by Void_8809_k
Most heroes get chosen by destiny. Shunya got bought by a cosmic loan shark. On the dying planet of Blood-Stone, being a 'Zero' means your life is worth less than dirt. Shunya willingly shatters his own ribs every day just to earn three copper coins for his mother’s medicine. But when the cruel world pushes him to the brink of death, he binds himself to a cursed Black Locket, expecting a magical savior. What he gets is the 'Abyssal Vault'—a ruthless cosmic moneylender. [Emergency Loan Approved: 10 Life-Units.] [Interest Rate: 100% Daily.] [Collateral: Host's Heartbeat. Defaulting will result in immediate termination.] There are no free stats here. Three minutes of superhuman strength? That costs 5 years of his lifespan. Fusing a broken bone? That’s another debt. The System demands he become a monster, harvesting the lives of his enemies just to pay his daily installments. But as Shunya bleeds his way up from the slums, uncovering the devastating secrets of the '16 Divine Fires' and a white-eyed girl, he realizes something dangerous. He doesn't just want to clear his debt anymore. He wants to bankrupt the universe that made him suffer. They called him a Zero. But even the gods will soon learn... the count always starts from Zero.
