Chapter 1: The Awakening
Damien Clay was an average person living his life, spending most of his free time playing video games with his online friends. But one fateful night changed everything.
Sitting at his desk, fingers moving swiftly over the keyboard, Damien and his team were locked in a high-stakes battle in their favorite team-based shooting game. They had fought their way through over fifty teams, and now, only one enemy squad stood between them and victory.
"Push forward! We have them cornered!" Damien shouted through his headset, his adrenaline pumping.
The plan was simple: force the enemy team into a tight spot and finish them off. Just as Damien took his position to land the final blow, his screen froze.
"No, no, no! Not now!" he groaned.
His internet connection lagged out at the worst possible moment. Before he could react, he found himself eliminated from the match. Now one man down, his team was soon overwhelmed by the opponents' superior firepower. The defeat stung, but what hurt even more was the immediate backlash from his teammates.
"Damien, what the hell happened?!"
"We were so close!"
"You're useless, man! We don't need a liability like you!"
Before he could even explain, they booted him from the team. Frustration boiled within him. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his desk in anger. The impact sent a water bottle tumbling over, spilling its contents onto his PC.
A loud sizzle filled the room, followed by a blinding spark. Damien barely had time to react before an electric shock surged through his body. His vision blurred, his muscles locked up, and within moments, everything went dark.
An Unknown Place
A faint, flickering light drifted aimlessly through an endless void. It was small, barely noticeable—yet it caught the attention of a powerful presence. A massive hand stretched out, tearing through the very fabric of the void, reaching for the glowing speck.
Just as the hand was about to grasp it, a sudden attack came from another direction, forcing the being to withdraw. The tiny light—Damien's soul—was knocked off course and plunged into a swirling rift of darkness.
The White Abyss
Damien gasped as his eyes shot open. He found himself surrounded by an endless expanse of white. There was no sky, no ground—just an infinite, glowing emptiness. Before he could process his surroundings, cracks began to spread across the whiteness. The pristine world shattered like glass, revealing a deep, swirling void beyond.
Panic set in. Damien turned and ran toward the only thing that seemed stable—a glowing sphere of light hovering in the distance. It radiated a strange energy, yet something about it felt... welcoming.
As he reached out to touch it, the light surged toward him, seeping into his body like mist. He tried to pull away, but it was too late. The energy fused with him, flowing through his veins like liquid fire. Visions, knowledge, and sensations flooded his mind.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything went black once more.
The next moment, Damien found himself in a dimly lit alley, the cold air brushing against his skin. His mind buzzed with new information—knowledge that wasn't his, yet now felt deeply ingrained within him.
The object he had assimilated wasn't just any relic; it was the Legacy of the Toymancer. Yes—a Toymancer. And that strange white space he had awakened in? It had been a graveyard—a final resting place for the previous wielder of this power.
The circumstances of the Toymancer's death remained a mystery, shrouded behind a mental barrier Damien couldn't break. It was as if the truth had been deliberately sealed away within the flood of knowledge he had received.
But one thing was clear—the Legacy had chosen him. And now, he was the new Toymancer.
This power wasn't ordinary. In fact, it was one of the most formidable abilities across the entire universe. No—multiverse. The very existence of a multiverse was now a fact in Damien's mind, and his own home universe? It had been an unknown, unexplored fragment, isolated from the greater cosmic stage.
As for the power of a Toymancer, it was unlike anything Damien had ever imagined. It granted the ability to create—to sculpt toys from various materials. But these weren't mere playthings. If crafted properly, they could achieve abilities far beyond their original forms. However, if the right materials weren't used, their true potential would remain locked away.
And so, standing in that shadowed alley, Damien realized—he had been reborn into a world far greater than his own. A world filled with endless possibilities.
And he held in his hands the power to shape it.
But first, Damien needed to explore this world. The Legacy had informed him that the previous Toymancer had already set a destination—a universe that had been explored before. However, where exactly he would end up was a mystery until now.
As he took in his surroundings, Damien quickly realized that this was a modern world—tall buildings, bustling streets, and an air of normalcy. Yet, something felt off. A gut feeling told him this was no ordinary place.
Then it hit him.
"Wait a second… no way…," Damien muttered, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Recognition flooded his mind, followed by sheer panic.
"Shit, man!" he blurted out. "This is the Solo Leveling world!"
His heart pounded. He had just finished watching the anime recently, and now he was inside it. A world of hunters, dungeons, terrifying beasts, and above all—monsters that could wipe out entire nations.
"*This is bad… really bad.**"
Sure, the Legacy had granted him knowledge about how to travel between universes, but actually doing it? That was another story. Multiversal travel wasn't something he could pull off easily, at least not yet. For all he knew, his next stop could be an even more horrific universe than this one.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Okay, okay, focus…"
Maybe this wasn't as bad as it seemed. He did have the power of a Toymancer. If used correctly, he could craft an army of toy soldiers—not just simple figurines, but powerful warriors imbued with magic, strength, and intelligence. Maybe he could design soldiers that could rival the Dragon Monarch himself. Or better yet… an army vast enough to match the Shadow Monarch's numerical advantage.
The thought made him grin.
"Hah, maybe I can be the strongest in this world after all…"
But just as he was indulging in his ambitious daydream, a voice suddenly called out to him.
A familiar voice.
"Damien!"
His body tensed.
It wasn't just the name that caught him off guard—it was the way it was spoken. There was warmth in the tone. Familiarity.
Like an older sibling addressing their younger brother.
He slowly turned around.
And there he was.
Sung Jin-Woo.
Not as the all-powerful Shadow Monarch… but as his younger, weaker self—the thin, struggling hunter who had yet to awaken.
And he had just called Damien his little brother.