The scene shifted.
Yeon-ha-neul swung the iron hammer.
Again, the scene changed.
Yeon-ha-neul swung the iron hammer.
Once more, the scene twisted.
Yeon-ha-neul swung the iron hammer.
She swung it again.
And again.
And again.
:
Then, the scene changed once more.
The monster was agile—far too agile.
Every time Yeon-ha-neul drew close to finding it, it would shift the dream instantly.
And then, hiding within the newly forged illusion, it would resume its cruel game of hide and seek.
It was a cycle—hide, search, chase, flee—on repeat, endlessly.
How many times has it been now…?
If she could catch it just once, this endless loop would come to an end.
But it never gave her the chance.
At some point, she stopped counting. She could no longer keep track of how many shifts had occurred. Fatigue crept into her bones.
Without even realizing it, she was being eroded by the monster’s constant barrage of nightmares.
That was its plan all along—wear her down, wait for her to weaken, then strike.
It changed again…
By now, she’d learned enough to understand its nature.
It was patient. And above all else, it valued its own safety.
A creature like that was never easy to face. It wouldn’t reveal itself until it was certain it would win. Until it knew it was completely safe.
I have to find it before it changes the dream again. I have to kill it before it slips away.
The only way to end this was either to lure it out with the perfect bait—or strike when it least expected it.
Or perhaps… destroy the dream world with it still inside.
She had the power.
“…”
More than anything else, she had her Gift.
It would be a burden, yes, but if she truly put her mind to it—she could do it.
And yet.
…I don’t want to use it.
She hesitated.
Though she had realized the solution long ago, she still hadn’t mustered the resolve.
Then, the dream shifted again.
“Ha-neul, what are you thinking about?”
“….”
The scene was peaceful. She and Do-gyeon-woo had just finished their lunch after the first trial exam.
They were by the lakeside of Geumgang Academy.
Do-gyeon-woo stood beside her, watching her closely, curiosity softening his expression. He looked adorable.
But she didn’t let herself be fooled.
“What now? Is this another girl you’re dating? Are you showing off again, just to get a rise out of me?”
Yeon-ha-neul’s hand gripped the metal badge at her side.
She looked ready to summon the hammer at a moment’s notice.
Do-gyeon-woo tilted his head in confusion.
“What? What are you talking about? Who else would I be dating?”
“Oh? So, you’re just flirting with someone right now? Not officially dating?”
“I don’t even know what kind of joke this is… I’m dating you, Ha-neul. You.”
“…What?”
He reached out and tapped her forehead lightly, his face somewhere between amused and incredulous.
She blinked, red eyes wide and dazed at the unexpected words.
He repeated it, firmer this time.
“We’re dating. You and me.”
“…Really?”
“Did you dream otherwise or something?”
“Well… it is a dream.”
“What?”
“This dream’s not so bad…”
She muttered to herself, dazed.
Do-gyeon-woo chuckled quietly and held out his hand to her.
She stared at it.
“…What’s that hand for?”
“What do you think? I’m asking you to hold it.”
“….”
“We came out here to walk, right? Like a date. Don’t tell me you don’t want to hold hands?”
“No! It’s not that!”
She shook her head quickly and, a bit shyly, reached out to take his hand.
A smile bloomed across her face.
“Shall we keep walking, then?”
“Yeah! Let’s.”
She still had to find the monster lurking somewhere in this dreamscape.
She didn’t know what it was plotting, but for now, she’d enjoy this break—hand in hand with Do-gyeon-woo, walking by the lakeside.
That was when she heard it.
“Gyeon-woo…? Who is she?”
The voice was familiar.
She turned, and her breath caught in her throat.
“….”
“What’s going on? Why are you here?”
“…Yeon-ha-neul? But Ha-neul is… how are there two of you?”
The girl approaching had her exact face—every detail, down to the smallest gesture.
It wasn’t just a resemblance.
It was like looking into a mirror.
Yeon-ha-neul froze, too stunned to react.
“What are you doing next to Gyeon-woo? Who said you could pretend to be me!?”
The other Ha-neul shoved her hard.
She lost her balance and let go of Do-gyeon-woo’s hand.
The other girl snatched it.
“Gyeon-woo, I’m the real Yeon-ha-neul.”
“Ha-neul… what’s going on…?”
“She’s a fake. I don’t know when, but she must’ve used a Gift to copy me.”
“Really? Now that you mention it, something did feel off earlier…”
“No.”
“….”
“I’m… not a fake.”
The other Ha-neul clung to Gyeon-woo, pointing accusingly at her.
Confusion clouded his eyes.
Yeon-ha-neul’s heart clenched. Even knowing this was just a dream, it didn’t make it easier to watch.
But that wasn’t all.
More began to appear.
“Gyeon-woo! That one’s a fake!”
“The real me is right here! Don’t be fooled!”
“I’m Yeon-ha-neul! Who are you people!?”
“Gyeon-woo, you know me, right? I’m the real one.”
“Step away from him!”
“I’m the original! Please, trust me.”
“Gyeon-woo, I’m—”
“Which one is the real Ha-neul!?”
They poured in from every direction—identical in voice, in form, in tone.
And every last one of them insisted: they were the real Yeon-ha-neul.
They swarmed around Do-gyeon-woo, each vying for his belief, his recognition.
But he couldn’t tell them apart. He was being swept away in their chaos.
“…No.”
The real Yeon-ha-neul stepped back from the crowd, shaking her head.
“I’m not a clone. I’m not a fake.”
As if to remind herself, she whispered the words.
She clenched her fists, her voice trembling with desperation.
