Chapter 1

The moment the final battle ended, the man collapsed to the ground.

Covered in blood from head to toe, he caught his breath. Then a quiet voice escaped his lips.

“Fuck……”

In the end, humanity had won the battle.

But most of mankind had vanished because of the monsters and magical beasts.

Even if they could call that a victory…

“…What a load of bullshit.”

His comrades, who had been alive and breathing only moments ago.

The very same comrades who had exchanged nervous jokes with one another on the eve of the final battle.

“Damn it…”

Friends, family, and the people he loved.

He had lost so much, yet in the end, he had secured victory.

But compared to what he had gained, he had lost far too much.

“…Let’s finish this.”

It was time to put an end to this long journey.

No matter how much they had lost, a victory was still a victory.

And making the choice was the victor’s right.

Crackle, crackle—

The man stood before a gigantic crystal that served as the axis of the world—the source that had created the magical beasts, monsters, Awakeners, and the System.

He raised his sword.

If he destroyed the axis of the world, not only the monsters and magical beasts but also the Awakeners would disappear from this world.

If I do this… everything will be all right, won’t it?

Of course, he would disappear from this world as well.

In exchange, the few people who survived would go on living without any memory of what had happened.

They would completely forget the terror of monsters and magical beasts.

The man grimaced bitterly and closed his eyes.

“…I want to go back.”

After murmuring sadly, he drew in a deep breath.

Then he swung his sword with all his might.

TheAxisoftheWorldhasbeenactivatedsuccessfully.The Axis of the World has been activated successfully.

YouhaveobtainedtherighttorankupfromanAwakenertoaTranscendent.You have obtained the right to rank up from an Awakener to a Transcendent.

Someofyouraccumulatedexperienceandacquiredskillswillbereflected.Some of your accumulated experience and acquired skills will be reflected.

YouhaveobtainedtherighttoentertheTempleofTranscendence.You have obtained the right to enter the Temple of Transcendence.

The man came to his senses at the voice ringing in his ears.

But soon, he was overcome by a profound sense of incongruity.

He had destroyed the Axis of the World. The System of the world should have collapsed.

If that were the case, he, as an Awakener, should have disappeared from the world as well…

Then why?

A familiar ceiling came into view.

It was a sight he had longed for whenever he fell asleep, exhausted after countless battles.

It was the house where he had lived with his family during his youth.

Whoosh!

He abruptly sat up and looked around.

He could not tell whether he was dreaming or awake, but the sensation of the blanket covering his knees was vivid.

Is this a dream? No, it’s too…

He could smell the cheap aroma fragrance his mother had practically forced him to leave behind, saying that his room smelled like a bachelor’s quarters.

The breeze from the old electric fan, which rattled as it turned, was lukewarm.

Everything he could feel against his skin and through his senses was far too vivid to be a dream.

Could it be?

The man remembered the words he had heard the moment he regained consciousness.

The words saying that the Axis of the World had been activated successfully.

The Axis of the World is a transcendent entity. An incomprehensible, mysterious structure whose true nature is unknown. If it has been activated…

He remembered the words he had murmured in his final moments.

I want to go back.

Then, could it be…

Had the Axis of the World granted his final wish?

If time has really been turned back…

The man sprang to his feet and rushed out of the room.

What he encountered was an empty living room.

It was clean and neatly arranged, without the slightest trace of anyone living there.

“…Ah.”

A hollow voice escaped his lips.

Along with it, his hopes began to scatter.

“…Of course.”

This was an illusion he was experiencing just before disappearing.

The thought arose naturally.

He felt so utterly drained that a silly grin spread across his lips.

That was when it happened.

Beep, beep—

Click.

At the sound of the front door opening, the man turned his head as though he had been slapped across the face.

And then, a familiar face—

The face of a family member he had lost long ago appeared in his eyes.

Thud!

“Ugh… sob…”

He sank to the floor without realizing it and began to sob.

He was standing face-to-face with his mother, whom he had lost several decades ago.

All the emptiness and tension inside him melted away completely.

When the man suddenly began sobbing, his mother approached him with a bewildered expression.

“Son, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?”

“Sniff… sob… Mom, Mom…”

“Yes, Mom’s right here. Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

AwakeningCondition—‘ExtremeEmotion’hasbeenfulfilled.Awakening Condition—‘Extreme Emotion’ has been fulfilled.

YouhaveawakenedasanAwakener.You have awakened as an Awakener.

YouhaverankedupfromanAwakenertoaTranscendent.You have ranked up from an Awakener to a Transcendent.

