Chapter 0
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Prologue
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What is a dream?
It can be the manifestation of the unconscious, the confirmation of a long-desired value, or something that appears in many different forms.
But what if—
What if you kept dreaming the **same dream**, continuing it every night?
This is a question that no one in the world could answer.
Except for one person.
“Why…?”
The only person capable of answering that question was **Kang Seol**, who had just turned twenty-five.
An orphan raised in a children's home, a quiet man who rarely spoke.
For **seventeen years**, Kang Seol had been dreaming the same dream.
---
### **Seventeen Years Earlier**
Around the time Kang Seol had just entered elementary school, he first had that dream.
> “Oh? Are you new here? Please sit over here. There's just one seat left.”
In the dream, he was an adult dressed neatly, wearing unfamiliar clothes and an unfamiliar mask.
Everyone there looked the same—strange outfits, strange masks.
> “Alright. It's time to roll the dice.”
> “Hahaha! This is my favorite part!”
> “Everyone, choose your piece.”
> “I'll keep mine! I'm going with the **Red Butcher**.”
> “Then I'll go with the **Wind Ranger**.”
> “Uh… there’s a new person here…”
> “Oh, right. Then have him create a new piece.”
A woman wearing a **fox mask** spoke kindly to Kang Seol.
> “Um… what should we call you?”
Kang Seol hesitated before saying his name.
Instead, he gave another nickname.
“**Snowman**.”
> “Snowman? That's a good name. Alright! Then please create your piece yourself, Snowman.”
Kang Seol chose a **Frost Mage**, set the details roughly, and waited for his turn.
> “The dice are rolling!”
> “Six! It’s a six!”
> “But that was a twenty-sided die.”
> “No way!”
They played the game joyfully.
Dice rolled across the board, and numerous choices appeared.
> “The chieftain of the **Pointy Thorn Tribe**, **Pointy Thorn**, has appeared. Now then—what is **It's Your Fault Anyway**’s choice?”
1. Run away
2. Fight
3. **[Requires: Intelligence 15]** Persuade with words
4. **[Requires: Mechanical Engineering 1]** Spread a smoke screen
> “Four! Let’s go with number four!”
> “Oh no! Unfortunately, the smoke screen failed!”
> “Damn it! This is rigged!”
The party was on the verge of annihilation.
Then it became the Frost Mage’s turn—Kang Seol’s piece.
“Number 3. I’ll choose **‘Use Frost Magic to freeze Pointy Thorn’s feet.’**”
> “The magic was effective! Pointy Thorn’s feet froze, leaving him momentarily defenseless!”
The man beside him wearing a **bird mask** shouted.
> “Yes! My turn now! Hurry!”
> “Understood, **Cat Tower Destroyer**.”
The man called **Cat Tower Destroyer** seized the opening and struck Pointy Thorn with a magnificent attack.
From that moment on, the party's situation improved.
Eventually, they defeated **Pointy Thorn** and successfully completed the adventure.
> “That concludes today's adventure. Did everyone enjoy the **Eternal World**?”
> “Hahaha! No need to ask. Even if it’s just a trial version, it's incredibly fun.”
> “Hey, Snowman. Want to play again tomorrow?”
Kang Seol nodded.
And so, every night in his dreams, he enjoyed the **Eternal World** with people whose identities he did not know, the party members changing each time.
---
Once, Kang Seol told some of the younger children at the orphanage about this dream.
Their response was simple.
> “Big brother is weird… he says strange things…”
“…What?”
> “That kind of thing doesn’t exist.”
It was probably the natural response.
Few people would believe someone who said they kept dreaming the same dream.
From that day onward, until he turned twenty-five, **Kang Seol never spoke of this dream to anyone again.**
Partly because life at the orphanage was difficult and he rarely talked to others.
But also because he felt that if he told someone the secret of the dream, he might never have it again.
So he grew up.
He became an adult, a member of society.
And the dream continued.
For **seventeen years**, he rolled dice and played with people whose identities remained unknown.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about who they were.
