This is the tale of an endless dream... which became my reality...
Han Seeyoung got stabbed in his right eye...
Squelch!
Before he could react, Lee Seonyeon went straight for his neck...
But Han Seeyoung grabbed the knife with his left hand just before it touched his throat.
"Tsk!"
"Old lady, seems like you don't have any manners. Fuck. I lost my right eye. It hurts a lot."
[ HAN SEEYOUNG HAS ACTIVATED FIRE ELEMENT LVL.6 ]
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:17 ]
Flames started gathering around Han Seeyoung's left hand... I was two meters away, but I could still feel the heat. He was raising the temperature.
"Let me show you a magic trick."
The knife started melting..
The dream had just started, yet Han Seeyoung already had so many powerful skills...
Lee Seonyeon tried to kick Han Seeyoung in the neck with her left leg...
She landed the kick but...
"What happened, old lady? Are you regretting it?"
Her left leg had burn marks... big ones.
"Tsk! Fuck!! It hurts!"
Just before the kick, he concentrated the heat on his neck so Lee Seonyeon would get burned...
The knife melted completely
...
Han Seeyoung stretched his hands.
"Now... let's do this for real!"
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:14 ]
Something strange happened... In just a blink of an eye...
Thud!
I was on the ground.
Huh...? What happened!?! Why am I on the ground?!? Lee Seonyeon...?
In just 0.25 milliseconds, Han Seeyoung punched both me and Lee Seonyeon with his flaming fists.
How is this possible??
Is this beast evolving?
Lee Seonyeon had already lost consciousness...
Han Seeyoung started rushing toward me.
"LET'S END THIS!!!! COME AT ME!!!"
I smirked.
"FUCK. LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT A TRUE BATTLE LOOKS LIKE."
I grabbed my broken dagger, which had four hits left, and rushed toward Han Seeyoung...
The final fight was beginning now... I already knew who was going to win because...
[ FIRE ELEMENT LVL.6 HAS BEEN REDUCED TO LVL.1 FOR HAN SEEYOUNG'S LOW BODY STATS ]
It took the butler a lot of time to do this...
Skills are provided to a user according to their body conditions... If a user's body is too weak and they have a powerful skill, then either the user will perish or they will become corrupted.
The higher-ups couldn't let Han Seeyoung perish or become corrupted, so they reduced the level of Fire Element for his safety...
I was waiting for this moment. I would have never been able to kill Han Seeyoung with Fire Element Lv.6, but now I had a chance...
Flames started gathering around Han Seeyoung's arms, which could only mean one thing... he was going to swing his arms...
That's where my knowledge helps me the most...
Han Seeyoung swung his arms...
Whoosh!
Flames burst from them... aimed straight at me...
Let me show you, Han Seeyoung... how beneficial a broken dagger really is...
...
From Han Seeyoung's perspective, it looked like I was trying to cut the flames...
but in reality... I was diverting their direction.
I am the author of an endless dream... this dream will end with me...
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:11 ]
[ BROKEN DAGGER - 2 HITS REMAINING ]
I wasted two hits diverging the flames... but it was enough... it was enough to make Han Seeyoung realize that flames weren't going to work on me...
Han Seeyoung thought, Just who is this person..? His actions... all of it seems like... is he the main character of this dream? Whatever, flames aren't gonna work, so I have to rely on my punches to take him down...
Han Seeyoung gathered flames around his fists... the final showdown was beginning.
"DIE!!!"
"YOU PLAYED WELL!!"
It was already over... it was already over the moment Han Seeyoung's Fire Element got reduced to Lv.1.
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:09 ]
The moment we entered each other's attack zone.
[ YOU HAVE MET THE REQUIREMENTS TO MANIFEST ??? ]
my left eye turned slightly red... it seemed like I was awakening something...
Han Seeyoung's movements had become sluggish due to losing Fire Element Lv.6.
Both the Demon King and God wanted to interfere and give Han Seeyoung something... but they couldn't.
There was a rule in this endless dream... in the last 10 seconds of a quest, no one could interfere.
That's why you should always plan in advance...
[ LEE SEONYEON HAS GIVEN YOU 300 COINS ]
Invest 200 in Strength and 100 in Stamina...
[ STRENGTH - LVL 1 --> LVL 3 ]
[ STAMINA - LVL 1 --> LVL 2 ]
"Lee Seonyeon."
"Hm?"
"Schedule giving me 300 coins in the last 10 seconds of Quest 1."
"Huh? How do I do that??"
"Just say it in your mind... I'll automatically get the coins in the last 10 seconds."
"What are you planning?"
"Something Something."
I had already told Lee Seonyeon to schedule 300 coins to be given to me... so I would get them anyway, even if she was unconscious...
This was our biggest trump card...
Han Seeyoung tried to punch me with his right flaming fist...
In an instant, I vanished from his sight...
Whoosh!
He got confused...
Then, he heard something from behind.
"Quite an interesting fellow you are, Han Seeyoung."
"Fuck."
SHLIK!
I stabbed Han Seeyoung in the neck... without him realizing it...
This is how much increasing our stats helps...
Han Seeyoung fell to his knees.
"Shit. It hurts."
He touched his bloody neck with his right hand... and saw the blood on his fingers.
"I lost, huh?"
I stepped in front of Han Seeyoung.
I grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of his neck...
"You truly are a pyschopath."
"You'll only see suffering... you better sleep forever."
THUNK!
I stabbed Han Seeyoung in the heart with the remaining hit left...
[ YOU HAVE USED ALL THE HITS OF BROKEN DAGGER ]
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:03 ]
"Wh-what's y-your name?"
