Author: Renegade

I had that dream of falling again.

It was the same as always, yet subtly different from the previous ones.

The backdrop was the sky. The three swords pierced into my back, and the endless descent remained unchanged. But what had changed?

I realized it soon enough.

Even as I was plummeting, I was reaching out with one arm toward the sky.

And the moment I swung my hand downward, the sky suddenly began to turn red.

Was the sun setting?

No, it wasn’t something that simple.

The sky was filled with countless meteors, raining down endlessly.

With that single motion, countless balls of fire blanketed the heavens, burning through the clouds, turning the entire world red.

What is this?

It was a sight I had never seen before in the hundreds, no, thousands of times I had dreamed this dream.

And yet, why did it feel strangely familiar?

…!

Instinctively, I touched my face and discovered something unbelievable.

In the dream, I was smiling.

A chilling, eerie smile.

How could someone like me, with barely any emotions, make such a face?

“Haha…”

This time, laughter escaped my lips of its own accord.

Even as I fell, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Hahahaha!

The laughter faded, swallowed by the flames that consumed the world.

…

…

“……!”

Hyesung bolted upright in bed.

As soon as he woke up, he blinked.

What was that?

His mind felt oddly tangled.

He had seen something important in that dream, but he couldn’t quite recall it.

Was it just my imagination?

Dreams were always vague.

As the images blurred and faded, Hyesung decided to stop thinking about it.

If it was just another dream of falling from the sky, then it was nothing new.

That day, everything felt off.

Even while washing up and getting ready for his shift at the convenience store, he couldn’t shake off the strange feeling from the morning.

And then, as soon as he arrived at the subway station, his steps suddenly stopped.

The video playing on the advertisement screen next to the platform doors was far too familiar.

Wait, that game is…

Countless floating islands stacked layer upon layer in the sky.

Airships battling various enemies as they attempted to reach the highest point.

Sky Islands?

[June 1st, 10 AM, Global Simultaneous OPEN! (GMT +9)]

“Sky Islands! If you don’t pre-register now, you’re missing out on half your life~!”

Hyesung’s gaze was locked onto the subway station advertisement.

Was this real?

A top-tier celebrity—one that everyone knew by name—was promoting Sky Islands, the very game he had been playing until dawn.

His mind filled with questions.

It’s already launching? And they’re using a celebrity this big? That’s a massive investment.

A mid-sized company like the one his sister worked at wouldn’t usually have the budget for such an extravagant marketing campaign, no matter how well-made the game was.

Wait, June 1st… isn’t that today?

Hyesung checked his phone’s home screen and realized something even more important.

It was 8:30 AM.

That meant there were only 1 hour and 30 minutes left until Sky Islands launched.

If they planned to release it this early, why did they have me test it?

There hadn’t even been enough time for him to report any bugs or feedback to his sister, let alone for the developers to fix anything before launch.

Could it just be a different game with the same name?

Just in case, he opened the game file his sister had sent him.

The opening screen, the developer’s logo—it was all an exact match to the advertisement.

He placed a hand over his chest.

His heart, which hadn’t felt excitement or doubt in ages, stuck once before settling back into stillness.

She’s not answering.

He tried calling twice, but there was only a dial tone.

So he left her a simple message: Call me when you have time.

If this really was his sister’s project, then she must have been in a far higher position at the company than he had thought.

Unlike him, who had thrown away a stable career and was now working part-time.

But the real shock was yet to come.

What the…

He arrived at a busy intersection downtown.

Hyesung blinked multiple times, looking around.

Advertisements for Sky Islands were everywhere.

No, everywhere wasn’t even an exaggeration.

It was like the game was pouring out from every possible screen—giant billboards covering entire buildings, small TVs in front of convenience stores, all playing the same ad he had seen in the subway.

Even life-sized figures of the game’s characters lined the street.

“Sky Islands? Is this a new game?”

“Oh, it looks fun. Might give it a try.”

Even in the random chatter around him, the game’s name kept popping up.

Something’s off…

Shouldn’t he feel proud that a game his sister worked on was getting so much attention?

