"Thud."
A bloody, still-warm corpse slammed into the muddy ground right next to Cade's feet. Filthy blood splattered onto his faded pant legs.
New Terra. The Outlands. Waste Processing District 19.
High above, the colossal "Eye of Order" on the Tower beamed down a blinding white searchlight. Like the cold eye of a prison warden, it scanned this hellhole built of scrap metal and despair.
Cade stopped walking.
He wore a washed-out grey hoodie, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Black bangs hung low, hiding his eyes. His gaze was like a stagnant pool of dead water—void of fear, void of pity, void of… anything.
The man at his feet wasn't fully dead yet. A trembling, blood-soaked hand clawed at Cade's ankle—a desperate, final survival instinct.
"…H-Hide… it…"
The man's throat rattled like broken bellows. With his last breath, he forced a scorching hot metal chip into Cade's palm. Then, his pupils dilated. Dead.
Cade looked down at the bloody chip in his hand.
Another idiot dying for so-called 'hope'.
In this land ruled by the Tower, hope was the most expensive contraband. Cade raised his hand, ready to toss the chip into the nearest sewer. He didn't want trouble. More accurately, he didn't care about anything happening in this world.
"VROOOOM—!"
Three ear-splitting engine roars tore through the night.
Cyan energy flared, illuminating the dark alley. Three Enforcers from the "Cyan Tower" dropped from the sky like heavy stones. Their heavy magnetic boots crushed the pavement, cracking the concrete into spiderwebs.
The leader wore a full-face tactical helmet. His electronic voice grated like grinding metal:
"Class D Wanted Criminal: Confirmed KIA."
Then, his glowing red ocular lens locked onto Cade. It wasn't the look of a human looking at another human. It was the look of a boot looking at a bug.
"You there. Outland vermin."
The Enforcer raised a finger encased in heavy alloy armor and beckoned arrogantly.
"Hand over what he gave you. Then, kneel and accept a memory wipe."
Cade stood frozen. He fingered the chip. To give, or not to give? It usually made no difference to him. The object meant nothing.
But… the Enforcer told him to kneel. And the Enforcer assumed he had to obey.
A cold, unfamiliar sensation sparked in the empty cavity of Cade's chest.
"Are you deaf?" Another Enforcer sneered, seeing Cade motionless. "Why talk to a piece of trash with zero Star Energy readings? Just chop his limbs off and take it."
"True."
The leader stepped forward. BOOM!
A terrifying pressure—White Tier Star Energy—crashed down like a mountain! The surrounding air turned viscous. Soda cans on the ground flattened instantly. Any normal person would have been crushed to the floor, pissing themselves in terror.
But Cade remained standing. His spine was like a rod of black iron that refused to bend.
"Hey," Cade spoke. His voice was low, calm, and cold as winter snow.
The Enforcer paused. "What?"
Cade slowly lifted his gaze. His pitch-black eyes reflected a darkness deeper than the night itself.
"I could give it to you."
He paused. Right in front of their faces, he slowly curled his fingers around the chip and slid it into his own pocket.
"But I choose… to refuse."
Silence. Dead silence filled the alley.
The three Enforcers froze. In New Terra, where the Laws of the Tower were absolute, no one dared to say "No." Especially not a powerless piece of trash from the wastelands.
"You are courting death!"
The leader exploded in rage. The humiliation burned. BOOM! An alloy-plated heavy fist, wrapped in high-pressure wind, punched straight at Cade's face! This punch was strong enough to explode a human head like a watermelon!
The wind pressure blew back Cade's hood, revealing his pale, sharp features. The fist was one inch from his nose.
And in that split second, the world in Cade's eyes… changed.
Time seemed to stop. He clearly saw it. Wrapped around these three "powerful" Enforcers were thousands of black chains. Chains dug into their spines, connecting them to the arrogant Tower in the sky. That was the [Light of Servitude]. Proof that they were tamed by rules and enslaved by fear.
But him? He was empty. He had no chains. He was the only wild animal in this steel forest.
[Ding!] [Absolute Free Will Detected.] [Soul Designation: Sequence 0.] [The 0th Law: ACTIVATED.]
Lines of burning golden text exploded on his retina.
[You have made a choice against survival instinct.] [Reward: Your Will is Power.] [Current Awakening: White Tier · Extreme Limit.]
"THUD!"
A muffled, heavy sound exploded in the alley. The expected spray of blood and brain matter did not happen.
That fist, capable of shattering stone, stopped in mid-air. Caught by a slender, pale hand.
Cade's fingers clamped around the alloy gauntlet. He tilted his head, his tone as casual as if asking about the weather:
"Is this the 'Rule' you are so proud of?"
"How… How is this possible?!" The Enforcer was terrified. He felt his hand being crushed by a hydraulic press. The alloy armor began to twist and groan, emitting a tooth-aching screech. "You have no energy readings… What are you?!"
Cade didn't answer. He simply followed the heat surging through his body. Power born not from the Tower, but from the simple fact that "I Chose."
"Who I am doesn't matter."
Cade's grip tightened.
CRACK—!!
The reinforced alloy gauntlet—and the bones inside it—pulverized instantly.
"AAAAHHH!" A blood-curdling scream tore through the night sky.
Cade didn't stop. He pulled the Enforcer forward and slammed his shoulder into the man's chest like a battering ram. That thin body erupted with the force of a dragon.
BANG!
The Enforcer flew backward like a cannonball, smashing through two brick walls at the end of the alley. Dust billowed. Silence followed. He didn't move again.
The remaining two Enforcers were paralyzed with fear. The blades in their hands shook violently. "Monster… You're a monster…"
Cade dusted off his shoulder. He stood under the dim streetlamp, half his face in shadow, half in light. Like a demon climbing out of hell.
He touched the chip in his pocket. It was cold, but his fingertips were burning hot.
"A monster?"
Cade turned to look at the trembling duo. The corner of his mouth twitched upward into a stiff, unfamiliar arc. It was a smile. Cold, wild, and arrogant.
"No." "Remember my words." "I am Cade." "And this is my 0th Law—"
"Stand in my way, and you sink."