Kim Giryeo's casual remark became the seed of new confusion. However, the opportunity to correct it never comes.

As mentioned again, Esther was a highly social person for a curse sorcerer, so she had the ability to adapt to the other party's intentions, knowing when to start and end conversations. Esther tactfully kept quiet. After a long pause, she pushed the empty teacup aside and spoke, 'I have an appointment in the afternoon, so I should be going now. I hope you have a pleasant rest of the day.' Giryeo nodded graciously, seeing the guest with purple hair off with sincerity.

Now that the visitor had left, it was time to return to the usual routine. No more distractions, just the peaceful flow of a veryday life.

"Hmm."

Beep.

Giryeo listened to the sound of the door lock clicking shut, lost in thought.

Cadavers donated for dissection by scholars. Or, the corpse of the awakened person after being embalmed according to the wishes of the bereaved family.

As briefly mentioned in the previous conversation, these were the only potential sources of bodies that came to mind. However, how could an outsider like himself manage to steal them? Honestly, it's true that in this world, if you have money, nothing is impossible.

'Buying and using a body where the death is clearly known is also really not ideal.'

There were still mountains of issues left to address.

① Attach flesh to the corpse and modify the face and fingerprints.

Using an old corpse and altering its appearance to pretend it's someone else was something he disliked from the start. Because borrowing someone else's body and then carelessly altering its exterior just because the appearance didn't suit him felt like an act of shamelessness.

'I don't feel like it.'

Just as he couldn't understand many of Earth's cultures, the customs of the Alphaut were also confusing by the standards of this place.

A typical example would be the change in appearance of the corpse mentioned earlier.

The planet in the binary star system has long viewed the form of the body as a significant part of the ego. Given the nature of aging and its changes over time, on the other hand, the wrinkles and growth of the flesh can also be respected as evidence of the life that the deceased has lived.

'Right. Well, since there's genetic identification technology here anyway, just changing the appearance won't be safe. Let's save that trick for the very end.'

The one who claimed Giryeo's body was a somewhat old-fashioned scholar. In modern Alphaut, many young people had their organs and even skin altered just to follow the latest trends, so naturally, the custom of avoiding significant changes to a body without prior consent had gradually disappeared. However, this archmage still adhered to the ancient unwritten rule.

Of course, it wasn't just for sentimental reasons. If any part of the body taken through body exchange was replaced with materials of a different substance or organic matter with incompatible genetic information, it would inevitably result in a decrease in overall magical power. Furthermore, just like organ transplants on Earth, there was the risk of a destructive rejection response from the body.

There's no denying the old saying. Perhaps the abstract views on death, passed down through the ages, were the wisdom of ancestors, cautioning against the decline in efficiency that such changes could bring.

"Hmm."

Thump.

For the same reason, the alien wizard, who had maintained a somewhat similar appearance from the time of their rebirth to the present, briefly touched his lips in contemplation.

"Then."

Now, the remaining options are Option 2 and Option 3.

② Find the body of an unclaimed person who has no family to conduct a funeral.

③ Take the body of someone who has just died, without anyone knowing about their death (and was alone). Then, pretend to be the person who has come back to life.

"Hmm..."

This would require a disaster where a large number of awakened individuals die, and you'd have to pray while offering water just to make it happen.

'Do I, as an archmage, really have to resort to such degrading acts?'

Giryeo walked with heavy steps, lost in deep thought. Since Esther had left, he returned the [Sacred Tree Seedling], which he had hidden in the bathroom, to its original spot on the balcony.

Above all, he had to finish the bath he had been taken. Since he had hastily disposed of the diluted blood to prevent the Earthling from possibly discovering its use, he now had to prepare everything from the beginning again.

'Oh my, my God.'

Either way, even if he had left the bathtub as it was, the item would have already lost its effectiveness the moment the water turned lukewarm. But now that things had come to this, it was nothing short of a nuisance.

'I do like water, but I never wanted to soak in it this often!'

Whoosh.

Giryeo sat on the high threshold between the bathroom and the living room, casting water magic as naturally as breathing. As he watched the water fill the foldable bathtub, he pondered the tasks he needed to accomplish.

Fortunately, unlike these bothersome worries, his final wish was fulfilled much sooner than expected.

Currently, it is the era of Dungeon Shock. The gates are like wells thirsting for humanity's demise, and their pulley constantly carries and spreads misfortune.

***

Scenes like this often appear in movies.

Whew-

It's a scene where the character falls into deep thought for a while, then walks to their study and pulls a book from the shelf. However, since the character is the protagonist of a spy thriller, they don't have the luxury of enjoying reading during the 2-hour runtime. So why did the protagonist pull the green hardcover book?

Rattle!Kneek!

