by Neven Iliev
The second time was when the monster became a Level 10 Mimic, at which point it chose to unlock the Storage Skill. This gave the monster knowledge of how to open and sustain a small window into a pocket dimension. This limited space could be used to store any and all items that were small enough to fit through the portal. Accessing this Storage demanded the use of magic, but such a thing wasn’t quite free. The Mimic’s Mana Points (MP) were consumed every time it withdrew or deposited an item. And yes, this simple creature did indeed have things it wanted to keep safe.
Or rather, things it needed to keep out of sight. After all, it had to keep its lair clean and unassuming if it was to deceive people. And while arms and armor made out of chainmail, leather or wood were no match for its teeth, solid iron was beyond its limits. As a result, the monster’s Storage was currently holding a collection of swords, axes, shields, helmets, greaves, bracers and other inedible equipment. It was, essentially, using an alternate dimension as an overqualified garbage bin.
It did try to eat a sword, though. Once. Such an act broke a few teeth and cut apart the insides of its maw, causing its Health Points (HP) to decrease. And HP was a vital thing. If it hit 0, the mimic would die. Just like the forty-two - no, make that forty-three people it had killed. The Mimic understood its maximum HP rose alongside its Endurance (END) and STR. If it wasn’t such an idiot, it would probably notice that its maximum HP went up by 5 with each point of END and a further 1 for each point of STR. Similarly, maximum MP would rise by 5 per point of INT, while END and WIS would boost automatic recovery of HP and MP, respectively, at a rate of 0.1 HP/MP per 10 points of END/WIS.
As for the other Skills, they came about naturally. Sword Mastery was the first Skill the Mimic ever learned, almost by accident. Stealth came about naturally as the monster put its Assassination Skill to practical use. Those two were Common Skills that any Job could learn through practice, although whether they would be useful is another question entirely. Shapeshift, on the other hand, was something the Mimic was born with - a Natural Skill.
And now, 5 Levels after attaining Storage, it was time for another delicious Skill. To do that, it had to open another screen in its mind. And to do THAT it had to chant the command words. Fortunately for the speaking-impaired monster, it seemed that intent was more important than proper pronunciation when it came to these things.
“Shkish shish: Shishik!” it hissed again, spitting all over the place in the process. Even if it wasn’t saying the words right, it still had to say them out loud. It had no idea why it had to do that, nor did it particularly care. It just accepted it as the way things were and moved on with its life.
[Skill List: Mimic]
[Unlocked Skills: Assassination, Storage]
[Available Skills: Natural Armor, Misdirection, Cadaver Absorption]
[You can unlock 1 additional Restricted Skill from this Job.]
Just like the last two times, it had a few choices to pick from. And just like at Level 10, some new options had appeared. Although it recognized which Skills were left over and which ones were new, the monster still decided to give everything in the list a once-over. Even though its mental-boosting Attributes had been steadily climbing, it still did not trust its own memory too much. It was also possible that something might have changed the last time it was here. Any decisions made here seemed to be permanent, so it was important to be prudent.
[A special action has been performed. WIS +1.]
It took the Attribute increase as confirmation for its rather obvious deductions. After all, such leaps of logic were truly phenomenal for a Mimic, and this one knew full well it was a dumbass. Even if Intelligence (INT) improved its memory capacity and Wisdom (WIS) helped the creature put its limited knowledge to use, it still had very little to begin with. Saying it didn’t have two brain cells to rub together would not be entirely untrue.
The monster focused its barely functional mind on the first Available Skill on the list. After a few seconds, a new window popped up into its mind.
[Natural Armor]
Monsters are known for their tough hides that can shrug off anything and everything.
Requirements: Level 5 Monster Job, END 10
Type: Passive
Activation Time: N/A
Cost: N/A
Range: Self
[Effects]
Reduces all incoming damage by 1% per Level of this Skill.
Provides an additional +2 END per Level of this Skill.
This Skill was available the first two times as well. While it did look useful in a pinch, it had some unpleasant strings attached. To Level up a Skill, the Mimic had to raise its Proficiency by putting that Skill to practical use. And the practical use of Natural Armor obviously involved getting hit. A lot.
That was not, however, how the simplistic Mimic understood things. It simply deduced this Skill would not help it ambush its opponents like Assassination and Sword Mastery, nor was it useful in maintaining its cover like Stealth and Storage. So it was promptly ignored for the third time in a row. The Mimic then moved onto the next Skill in the list.
[Misdirection]
Allows the Assassin to create a small noise at a target location.