The System’s emotionless voice rang out.

But that voice did not reach the man at all.

He was focused solely on his mother’s voice and the gentle hand patting his back.

For now, it really seems like I’ve returned to the past…

The man, Han Siwoo, stared intently at the face reflected in the mirror.

His face was swollen from crying, and he looked utterly pathetic. Yet he was grinning foolishly from ear to ear.

And it just said I was a Transcendent, didn’t it?

According to the System, a Transcendent appeared to be a higher class than an Awakener.

Having accumulated countless experiences, Han Siwoo had never heard of such a thing. Still, there was no reason for the System to lie to him.

HanSiwoo(Transcendent)—Lv.1Han Siwoo (Transcendent) — Lv. 1

Class—NoneClass — None

Title—NoneTitle — None

Strength—7(+9)Strength — 7 (+9)

Vitality—6(+6)Vitality — 6 (+6)

MagicPower—1(+6)Magic Power — 1 (+6)

Han Siwoo’s eyebrows twitched as he scanned his status window.

The parentheses and plus signs next to my stats…

Are they my stats from before the regression?

However, only a portion of his previous stats had been restored—merely about one-hundredth of them.

Even so, considering that Han Siwoo was currently level 1, the boost to his stats was incredible.

After all, each level-up only allowed him to add a measly two stat points.

Is there anything else?

His skill window was still blank.

Moreover, the only thing in his item window was a basic piece of equipment called an Iron Longsword, with an attack power of 1–2.

In any case, Han Siwoo had more or less expected all of this.

But there was one completely unfamiliar area.

Then what is the Temple of Transcendence?

The moment he repeated the words in his mind—

He felt as though his vision had been washed completely white.

Dong, dong, dong—

The sound of bells reverberated loudly in every direction.

A pure white landscape filled his vision.

Han Siwoo stood at the center of a vast and magnificent hall, his face stiff with tension.

“Where is this…?”

Faced with this unexpected situation, he took out his basic equipment.

Gripping a single longsword, he looked around. After realizing there were no apparent dangers, he cautiously relaxed his guard—

Boom!

A gigantic stone monument suddenly fell in front of him, causing Han Siwoo to take half a step back.

The monument was pure white, matching the surroundings.

And engraved upon it were characters he had never seen before.

“…What is this?”

They were neither English nor French, nor were they Chinese characters.

Yet Han Siwoo could understand what they meant.

It was as if their meaning were flowing directly into his mind.

Congratulations on entering the Temple of Transcendence…?

IntheTempleofTranscendence,youcantestyourabilities.In the Temple of Transcendence, you can test your abilities.

Uponclearingafloor,youwillreceiverewardsandclearpoints.Upon clearing a floor, you will receive rewards and clear points.

Possiblerewardsincludeunlockingstats,Transcendent−gradeequipment,skills,andmore.Possible rewards include unlocking stats, Transcendent-grade equipment, skills, and more.

Youcanalsospendclearpointstopurchaseitems.You can also spend clear points to purchase items.

ByenteringtheTempleofTranscendence,youhaveacquirednewskills.By entering the Temple of Transcendence, you have acquired new skills.

Does unlocking stats mean that I can recover my old stats?

What exactly was the Axis of the World trying to tell him?

The question continued to circle through his mind, but Han Siwoo shook his head and cast it aside.

Now that he had returned to the past, he would become far stronger than he had been before.

Far stronger than the monsters and magical beasts that had driven humanity to the brink of extinction.

And he would protect everything precious to him.

“…If I can make use of it, then I’ll use it as much as I can.”

After taking a quiet, deep breath, he opened his eyes.

First, it was time to check the new skills he had acquired.

TempleofTranscendence(Active)—AllowsyoutoenterandexittheTempleofTranscendence.Temple of Transcendence (Active) — Allows you to enter and exit the Temple of Transcendence.

DeclarationofTerritory(Active)—Onceperday,reducesthestatsofallenemieswithinrangeby30Declaration of Territory (Active) — Once per day, reduces the stats of all enemies within range by 30%.

TranscendentBody(Passive)—Grantsimmunitytoalldiseasesandharmfulsubstances.Transcendent Body (Passive) — Grants immunity to all diseases and harmful substances.

MagicAwakening(Passive)—Increasestheeffectsanddurationofmagicby1.5times.Magic Awakening (Passive) — Increases the effects and duration of magic by 1.5 times.

WeaponAwakening(Passive)—Drawsoutthepowerofequipmenttoitslimit.Weapon Awakening (Passive) — Draws out the power of equipment to its limit.

