Bruh, this isn't Disney

... there's no childish »good« or »evil«, because good as well as evil are always nuanced in every situation and only in a story directed at children who aren't meant to think too deeply about a characters motivation and thoughts, would one bluntly make someone do »evil« for the sake of being »evil«.
I know this seems unprompted and it kinda is, actually, but I did have that thought since I answered someone's question about who's supposedly good and who's evil in this one, which I expect to be a reaction to the latest chapter in which the Bow God showed his true colors to the Sword God. Someone answered, every person on the male leads side was supposedly good. That makes everybody else evil? I kinda disagree and would like to get that thought out of my system, so I need to ramble here a little.
What I like about this story is the fact that it is - as of now - so simple and yet complex in how it portrays it's characters and motivations. There's no grand scheme to be seen yet, but still, there's enemies as far as the eyes can see. Why? Because of the premise.
The premise isn't something as grand and pretentious as saving the world from an outside force, but simply people challenging a tower for their own benefits. While Jeong-Woo still tried to reach a goal, by finding something that would cure his mother, everyone else is most likely there to reach the tip of the Obelisk and become a god. And to reach that goal, they amass power, trip over each other, betray whoever they need to betray and climp floor after floor. Some may even be comfortable in their position, not trying to climb any further, but using the power they already gained to live like kings anyway. Who wouldn't settle, if the way up was only going to be harder and may even cost ones life?
Be it as it may, what I'm trying to say is: It's the tower that encourages them to be like that. They want to achieve something, so they do whatever they have to, to reach that goal. In the end, everyone fights for themselves, since they don't have a uniting goal behind them, but instead, they are there to compete in the first place, that's the whole point of being there.
Is the Martial King, who is stated to cut off anyone who is either in his way or simply not of use, a good guy, just because he's on the MC's side? No. He does have a few good trades and he's nice to Yeon-Woo, but even he states how lucky he was, that he didn't antagonize the Martial King, when he almost had and how much slack the King actually cut him that time, to not simply let him go. He wouldn't have a problem, fighting his own brother or children, if they ever crossed his path in a fight from the wrong side. Because he's like that, he was able to become the Martial King.
Yeon-Woo also killed a bartender who's only sin was selling his information. Yes, that was stupid and it certainly wasn't nice, but he only looked out for himself. Yeon-Woo kills that man, because he inconvenienced him. He could have warned him first, but he blew the whole place up, disregarding who could have gotten caught up in the aftermath. Not everyone was or is involved in the scheming behind the scenes of the tower. Not everyone was involved in what happened to Arthia. But he wouldn't make a difference in who to kill. Is he supposed to be »good«?
The Answer is simply: Neither of them are good nor bad. They have goals and follow them. And I would like to say the biggest difference inbetween them and people like Leonte or Bahal would be the fact that they don't have this heavy back stabbing streak, but in reality: What was it, that Yeon-Woo did to Bahal and the Red Dragon? He stabbed them in the back, when they expected it the least. Just like Bahal did when he was a part of Arthia and probably already a part of Red Dragon all along. Or what Leonte did. What the Bow God just now did. Just because Yeon-Woo did it to kill the people responsible for the fall of Arthia and his brother in the process, it's still just the same wrong and that doesn't make it right. But that just goes if you want to make such distinctions.
That's why Yeon-Woo also wants to destroy the tower, because it's a rat infested septic tank, that pulls you more and more down, the further you go up. And it's interesting to see how the people spiral down into that tank.
Like the Summer Queen, who doesn't have many goals left, except for ... NOT dying. Or the Bow God, who may or may not actually work for someone else entirely, but maybe he just wants to take over the Azure Sword, make a name for himself that is actually a name or whatever.
The way you can basically only trust the fact that you can't really trust anyone in the tower, perfectly portrays the egotistical side of humans (even if a lot of them aren't exactly human) and that is quite interesting. They are all kind to some and cruel to others, they are clearly also human beings, who have people and things they care for. Of course, that's just normal, but that's why it's so hard to tell who's gonna be a snitch next, because in the end, no one owes anything to anyone in particular. And even if you think there's someone who's actually gonna be loyal, you never really know.

Well, it's an interesting setting. I mean, there's bound to be more shit coming, regarding the Gods and Demons of the 98th floor, the Black King (or what was his name again?), the tip of the Obelisk and so on. But that aside, I like the carnage going on here and the way they portray good and evil of human nature, without being apologetic about it. Nice.