This was because the thick philosophy book acted as a lever that connected to a hidden room behind the bookshelf. It feels like a bulletproof umbrella for agents or a pen with a hidden poison needle are typically stored in such secret places.

A space of my own, known only to me. A secret hideout.

The sense of romance in such a concept isn't limited to just children of 7 or 8 years old. But what if this secret room were truly a space that no one knew about? If an unnamed character, having forgotten to explain the bookshelf to an elderly retired couple, went ahead and completed the sale of the mansion, would that same hidden space still feel meaningful in a positive light?

Especially if we add the twist that a burglar has begun hiding and living in that secret room, it would no longer be viewed positively. For us—intelligent beings—ignorance often symbolizes fear.

...

...

"Hello?"

I said to the connected phone.

"Ah, yes. Hello. I saw on the app that it says you're only accepting phone orders right now. Yes. Yes."

At this moment, what flows is the dry sound produced by the respiratory system of a deceased body. Now that the lung issue was resolved, the vocal cords, however, still retained the changes caused by smoking and genetic factors.

"Please deliver one set of cheese donkatsu for one person. I'll pay in cash. It's 50,000 won bill."

As long as communication is possible, it doesn't really matter.

"Take your time, but make sure the delivery is safe. Yes. I'll hang up now."

Tuk.

I finished the call, put my phone with the screen turned off into my pocket, and stretched.

It was another Monday, the number of which I no longer knew. To be more precise, it had been about 48 hours since Esther's visit. However, regardless of the passage of time, one scholar was still stuck in the same position. To be secretly searching for a corpse in such an advanced society...

'If I use Blueshell, I could somehow manage to use invisibility magic, but I wonder if my kidneys will give out before I even get to dig up the corpse...'

It's complicated. Maybe I should fill my empty stomach first and think about it later.

'Since I have time until the food arrives, I might as well clean up while I rest.'

Giryeo's studio apartment. Perhaps because he had lived in this small space for so long, he was starting to feel a sense of attachment.

I raised a finger instead of using my tentacles, casting a simple gesture to activate a living spell. It was a telekinetic technique that gathered light debris from around me into a single point in the air.

"No!"

However, the cleaning magic I used without thinking consumed more magic power than expected, and I felt dizzy for a moment.

"This is crazy."

Until the last time, it had been a habit to clean with both arms, so when the time came to clear dust again, I had promised myself I would definitely use the magic I had prepared!

"This damn body..."

Keugh.

I paused in the living room with my hand pressed to my forehead. And then, without stopping complaining, I headed towards the veranda to guide the cleaning vows. It was so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh. If it had been like before, that recent drain of mana would have left me in a temporary mana burnout state, and I would have experienced suffocation again. Well...

"Is this enough for me?"

I used the duster that the owner of the body bought before he died to dust off the various foreign substances on the shelves that I couldn't remember with magic. It took about five minutes.

Next, I cleaned the floor with a vacuum cleaner and a wet mop. It took about 10 minutes.

Since I still had time, I cleaned the bathroom thoroughly with a brush, spending an additional 11 minutes on that.

This morning, I carefully hung up the contents of another clothing delivery that arrived under the name Seo Yohan.

"_"

Before I knew it, an hour had passed. It wasn't until later that I realized, for some reason, the food delivery was taking much longer today. Of course, I had told them it was fine to take their time, but...

<Z - BIt was then, I heard a melody coming from my pocket and reached down to pull out the phone. It was a notification that someone was calling on Kim Giryeo's phone.

"Hello?"

But soon, the news I heard from the receiver was.

"What? An accident?"

Boom.

At the same time, a faint sound, like a gas canister bursting, echoed from somewhere outside the window.

"And also, a dungeon break?"

So, does that mean I can't eat now because of the feeding behavior of the Gishumche?

***

< Emergency disaster text message[... Dungeon break alarm in front of A-A apartment in Shinoudong]

The dungeon break site. It had been quiet for a while, but now the modern streets had turned into a scene of hell in an instant. What filled the air were the cries of mammals—or screams. Looking around, it was hard to tell whether this was Seoul or the inside of a dungeon, so grotesque was the scenery.

On a humid afternoon, just before the rainy season. Underneath the sunset, the dark shapes of trees can be seen. They were rooted in the concrete and asphalt, as if forced into the space, spreading in all directions. And that's how the danger occurred.

Crackle-

The two-story franchise café across the traffic light had already developed large cracks in its walls, pierced by the spreading tendrils. With monsters embedded in such a manner, attempting to subjugate them recklessly could risk a building collapse. As a result, the only thing the Hunters could do was to evacuate people through the back routes as efficiently as possible.

"Everyone, stay behind me! Hold hands! You must not get separated!"

Grrrr.

