Chapter 205. Beast (3)

Do pets dream? There is plenty of evidence that mammals, other than humans, sleep and dream. While it's uncertain whether a dog wiggling its paws is truly experiencing a running dream, most animals do dream. However, the identity of the person he's about to mention is neither a dog nor a sheep, so it's only natural that they would often fall into REM sleep as well.

...This is the dream of a beast. Whenever the Beast's past appeared in dreams, it often left a feeling of melancholy. No matter how happy the scenes might seem, the end of this story was always tragic.

Ten years ago. Back then, the Beast lived in the remote mountains, in a filthy state, chopping trees for a living.

One day. A creature, unfamiliar to him, got caught in the spring trap he had set to catch a rabbit.

It was a young man. Moreover, he had a very refreshing voice and a beautiful smile.

A hiker who had become an orphan due to an unfortunate airplane accident and was wandering around feeling lost. A forest beast's fateful encounter. What happened after that was the development of a relationship that is often seen in romance genres.

The two of them—no, to be precise, it should be three—fell in love at first sight, brought together by a trivial incident.

forest beast's fateful encounter. What happened after that was the development of a relationship that is often seen in romance genres.

The two of them—no, to be precise, it should be three—fell in love at first sight, brought together by a trivial incident.

Beast was captivated by the deer-like appearance of the one caught in the trap, while the injured stranger, living alone in the mountains, felt a strange pull and sense of kinship toward Beast's loneliness. This was how their love began.

In this process, Beast, who had never experienced pure affection from another, slowly became conditioned to it. Despite Beast being a rough and eccentric being, incapable of fitting into normal human society, the stranger, with patience, kindness, and guidance, gradually tamed the wildness within.

"Honey, this is dental floss. Let's make sure to use it before bed from now on."

"Isn't just brushing enough?"

"You'll get cavities between your teeth if you don't. I've made an appointment, so we're going to the dentist together tomorrow."

Afterward, Beast did what the other asked him to do and refrained from what he was told not to. Still, he found happiness every day. He became strangely content with the humble life of following the foreigner's lead. After all, happy moments pass quickly. And so, Beast spent joyful moments with his first love in his cabin, and after a few years, he was able to receive a proposal from the beautiful foreigner.

ess every day. He became strangely content with the humble life of following the foreigner's lead. After all, happy moments pass quickly. And so, Beast spent joyful moments with his first love in his cabin, and after a few years, he was able to receive a proposal from the beautiful foreigner.

***

A few days later.

[Today, heavy rain is expected nationwide. If you're going out, make sure to bring an umbrella.]

The weather forecaster, dressed in a raincoat, says on TV that the spring rain will continue throughout the day.

But they say the season for reading is autumn. Meanwhile, the alien here, still in a time before even summer had arrived, was struggling with a long text for quite some time.

"Uhm..."

In fact, this alien had encountered a roadblock while creating a decoy to deceive Kang Changho. The magic he was familiar with didn't activate properly on Earth. After dedicating himself to research, he realized that the issue stemmed from the environmental differences between Earth and his home planet, Alphauri. Now, he was working hard to find a solution by going into dungeons to collect materials that could adjust the variables.

'Dammit, it's just a matter of air pressure or water pressure, so why the hell does it keep shutting off on its own?'

olution by going into dungeons to collect materials that could adjust the variables.

‘Dammit, it’s just a matter of air pressure or water pressure, so why the hell does it keep shutting off on its own?’

Things seem to be getting a bit rough.

The concepts of elements like carbon or nitrogen were easier for the alien to grasp, as the properties of each element are clearly defined. However, when it came to measurements like length or pressure, the differences in the systems used on both planets made calculations a real headache.

Especially when the alien from Alphauri discovered the imperial and metric systems on Earth, he was infuriated. He was so upset that he even considered wiping out those who used either system in the future, should he ever conquer Earth, just to unify the units once and for all.

“Hmm.”