“I’m the real one.”
Her face twisted with anguish, on the verge of tears.
But no matter how much she pleaded, her voice was indistinguishable from the chorus of falsehoods around her.
“I’m Yeon-ha-neul!”
“Gyeon-woo! I’m right here!”
“….”
She had no way to prove it.
No way—except for one.
She activated her Device.
“Device, on.”
“….”
It was simple.
Kill them all.
Leave no one behind but herself.
Then, there would be no more confusion.
“Device, on.”
Apparently, the others had the same thought.
They summoned their hammers.
And the battle began.
CRACK!
Yeon-ha-neul killed Yeon-ha-neul.
CRUNCH!
Yeon-ha-neul killed Yeon-ha-neul.
THUD!
Yeon-ha-neul killed Yeon-ha-neul.
Again.
And again.
And again.
:
“….”
Yeon-ha-neul opened her eyes.
Still in the dream.
“This is never going to end.”
She didn’t bother to look around.
With a hollow tone, she muttered, “Guess I’ll just break the whole thing.”
She could. With her internal mana and her Gift, she could bring this world to its knees.
She activated it.
It was fine.
There was no need to worry.
It was just a dream.
Even if she used her Gift here—it wouldn’t matter in the real world.
And if it did?
“Then I’ll just… kill them all.”
Yeon-ha-neul split.
Again.
And again.
Her numbers grew exponentially, tearing through the dream.
Together, they destroyed it all.
And in unison, they chanted—
“I’m the real one. I’m the real one. I’m the real one. I’m the real one. I’m the real one. I’m the real one. The real one. The real one. The real one…”
“I have to be the real one.”
It happened the moment the monster lunged at me—my instinct to dodge kicked in on its own.
But truth be told, I had already seen through its disguise.
It was a feeling. A gut instinct.
“It just… didn’t feel like Ha-neul.”
From the very first moment I met its eyes.
From the second I caught the murderous intent buried behind them.
It felt like I was facing someone else entirely.
Even in those earlier dreams, the other versions of Yeon-ha-neul still carried faint traces of her essence—however slight, they felt like her.
But this one?
Nothing.
Only discomfort. Disgust.
“Who told you it was okay to wear her face?”
But instincts alone weren’t enough to justify killing it.
So I gave it an opening—on purpose.
I waited for my evasion reflex to trigger.
And when it did… I confirmed my gut was right.
The moment my body moved on its own, I drove my sword straight into the monster without hesitation.
“Finally showing your true form, huh? You made this one hell of a chase.”
“You bastard…”
No longer able to maintain the shape of Yeon-ha-neul, the monster stumbled backward, flinging spells to put distance between us.
It aged in an instant—its form shifting into that of an old man.
The same old man I’d seen in the portrait.
“You’re mine now. You’ve been completely exposed. No more dream-hopping, no more hiding behind her face.”
“….”
“With a frail, shriveled body like that, you don’t stand a chance. What now?”
I tightened my grip on my navy-hued sword, mocking him.
But instead of flinching, the old man laughed—a sharp, sneering snort.
“What are you mocking, boy? Muscles? Do you think I can’t create them?”
“….”
And just like that—
“I am the one who controls dreams.”
Fwoosh!
“You think I can’t create a bit of muscle?”
Rrrip!
“As long as I exist within the dream—”
Craaaack!
“Everything bends to my will! I can become anything! ANYONE!”
“….”
It began with the muscles in his face.
Twitching. Swelling.
And then the rest of him ballooned, grotesquely, monstrously.
Like a balloon on the verge of bursting—or a vitamin C pill expanding in water, limitless, absurd.
His clothes shredded to pieces as his body expanded.
Within moments, the feeble old man had transformed into a hulking colossus of flesh and brute strength.
ShhhhhaaAAHHH!
“Now tell me again—do I still look frail to you? Look at this! LOOK AT THIS POWER!”
“…Pretty killable, honestly.”
The giant loomed above me, so large I couldn’t even see his face without craning my neck.
Even the sound of his booming voice drowned out the rain.
In front of him, I was no more than an ant, moments from being crushed beneath a boot.
I had to admit—it was impressive.
But terrifying?
Not in the slightest.
“Yeah. Guess I’ll kill you then. Bigger target, easier aim.”
I raised my navy blade high above my head.
At that moment, the monster lifted one massive foot, aiming to stomp me into the ground.
“Just die already!”
“This is my dream.”
Because wishes don’t only come true for him.
They come true for me too.
What I wish for—happens.
And unlike this unwelcome guest in my dream, I have perfect clarity.
“You don’t know, do you, monster?”
I visualized it—pulled from the lore of the game itself.
As vividly and precisely as I could manage.
“Outside the atmosphere of the Academy City…”
There exists an ultimate weapon—an orbital satellite designed with enough destructive power to wipe out the entire city.
The crowning achievement of both magical engineering and scientific advancement from the Grace Empire.
A weapon born from the union of magic and technology.
“There’s a satellite that can kill trash like you with ease.”
The personal staff of So Hye-yul—the Witch of Stars, chairwoman of Geumgang Academy, and high-ranking member of the Contribution Council.
Starlight Road.
I pictured it, drifting in the void beyond the sky, and swung my blade downward.
A heartbeat later—
─────!!!!
The storm-ridden sky split open without warning.
And from that rift, a column of searing, divine light poured down upon us—erasing everything it touched.
The beam engulfed the monster whole, vaporizing him.
“…That’ll do.”
He didn’t even have time to scream.
There was no blood, no echo, no resistance.
Only light.
And silence.
As the world around me turned a blinding white.
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