Dream 6

The day before I was set to escape, my plan fell apart because I no longer had a reason to run. After Auril Gavis had left, my discharge process started smoothly.

“In my opinion, you’re ready to go back out into the world.”

The doctor declared that I had made a full recovery.

“Congratulations on your discharge, Han-soo.”

Chief Kang, who had been bringing me news from the police, didn’t say much either.

Of course, Hyun-byeol and my mother were both visibly flustered by the sudden change.

“That’s great, oppa. Really, I’m so glad.”

“Let’s go home… home, Han-soo…”

In the end, both were just happy that things turned out well.

And just like that, the discharge procedures were completed in a day.

After finally leaving the hospital, where I’d felt trapped for what seemed like forever, I simply followed my mother home.

“I came by earlier to clean up a little, but it’s still kind of a mess…If I’d known you’d be discharged this soon, I’d have done more in advance…”

“…You’re not leaving?”

“I’ll stay for a while to help you out… U-Unless you’re uncomfortable, of course! I can just come and go, I won’t sleep over—”

“Haa… It’s fine. It’s over two hours away; no point going back and forth. Just stay here.”

Since I’d be leaving this world soon anyway, I thought it would be too much trouble to ask her to leave. So, I started living with my mother again. Having her around was surprisingly convenient.

“Han-soo, dinner’s ready!”

Meals came right on time.

…How long has it been since I last had food like this?

And that food—God, it tasted good.

“I’m thinking of buying a new laptop.”

“I’d like to buy that laptop.”

“Use my card.”

I could even print money.

Well, I didn’t use it because it felt uncomfortable.

“No, it’s not about the card. I was wondering if you could give me a ride.”

After finishing the house cleaning, I went straight to an electronics store and bought five laptops—the cheapest models available.

“Han-soo, why on earth do you need that many laptops?”

“There’s a game that needs at least five to run properly.”

“…R-Really?”

She seemed puzzled, but that was only because she hadn’t played Dungeon & Stone.

The core of [Dungeon and Stone] is luck and grinding.

You have to keep retrying, and one computer just wasn’t enough.

If I run four instances per laptop… I can raise twenty characters simultaneously.

 

That’s how I’d played for nine years before, anyway.

Except for a few cases, the game didn’t need any precise input.

I raised multiple characters this way. When a specific essence or piece of equipment dropped early, I could tell they had a chance to beat the game, so I started paying closer attention to them.

Okay, setup complete.

I selected the barbarian class for all twenty characters and started playing seriously.

Click, click, click.

Tadatadat, tadadadat, tadat.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thud!

Because the first floor couldn’t be easily automated, I had to stay hands-on, though I occasionally hit the ESC key to adjust the tempo.

「Your character has recruited a warrior as a companion.」
「Your character has recruited an archer as a companion.」
「Your character has recruited an archer as a companion.」
「Your character has recruited a warrior as a companion….」

Once I returned from the labyrinth, I recruited companions from the Explorer’s Guild and things finally eased up.

I still had to monitor everything closely, of course.

‘Yup. At low floors, Warriors and Archers are king.’

Perhaps it’s because I’m playing the game again after such a long time. Even the mind-numbingly boring lower floors felt quite enjoyable.

Though, of course, that didn’t last long.

[A character has stepped on a trap and died.]

[Game Over.]

Once I passed the third floor, the characters began to die.

I was raising twenty characters and playing hardcore—if one died, so be it.

[An overwhelming strike!]

[Character has died.]

No reason to be upset.

You can’t clear this game by playing it safe.

Survival of the fittest.

No, even that’s not enough.

Like the saying : What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, only the characters who managed to survive situations that would’ve killed everyone else could truly grow stronger.

[Critical hit!]

[Character has died.]

[Character was ambushed by bandits and has died.]

[Game Over.]

「Character was killed by a Troll.」

[Game Over.]

Faster than any other characters.

[The character’s soul has absorbed the “Essence of Troll.”]

[Character has entered the Great Labyrinth, 5th Floor.]

[New equipment equipped.]

[Total item level increased by +799.]

A week passed. Then two. Then three.

