Diverson is an outskirt that is currently the most vulnerable to monster attacks. A state of emergency has been declared here, and the walls of these lands have been closed, trapping all the people inside in a dire situation. There are over 100,000 of them, and their lives, filled with suffering, are on the brink of extinction.
The supplies of food and water are meager, leaving only the poor struggling for a hopeless existence, while the government completely ignores the will of the people.
All of this has made survival nearly impossible. It was only a matter of time before the monsters breached the walls and destroyed all the inhabitants. Things were already bad—viruses, murders—and now, myriads of dreams began to attack, causing many people to simply never wake up. The myriads of dreams were a legend that humanity knew little about. The most unusual thing was that they appeared half a century ago. It is said to be a zone of influence that drags one into a trial dream. The trials usually consist of experiencing the life of a specific creature that has endured something intense and difficult. The person who enters must resolve the conflict. If they succeed, they receive a reward.
The problem was that many of these trials were horrifically difficult. As a result, many who entered died. Even if they didn't die, they suffered severe damage. However, if a person succeeded, they gained experience or a tag related to the realm of dreams. The issue for humanity was that these dreams were very rare and new, so few had the chance to study them, and the existing research had not yet reached the common people.
Glumer had just turned 20 years old. He had long, neck-length, dirty gray hair and an ordinary oval face. He had spent his entire life in these outskirts. He was a man who had devoted his life and all his savings to acquiring skills that allowed him to make a living. Even after all this hardship, he still tried to change something in his life. He had only one goal: to survive. And now, to achieve that, he would have to escape from this hellish place called Diverson.
The outskirts of Diverson had always been known for their gloomy atmosphere, which hadn't changed in decades. Glumer walked through a narrow alley between dilapidated huts, clutching a small bag tightly to his chest. The food and water he had obtained at the market had cost him dearly, and he couldn't afford to lose even a crumb. More than half of his savings went solely to food and water. On the square, children were shouting, kicking around a worn-out ball, and women were yelling as they shook out old clothes from their homes.
Behind him, the sounds of children crying and screaming echoed—a stark contrast to the usual background noise, emphasizing the hopelessness. Sighing, he quickened his pace, hiding his face under his hood. "If they see me with this bag, they might chase me and try to steal my food," he thought.
He turned a corner and noticed a familiar figure—an old man sitting by a collapsed wall with his eyes closed. The old man, as always, was humming a melody in an unknown language, as if oblivious to the troubles around him.
"Hey, boy!" the old man called out as Glumer tried to pass by. "You're back early today."
"Work's done," Glumer replied curtly, his voice broken and hoarse. It seemed the old man didn't even hear his raspy, incomprehensible words. But the old man didn't care.
"The weather's warm," the old man continued, as if ignoring the icy wind. "Maybe on days like these, even the monsters will leave our walls alone. Or maybe the opposite..."
Glumer didn't respond. He knew the old man was just killing time with meaningless chatter. When the city walls were sealed, the only hope for salvation became a dream, and death became routine.
The night was cold, and the air, heavy with the smell of dampness, pressed on his chest. Glumer lay on his hard bed, staring at a crack in the ceiling. Now, he would have to stretch these supplies for a couple of weeks.
His last job had gone bankrupt, and he had to shut it down. He had fallen ill, and even lying in bed, he struggled to breathe, fighting for his life.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing, but the troubles caught up with him. He was swept into an unfamiliar space. Compared to reality, this world seemed more vibrant and alive. Glumer was puzzled, as just a few seconds ago, he had been lying down, trying to sleep. Only mystical magic could have brought him here. Glumer thought it might be an incredibly realistic dream. But he wasn't that foolish; everyone knew that in dreams, you couldn't think so clearly. And a dream couldn't feel so alive.
He found himself as a young boy, no older than ten. He was in a forest filled with corpses, and the cold air immediately reinforced the idea that this wasn't just a dream. Before he could take in his surroundings, he noticed a large, burly man standing next to him, covered in terrible wounds. The man was tall and heavily built, clearly a warrior. But Glumer's mind was preoccupied with another question: was this man hostile toward him?
