The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
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chapter-107
Seol and Jamad resolved themselves while looking at the gods.
‘We’re getting out of here.’
If someone asked Seol when he would wake up from his dreams, his response would be when he realized everything was a dream.
However, that wasn’t the case right now. Even though Seol knew this was all a dream, he couldn’t escape.
As such, the situation became dire.“Fine, do you hate us now?”
“That’s so harsh. I can’t believe you insulted us after we played with a human like you.”
“You’re making us sound like we’re the bad ones.”
Jamad then warned Seol.
“Careful, we’re going to break through them.”
Nod.
Seol also felt that if he escaped late, he would face a similar flood like when he delved into Karen’s memories.“Stay… with us…”
Crackle…
Snap… Crackle…
The body of one of the gods started growing.
Their body grew and grew like a balloon or a pufferfish, until they eventually popped.
Pop!
Splatter…
“Urgh…”
With an awful smell, abominations started appearing.
“Guaaaaaargh…”
“Compared to my memories, yours are practically hell.”
“I agree. Even if these are my memories, I want to get the hell out of here.”
These monsters looked like what would happen if one’s flesh and skin were swapped. The horrific monsters slowly lumbered to block their paths.
Pop!
Pop!
“Guaaa… Don’t go… let’s play forever…”
Jamad swung his massive fist at the monsters in front of him.
Cruuuush!
“Kieeee!”
Jamad and Seol ran.
“No one can stop my path!”
Crush!
Crush!
“Kieeee…”
“Haha… you won’t escape…”
“Shut up!”
Crush!
Watching Jamad felt like watching a brave, stalwart general.
This scene reminded Seol of historical movies where a general would help their lord escape by breaking through an army.
Thud!
Punch!
It wasn’t just one or two gods that turned into abominations.
“Guaaaaaaargh…”
“Don’t go…”
“Damn it, it’s never-ending.”
The fortunate thing, though, was that the gods were fairly slow and didn’t use other spells.
Still, there were many of them, and they were tenacious.
Seol and Jamad continued breaking through them until they finally felt free.
It was because they had escaped the abominations’ ring.
“Gasp… Gasp… the path separates.”
The path was split.
Jamad then asked Seol.
“Your instincts were always good. So, is it right or left?”
“......”
“Hey, Seol!”
“Right!”
“Alright! Let’s go!”
There was no light in front of them.
The only thing Jamad could rely on as his milepost was Seol, and even Seol didn’t rely on the light.
It was the darkness.
The familiar darkness guided Seol forward.
It whispered to him, guiding him in that direction, promising that if he persisted along that path, he would reach his desired destination.
To the light he longed to see.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“How dare you commit the sin of sullying the heavens! You shall pay the price by being imprisoned in eternal darkness!”
Suddenly, the gods appeared in their original form, riding strange-looking horses.
Fsssssss…
A hot surge of steam shot out at Seol.
Grab!
Jamad grabbed that, too, with his hands.
“Krgh… Hey, Seol! Get a hold of yourself!”
“What?”
“You control this place. You can do whatever you want. Stop being pushed around by their words, nothing is decided here! They’re nothing more than your imagination!”
The situation was getting worse and worse.
“Over there!”
“Tch, at this rate…”
The abominations were increasing in number, making it harder to escape.
Enemies appeared faster than Jamad could defeat.
They had to do something here.
During this moment, Seol was thinking about what Jamad told him.
‘My imagination… imagination…’
Crush!
“Aaaargh! How dare you!”
“Seol!”
Seol raised his head and looked at the enemies head-on.
“I thought of a way to get out of here!”
“If you have one, do something!”
As Jamad mentioned earlier, if Seol were to feel fear for even a moment, his nightmares would become real.
Each worry that Seol had would only appear to block their path.
However…
‘What if I used it the other way around?’
There was no guarantee that only Seol’s negative thoughts would turn true.
And as such, Seol's imagination—his delusions—could become the key to escaping.
‘Think… Think…’
What could Seol think of?
It was always easier to imagine something specific.
So, what specific thing could Seol think of here…
‘Could I… borrow those?’
Their items…
Their powers…
Seol closed his eyes and quietly thought.
First, he thought of a fast way of travel that could help them escape.
Frsss…
“What… what is that?”
Squeaaaaaal!
Neigh…
An enormous hog, capable of easily carrying Jamad's weight, appeared in front of them, as well as a beautiful stallion with a blue mane.
‘Hoggs and Grimbell.’
The two of them were legendary mounts famous all throughout Pandea.
Seol had imagined them, and they appeared before him.
“Get on! They’ll help us escape!”
“Alright! Things are finally going well!”
The gods wore shocked expressions on their faces the moment Seol and Jamad suddenly found ways to escape.
“St-stop! No one can be allowed to escape from here!”
“Shut up! Let’s go, Seol!”
[Jamad mounts Illusion: Hoggs, the Heavy.]
[You mount Illusion: Grimbell, the Galloping.]
Squeaaaaal!
Rumble Rumble Rumble!
“D-Dodge!”
“Kyaaaa!”
Chaaaaarge!
