Reverse Genesis

There’s the easiest way to recognize a child’s talent.

Whether they could accept a Stone of Memory between the ages of 10 and 13.

“Mom, Mom! What kind of Stone of Memory will I receive?”

“Well… wishes should be cherished deep in the heart rather than carelessly spoken aloud to make them more sincere.”

Anyone from the Star Continent had childhood sleepless nights wondering about the Stone of Memory they would receive.

The first gateway determining how successful a life one could live was absorbing a Stone of Memory.

However, mages didn’t think much of those memories.

After all, any mage would have inherited a Stone of Memory in their youth.

It was only special before receiving it—once they had received it and gained attention as mage material, it became nothing remarkable.

After all, every competitor had one… and memories from other worlds with fundamentally different natural laws turned out to be surplus knowledge with no proper use anyway.

But that day.

The mages remembered.

Those memories from other worlds they had long forgotten.

The fact that those memories were actually fragments that had flown from a world that had already perished long ago.

In other words…

Countless worlds had already perished like that, and destruction came so suddenly.

* * *

The 99th floor, a paradise-like world created by the First Apostle. The mages lined up, rejecting its spring breeze. In total, fewer than 100 people. When they first departed, there had been nearly 200. The elite chosen from among all humanity’s mages had lost their lives so fleeting. It was time to be exhausted, time to despair, but they still didn’t stop.

Yuria’s eyes widened. Blood was already beading at the corners of her eyes from excessive magical concentration. Even with the unbearable pain that felt like her eyes might burst at any moment, she didn’t lose focus.

“More. Call forth more phenomena.”

The mages no longer questioned her. Yuria’s appearance, looking ready to collapse at any moment, was too desperate, and her eyes burned fiercely. And already… they had invested too much effort.

Everyone sang loudly. Increasingly screaming their lungs out.

“Raaaaaagh!”

The multi-control spell developed by Baek Jun-woo and the Pathfinder geniuses decorated the world.

Their voices intertwined. The resonance of Circles harmonized. The imprecise pronunciations from each Circle combined to form an increasingly clear voice.

[Buuurrrn]

[Floooooow]

[Waaaaater]

[Streeeeam]

[Grooooow]

[Treeeee Sprrrrout]

The multi-control spell was a tactic used by relatively low-level mages when facing Outer God apostles. They used magic to create as many natural phenomena as possible to push back the Outer God’s power and order. Crude and simple, but equally effective.

Originally, by now the land corrupted by the Outer God or the Outer God’s apostles should have been writhing and purified.

But this place was different.

This world the First Apostle had created, filled with spring breezes, wouldn’t budge no matter how much magic they poured into it. Forests burned to become fields, magic-created rivers flowed over those fields, magic-grown plants sprouted again on the ash-covered fields… such fleeting cycles repeated endlessly. Just like the original world.

After doing this for four days and nights without rest, only the magic grew increasingly grand. Magic that had initially barely managed to create rivers and melt rocks… now those same spells caused earthquakes, raised mountains, spewed lava from those mountains to create basalt sediment zones, carved those zones with waves to create scenic wonders.

The mages broke through their limits with grit and determination, gradually developing and becoming accustomed to wielding nature like gods.

But hidden beneath was unbearable anxiety.

‘Are we doing this right?’

Though unspoken, everyone had the same doubt. They believed in Yuria and waited, but no matter how precisely and fiercely they poured out magic, the world the First Apostle created showed not even a sign of breaking.

Is it working?

Swallowing that answer only Yuria would know, the mages sang. They resonated their Circles to match the song’s tone.

“Ah… I can see it.”

Until Yuria muttered in an exhausted voice,

“Why couldn’t I see this before?”

That small lament, helpless and incredulous… reached everyone’s ears vividly.

“You can see it? Then… have you found the First Apostle’s secret?”

Evan, not being a mage, was crouched nearby, but at Yuria’s words he sprang up like a dog greeting its master.

He pressed Yuria impatiently, unable to contain himself.

“What can you see? How is it? Can we escape from here?”

Everyone focused on Yuria’s lips.

Even the hundred-odd mages who were still singing and maintaining the multi-control spell at that very moment.

