The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

What is a dream?

An expression of the unconscious, or a confirmation of a long-desired value, it appears in various forms.

What would it feel like if, if you keep having the same dream?

Although no one in the world could answer this question, there is one person who can.

“Why on earth…”

The only person who could answer this question was Kang Seol, who just turned 25.

A man of few words, quiet, from an orphanage.

Kang Seol was having the same dream.

For 17 years.

* * *

Kang Seol had a dream around the time he was just about to enter elementary school.

-Huh? Are you new here? Come sit here.
We have an empty seat.

In his dream, he was an adult, dressed modestly, wearing unfamiliar clothes and a mask he had never seen before.

Not only Kang Seol but everyone there was the same.

-Well, it’s time to roll the dice.

-Ha ha ha! This is my favorite part!

-Everyone picks their pieces.

-I’ll stick with it! I’ll stay with this red butcher!

-Then I’ll be the same, the Wind’s Scout.

-Um… we have someone new here…

-Well, let him make a new one then.

The woman in the fox mask spoke kindly to Kang Seol.

-How should we call you?

Kang Seol tried to spit out his name, hesitated, and then gave a different nickname.

“Snowman.”

-Snowman, huh? Nice.
Alright! Now, Snowman, please create your own game piece.

Kang Seol chose an ice magic-user, made random decisions about the details, and waited his turn.

-The dice is rolled!

-6! It’s a 6!

-But it was a 20-sided die.

-No!

They enjoyed the game cheerfully.

The dice rolled across the board, and a plethora of choices swarmed.

-The spiky thorn chieftain has arrived.
So, what’s your choice, ‘It’s Always Your Fault’?

Run away. Fight back. [Requirement: Intelligence 15] Persuade them with words. [Requirement: Mechanical Engineering 1] Create a smoke screen.

-4! Let’s go with 4!

-Oh, no! Unfortunately, the attempt to create a smoke screen failed!

-Damn it! This is a scam!

The party is on the verge of annihilation.

But then, it was the turn of the wizard that Kang Seol had chosen.

“I’ll choose 3.
‘Bind the spiky thorn’s feet with frost magic.'”

-The magic was effective! The Spiky Thorn’s feet froze, and he was defenseless for a moment.

The man wearing a new mask next to him cheered.

-Well done! Now it’s my turn! Hurry up!

-Yes, Cat Tower Destroyer.

‘Cat Tower Destroyer,’ as the man was known, successfully targeted a weakness in Thorny Spike’s defenses, landing a powerful blow that turned the tide of the party’s situation.

Eventually, the party overcame Thorny Spike and successfully completed the adventure.

-That’s it for today’s adventure.
Did everyone enjoy the world of eternity?

-Ha ha ha, needless to say.
Even though it’s a trial version, it’s really fun.

-Hey, Snowman.
Do you have any plans to join us again tomorrow?

Kang Seol nodded his head.

Thus, he enjoyed the world of eternity every night in his dreams, swapping out members with these unknown entities.

Once, Kang Seol told his orphanage siblings about these dreams.

The responses were as follows:

“Brother, you’re strange… saying strange things…”

“…What?”

“Where does something like that exist?”

Their reactions were expected.

Few, if any, would believe that one could continue to dream the same dream.

From then on, until he turned 25, Kang Seol never mentioned this dream to anyone again.

His life in the orphanage was tough and he rarely conversed with others, and he was worried that if he shared the secret of his dream, he might not be able to dream the same dream again.

So, he grew up and became a part of society.

And yet the dreams continued.

For a whopping 17 years, he rolled dice and played with these unknown entities.

It’s not that he wasn’t curious about their identities.

But for the same reason he couldn’t blab about his dreams to others, he couldn’t ask them either.

‘Who are you guys, really?’

They meet in the dream, roll the dice.

And they laugh.
That’s all there is to it.

At one point, Kang Seol thought they might be gods.

But he soon lost interest.

It didn’t matter to him whether they were gods, monsters, or demons.

What mattered was enjoying this world of eternity.

That alone was his sole concern.

-Snowman, didn’t you decide to join us today? Or didn’t you?

-What are you talking about! Snowman had decided to be with us on the last day! – Didn’t he?

-Both of you, be quiet! Today, Snowman will be playing a solo adventure because of the last adventure of the Grand Sage.

-Right! Then we must watch that!

Snowman, a being created in Kang Seol’s dream.

Snowman had now become nothing less than an idol to those who enjoyed the world of eternity.

After all, he had created several legendary pieces that would long remain in the world of eternity.

The pieces he played were nearly 30 in total, some of whom had died in vain, but most of Kang Seol’s pieces had left their names in the history of the world of eternity.

The Great Frost Mage, the One-armed Swordsman, the Undying, and even the Grand Sage.

Snowman had played various roles over 17 years and had smoothly reached the peak.

Although luck with the dice worked in his favor, his acumen for seeing through choices also contributed significantly.

It was a result of his interest in the world of eternity, to the point where he almost memorized the rulebook.

‘It’s a shame, if I had a little more time, I would have tried that too.’

The piece he was planning to play last.

The growth direction and strategies he had pondered and created after switching through various jobs and experiencing trial and error.

He was planning to make the final piece that embodies all of this, but unfortunately, the world of eternity was only until today.

-From tomorrow, our dream will become reality.

-It’s a bit late.
Now we need to regain our divinity.
Also, we have to take revenge on the bugs that made us like this, haha! It seems like the latter is getting more weight?

‘Did they say the trial version of the world of eternity ends tomorrow?’

The notice that the trial version of the world of eternity ends today and starts the official service.

Kang Seol didn’t know what this official service meant, but they seemed to have a rough idea.

Kang Seol let their words pass and focused on the situation in front of him.

Because Grand Sage was going through his final adventure, Ascension.

‘Please please…’

Now, Kang Seol rolls the last dice for his piece, Milan.

Rumble.

Thud.

Startle!

Kang Seol, who checked the dice, quietly closed his eyes.

The dice came up as 1.

[Magic backflows during the Ascension process.]

[Due to the magical backlash, Milan has suffered a great shock.]

[Milan fails to Ascend.]

-Snowman, it’s regrettable.

-It’s a pity, Snowman.

-Cheer up!

Kang Seol confirmed that Milan had no remaining choices.

‘Again….’

Among the 30 pieces that Kang Seol created, the last 10 that were born, all reached the final adventure, Ascension.

However, they didn’t break through.

It wouldn’t be easy to be born as a human and ascend to the heavens, but it’s that all 10 pieces failed with Grand Sage being the last one.

‘How am I supposed to break this…’

Kang Seol stared silently at his piece and made a choice.

[Will you give up on Milan’s adventure?]

Yes. No.

If you choose 1, the player can no longer control the fate of the piece.

Kang Seol chose number 1

[Adventurer Milan will now carve out his own destiny.]

[Although the thrilling adventure has ended, his life continues.]

As Kang Seol blankly watched Milan, the others spoke to him.

-It’s okay, Snowman.
You did your best.
Just making it to Ascension…

-That’s right, it was something only Snowman could do.

-The nu