Frost raced through the ruins while dust rolled from the two collapsed walls.
Hajin had heard the Zone described by retired Rankers who spoke of it like a second awakening.
Shards measured how much power a core could hold, while the Zone changed how a fighter touched the power already present in the world.
An ordinary fighter drew mana from the core, circulated it through pathways, shaped the result, and released it. Masters could shorten those steps but never truly erase them.
Helen of the ice had erased every single step between intent and release.
The cold around her reacted to instinct before conscious thought could form. Moisture froze wherever her attention passed, and her body became a conduit for ambient mana.
'No casting delay and no need to draw from the core for every attack. It would be perfect if a human body were built to survive it.'
A human body was never built to channel the surrounding world without protection.
