Chapter 1
He was going to die.
It wasn’t a lie or an exaggeration.
It was exactly as it sounded.
“Eden Daymond.”
A bone-chilling voice echoed in the dark basement where not even a sliver of light entered.
Eden, who was lying broken on the ground, barely managed to lift his head.
Through his bloodstained and blurry vision, he saw a white-haired man with a cold, expressionless face.
Raul Daymond.
The head of the Daymond family, the greatest magical household on the continent—and the only man called an Archmage.
And…
“The fact that someone like you carries the blood of our family is the greatest disgrace of my life.”
Eden’s one and only father.
Holding onto the last bit of consciousness with all his strength, Eden finally realized.
‘So this is why he brought me to the basement.’
This secret chamber beneath the Daymond mansion could only be accessed by Raul, the family head.
He had wondered why Raul suddenly brought him here in the middle of the night—but now it was clear.
He meant to kill him.
“In the entire history of the family, you’re the only trash who couldn’t even control ‘Ashfire,’ Eden. How could someone with my blood be so worthless?”
As if he could read Eden’s thoughts, Raul whispered in an emotionless tone.
It was a simple story.
Raul Daymond absolutely despised people with no talent.
And Eden was exactly that—”worthless.” Despite having the blood of an Archmage.
That was why Raul was going to kill Eden now. Like crushing a bug that annoyed him.
But—
“This is just…”
Eden couldn’t accept it. He could understand the situation with his head, but his heart simply refused to accept it.
Cough!
He vomited a mouthful of blood and forced out a voice, as if protesting.
“You’re killing your own youngest son… just for something like that?”
“For something like that?”
A sharp glint of disgust appeared in Raul’s eyes.
“Leaving a stain on our family history and dragging my name through the mud—is that just ‘something like that’ to you?”
“I… I won’t deny that I’ve been a disgrace to the Daymond family.”
As much as it hurt to admit, Raul’s judgment of Eden was accurate.
Even as a pureblood of a great magic family, Eden was still stuck at the first rank after 18 years.
No matter how hard he tried, he never showed a hint of growth. Outsiders called him the black sheep of the Daymond family.
It wasn’t just outsiders. Even his own family saw him as filth in the gutter.
Except for his mother, who died too young for him to remember, and his second sister—who had always looked at him with pity.
“You must have been ashamed. While my other siblings continued to shine and bring honor to the family, I was the only one crawling in the dirt.”
“You understand well.”
“But even so… I still don’t understand why you would go so far as to cleanse me with your own hands.”
Crunch!
Eden bit his lip so hard it bled.
“You never even treated me like your child before, and now you want to kill me with your own hands? Is having no talent really such an unforgivable sin?”
“You think I’m going to kill you myself?”
Raul’s response sounded genuinely confused, and Eden fell silent for a moment.
He was lying there like a wreck, while Raul looked down at him with cold indifference.
Anyone would see this scene and think one man was about to murder another.
“You’ve misunderstood something, Eden. Strictly speaking, I’m giving you a chance.”
“A… chance?”
“Yes. A single chance for someone like you, who has done nothing but disgrace this family your whole life, to finally be of some use to me.”
Raul knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on Eden’s shoulder.
Eden flinched as a chilling sensation ran down his spine.
“What are you talking about…”
“Eden. Even someone as stupid as you must know what my greatest desire is.”
“…”
Eden swallowed hard.
Raul had already reached the peak of magic. Yet there was still something he hadn’t achieved.
Something known only to a few, including the purebloods of Daymond.
“…To become a Demon God?”
“You know well. That’s right. To rise from a human to the level of a god—that is my one and only wish.”
Raul was not satisfied with merely being an Archmage.
What he truly desired was beyond that. To transcend humanity and become a Demon God.
But the idea of a human becoming a god was something you wouldn’t even find in old fairy tales.
Even his siblings, who worshipped him like a god, secretly thought it was impossible.
‘What is he trying to say?’
While Eden trembled under Raul’s pitch-black gaze, Raul slowly opened his mouth.
“I’ll tell you a secret I’ve never shared with anyone else, Eden. The truth is, I found the answer two years ago in an ancient book. The only way to become a Demon God.”
“What…?”
“A hidden labyrinth somewhere in the Far East. It’s said that whoever offers a sacrifice to the sealed ‘God of Time’ in that labyrinth can ascend to godhood.”
A labyrinth.
A sacrifice.
Those two words stabbed Eden’s heart like a blade.
“Don’t tell me… that sacrifice is…”
“It’s you, Eden. Who else could it be?”
“You insane bastard!”
There was no way Eden could speak kindly to a man who would sell off his own son as a sacrifice to some unknown being.
At this moment, Raul Daymond wasn’t a father. He was the devil himself.
And that devil, now fully revealing his madness, shouted with wild eyes.
“I’ve waited so long for this day! The day you turned eighteen—the moment you met the conditions to become a sacrifice!”
“You…!”
If Raul had just killed him directly, Eden might have accepted it.
People would have called him a fool, but he would’ve chalked it up to his cursed fate and closed his eyes.
But to end up as an offering to some god of time?
No. Anything but that.
Whip!
Eden suddenly swung his hand at Raul’s face.
Even though his mana circuits were crushed and his body was half-crippled, he could still move his arms. Just enough to try and tear that cursed face apart.
But Eden’s hand never reached him.
Boom—!
“Urgh…!”
Raul’s magic pressed down on him far faster.
“This is your one and only chance to be useful to our family, Eden. Accept it with joy.”
Screw you.
Screw you…!
He wanted to scream it out, but the crushing weight of Raul’s mana was so heavy, Eden couldn’t even move his lips.
