People have all kinds of dreams.
Happy dreams, joyful dreams, nightmares — things like that.
And beyond dreams of the sleeping kind, the word "dream" can also be understood in terms of one's aspirations in life.
My childhood was an exceptionally unfortunate life. Maybe because of that, I dreamed of living big and long. But I'll stop the preamble here.
So why am I bringing this up?
It seems I'm having some very strange dreams lately.
"So you're saying I'm the most pitiful wretch alive, caught up in your hobby?"
"How insolent. Not even knowing that being chosen by the gods is an honor. Ugh, tsk tsk tsk..."
This self-proclaimed god. Hard to believe, but a woman wrapped in swirling light is clicking her tongue right in front of me.
"No, what the hell. You kill a man who was living a perfectly fine life, drag him here without warning, and then what? This isn't even a mistake on your part. Why should I be the one caught up in a bet between gods?"
This woman isn't the only god.
There are many gods, and apparently they were bored and made a bet.
They choose humans as their proxies, send them to parallel worlds existing in past timelines, evaluate who performs the best, and determine the ultimate winner.
"And the winner gets?"
"Three days off in human time. I'll tell you now — even gods have a lot on their plate, so three days off is huge."
So I died for a measly 72 hours of divine vacation time.
"Anyway, I won't just send you off empty-handed. I'll give you power. I'll make sure you live up to your name."
"My name's worth?"
What does that even mean?
"Well, I don't know which historical figure you'll become. But you'll be able to survive. I've prepared some compensation, so make the best of it!"
"Oh, go to hell."
God or no god, I was just about to unleash a torrent of curses since I was dead anyway — but at that moment, the whole world was bathed in light.
"Hard to accept, but I suppose I have to."
Is this a dream or reality? I still can't quite tell, but I'm wearing old clothes right now.
Not from the Joseon Dynasty. There's no gat hat, and it feels like clothing from the Goryeo Dynasty or even earlier. Anyway, that's how it is.
I feel like I've been lured into something terribly ominous.
"Surely... it can't be. I hope it isn't."
This really has to be a dream.
I want to scream that I haven't been transported to some godforsaken past without cell phones or PCs. It's not even a fantasy world.
I sensed movement outside.
"Prince Geumgang. Did you cough?"
Huh? What?
"Say that again."
"Th-the... Prince Geumgang."
Geumgang? Geumgang, you say? If my memory serves me correctly, in Korean history, the prince named Geumgang is... the fourth son of Gyeon Hwon, who founded Later Baekje — the one slaughtered in the struggle for the throne?
"Damn it!"
It seems I've possessed a dangerous person in a dangerous era.
* * *
My situation was getting worse by the minute. This damned dream was no longer a dream.
That damned goddess had crammed me into this body out of nowhere. All so she could get herself a three-day vacation.
Why, why Geumgang of all people?
"Fine. Before I have to endure any more of this, I'll just die. Dying is the better deal."
Having died once, I seemed to have lost all fear. The urge to end it surged stronger than ever.
Struggling to live hard just felt like working for that damned goddess, and I hated it.
Wait, but what did she mean by "live up to your name"...?
...
I never imagined that "living up to your name" could mean something like this.
"I slammed my head against the stone wall with all my might, but the wall crumbled instead...?"
Of all things, this world literally uses my actual name as my power — Geumgang (金剛), meaning Adamantine, Diamond?
Geumgang-seok is a diamond, isn't it.
So does that mean my body is now diamond-hard? Or simply that I'm unyielding enough to deserve the name Geumgang?
Probably the latter. If it were literally diamond, my body would be transparent and sparkling by now.
Honestly, I'd had a vague, ominous premonition about this. That's why I could so easily smash my head against the wall. With my body like this, I had to think of another way.
Drowning, maybe?
No. That seems dangerous too. What if I went in the water and didn't drown? I'd just sink to the bottom and suffocate while still alive.
"Guess there's no choice."
If you can't even die when you want to, you're better off just struggling to stay alive.
Live with the intention to die.
I don't want to do as that goddess wishes, but there was no other answer. I'll play along for now. However, since things have come to this, my life will diverge from the original history.
Prince Geumgang will survive to the end and seek refuge with Wang Geon of Goryeo. That's the only way to live. I can't stay under the psychotic Shin-geom.
