Chapter 1
Prologue
A Mortal.
A being with a limited lifespan.
A being destined to die someday.
And the opposite of a mortal was an immortal.
A god.
Many people said the same thing.
Gods watched over the world from above and protected humanity.
Gods loved humans.
But Han Yugeon knew better than anyone that those words were complete nonsense.
They were nothing more than hopes humans had created for themselves.
To a god, humanity and civilization were not even worthy of being called entertainment.
How could he be so sure?
Because a god was standing right in front of him.
Everything around them was pure white.
In that endless white space, a wounded god bled as he glared at the man before him.
“I am sick and tired of you.”
Contempt.
Rage.
Those emotions twisted the god's face as he stared at Han Yugeon and released a terrifying killing intent.
“What exactly are you struggling for? Did I not promise to kill you without pain? You are the only human left in this world anyway.”
“...”
Han Yugeon let out a deep sigh.
The god was right.
The world had already been destroyed.
Eighty years ago.
One day, enormous Towers suddenly appeared all across Earth.
Towers created by a god.
Each Tower had a gigantic entrance.
At the same time, mysterious powers began awakening within certain humans.
That was the beginning of humanity's destruction.
“Yeah... the world was destroyed. And it was all because of you.”
Humanity resisted as much as it could.
They desperately held back the overwhelmingly powerful monsters that poured out of the Towers.
They endured with the mysterious powers they had been given.
And while doing so, they continued challenging the Towers.
Why would anyone climb a Tower while the world was collapsing?
Because of a wish.
Anyone who entered the Tower suddenly received a single thought in their mind, almost as if they had understood their own destiny.
[The wish of the one who clears the Tower shall be granted.]
Humanity eventually realized that the message was true.
They also learned that any wish could supposedly be granted.
So they climbed.
Even after losing comrades.
Even after losing family.
Even after losing friends.
They kept moving forward.
The world outside the Tower continued turning into a wasteland, but if they stopped, the only thing waiting for them was death.
Humanity had only one choice.
Climb the Tower.
Han Yugeon did not know what each person's wish had been.
Everyone must have carried a different wish in their heart.
And they kept climbing while holding tightly onto those wishes.
“But... you deceived humanity.”
The person who cleared the Tower would have their wish granted?
How?
How were they supposed to clear it?
An immortal god was waiting on the 100th Floor.
If it had simply been an extremely powerful monster, humanity might somehow have defeated it.
But what waited for them after reaching the 100th Floor was an immortal god.
That was right.
From the very beginning, the god had never intended to grant humanity's wishes.
“Was it fun watching us struggle because we wanted to live? Did you enjoy watching us cling to false hope?”
“Yes. I found it extremely amusing.”
The god answered Han Yugeon's question with a chilling smile.
For a god who had lived for countless ages, there was no better entertainment.
Give humans the possibility of a wish.
Then watch them struggle desperately to reach it.
Their desperation had been ridiculous and entertaining.
“You humans always said the same thing. 'Should a god really behave like this?' Hahahahaha!”
The god burst into laughter.
“Why do humans expect gods to care for them? Why do you create your own delusions and then demand that I behave according to them?”
Han Yugeon clenched his teeth.
He had nothing to say.
His anger surged.
His blood boiled.
But he could not think of an answer.
“Several humans managed to reach me before you. Aside from a few exceptions, most of them asked for the same thing.”
Erase the Towers forever.
And return the world to the time before the Towers existed.
Such a wish was actually possible.
“I assume you would ask for the same thing. Hmm...”
“?”
“Shall I grant your wish?”
“...What?”
Han Yugeon's eyes trembled.
The god sounded serious.
As though he genuinely intended to grant his wish.
“There is one problem. I can no longer activate the Holy Grail.”
“...The Holy Grail?”
“A sacred relic capable of granting wishes. To activate the Holy Grail and grant your wish, there must be enough weight behind it. Only then will the Grail function.”
“Weight? What are you talking about...?”
