In the Dreamscape’s Forest, amidst the dense grassland between towering trees, a small white fox trembled as it cautiously peered out from behind a large boulder. Not far from the boulder, a massive dragon, about ten meters long, stood regally. Its majestic head was held high, its broad wings rested on the ground, and its spiked tail swayed gently in the air. Surrounding it were faint glowing particles drifting like mist. The little white fox knew that those glowing particles were the remnants of the hyenas that had been chasing her earlier. "A dragon?! It’s really a dragon? And not just an illusion? Grandpa never mentioned anything like this being in the Forest. Is it a creature from another layer of the Dreamscape?" The little white fox thought nervously to herself. She had wandered the Dreamscape many times before, encountering all kinds of dream creatures and mimics of other wanderers. However, none of them had ever exceeded the scope of creatures found in the real world. But now, a dragon had appeared? Was this some kind of joke? The little white fox was terrified. She wanted to flee immediately, but after witnessing the dragon effortlessly swat away an escaping hyena with its tail, she didn’t dare move. Although the dragon had helped her by eliminating the hyenas, the fox felt too intimidated to step forward and thank it. The oppressive aura of the dragon was overwhelming, and she couldn’t ascertain its attitude toward her. What if it decided to swat her away as well? The destruction of a mimic was excruciatingly painful! So, the little white fox crouched behind the boulder, trembling and praying for the dragon to leave quickly. However, after finishing off all the hyenas, the dragon paused momentarily before turning its head slowly toward the boulder where the white fox was hiding. "Come out..." Dorothy spoke, her voice resonating with the deep, thunderous tone of a dragon. It was heavy, prolonged, and loud, like distant rolling thunder. Behind the boulder, the little fox’s fur stood on end in fright, and she immediately darted out, bowing low and apologizing profusely. "I deeply apologize, Your Excellency! I didn’t mean to hide from you! I just... I just wasn’t ready yet and needed a moment to collect myself... I never expected Your Excellency to see through me so easily. Your insight is truly extraordinary!" Listening to the little fox’s words, Dorothy felt a twinge of awkwardness. ‘Extraordinary insight? It’s just that your tail was sticking out.’ Dorothy thought to herself with a wry smile. She chose not to mention this and instead took a closer look at the trembling little fox before speaking. "Why were they chasing you?" Hearing the dragon’s deep, thunderous voice, the little fox shivered before hesitantly responding. "Your Excellency, those creatures are hunters from the Black Dream Society, a secret group that operates primarily in the Dreamscape. They often hunt other wanderers’ mimics in groups, seizing their spoils from the Dreamscape. I am just an ordinary wanderer who accidentally caught their attention. Thank you for intervening on my behalf!" The little fox spoke cautiously, and Dorothy quickly pieced things together. ‘Black Dream Society hunters? Wanderers’ mimics? So those hyenas and this fox aren’t native dream creatures? They, like me, are humans from the real world, entering this Dreamscape in mimic form?’ ‘Which means I just wiped out a squad of mimics from a secret organization operating in the Dreamscape? This dragon mimic of mine is absurdly powerful!’ From annotations in The Dream Seeker’s Chronicles, Dorothy knew that battles could occur in the Dreamscape, governed by unique rules. Unlike the real world, where abilities rarely affect the Dreamscape, here, combat strength depended on two factors: a wanderer’s mental strength and the power of their mimic form. Mental strength determined the duration of the mimic’s existence, while the mimic itself determined combat ability. Dorothy’s dragon mimic was clearly far superior to the hyena mimics she had just eliminated, even if those people were stronger than her in the real world. According to The Dream Seeker’s Chronicles, the destruction of a mimic in the Dreamscape would cause severe mental trauma to the real-world body, requiring a long recovery period and sometimes leading to loss of control. However, it wouldn’t result in death. This Dreamscape feels like a wildlife-themed brain-computer interface MMORPG... Dorothy thought with a mix of wonder and exasperation. Meanwhile, the little white fox stood silently before the dragon, her unease growing as she noticed its lack of response. "Why isn’t he saying anything? Could it be that he doesn’t understand dream creatures from the real world?" Jumping to this conclusion, the little fox hurriedly explained. "Uh... Your Excellency, perhaps you don’t understand. Wanderers are beings who enter this realm through dreams, and mimics are—" "You don’t need to explain. I am a mimic," Dorothy interrupted, her gaze briefly meeting the fox’s. "What... You... are also a mimic?!" The little fox was so startled by Dorothy’s words that she nearly jumped out of her fur. ‘He... he’s saying he’s a mimic?! Meaning he’s also from the real world, not a native dream creature?’ Hearing this revelation, the little fox was even more astonished than when she first saw Dorothy. A dragon mimic? This implied that Dorothy possessed ancient, forbidden knowledge capable of conjuring extinct creatures through mimicry. Such a mimic could only belong to someone of extraordinary status—perhaps a high-ranking member of a secretive organization, a powerful covert operative, or even a legendary figure. As countless possibilities raced through the little fox’s mind, Dorothy realized her mental strength was depleting and she could no longer maintain the dragon mimic. "Farewell, little one. Be careful not to attract attention next time," Dorothy said as she prepared to spread her wings and depart. Startled, the little fox hesitated before calling out anxiously. "Please wait, Your Excellency!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 Dorothy paused and turned her gaze back to the fox, who now seemed even more nervous. "Thank you for saving me tonight. My grandfather always said that one must repay kindness. While I am just a small, insignificant figure, and my gratitude might mean little to someone of your stature, I still wish to offer you a token of thanks..." ‘A token of thanks?’ Dorothy, though mentally fatigued, perked up at the prospect. Truthfully, she wanted to pet the little fox, but feared her dragon form might accidentally obliterate the mimic. The fox hesitated before exhaling a faintly glowing blue orb from her mouth. "I often search for hidden secrets in this Dreamscape, though they are rare. This is my only finding from the past month. While it may hold no value for someone as knowledgeable as you, I hope you will accept it as a small gesture of my gratitude."