Prologue - A Strange Dream
I had a strange dream.
A February evening with a cool breeze blowing.
A high school senior who had just finished the college entrance exams, right before college starts.
Was this not the golden period of my life? I set off on a trip alone.
My exam results weren't bad, so I managed to get a decent allowance.
Thanks to that, I was able to travel quite comfortably, and at the tail end of my trip, I stayed at a hotel on Jeju Island.
After sightseeing all day, I lay down in the hotel, exhausted in body and mind. Right after falling asleep, something strange happened.
When I came to my senses, I was standing in a space filled with a pale gray mist.
Looking around, I saw several dark, shadow-like figures standing about.
For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to move forward.
Less than a minute later, I found a table. Dozens of strange pieces were placed upon it.
Choose your destiny.
Destiny?
How could a mere piece like this determine my destiny?
Even so, I felt like I had to pick something. As I was looking over the pieces, I watched them ‘disappear’ one by one in the blink of an eye.
Just as I started to panic, thinking the piece I wanted to pick would disappear if I kept hesitating, an owl figurine caught my eye for some reason, and I immediately grabbed it.
At that moment, a message appeared before me.
/Welcome, valued guests, to Hotel Pioneer! Pioneer boasts a long history since its opening in 1847, and has received high praise from countless guests through its boundless mysteries and endless treasures.
Naturally, with all treasures comes an equal amount of danger.
We sincerely hope that you achieve your desired results here at Pioneer! Now, embark on your adventure./
What in the world was this? There was more than one bizarre element here.
First of all, the hotel I was staying at didn't have a grandiose name like 'Pioneer.' Even if it were 1947, it wouldn't make sense, so the number 1847 was sheer absurdity.
What kind of hotel existed during the Joseon Dynasty? Mysteries and treasures? Danger? Adventure? Not a single word made sense. Just as I was plunging into confusion, I felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed.
Ah, so this is the lucid dream I'd only heard about.
Am I losing consciousness again? Thinking that I was having a truly bizarre dream, I sank into the darkness.