But Yuria’s expression was strange. Despite achieving what she had wanted, that joy didn’t show immediately. She furrowed her brow and tilted her head.

“No… it’s just that I think I can finally see mana.”

Yuria’s gaze slowly swept over the sky, the ground, her own hands and body, and other people. Distant wonder filled her eyes. Like a colorblind person seeing red sunset and blue dawn for the first time, she looked and looked again at her surroundings.

The dazzling natural phenomena created by the multi-control spell. Mountains rising and rivers gathering to form seas—within those magnificent spectacles, Yuria saw surging mana. She saw the mysterious gray letters endlessly pouring from the mages’ Circles. She could understand the world they created.

[Magic Eye]

Yuria’s gift was manifested to its very limits.

‘It really worked. It worked, but…’

There had been signs before. Enough to notice how many times Baek Jun-woo had encountered Beatrice and tease him about it… she had shown amazingly keen senses several times. That could no longer be called mere sensing. She felt the past and anticipated the future. Just like Baek Jun-woo’s [Simulation] had.

So she thought she could do it. If she fully manifested [Magic Eye], she was certain she could see mana too.

She had made mana movements active with countless spells, and finally those magics stimulated [Magic Eye] to awaken new possibilities. It was complete success.

However…

“But what is this…”

Yuria’s expression rapidly darkened from her initial emotion, making Evan anxious.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Does it seem difficult to escape? Say something!”

Yuria slowly shook her head.

“No. Escaping isn’t a problem.”

Yuria read the mana patterns composing the world.

“It’s sophisticated, but the First Apostle isn’t a god after all. He just used his specialty to ‘mimic.’ Only his target of mimicry was special.”

“Special?”

“Yes. He mimicked the Akashic Record. He wasn’t hiding from the beginning. This disgusting spring-breezed world, all the order of this world—it was just him.”

“…Is that possible?”

“They say he’s the oldest apostle, living up to that reputation. A guy who initially mimicked giants has advanced to mimicking the world itself… impressive indeed. But it won’t be a problem now. It’s not perfect. It’s a crudely imitated world. I couldn’t see it before, but now I can. We can escape. I can interfere.”

Evan’s complexion brightened.

“Then we’re good, right?”

The mages who had stopped the multi-control spell also smiled faintly while massaging their tired bodies.

But Yuria, looking around at them, shook her head heavily. She looked at the distant sky with gloomy eyes.

“But… what is that?”

“What?”

“All the mana in the world… is shaking. I don’t know what that is. But I’m uneasy. Too… too ominous.”

“What does that mean…”

Evan couldn’t finish his words.

Whooooooong—

His body shook. Every cell felt like it was separating and vibrating individually. Along with severe dizziness, Evan heard a tremendous horn sound coming from inside his body. No, saying it was heard wasn’t accurate. His trembling body itself seemed to have become the horn.

Whooooooong—

Everyone was the same. Including Yuria, all the mages and knights turned pale.

Ominous.

Whooooooong—

Bodies trembling. From outside and inside, only horn sounds could be heard.

Piercing through that noise that continued even with covered ears, the voice of the First Apostle Balrog rang out.

-Magnificent. Truly magnificent. I didn’t expect you to see through my mimicry. But it’s done now. Rest. Because it begins now. You’ll know right now.

“What… what’s beginning? What will we know!”

Yuria shouted in a trembling voice. The blood beads in her eyes spread down her cheeks. Cold sweat dripped along her jaw.

-Reverse Genesis.

Balrog’s voice was sad, solemn, and above all filled with emotion.

And then another unfamiliar voice interjected. A voice so vastly magnificent that even Balrog’s majestic voice seemed as shabby as a mosquito’s wingbeat…

[Let there be darkness.]

* * *

Fel moved only when the sun rose overhead.

Because at night, even the Outer God’s domain was shrouded in darkness and hard to see. Only when the sun shone brightly could he move safely. The plains and trees corrupted by the Outer God wobbled like jelly. Fel zigzagged through the paths between them.

‘Sigh… they clearly said the Outer God couldn’t interfere freely with this world…’

The Outer God’s minions swept through rear bases like breaking bamboo. Realizing that resistance would only mean a dog’s death, mages scattered and fled, promising to regroup. Since then, Fel had been alone.