Since I’d shut myself in this house, time flew like the wind.

“Han-soo! Dinner’s ready!”

Even when I stayed shut in my room all day playing the game, my mother never stopped caring for me.

“Oppa, what’s this? It doesn’t look like a monster.”

“It’s a person. I’m trying to level this character by looting and such.”

“Wow, that’s cruel.”

Sometimes Hyun-byeol visited, sitting on my bed and chatting about the game.

She was like the class president who was tasked with helping a child who couldn’t settle in.

“Oppa, I’ll get going then! I have work tomorrow too. Goodbye, Mother!”

“Ah, alright, Hyun-Byeol! Be careful on your way!”

Either way, time passed, and I slowly got used to living with my mom again.

At first, changing in the same house made me uneasy, so I’d lock my door and take all my clothes, even my underwear, to the bathroom. Eventually, though, I stopped caring.

I’m leaving soon anyway—what’s the point?

Once that awkwardness faded, I spent my days glued to the screen.

Even after I devoted all my time to the game and the discomfort faded, I still couldn’t shake certain lingering thoughts.

In short, I keep having these pointless reality checks.

[Contrary to your words, it seems you’ve grown quite fond of this place.]

That old man’s voice kept echoing in my head.

The things I told myself not to get confused about kept resurfacing.

Is this really… just a dream?

Was the witch who told me not to come back just a figment of my imagination?

I was tired of questioning it, but I couldn’t stop.

So I organized my thoughts.

[Mr. Han-soo, whatever you choose to believe, this place is undoubtedly real. Different from where you were—but real nonetheless.]

According to Auril Gavis, this place is a kind of parallel world.

[In this world, the ‘cheat mode’ you mentioned does not exist.]

A world where that “cheat mode” never existed—where only I was dragged to Raphdonia.

[If you wish to return there, I won’t stop you.]

He wanted me to go back.

[You have desire it.]

The only way to return is to genuinely desire it.

That’s why I locked myself away, grinding Dungeon & Stone day after day.

「You may not be able to return.」
「Do you really wish to enter?」

If I can press the ‘Yes’ button again upon seeing that message, it will prove my desire and will.

Maybe… this was just another reality.

I’d stopped taking the drugs that dulled my mind, and because of that, I’ve become even more confused.

Evidence was piling up before my eyes.

If this wasn’t a dream…

Munch, munch.

Then even the warmth and taste of this home-cooked food made sense.

Screeech.

That also explained the over sixty X’s I’d marked on the calendar. I’d never experienced a Dreaming Waterfalls dream that went on for this long.

Even the motive made sense.

[You must not open the Gate of the Abyss.]

Maybe that witch, knowing I’d eventually open it, sent me to another world.

Not just that—

If this really was a parallel world, it would explain all the inconsistencies that had made me think I was dreaming.

I’m not talking about Hyun-Byeol and my mother’s kindness. From the police station to the hospital, nothing seemed real. That was my feeling.

However, if Auril Gavis was involved, that could explain it.

He was the kind of guy who could catch a mage off guard, much like how regular people are blindsided by magic.

The old man might have pulled strings behind the scenes or used magic to brainwash people for my convenience.

It’s just like how the doctor suddenly decided I was cured.

If I kept believing I was trapped in a dream, that would only make him happier.

Still, these were just idle thoughts. My goal hadn’t changed.

Even if some immense power intervened and I ended up in a parallel world, so what?

So what? What does it change?

Nothing changes.

No, rather, it became clearer.

My friends, my comrades, they are all there.

I will live there.

Perhaps one day I will even start a family there.

Yeah, so that’s why…

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Click, click, click.

To return to where I belong even a day sooner, I moved the mouse and pounded the keyboard.

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

Dead.

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

Dead again.

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

I pushed through every obstacle Dungeon and Stone put in my way.

Of course, the process wasn’t without stress.

“Aaaagh! Why would you HEAL HIM?!”

Whenever the party I’d trained got wiped out Randomly, I’d just scream into the empty room.

“Phew…”

As I devoted all my time except for sleep to the game, it became hard to stay sane, so I started chugging beers one after another.

