Chapter 1
“Impressive, human!”
Dragon God Sephiro exclaimed in admiration as he looked down at his own chest from the mid-levels of the Dragon God’s Hall.
A human. A lowly species not even considered a proper lifeform had managed to pierce the heart of a Dragon God!
But what was even more astonishing was that it was done using ‘magic.’
Dragons—known as the progenitors of magic.
And the being who ruled over all dragons was Dragon God Sephiro. To inflict damage on the one who governs all magic using magic itself was utterly unfathomable.
“I shall personally bestow upon you the title of [Archmage]. You may boast of it wherever you go!”
The human acknowledged by Dragon God Sephiro was one of a kind.
In fact, across all races, no one had ever been called [Archmage] by him.
All who had mimicked dragon magic had been pitiful imitations.
Fools who couldn’t even use what was given to them—ignorant and talentless.
But the human before him was different.
“Human. What is your name?”
“……Your mom.”
Park Chan-woo, panting heavily, raised his middle finger on his right hand.
A final blow. One last strike infused with all of his mana.
Yet he had only managed to destroy one of the twelve hearts Sephiro possessed.
Though called [Archmage], his opponent was the God of Magic.
Among the twelve species that invaded Earth, Sephiro stood among the top three—an apex being of the dragon race.
He was never an opponent that could be matched.
The outcome had been decided from the beginning.
Already, the gaping hole in Sephiro’s chest had been flawlessly restored through [Super Regeneration].
Sephiro tilted his head, unfazed by Park Chan-woo’s remark.
“But why only use [Basic Magic]? With your level of intellect, you should have been able to grasp and master advanced magic.”
“…….”
Park Chan-woo remained silent.
Because it was true.
The magic that pierced Sephiro’s heart was [Fireball].
The most basic of all basic spells, the one that 90% of all mages learn first.
Realizing why Park Chan-woo stayed silent, Sephiro smirked.
“Aha. You walked the path of magic far too late. That’s why you had no choice but to cling to [Basic Magic]. Elevating the magic of the First Realm to the level of the Tenth was miraculous enough, but I suppose there were limits.”
…He was right.
It was too late.
Originally, Park Chan-woo wasn’t a mage.
His first class had been [Berserker]. After three class changes, he became a [Knight], but it wasn’t until much later that he awakened to his true talent and began learning magic.
The only spells he could use were [Basic Magic].
Thanks to that, he earned the title of [First Magic Swordsman], but that name was a living nightmare for Park Chan-woo.
“But don’t be disheartened. At the very least, the [Basic Magic] you used surpassed the framework of our magic lineage. It could be considered an entirely new magical system. In the eons I’ve existed, never has anyone intrigued me like you have. And so—”
Sephiro was excited.
This was the most he had ever spoken.
Magic is cast by incantation.
Words carry power, and thus must not be uttered carelessly.
But the human before him had piqued his interest.
Clap!
Sephiro clapped his hands.
Twelve suns rose above his head.
Magic beyond the [Tenth Realm]—that which even the Archmage couldn’t reach.
Even elder dragons must engrave thousands of formulas in advance to wield magic beyond the [Tenth Realm].
Yet Sephiro manifested it without formulas, without incantations.
An overwhelming difference in talent.
A being like a final punctuation mark humans could never reach.
Thus he showed it.
That there existed a supreme world forever beyond reach.
That no amount of struggle would ever be enough.
That punctuation mark—Sephiro—spoke with a smile.
“I suppose I must dissect your head.”
“……Did I ever say—”
It was then.
Park Chan-woo raised his head.
Was he despairing after witnessing such a vast gap?
However, there was not a shred of despair in his eyes.
Rather—
“When did I say I could only use [Basic Magic]?”
“……?”
“O God of Offerings! I offer all that I possess—along with Dragon God Sephiro!”
“Hm? You’re offering me as a sacrifice?”
Sephiro blinked in confusion.
A sacrifice meant to be offered up to something.
But only what one owned could be offered.
This was the first he’d heard of a ‘God of Offerings,’ let alone being sacrificed to one.
“…Wait a moment.”
Sephiro looked down at his chest.
The wound that had been healed by [Super Regeneration] was opening again.
What was more surprising was that one of the twelve hearts he thought destroyed was still beating.
‘An illusion? No. There’s no way I’d fall for a trick like that.’
Illusion magic couldn’t deceive the insight of a Dragon God.
It was something far more intricate.
Not a simple sleight of hand…
“……[Possession Magic]. A mere human has mastered magic of the [Twelfth Realm]?”
He had poured all his mana into taking control of one of Sephiro’s hearts.
And Sephiro had mistakenly believed it had been destroyed.
He hadn’t doubted it.
Because he believed the human before him could only use [Basic Magic].
Indeed, Park Chan-woo had used only [Basic Magic] up to this point in the Dragon God’s Hall.