Instead, he felt unsettled.

The scene unfolding before him was too unreal.

At some point, it seemed like everyone on the streets had started talking about Sky Islands.

Even an elderly man—someone who looked like he’d never touched a game in his life—was staring, mesmerized, at the giant screen playing the ad.

It was as if everyone except him had fallen under some kind of hypnosis.

This… isn’t possible.

He pulled out his phone and checked the internet.

It was already flooded with Sky Islands-related posts.

Not just one or two celebrities—dozens had participated in the promotions.

Even the biggest gaming companies in Korea, the so-called “Big Three,” wouldn’t be capable of a marketing campaign on this scale.

A mobile game targeting primarily younger players? There was no way this kind of marketing could be profitable.

What made even less sense was that this absurd campaign was actually working.

Am I the weird one here?

For a moment, Hyesung doubted his own reality.

It felt like the boundary between real life and imagination had crumbled.

Was his mental state deteriorating? Was this some kind of new symptom?

“Ah, Hyesung! You’re here for your shift!”

“Uh, what’s that…?”

Even at the convenience store, things weren’t any different.

His eyes landed on his coworker’s phone.

“Oh, this?”

She gave an awkward smile and showed him the pre-registration page for Sky Islands.

“It looks fun, so I thought I’d try it.”

“…You like games?”

“Nope! I’ve never played one before. Not even on PC.”

Never…?

“If you don’t pre-register, you’re missing out on half your life~!”

Then, suddenly, the cashier mimicked the voice from the ad, giving him a knowing smirk.

“…So? Want to try it too, Hyesung?”

This wasn’t right.

There was no way a game nobody had even heard of yesterday could explode in popularity overnight like this.

Was this some kind of elaborate prank?

To Hyesung, it looked like the entire world had been hypnotized.

Ring-ring.

As soon as his shift ended, he tried calling his sister again.

She was the only one who could clear up his confusion.

…!

Bzzzt!

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

It’s her!

Hyesung quickly checked his smartphone, and his eyebrows twitched.

The message from his older sister hadn’t been sent in real-time.

-[This is a missed scheduled message!] Hyesung, sorry I couldn’t answer your call earlier ㅠㅠ. Things have been so hectic that even sending a message isn’t easy.

-I don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. The reason you feel so indifferent to everything… it’s probably because this world isn’t truly yours.

It was difficult to comprehend.

-In games, even if you become a hero or lose a comrade, happiness or sorrow lasts only briefly, right? That’s natural. Higher-dimensional beings can’t easily empathize with lower-dimensional ones. That doctor who diagnosed you with a mental illness back then? A complete quack.

And it felt unfamiliar.

-I don’t know when we’ll meet again. But even if I’m not by your side, don’t panic, and make sure to eat properly…. Hmm, one last piece of advice—In this new world, you’ll have to use your real self completely. The world ahead… won’t be as dull as the one you’ve lived in.

What was she talking about?

One thing was clear—she knew something he didn’t.

-Then, little brother, let’s meet again at the top. By then, I should be able to tell you everything.

That was the end of the message.

Hyesung stood frozen in place, stunned.

Snapping back to his senses, he quickly tried to call her back, but the response was completely unexpected.

“The number you have dialled is not in service. Please check and try again.”

“……”

A silence filled with confusion settled in.

Tick. Tick.

The only sound echoing in the quiet convenience store was the ticking of a clock.

But there wasn’t even a clock nearby—where was the sound coming from?

As he glanced around, something caught his eye, and he narrowed his gaze.

In a corner of the convenience store.

A floating blue holographic digital clock hovered in midair, in the middle of empty space.

Like part of a VR game interface.

[Time Remaining: 53 seconds]

And before he could even process What the hell is that?, messages began pouring down before his eyes.

[Pre-registration is about to close!]

[Complete your pre-registration before the dimensional merge begins! Otherwise, you’ll lose half your life~!]

Holographic messages appearing out of nowhere.

Thud!

