055 ROLL A DICE IN 1982

055 ROLL A DICE IN 1982

"Because you are trying to cheat. You used a 'trainer' program to alter the mechanics of this world", she said.

"You know about my Control Panel?" he asked.

"Of course, you changed so many codes in our System, do you think we don't catch it at all, we must balance the game to make your tasks harder, much harder", she said.

"Fuck," he replied. "So, what's my fucking reward?" he pressed.

"A free pass. A Resurrection Pill you can use to revive yourself if you die in the game."

"Fine, I'll take it. Is that it?"

"For now."

"Wait, what about Yun-Yun?" he asked.

"She's… gone. She couldn't survive that lightning. Too bad. Good riddance. We don't need those ancient artifacts in our world."

"Then use the pill on her. Bring her back."

Vanessa shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. She isn't a player in our game."

"Just give it to her," he demanded.

Vanessa's playful expression shifted. She was quiet for a moment, as if weighing the possibility.

"No one's ever tried something like this before," she said finally.

-----

[Year 1982- Pearl City]

On the rooftop of an old multi-story building, in an illegally constructed house made from wood and zinc, an eight-year-old girl named Yun-Yun rummaged through her brother's things.

Her brother spent hours with his friends playing an intriguing game, and she was fascinated.

"Yun-Yun, you're going to be late for school! Stop playing with your brother's stuff," her mother called out.

"If we had a TV, I wouldn't need his things," Yun-Yun replied.

"A TV costs too much. Maybe if your father gets a bonus after the New Year…" her mother sighed.

"Fine, I'm coming," Yun-Yun said, tucking a thick book into her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and ran to catch the elevator.

After school, instead of going home right away, Yun-Yun found a spot on the open staircase. She couldn't do this at home under her mother's watchful eyes. She pulled out the book, her brother's prized possession, curious about what made it so fun for him and his friends.

The cover read, The First Edition of Dungeons & Dragons: Realm of Sins expansion.

She carefully opened to a page titled "Character Creation" and grinned as she dug out a scrap paper and pencil.

"This is silly," she muttered but kept writing.

"Name: Yun-Yun Class: Mage Realm: Realm of Sins," she wrote down on the paper.

Footsteps echoed down the narrow stairwell suddenly. A drunken man staggered into view, his bloodshot eyes scanning her.

Huddled in the corner, Yun-Yun held her breath, hoping to go unnoticed. But his gaze fixed on her. "You think I'm useless, huh you bitch? I'll show you my fucking erection," he slurred.

"N-No, you're mistaken, I'm not your wife," Yun-Yun whispered, trying to slip away.

But he was too fast, grabbing her roughly and tearing at her blouse imagining her as his wife, the one who scolded him as useless.

"Help! Someone, please!" Yun-Yun screamed, but the surrounding apartments remained silent.

No one dared get involved.

Tears streamed down Yun-Yun's face as she desperately reached her brother's book. Clutching it, she whispered, "Roll a dice... Get me out of here."

The ground shook violently, a tremor that sent her attacker crashing into the wall. Eyes shut tight, she clung to the book as everything around her quaked.

Then, just as suddenly, the shaking stopped.

When Yun-Yun finally opened her eyes, the stairwell was gone. She was somewhere entirely new, the air fresh and unfamiliar, the book was gone.

Where was she now? What had just happened?

"Where… where am I?" she whispered.

"Welcome to the Realm of Sins," said a deep, echoing voice.

Yun-Yun spun around and found herself facing an old bearded man in a red cloak that looked like Santa Claus out of a Christmas party, complete with a pointed hat speckled with stars and moons.

Instead of reindeer, he held a staff.

"Who… who are you?" Yun-Yun stammered.

"I'm your Dungeon Master," the old man replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "You may call me whatever you like."

"Alright, I'll call you Santa," she said bravely. "But, where is this place? I want to go home!"

"This is the Realm of Sins," Santa said. "As for going home… well, that's a bit complicated. Didn't you take your brother's book to play, after all?"

"I guess…Is this where Yun-Lee and his friends go when they play this book?" she replied slowly. "But I didn't think I'd end up here."

"Now that you're here, I have a gift for you," Santa announced, and with a wave of his hand, six small, glowing boxes appeared before her.

"Can I pick one?" Yun-Yun asked eagerly.

"No," Santa said but he handed her a six-sided die. "Roll this please."

Yun-Yun rolled a six, and Santa opened the corresponding box, presenting her with a shining gem.

"This is the Eye of Heaven," he explained. "It lets you see through any disguise or magic in this realm. A rare gift indeed. Your starter gift."

"What am I supposed to do here?" Yun-Yun asked, both nervous and excited.

Santa pointed to a distant, snow-capped mountain. "There lies a magic sect. Go there and enroll as their newest student. Adventure awaits."

"Will I be able to go home?" she asked.

"Once you fulfill your final quest, there is an option," Santa said, disappearing in a swirl of mist.

Yun-Yun, bewildered but intrigued, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Is this a dream?" she wondered aloud, but as the cool mountain air brushed her face, she decided she didn't need to know.

Her adventure had just begun.

-----

[After the Destiny's Retribution]

Yun-Yun found herself standing in a vast, empty void—an endless expanse of nothingness. It felt like the space between worlds, silent and strange.

Only one figure stood before her, a familiar presence: Santa, the person she'd known the longest in the Realm of Sins.

"Where are we, Santa?" she asked.

"You're in the publisher's space," Santa replied.