BFBT 1

Chapter 1

Prologue

I climbed the Tower.

I truly believed that if I reached the 100th floor, I would finally learn the reason why we were thrown into this living hell.

Not a single day was spent in rest. Not a moment was wasted in play. Not for a single second did my heart know peace.

I had to keep climbing, endlessly.

Because I was humanity’s sole remaining hope.

And so, I became the first human to reach the 100th floor.

[You have finally reached this place.]

“What must I do now?”

[There is nothing for you to do. Now, receive our baptism.]

“Baptism? What changes once I receive this baptism?”

[You shall gain our recognition and become our Apostle.]

I bit my lip until it bled, glaring at the gods before me.

Blurry, shifting silhouettes and a heat-haze energy fluttering in the air. Even after climbing all the way to the 100th floor, I still could not gaze upon their true forms.

“Was it just… was it just to turn us into your wretched lackeys that you summoned us into this Tower?!”

I screamed out, my voice thick with agony and despair.

Climbing this Tower cost me everything. I lost my friends, I lost my comrades, and I lost my family. I endured it all because I believed that reaching the 100th floor meant escaping this place—that it meant saving the survivors.

[Not a lackey. One who climbs to the 100th floor is a being worthy of a god’s recognition. You have earned the right to stand beside us.]

[You shall step beyond this narrow Tower and watch over the vast realm beyond.]

“…Does that mean I cannot return to Earth?”

[That is correct.]

The resolute voice of the god shattered the last faint glimmer of hope within me.

I had trained relentlessly to reach this 100th floor, eventually earning the grand title of Archmage. I did not struggle through absolute torment just to become their puppet.

“Then I will kill you all and break out of this Tower myself.”

I poured every drop of my mana into the brilliantly shining staff in my hand.

[Foolish.]

A succession of colossal impacts, powerful enough to swallow an entire world whole, erupted one after another.

The surrounding landscape twisted violently, and the shockwaves of energy turned the world upside down. Yet, the conclusion of that desperate, brutal battle was utterly tragic.

Cough!

The staff that once emitted a radiant light shattered into pieces, and my robes, woven with countless protective spells, were torn to shreds. My body was reduced to a broken rag, and the warm blood welling up inside felt as though it would burst through my throat.

[…If you change your mind even now, we shall overlook this insolence.]

Hearing the god’s final words only made me grind my teeth harder.

Having experienced my power firsthand, they were reluctant to waste it.

I forced my head up with everything I had left, gazing at their shadowy figures. They looked much the same as when I first saw them, but the overwhelming pressure they once exerted had faded, and their presence had grown faint.

‘So, in the end… you are no different from humans.’

Gods were not untouchable, omnipotent beings. Given enough training and preparation, a human could indeed slay a god.

If only I had a little more time.

If only I had known even a fraction more about their divine powers.

[Foolish to the very end. That is precisely why humans are imperfect creatures.]

I did not bother to answer.

It was over now.

[Do you think this is the end? You shall pay the price for defying god.]

[You shall spend eternity living in despair, forever reminded of your own ignorance and barbarism.]

An unknown, terrifying power bound my body and soul.

Swept away as if caught in a violent, unstoppable current, my very existence began to erase.

[Live out eternity being hunted by humans, stripped of your memories, feeling nothing but total helplessness.]

[You shall be brutally slaughtered, over and over, by your former comrades, your friends, and your family.]

[For all eternity.]

And like that, the existence known as Lee Shin—the man who reached the 100th floor—vanished.

Floor 1: Waiting Room.

A vast expanse of open land, towering mountains reaching toward the sky, a craggy field of jagged rocks on the far side, and a deep blue ocean visible in the distance.

Yet, despite the grandeur, nothing else lived here.

“Helloooo! I am Toing, the administrator of this place!”

Flapping its cute little rabbit ears, Toing warmly greeted the challengers who materialized in the waiting room.

“Would you like to challenge the 1st floor?”

Floor 1.

Two challengers were summoned inside a massive cavern.

“Is this the 1st floor?”

The cavern entrance was immense. Behind them was a sheer, dizzying cliffside, while ahead lay the pitch-black passage of the cave.

Creeeak—!

At the sharp, piercing cry of a bird, the two challengers hurried toward the cliff to take a look.

“Hick! What on earth is that?!”

Flying near the impossibly high cliff was a giant bird made entirely of ice. Just looking at it sent chills down their spines as it exhaled freezing gusts of breath into the air.

Fearing they might be spotted by the creature, the two rushed deeper into the cave.

“If that bird so much as breathes near us, we’re dead. Let’s get inside, fast!”

“R-Right!”

The regular monsters on the 1st floor weren’t particularly difficult.

Low-tier Skeletons, dwarvish Goblins, and Sewer Rats. They were weak creatures that could easily be dispatched with nothing more than a crude, rusty sword.

“Is this the boss room?”

“Even if it’s just the 1st floor, it’s still a boss. I’m actually a little nervous.”

“Nervous about what? Word on the street is that this boss is a complete pushover. Let me just open it.”

Arriving in front of the boss room, the two forcefully pushed the heavy doors open.

“Who… are… you… people…?”

A broken, fragmented voice echoed out.

“Who… am I…?”

A mind fading in and out of sanity.

“I am… a god…”

A madman declaring himself a deity.

The 1st-floor boss was a weakened, cursed Necromancer. He was someone who had secluded himself in the frigid polar wilderness to research a cure for his curse, only to fail completely and shatter his own mind.

Though various research notes and strange chemical reagents lay scattered around him, the challengers could not read the script, nor did they care to.

“A god? Is this guy crazy?”

“Let’s just kill him and move on.”

“Yeah.”

The Necromancer’s listless, hollow eyes swept across them.

For a brief split second, the challengers flinched upon meeting his gaze, but the feeling quickly passed.

[Dark Arrow]

Formed from raw mana, a deep purple arrow materialized in midair and shot toward them.

It would certainly hurt if it hit, but dodging the sluggish Dark Arrow was easy enough.

“Die!”

Killing a Necromancer who couldn’t even move from his spot and could only cast basic magic was easier than taking a breath.

Besides, the only spell he could cast was Dark Arrow.

“Cough… ack!”

The challengers frowned as they watched the Necromancer spit up a glob of dark blood. The reaction was unsettlingly human, making them feel as if they were murdering an actual, living person.

“Man, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“It’s just an NPC construct. Don’t overthink it.”

And with that, the 1st-floor boss—the insane Necromancer—died.

“Welcome! Hello, challengers! I am Toing!”

Toing greeted a fresh batch of 1st-floor challengers.

“Is this the boss room for the 1st floor?”

A new group of challengers reached the heavy doors.

“Who… are… you… people…?”

“Who do you think? Challengers!”

“I am… a… cough!”

The 1st-floor Necromancer died once again.

“Welcome! I am Toi—”

“Who… are…”

“Don’t care!”

“Cough!”

The Necromancer died before he could even finish his line.

“Hel—”

“Who—”

“Gack!”

He died again.

“Ack!”

And again.

“Who—”

Dead before he could utter a single word.

He died.

And died.

And kept right on dying.