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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Shadow Summoner
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'What the hell is going on?'
Kang Seol was utterly flustered by the system message. It wasn't just the message, either—the surrounding environment gave him every reason to panic.
Beams of light rained down from all directions, and silhouettes shaped like people flickered into view.
They weren't clearly visible, and no sounds reached him, but he could sense their bewilderment in every motion.
"Were we… all dragged into this together?"
It was a horrifying thought, one he desperately hoped was nothing more than a delusion. What if the entire world had been swept up in this?
Turning reality into a game was a far cry from merely dreaming something bizarre.
- The world you lived in will become another place starting today. The worlds are merging as scheduled—your world and the Eternal World, Pandea.
Cordon's parting words to him.
The riddle-like message finally clicked.
And the Eternal World beta had wrapped up just yesterday.
"Have people… entered the Eternal World?"
It was a reasonable guess on his part.
The culprits were likely those gods who'd yammered away in his dreams every night.
'They weren't just figments of my imagination…'
He'd dismissed them as dream phantoms, but they were real gods after all.
Racking his brain through his memories, Kang Seol pieced together the nagging doubts one by one.
'No, the very fact they showed up in my dreams was off to begin with…'
He'd waved it away because he didn't consider it reality.
But their existence was undeniable.
None of this could've happened otherwise.
Kang Seol stared blankly for a moment before laughter suddenly bubbled up.
"Puhuhu… Did they trick me? Or did I trick them first?"
If he had to explain, he simply hadn't seen any reason to drop the mask and reveal himself.
In hindsight, though, that had been a godsend. If his true nature had come out before harvest time, the gods would've ripped him apart on the spot.
'Bugs… Does it piss you off that much for a bug like me to see the world at your level?'
Now that he had a rough grasp of the situation, Kang Seol let out a hollow chuckle. The eerie part was how his mouth curved into a smile while his eyes stayed ice-cold.
Disappointment, betrayal, inferiority—they all stained his heart right now.
But the one pounding hardest was rage. He'd nearly thrown away his life without so much as a fight.
'You guys… that impressive?'
He'd come this close to death for one reason alone: he was human.
- How dare you hold a conversation with us at eye level?
That single reason.
'Being human pissed you off that much… In that case…'
A chill seeped from his gaze—the look of someone who'd steeled their resolve.
'I've got every right to be pissed that trash like you gets called gods, right?'
Kang Seol was obsessed with the Eternal World.
Maybe even to the point where he didn't just want to roam it with words—he wanted to adventure in it for real.
That explained the strange excitement bubbling up amid all the negativity.
He was looking forward to it.
What got his blood pumping was knowing he could keep doing what he excelled at—what he could only get better at.
And through it, he could reach the gods.
He'd wring answers out of them to those earlier questions. By any means.
- Snowman, there's only one way to save yourself and your kind. Reach the final adventure: Ascension.
Kang Seol didn't see himself as some hero.
Saving humanity? Ensuring his race's survival?
Those meant little to him.
He'd never craved the spotlight in real life, and grand ideals like that held no sway over him.
Still, there was one reason he had to push for Ascension: to prove he existed.
- Crawling into the heavens without knowing your place? Stay glued to the dirt and die like the bug you are!
"Me, die like a bug? …We'll see about that."
How could he reach the gods?
Cordon—the one who'd kept him alive—would know.
For now, the only path that came to mind was Ascension.
Kang Seol shifted his focus to his surroundings. Future plans could wait until he'd escaped the immediate threat.
His vision filled with a settings window crammed full of text.
'This character creation screen… it's identical to the Eternal World I know.'
The only difference was dice rolls versus voice commands.
The Eternal World started with character setup.
It was like transplanting an RPG onto a board game, but this step was the game's true core.
'Screw up character creation in the Eternal World, and everything goes to hell.'
A strong start was half the victory—even here. Real life sorted people into gold spoons and dirt spoons by birth; games weren't immune.
'A character, huh… In that case…'
Kang Seol licked his lips.
Truth was, the beta's end had left one character untested.
'Yeah. That's the one.'
The others he'd played were too reliant on companions. Solo potential was limited, crises frequent.
Real threats that could've killed him outright.
He'd scraped by with wits each time, but it wasn't easy—and no guarantees this time around.
'A character that can hit Ascension without bullshit variables.'
That's exactly what the one he was building embodied.
Kang Seol eyed the job selection first.
Eternal World jobs were unique.
Not simple splits like 'swordsman' or 'mage.'
Mix swordsman and mage for magic swordsman. Or go deep into mage specialization, Snowman-style.
'Basically infinite freedom.'
