Sergei’s new mission began in the Demon King’s Castle’s deepest level, through abandoned sewage pipes. This was the dirtiest and most secluded corner of the entire castle. The air was thick with the stench of sulfur and decaying matter, and the walls were covered with glowing, mutated moss.

  Sergei walked alone through knee-deep sewage, the putrid water reaching his knees. To protect himself from the corrosive fumes, he activated his Black Hole Armor again. His entire body was covered in jet-black, fluid metal, making him move through the darkness like a ghost. He didn't take the secret passage through which the hero's squad had retreated—a path surely being watched by scouts from the Papal States. Nor did he go through the main gate, where sharpshooters from the Ironblood Empire were lying in wait. He chose a route known only to rats and the First Demon King: the Abyss sewage outlet. This pipeline led directly to an underground river in the far north permafrost, making it a perfect blind spot.

  “System, report energy consumption.” Sergei kept his balance on the slippery pipe walls while giving orders in his mind.

  [Host: Sergei (Armor Overlay Mode)]

  [HP: 0.8% (Extremely Dangerous)]

  [Current energy consumption: 0.01% per minute (used to maintain gas filtration and exoskeleton support)]

  [Warning: If this mode is maintained, energy will be depleted in 30 minutes.]

  “This battery life… it’s practically an electric wheelchair with a V12 engine.” Sergei snorted coldly. Right now, he was like a tank loaded with a nuclear warhead but without fuel; the intimidation was still there, but the slightest movement would cause it to break down.

  He quickened his pace. The pipe exit was just ahead, and through the rusty iron fence, he could already see the howling wind and snow outside.

  “It’s time to change clothes. If we go out looking like this, we’ll be wanted by the entire continent in less than half an hour.” Sergei stopped in front of the fence and glanced at the outside world through his visor.

  “System, activate Stealth Mode. Retract the armor.”

  [Command confirmed.]

  [Warning: This process will involve severe skeletal compression and nerve reconnection. Pain level: 8.]

  “Implement.” Sergei gritted his teeth and gave the order.

  Click… Sizzle!

  The next second, a sharp pain, as if the skin and flesh of his whole body were being peeled off, instantly struck. The black, fluid metal covering his body seemed to come alive; like countless tiny venomous snakes, it rapidly retreated from his limbs, torso, and head. It frantically contracted along his blood vessels and nerves, eventually surging all towards his left wrist.

  “Hmm…” Sergei groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat mingling with the dirty water from the sewer dripping down. But he didn’t scream, enduring the impact with the willpower of a special forces soldier.

  Ten seconds later.

  The armor completely disappeared. Sergei reverted to his human form. He stood 1.85 meters tall, with muscles as defined as a cheetah’s, and a sharply defined face. However, his once dazzling blond hair had turned a dull grayish-white due to the depletion of light elements within his body. And on his left wrist, that… Black Smart Bracelet was emitting a faint heat—the residual heat from the compressed massive amount of energy that had just been recovered. The dial was pure black, without any markings. Only a dark red hand moved at an extremely slow, yet unsettling pace… rotating counterclockwise.

  [Status: Standby.]

  [Red pointer: Hibernation countdown.]

  [Remaining time: 11 hours and 20 minutes.]

  “Is this my fate? A watch that runs backwards.” Sergei raised his wrist, glanced at the decreasing number, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. “Time is of the essence. Send me the location of ‘that thing’.”

  [Retrieving target data...]

  [Target codename: Divine Container]

  [Real name: Aria.]

  [Current coordinates: Sector 7, Far North Wasteland. Distance from here: 45 kilometers.]

  [Status: Unawakened. Currently experiencing extreme hunger and cold.]

  A red coordinate point popped up on his retina, along with a blurry magical image. She was a young girl shivering in the wind and snow, wrapped in tattered animal hides, clutching a rusty iron sword tightly in her hand. Though her face was covered in dirt, her wary eyes resembled those of a lone wolf in the wilderness.

  “45 kilometers…extreme hunger…” Sergei frowned. If this "human power bank" starved to death before he arrived, then he would really become a cannibalistic zombie.

  “System, plan the shortest route. Avoid the Ironblood Empire’s watchtowers.”

  [Route generated. Recommended route: Black Pine Forest. They used the blizzard as cover.]

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  Sergei pulled a tattered cloak from the mud beside the pipe—it belonged to an unfortunate thief who had tried to infiltrate the Demon King’s castle but died in the sewers. He disgustedly shook off the maggots, then wrapped the cloak around himself, concealing his striking gray hair and the black device on his wrist.

  “From this moment forward, ‘Dawn Warrior’ Sergei is dead in the Demon King’s Castle.”

  He pulled a dagger he had looted from a thief from his waist, twirled it gracefully in his hand, and gripped it in a reverse grip. The movement was as practiced as eating or drinking, exuding the cold ruthlessness of a professional soldier.

  “Right now, I’m just a wandering mercenary who’s busy making money… no, he’s busy ‘recharging’.”

  “Code name… Black.”

  Boom!

  With a muffled thud, the rusty iron fence was kicked open. The biting wind, mixed with snowflakes, rushed into the sewers in an instant, emitting a howling sound like ghosts wailing.

  Sergei stepped out of the darkness. Before him stretched an endless, pale wasteland. The blizzard of the far north cut like knives across his face, but he felt no cold. This was because the "black hole bracelet" on his wrist was greedily absorbing the meager heat energy from the surrounding environment, even converting the kinetic energy of the wind and snow hitting his body into a tiny amount of electricity to keep his body running. He took a deep breath of the cold air, and a sharp pain shot through his lungs, but the pain made him feel incredibly real and clear-headed.