A sense of dread gripped Hyesung as he kicked open the convenience store door and ran outside.

The once-peaceful city was now filled with screams coming from all directions.

What’s happening? What’s going on?

Then, the moment he looked up, a groan slipped from his lips before he even realized it.

Thousands of meteors were falling through the clouds, turning Seoul’s sky redder than it had ever been.

[Time Remaining: 38 seconds]

“Pre…registration…”

His heart, which had been pounding wildly, suddenly calmed.

For once, he was grateful for his condition.

Regaining his composure in an instant, his mind finally started working again.

While screams and cries echoed throughout the city, Hyesung pulled out his smartphone from his pocket.

Accessing the pre-registration page and clicking the registration button took another 10 seconds.

But—

[Your account is already registered!]

What…?

[Your account is already registered!]

[Your account is already registered!]

No matter how many times he clicked, the result was the same.

Meanwhile, the burning debris raining from the sky was drawing ever closer to the ground.

Staring up at the crimson-stained heavens, Hyesung felt something resembling fear for the first time.

His heart alternated between racing and calming in erratic bursts.

Am I… going to die?

Emotions surged beyond his control, flaring up, then crashing down, only to explode again.

As he changed between composure and terror multiple times within a single second—

A new message appeared.

[Entering a higher dimension! The two dimensions will temporarily overlap! Quickly escape from your original dimension!]

[An unknown force is pulling you into the higher dimension! You are no longer subject to physical or magical interference from your previous dimension!]

[Time Remaining: 1 second]

“Ugh…!”

Kwoooom! Kwooooom!

Massive meteors, each the size of buildings, crashed into the ground.

Hyesung clenched his eyes shut.

The earth itself flipped, and for a moment, it felt as if his breath had stopped.

And yet—that was all.

I’m… alive?

Realizing he was still conscious, Hyesung opened his eyes.

The once-bustling streets of Seoul—no, perhaps all of Earth—had been completely shattered.

The shocking part was that, even amidst the infernal ruins, a handful of people, including himself, were still alive.

The survivors stared blankly at their own bodies, unscathed despite the meteor strike.

Some were so stunned that they mistook themselves for spirits, believing they had already died.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

A piercing cry snapped Hyesung’s attention sideways.

Despite the chaotic noise of the apocalypse, that scream rang crystal clear.

And in that moment, he understood.

Humanity had been split into two fates.

One group remained unharmed despite the hellish destruction.

The other… had lost either their upper or lower halves, melted vertically, or had their bodies grotesquely torn apart, their flesh evaporated by the intense heat.

[Pre-registration has ended!]

[Missed the registration? Try again next time!]

[Though, who knows when the next chance will be…?]

That was the last message Hyesung saw on Earth.

CRAAASH!

With the sound of shattering glass, the entire scene before him fractured into pieces.

When he opened his eyes, the scenery had changed.

The scorching heat of the apocalypse was gone, replaced by a cold wind brushing against his cheek.

And once again, glowing blue holographic text scrolled across his vision.

[You have arrived in the Higher Dimension!]

Hyesung stood straight and looked around.

First, he needed to confirm whether he was alive or dead.

Where… is this…?

It didn’t take long to figure it out.

He stood on the deck of a massive ship, one that had medieval and modern aesthetics at the same time.

Ships were meant to cross seas, yet there was no ocean in sight.

Instead, what stretched infinitely in every direction was the sky and pure white clouds.

Yes—

The ship he stood on was sailing through the vast sky.

Before he could sort out his confusion, more messages appeared.

[This world is the Dimensional Sea. The starting point of all dimensions, and also their final destination.]

It was a familiar explanation.

It felt familiar because he had seen the exact same words recently.

Dream or Illusion, he still wasn’t sure.

But if this was neither—

Then humanity had just lost the world it had lived on for millennia in an instant.

[At the peak of this world, where the fragments of dimensions drift, the desires of all souls lay dormant. May fortune be with you.]

The place he had arrived in—

It was the setting of Sky Islands.

But unlike Earth, this was no place for humans to thrive.

