Chapter 1: The Body of a Constellation

The sky was tearing open more and more, and through the rift, a blinding white radiance poured down.

It looked holy—divine, even—but anything that touched the light ignited and turned to ash.

In this crumbling world, a man sprinted, dodging the light.

‘Is this the end too?’

Black coat. Black hair.

Shouldering a massive coffin, shrouded in pale wraiths, the man kept running.

A High Ranker. Overall Rank #1.

The Wailing King—Lee Jin-hyuk.

Undisputedly, the strongest player in the Tower.

‘Found it.’

He arrived at a mountain range where the light had yet to reach.

“Jin-hyuk?”

A woman with short black hair ran to him.

Her eyes were bloodshot, like she hadn’t slept in days.

“So you’ve finally arrived?”

“Did you wait long?”

“Not really.”

Rank #2 High Ranker. Swordmaster supreme.

Heavenly Demon Cheon Hyang-un.

“Are the others all dead?”

“Yeah.”

“…I see. So that’s how it turned out.”

Brushing blood off her sword, Cheon Hyang-un forced a bitter smile.

“Let’s go. The others are waiting.”

Following her lead inside, voices echoed—a man and woman talking.

“So this is the end?”

“…”

“Yeah, what else could it be?”

“Is this really something to joke about, you crazy woman?”

“What, should I cry instead? It’s already over, you musclehead.”

Wearing a classic witch’s hat and toying with a dagger, the woman gave off a sharp edge.

Poisons, curses, and magic. Rank #5 High Ranker—the Venom Witch Dang So-wol.

“Our lives are hanging by a thread.”

“We’ll make one last stand.”

A hulking man with heavy armor slung a massive hammer over his shoulder.

Leader of <Mighty Warriors>, Rank #4 High Ranker—Beast Warrior Russell Mighty.

“Even if the Tower is collapsing, we’re not going quietly.”

The sky splitting meant the boundaries between the Tower’s “floors” had collapsed.

Yes.

The Tower was falling.

“Who would’ve guessed?”

The light pouring in from above intensified.

“That a Constellation would invade the Tower directly.”

Constellations—transcendent beings who observe the Tower and bestow rewards on players.

One of them had attacked and destroyed the Tower, killing countless lives.

The Pure Radiance.

“Damn it… If that bastard Melidus hadn’t betrayed us…”

“So-wol, Russell.”

Lee Jin-hyuk cut in.

“Brother!”

“Lee Jin-hyuk, you bastard!”

They rushed over and hugged him.

“Ugh! Get off me, musclehead!”

“You get off! Don’t interfere with our manly bond!”

After the ruckus settled, Russell asked:

“What about the others?”

“Dead. I’m sorry. I couldn’t save them.”

“…”

“But—”

Lee Jin-hyuk dropped the coffin from his shoulder.

“We accomplished the goal.”

“…!”

With a wave of his hand, the wraiths around the coffin vanished.

Creak…

The coffin opened.

Inside lay a pale, faceless humanoid figure.

“Goodness… Brother, you really did it?”

“You actually came back alive from the Pure Radiance’s sanctuary…”

“Knew it. Knew you’d pull it off. You never fail.”

Russell laughed heartily, but Jin-hyuk just gave a bitter smile.

“We did fail. Look at the Tower.”

“…”

“…”

No one could deny it.

Even if their foe was a Constellation and its followers, the Player Alliance had been utterly defeated.

“But still, this gives us hope.”

Dang So-wol activated a magic circle over the body and connected tubes filled with potions.

“It’s thanks to this thing.”

Looking at the faceless humanoid, Jin-hyuk asked:

“Is this really possible?”

“Absolutely.”

Dang So-wol spoke with certainty.

“We will succeed.”

“Who the hell is this guy, anyway?”

Cheon Hyang-un asked, curious about what only the two seemed to know.

“Why bring him, even at the cost of all our comrades?”

“A vessel.”

Everyone turned to So-wol.

“A vessel that can house a Constellation’s consciousness, Hyang-un.”

“A vessel?”

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Too risky—it might’ve leaked.”

Rustle—

“But we had no choice. Too many traitors joined the Pure Radiance.”

All nodded. Far too many players had defected.

“What are you going to do with the vessel?”

Russell asked.

“It better be worth all those sacrifices.”

“It is. This gives us a chance to save everyone.”

So-wol pulled two items from her robes, both etched with complex runes.

One was a black orb with rain-like fluid swirling inside.

The other resembled an old clock gear but radiated golden light.

“With this black rain, we’ll transfer a soul into the Constellation’s body…”

Swish—

“And with this gear, we’ll rewind time—change both past and future.”

“So someone will enter this body… and regress?”

“Exactly.”

She looked around at the group.

“One of us will enter this vessel and return to the past.”

Her cheeks flushed with excitement.

“Heh. We’re going to steal a Constellation’s body and rewind time. Who knew we’d ever do something this insane?”

Russell, used to her eccentricities, asked:

“Why not just use the gear? It could send someone back cleanly.”

