Dreamer III
“But before the revolution could even begin, we were caught by the notorious reactionary, the Undertaker...”
“Hoeek. Tears, we have tears...”
Droop.
The fairies' bodies drooped.
To reiterate, fairies were anomalies that directly challenged human physics.
Not only did their shoulders slump like humans, but their entire bodies melted like slime, sticking to the ground.
“Why do the attempts of those who dream of a world revolution always end in disaster?”
“Failure, another failure...”
“From the moment we left our homeland, we gave up wealth and honor, but seeing all the seeds of our revolution turn to ashes is truly exhausting...”
Dark clouds began to form around the fairies' slime bodies.
Hmm.
There were countless points I wanted to address, but first, I needed to clear up a major misunderstanding.
“Hey. I don’t understand, so let me ask you something.”
“Hoe...?”
“Why am I a reactionary?”
Blink, blink.
The fairies tilted their heads in confusion.
“Well, you caused chaos at Busan Station and Baekhwa Girls’ High, so naturally, you’re our enemy. And our enemy is the enemy of the revolution.”
“That binary thinking is certainly fitting for revolutionaries, but isn't it true that I helped you?”
“Hoeek?”
At that moment, I felt what they call a 'kill angle.'
You could say I felt infinite possibilities.
The first material humans made into a weapon was not stone but the tongue. I wielded an intangible sword.
“At Busan Station, you oppressed humans first, so you should be grateful that I stopped you before you committed any evil deeds. Isn’t that right?”
“…Is that so?”
“And I defeated Infinite Void at Baekhwa Girls’ High, causing the Fairy King to perish. Thanks to that, you were freed from your shackles. Aren’t I your liberator?”
“…….”
“…….”
The fairies looked at each other.
“Hoe?”
“Now that you mention it, it sounds plausible...”
“If self-salvation is impossible, aiming for external salvation is an acceptable revolutionary methodology.”
“But wouldn’t that just be accepting another new oppressor?”
Whisper, whisper.
Suddenly, a revolutionary debate erupted. For revolutionaries, a debate was a type of coliseum. Those who lost were purged. I also fervently joined the debate.
“No, that's not it. Did I try to dominate you after defeating Infinite Void? I left you alone.”
“Hoe.”
The truth was, I thought they had been exterminated along with Infinite Void, so I ignored them. But in the grand scheme of revolution, minor details didn't matter. Only the linear progression of history was important.
“I didn’t interfere even when you gathered and opened this casino. How can I be a reactionary and an oppressor?”
“Indeed...”
“There’s logic in that...!”
“Wait! Then why did you just destroy our casino with your sword?”
It was a sharp question, but far too weak to damage my iron face.
“Well, you kidnapped our management team first, so I attacked.”
“Hoeek, kidnapped? We didn’t...”
“Moreover, no matter how much the ends justify the means, how can opening an illegal gambling den be revolutionary? Why not sell drugs too? You’d be a perfect mafia gang cartel.”
“Hoeeeek...”
“Then... were you really the savior of our race, Undertaker?”
Their eyes sparkled as they looked up at me. Suspicion and expectation mixed in their gazes, proving now was the time for the finishing blow.
I smiled kindly.
“Don’t call me that. We are comrades in the revolution, born on different days but sworn to die together.”
“Huh!”
“Comrade Undertaker...!”
The fairies sprang up.
“How could this be! We misunderstood Comrade Undertaker’s true intentions all this time!”
“Now that I hear it, not a single word is wrong! Comrade eliminated the Fairy King and its vile master, and asked for nothing in return!”
“Liberator!”
“The Torch of Freedom! Our Savior!”
“Ah, Revolution! The leader guiding the ignorant masses! Comrade Undertaker is the avant-garde of this world!”
It was over.
What was there to hide? From that moment, I leveraged my defeat of Infinite Void to become the secretary-general of the fairies.
When I established the 'Canned Hotel' to train writers in the 560th cycle, the ability to mobilize the fairies en masse stemmed from this position.
“But regardless of mutual misunderstandings, I’m sorry for destroying your base.”
“It’s okay, Comrade Undertaker!”
“We’re the ones who lured your subordinates to the baccarat table, so we’re more apologetic!”
“Hmm. No, no. I understand how commendable your revolutionary spirit is. So, I have a proposal...”
I smiled broadly.
“If you truly want to complete the revolution, you can’t stay hidden in this backwater. You need to move to the city. What do you say, comrades? Would you like to experience city life with me?”
“…Hoe?”
A month later.
A splendid banner hung at the entrance of the Inunaki Tunnel that opened into the sea off the coast of Busan.
