The Beginning After the End, Vol. 1 – The Early Years of Arthur Leywin

Since the publication of the iconic Solo Leveling, we at Yen Press have developed a reputation for bringing beloved webcomic series to print. We are happy to continue the tradition by releasing the physical edition of The Beginning After the End, the epic fantasy series created by TurtleMe with art by Fuyuki23. Inspired by works such as Solo Leveling, The Beginning After the End is a powerhouse in the world of webcomics with millions of reads on Tapas, where it is serialized. We’re so happy that the day has finally come when creator TurtleMe and his many fans can hold a physical collection in their hands…not to mention the many new fans who will now read this amazing series for the first time! 

The Beginning After the End, Vol. 1 contains the early years of our hero, Arthur Leywin. In his past life, he was the mighty King Grey, who led armies and fought wars until his mysterious death. He is then reincarnated as the newborn Arthur Leywin, raised by first-time parents in a magical world that he knows nothing about. What’s a king to do in this brave new world…let alone in the body of an infant! 

No longer a skilled and intelligent ruler, Arthur struggles to keep up with his infant body—an enjoyable aspect of this first volume where we witness both the challenges and joys of Arthur adjusting to his new life. Learning how to crawl becomes a humbling experience, but overcoming that challenge brings more satisfaction than when he conquered enemies as a fearsome king. Meanwhile, his father’s roughhousing is scarier than the battlefield since Arthur is only a foot tall. It’s also a lot of fun to see his brilliant and complex thoughts often misunderstood by his parents. But the most important of Arthur’s lessons comes in the form of learning about this world of magic—an intriguing system that is just as fascinating to the reader as it is to Arthur. 

In The Beginning After the End, one must cultivate a mana core to use magic. It is classified into six colors: black, red, orange, yellow, silver, and white. Additionally, there are two main magical types, augmenter and conjurer. Arthur takes it upon himself to accelerate his mana core cultivation—the first step in his journey to becoming the greatest mage by age eight. Throughout his various training scenes, Arthur enhances his previous skills as a warrior with magic, which makes for a few jaw-dropping and action-packed scenes!

It’s only expected that as Arthur grows there will be more challenging adventures that will show his true potential. I had so much fun reading this first volume that introduced what will surely be a long, emotional, and satisfying story. Between Arthur’s quirky baby scenes and the training montage, there was never a dull moment in The Beginning After the End, Vol. 1!

There’s no way you can read The Beginning After the End, Vol. 1 and not be eager to experience more of Arthur’s adventure, so for more The Beginning After the End content, head to Tapas, where you can read the original webcomic, and stay tuned for news on the print edition of The Beginning After the End, Vol. 2!