This is the perfect moment to show the world that while his mana is "broken," his technique is God-tier.
Chapter 6: The Steel Waltz
The carriage hummed along the forest road toward the trade town of Oakhaven. Inside, Kaelith sat in silence, his fingers tracing the leather of the satchel the butler had given him. Outside, the two escort knights—men who had been sent along more to ensure he actually left than to protect him—chattered idly, their armor clinking with every bump in the road.
Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a violent halt.
"Arrows!" the driver screamed, before a sickening thud silenced him.
"Ambush!" one of the knights yelled, drawing his blade.
Kaelith peered through the curtain. A swarm of bandits—at least twenty—emerged from the treeline like starving wolves. They weren't common thieves; these were deserters, men who moved with a crude but dangerous coordination.
The two Valkarin knights fought bravely, their swords glowing with faint flickers of Mana. But they were overwhelmed. Numbers beat talent. Within minutes, one knight was down with a bolt in his shoulder, and the other was disarmed, forced to his knees as the bandit leader—a scarred giant with a heavy axe—approached.
"The Valkarin crest," the leader grinned, looking at the carriage. "A noble's brat. Let's see what kind of ransom a 'Zero' is worth."
The carriage door creaked open.
Kaelith stepped out. His face was a mask of Cold Resolve. He didn't look at the bandits; he looked at the fallen sword of the wounded knight.
"Stay back, kid!" the downed knight coughed. "Run!"
Kaelith didn't run. He walked. He reached down and gripped the hilt of the steel longsword. The moment his fingers closed around the leather wrap, the world slowed down.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[ EX-RANK SWORDSMANSHIP ACTIVATED ]
[ MUSCLE MEMORY SYNCHRONIZING... ]
"Kill him," the leader scoffed.
Three bandits lunged. To the knights, they were fast. To Kaelith, they were moving through honey.
He didn't swing wildly. He moved with a fluidity that defied logic. A subtle tilt of his head let an arrow whistle past his ear. A single, precise step to the left put the first bandit in the way of the second.
Clang.
With a flick of his wrist, Kaelith parried a heavy mace and used the momentum to drive his blade through the man's throat. It wasn't strength—it was perfect geometry. He spun, the steel whistling a low, deadly tune.
He was a blur of silver. Every movement was a masterpiece of efficiency. He didn't waste an inch of motion. Even as the bandits swarmed, Kaelith danced between them, his eyes glowing with that faint, ghostly blue light.
But it was hard. His sixteen-year-old body was weak, his lungs burning from the exertion. He had the mind of a god but the frame of a boy. He had to rely on pure, raw insight.
The bandit leader roared, swinging his massive axe. Kaelith didn't block it—his sword would have snapped. Instead, he stepped into the leader's guard, the axe blade passing inches above his head, and drove the point of his sword into the man's heart.
Silence fell over the clearing. The remaining bandits, terrified by the "ghost" in the mud, scrambled back into the woods.
Kaelith stood amidst the carnage, leaning heavily on the blood-stained blade. His breath came in ragged gasps, but his mind was crystal clear.
[ QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE THE ROAD ]
[ REWARDS GRANTED: STAT ACCESS & MANA INSIGHT ]
A new panel appeared before his eyes:
> STATUS WINDOW
> * Strength: 8
> * Agility: 12
> * Stamina: 7
> * Intelligence: 25
> * Mana: 0 (Core Damaged)
> [ NEW INSIGHT: THE VOID PATH ]
> Because your core is shattered, you cannot hold mana. You must consume it from external sources. To awaken, find a high-purity Mana Crystal and devour its essence.
>
Kaelith looked at the two knights, who were staring at him in absolute horror and awe. They had never seen a "Zero" move like that.
"You..." the wounded knight stammered. "How?"
Kaelith didn't answer. He wiped the blade clean and stepped back into the carriage. "Drive," he said to the terrified backup driver. "We're losing daylight."