Chapter 3 : Shell, Mimic (1)

A small city called “Jeondo,” attached next to Seoul.

The Jeondo Academic Research Center building, which had been quiet for a while due to the absence of a director, suddenly came alive again

with the arrival of a new center director.

People were rushing around busily.

“If it’s a doppelgänger, shouldn’t we request the ‘Mirror of Truth’?”

“We submitted the request, but lots of people want it, and the procedure is complicated. It’ll take at least a month even in the best-case

scenario. So don’t count on it. For now, just gather all the related documents.”

“Director, how many suppressors should we bring?”

“As many as possible. We don’t even know the original source yet. Not sure if this will even work on a doppelgänger.”

Even if she, Kim Sera, had been demoted to the Jeondo Academic Research Center — a place considered exile — the employees didn’t care.

That sort of thing was just internal academic politics. What really mattered was ability.

Though her skills hadn’t been proven yet, the staff quickly moved at her orders.

Things were still tense after the previous director’s situation, but they had no choice.

If the center couldn’t control the “Concepts” in the region they manage, their authority would be transferred temporarily to nearby areas, and

most of the staff — from entry-level to director — would be replaced.

The empty seats wouldn’t stay vacant for long.

Even though it was in a remote place, it was still an Academic Research Center — with decent pay, good benefits, prestige, and power.

So naturally, many talented people in Korea still competed for spots here.

But none of that came free.

Only official staff of the center could enjoy those benefits, and to keep their positions, it was time they showed results.

They had to prove they weren’t incompetent.

So no one talked back now. Whether she was a big shot or just talk, they’d see for themselves soon enough.

“How many teams are ready to move right now?”

As Kim Sera descended the stairs, she turned to the Team 1 leader beside her and asked

“Currently, only half of Team 1 is available. The rest need to stay behind for facility maintenance.”

As soon as Team 1 leader Han Yuri finished speaking, Kim Sera stopped walking.

“You’re joking, right? Ha. You’re telling me only one team can move in a city-level academic center? I don’t like jokes like that, Han Yuri.”

“It’s the truth.”

“But I saw in the previous director’s logs that Teams 2 and 3 exist on paper.”

“Now that you’re officially appointed to Jeondo, I can report this. Team 2 was disbanded due to an incident involving a concept. Team 3 was

dissolved because of a lack of personnel. The sudden deaths probably weren’t updated in the logs.”

“And you’re telling me now? Why didn’t you say anything earlier—”

“You hadn’t left your office. Also, due to a concept called ‘Knowledge Seeker’ that gathers information from spoken language, it’s forbidden

for lower-ranking staff to speak without direct orders from a superior.”

Hearing that, Kim Sera put her phone back in her pocket.

Her white lab coat, slightly yellowed from days of wear, felt gross. She decided she’d take a shower after finishing this mission.

“Sigh… So what exactly happened to leave things in this state?”

“Originally, we had about 100 people per team, totaling around 300 staff. But due to the previous director’s order to suppress a concept,

everyone died on the spot due to misunderstanding the ‘Rule.’ Only some members of Team 1 survived since they had just returned from a

mission and were doing maintenance.”

Kim Sera nearly cursed out loud. How could that idiot of a director attempt to suppress a concept without even knowing the “Rule”?

“That bastard…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. So how many people do we actually have available?”

“Up to 25.”

Kim Sera’s eyes widened. She expected bad, but this was worse than she thought.

“Only… 25? Ahem. Sorry, I misspoke.”

“It’s fine. Let’s get in the vehicle.”

Inside the black van, Kim Sera flipped rapidly through reports. She was heading out to suppress a concept.

Even if the concept’s power level was low, it was still a concept.

For them, the “Rule” was their nature. If their existence went against the meaning they were born with, they couldn’t tolerate it.

To avoid repeating her predecessor’s mistake, she needed reliable information.

From the driver’s seat, Han Yuri yawned as she watched Kim Sera bury herself in research papers.

Field performance didn’t really matter for her.

