The orb rested quietly in Ash's palm.
It was about the size of a baby's fist, glowing faintly with an orange light. At first glance, it looked ordinary—but the moment he held it, a strange feeling spread through his body.
Understanding.
It was as if he had always known what to do with it.
"…So this is how it works."
Ash tightened his grip.
The orb trembled slightly.
Then—
A flash of light burst out.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to dim.
When the light faded—
Something new rested in his hand.
A sword.
A greatsword.
Cold.
Dark.
Heavy.
The moment Ash held it, the temperature around him dropped noticeably.
Faint frost began to form along the blade.
Then—
The system appeared.
Glacial Tyrant
A weapon born from absolute frost.
Its power can break through the defenses of most creatures below Level 45.
Its edge is capable of piercing armored steel.
Effect: Strength +25
Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Glacial Tyrant."
The name echoed in his mind as if the weapon itself had spoken.
The sword was just over a meter long, its blade wide and engraved with countless mysterious patterns. The hilt felt perfectly balanced in his grip, as if it had been made specifically for him.
Ash swung it once.
Then again.
A faint whistling sound cut through the air.
Despite its size, the sword felt light.
Natural.
Like an extension of his body.
Although he had never used a greatsword before, there was no discomfort.
Only control.
Only power.
"…Good."
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
With this weapon, he no longer needed to risk getting too close to enemies.
More importantly—
His strength had increased drastically.
He could feel it.
Power surged through his body like a current.
Ash clenched his free hand.
"…I could crush stone with this."
Curious, he called up his status window.
Green text appeared before his eyes.
Name: Ash
Level: 8
Race: Human
Talent: Frost Sovereign
Job: None
Title: None
Status Points: 16
Strength: 20 (+25)
Agility: 16
Health: 15
Stamina: 16
Mana: 109
Magic: 109
Ash looked at the numbers calmly.
Forty-five strength.
That was more than four times what a normal human could achieve before the apocalypse.
And this—
Was only the beginning.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Growth.
Visible.
Measurable.
Addictive.
But his expression quickly returned to normal.
Because reality—
Was waiting outside.
Ash stepped out of the building.
And what he saw—
Was hell.
Students were running everywhere in panic.
Screams echoed across the campus.
Zombies staggered through the open spaces.
But they weren't alone.
Massive insects crawled across walls and ceilings.
Strange mutated animals roamed freely.
Some creatures were even fighting each other.
Devouring.
Evolving.
Growing stronger.
The weak—
Were nothing more than food.
Ash tightened his grip on the Glacial Tyrant.
"…So this is the new world."
Humans were no longer at the top.
Not anymore.
If they wanted to survive—
They had to fight.
They had to adapt.
Or die.
Ash's gaze turned cold.
"No one is coming to save you."
His voice was calm.
Certain.
"In this world… you survive on your own."
Even so—
He didn't stand still.
Because no matter how cold he was—
He still had something to protect.
His family.
"I'll find them."
Even if he had to walk through hell.
Even if he had to kill everything in his path.
He would survive.
And he would find them.
Suddenly—
A scream.
Ash turned his head.
A girl was running desperately, her face pale with fear.
Behind her—
A massive cat.
Nearly five feet tall.
Its muscles rippled as it moved with terrifying speed.
In seconds—
It caught up.
The creature pounced.
The girl fell.
Her eyes widened in terror as the beast opened its jaws.
Then—
A flash.
A cold, silent flash.
The world seemed to pause for a split second.
The cat stopped.
Completely.
Then—
Its head slid off its body.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
The girl froze.
Breathing heavily.
Shaking.
Then she looked up.
Ash stood there.
The Glacial Tyrant resting calmly in his hand.
You have killed a Level 12 Mutated Cat
Agility +4
Stamina +4
Ash didn't even glance at the corpse.
"Stand up."
His voice was cold.
Sharp.
"If you want to live, follow me."
He didn't wait for her response.
He had already turned.
Already moving.
Nearby, a student was being attacked by a giant bee.
Ash stepped forward.
One swing.
The bee split in half.
Clean.
Effortless.
The student stared in shock.
Then quickly followed.
The girl hesitated for only a second before rushing after him.
Soon—
More followed.
Not because Ash asked them to.
But because they understood.
He was strong.
And in this world—
Strength meant survival.
Ash moved forward steadily.
Toward the gymnasium.
It was the safest place he could think of.
No glass windows.
Fewer entry points.
Easier to defend.
Even though he wanted to rush to his family—
He didn't.
Because rushing blindly—
Was suicide.
"I need information first."
The situation.
The enemies.
The system.
Everything mattered.
Along the way—
Ash killed.
Saved.
Moved forward.
More than fifteen students joined behind him.
Some injured.
Some crying.
Some completely silent.
But all of them—
Alive.
Because of him.
Ash didn't speak much.
He didn't comfort them.
Didn't reassure them.
He simply moved forward.
And killed anything that got in the way.
Zombies.
Insects.
Beasts.
Everything fell before the Glacial Tyrant.
But Ash noticed something important.
Zombies were the weakest.
Slow.
Predictable.
But deadly.
Because even a scratch—
Meant death.
Mutated animals, on the other hand—
Were faster.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
Suddenly—
A group of students appeared ahead.
Five of them.
Running desperately.
Behind them—
Ten zombies.
Ash's eyes narrowed.
Then—
Something worse.
From the opposite direction—
Another group of zombies appeared.
Five more.
The students were trapped.
One of them panicked.
He froze for a second—
And that was enough.
A zombie clawed his arm.
He screamed.
Then tried to run.
But it was too late.
The others realized it instantly.
They were surrounded.
Despair filled their faces.
Ash stopped walking.
His grip on the Glacial Tyrant tightened.
The people behind him trembled.
Because this—
Was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Fifteen zombies.
In close range.
Even for Ash—
It wasn't simple.
But then—
He stepped forward.
Slowly.
Calmly.
His eyes cold.
His presence—
Sharp.
"I said it before…"
His voice was low.
"…if you want to survive…"
Frost began to spread from his feet.
The air grew colder.
"…then don't panic."
The zombies turned toward him.
All of them.
Ash raised his sword.
The blade shimmered with cold light.
"…Follow me."
And in the next second—
He moved.