In a game, where dying and reloading was possible, it might be a world of thrilling adventure and wonder.

But if this was real—

[The tutorial will begin shortly.]

Then this was hell.

A world where Earth’s logic held no meaning, where human rights were nonexistent.

A world where survival meant devouring others—even your own allies.

That was the Dimensional Sea, the setting of Sky Islands.

I often have strange dreams.

The content of the dream is always the same.

I keep falling, endlessly, from an empty sky.

As the clouds rush past my vision, I wonder—how long will I keep falling?

But no matter how long I fall, there’s no sign of the ground or the sea.

The vast sky is filled only with endless white clouds, both above and below.

I have no idea what happens when I reach the end, nor do I know what happened before I started falling.

Because when I wake up, the fragments of the dream become hazy and indistinct.

How long will this strange dream, which has persisted since childhood, continue?

“You need to clear out your desk by today.”

A termination notice, just three months into the job.

For an average office worker, those words would send their heart sinking.

Maybe they’d even cling to their boss’s leg in desperation.

But—

“Oh, really?”

Hyesung’s response to being fired was nothing more than a single nod.

His face remained composed, as if he had expected this outcome from the very beginning.

“So, I can just leave now, right? No need to clock out?”

“…….”

As the office door clicked open, a heavy silence fell over the room.

Even the usual sound of keyboards tapping had stopped.

Everyone kept their eyes fixed on their monitors, but their attention was entirely on Hyesung’s footsteps.

Pity, envy, superiority—various emotions swirled in their minds.

So, he couldn’t adapt to the company culture and is finally leaving.

He must have another place to go if he’s quitting so easily.

Maybe he has connections somewhere.

Or perhaps he comes from a wealthy family…

But contrary to their speculations, Hyesung had no backup plan, no connections.

The only immediate job option for him was part-time work, and his only family was his older sister, a regular office worker.

Even so, there were two reasons he was leaving the company.

First, he didn’t feel much of a sense of crisis about being fired.

Second, he had realized he could never survive in this workplace anyway.

Following unspoken rules outside of official policies, constantly reading the moods of superiors, engaging in subtle power struggles with colleagues—

For someone like him, who had always struggled with communication, such things were simply impossible.

On the bus ride home, Hyesung placed a hand over his chest.

Strangely enough, he felt nothing at all.

When he first stepped out of the office, he had briefly wondered, Is this really okay?

But that faint sense of unease had melted away while packing his belongings.

It wasn’t a decision driven by emotion—it was the opposite.

He had accepted being fired so easily because he simply didn’t feel anything.

Should I have tried to hold on a little longer?

He knew he wasn’t normal.

He had realized from a young age that he was different from others.

But the moment he understood he wasn’t just different but actually strange was in middle school.

It was when his divorced parents abandoned him and his sister, disappearing without a trace.

People around them expressed sympathy and pity, but even then, he felt nothing.

Some assumed he had changed due to the shock.

But they were wrong.

He had always been this way.

Yeah, I guess I really am abnormal.

A kind of mental disorder.

A condition where emotions beyond a certain limit simply couldn’t be contained.

Joy, fear, boredom, curiosity—any feeling that exceeded a certain threshold would naturally disappear.

Only the faintest ripples of emotion remained.

His heart never raced with excitement, nor had he ever cried from sadness.

So, he couldn’t adapt to office life, where reading social cues was crucial, and he felt no sense of urgency even after quitting with no backup plan.

Would things be different if he won the lottery? If he saw someone die right in front of him?

But such events were unlikely to happen, so his life remained nothing but a dull routine.

That night, Hyesung decided to be honest with his sister about what had happened during the day.

With a seven-year age gap between them, his sister was the only person he could truly open up to.

“I need to tell you something.”

“Huh? Don’t tell me it’s about that falling dream again!”

His sister had an unusual fascination with his recurring dream.

She often asked if there were any changes to it.

Did she think his condition was somehow linked to his dreams?

He was pretty sure the two had nothing to do with each other.

“No… it’s something else this time.”