The man's face showed tension and anxiety.
Suddenly, the man raised his hands, and an amulet appeared in his grasp out of thin air. Without hesitation, the man handed it to the boy and spoke urgently, his words conveying the gravity of the situation.
"They're coming, Prince Van. This is the only tag entrusted to me by your late parents. Please take it and run as far and as fast as you can. They will meet you there. I'll try to hold them off as long as I can."
His voice was rough and filled with urgency.
Glumer was internally stunned. So, someone was chasing him? A prince? The man looked increasingly anxious as Glumer stood there. Glumer hadn't fully grasped the situation, but he took the amulet, clenched it in his hand, and started running as fast as he could to the right.
His life experience told him to act immediately, so he didn't waste a second.
He chose the right side because it seemed like the most straightforward path compared to the other terrain. It was a dark and gloomy forest with strange trees and plants everywhere, so he had to adapt quickly to the circumstances.
But he wasn't lacking in adaptability, so there shouldn't have been any problems—except one. After running a couple of hundred meters, he already felt exhausted. However, he didn't allow himself to rest. A moment later, a few people emerged from the bushes on the right side, which had seemed quiet and clear ahead. Glumer instinctively tried to hide, but before he could react, one of them shot an arrow that instantly hit its mark and killed him.
He died without even blinking, so quickly that he didn't feel any pain. He didn't even have a chance to think one last time before death. It was a pitiful end.
But life is a strange thing, full of mysteries. Glumer opened his eyes, feeling an icy fear in his chest. His hands trembled momentarily from the unfamiliar sensation, and images of his previous death flashed before his eyes. "This place again?!" He pressed himself to the ground like a rat, holding his breath as if he couldn't move. Why had he appeared here again? Hadn't he died? What was going on?
The same stranger stood there, extending his hand to help the boy up, repeating the same phrase.
Glumer needed time to process everything that was happening. But there was a problem: such a dangerous situation didn't allow for reflection, and he had to run. Of course, he asked which path he should take.
From the burly man, he learned that all the paths led to the same place. So, the main goal was to reach it. The first time, he had run to the right side, which seemed the most suitable for avoiding obstacles, but this time, he ran straight ahead, toward the center. There was no point in going right again.
This time, Glumer ran much less due to natural obstacles. After a while, he noticed a large, ferocious wolf chasing him from behind. It was the first time he had seen such a terrifying monster, but he didn't show it. The shock of being in this body was too overwhelming.
Glumer immediately tried to take the path with the most obstacles and quickly climbed a tree. But the wolf was faster than any animal, and in an instant, it caught up to him and slashed him with its sharp claws. This time, Glumer died another pitiful death.
Glumer woke up in the same place again. His first action was to vomit on the ground. It was incredibly strange to die twice already. After that pain, he was certain this wasn't just a dream.
But his mind was strong. He still had no intention of losing his sanity. After such a terrible life in the outskirts, it was no surprise that he had such a resilient mind and clarity. Death was commonplace for him, even if he hadn't died before. He had seen people die every day.
This time, everything repeated itself, and Glumer had to start running again, this time to the left. After that pain, he had no intention of running through the center again. The left side also had a terrible path for such an escape. While running, he accidentally tripped and barely managed to get up, as the body felt incredibly heavy. When he did get up, his speed had significantly decreased due to the injuries. Because of this, he decided to hide in some nearby bushes. For a moment, it even seemed like a good idea—at least he didn't know that his pursuers weren't ordinary people. A second later, his head was severed. Glumer died again.
And once more, he found himself in the same place. He was filled with various emotions, but he didn't give himself time to dwell on them. This time, Glumer didn't think; he immediately started running, not even taking the amulet. The reason was that every second counted, and the amulet, while possibly mystical, didn't seem to help him escape. Maybe he would consider using it later, but for now, he was focused on something else.