However, despite having such a fierce mindset, the problem he faced was surprisingly easy to solve. This alien from here had spent most of his life dedicated to magic, being an exceptional scholar. Due to his stubborn nature, he lacked ordinary experiences and often came across as somewhat careless in daily life, but conversely, in the field of magical studies, he possessed knowledge that no one could surpass.

“Right. This will work.”

Before long, the solution came to mind. As a result, the research proceeded without much difficulty. However, even if

Right. This will work.

Before long, the solution came to mind. As a result, the research proceeded without much difficulty. However, even if the dummy was completed smoothly, it would be meaningless if it got stuck at that stage...

'Damn it, but how the hell am I supposed to get a new body?'

The fact that he had now fully unlocked the potential of his F-class magic. And, as a result, he was now able to perform the soul transfer spell once again. All of this was good news for him.

But, as he had feared from the beginning, the process of obtaining that body ended up being the biggest obstacle. South Korea has a highly organized resident registration law, meaning that when a death occurs, authorities almost always manage to track down the family and contact them. Even in the case of an unidentified, unclaimed body, it would be taken by the city and a proper funeral would be arranged. Moreover, due to the high research value of the bodies of awakened individuals, there have been instances of thefts, which made the security at hunter-specific cemeteries much tighter.

The convenient solution of leaving a body carelessly on the street was not going to happen.

So, how was he going to acquire a new vessel? Moreover, it's not just any body, but a corpse of at least E-rank or higher that needs to be obtained.

'Hmm, paying the family for the body... Well, that won't work. From earlier, our Giryeo's brain has been sending nonstop warnings that if it's considered human trafficking, we'll get caught.'

As the days passed, the worries continued to pile up. Just as it had been before, the outside world, with its spring rain, was now beginning to show signs of a new change.

***

Perhaps the dungeon's size that had been slowly increasing until now was all a rehearsal for this day.

Earth. A new form of dungeon, one that fully fits the adjective "giant," has finally emerged in this world.

"What is it?"

"Is it a new gate?"

At 1 AM GMT on the 14th, a Blue Gate was discovered off the eastern coast of Argentina.

At this point, hunters thought it was just the occurrence of a typical new gate.

"Mm? The dungeon's magic power density is C, so why are the monsters D-rank?"

At this point, hunters thought it was just the occurrence of a typical new gate.

“Mm? The dungeon’s magic power density is C, so why are the monsters D-rank?”

“Something’s strange?”

But that wasn’t the case. The dungeon in front of them was a massive labyrinth, with an internal space length of 6.1 km. Its entrance had appeared not only in South America, but also in Moldova, Iceland, Lebanon, and Korea, scattered randomly across various countries.

A global dungeon sharing multiple pathways. This was the beginning of a parallel world, which would later be known as the [Mimic City].

[Mimic City]. A gate sprawling endlessly, seemingly eager to mimic humanity’s prosperity.

However, since the monsters emerging from the dungeon are only up to C-grade, the raid should probably be wrapped up quickly.

The experts from various countries, who had been complacent, soon realized the severity of the situation. This chaotic dungeon, where monsters of different types appeared inconsistently, shockingly revealed that there was no clear leader or boss. Could this mean that this was a Type II Blue Gate, one without a boss?

‘This is troublesome.’

'This is troublesome.'

If that were true, there could be no more frustrating spatial anomaly for the leaders. Not only was the dungeon vast, making it difficult to locate hidden monsters, but as the raid dragged on, unverified hunters were entering and exiting through entrances in other countries...

The issue isn't the raid right now. Even if all the monsters are killed and the exit is opened, if there are survivors inside, the dungeon won't collapse in the end. This gate, if mishandled, could become an illegal means of bringing foreigners into the country without a passport. Leaders from various countries, including Argentina, quickly identified the locations of the created entrances and hurriedly began managing the situation.

However, their misfortune was not over yet.

"Oh my God!"

Eight hours later, a terrifying report from an Icelandic surveyor said the dungeon was 'continuously growing larger.'

Could Mimic City be some kind of buffet from the perspective of the core entity? Various hosts of different nationalities are suffering in the same basket. This Mimic City was structured in such a way that it was impossible not to attempt a raid, and here are some of its key features.

