemental)
Level: 1
EXP: 30 / 100
STR: 4
DEX: 5
VIT: 4
INT: 6
Traits:
GOD Furnace (Locked)
Gluttony (Active)
Minor Fire Resistance
Skills: None
DGP: 50
---------------------------------
The stats weren't impressive. But this… Gluttony—this was power unlike anything he'd imagined.
It was as if every kill made him more. The human in him still resisted the thought. Cannibalizing others? Even demons? It was revolting.
But when he had tasted the Ember Demon, it was delicious. Not grotesque. Not rotten. Like grilled meat over coals. The act was instinctive. He hadn't just wanted to eat—it had felt natural.
"This body was made to consume," he murmured. "Then I'll consume my way to strength."
The ground trembled nearby. Another newborn stepped into view.
It was a four-armed creature, with glistening skin like obsidian and eyes burning with blue light. From its hands crackled threads of ice and steam.
---------------------------------
> System Notification <
- Nearby hostile detected -
Lesser Ice Demon (Variant)
Recommended Action: Engage or Evade
Mission Available:
Objective: Slay the Lesser Ice Demon
Reward: 40 DGP, 25 EXP
Bonus: Chance to gain trait or skill via Gluttony
Accept? [Y/N]
---------------------------------
"Yes."
Nero stood. His body still ached from the last fight, but the pain taught him. Each limb responded faster now. His footwork was more stable. His breathing more efficient. He slid low along the canyon path, his claws extending, his stance shifting.
"Nero Style: Feral Form."
No weapon. Only instinct and precision.
The Ice Demon let out a hiss, frost curling along the ground. Shards of ice surged toward Nero—but he rolled under them, reading its movement like he had read opponents in a ring back on Earth.
He remembered the old rule: Observe. Adapt. Overwhelm.
The creature swung its claw—Nero ducked. He swept the legs. It hovered slightly—levitating? No, skating on ice mist.
He leapt, grabbed one arm, twisted, and drove his claw into its chest. The creature howled, struggling in agony. It was faster than the Ember Demon—but fragile. Ice cracked under heat. He pressed harder, tearing through its core.
---------------------------------
> System Notification <
- Enemy defeated -
EXP Earned: 25
DGP Earned: 40
Total EXP: 55 / 100
Total DGP: 90
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
> Gluttony activated <
Consuming remains…
Minor Ice Resistance Acquired
VIT +1
Skill Obtained: Ice Thread (Lesser)
---------------------------------
Nero wiped his mouth, blood streaked across his jaw. His heart raced, not from the kill—but the satisfaction.
"Fire and ice, huh?" he muttered. "I see now. Opposing elements… they cancel each other out."
His eyes narrowed. Around him, the battlefield still echoed with cries and howls. The war of newborns continued.
He wouldn't stop now.
He couldn't.
Because something inside him whispered louder with every bite.
Hunger.