"No Matter How I Look, That's Sir Ku-en..."
I replayed the Dimension World opening trailer over and over. The captain standing on the battlefield, the knights following him—they were all familiar faces. And no wonder. Even if it had only been in a dream, they were comrades I'd fought alongside for decades.
What the hell is this?
With trembling hands, I lightly slapped my cheek. The stinging pain confirmed this wasn't a dream, but that only made it harder to believe.
The difference from my memory? In my final life, he'd been an old knight on the verge of death. Here in the video, he was a seasoned knight in his forties. And that massive conical spear he wielded? No doubt about it—it was the charge lance of the Guardian Spear Unit.
In the dream's end—precisely, during that last battle for the world's fate—he'd stood by my side with his azure flame spear, a special weapon granted only to the captain.
That means...
The story in this video took place long before he rose to command the Guardian Spear Unit.
"He was in his sixties during the Final Cataclysm War, so this must be at least thirty years earlier..."
As I watched, sweat beaded in my palms unbidden.
"If..."
If the dream I'd had was truly the same world as this game? Then I knew the next thirty years of history. Not just knew it—every major and minor event, every hidden dungeon, every sealed relic. The secrets behind everything I'd endured existed only in my head.
Of course, no matter how smart you are, remembering thirty years perfectly isn't easy. But what if it wasn't once, but dozens of times, unchanging?
You couldn't forget if you tried.
"...What the hell is going on."
Honestly, I had no idea how to explain it.
Too early to jump to conclusions. I need to play the game to be sure. But if my dream was real...
Even if I told the devs, two outcomes: they'd dismiss me as crazy, or if proven true, ban me forever.
No need to spill it. Dreams aren't controllable, and precognitive visions have been folklore for centuries. Sure, this being a dream of Dimension World—now deeply embedded in human civilization—made it special.
I smirked involuntarily.
Bzzzzt—
My phone buzzed.
"Main event..."
Staring at the group chat, Chan-ho's words sent a chill through me. If the game matched my dream, the trailer's main event had one meaning.
He's coming.
I typed frantically.
Eltia Iron Kingdom. The kingdom I'd led to ruin.
[No.]
The two paused at my blunt reply.
I couldn't answer rashly. "I saw the game's history in a dream"? They'd never buy it.
But if it follows my dream...
One end: destruction. The worst bad ending, in the mightiest start nation, Eltia Iron Kingdom.
No matter what I tried, I couldn't catch him.
Mighty empire. Best army on the continent, yet I lost. What failed? After a dozen identical falls, I knew: growth potential.
Iron Kingdom was strong but capped. To outsiders, its polish appealed. Players flocked there—it'd thrive on autopilot.
Others? Kal Duchy, Deus Union aside, Northern Plateau and Land of Savages faded in my dream.
If I could build one there rivaling Iron Kingdom...
This time, I catch him.
That Calamity called disaster.
I chuckled despite myself.
Yeah, this time it's different.
Not a dream—reality. One thing absent in inevitable defeat: these two, the only ones I could trust in Dimension World.
Hidden class players like me—not bought scrolls, but quest-hunters, freaks matching my madness.
With them...
I clenched my fist, wiping sweat as I stared at the looping trailer, resolve hardening.
"10k..."
I smirked, nodding. In the dream, I'd led a million. Those heroes lived as NPCs here. I remembered them—their beliefs, hearts, how to win them.
NPCs weaker than players? If even 1/10th, no, 1/100th followed... not 1k, but thousands possible.
Los Clan? Laughable.
"Top 8 clans or whatever..."
All dream memories mobilized: quests, items, skills, hidden pieces, relics, my million-strong army.
This time, I reach the pinnacle. Him included.
"I'll crush them all."
"My liege."
A voice echoed.
"Don't forget. We'll fight to the end. At your back."
Who? In the darkness, I reached for it.
ZZZZT...!
Eyes snapped open—darkness gone, voice silenced.
"Huh?"
Phone alarm blaring.
Screen lit with piled messages. Clock check:
"...Shit."
Half a day gone. Fell asleep? Server opens critical—me missing it?
Weird. Multiple alarms, unheard. Like I'd been elsewhere.
...What? That dream... that voice.
I shook it off.
Story, be eternal.
Ending, weep in sorrow.
The maze becomes the forest, eternity wanders the woods.
Stranger, beware the light and shadow on your path.
Delusions forgotten, I logged in. White letters etched into my vision in the dark, fading. Floating words swirled like a dance, merging into a vast circular platform. Spotlight hit me alone.
"Long time. Login screen's the same."
Familiar alert appeared.
Would you like to create a character?
"Yes."
No fuss for Dimension World creation beyond looks—all stats equal. Hidden quests or relics could change race/mutate, but all start human.
Innate equality. Why players praised it.
But it bred greater inequality. Dice rolls would give grind chances. Same start? Gaps widen post-launch: items, tools, skills, stats.
All tradable for real money. Corps, chaebols poured in for top 0.01%.
Poverty begets poverty, wealth begets wealth. Some call it new class divider. I disagree.
Beating money? Possible. One unbuyable resource: time. 24 hours for all.
Faster than them.
Even pricey gear/stats? Bought from leaders like me. They begged for my rank 1 finds.
Corps and rich eyed this new era hungrily.
Knew it and still overslept like an idiot...
But fine. Now, not just time—I had a head start.
No dilemma. Answer clear. Dream's no cheat—it's power.
Through this dream masterpiece, I'll lord over you all.
You can customize your character's appearance.
From default to user-based, fully customizable.
Light scanned me; mirror-me stood.
Will he recognize me?
Fleeting thought of dream-self. But I shook my head with a wry smile.
No longer dream. Entering as Kim Do-hyun, not Iron Kingdom's king.
No changes. Hit [Complete].
"Let me show you what player battles are."
Character creation complete.
Beginning synchronization.
Mirror shattered; gale hit. Eyes shut.
WHOOOOSH—!!!
Wind halted abruptly. Silence, time frozen.
"Hm?"
Eyes open.
Recent play record found.
Load?
...What? An unknown alert popped up.