Chapter 1
Jiang Cheng had lived through the world ending three times.
Three. Fucking. Times.
Like a cockroach, he managed to survive when so many other people (more better, more good, more deserving people) had died.
It was a curse, he thinks.
Because what was the purpose of continuing to survive when you saw no point in living?
The first time the world had ended, it took mankind by surprise. Nobody would ever expect a world ending event to happen via magic, magic portals, and ugly-ass monsters. The popular theories were zombies, or a pandemic, or a nuclear outbreak. A mass-extinction via comet, even.
But not Gates breaking, starting from a vortex-looking portal opening up in the sky, and coming from it, were hordes of monsters that hunted down every human they could find just to kill. Nobody could ever have expected that to happen.
Nobody was prepared, and so when the First End came, it had been a struggle for humanity to take back what they had once. Their homes, their safety and peace, they struggled to get it back even with the introduction to mana and awakening.
But they did get it back. Humanity had conquered the First End in just a few years. All First Gates of the capital cities around the world were vanquished, the monsters roaming around were killed and harvested, and now humanity rebuilt everything they had lost.
Jiang Cheng was only eighteen when the First End came, and he survived it.
But his father and mother did not.
By the time the Second End came, humanity was more prepared and equipped for it, but it wasn’t called the Second End for nothing.
Humanity suffered tremendous losses still when it came, even with all the preparations and plans and allying countries.
The Second End didn’t happen so suddenly, so abruptly like the First End did. But it was just as deadly and a world-ending catastrophe.
The Earth had turned on them. Countries and civilizations that were just rebuild, crumbled so easily with the drastic change of land, of nature, of the earth. The land changed abruptly, trembling and quaking violently before the plates crashed to one another or split so far apart. The oceans and seas were no longer safe to be explored and travel, not when some of the water changed that either burned or melted your skin off. The flora and fauna as well. New species were discovered, or old species mutating or evolving to a newer form. For an example, tigers evolving into Sabre-Toothed Tiger that was as big as a moose, was classified as a animal monster because mana had hardened it’s hide to something impenetrable with normal weapons and steel, and had a beast core in it.
Not to mention, the appearance of new neighbors that were either coldly neutral with them, or openly hostile. They didn’t just have to worry surviving in a world that had turned on them, but also began to house newer, sentient species that kicked humanity off the top of the food chain/hierarchy.
From monsters like kobolds and goblins and orcs to civilized elves, dwarves and dragons.
Cities and countries alike were destroyed, and just like the First End, humanity struggled to survive.
But they managed to survive and conquer the Second End, and even though they could never return to the Old Days, they started to rebuild once again and this time, they made new countries. New kingdoms and new laws, and new land boundaries, and new friends and enemies.
Jiang Cheng was twenty-four years old when the Second End came, and he managed to survive to see it end on his twenty-eight birthday. His sister and brother-in-law didn’t make it, and Jiang Cheng was alone to raise his newborn nephew in a world that changed where only the strong could survive.
By the time the Third End came, Jiang Cheng was in his forties and his nephew was a young sixteen year old boy. This time, everything on earth became inhabitable and demanded every sentient ‘player’ species to climb the goddamned tower.
That fucking monstrosity.
Jiang Cheng and Yunmeng Jiang Sect had stopped climbing at Floor 35, a safe floor that they claimed and made it a home. Jiang Cheng hadn’t wanted his nephew to climb the damn tower, wanting for other players who are more qualified to conquer the Third and Final End. But the stupid boy convinced him, proved that he was Jiang Cheng’s blood, and so will survived to see the end of it, and perhaps, be the end of it.
Jiang Cheng, had foolishly believed in his nephew’s idiocy, and let him go.
Two years later with no visit or a letter, Jiang Cheng climbs the tower just to find his fucking stupid nephew.
Four years later on the 99th Floor, Jiang Cheng is old and cold and numb with everything he had gone through, but seeing his nephew’s old and dusty skeleton of a corpse, had shattered him in a way he had in his miserable years of living.
Somehow, he defeats 99th Floor on his own.
Somehow, he fucking survives and conquers the 100th floor, and thus, conquered the Third End for everybody.
Jiang Cheng manages to survive three world-ending events. He was the one to conquer the third and last Ending. The Sole Conqueror of the Tower. The Purple Viper, the Master of Three Poisons of Buddhism, the River Lotus Master, and Yunmeng Jiang’s Pack Leader.
But what did he care about that?
What did he fucking care if A-Ling died?
Jin Ling was gone.
That stupid boy was dead, and it was all because of Jiang Cheng!
“Take me back” he demanded.
Jiang Cheng dropped to his knees, and with tears streaming down his face, grief-stricked red rimmed eyes, he begs.
“Take me back from the start.”
He cried.
“Please.”
Someone heard his cries.
Someone took pity on his tears.
Someone embraced him and answered his wish.
And then the world went white.