A World of Sword and Sorcery
A world that could never escape the grip of war.
In this world, law was never bound by morality. Power stood above compassion, above justice itself. Those who possessed strength trampled upon the weak without hesitation.
For tens of thousands of years, humanity had been the weakest race. They were food, toys, and slaves to the higher races—Angels, Demons, Elves, Dragons, and countless others.
Women were forced to bear children.
Men were forced to labor until their bodies broke.
There was nothing that could elevate humanity's standing. Not even alliances with other races, whose help amounted to no more than pity.
Until, at last, a miracle descended.
The Tower of God—a colossal structure born from the laws of causality and probability. A tower capable of rewriting fate itself, allowing humanity to walk upon a new narrative of their own making.
Humans flocked toward the tower in uncountable numbers. Yet they were not alone. Other races also entered, drawn by the same promise of transcendence.
Those who entered the Tower of God awakened a power known as Trait.
Traits were abilities born from the intertwining laws of fate and probability.
Every race clawed their way upward toward the highest floor of the tower. Even a black ant could enter and challenge destiny.
The 10th Floor stood as the highest floor of all—a realm dominated by Angels and Demons. Two races seemingly destined to rule its domain.
Only a handful of other races could contend with them. The clashes between Angels and Demons shook the entire tower, their battles tearing through reality itself.
At first, humans were dismissed entirely.
After all, in the outside world, humanity lived beneath the feet of every other race.
Yet within the tower, a single group shattered that assumption.
Black Crown—the first human party to stand shoulder to shoulder with the highest races, rivaling Angels and Demons alike.
Black Crown consisted of five members: two Swordsmen, one Magician, one Tank, and one Healer.
Aaron Valen, a swordsman who specialized in close-combat combat. By combining his swordsmanship with his Trait, Aura, he forged a terrifying fighting style capable of overwhelming any foe.
Darius Sinthra, wielder of a greatsword capable of splitting mountains. His massive, muscular body unleashed swings of overwhelming power. His Trait, Breaker—the strongest among Black Crown—allowed him to cleave through anything that existed.
Lohan Morren, the shield that protected the entire party. The first line of defense against enemy attacks. His Traits, Clone and Mountain, formed a nightmarish combination. Clone allowed him to replicate his body, while Mountain turned his flesh into an indestructible fortress capable of shielding all his comrades.
Sylvia Rose, the sole woman of Black Crown. Possessing the Traits Blessing and Heal, she enhanced and restored her allies, serving as the heart and support of the team.
And finally—
Merlin, the magician who wielded dozens of high-tier spells with both hands. A prodigy of magic, capable of creating and modifying spells to suit his will. From the rear, he unleashed devastating long-range attacks while simultaneously supporting his allies with hundreds of auxiliary spells.
They were humanity's last hope.
The ones meant to overturn fate itself and place mankind on equal footing with the other races.
On the 10th Floor, the greatest battle in history erupted—Black Crown standing as humanity's final beacon.
"No… don't die…"
Amidst piles of corpses, Merlin—his magical robe torn and stained—cradled the body of a blonde-haired woman with long golden hair and deep blue eyes.
Sylvia.
Merlin clutched her blood-soaked hand as tears streamed down his face.
Her fading eyes shifted toward him.
"I'm sorry… for always being a burden to the team…"
Her voice was hoarse, broken, barely audible.
"No."
Merlin shook his head desperately.
With the last of her strength, a faint green light radiated from Sylvia's hand. Warmth spread through Merlin's body as she began healing him.
"Sylvia, stop—don't heal me. Focus on yourself."
Merlin cried out in panic.
"No… even if I healed myself, my legs are already gone. There's nothing left for me to do."
She forced a fragile smile.
"Please… don't leave me alone…"
Merlin sobbed as he felt Sylvia's life force rapidly fading.
"You're not alone," she said softly.
"We'll always be watching over you…"
Her voice weakened further.
Her eyes slowly closed.
With a final breath, Sylvia was gone.
"No!"
Merlin screamed, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Aaron…"
"Darius…"
"Lohan…"
"Sylvia…"
He whispered their names, one by one. Memories with them replayed endlessly within his mind.
Merlin stood up.
Using his magic, he buried Sylvia alongside the other three—his comrades, his family.
As his grief reached its peak, the sky above him twisted.
A monstrous black entity descended, its body covered in thousands of writhing eyes. Tentacles dangled grotesquely from its form, jagged teeth shifting endlessly.
"That thing… is the culmination of everything."
Merlin muttered as he stared upward.
Creature of All Things, Arken.
"Even Lucifer and Seraphim had to set aside their hatred to face it," he whispered.
"And still… they were all slaughtered."
"If a being like this ever leaves the tower, the outside world will be reduced to nothing but ruin."
"Tch… I've finally gone mad, talking to myself like this."
Merlin clicked his tongue.
"Maybe madness is the only answer left."
An idea surfaced.
A spell he had never once considered.
Merlin spread his arms.
"Magic Circle…"
At his words, glowing circles formed above both palms.
"Right hand—Law of Reversal, Law of Space and Time."
A massive magic circle appeared before his right hand, twice his height, engraved with incomprehensibly complex patterns and ancient languages.
"Left hand—Law of Causality, to pay the price for the desired outcome. Law of Destruction, to amplify the resulting effect."
Merlin dictated every law with painstaking precision.
Blood streamed from his eyes as the burden of so many laws tore through his body.
The sky roared as Arken descended, its tentacles threatening to consume the entire 10th Floor.
"In the name of Merlin, I offer my soul as payment under the Law of Causality!"
The magic circles responded violently.
Merlin's body began to collapse under the overwhelming rules imposed upon reality.
"Ugh…"
Chunks of crimson flesh spilled from his mouth.
"One last thing…"
His voice was barely there.
"Combine."
The two magic circles collided, fusing into a single, unstable Special Magic Circle.
His soul could no longer endure.
Merlin collapsed.
"No…"
His body lay motionless, eyes fixed on the descending Arken.
With the last remnants of his will, he forced his soul to speak.
"Activate."
His voice echoed across the 10th Floor—no, throughout the entire tower.
A spell never before seen was unleashed.
A magic that rewrote causality itself, reversing space and time at the cost of one's very existence.
Blinding light engulfed the tower.
The outside world trembled.
Farmers tending fields.
Merchants selling wares.
Warriors locked in battle.
Thieves fleeing in the night.
Lovers embracing.
All were swallowed by the light.
"This… is the end…"
Merlin's soul felt itself being erased, body and spirit dissolving as payment for the spell.
"At last… we can be together again."
As the light consumed him, it suddenly began to fade.
A loud cry echoed.
Wait—what is happening?!
Merlin panicked.
He could not move. He could not speak.
Then, slowly, his vision returned.
A woman stared down at him, her gaze warm and gentle.
"My child…"
She pulled him into a tender embrace.
Merlin's consciousness shook.
What…?!