As Hoggs charged at them, the gods were unable to avoid it and were deflected away like loose kites.
Hoggs and Grimbell were beasts that Seol’s pieces had ridden before.
After materializing them with his imagination, Seol gained confidence.
‘I can use their powers! Next is a path. I’ll create a path!”
Think.
Think Seol.
This isn’t just your imagination. This is also your fantasy.
Fwooooooosh!
A rainbow was drawn on the ground beneath them.
[You take a step on Illusion: Priminus, the Rainbow Path.]
[Movement speed increases.]
[Luck increases.]
Priminus, the Rainbow Path.
This terrain not only ensured that whoever stepped on it would reach their destination with certainty but also enhanced their luck. Furthermore, it also greatly increased their movement speed.
Rumble Rumble!
Jamad, on Hoggs, and Seol, on Grimbell, raced through Priminus.
“Stop them! They’re trying to escape!”
“Witness the powers of a god! You damned insects!”
Craaaaackle!
A bolt of lightning flew toward Seol. It was something that he had been hurt by multiple times before.
“Seol!”
Jamad couldn’t protect Seol in time.
If Seol were struck by the lightning bolt, he would undoubtedly be thrown off his horse.
However…
[Illusion: Idley's Mirror of Madness activates.]
[Idley's Mirror of Madness absorbs the elemental magic.]
[It reflects the absorbed elemental magic with multiple times its original strength.]
Woosh!
BZZZZZZZZZZZT!
“Urgh… Guaaaaargh…”
A massive mirror protected Seol’s back.
Idley's Mirror of Madness was one of the artifacts best at defending against elemental magic.
“Hahaha! Did you see that, you idiots?! You can’t block us! Now that you know, get out of our way!”
Jamad laughed loudly, enjoying his victory.
However, Seol was too busy focusing on something that he couldn’t hear Jamad at all.
‘Means of travel, path, artifacts… they’re all as I imagined. This is my imagination. And if that’s the case…’
There was still one more thing that Seol held himself back from imagining.
“Kaaaaaaaaargh!”
“Release the beasts! Block them!”
“We can’t let them escape! They broke the rules!”
“We must teach them the consequences of refusing to follow the rules!”
There were more gods than before. In fact, there were likely more gods here now than there were in the heavens.
Even though Seol tried his best not to think of them, the gods kept intruding into his space.
It was a scene that demonstrated the extent to which the gods occupied his thoughts.
“It won’t be easy this time…”
“We’ll make them pay the price for looking down on us.”
Gloooow…
The gods began gathering their energy.
Even though all of this was a product of Seol's imagination, created by fake gods, it was still undeniable that they had amassed an incredible amount of power.
A colossal orb of energy emitted a radiant blue light.
“Hahaha! We’ll destroy you!”
“Playtime ends here!”
They didn’t shoot their mass of energy at Seol.
It was at the path that they were taking.
“Krgh! No!”
Jamad could not do anything other than shout. He had no means of blocking an attack like that.
However, something strange happened.
Fwooooosh…
Everything other than Jamad and Seol froze in place.
The path froze, the energy froze, and the gods froze too.
Everything was encased in ice.
[You used Illusion: Exceptional Skill: Frozen Shut.]
[Everything freezes.]
“Gasp… Gasp…”
“Seol…?”
The power that Seol just displayed…
Jamad tried his best to understand it, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it at all.
“What… is this strength?”
“My piece. It’s his power.”
Frozen Shut was one of the Grand Duke of Frost’s Exceptional Skills. When he used this skill, he froze everything.
“Ha… Hahaha! How fun, how exciting!”
“We have to leave as fast as we can. It won’t last forever.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Squeal! Neigh!
The two raced forth, leaving behind the frozen gods.
This was a golden opportunity for them to finally leave.
However…
“Stop there, Snowman.”
Fwoosh…
After hearing someone’s voice, everything around them disappeared like an illusion.
And because of that, Seol and Jamad, who had been riding Hoggs and Grimbell, respectively, fell off them and rolled on the ground.
* * *
Translator - goguma
Proofreader - Karane
* * *
“Krgh…”
Despite the sudden disappearance of their mounts, Jamad quickly moved to cover Seol.
“Krgh… what is it this time?”
“You are…”
Seol’s voice was calm as he looked at the god before him.
The god wore a mask with a giant eye drawn on it.
It was the same god who sent him down to Pandea, Kodon.
“How fun… even if they are figments of imagination like this…”
“This isn’t just my imagination. It’s all things that have actually happened.”
“Haha, you are correct. Those things really did happen. However, it didn’t happen to you.”
“...What?”
“Hoggs and Grimbell… the glorious road of Priminus… Idley’s mirror… not to mention…”
Kodon’s voice became nightmarish.
“The Grand Duke of Frost’s powers!”
“That’s…”
"Those are not achievements resulting from your efforts. Have you forgotten? The most you did for them was safely roll the dice while they suffered the consequences of your actions."
“......”
“The ones who took responsibility for your actions were your pieces. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s unfair?”
“Why…”
“Hm?”
“Why are you getting in my way? You…”
‘You sent me down there.’