[Coffee Shop Hideout Event!]
[New Entertainment Facility ‘Dream Casino’ Now Open!]
[Massive Entertainment Hall Run by Baku! Welcome to Dream Utopia!]
In this modern era, it was fair to say it was the age of advertising. Naturally, just hanging a banner wasn’t enough to appeal to customers.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“Was there always an ad like this...?”
For the first time, ‘advertisements’ appeared on SG Net. Whether surfing the website or posting, the ‘Dream Casino’ ad sparkled continuously on the screen.
It was practically a monopoly.
People who clicked the ad received a welcome gift of 100 coins. While it wasn't as fun as visiting the casino in person, an ‘Internet Casino’ was also established for simple online entertainment.
Of course, it was just a trivial pastime, a kind of bait.
This would eventually make people curious enough to visit the main branch—the 'real casino' in Busan.
And there was more.
“Undertaker, do we really need to go this far?”
“Trust me. This casino business will definitely be a hit.”
“…Alright.”
The Saintess sighed but reluctantly followed my lead.
Soon, every Awakener active on the Korean Peninsula received a constellation message.
[The Dream Baku manages the casino.]
That's right.
The debut of a new constellation!
Previously, I had created a new constellation called ‘The Librarian of the Great Library’ when establishing the 'Library Society’s Encyclopedia of Anomalies' board. I put Sim Ah-ryeon in charge.
This time, by setting up the casino in the Inunaki Tunnel, I forged a new constellation called ‘Dream Baku.’
[The Dream Baku is the lord of all fairies.]
[The Dream Baku desires you to be intoxicated in dreams. Play. That is the way to praise and worship the ‘Dream Baku.]
[The deeper your faith in Dream Baku, the more varied the types of entertainment you can enjoy in the casino.]
The Librarian of the Great Library. The Dream Baku.
Gradually, the scale of the website was expanding to fit the name ‘SG Net’—‘Constellation Net.’
Names borrowed from historical figures were slowly becoming more real, reaching out to awakeners.
Noh Do-hwa, who had been informed of my plan in advance, frowned.
“Undertaker, is there a reason we must proceed with this casino business? Even if the transactions are only ‘time’ and ‘dreams,’ a casino is still a casino. Won’t it have adverse effects...?”
“It will.”
I didn't deny it.
“Some awakeners might get addicted to gambling. As a result, they might mortgage their entire lifetime to the fairies.”
“Even so...?”
“Even so, we must proceed. Not just because there are too few entertainment facilities these days. Chief, look at this.”
“Hmm...?”
I lifted a transparent box. Inside were coin-like objects lined up.
They were casino chips.
“We have finally discovered something. What do you see, Chief?”
“Uh. Aren’t those casino chips...?”
“Yes. Money.”
Clatter.
I grabbed a handful of chips and dropped them on the table.
“Currency. Money, Chief. Think about it. If we succeed with Dream Casino, we can finally circulate ‘safe money’ in this damned apocalypse.”
“...!”
Noh Do-hwa’s eyes widened behind her glasses.
Our gazes electrified.
“Until now, we’ve only managed to maintain exchange rights in very limited ways, backed by food. But this is different. Fairy Coins, used in Dream Casino, can literally be exchanged for ‘any goods’ people want.”
“In a dream...”
“Yes, even if it's a dream. A dream you can set up yourself isn’t much different from reality. Look at the last item. With a hundred billion coins, you can turn all those dreams into perfect lucid dreams. With a trillion coins? You can control the flow of time in the dream.”
“Aha. Aha...”
“Practically, very few people will manage to hold a hundred billion or a trillion coins. But it doesn’t matter. Currency is originally an illusion, a fantasy, a ghost. The difference from mere individual delusion is—” “Not a single person’s dream but a dream shared by all humans... Hence, a fantasy that carries the weight of real-world materials...”
“Exactly.”
“Huh. Literally a dream casino. The play of Baku...”
Noh Do-hwa picked up a casino chip I had dropped with her delicate fingers.
“Good...”
Her monocle glinted. A sigh escaped from her slightly parted lips.
“Not the gold standard, nor petro-dollars, nor Bitcoin, but ‘dream standard’... Hah. Currency, which started with the dream of civilization, returns to its original form at the end. What a paradox...”
“How about it?”
“Huh...”
Noh Do-hwa adjusted her monocle. Then she looked at me intently.
“It suits you...”
“Pardon?”
“I said it suits you. This is essentially an advanced form of your power, isn’t it? Time Seal or something...”
“......”
