Time seemed to slow as I felt something shift within me.
A creeping chill started inside—slow and deliberate, like ice forming along a still pond.
At first, it was faint—just a whisper against my nerves—but it quickly burrowed deeper, settling into my bones, delving further still.
My chest tightened. Each exhale formed a frosty plume as the air itself seemed to freeze.
My skin shifted in color, as if my entire body were succumbing to frostbite, black veins surfacing beneath the surface.
I couldn't move or make a sound, completely frozen in place.
Cracks began to form across my skin—faint lines at first, then widening as black frost bloomed along and through them.
The ice spread like ink along the edges of my body, chilling every muscle, sending my nerves into overdrive.
Darkness pooled at my feet, thick and patient, making itself known with subtle ripples.
My Eyes of Analysis flickered on without my consent. Motes of blue in countless shades, along with deep black, flooded my vision, completely overwhelming it.
My head throbbed, overwhelmed with information I couldn't comprehend. But I couldn't close my eyes—they were frozen wide open.
Cocooned in a storm of elemental motes, I felt the world around me shift.
Shadows and frost radiated outward from me, transforming the training ground into a realm of cold darkness.
The Primordial Dark Cold… it wasn't just around me—it was inside me. A presence, ancient and vast, settling against the edges of my soul, whispering its bottomless hunger and infinite cold.
Swoosh.
The temperature plummeted; the air froze instantly around me.
My long black hair spilled free from its tie, now a dark bluish-black sheen, faintly glimmering as if crystallized from the dark cold itself.
My gaze and face sharpened, colder than before. When I exhaled, clouds of dark, frosty mist curled outward.
Every fiber of my being hummed with it—a mixture of awe and dread—and yet I clung to it, not recoiling. I was becoming one with it, welcomed by its presence.
The cracks in my skin no longer merely marked me—they were symbols of alignment, dark frost etching a new truth into my body.
Darkness and cold intertwined within me, twin tides that threatened to overwhelm yet sharpened me, heightening every sense. I felt more alive in this terrifying cold.
I was no longer just myself—I was a vessel, a conduit, intimately bound to the Primordial Dark Cold.
Even as the frost spread and the chill dug deeper, a clarity settled in—a euphoric awareness, a closeness to something eternal and incomprehensible.
It was disorienting—almost unbearable—the sensation of being physically remade and attuned, while my mind brushed against overwhelming information… and something older than time, closer to the Dark Cold than any mortal should dare approach.
But—
I wasn't afraid.
Instead, I felt at home.
Welcomed.
As the phenomenon slowly subsided, the pain faded.
My cracked skin returned to normal, though paler than before.
My Eyes of Analysis deactivated, instantly relieving the mind-splitting headache.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, my back slammed onto the floor.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Exhaustion washed over my body in waves as I lay there, eyes now closed, facing the ceiling for a moment.
"Huff… Holy fuck… ha… that shit sucks…"
But then a cold, soothing energy spread through my body, restoring me slightly from within.
I slowly opened my weary eyes and something caught my attention—
"There's so many!"
Motes of black and blue danced in the air above me, as though trying to draw my attention. So many surrounded me that I could no longer see any other colors in the training room.
Curious, I raised both tired arms toward the elemental motes drifting through the air. The black motes rushed to my left hand, while the blue ones gathered around my right.
So this is the Primordial Dark Cold talent…
Both were chilly to the touch as my hands drifted through the motes. The blue ones, in particular, were colder than the black, carrying a calm, almost tranquil stillness. The black motes felt empty… yet hungry, as though they were nibbling at my hand like fish in a pond.
As I drifted my hands through the elemental motes, I felt an intimate connection with them.
It wasn't a very close connection—more like we were simply aware of each other, with the promise of something deeper in the future.
As I lay there, lost in the sensations the elementals were feeding me, a thought began to form—subtle at first, then sharper.
Curiosity stirred… followed quickly by a flicker of excitement.
I hesitated for only a moment before deciding to try it.
"Ice Spear!"
The cold elementals stirred—but not with urgency. They moved slowly, almost lazily, as if obeying out of curiosity rather than command.
They began to gather, forming the outline of an icicle-shaped construct before—
Fizz.
Nothing happened.
Since the cold elementals didn't work, I tried again—this time with the dark ones.