Amid the ongoing chaos, the calls for order continued. An A-rank Hunter, a man wielding a mace and a metal shield, hazards the veranda to guide the civilians. Using his innate attributes, he deployed various defensive abilities, broke through the mysterious spiked trees blocking the road, and ultimately led the citizens safely to the controlled four-lane road, where paramedics awaited them. However, something about his condition seemed off.

"Ugh."

The young man, who had adorned himself with piercings and a hair scratch to complete his stylish look, seemed to have encountered some kind of problem. He clutched his shoulder and grimaced in pain.

That was when it happened. Suddenly, the murmuring around them doubled in intensity. Even the injured, who were receiving first aid, had their heads at once. With everyone's attention drawn to it, there was no way to ignore whatever was happening.

"Huh?"

The A-rank hunter, who had been observing the source of the commotion, immediately sprinted toward it and shouted.

"Hyung!"

"Oh, right. Yoonsung, it's you."

The distinct, precise pronunciation that was always mentioned whenever interviews of this person circulated in online communities. A relatively steady, low tone and slight vocal cord paralysis caused by smoking. In other words, a hoarse voice.

"Were you handling the break?"

It was Kim Giryeo who appeared. With his distinct voice, the blond hunter greeted the other as usual, but if a person with superpowers came to the scene of the crime, there must be one purpose, right?

At the dungeon break site, Ahn Yoonsung met Giryeo. The young man's face brightened as he spoke.

"As expected, Giryeo Hyung! I just happened to be in the area, but you, Hyung, came so quickly even before the association's call was issued!"

"_"

But for some reason, no response came from the other side. Giryeo simply rolled his eyes in silence before finally managing to say with difficulty.

"But anyway... what on earth is all this chaos?"

Long, jet-black thorns protruded in every direction. In the distance, an overwhelming cluster of pitch-dark trees stood so densely packed that approaching them seemed unthinkable.

As Giryeo looked around and asked, Yoonsung immediately responded.

"Oh! This? I just heard about it earlier too. Wow, it's seriously ridiculous."

He began explaining the overview of this chaos.

"Actually, about 10 minutes ago, there was a robbery at the nearby sunhwan bank."

"What did you say?"

"Some retired C-rank hunter lost his money in a scam while investing. So he stormed into the bank with a weapon... or something like that."

Ahn Yoonsung continued relaying the information, recalling the testimony of an accomplice being taken away by the police.

"But before the awakened police officers could even arrive, this incident broke out."

"If you mean the incident..."

"Monsters suddenly appeared inside the bank and on the road outside. But given the number and timing, this is probably related to that, right?"

In the past, he would have barely understood half of what Earthlings were saying and just stood there blankly. However, ever since learning how to use a phone, the topic he searched for most frequently was dungeon-related matters. Thanks to that, Giryeo had no difficulty interpreting what Yoonsung was referring to.

"There must have been an 'Unstable Gate' beneath the bank."

An Unstable Gate. A passage formed within a strong magical current that modern devices struggle to detect. In short, a catastrophe caused by the silent burial beneath the ground—

a dungeon's death met with an explosive, linear collapse.

'Coordinate errors are indeed a long-standing tradition in the magical world.'

However, Giryeo showed no reaction to the chaos in front of him. The truth was, this alien wasn't here to solve the dungeon break.

'Let's see. Anyway, this should be the apartment where the raider is trapped...'

From the earlier call, Giryeo had learned that the delivery person carrying his food—the owner of the tonkatsu restaurant—had been caught up in the dungeon break. As a result, the family-run restaurant quickly shut its shutters, concerned about the safety of its family members.

"...But."

'No way I really wanted to eat from that place today!'

From the moment he woke up in bed, he had been pushing through the day with the plan of having a delicious dinner. How could everything fall apart because of a ridiculous twist like this?

The sudden closure of the restaurant, Giryeo, struggling in despair, eventually reached the obsessive conclusion that he had to personally receive the food the delivery driver was carrying. And that's why he ended up appearing here in person.

But if he had known it would turn out like this, he would have just suppressed his craving and stayed put.

"Hmm."

Contrary to what he expected, the scene was quite large and there were many onlookers. If an S-rank Hunter only dipped their toes in and quickly pulled out, it would definitely not be seen in a good light...

'Eh, whatever. Why should I care about public opinion? I'm going to have this rice bowl soon anyway.'

Still, Giryeo came up with the petty excuse of claiming a stomachache after rescuing the pork cutlet shop owner to maintain his image. If he got fully involved in handling the break, his workload would inevitably increase, so he chose to stay on the sidelines.

"Hyung-nim, by the way, this is a big problem."

But at that moment, the hunter in front of him anxiously stomped his feet, his face filled with worry for some reason.

"Honestly, the bank robbery is one thing, but you see that big, black monster dome over there? After analyzing it, they found out that the boss monster is inside too."