This time, he ran to the left again, but he was much more cautious. One of his strengths was adaptability, and he quickly adjusted to the terrain. As he ran, he noticed that while the forest seemed alive, he didn't see a single living creature. He also hadn't encountered such plants and trees in the outskirts. The most interesting thing was that the night seemed unusually bright. It was as if the moon bathed the entire forest in its blue light.
This time, he didn't fall and didn't allow himself to slow down. But after a few seconds, he heard that he had been found. Glumer heard a sound and instinctively reacted by diving into the bushes. Everything above 80 meters was sliced in half by a sword. Glumer, who had managed to avoid that, still fell into a trap. The next sword strike came instantly and killed him in a second.
In subsequent attempts, he kept running in one direction or another, trying to escape, but everything ended in failure. He even tried to talk to them face to face, but it all seemed futile. Many others would have already been in despair, losing hope. But Glumer was as solid as a rock.
Even though he hadn't died before, his life seemed more unbearable than this. The deaths repeated over and over.
Only after a dozen attempts did he stop and think. He had tried every path, and none had been successful. Initially, he thought one of these paths would surely be the right one. But now, he believed that the usual methods wouldn't work here.
What should a person do when none of the paths offer even a chance of success? He needed to create his own path. This time, when he was given the amulet, he didn't rush to run. Now, he was trying to figure out the amulet's abilities.
The man seemed puzzled.
"Prince Van, this is a tag. You don't have a core, so you can't enhance it. Right now, you just need to run, quickly!"
Glumer had expected it to be a tag. That's why he hadn't paid much attention to it earlier. A tag is what gives you superpowers, where every tag has unique abilities. After all, it couldn't be used without enhancement. Everyone knew that, as people were always curious about mystical things. It was impossible to distinguish ordinary material from a tag without intervention. This time, Glumer didn't run, and the man in front of him couldn't force him to.
After a while, they were surrounded from all sides. The man who had been protecting him finally changed his expression. When he saw the man in front of him, his anxiety turned into rage.
"You murderers and traitors have no conscience! Are you really going to kill a child?!" he shouted so loudly that his voice echoed through the forest.
They all seemed different, as if they came from different clans. One of the noticeable figures was an old man with a long white beard who simply observed, stroking his beard. It seemed the man next to him was shouting directly at him. More and more people gathered, and even the wolf that had chased him earlier appeared, transforming into a human.
The grandfather, who had been stroking his beard, finally stopped and began to speak:
- Excellent, this will be a public execution. Wu Mei, you can leave the boy and go. You're of no interest to us.
So, was this stranger's name Wu Mei?
- Wu Mei, who was covered in wounds, opened his eyes wider and laughed.
Suddenly, Glumer's vision went dark because Wu Mei covered his eyes with his hand. Glumer tried to pull the hand away, but he didn't have the strength.
- Your father was a great man, Wan. It's a pity I won't be able to repay my debt. Glumer couldn't see the reactions of the others, but after a few quiet seconds, he was instantly executed.
In the next attempt, the boy didn't hesitate and immediately, in a frantic manner, refused to take the tag. He asked the strong man, Wu Mei, to enhance it and try to save both of them using it. His voice was unclear, but Wu Mei somehow managed to quickly decipher his words.
- I know what you're thinking, Prince Wan, but even if I wanted to, I couldn't. There's an alien will within it, and I have no way to bypass it. Only true heirs like you could do it.
Glumer didn't know about this. In fact, he only knew that these living materials, the tags, allowed people to dominate and use mystical powers. So, this was a new revelation for him.
- Then help me enhance it, - Glumer seemed serious.
Wu Mei, on the other hand, looked puzzled. In such a tense situation, it was hard to think rationally. He was covered in wounds, and they were being pursued. Yet, he managed to respond calmly.
- Prince Wan, your core hasn't fully formed yet, so unfortunately, nothing will come of it.