“Han-soo, I think you should stop playing that game now…”

“There are people inside the game!”

Seeing this, both Mom and Hyun-byeol grew visibly exhausted.

“Ma’m… this can’t go on.”

“But you said if he clears it and nothing happens, that would help him face reality.”

“I did… but he’s only getting worse. Maybe we should get him back on his medication…”

“I’m sorry, Hyun-byeol… this is all my fault…”

“No, ma’am. I’ll keep helping however I can.”

I felt caught out when I overheard their conversation in the living room on my way to the bathroom. But that didn’t change anything.

Crack.

I just did what I had to do.

Like a Barbarian.

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

[Character has entered the Dark Continent, 7th Floor.]

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

[Character has entered the Land of Dawn, 8th Floor.]

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

[Character has entered the Star Tomb, 9th Floor.]

[Character has died.]

[Game Over.]

[Character has reached the 10th Floor…]

.
.
.
.

[Gate of the Abyss]

[Enter?]

“IT’S HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

I screamed in front of the monitor. Hyun-Byeol, who had been lying in bed reading a book, frowned and came over when she heard me.

“…What is it? Why are you suddenly shouting?”

“I’m here! I made it, I tell youuuuu!!”

“……..you beat the game?”

When I nodded slightly in response, Hyun-Byeol’s expression changed.

“Oppa, It’s been so long since I’ve seen you this excited.”

“Of course I’m excited, why wouldn’t I be? I’ve wasted months confined in this room!”

She didn’t respond.

“That’s cruel of you, Oppa, calling it a waste.”

“…Huh?”

“Most people would think I was the one who wasted my time,” Hyeon-Byeol said. “But I never, not even once, thought it was a waste.”

I watched as Hyeon-Byeol, who always acted tough, looked at me with unguarded vulnerability.

Seeing Hyeon-Byeol, usually so strong, show vulnerability left me at a loss for words.

After all, she had been there for me this whole time.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t grown attached.

“Do you… really have to press it?”

“…What?”

“That ‘YES’ button. Can’t you… just not press it?”

“Hyun-byeol…? What are you saying? Why wouldn’t I press it?”

I asked as calmly as possible, but her voice trembled.

“Because… once you do, you think you’ll go back to your original world, right?”

She’d never believed my story about entering the game. But now that the moment had come, was she starting to have doubts?

But I was wrong.

“Do you dislike us that much?”

Hyun-Byeol was sad about my choice.

“Was being with me just tiring and painful for you?”

The truth was, they weren’t.

I’d actually been comfortable.

Happy, even.

This peaceful life had once been my dream.

But not anymore.

My dream had changed.

I had found something greater—something I truly desired.

So…

“You could just… start over here, you know—”

“I have to go back.”

I made my resolve clear.

“…”

A heavy silence filled the room.

“Hyun-byeol, I’m sorry. Once I’m back, I’ll really help you, I promise… okay? I have to go, or I can’t send the other you back.”

I tried to laugh it off like a joke, but she just sighed.

“…God, you sound so stupid. Fine. Do whatever you want. I only said not to press it because… I was mad, that’s all.”

After that, Hyun-Byeol sulkily lay down on the bed and opened her book. I sat back down in the chair and looked at the monitor.

And then—

Click

Another message appeared:

「You may not be able to return.」
「Do you really wish to enter?」

It seemed like an unnecessary effect from a player’s perspective.

But something felt strange.

“……”

Unlike last time, when I clicked without hesitation, my hand won’t move.

“Why? Aren’t you going to press it? Are you worried about my feelings? It’s too late for that now anyway?”

Hyun-byeol scowled at me in a thoroughly sulky voice.

“What are you two talking about in there? Come out, it’s time to eat! Dinner’s ready!”

The warm smell of food coming from the kitchen.

[Contrary to your words, it seems you’ve grown quite fond of this place.]

I could no longer deny what the old man had said.

However, my hesitation didn’t last long.

The childish Han-soo Lee, who once wanted it all, had long since grown up.

[You may never return.]

[Do you still wish to enter?]

Click.

[Yes.]

It was time to wake up from the dream.

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