But for the same reason he never told anyone about the dream, he never asked them either.
*Who are you people?*
They met in dreams.
They rolled dice.
And they laughed.
That was all.
At one time, Kang Seol even wondered if they were **gods**.
But he quickly lost interest in that idea.
Whether they were gods, monsters, or demons didn't matter to him.
The only thing that mattered—
was enjoying the **Eternal World**.
That alone held all his attention.
---
> “Snowman, weren’t you supposed to play with us today?”
> “What are you talking about? Snowman promised to spend the last day with us! Didn’t he?”
> “Both of you be quiet! Today Snowman is doing a **solo adventure** because of the **Great Sage’s final adventure**.”
> “Right! Then we should watch that!”
The existence Kang Seol had created in the dream—
**Snowman.**
To those who enjoyed the **Eternal World**, Snowman had become nothing less than an **idol**.
Because he had created numerous **legendary characters** that would remain in the history of the Eternal World.
He had played more than **thirty characters**.
Some had died meaningless deaths.
But most of Kang Seol’s characters left their names in the history of the Eternal World.
**Duke of Frost.**
**One-Armed Sword Saint.**
**Immortal.**
And even the **Great Sage**.
For seventeen years, Snowman had played many roles and steadily reached their peaks.
Luck with the dice certainly helped.
But his ability to see through the choices also played a crucial role.
It was the result of his deep interest in the **Eternal World**—to the point where he had nearly memorized the rulebook.
*Too bad… If I had just a little more time, I could have tried that too.*
The character he had planned to play last.
After wandering through many classes and making many mistakes, he had devised a growth route and strategy.
He intended to create a **final piece** that would combine everything.
But unfortunately, today was the last day of the **Eternal World**.
> “Starting tomorrow, our dream will finally become reality.”
> “It took long enough. Now we can reclaim our divinity. And take revenge on the insects who made us like this.”
> “Hahaha! Sounds like you’re leaning more toward revenge.”
*They said the Eternal World trial ends today, right?*
An announcement had been made: the **Eternal World trial version** would end today, and the official service would begin.
Kang Seol didn't understand what that truly meant.
But the others seemed to have some idea.
Kang Seol brushed aside their words and focused on what was happening before him.
Because the **Great Sage** was undergoing his final adventure—
**Ascension.**
*Please… please…*
Right now, Kang Seol was rolling the final die for his piece—
**Great Sage Milan.**
The die rolled.
Rattle—
Clack.
Kang Seol checked the result and quietly closed his eyes.
The result was **1**.
> **[Mana reverses during the ascension process.]**
> **[Milan suffers a massive backlash from the mana.]**
> **[Milan fails the ascension.]**
“……”
> “Snowman… that's unfortunate.”
> “Too bad, Snowman.”
> “Cheer up!”
Kang Seol confirmed that **Milan had no choices left**.
*Again…*
Among the **thirty pieces** Kang Seol had raised, the last ten had all reached the final adventure—
**Ascension**.
But none of them had surpassed it.
It wasn't easy for a human to ascend to the heavens.
Still, for **all ten pieces to fail**, ending with the **Great Sage**…
*How are you even supposed to clear this…*
Kang Seol silently stared at his piece and made a decision.
> **[Do you wish to abandon Milan's adventure?]**
1. Yes
2. No
If option 1 was chosen, the player could no longer control the piece’s fate.
Kang Seol chose **1**.
> **[Adventurer Milan will now carve his own destiny.]**
> **[Though his thrilling adventures have ended, his life continues.]**
Kang Seol stared blankly at Milan.
Then the others spoke to him.
> “It's okay, Snowman. You did your best. Just reaching Ascension…”
> “Yeah. Only you could have done that, Snowman.”
The number of pieces that had reached **Ascension** was now **ten**.
All of them were Kang Seol’s.
For those who enjoyed the **Eternal World**, it was an incredible achievement.
But Kang Seol still felt regret.
“Whew…”
And so, the **Eternal World** he had enjoyed for seventeen years came to an end.
But this ending—
was the beginning of a new fate.