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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Slide—
‘Huh?’
Why was he still having this dream?
Kang Seol had the same dream again today. Magnificent buildings built on clouds. The Eternal World had supposedly ended yesterday, yet here he was, walking through it again.
But that didn’t mean today was exactly the same as yesterday. There was a clear difference.
‘Why… is no one here?’
He was a celebrity in this place. Whenever he breathed the air of this world through his dreams, others would always come to greet him. But today, no one had come. An ominous feeling crept up his back.
Why? Why?
He finally understood when he reached the central square. A figure in a lightning mask greeted him.
“Ah, the protagonist has arrived!”
“Get him!”
‘Wh-What!’
Seeing the figures charging at him, Kang Seol realized something was wrong and immediately turned and ran.
Crack!
But a ring of lightning flew from somewhere and bound his neck.
“Aaaaagh!”
He felt as if his brain was being fried, the pain searing through his bones.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“You insidious human…”
“So you’ve been deceiving us all this time?”
As he fell, the masked figures dragged him to the square.
Thud.
Like a criminal, he was thrown to the ground, and insults and ridicule rained down on him.
“To think… to think we were talking to you all this time!”
“How dare you speak to us as equals?”
“What were you all doing while a bug-like human was defiling the heavens!”
“Who let him in?”
“Kill him! We have to kill him!”
“Kill him!”
Amidst the dizzying mental torment, he clearly heard the words ‘kill him.’ ‘Just yesterday…’ His closest friends were now stabbing daggers into his heart.
“Why… why are you doing this…”
“You ask, not knowing? How dare a human like you hide in the heavens and pretend to be a god?”
“That’s…”
“Enough. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Kill him…”
This was wrong. Their eyes were bloodshot with madness, and they weren’t listening. Just as he was about to retort in terror, a figure with a large eye mask, who had been observing the situation, shouted, “I’m against that!”
“What? Ko-Kodon…”
Kodon was an influential figure among them. Kang Seol had sensed it in their conversations. He stood up abruptly, approached Kang Seol, and pushed the others away.
Naturally, there was resistance.
“What are you doing, Kodon?”
“You’re deceiving us…”
“Whoa, whoa, you all seem a little too excited. Please calm down.”
“Ahem… hmm…”
Why was Kodon siding with him? Kang Seol felt a glimmer of hope. Could he resolve this situation? But it was a grave misunderstanding.
“How can we spill human blood in the heavens? No one disposes of filth in their bedchambers.”
“Th-That’s true.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Then, let me tell you my thoughts. This person…”
Kodon grinned.
“What if we send him back where he belongs?”
“Wh-What!”
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“Of course, if we just send him back, you might feel that his crime has gone unpunished… but have you all forgotten what day it is today?”
The masked figures cheered at Kodon’s words.
“That’s right! We were supposed to start the harvest today!”
“Then… sending him back means…”
“That’s right. He will return to the land where he belongs and die like a bug, a sacrifice to madness.”
“Hahahaha! That’s great! We can’t stain the heavens with his filthy blood.”
“I agree! How dare he crawl into the heavens, not knowing his place? Let him die, clinging to the ground like a bug!”
“Kodon, you’re so wise! This way, we can teach him a lesson! His true place, for daring to mingle with gods as an equal.”
Kodon wasn’t trying to protect him. He was just choosing another way to inflict more pain. Kang Seol couldn’t speak.
The self-proclaimed gods had done something to him, and he couldn’t move. Then, a voice pierced his mind.
– Snowman, can you hear me?
It was Kodon’s voice.
– Your identity has been compromised. There’s no time to explain. I’ll just tell you what you need to know.
Kang Seol wanted to ask him. Who are you? Why are you helping me? What happens if I die in a dream?
Kodon, while skillfully deceiving the gods with his rhetoric, continued to convey information to Kang Seol.
– The place you lived in will become a different world starting today. The merging of worlds is scheduled for today. Your world and the eternal world, Pandea.
What was this now?
‘The worlds… are merging? How?’
– The gods, to regain their weakened power, have chosen madness instead of faith. Your hardships and stories will now be sold to other followers in exchange for madness.
‘What does that mean!’
– Snowman, there is only one way to save you and your race. Reach the final adventure, Ascension. It will be helpful to stand out as much as possible in the process. Madness is necessary for the gods to regain their original power, but it will also be useful to you.
‘Reach Ascension. I’m not even a piece on the board, how can I? What are you talking about…’
– By the way, if you speak of the affairs of the heavens, the gods will have a reason to intervene. Then you will surely die. Please, be wise. Good luck, Snowman. I hope we can meet again someday.
With those final words, Kodon picked him up with one hand.
“Hahahaha! Now, then, let’s see how this bug squirms and dies…”
“Wait! If we just send him back…”
Before the tide could turn, Kodon quickly threw him under the clouds. Kang Seol was banished from the heavens, the terrifying sensation of falling without wings seared into his memory.
Whoooooosh—!
“Oops… He’s already gone.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Kodon replied with a smile.
“Now, shall we watch the harvest of madness? Oh, noble gods.”
“Hehehe… Good.”
“Now we can finally regain our power.”
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Kang Seol felt empty. A sense of void. It was partly due to his fall from the heavens, but also the aftershock of the traumatic experience.
‘They were… really gods?’
To think they weren’t just beings in his dreams, but real gods with physical forms. He checked his neck, confirming that the lightning ring was gone. He had experienced a near-death experience, but he was alive.
He sighed in relief and looked around. Black. The world was pitch black.
“…What is this?”
Suddenly, messages appeared before his eyes.
Kang Seol understood Kodon’s words after seeing the messages. He had become a piece on the board. A piece of the Eternal World, which he had enjoyed for 17 years.
His 31st and final piece was himself.
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