Over time, the size of the space and the number of entrances increase.

Every 700 minutes, the dungeon progress resets. This means that altered terrain, deactivated traps, and the numb

a raid, and here are some of its key features.

Over time, the size of the space and the number of entrances increase.

Every 780 minutes, the dungeon progress resets. This means that altered terrain, deactivated traps, and the number of normal monsters revert to their previous state.

The monsters of this gate exhibit a very high level of aggression. In other words, once a gate passage is discovered, they will inevitably charge forward.

After passing through the hands of scholars, the description became somewhat more polite, but to put it simply, it was an incredibly annoying gate. The only silver lining was that the "reset" phenomenon in the Mimic City removed all corpses inside the dungeon, so the nightmare of hunting by-products piling up like mountains with every reset didn't occur.

What if a labyrinth passage suddenly opens in our yard one day? What if a dangerous criminal enters our country without an immigration inspection? The citizens' worries deepened with each passing day.

Thus, the World Cooperation Organization urgently initiated a response agreement to halt the insatiable expansion of this grand labyrinth...

***

Monday came before we knew it.

'Heh heh heh.'

While everyone was consumed with worry, a certain young man living in a one-room apartment suppressed a triumphant smile.

Illegal immigrants. The ferocious charge of a monster that loves the outside world.

Yeah, those things would obviously be terrifying for ordinary citizens. But they have no idea about the truly heinous crime that's about to unfold.

“The claim that the world hates me—I think I'll have to take that back today. Looking at this now, the entire universe is on my side.”

What if a rank counterfeit sneaks into the complex dungeon and steals a corpse...? A truly meticulous person would have to worry about even such absurd possibilities.

As this thought suggests, Giryeo was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to enter [Mimic City].

When the dungeon was first created, he hadn't given it much thought. But as more and more of its characteristics were revealed, a plan suddenly struck him.

When the dungeon was first created, he hadn’t given it much thought. But as more and more of its characteristics were revealed, a plan suddenly struck him.

Even now, dungeon holes are being created at random locations on Earth. Nameless hunters from all around the world are gathering. Moreover, the vast area of the dungeon only serves as an advantage for the act of harvesting corpses.

'Oho.'

According to the news, the international cooperation organization, with the agreement of various nations, plans to conduct the first dungeon exploration on the 15th. Based on the information gathered, they will formulate a proper raid strategy and commence a full-scale cleanup on the 16th. Giryeo intended to take advantage of the exploration phase on the 15th.

'If I crouch in a hidden spot within the dungeon and wait for the right moment, wouldn’t there eventually be an awakened one who dies by accident?'

In the hunter industry, when someone dies in battle, carrying the corpse while retreating would put the remaining survivors at risk, so it was common practice to abandon the body and escape. All he had to do was stay hidden and wait. Once an appropriate corpse appeared, he could take it and head for an exit with loose security.

'With my current magic power, I can’t perform something as powerful as an eternal frost spell... but freezing a body for a few weeks should be possible. What if I bury the body in another country, and later go to that location to cast the body swap spell? There are a lot more restrictions on my actions within the country, anyway.'

'With my current magic power, I can't perform something as powerful as an eternal frost spell... but freezing a body for a few weeks should be possible. What if I bury the body in another country, and later go to that location to cast the body swap spell? There are a lot more restrictions on my actions within the country, anyway.'

Of course, when put into practice, this plan would come with many variables. For example, I might check to make sure no one is around before stepping out, only to find out later that there was a witness near the exit.

But in such cases, he could simply deceive the world with his smooth talking. After all, he had already meticulously analyzed past incidents through extensive web surfing.

'If anything happens, just say that I rescued the victims like the misunderstanding at Gampo Port!'

Making such schemes was the specialty of Alphaurin.

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)

a certain someone who is stealing corpses and society firmly compares him with you. Don't even think about it for now!! Please wait till Beast disappears again! Or some time before society shifts their attention from stealing corpses