"Dark Spear!"
The process repeated, albeit slightly faster… but the result was the same—
Fizz.
I pushed myself back into a sitting position and looked down at my hands, confused.
They had responded… just not how I expected.
My fingers flexed slowly, as if trying to feel for something that wasn't quite there anymore.
"…Why didn't it work?"
A slight frown tugged at my lips as I glanced back at the drifting motes, my curiosity only growing.
Maybe… I was forcing it.
Instead of trying to shape them, I let my hands relax.
I reached out again—slowly this time.
The motes responded almost immediately.
The blue ones drifted toward my right hand, settling gently against my skin. A faint chill spread across my palm, soft and steady, like a quiet winter morning. Thin traces of frost formed along my fingers, delicate and barely visible, clinging without biting.
On my left, the black motes gathered more eagerly.
They coiled around my hand, not quite touching—just hovering close, like they were circling something they couldn't fully grasp. A thin veil of dark mist rolled off my palm, slow and weightless, dissipating into the air before reforming again.
I watched, fascinated.
No strain. No command.
Just… response.
"…So is this how it works?"
I turned my hands slightly, observing the difference.
Other than their chill…
The cold felt calm. Still. Almost comforting.
The dark… wasn't.
Arrogant.
It lingered.
Watched.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations brushing against my hands and forearms.
A faint, strange awareness brushed against my senses—
Not close… but not distant either.
It didn't approach.
It simply was.
My breath slowed on its own, instinct overriding thought as I stilled, focusing inward… then outward… then somewhere in between.
Trying to feel it.
Understand it.
The air grew… heavy.
Not in weight—but in presence.
A chill crept along my skin, subtle at first, then deeper—slipping past flesh, past bone, settling somewhere inside me. Not cold enough to freeze… but cold enough to silence.
Even the room seemed to quiet.
No breeze.
No sound.
Just that… awareness.
Watching.
Waiting.
My heartbeat echoed louder in the stillness—
—and then even that began to fade, as if something vast and ancient was pressing against my existence, measuring… acknowledging…
Or perhaps—accepting?
And in that moment—
Something shifted.
Not around me.
But within.
——
{Ding! Congratulations on awakening Primordial Dark Cold talent!}
{Ding! Initial understanding has been reached with Dark and Cold elementals!}
{Ding! User Profile has been updated!}
——
The sound shattered everything.
Sharp. Artificial. Out of place.
Like a blade cutting through a silent abyss.
"Hmm?"
My voice came out quieter than expected—almost distant.
As if I hadn't fully returned yet.
Gathering myself, I shifted my attention to the notifications on the system interface, closed them, then navigated to the User Profile and scrolled down.
——
…
[Abilities & Talents]
» Primordial Dark Cold
Talent Rank - Primordial
Information: Before the First Star ignited, before Light and Motion took form, there existed only cold and endless darkness.
From that silence, the Primordial Dark Cold was born—shaped by the wish of the First Consciousness to ever stir within the Void.
The nature of that wish has been lost… or perhaps, deliberately forgotten.
Initial abilities are the following:
» Touch of Dark Cold
A foundational expression of the Primordial Dark Cold, manifested through touch.
- The Cold aspect manifests as a chilling force that seeps into anything it contacts, draining warmth and spreading frost with quiet, creeping precision.
- The Dark aspect manifests as a subtle, consuming presence that devours what it touches—energy, essence, or motion—and can veil anything it comes into contact with.
» Umbral Chill
- Launches a pulse of Dark Cold in the form of a sweeping, chilling wind. Upon contact, enemies experience slowed movement for 7 seconds while their energy is gradually drained.
» Black Frost Mark
- Black Frost Mark can be placed on up to three targets at a time. The mark gradually drains their energy as a creeping cold settles within, inducing a lethargic state.
The stolen energy is refined through Dark Cold, becoming a potent fuel for the user's cultivation.
The rate of drain varies depending on the target's life level and willpower.
{Notice: All abilities are growth-based and evolve alongside the user. Each can be expanded, combined, and refined to create new abilities. These form the foundation of your path.}
——
A quiet "hehe" slipped out.
Then another.
"Hehe… heh…"
It bubbled up from my chest, spilling over—
"haha… hahahaha—HAHAHAHA!"
"Insane!"