“That alone won’t change the outcome.”

So-wol replied.

“Think. How did we lose to a Constellation?”

Their power was overwhelming.

Rankers were wiped out by a mere gesture or skill.

Even High Rankers could only run and stall—barely survive.

In their current bodies, they couldn’t even scratch a Constellation.

“No matter how many times we regress, unless we have a Constellation’s body, we can’t win. That’s why I asked Brother Jin-hyuk to get it.”

She looked up at the sky.

“The goal is to return to the past with this body, grow stronger, and become a player capable of fighting a Constellation.”

“In that case…”

Cheon Hyang-un stepped toward the vessel.

“We need to decide who enters it.”

“Yeah. But there’s a warning.”

“Warning?”

“If you regress using this vessel, your original body ceases to exist. Two of the same soul and body can’t exist at once.”

“…!”

“What about family? Friends?”

“They’ll forget. No—they’ll never even remember. It’ll be like you never existed.”

Swish—

“You’ll vanish from existence.”

The revelation shocked them all.

Cheon Hyang-un shook her head.

“Then I must decline.”

“Hyang-un…”

“I don’t doubt my abilities. I’d do well, even if I went back. But…”

Swish—

“If I cease to exist, I can’t become the Heavenly Demon Cult’s leader. That would eliminate a powerful force against the Constellations.”

Only those with the former leader’s blood could become its successor.

Without her, the cult wouldn’t have joined the war.

So Hyang-un stepped down.

“I can’t go either.”

So-wol smiled bitterly.

“I need to stay here to transfer the soul and send this vessel back.”

“Then is it me?”

Russell puffed his chest.

“With my strength, I should be the one. I’ll crush them all.”

“Ha! You musclehead.”

“What?”

“If you and Jin-hyuk fought, who’d win?”

“…”

Russell fell silent and backed off.

He was strong—Rank 4—but not close to Rank 1.

“Brother.”

“Jin-hyuk.”

“…Jin-hyuk.”

They all looked at him.

“…”

He didn’t answer—but that silence was an answer.

‘I’ve got no world to go back to. No family to remember me. I’ll carry this burden—like always.’

Unlike others who were dragged into the Tower, he had entered voluntarily—cut ties with the outside world.

If he regressed, only he would remember his relationships.

“That’s not the only reason.”

So-wol approached.

“You came into the Tower later than anyone—yet you’re Rank 1.”

“Yeah. You explored more than anyone. You got strong by scooping up hidden pieces.”

Russell laid a hand on his shoulder.

“If we need someone to re-climb the Tower and grow strong… Jin-hyuk, you’re our best shot—even more than me.”

Hyang-un joined in.

“There’s no one better at climbing the Tower.”

All three looked at him.

They, too, believed in their strength—but not as much as they believed in Lee Jin-hyuk.

Who was he?

A player from weak little South Korea, with no combat talent—yet the undisputed Rank 1, despite entering ten years late.

‘He had no talent. Yet he reached the top a decade behind the rest.’

Swish—

‘What if someone like that was given a Constellation’s body and a second chance?’

Knowledge, power, timing—all his.

With the Constellation’s body and his knowledge of hidden pieces and Tower mechanics, the synergy would be immense.

“Jin-hyuk. Sorry to place this burden on you again.”

Hyang-un grasped his hand.

“You’re the best candidate.”

‘What a burden.’

The last surviving human players—all eyes on him.

He felt fatigue wash over him.

‘But I’m the only one left.’

That burden—he’d always carried it.

When he blocked the Pure Radiance’s white-armored cultists—the Einheri—from taking the Tower.

When he stalled the Constellations.

When he stole the vessel while others drew attention.

He always stood at the front.

Any other player would’ve collapsed under the weight.

But Lee Jin-hyuk had endured countless failures and still kept moving.

‘Yeah. I can do it best.’

And he was used to it.

Shouldering responsibility—and delivering results.

“Alright.”

Lee Jin-hyuk looked at them.

“I’ll go.”

“Jin-hyuk, you’ll do great.”

“Brother…”

“We believe in you.”

He lay beside the vessel.

“Any last words?”

“Last words?”

“If you’re going back, there must be something you want to change.”

They glanced at each other.

“You know my regrets already.”

Russell just laughed.

“Smack any punk who won’t listen.”

“I don’t want anything. I like things as they are. Ah—”

So-wol narrowed her eyes.

“Majuron. Kill that woman. No matter what.”

“Got it. Hyang-un?”

“I…”

Hyang-un closed her eyes.

“If possible, give my little sister one more chance.”

“You’re still hung up on that?”

She nodded.

“I want to give her a second chance. I bear guilt too. And at your regression point, she’ll be my only family.”

“Understood.”

After hearing them all, Jin-hyuk sat beside the vessel.

‘Damn it.’

Thud.

“I’ll begin.”

So-wol lifted the black rain and the golden gear.

“Once you wake, everything will be done, Brother.”

Swish—

“Please. For our past—and our future.”

“Do it, friend!”

“…Thank you.”

Ssssshh—

To be continued…