“I know you regard Time Seal as a curse, not a power. But from my perspective, you are also a kind of Baku, Undertaker. And you’ve just strengthened your power by subjugating anomalies... Congratulations. What do they call it? Ability upgrade...?”
“I only repeat the same day endlessly. The fairies' dreams are just simulations. No matter how powerful their abilities, they can’t create dreams by accounting for all variables in reality.”
I looked at Noh Do-hwa.
We examined each other’s gazes.
“Master Artisan Noh Do-hwa. Just as the sword Do-hwa you made wasn’t something the Outer God Infinite Void could calculate.”
“......”
“I will aim for reality. As I have so far. Forever.”
Silence fell.
With a deep sigh, Noh Do-hwa nodded.
“...Good. Then there’s no worry. Let’s proceed with the currency reform immediately. It’s a damned brilliant plan...”
That was the highest praise Noh Do-hwa could give.
“Oh, and what will we name this new base currency to be circulated in our world? Fairy Coin...?”
“No. I thought of calling it Dream Currency (夢貨), but simply calling it ‘Won’ might be better.”
“Oh? Why’s that...?”
“Familiarity will make it easier for people.”
I tossed the casino chip, or rather, the new world's currency, to Noh Do-hwa.
She skillfully caught my money.
“A dream flowing in this endlessly repeating world, so Won (圓). A currency that lives off human wishes and dreams, so Won (願). And a target of curses and lamentation, so Won (怨). Conveniently, both Japan and China use the terms Yen (円) and Yuan (元), respectively. It can be interpreted in many ways. Powerful spells often hide behind multiple names.”
“Hmmm... Well.”
Noh Do-hwa pocketed the money with her usual twisted smile.
“Not bad. I’ll leave the magical aspects to you, Undertaker, as it’s your specialty...”
There’s an epilogue.
Not long after, the National Road Management Corps began to serve as a ‘bank.’
They freely supplied each major guild in various cities with 9 billion Won worth of ‘currency.’ Interest-free.
When the guild leaders visited Busan, they each used the casino and left excellent reviews in reality and on SG Net.
-[Samcheon] WitchJudge: It was a midsummer night’s dream. How long has it been since I tasted such a high-class omakase restaurant? A glass of wine. A warm partner. It was a time to realize again the truth that life is enough with just that. Though I couldn’t leave photos, isn’t that also a form of beauty? Today’s saying: Moment, stop. You are truly beautiful.
-[Baekhwa] SixthGrader: Totally recommended!! I could enjoy an ordinary school life! I achieved my bucket list of walking home hand in hand under the cherry blossoms! (>_<);;
Rave reviews.
Naturally, the guild leaders' reviews stimulated other guild members and further piqued the interest of awakeners across the Korean Peninsula.
Within less than two years, the Won became the official base currency.
It was almost no problem to exchange goods with only the Won in the Korean Peninsula-Japan archipelago-China continent regions, considering the naming preferences of those still concerned with the sequence of the countries’ names.
The 205th cycle might have been a critical turning point in some sense.
Of course, many incidents occurred due to Dream Casino and the Won... But those are stories for another time.
So, let’s end this chapter with a glimpse into a dream I bought at the casino.
“Brother Hyun-deok!”
“Oh! Undertaker! My brother, you’ve done a great job!”
“How could this be my achievement alone? Thanks to Brother Woonjang leading the soldiers, and the fault lies with Jo-jeok for betraying the people's will. Ultimately, it’s Brother Hyun-deok's merit for gathering the scattered people of the world.”
“Hohoho. I can’t compete with your eloquence, Undertaker.”
I, no, Yu-bi, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and the Undertaker Sworn Brotherhood founded the Shu Han in the dream. Naturally, we cut off Cao Cao’s head and threw it into the waters of Xu Province.
This was true justice. The proper Romance of the Three Kingdoms. A story so moving, one couldn’t watch without tears.
I was deeply moved.
How could I selfishly keep this thrill to myself?
Right after waking from the dream, I pounded the keyboard (the reincarnation laptop given by the Outer God).
In no time, a lengthy Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel was completed.
I handed this ‘masterpiece’ to my so-called editor.
“Dok-seo, make sure to include this in the main story. Wow, even I think it’s a masterpiece. A monumental parody of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I plan to serialize it on SG Net too, so in the main story...”
“Wait. Are you telling me to insert a 600-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms parody into the novel I’m editing?”
“Exactly. That solves the issue of the number of chapters you mentioned perfectly. The readers will cry tears of joy.”
“Aren’t you a crazy maniac?”
“...?”
...Unfortunately, it seems my masterpiece won’t be included in the main story due to some ignorant chuuni.
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