But Glumer wasn't about to give up.
- Then help me form the core right now and enhance it.
In Wu Mei's mind, this sounded extremely difficult. They were standing on a battlefield where the enemy could come and kill them in seconds, and the boy he was supposed to protect was refusing to run away and was asking pointless questions in a situation where they had no time.
- We don't have time for this.
Glumer didn't back down and was brief.
- Just tell me how to do it.
As they argued, Wu Mei already noticed the enemies beginning to surround them. Barely containing his anger, he finally gave in to the boy. At that moment, even his voice changed. He once again covered the boy's eyes with his large hand and said:
- To form a core, you need to physically and spiritually connect with the essence of heaven and earth. If I only had the chance, I would help you.
Everything else was like in the previous attempt, and he failed again. Nothing had changed, but Glumer learned a lot.
The next attempts also failed, but he was making progress. His plan was to help him form the core. He outright refused to do anything else and spoke of his well-thought-out plan. With each attempt, it seemed that Wu Mei gave in more and more, and his knowledge of the core and the tag expanded.
After a couple of dozen attempts, Wu Mei didn't think long and immediately agreed. For some reason, in Wu Mei's eyes, the boy now seemed too determined and capable. Compared to previous attempts, Glumer now clearly demonstrated his incredible knowledge and skill.
Another reason for Wu Mei's agreement was that, in truth, he was somewhat desperate. His anxiety knew no bounds. After all, he wasn't sure the boy would be able to escape. He had no other plans.
But the idea proposed by Glumer might have worked if he supplemented it with his own ideas on the matter!
He quickly helped him assume the necessary posture. It resembled how monks sit. Wu Mei also sat down and placed his hand on Glumer's ribs, immediately getting to work.
According to his instructions, Glumer only needed to maintain his breathing rhythm. In truth, forming a core required some preparation and had to be done alone in a secluded place. But if it was a new core, it could be done with the help of another person, and this method was the fastest! At least, he had learned this a couple of attempts ago while questioning Wu Mei. Glumer immediately spat out dirty blood from his mouth and felt an unprecedented strangeness in his stomach.
The core wasn't fully formed due to the lack of time. But according to Wu Mei's experience, this was enough to enhance the tag and attempt to escape. This was Glumer's plan!
Wu Mei, now sweating profusely, said:
- Now listen carefully.
The first enemy arrived, followed by a second. They all gathered around, just like in his previous attempts. But this time, Glumer wasn't standing. He lay there, appearing dead.
But these people had enough abilities to sense that he was still alive. However, due to his broken and incomplete core, they knew he was already on the verge of death.
The grandfather grabbed his beard and burst into laughter.
- Wu Mei, you're something else. Did you really want to help the prince form a core? How could you fail at such a critical moment and cause his death?
Many laughed, and the moment immediately became a topic of discussion. But some noticed that something was off. The grandfather continued:
- Wu Mei, if you finish him off, we'll reward you generously.
But even in such a moment, Wu Mei outright refused. Many were surprised by his stubbornness and foolishness even now.
However, suddenly, something changed. Glumer died... His heart exploded. He failed to enhance the tag and failed. Yet, when he regained consciousness and realized he had failed again, he didn't get upset. It wasn't strange that he hadn't succeeded in enhancing it on the first try.
The next attempts seemed like hell. Glumer learned more and more about the method of enhancing the tag from the experienced Wu Mei and used his methods, but each time he failed. The first ten attempts, the second ten attempts, the eighth ten attempts, the hundredth ten attempts. It seemed like an endless trial of perseverance. With each return, his knowledge and experience deepened. Some people were talented and could enhance their first tag within the first three attempts. But Glumer spent several hundred. Was he upset? Of course not. He knew what he was capable of and never lost hope.
- Wu Mei, if you finish him off, we'll...
Before he could finish, an explosive aura overwhelmed everyone in an instant. It was the aura of a rank 6 tag, called Equality. Glumer had finally succeeded in enhancing the tag! Even Wu Mei gasped in surprise. After all, he knew the chances were slim.
