The park was quiet, touched only by the soft rustle of leaves and the distant hum of traffic. On a weathered wooden bench, a boy sat alone, hunched over a chessboard that looked far too precious for an ordinary afternoon match.
Baek Seo-Jun, seventeen, socially invisible, and a self-proclaimed chess addict.
He moved a black knight with deliberate precision.
"…Check," he whispered.
Across from him sat no one—only an empty chair and the fading imagination of an opponent who never existed. Still, Seo-Jun nodded as if he had just outplayed a grandmaster.
"You always fall for that tactic," he muttered to the empty air. "Your endgame needs work."
He exhaled, a lonely smile flickering across his lips. In this world, he had no rivals—no friends, even. Only the pieces on his board kept him company.
Seo-Jun carefully packed the chess pieces into their velvet-lined case, brushing the dust away like it was a ritual. This board was his treasure, the only thing that felt constant.
"Alright… time to find dinner," he said to no one, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
He took three steps toward the exit of the park when—RUMBLE.
The ground trembled violently.
People screamed. Birds scattered frantically from nearby trees. Buildings groaned as if they were about to collapse.
"What—an earthquake?" Seo-Jun gasped, stumbling.
But earthquakes didn't make the sky bleed red.
A streak of crimson light ripped through the clouds, stabbing straight down into the center of the city like a divine spear. Seo-Jun shielded his eyes as the glowing beam widened, stretching into the shape of…
"…A door?" he whispered.
But no door on earth looked like this.
It wasn't round like a portal.It wasn't swirling like in sci-fi movies.
It was tall. Rectangular. A giant gate of pure red light, humming like an ancient engine waking from slumber.
People froze. Cars collided. Someone cried out, "A Gate—?! Is this… is this real?!"
Seo-Jun's legs locked in fear. His heartbeat hammered against his ribs.
Then—
KRAK.
The Gate split open.
Something emerged.
First, claws.Then wings.Then grotesque stone-like creatures shaped like gargoyles, eyes glowing ember-red.
Behind them crawled shorter, twisted monsters—like winged goblins with serrated teeth and rotten skin.
People didn't even have time to run.
The monsters attacked instantly.
Screams filled the streets. Blood splattered onto the pavement. A man was ripped in half. A woman was dragged into the air by a winged goblin, her cries echoing before being abruptly silenced.
Seo-Jun snapped out of his frozen state and bolted.
"Move, move, MOVE!" he shouted at himself, sprinting down the street.
His breath burned. His legs shook.
He nearly slipped when he heard someone yelling.
"Help! P-Please—someone help us!"
A family—two adults and a little girl—were cornered by a towering black gargoyle, its wings spread wide like a demon ready to strike.
Seo-Jun looked away.
He wasn't a hero. He was barely even strong enough to carry groceries.
He kept running.
But the scream of the little girl stabbed into his chest.
"…Damn it," he hissed, skidding to a stop.
He turned back, gripping the only thing he had—his chessboard.
"Hey!" he shouted with a voice that didn't sound like his own. "Over here!"
The gargoyle twisted its neck toward him.
Seo-Jun swung the wooden chessboard with all the strength his skinny frame could muster.
CRACK!
The board smashed into the monster's jaw—not nearly enough to kill it, but enough to knock it aside for a second.
The monster staggered.
The chessboard cracked.
Seo-Jun froze as a strange, mechanical chime echoed around him.
ding—!
A translucent screen materialized in front of his eyes, floating like a hologram.
YOU ARE CHOSEN.YOU ARE HERO.CLASS: CHESSMASTER.
"…What?" Seo-Jun gasped. "Is this… is this some kind of joke?!"
The gargoyle roared and lunged at him—
But something else lunged faster.
Two figures burst from the ground like stone statues come to life—knights carved from dark rock, each wielding a longsword. They intercepted the gargoyle mid-charge, cutting through its wings with a swift, clean arc.
SLASH!
The monster fell, screeching.
Seo-Jun stumbled backward. "W-What are you—?!"
The two stone knights turned toward him.
They knelt.
As if greeting a king.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet cracked open—not from quakes, but from summoning. More figures rose from the earth: humanoid shapes carved from the same stone, each holding a small round helmet and short spear.
Pawns.Rows of living, breathing chess pawns.
They formed formation around Seo-Jun, bowing their heads.
"Wh—why are you bowing to me? I'm just—I'm just a student!"
But they seemed to understand his voice. One pawn tapped its spear to its chest, awaiting orders.
Then another message appeared above Seo-Jun.
YOU ARE THE KING.YOU ARE CHESSMASTER.
Seo-Jun trembled, staring at the kneeling army at his feet.
"…What is happening to my life…?"
Behind him, another gargoyle shrieked.
The stone pawns raised their spears.
And in that moment—Baek Seo-Jun realized he was no longer just a lonely boy who played chess in the park.
He had become something else entirely.
Something the world had never seen.
A Chessmaster.