The moment I stepped inside the building, the air felt different.
Heavier.
Colder.
The door closed behind me with a dull thud.
For a second, my eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light. The inside of the building was much larger than it looked from the outside.
Stone walls.
Wooden pillars.
Faint candlelight flickering along the sides.
At the center of the hall… something stood.
A pedestal.
And on top of it—
A sphere.
It wasn't large. Maybe the size of a human head. But something about it felt… wrong.
Like it didn't belong in this place.
Eron walked ahead of me without saying anything.
"Over here."
I followed him slowly, my eyes still locked on the sphere.
"...What is that?"
"You'll see."
We stopped a few steps away from the center.
Another person stood there.
An old man.
Wearing simple robes.
His hair was completely white, and his posture slightly bent, but his presence… was strange.
Calm.
Too calm.
Like he had seen too many things in his life.
"Eron," the old man said quietly.
"You brought someone."
"Yeah."
Eron stepped aside slightly.
"This is the one I told you about."
The old man's eyes moved toward me.
Sharp.
Too sharp.
It felt like he was looking straight through me.
"...Come closer."
I hesitated.
Then stepped forward.
Each step echoed slightly in the quiet hall.
When I stopped in front of him, he studied my face carefully.
"...Name?"
"Kazu."
"Full name."
"Kazu Asamura."
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Strange."
He stepped closer.
Before I could react—
His hand suddenly reached toward my neck.
I flinched.
But he stopped just before touching it.
"...As expected."
Eron crossed his arms.
"So?"
The old man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned toward the sphere.
"Place your hand on it."
I blinked.
"...What?"
"The sphere."
He pointed at it.
"Place your hand on it."
I looked at Eron.
He simply nodded.
"Just do it."
I hesitated for a moment.
Something about this felt wrong.
But…
I stepped forward.
The sphere was closer now.
Up close, it looked even stranger.
Smooth.
Almost like glass.
But inside…
Something faintly moved.
Like light.
Or mist.
I slowly raised my hand.
"...What does this do?"
"It shows potential."
The old man answered calmly.
"Mana."
"Strength."
"Talent."
My hand stopped just above the surface.
"...And if there's nothing?"
The old man looked at me.
Then said quietly—
"Then it shows nothing."
Silence.
For a moment, I just stared at the sphere.
Then—
I placed my hand on it.
Cold.
That was the first thing I felt.
Cold… and empty.
I waited.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Nothing happened.
No light.
No movement.
No reaction.
The sphere remained completely still.
Like a dead object.
Eron frowned slightly.
"...Is it broken?"
The old man didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on the sphere.
Then slowly…
He sighed.
"...I see."
My chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
No answer.
I pulled my hand away.
Still nothing.
"...Hey."
I looked at them.
"What does that mean?"
Eron scratched the back of his head.
"Well…"
The old man finally spoke.
"It means exactly what you think."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"There is nothing."
The words landed quietly.
But they hit harder than anything.
"...Nothing?"
"No mana reaction."
"No affinity."
"No potential."
He looked directly at me.
"You are empty."
Silence filled the hall.
I laughed.
A small, dry laugh.
"...Of course."
Of course it was like this.
No power.
No magic.
No special ability.
Even now.
Even after everything.
"...Makes sense."
Eron looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Hey… don't take it like that."
I shrugged.
"How else should I take it?"
The old man turned away from the sphere.
"You may leave."
I blinked.
"...That's it?"
"Yes."
No explanation.
No questions.
Nothing.
Just—
"Leave."
For a moment, I stood there.
Waiting for something else.
Anything.
But nothing came.
So I turned around.
And walked out.
The sunlight outside felt too bright.
I stopped just a few steps away from the building.
"...Heh."
A laugh escaped again.
"Empty, huh."
I looked at my hand.
The same hand that touched the sphere.
Nothing.
No change.
No reaction.
"...Figures."
The door opened behind me.
Eron stepped out.
He walked up beside me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he sighed.
"Yeah… that was rough."
"You think?"
He scratched his head.
"Look… that thing isn't everything."
I glanced at him.
"It kind of sounds like everything."
He shrugged.
"Not really."
I didn't answer.
After a few seconds, he spoke again.
"So… what now?"
I looked ahead at the village.
People were still moving around.
Living.
Surviving.
"...I don't know."
That was the truth.
For the first time since I got here—
I didn't even have a direction.
Eron crossed his arms.
"You got a place to stay?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He nodded slowly.
"Alright."
Then he pointed toward the side of the village.
"There's an empty hut near my place."
I blinked.
"...You serious?"
"Yeah."
"It's small. Kinda broken."
"But it has a roof."
I let out a small breath.
"...That's enough."
He grinned slightly.
"Good."
Then he started walking.
"Come on. I'll show you."
The hut was… exactly like he said.
Small.
Old.
The wood creaked when I pushed the door open.
Inside, there was barely anything.
A worn bed.
A broken chair.
And a corner that probably used to be a storage space.
But—
It was shelter.
I stepped inside.
"...Not bad."
Eron leaned against the door.
"You'll get used to it."
I nodded.
"...Thanks."
He waved it off.
"Don't mention it."
Then he looked at me.
"So."
"You planning to stay here?"
"For now."
I sat on the edge of the bed.
The wood creaked slightly.
"I need to figure things out."
Eron nodded.
"Fair."
He pointed east.
"There are other villages around here."
"Far, though."
"Half a day. Some even more."
I listened carefully.
"There's also a trading village."
My head lifted slightly.
"Trading?"
"Yeah."
"Merchants. Supplies. Information."
"One day from here."
"East."
One day.
Not too far.
"...Sounds useful."
"It is."
He smirked.
"If you have money."
I leaned back slightly.
"...Right."
Money.
I didn't have any.
Eron pushed himself off the wall.
"Anyway."
"I'll leave you to it."
"If you need anything, I'm nearby."
"Got it."
He stepped outside.
Then paused.
"Oh—and Kazu."
"Yeah?"
He looked back.
"Being empty…"
He shrugged.
"...just means you start from zero."
Then he left.
Silence filled the hut.
I lay down on the bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
"...Zero, huh."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again.
"No power."
"No talent."
"No place to go."
I exhaled slowly.
"...Same as before."
Nothing had changed.
Different world.
Same situation.
I sat up.
"...Then I just do what I've been doing."
Survive.
I grabbed my knife.
Stood up.
And stepped outside.
The forest was quiet again.
Familiar.
Comforting, in a strange way.
I moved through the trees.
Carefully.
Listening.
Watching.
After some time—
I spotted one.
A forest chicken.
Then another.
"...Lucky."
This time, I didn't hesitate.
By the time the sun began to set—
I had two.
Back at the hut, I started a fire.
The smell of roasting meat slowly filled the air.
Eron showed up not long after.
He sat down without asking.
"...You work fast."
I smirked slightly.
"Gotta eat."
We ate in silence for a while.
The fire crackled softly.
After finishing, I leaned back slightly.
My body finally relaxed.
"...This isn't so bad."
Eron laughed quietly.
"Give it time."
Night fell slowly.
The village became quiet.
I lay down inside the hut again.
Staring into the darkness.
"...Tomorrow."
My voice was quiet.
But clear.
"Tomorrow, I start making money."
No more drifting.
No more waiting.
If I had nothing—
Then I'd build something.
From zero.
Even if it killed me.