All−Rounder(Passive)—Skillproficiencyisnolongerrestrictedbyclass.All-Rounder (Passive) — Skill proficiency is no longer restricted by class.

Han Siwoo’s face grew rigid as he read through the skills.

The Temple of Transcendence was one thing.

But starting with Declaration of Territory, the skills were so absurd that it was difficult to describe them as anything other than insane.

The enemies’ stats are reduced by 30 percent?

Against an enemy of equal level, he would be guaranteed victory.

Moreover, he could even use this skill to defeat enemies stronger than himself.

And the other skills…

Advanced dungeons were filled with poisons and other toxic substances.

If he entered one of those dungeons without equipment that increased his poison resistance or a priest who could purify poison, he might end up drinking so many antidotes that his stomach would burst.

But with Transcendent Body, he would not have to worry about such things at all.

And the most powerful offensive magic spells possessed enough strength to turn an entire city into a wasteland.

If Magic Awakening increased their effects by 1.5 times…

And if I have Weapon Awakening, the distinction between minimum and maximum damage becomes meaningless.

Equipment had a concept of minimum and maximum damage.

The greater the difference between the two, the more difficult the equipment was to use effectively. But he would no longer need to worry about that.

Thanks to Weapon Awakening, only the maximum damage would be applied every time.

And then there’s All-Rounder.

Warrior-type classes suffered a 30 percent reduction in the effectiveness of magic skills.

The reverse was true for magic-type classes as well.

But with All-Rounder, such restrictions became meaningless.

“…Phew. This is insane.”

Han Siwoo took a deep breath.

If this was a dream, he hoped he would never wake up.

WouldyouliketochallengetheTempleofTranscendenceTutorial?Would you like to challenge the Temple of Transcendence Tutorial?

“Yes.”

The moment Han Siwoo nodded—

The vast hall surrounding him began to recede, as though it were being sucked away.

Boom!

Boom!

At the same time, the sound of enormous drums began to echo in every direction.

The rhythmic sound seemed to stir his blood, and just as the drumming gradually grew louder—

Crack!

Accompanied by a sound like bones being forced out of alignment, something began to emerge before Han Siwoo.

A monster made of countless pieces of bone woven together into a human shape.

Tutorial:ASkeletonhasappeared.Tutorial: A Skeleton has appeared.

Timelimit:5minutes.Time limit: 5 minutes.

Youwillreceiveadditionalpointsifyoudefeatitwithin1minute.You will receive additional points if you defeat it within 1 minute.

The skeletal monster held a worn-out curved sword and a dented iron shield.

It was a monster that only an Awakener of at least level 15 could fight alone.

“I’m supposed to… fight this?”

Han Siwoo stood there with a blank expression.

At that moment, the skeleton let out a dry, shrill cry and charged toward him.

“Giiiii!”

Crack!

The sound rang out the instant Han Siwoo slammed his fist into the skeleton’s jaw.

The impact caused its body to stagger.

Then Han Siwoo kicked the skeleton’s ankle, making it spin halfway around.

Snap!

At that moment, Han Siwoo seized the bones of its neck.

Then he swung the hand gripping it mercilessly toward the ground.

Crash!

The instant the skeleton’s body slammed into the floor—

The bones holding it together shattered completely and scattered in every direction.

The skeleton had been completely disassembled by the impact.

Congratulations.YouhaveclearedtheTempleofTranscendenceTutorial.Congratulations. You have cleared the Temple of Transcendence Tutorial.

Youhaveacquired10clearpoints.You have acquired 10 clear points.

Youhaveacquired3bonuspoints.You have acquired 3 bonus points.

Han Siwoo opened his mouth as he looked down at the completely disassembled skeleton.

The tutorial was enough for now.

“I would like to challenge the first floor.”

Youmustreachlevel10beforeyoucanchallengeit.You must reach level 10 before you can challenge it.

“…Then show me the rewards.”

Youmayviewthemafterclearingthefirstfloor.You may view them after clearing the first floor.

“Nothing works around here.”

Han Siwoo muttered indifferently and let out a deep sigh.

In any case, he felt that he had learned enough about the Temple of Transcendence for the time being.

“I’m going back.”

Wewillawaityourreturn.We will await your return.

Fwoosh!

“…Phew.”

After returning to his original location, Han Siwoo let out a deep breath.

Then he stared at the mirror.

The man reflected in it wore an unbearably cold smile.

Looking at his reflection, Han Siwoo splashed water onto the mirror and spoke.

“Not bad.”