Hyesung told her about recent events.

Her reaction was surprisingly casual.

“Oh, so you quit your job?”

“I got fired.”

He hesitated slightly, careful not to make her feel too guilty.

After all, guilt was an emotion too, and if it crossed a certain threshold, it would vanish completely.

It was important to maintain this current, faint level of feeling.

“For now, I’ll just do some part-time work.”

Rather than scolding him, his sister simply smiled softly and reassured him.

“Don’t be too discouraged, little brother. You haven’t even shown your true potential yet.”

“Don’t joke around.”

Hyesung frowned as she exaggerated her gestures.

A stern scolding would’ve been better than this playful teasing—it was oddly frustrating.

Of course, that frustration faded the moment it arose.

Sometimes, his condition was actually pretty convenient.

“I’m serious. This world is just too boring for you. What could possibly make your heart race? It’s no wonder nothing excites you.”

“…….”

“But I believe in you. There will come a day when you unleash your true abilities.”

“‘A crucial moment’? When?”

“Hmm, let’s say the world suddenly turned into hell. A place where survival meant doing whatever it took. No one could afford to stay idle, right? In a world where everyone has to give it their all—that’s when the real you will shine.”

“Stop saying dumb things….”

Hyesung clicked his tongue as he prepared dinner in the kitchen.

He often wondered how someone with such a dream-filled mind could be his sibling.

Their personalities were complete opposites.

“Anyway, since you quit, I guess you’ll have some time to rest now?”

“No, I need to get a part-time job until I find something else.”

“Come on, just take a few months off. No, at least a few weeks!”

“Why?”

“Because I have a favour to ask.”

With a mysterious smile, his sister fiddled with her phone.

A moment later, a message arrived on Hyesung’s own device.

Sky_Islands_Test.apk

“What’s this? Sky Islands?”

“Yep. It’s a new game our company is developing. I want you to play it and give me your feedback.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to recruit testers or ask someone at work?”

Seeing his indifferent reaction, his sister responded enthusiastically.

“Who else would judge it as objectively as you? Besides, this is the first project I’m leading, so I really want to hear what my little brother thinks.”

“You’re in charge of this?”

“You didn’t know? I’m the project director!”

“Really?”

Hyesung glanced at her expression.

She looked slightly offended, as if asking how he could not have known.

If anyone else had asked, he wouldn’t have cared at all.

But…

“Does it actually help if I test it for you?”

“Yeah, definitely!”

“Well, if you say so.”

Hyesung set his smartphone, which was in the middle of installing the game, aside on the dining table.

Since it was his sister’s request, he would do it, but for now, eating came first.

“I’ll take my time with it while working.”

“Do you really have to work? You could just stay home and play games, you know?”

Because he was indulging his sister’s absurd insistence, Hyesung failed to notice the faint blue aura flickering around his smartphone.

And…

At that moment, he had no idea that today would be the last time he saw his sister’s face.

—Sorry, Hyesung. I don’t think I’ll be able to come home for a few weeks! Make sure you eat properly and call me as soon as you finish testing!

After reading the message, Hyesung shook his head.

Was his sister’s company actually worse than the one that had fired him?

He’d heard plenty of stories about how game developers were practically worked to the bone before a new release, but making someone stay at the office for weeks on end?

Maybe it was even worse for his sister since she was the lead planner.

Whatever the case, even while they were apart, Hyesung didn’t forget her request. He continued balancing his part-time job at the convenience store with playing the game.

It’s actually kind of fun.

The file his sister had sent him turned out to be a run-of-the-mill mobile game.

The setting: the sky and countless floating islands.

As the captain of an airship, players had to ascend toward ever-higher islands, with the ultimate goal of reaching the “Summit Isle,” where all wishes would be granted.

It wasn’t all that different from the countless “tower-climbing” games flooding the market, but the storyline was too well-crafted to call it generic.

Hyesung quickly found himself immersed in its intricate, expansive world.

Was it just his imagination? Whenever he played this game, it felt like his emotions were dulled a little less than usual.

