In the history of the world, it was said that there was once a time in which humans lived in peace with a total of thirty continents; humanity was flourishing. However, all this changed when the Witches appeared.
The Witches claimed humans to be insignificant and brought monstrous creatures with them. Humanity couldn't fight these creatures and soon were pushed to the brink of destruction. However, through some miracle, a man rose up and discovered a power he later named Qi. This power let his body experience changes, amplifying it to heights people could only dream of.
The man, although strong, wasn't strong enough to help humanity alone; as such, he rapidly reproduced. His offspring inherited his Qi. Each had unique powers. He had twelve children; these children later gave their powers a Class:
Swordsman, Berserker, Mage, Archer, Scientist, Watcher, Protector, Enforcer, Villain, King, Hero, and Servant.
Among these Classes, there were special Classes: Watcher, Protector, Hero, and Servant. These Classes were deemed special because they served the purpose of directly serving the King. The King Class was the highest and most powerful Class; it first belonged to the first person to use Qi and was passed down to one of his lucky offspring.
With the Classes to help them, humanity was able to fight against the creatures that threatened their existence. However, humanity was only able to recover seven continents, losing the remaining twenty-three to the demons and Witches. Throughout history, Witches were given the title of "Catastrophic Beings," as they brought nothing but damage whenever they appeared.
***
In a rundown house, a youth could be seen sleeping. He had long blonde hair and brown eyes; he was wearing ragged clothes. His house was also in a miserable shape; there were all types of creatures moving around, and his bed—if it could be called that—had seen better days. It had holes all over it and dirt stains.
His house was able to fit his small bed and a small table; that was it. He had no lighting, no decorations, and no mirror. It was a pitiful sight to behold.
'How long should I sleep today?' the boy thought. Although his eyes were closed, he was not sleeping; he just thought through matters. 'I have to move and head to work.'
Thinking of his job, frustration boiled within him.
"Look, it's the treacherous son."
"Filthy pig."
"He must be a traitor just like his family."
"Die—maybe then could your sins be forgiven."
These were voices he heard every day. No matter what good he did, he would be berated; if he did even the slightest wrong, he would be severely punished. All because...
'I'm from a treacherous family.'
A treacherous family—that was what he knew about his family. They were traitors. He had belonged to a sub-branch of a family whose main family had a Servant with them; however, this sub-branch got envious and committed treason. As punishment, they were stripped of any power, the older men and women were killed, and the offspring were sent to the slums.
Perhaps as a way to feel better, the people from the slums made fun of him day and night for seventeen years straight. From the moment he was born, he was condemned to a life of suffering due to mistakes his family committed before he was even a fetus. The hate the people had for the Royals and the fear they had for the Royals—all of that was directed toward Leonard. It was as if he could solve their issues, but at the end of it all, nothing could be done about it.
Leonard stood up from his ragged bed. He walked to his small table; there was a drawer at the bottom of the table. He opened the drawer; inside, there was a pack of whitish paste in a transparent, five-inch tube.
'Don't think much about it.'
With this thought, he put his mouth on top of the tube and sucked the whitish paste. The paste tasted extremely horrible; it was bitter, sour, salty, and muddy. Leonard would have wanted to spit it out, ridding himself of the torture, but he couldn't. The disgusting paste was his food; he couldn't let it go to waste. As such, he continued despite feeling disgusted until it was all finished.
"Huff..." He breathed in deeply once he finished the paste. 'I'll never get used to the taste of that paste.' He had a bitter expression on his face despite already finishing the paste. 'Here it comes.'
An intense, unsettling taste violated his mouth; the aftertaste of the paste had assaulted him. Once the taste washed away, he sighed heavily and left his shabby house. Once he reached the outside, he noticed houses similar to his. There was a long gravel road with plenty of turns; a number of people were walking around in worse condition than him.
"Stop!" a woman shouted. Leonard and she locked eyes.
"Stop struggling," a man said while forcing himself on her.
"Please," she said, her voice sorrowful.
However, despite her calls for help, no one helped her. They all just briefly looked at her, then looked away. Leonard was no exception. He took his gaze away as if he had seen nothing. He took out a key and closed his door, then left the area completely. What happened after he went, he didn't want to know.
***
He soon reached an area where people were mining. Leonard looked around, then spotted a middle-aged, fat man seated supervising the area. Leonard walked up to the man. Once the man saw Leonard, he felt his mood change.
"I've reported for the day," Leonard said. He didn't wait for a response and left immediately to grab a shovel. Once he had a shovel, he went to a place he was supposed to mine at.
"He's here."
"Scum."
"If only he died."
He heard such comments but feigned ignorance. He continued to dig and dig. His hands were tired, but he continued to dig. An hour had soon passed, and he was still digging.
Cling, cling, cling.
He heard a bell ring. 'It's break time.'
The bell that signified break time had rung. Everyone stopped their work to rest and recuperate. Leonard did the same; he fell to the hard ground and sat down, trying to catch his breath.
He glanced a distance away. Far away from where he was seated, he saw a different world.