  There was no more whisper of God, no more false cheers. Only the cruel laws of survival applied.

  Sergei lowered the brim of his cloak, his dark eyes locking onto a faintly flickering red coordinate point in the north, as if it might go out at any moment.

  Suddenly, the previously steady flashing red dot began to beat violently, beeping incessantly. The bracelet emitted a rapid vibration alarm.

  [Warning: High-energy biological reaction detected approaching the target!]

  [Identification Signal: Abyssal Wolf x 3 (Target Status: Extremely Weak (Hunger)/Hypothermia), incapacitated.]

  [Survival probability projection: 0%]

  [Expected contact time: 180 Seconds.]

  “Damn it…” Sergei’s heart clenched as he stared at the frantic countdown of "3 minutes" on his wristband. If it were just cold and hunger, she might be able to hold on a little longer; but once these beasts made their move, that weak "power bank" would instantly turn into a pile of minced meat.

  “You dare touch my lifeline…” A flash of violent killing intent crossed Sergei’s eyes. His figure suddenly accelerated across the snow, relying on S-rank physical explosive power. It left a trail of afterimages across the snowfield. The wind and snow howled in his ears, and he roared inwardly, with a desperate, frantic urge:

  Hang in there, newbie!

  “That’s my life! Anyone who dares to bite me, I’ll kill their entire family!”

  —-------------

  Region 7: Edge of the Far Northern Permafrost - "Black Pine Forest"

  The wind here had weight. The north wind, mixed with ice shards, was like a series of blunt knives, tirelessly cutting at every inch of exposed skin.

  Aria lay prone behind a snow-covered dead tree, carefully controlling her breathing to avoid disturbing her prey with her breath. It was a snow hare from the far north. It was alertly pricking up its ears, nibbling at the moss under the tree roots. For the nobles living in the peaceful south, this was a lovely pet; but for the homeless children living in the seventh district, it was a life-saving dinner that could keep them alive for two more days.

  Aria’s fingers were frozen purple, but she still gripped the chipped iron sword tightly. It was a flawed weapon older than her, the hemp rope wrapped around the hilt worn black.

  Closer… Closer…

  Her normally jet-black eyes narrowed slightly as she focused, a barely perceptible golden halo flashing deep within her pupils. In that instant, the wind and snow seemed to slow, and the pulsating veins beneath the snow rabbit’s fur became clearly visible.

  Now!

  Aria pushed off the ground with a jolt, her body shooting out like a snapped bowstring.

  Brush! The iron sword pierced the frozen ground, sending up a spray of ice shards. But this snow hare was clearly a survivor of the wasteland. At the critical moment when the sword was about to fall, it kicked its legs at an angle that defied the laws of physics and burrowed into the intricate network of tree roots.

  “…Damn it.” Aria knelt in the snow, staring at the dark entrance of the cave, when her stomach let out a thunderous protest.

  It was the third day. She hadn’t eaten a hot meal for three whole days. Her last meal was half a piece of rotten flesh snatched from the mouth of a dead dire wolf. A wave of intense dizziness washed over her, and she had to use her sword to support herself to avoid collapsing. Hunger was like an invisible hand churning in her stomach, slowly draining her last bit of strength.

  “We can’t fall here… If we fall, we’ll be buried by the snow.” Aria bit her chapped lips and tasted a hint of blood. The taste brought her to her senses slightly. She stood up and brushed the snow off her animal-skin coat. This ill-fitting old coat was something she had dug out of a pile of corpses; it still bore the bloodstains and musty smell of its previous owner, but in the far north at minus thirty degrees Celsius, it was her second skin.

  She looked up at the gray sky. The snow seemed to be getting heavier. “We need to find a place to spend the night.”

  Aria sheathed the useless iron sword and trudged deeper into the forest. This "Black Pine Forest" was located at the border between the Ironblood Empire and the Eastern Martial Domain, a true lawless land. There were no laws, no gods, only the survival of the fittest.

  As she walked, Aria’s hand unconsciously reached for her chest. Hidden beneath her clothes was a rough wooden pendant, the only keepsake her adoptive father had left her.

  “Aria, remember, never go to a place with a cross.”

  “If anyone asks about your eyes, say it’s an illness.”

  “Never… let anyone from the church see you.”

  It was a snowy night a year ago. A group of people dressed in white robes and carrying golden staffs stormed into their village. They called themselves the cleaners of the "Inquisition." Her adoptive father hid her in a wine barrel in the cellar; that was the last time she saw his back. Through the cracks in the wooden planks, she saw those noble "clergy" burning the entire village with holy flames, sparing not even newborn babies. They were searching for some kind of "vessel," chanting sacred scriptures, yet their hands were blacker than demons. From that day on, Aria no longer believed in God. If God was that group of butchers, then she would rather be a beast for the rest of her life.

  “Awooo—” A piercing wolf howl suddenly interrupted her recollection. Aria stopped abruptly, her hair standing on end. This was no ordinary wolf howl. The sound contained a nauseating hoarseness and frenzy, the unique cry of a mutated creature that had been contaminated in some way.

  The wind direction had changed. A strong, pungent stench wafted into her nostrils on the north wind. It wasn’t the smell of wild animals; it was the stench of sulfur and rotting corpses—the smell of the "Abyss".