“After today, the name ‘Eden Daymond’ will be erased from our family’s history. But at the very least, I will remember you forever.”
As Eden’s consciousness began to fade to black—
Fwoosh—!
Raul’s magic wrapped tightly around Eden and began to burn bright red. He felt his body lift into the air.
Through the glowing red flames, Eden saw it.
Raul’s expressionless face slowly twist into a faint smile.
It was the first time Eden had ever seen his father smile.
“I love you, my son.”
Ironically…
Today was Eden’s birthday.
It was damp.
That was the first thing Eden felt when he woke up.
“Ugh…”
He spat out blood and slowly opened his eyes.
Drip. Drip.
Cold water dripped down from the stone ceiling. As his mind cleared, questions began to pile up.
‘Is this the labyrinth Raul mentioned?’
‘How much time has passed since then?’
‘Where is that bastard Raul now?’
None of the questions had answers. He tried to move, but couldn’t even twitch a finger.
That’s when he noticed the blue blades pierced into both his hands and feet.
“…Ha, haha…”
It hurt so much he thought he might go insane, but a hollow laugh escaped instead of a scream.
That damned Raul not only teleported him into this filthy place, but also pinned his limbs with magic blades so he couldn’t escape.
He felt pathetic for ever thinking of that monster as his father. Laughter was all he had left.
‘I can’t even get a normal burial like other people.’
After a lifetime of being treated like garbage, he would die here. In this cold, damp cave—this would be the grave of Eden Daymond.
‘What a miserable life.’
He felt moisture running down his cheek.
Whether it was from the dripping water or his own tears, he couldn’t tell.
He didn’t care anymore. He just wanted to rest.
Eden closed his eyes, trying to escape from the hopeless reality—
Fwoooooosh—!!
“…?”
He couldn’t.
A sudden, blinding light filled the cave.
“What… what is this?”
It wasn’t an illusion.
He was on the brink of death, but not so far gone that he couldn’t tell real from fake.
Eden turned his head toward the source of the light.
Above him, just past his head…
“Huh…?”
A small sun was floating.
That was the only way to describe it.
It was small enough to fit in a child’s hand, but it glowed with the intensity of a real sun.
Squinting through the searing pain in his retinas, Eden stared closer.
“…A metal bead?”
At last, he saw it.
At the center of that massive light was a small silver orb.
So tiny he wouldn’t have seen it without focusing. Calling it a bead was generous—“a pebble” might be more accurate.
‘It’s not a magic tool.’
He instinctively knew it.
It was too small to be one. Sure, there were plenty of unknown tools across the continent—some probably even this small.
But Eden felt something… alive coming from the orb. A strange, living energy.
‘Alive…?’
Just then, Raul’s words came flooding back.
—“A hidden labyrinth somewhere in the Far East. Whoever offers a sacrifice to the sealed ‘God of Time’ can ascend to godhood.”—
“Damn it…!”
The God of Time!
If that wasn’t a magic tool, and it was actually alive… then this must be the ‘God of Time’ Raul mentioned.
And as if confirming that—
Grrrk— Grrrrrrk—!!
The glowing orb began vibrating wildly. It looked like it would fly toward Eden at any second.
‘I have to run… I have to get out of here…!’
Was it the fear of death that awakened something inside him?
Crack—!!
Eden raised his arms and pulled the blades out of his palms. The pain was indescribable—but he had no time to scream.
Then he pulled out the blades in his feet and rolled over, gritting his teeth.
Even with a burst of willpower, standing with broken legs was impossible.
‘It’s fine. Even if I have to crawl, I’ll get out…!’
How laughable.
Just moments ago, he was ready to die and called this cave his grave.
But now that death was staring him in the face, his survival instinct flared up like wildfire.
Yes—he had to live. Only then…
‘Only then can I sink my teeth into Raul’s damn neck!’
As Eden struggled desperately to survive—
Ping…!
The ‘God of Time’ shot toward him like an arrow.
“…Ah.”
His whole body froze.
Something cold and hard pierced his forehead.
‘So this is the end.’
As the certainty of death took over, all strength left his body. Even his will to survive faded as he closed his eyes.
[Confirming user Eden Day… as administrator…]
[Based on system protocol… synchronization initiated…]
[Visual enhancements… adapting to user’s preferred… optimal display mode…]
In his fading consciousness, a mechanical female voice rang out.
Eden, who had already accepted death, slowly opened his eyes.
“…Huh.”
A red-haired woman in a pure white dress stood in front of him.
She smiled warmly, like the sun melting snow. Eden stared at her and whispered softly.
“Mom…?”
The last time he saw, spoke to, or felt the warmth of his mother was when he was three.
Fifteen years had passed since then, but the memory hadn’t faded.
That gentle smile… there was no doubt.
It was his mother, Maria Daymond—the only one, along with his second sister, who had treated him like family.
‘I see now.’
Looking at his mother, who hadn’t aged a bit, Eden was certain.
“You’ve come to take me.”
There was no reason for his long-dead mother to suddenly appear again. She had come to guide him to the afterlife.
It was sad, but at least the last thing he would see before dying was his mother’s spirit.
“…I’ll be with you soon, Mom.”
Eden smiled faintly and reached toward her. She, too, reached out her hand.
And the moment their fingers touched—
[Sync complete.]
[Activating Merlin Industries’ 4th generation AI program, Makina.]
“…Mom?”
A strange voice came out of the woman’s mouth.
Eden squinted in confusion—
[Mom, my ass! If you don’t wanna die, get your shit together!]
BZZZZZZZT!!
A lightning bolt of high-voltage electricity surged through Eden’s body.
“…?!”
Eden let out a ridiculous scream and thought—
…Was she a demon, not my mom?!