‘Just what… if they had such power, why had the Outer God remained silent until now?’

He couldn’t understand.

Using his continuing doubts as work songs, he just walked and walked.

His comrades were all alive somewhere too, right? Humanity’s resistance hadn’t ended yet, right? Yes. We’re still fighting.

Fel bit his lip tightly. Precariously avoiding the hills and trees corrupted by the Outer God. Fearing the Outer God’s minions who would swarm at the slightest brush of clothing.

“Aaaagh!”

“Kyaaagh!”

While crossing a hill, Fel heard screams. He hurriedly climbed the hill and his eyes widened.

“Survivors!”

Indeed, people were still living hidden throughout. The problem was they looked like they’d die soon.

“Outer God minion…”

It was huge. Six feet—no, eight feet total including the smaller ones, its entire body covered in tentacles and spikes. A creature the size of the hill Fel stood on was trampling a thousand-odd refugees to death, crushing them with tentacles. It was a fairly powerful group including three 2nd Circle mages and seven 1st Circle mages… but they were helpless. A powerful entity among the Outer God’s minions. Its ferocity and destructive power matched A-rank calamities said to single-handedly destroy small cities.

‘Before it was calamities causing trouble, now these Outer God bastard’s lackeys are running wild.’

Fel’s gray eyes burned with fury. He gripped his dangling Anti-Magic Spear tightly. Whether it was blood or filth, something sticky and grimy clung to it. But there was no time to feel disgusted anymore. He’d reached a state where he felt like he was the spear and he was the filth.

[Spear Ghost!]

The record of Plum Blossom Spear Jo Hee-ryong, founder of the Jack family, loaded from the Akashic Record.

Previously, Fel couldn’t fully handle this power. But now, after faithfully following Baek Jun-woo’s advice and building his training, it was different. Now that his Circle and Ki-blood had grown evenly to reach the 5th Circle, 5-star level, he could freely wield the power of Jo Hee-ryong, who had been a Ki-blood wizard.

A spear master capable of matching even a 6th Circle wizard!

Boom!

With one lightning-fast thrust, the seemingly insurmountable Outer God minion scattered like dust and disappeared.

Fel swung his Anti-Magic Spear around to shake off the filth and flicked it aside.

The dazed expressions of the refugees came into view. Fel frowned.

“What are you doing? Get ready to run quickly!”

The fact that he’d eliminated an Outer God minion would spread quickly. Soon Outer God minions would swarm like clouds. Before then, they had to run as far as possible and activate barriers to hide.

“Come on, let’s get out of here quickly!”

Fel looked around and chose the direction with the least corruption. Just as Fel was about to run off, he had to stop.

“What?”

No one followed Fel’s movement. Rather, there were people leaning their bodies in the opposite direction from where Fel was moving. Fel’s eyebrows twitched.

“Don’t you want to follow?”

As Fel’s voice hardened, the refugees panicked.

“No. No. That’s not it.”

“Then?”

“It’s safer to go this way.”

Fel looked in the direction they were pointing. No matter how he looked, the corruption was severe. As Fel tilted his head in incomprehension, the refugee representative, who appeared to be a 2nd Circle mage, hurriedly elaborated.

“High-rank mage sir, we heard there’s a new base in that direction.”

“A new base?”

“Yes. A fortress that the Wizard of Domestication created by gathering survivors!”

Fel’s eyes widened.

He unconsciously clenched his fists tight.

‘Wizard of Domestication… Pan-Dalus!’

The world hadn’t perished yet after all. The bases had just collapsed a bit. Mages were still alive everywhere, gathering forces and continuing resistance.

“I see… understood. Let’s go that way.”

The refugees’ expressions visibly brightened.

Fel, renewed with fighting spirit and more reassured.

They looked at the corrupted land with hope.

Though slightly dangerous, they could see a safe path through it.

With the sun up now, they could pass safely without stepping on corrupted ground.

The horn sound rang out precisely at that moment.

Whooooong—

An unbearably ominous vibration resonating from within bodies, outside bodies, throughout the entire world.

And the voice that followed.

[Let there be darkness.]

Whoosh—

The sun went out.

The entire world was shrouded in darkness.

The path—

vanished right before their eyes.