You could be anything—that defined the Eternal World.
'Too many options mean traps, though.'
Not every job balanced perfectly. Some thrived; others withered.
"Mage… Summoner… There."
Summoner.
A middling pick among dozens, hundreds.
Pros: Versatile from relative safety.
Cons: Nothing special.
Tons of jobs meant tons with flair.
Those got respect everywhere—always a niche need.
Summoner? Not so much.
Jack-of-all-trades, master of none as DPS, healer, support. That summed it up.
'That's only if clueless noobs pick it.'
Snowman choosing Summoner? There had to be a reason.
Anyone who'd played like Kang Seol would get it.
'Now… the school…'
Summoner had branches, not just vanilla play.
Key first split in creation: school. What summons to specialize in?
'Beast, divine beast, spirit, golem, undead…'
Over ten schools.
Choice overload could eat an hour—even for the decisive.
Kang Seol spotted one buried in the corner.
'Got it.'
Shadow Summoner.
Shadows cropped up everywhere: summoning, magic, black magic, swordplay, martial arts.
Except swordsmanship, nobody touched it.
'Sucks early- and mid-game. Late-game? Meh.'
Burn, shred, freeze—direct powerhouses.
Shadow? Botch the tech tree, get half-baked skills.
Ergo, abandoned.
'Others never figured the combo with summoning.'
Job locked in as Shadow Summoner, Kang Seol blitzed the rest.
'Stats all-in wisdom. Crafts: cooking, insight. Nickname…'
Nickname hit, and a crescent smile tugged his lips.
31st and final character.
Perfect fit.
"Snowman."
[Character creation complete.]
[Shadow Summoner 'Snowman' joins the Eternal World, Pandea.]
* * *
['One Eaten by Concept' has entered Snowman's room.]
- Behold! I, -nim, arrive!
- Please leave.
['One Eaten by Concept' has left Snowman's room.]
- They actually dipped? LMAOOOO
- Human! It's a human!
- Beep! Humor code and culture code patched! Time to have fun~
"Ugh…"
Kang Seol—no, Snowman—shook his head awake.
Oblivious to the mystery crowd spying and blabbing.
[Your first adventure begins.]
[Adventure 1. Moonlit Dance]
Adventure 1. 'Moonlit Dance'
The Eternal World, Pandea, brims with traps. Even veterans can croak to them without warning. Train to spot them unless you wanna die pointlessly. This place? Perfect for it.
You charged into your first adventure, bold as brass, and hit a mystery ruin.
Gonna live as an adventurer? Clear at least the first hurdle here.
Goal: Breach the first gateway of the Forgotten Moon Ruins or beyond. Claim the reward.
Fail the goal? You die.
Remaining time 「5 : 59」
"…Forgotten Moon Ruins?"
Memory jogged.
The newbie-friendly adventure for easing into the Eternal World.
'Ah… but this.'
Tricky one.
Solo-only was great, but the difficulty? Brutal.
'Keep eating damage as you push forward, right?'
No rogue job or 'Trap Disarm' talent? Traps everywhere shred your HP.
'Shit… casters get screwed…'
Shadow Summoner: pure caster.
Chant spells, move like a sluggish grub.
'And I dumped free stats into wisdom…'
Knew it was Moonlit Dance first? Might've picked different. No wisdom dump, either.
But knowing the opener meant knowing the world flipped to Eternal World.
Knew that? Wouldn't have bothered living right or saving cash.
"Status check first."
[Snowman]
Title: None
Race: Human
Level: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 200/200
Free Stats: 0
Strength 10 / Agility 10 / Vitality 10
Intelligence 10 / Wisdom 20 / Spirit 10
Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1
Abilities: Shadow Summon 1, Shadow Hand
Shadow Space: 0 / 700
Base 10s across the board.
Plus 10 free stats, all into wisdom.
"Not gonna be easy…"
Frayed robe, gnarled staff.
Anything but nimble-looking.
Check done, Snowman moved.
'Gotta… enter the ruins first.'
Vines choked a makeshift garden.
Moonlight bathed it.
Swish.
He crossed the shattered outdoor garden to the ruin entrance.
"Dream or reality…?"
Distinction probably moot now.
'Real board-game piece, huh. Okay… what were the choices here?'
Snowman started recalling the original options on reflex.
Then—total curveball.
"Hm?"
[The ruin door is solid stone. What do you do?]
1. Force the door open.
2. Pull the right lever.
3. Pull the left lever.
4. [Requires: Insight 1] (Door trap needs levers in sequence.) Pull left lever, then right.
'The choices… are visible?'
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