But the gap between [Basic Magic] and [Twelfth Realm Magic] was far too vast.
Especially magic that seizes control of an opponent—it requires the highest-level formulas.
Only a handful in this world could even cast it.
“So what? It’s still just one heart.”
“That’s enough.”
Park Chan-woo grinned, showing his teeth.
He had bought just enough time to completely possess one of Sephiro’s hearts.
A heart that had completed [Possession] would now be recognized as Park Chan-woo’s property.
Of course, offering this heart alone wouldn’t be enough to kill Sephiro.
“To send you into a rampage, one is plenty.”
Bzzzzzzzt!
In that instant, Dragon God Sephiro’s entire body swelled.
Soon, Sephiro’s form vanished, replaced by a mass of flesh.
Even the magic that kept his humanoid appearance began to go berserk.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Having lost control over his magic, the twelve suns he conjured with high-level magic crashed down upon him.
A massive explosion, like the primordial blast itself, swallowed the Dragon God’s Hall.
But this wasn’t enough to kill Sephiro.
It had merely bought a little time.
In 30 seconds, he would return to normal.
‘If not now, when all magic is running rampant, this would be impossible.’
His entire life had led to this one moment.
Park Chan-woo immediately pulled out a chalice from his robes.
‘The Holy Grail of the Sealed Demon God.’
The vessel that once sealed the God of Offerings.
As soon as he opened the mouth of the chalice, Sephiro’s flesh began to be sucked into it.
For a brief moment, Sephiro’s existence became “Park Chan-woo’s.”
The condition to offer him as a sacrifice had been fulfilled.
―Park Chan-woo. My contractor. What do you wish to gain by offering your all?
“Turn back time. To the moment I first awakened.”
Park Chan-woo answered without hesitation.
From the beginning, his only wish was to return to the past.
With all his treasures, Dragon God Sephiro, and the Holy Grail of the Sealed Demon God, he believed it would be enough to pay the price for reversing time.
―It is not enough.
“…What? You said it would be sufficient!”
―Only half of Dragon God Sephiro is sealed in the chalice right now.
“Half? What do you mean?”
―Dragon God Sephiro has two bodies.
“This isn’t his full body?”
―I just learned it moments ago. ……His other body will arrive soon.
“You’ve got to be fu—!”
It was a situation that demanded profanity.
Absolute being Sephiro. The monster that stole humanity’s last hope, was only a half!?
He had already poured everything into this.
He had used up all he had just to get here.
He threw his comrades into the jaws of death, used a hundred-thousand-strong death squad as shields.
All for this one thing.
To turn back time and seize hope once more.
And yet……
Even so—
“I don’t care what it takes! If what I have isn’t enough, then sell my future too! If that’s still not enough, I’ll offer up my soul—!”
Thump!
Thump!
BOOOOM!
In the distance, something larger than the entire Dragon God’s Hall was approaching.
A being that had already transcended the scale of a dragon—an Transcendent Dragon.
Only then did he understand.
The body within the chalice that he thought was Sephiro’s true form was nothing compared to that colossal mass.
【I shall grant you your greatest despair.】
【Humans—be gone.】
Ahh……
Below the Dragon God’s Hall.
All of humanity on Earth was being erased.
They turned to dust and vanished.
Park Chan-woo frantically reached out his hand, but it couldn’t reach.
It would never reach.
Because even his own hand was fading away.
Just a single sentence.
Was that all it took to end humanity’s desperate struggle?
It was infuriating and unjust.
To be punished with extinction for the sin of failing to begin and prepare properly.
If only I could start over… At the very least, it wouldn’t end like this.
―The transaction is complete.
“……!”
That moment.
Tick, tick.
Suddenly, the gears of time began turning in reverse.
―Contractor Park Chan-woo. Your final [Temporal Regression] shall now begin.
* * *
Tweet tweet tweet!
The sound of birds chirping.
It was strange.
There shouldn’t be a single bird left on Earth.
‘This place is……’
A park.
A very familiar lakeside park.
Was this a dream, or reality?
《All Earthlings will now begin their Awakening.》
《Say ‘Status Window’ to check your abilities.》
《Prepare yourselves! The [Abyss] will open in 60 seconds!》
The words that floated before his eyes.
Upon seeing them, his mind snapped back into focus.
‘…I’ve returned.’
He had successfully gone back to just before his Awakening.
Which meant there was no time to waste standing around.
Park Chan-woo urgently opened his mouth.
“Status Window.”
A window immediately appeared before him.
And Park Chan-woo’s face hardened completely.
“Wait. What is this……?”
Even though he had turned back time, he couldn’t rejoice.
Because this wasn’t the same [Status Window] he remembered from the past.
Affiliation: Earth / Human / Republic of Korea
Name: Park Chan-woo
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: 180cm / 71kg
Level: -99
Strength (1)
Stamina (1)
Agility (1)
Intelligence (1)
Mana (1)
“Level -99……?”