"No matter how tough this body is, if I make enemies of Shin-geom and his faction, everything becomes a headache."
Then I must live cautiously on my own.
Resolving myself to this, I found this world truly absurd.
"Geumgang. Why are you always only opening books?"
Baekje King Gyeon Hwon — who reportedly doted on his fourth son — had come calling.
"Your Majesty, what brings you all the way here?"
Gyeon Hwon. It's really Gyeon Hwon. Wow, seeing him in person — he's an enormous man, isn't he?
Terrifying face too.
"Haha. When I want to see my precious child, what need is there for all this formality? Geumgang."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You are my son. The son of this Gyeon Hwon, the Great King of the Great Baekje Kingdom. Geumgang, I am a warrior before I am a king. Yet you, my own son — why do you only read books?"
Translated plainly: stop reading books and do something worthy of a warrior. But what can I do? I have no such intention.
According to this body's memories, Geumgang was a figure closer in nature to a military commander than either Gyeon Hwon or Shin-geom. Perhaps that's why Gyeon Hwon particularly favored his youngest son.
"Your Majesty. When Your Majesty and my brother Shin-geom achieve the unification of the Three Han, will it not be necessary for someone to manage the internal affairs? The task of wielding the sword on horseback to defeat Goryeo's Wang Geon falls to my brother Shin-geom. I shall become a civil official and assist both Your Majesty and my brother."
"Your resolve is truly admirable, but..."
Yet the more I thought about it, the more I wondered. Did Gyeon Hwon truly favor me? If so, why was he urging me down this path?
With all his roundabout talk, Gyeon Hwon was clearly the type who would drag me into the struggle for the throne.
That was dangerous. I must not pick up the sword. Before I came to inhabit this body, Geumgang had already demonstrated military talent. It was highly likely that Shin-geom was already watching me.
Then I had to get out of this situation quickly.
One reason Shin-geom fell into corruption and slaughtered his half-brother Geumgang was ultimately that Gyeon Hwon had favored Geumgang above all others.
And of all people, Lady Sangwon — Shin-geom's mother — was right here. I had no idea how things might unfold.
That left only one variable I could count on: my own mother, Gobi.
I glanced at my mother, standing beside Gyeon Hwon.
It was clear enough that Shin-geom and I were indeed half-brothers.
I gave my mother — who was watching me with a worried gaze — a subtle signal with my eyes.
She looked puzzled for a moment, and only when I shook my head did she finally step toward Gyeon Hwon.
"A-ah, Y-Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
"Geumgang's words make sense. The Baekje that Your Majesty and Crown Prince Shin-geom will lead shall accomplish the great task of unifying the Three Han. Is that not so?"
"Indeed! His Majesty will defeat Goryeo's Wang Geon, and Shin-geom will follow His Majesty's path to bring peace to the realm." Lady Sangwon added her own voice to my mother's.
Thanks to them, things fortunately unfolded as I had hoped.
Thank you, Mother.
I had no mother in my past life, so from this moment on I resolved to follow this mother wholeheartedly.
"Well then. Never mind Shin-geom for now — our Baekje will naturally claim the realm. I will absolutely lay hands on Goryeo's Wang Geon."
A subtle inferiority complex toward Wang Geon lurked within Gyeon Hwon's words.
"Then shouldn't someone support Your Majesty and Shin-geom from behind?"
"Hmm, that is true. But Geumgang — you are also my son. No one knows what will become of the ambitions you harbor, not even you yourself. Therefore, should you not at least make sure you do not fall behind your brothers?"
If I follow that advice, my life is in danger. I'd end up dying by Shin-geom's hand? Before that happens, I'll choose the escape route.
"I will remember."
"Hmm, still — if my son wishes to read books, I cannot stand in his way. Geumgang. A man must always take responsibility for his words. If you choose that path, you must first prove to this father what you can do for the Great Baekje Kingdom."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"Let us go, my lady."
Only after making every excuse I could think of did King Gyeon Hwon of Baekje and his consorts finally depart.
"Phew, they're finally gone."
It was brief, but that atmosphere, that overwhelming pressure — impossible to ignore. The piercing glare of Lady Sangwon remained vividly etched in my memory.
If I didn't want to keep living a hard life, I had to start projecting an air of having absolutely zero interest in the throne. Only then would I avoid getting targeted by that lunatic Shin-geom.