It was almost as if the virtual world were real, making his heart race with excitement.

And so, weeks passed.

After several sleepless nights, Hyesung finally completed his first playthrough.

He had reached the Summit Isle, the place said to grant all wishes.

[You have reached the summit of the sky!]

[…Ending not implemented…]

Unfortunately, since the game hadn’t officially launched yet, the ending story hadn’t been added.

[Number of deaths: 1053]
[Episode completion rate: 11%]

As soon as he finished his first test playthrough, a results screen popped up.

Huh? That’s it?

The statistics were surprising.

Did this mean he had only seen a tiny fraction of the world?

It wasn’t like he had skipped through all the story scenes out of laziness. He had even used the test version’s cheat function to accelerate time. Just how massive was this game’s world?

Maybe I should do a quick second run through the early parts.

Hyesung’s finger slowly hovered toward the “Restart” button.

With such a low completion rate, he couldn’t really claim to have tested the game properly.

More than that, though, there was something thrilling about being inside Sky Islands.

Like he was dreaming.

He wanted to know—was that feeling real or just a trick of his mind?

“……”

Ding!

As the opening scene ended, the character creation screen appeared.

The player could customize the avatar that would serve as their in-game self.

This choice couldn’t be changed unless the player restarted from the beginning, and as the game progressed, the character would develop a variety of traits and skills.

During his first playthrough, Hyesung had chosen a standard character.

This time, he planned to keep rerolling until something unusual appeared.

Then—

Huh? What’s going on?

A question mark popped up over the character’s head.

No matter how many times he tapped the arrows, the character selection wouldn’t change.

The screen automatically reset to its original state every time he tried to move forward.

A bug…?

Hyesung stared at his phone.

In the center of the screen sat a man in elegant, old-fashioned attire, resting upon a grand throne.

With one leg crossed over the other, he radiated the dignity of a sovereign ruler.

But for some reason, the moment Hyesung saw him, a strange shiver ran through his chest.

What is this…?

Hyesung placed a hand over his heart.

A tremor of emotion he had never felt before.

Drawn in, he kept staring at the man on the throne, before snapping himself out of it and checking the character’s details.

Name: Pinenes Bledian
Unique Trait: [Iron Sovereign] (Rank: S)

<One who rules over all does not waver in emotion. Their tone carries authority, and their gestures command respect.>

—The Iron Sovereign perceives the truths of the world.
—Only by maintaining inner peace can this ability be wielded.

The character’s unique trait was S-rank.

Luckily, it wasn’t similar to the one he had chosen in his first playthrough.

But honestly, what did it mean to “perceive the truths of the world”?

Was it an appraisal skill? The ability to see other players’ stats? Or maybe it revealed hidden secrets within the game.

Peacfullness, huh.

As he read the description, Hyesung let out a small chuckle.

Maintaining composure no matter the situation was practically his unwanted specialty.

For a brief moment, he found it a shame that this was just a mobile game.

If this were reality, he could probably make excellent use of the Iron Sovereign’s power.

Not bad.

In the end, there wasn’t much point in overthinking his choice.

He had only seen a handful of S-rank traits during his first run.

The fact that he could start with one was probably a perk of the test version. There was no need to pick anything else.

Alright, my second run will be with this guy.

A power that could see the truths of the world.

For a faster, more effective test play, there was no better ability.

Hyesung decided to go with Pinenes Bledian, the Iron Sovereign.

Whew, but for now, lets get some rest.

After finalizing his selection, he stretched and lay down on his bed.

The clock on his phone read 4 a.m.

Was his sister asleep by now? Or was she still pulling an all-nighter for her project?

He suddenly recalled her request to contact her once he finished his first playthrough.

It’s late. I should just call her after I wake up.

Hyesung had been about to send her a message but lowered his phone instead.

She probably wouldn’t see it at this hour, and if the notification woke her up, that would be a problem too.

As soon as he put down his phone, exhaustion washed over him.

Beep.

After one last check of his alarm, Hyesung drifted into sleep.

That was the last night he ever spent in the real world.