I smiled.
"Kang Hong."
Han Seeyoung looked down.
"Such a good name..."
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:01 ]
[ TIME REMAINING: 00:00 ]
[ QUEST 1 HAS ENDED ]
[ YOU HAVE USED SKILL PLAGIARIST TO GET FIRE ELEMENT LVL.1 ]
[ 300 COINS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED FOR YOUR FIRST KILL ]
[ YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE TITLE "GOD'S PLAN DEVIATOR" ]
Hmm… it was harder than I thought…
For now, I know what I need to do…
I need to become stronger in order to go against God…
This is gonna be tiring…
I walked toward Lee Seonyeon, who was struggling to get up.
"Huh… You killed him?"
"Look at it yourself."
She got up and looked… Her eyes widened.
Han Seeyoung was sitting on the ground, covered in blood. The whole ground was soaked in a pool of it…
Han Seeyoung's eyes were wide open—completely filled with blood.
She realized it.
Han Seeyoung was dead.
"Such a brutal death… Did a kid really deserve a death like that?"
"The world has changed, so we have to change our mentality… Everyone can become strong now. The weak will die—that's the fact here… It's your own fault for being weak."
Lee Seonyeon looked toward me.
"Who are you? It seems like you know a lot about this."
"I just told you a fact… I don't know anything about this world."
She looked at me with doubtful eyes.
I looked away.
"I'm Lee Seonyeon. In Hanja, it means… 'a person who extends goodness.' What's your name?"
"Kang Hong. In Hanja, it means… 'a flood-like force.'"
"Hmm… A very different name."
"My father gave me this name."
"I see… Nice to meet you, Hong-ssi. I hope we get along."
"Umm, yeah."
Now, we should—
I realized something.
Wait… what's the number of survivors?!
[ 3 DREAMERS HAVE SURVIVED QUEST 1 ]
Fuck. It can't be…
I started running toward something.
"Where are you going, Hong-ssi??"
If I remember correctly, then somewhere here…
Found it!!
Chaeyoung… She was supposed to die, but she's still alive… She's still unconscious…
I need to…
Kill her…
I clenched my right fist.
Wait… I'm going to kill a 9-year-old…? Just what is wrong with me…? I'm becoming crazy…
Whatever… It can't be helped.
[ FIRE ELEMENT LVL.1 HAS BEEN ACTIVATED ]
Time to use my novel's strongest fire…
Flames started gathering around my fist.
I went for an all-out attack with my right fist—
…
The moment I swung my flaming fist at Han Chaeyoung—
SHING!!
My right hand got cut off.
"ARGHHHHH!!!! FUCK!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!! NOOOOOO!!!! MY HAND!!!! IT HURTS!!! FUCK!! FUCK!! FUCK!! ARGHHH!!"
My body was shaking in fear… Tears burst from my eyes…
Is this the result of trying to change this dream? Am I really this weak? I lost my right hand just at the beginning… This is the worst possible scenario ever…
"No!! Don't… It hurts…"
Lee Seonyeon rushed toward me. She was shocked at seeing my situation.
An interesting thing was that… Chaeyoung was conscious now. She woke up from my screams.
"Hong-ssi, how did this happen?? Wait a minute… I'll stop the bleeding for you."
She tore off a part of her shirt and started wrapping it around my shoulder…
My whole arm got sliced… but how?
"Done. You'll be fine now."
"Sorry, Seonyeon… I wasn't aware."
"It's not your fault… Any-"
A portal appeared in front of us.
Lee Seonyeon was looking at the portal.
But—
I was looking at Han Chaeyoung.
Han Chaeyoung was looking at me with fear in her eyes.
"Th-Thank you… for saving me."
The butler came through the portal in the form of a child.
"No… problem… Was that you—"
"Hmm… having fun?"
The butler interrupted our conversation.
"Kang Hong… How does it feel to lose your right arm? Feeling good?"
This man… He wants to fight.
The butler walked toward me and bent down a little.
"See… You're already on the ground…"
Wait… Don't tell me—
"So, have you learned your lesson now?"
No… It can't be—
The butler snapped his fingers.
[ SURVIVORS - 3 ]
"I never expected this many to survive… We've got some interesting participants here… Kang Hong, Lee Seonyeon, and Chaeyoung… You all are extremely weak… Killing a person with skill isn't much of an accomplishment. Know your place."
Chaeyoung survived, which means the Demon King is backing her. He's trying to create a new Han Seeyoung…
It's my fault… If I had noticed earlier, this wouldn't have happened.
Lee Seonyeon thought… Chaeyoung… If I remember correctly, then she's the sister of that beast. How'd she survive…? I should ask—
Lee Seonyeon tried to lift her left hand—
SLAP!!
I grabbed her left hand before she could lift it.
I already knew she was going to ask the butler about Chaeyoung…
And if she asks the question, then she will definitely get killed… Originally, she was supposed to die, but she's still alive, so she needs to be removed…
I need to protect her so she doesn't end up dying…
"Lee Seonyeon… Don't ask him anything."
She nodded doubtfully.
The butler smirked at my actions…
He thought… Kang Hong, you definitely are something special… You are truly mysterious—that's why Futaba wanted you to live.
I lost my right hand just after the end of Quest 1… I need to stay careful now… It still hurts.
"You all are some special beings. That's why you survived… But you won't be able to survive anymore…"
He smirked.
"In three days, Dreamer's Delusion will start, and all of you will start regretting your lives… Until then, live as much as possible."
SNAP!!
[ DREAMER'S DELUSION WILL START IN 3 DAYS ]
[ DAYS REMAINING: 3 ]