According to Wu Mei, this tag, Equality, suppressed the strength of everyone within its range. It reduced their speed and strength depending on the strength of his will. As long as you were within the range of this tag, you couldn't use other tags or core powers, etc. But it had two drawbacks. First, it suppressed everyone—himself, allies, and enemies alike. Second, it didn't work against enemies with a core of rank 6 or higher. But all his enemies now were of rank 3-4, so it worked perfectly. But what to do next? Could they, even with this tag, stand against such a number of enemies? Especially since his core wasn't fully formed, and he couldn't even move.
But they had already thought of this. Wu Mei grabbed him and started running. Of course, he moved at a very low speed since the suppression affected him too. But his will was much stronger, and the initial distance between them was significant. So, he managed to break ahead. They were being chased, but they were still ahead.
It seemed the plan was working, until, at some point, Wu Mei's wounds began to reopen. After a few steps, he fell. He could no longer continue. Even his will and strength were broken by this tag. But this time, unlike other attempts, he fell with the hope that Wan would make it.
Thanks to this situation, many were just a step away from them. Now, Glumer had to go on his own. When he stepped on the ground, he understood the pain Wu Mei had endured. Every step was incredibly difficult. It felt like he was walking under an unbearable weight of will. His enemies couldn't let him escape.
- Wan, we're close. You'll die anyway. Just give up. Don't torment yourself. You don't stand a chance.
With a torn core, it seemed Glumer was only torturing himself. Did he even have a chance? Now, the distance between them was only five steps. They walked, walked, and walked.
- Wan, death is relief and liberation from unnecessary suffering. We'll kill you so quickly you won't even notice.
This hell continued. But still, Glumer walked forward without looking back.
Behind him were only six people. Almost everyone had given up, but Glumer walked forward. All his insides, his entire body, were at their limit. Many were puzzled—how could their will be weaker than that of a spoiled child?
Even those who had given up and weren't moving shouted:
- Wan, your death will be as terrible as your parents'.
But Glumer remained silent. It seemed he was entirely focused on the path ahead.
At some point, they saw a river with a large mystical dolphin, as if it had been waiting for their arrival. Everyone immediately understood what was happening.
The old man shouted:
- Wan, even if you get there, so what? You'll die from your wounds. This is the end, so why are you still walking?
Now, only four steps separated them.
He didn't answer again. Glumer always did this. In life, even after millions of mistakes and not a single stroke of luck, he always kept moving forward.
After a few steps, everyone except Glumer gave up. Only three steps separated the old man and Glumer, but they could no longer continue. It was impossible to endure. They could only watch as Glumer continued to painfully move forward. They were all persistent, but there were obstacles where their persistence wasn't enough. Now, they hoped Glumer would die, as this pressure was too much.
But Glumer walked on, not looking back, as if there was only emptiness behind him. His movements showed no doubt, and his steps sounded like a hammer striking stone. Blood poured from his eyes and mouth as he walked.
The old man shouted:
- Wan, this is the end. You won't survive.
Glumer smirked.
My body is battered, my mind is weary, but I continue to move forward. In my veins flows not blood, but determination. In my heart lies not fear, but a flame that cannot be extinguished.
How hard is it to remain persistent in such a cruel and unfair world?
Each of us answers this question in our own way.
Some draw strength from hope, some from revenge, some from the desire to prove their worth, and some from a dream.
But what did Glumer say?
I do not strive for victory—it holds no meaning. All I have is the movement forward. Not for a goal, not for a purpose, not for a reward. I continue to walk because stopping is death. I persist because there is no other way. Because it would mean the end. And I am not finished yet.
In the end, he reached it and touched the dolphin. In an instant, colorful petals flew around him, and his body began to heal from its wounds. This was the last thing he felt and saw there.
For Glumer had successfully passed through the Realm of Dreams!