As Kodon, the only god who sided with Seol in the heavens, blocked his path, Seol was shaken.
“It’s because I was disappointed by you.”
“......”
“I believed that you could do much better… but if this is the best that you can do… having such high expectations of you might’ve been a mistake.”
“What do you…”
“What I’m trying to say is that I just wanted to see you suffer. Therefore, entertain me.”
The ground started shaking.
Fwooooooosh…
“Krgh…”
It was a chilling breeze.
The Grand Duke of Frost, Seol’s piece, which had lost one eye and his emotions, appeared.
After him, more pieces started appearing from the darkness.
The One-Armed Sword Saint.
The Dragon Lord.
The Immortal.
And others.
The amazing pieces of Seol that had failed Ascension and lived their own lives appeared by Kodon’s side.
Jamad stepped in front of Seol to protect him.
“Step back… What is this strength…”
“Jamad…”
“They are so powerful…”
Kodon smiled.
“Hey, these are your pieces. Why don’t you say what’s on your mind, huh?”
The moment Kodon finished, the pieces began murmuring things on their own.
“You must atone… You must atone…”
“.......”
“You… have to atone…”
“Haha… it’s fun, right? Ah, am I the only one having fun? Snowman, why do you look like you’re about to cry? Aren’t you happy to see your pieces again?”
“No, I’m sad.”
“Right? As expec— wait, hold on! What did you just say?”
Kodon laughed at first but was shocked after hearing Seol’s unexpected answer.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you better lives. I’m really… sorry. I’ve always wanted to tell you that.”
“...Did you really think they would simply accept it if you apologized now? You controlled them!”
However, once again, something that Kodon didn’t expect happened. The Grand Duke of Frost stepped forth and spoke.
“It’s okay.”
After him, more pieces stepped forth.
“It’s alright. It was a satisfying life.”
“I have no regrets about my life.”
“Even if I gained another life, I doubt I could live a life as incredible as this one.”
All of his pieces then spoke to him together.
“So, it’s okay.”
Kodon furiously swung his arms at them.
They then disappeared like dust.
Fwooosh…
“Y-You… You damned… You have no pride, no backbone!”
After being born into existence, everyone experiences life.
However, where would it be if one had to draw a finish line for one’s life?
The ten incredible beings that appeared before Seol would answer the same thing in unison.
Ascension.
And Seol was an unrivaled player who led all of them to Ascension.
“Urgh… Then I guess I have no choice but to face you myself!”
Craaaaaaackle!
Black lightning appeared in both of Kodon’s hands.
“How dare you…”
As Jamad charged at Kodon, Kodon lifted a hand toward him.
The black lightning landed directly on Jamad.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Jamad was under indescribable pain.
It was a pain that he was helpless against.
Kodon was more prestigious than the other gods.
They all implicitly feared him.
Even if Kodon’s powers were a figment of Seol’s imagination, he was incredibly powerful. Since Seol couldn't use his imagination against Kodon, he had no means of winning.
Kodon laughed maniacally.
“Hehehehehe! Now, what are you going to do now? Now that you’ve thrown away your friends, you’re all alone. The only thing left for you, someone who’s rejected the gods is…”
Staaaaaaab…
“Left… is… huh?”
Two swords pierced through Kodon’s back and exited through his chest.
“Huh…?”
Seol knew those two swords.
After all, only one of each existed in the world.
Breath and Flare.
The two swords then took turns slashing Kodon’s body.
Kodon then turned to smoke, his mask falling to the ground.
Thud.
“Khrrrrrrgh….”
A groan came from the mask as Karen and Karuna appeared.
Karen then growled toward the mask.
“Do not deceive my king, you illusion.”
“Cough… Y-Your king? He’s just using you! Hahahaha… Someone helpless on their own like him is your king? How does that make sense?”
Karen gave a bright smile.
“It does. Since I am his knight, he will inevitably become king. So watch us.”
“......”
Karen then looked at the restrained Jamad before speaking.
“Good work… and thank you.”
It was the first time Karen had treated Jamad so kindly. Jamad reacted awkwardly at that warm reception.
“...Hmph. Why are you two here?”
Karuna answered instead.
“The situation was getting dire, so we took on the risks and came here. Master, the exit is this way.”
“...Yeah.”
Seol slowly walked toward the direction the light came from.
“Hold… on… Hey, are you really… trying to forget us? Are we… really no longer your friends?” asked Kodon in a dying voice.
Countless masks suddenly appeared around Kodon.
The mask-wearing gods.
However, Seol no longer planned on wearing a mask.
“Yeah, we’re enemies now.”
“How come… why…”
“It’s because… I’m an adult now.”
“...It was fun.”
“It was fun for me too. However, I won’t ever come back here.”
“......”
Seol left behind his old memories and burdens before escaping into the light.
Seol could no longer feel the dream-like atmosphere anymore. He only felt the chains wrapped around his body.
Twitch…
Clatter…
Seol’s eyes were still closed, but his body was shaking.
Clatter…
Clatter…
Rumble…
The vibrations grew stronger and stronger until it was uncontrollable.
And then…
Blink!
Seol’s eyes opened.