This center held seven concepts in containment.

And despite being undermanned, Team 1 had prevented any issues for years. That in itself was proof of competence.

So the ones under real pressure were the scholars, not the field workers.

Unless one of them uncovered the origin or new rule of a concept, they wouldn’t get credit.

But realistically, Han Yuri thought, anyone smart enough to do that would’ve gone to the Seoul Center by now, not ended up in a place like

this.

Even she had the chance to move to Seoul but stayed behind for her much younger brother.

He was born with a weak heart and couldn’t even run. If something happened outside her watch…

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“Whew.”

So even though she said she welcomed Kim Sera, she didn’t actually care.

If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.

Sure, Sera was the youngest-ever lead scholar, but if she ended up assigned here, her limits were probably already exposed.

Han Yuri doubted that little head could hold much useful knowledge.

And after losing comrades because of the former director, trust wouldn’t come easy.

“Where are we headed?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. Jeondo Welfare and Administration Center — right in the city.”

Han Yuri thought of her youngest sibling, who had been eating toast in a daze that morning.

She’d promised to bring back candy after work.

She tapped her earpiece.

“Hey, Team 1 — you all got the location, right?”

“Roger.”

“Good. Get there fast or you’re dead meat.”

“All units.”

“Director, hold on tight. It might get bumpy.”

No time to worry about Kim Sera.

Han Yuri stomped hard on the accelerator.

Concept Info:

• True Name: The Blind One, The Blurrer of Essence, The Mimicker

• Keeps repeating: “I want to play. I want to play…”

Concept Name: Shell

Human nickname: Doppelgänger

Ability: Imitation

• Mimicry: Can change into humans, animals, or plants

  • No cooldown

  • Can mimic 0–100% of original

• Copy: Can replicate what it sees

  • No cooldown

  • Limited to 0–10% of the original’s capabilities

Copied Abilities:

• Stopper (Time): Observed 321 years ago

  • Understanding: 0.031%

  • Cooldown: 100 days

  • Control Time: 10 minutes

• Puppeteer (Control): Observed 142 years ago

  • Understanding: 10%

  • Cooldown: None

  • Control Time: 10 minutes

Destruction Method:

1. Play with the concept until it’s satisfied and offer the required items.

   • Satisfaction score needed: 1323+

   • Required items:

     • Deer’s head

     • Pig’s head

     • Cow’s head

     • (Total: 1320 animal heads. Types don’t matter, but those three are required.)

   • You must distort its essence until it can no longer function as a “Shell.”

2. Physical destruction = Impossible

   • Resurrection = Enabled

   • Human society = End point

   • The concept understands all aspects of human birth and reproduction

Observation:
A blue window appeared again — this time, the “Concept” field was empty.

Apparently, just seeing a concept was enough to trigger “Baby Mode.”

Unlike before, now she could see strength levels.

When she saw “Grape Jelly” on TV, there were no detailed stats.

But the child in front of her, with a gummy-bear-like face, revealed all sorts of data.

Above its head:

• Satisfaction: -3412

• Existence: 431412

• Danger Level: MAXIMUM

New windows blinked in. It seems proximity increases power intensity.

But she didn’t understand what “Satisfaction” or “Existence” meant yet.

“Okay, we’re done. There.”

After putting on all the bands and letting go, the jelly-bear kid stared quietly.

As she looked, she saw a slightly open door behind the creature — and a familiar silhouette.

The kindergarten teacher, who had been missing earlier, now had just her foot sticking out.

Candy was spilled on the floor.

And now she understood what “Maximum Danger” meant.

This was bad.

She took a small step back — and that was enough of a signal.

The jellybear reacted.

“Moony? Noly? Noolah?”

It was having trouble with human speech but quickly improved.

As the lights flickered and then went out completely, the girl reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Play with me.”

• ‘Shell’ has used its unique copy ability.

• ‘Puppeteer’ activated.

As soon as the concept finished speaking, the surrounding children’s heads slumped down.

To be continued.