“Human desires. Human lives. That kind of weight.”
“You bastard...”
Han Yugeon ground his teeth.
The god grinned.
“What I am saying is that even if I wished to grant your request, I can no longer do so. Hahahahaha!”
The god smiled grotesquely, clearly mocking him.
Han Yugeon's expression twisted like that of a demon.
“So that's why you destroyed the world!!”
It was because the god did not want to grant anyone's wish.
The god had already known how the Holy Grail worked.
So he had deliberately destroyed the world first.
Han Yugeon was now the only human left on Earth.
No matter what he did, nothing could be undone anymore.
“If humanity and civilization had remained, there would have been enough to activate the Holy Grail. What a shame. I truly intended to grant your wish. Hehehe.”
The Holy Grail did not simply require human life force.
It required humanity and civilization itself.
In other words, wishes were granted according to the laws of cause and effect.
“Even if you kill me, your wish can no longer come true.”
“...”
Han Yugeon could not answer the god's taunt.
Right.
It was over.
There was no hope left.
Some other races had not yet gone extinct.
And yet the god was still saying this to him.
That meant the fate of their world was influenced only by humanity.
He's evil...
So horribly evil.
They had struggled and struggled until the very end.
Yet now there was no hope at all.
His family.
His friends.
His memories.
He had missed them so much that he wanted to restore the destroyed Earth.
But now...
He would give up.
It was impossible anyway.
“Ha... Yeah. So it's useless.”
Han Yugeon tightened his grip on his sword.
“But even if I can't make my wish come true... I'm still going to kill you. At the very least, I'll tear that mouth of yours apart.”
His entire body was covered in blood.
His left eye had burst.
Part of his abdomen had been torn away.
The tendons in his right leg had been severed.
His shoulder had also been ripped open, and blood ran down his arm.
“Hehehe. Fool. Do you still not understand? A mortal cannot bring death to one of us.”
Shrrrrk.
The god smiled coldly.
Every small wound on his body instantly healed.
In truth, he had deliberately left those wounds untreated until now.
It had all been done to mock Han Yugeon.
“Don't worry. This time will be different.”
Crack!
With an emotionless expression, Han Yugeon shattered his own dantian.
Rumbleeeee!
The energy inside him began running wild.
Every bit of power he had accumulated throughout his life erupted at once.
At the same time, Han Yugeon began burning away his very life.
The Innate True Qi that every human possessed from birth.
Whoooooosh!
His sword burst into brilliant white flames.
“?!!”
The god's expression froze in shock.
At that very moment...
The sword of Han Yugeon, a mere mortal, began transcending everything.
“You... insane bastard...!!”
The god hurriedly stretched out his hand.
And then...
FLASH!
BOOOOOM!
EEEEEEE.
An explosion that seemed like the birth of the universe itself erupted as Han Yugeon's sword moved.
“This... this is impossible...”
Shhhhhhh.
After swinging his sword once, Han Yugeon gave a cold smile.
His body began scattering into dust.
At the same time...
Shrrrk.
A single red line appeared across the god's body.
“...You damned...”
CRACK!
The god cursed.
And then his body split cleanly in half.
Hahahaha! Serves you right, you stupid bastard.
Shhhhhhh.
Han Yugeon watched until the very end as the god died.
Laughing inwardly, he completely vanished.
[You have achieved Godslaying while possessing the body of a Mortal.]
[The Sanctuary admires your actions.]
[You have accomplished the impossible.]
[For achieving an impossible feat, ■■■ wishes to grant you another opportunity.]
[■■■ begins a discussion.]
[The Outer Realm approves.]
[The Sanctuary rejects.]
[The Outer Realm mocks them.]
[The Sanctuary rejects once again.]
[■■■ speaks with the Sanctuary.]
[After consideration, the Sanctuary approves.]
[Time begins to reverse.]
[Your destroyed body is being reconstructed.]
[Temporary pain will occur during reconstruction.]
[This message will now be sealed.]