Requirements: Assassination, Stealth, DEX 40
Type: Active, Area
Activation Time: Instant
Cost: 50 MP
Range: 15 Meters
[Effects]
Create a small noise with the purpose of attracting attention.
The MP cost, range and types of noises available improve with each Level of this Skill.
As expected, this Skill was not available before. Just like the previous one, the Mimic failed to see how it could be useful. In fact, wouldn’t making a noise out of nowhere put its prey on high alert? Surely doing such a thing was going to cause more problems than solutions. It seemed to go completely against what the Mimic was trying to do in the first place.
Hmm? Strategy? What’s that? Does it taste good?
The Mimic quickly dismissed this Skill and moved onto the next one.
[Cadaver Absorption]
Allows the Mimic to absorb residual knowledge and power from the remains of its prey.
Requirements: Level 15 Mimic, WIS 30, INT 30, Has devoured at least 30 of the same Species.
Type: Active, Corpse-targeted
Activation Time: 2 seconds
Cost: 150 MP
Range: 2 Meters
[Effects]
A portion of the target’s Attributes, Skill Proficiency or Job Levels will be permanently added to the Mimic’s Status. What is absorbed is random.
This Skill can fail. Success rate depends on the Level of this Skill and the strength of the LCK Attribute.
The amount of knowledge or power absorbed increases with each Level of the Shapeshift Skill.
The monster strained its tiny mind to comprehend the complexity of this Skill. Eventually it reached a simple conclusion - it was a Skill that allowed the Mimic to get stronger by eating things. It liked getting stronger and it was always eating things anyway. It certainly sounded good. At least, better than those other two trash-tier Skills.
Having made its choice, the Mimic let out a series of hisses and gurgles that were loosely interpreted as ‘Unlock Skill: Cadaver Absorption.’ A flash of light briefly enveloped the animate wooden chest, flooding it with the knowledge of how to use its new acquisition.
[The Luck (LCK) attribute has been created through a special action. LCK +1.]
[Proficiency level increased. Cadaver Absorption is now Level 1. All attributes +1.]
The Mimic felt a little disappointed. Only a +1. All the other Skills gave a total of +4, so why was this one being stingy? Still, its choice had already been made. Complaining about it now would be meaningless. Not that there was anyone around who would listen to such a complaint in the first place. Shrugging its non-existent shoulders, the Mimic turned its attention to the bloodied corpse in front of it.
These were the
remains of a high-leveled adventurer, a prize that was hard to come by in these parts. The Mimic would surely want to use Cadaver Absorption on this body. But while doing so now might give it an immediate power boost, wouldn’t it be wiser to put it in Storage and save it for later? If its Attributes and Shapeshift Level went up, then it would have a better chance of getting something useful out of this rare opportunity.
It was a dilemma, one that would stump most people. Should they try to gain power now, or put it off so they could stack the odds in their favor? While aiming for a better chance was attractive, it might still turn out to be a colossal waste of time. Not to mention that whether they lived long enough to take advantage of that time investment was another question entirely. It was difficult to find the right answer and every person would have their own opinion on the matter.
Well, the one who was making this decision wasn‘t really a person.
CHOMP CHOMP MUNCH MUNCH
It was a simple creature which immediately made its choice. Or rather, it completely failed to realize there was even a choice to begin with. Even if the faux-chest was significantly smarter when compared to others of its kind, it was still a Mimic. In the grand scheme of things, it was still a moron.
BURP
And, being the moron that it was, it neglected to activate Cadaver Absorption beforehand.
Part Five
A rhythmic smacking noise echoed through the dungeon. It was the sound of wood being slammed against stone. The cause of this disturbance was an idiotic box that had just realized its mistake.
The Mimic swayed furiously on its numerous tiny legs and smashed its side into the rock wall for the umpteenth time.
[You have suffered minor blunt trauma. HP -2.]
The familiar message had been repeating itself intermittently over the last ten minutes. The moron in question was punishing itself for being overly eager. Just when things were getting good, it had let an amazing chance slip away. Surely even a single one of that Necromancer’s Skills or Jobs would have given it a tremendous power boost!
“KISHAAAAA!” it yelled and smashed itself against the wall with a bit of extra force.
[You have suffered minor blunt trauma. HP -5.]
Enough was enough. This behavior was getting it nowhere while wasting valuable HP. It calmed itself down and began cleaning up the mess like usual. It didn’t bother with the numerous giant rat corpses though - those were already crumbling to dust. Another few minutes and they would return to the dungeon that spawned them.
After its lair had been returned to its former unsoiled glory, it scuttled back to its spot and resumed its disguise as a ‘wounded’ wooden chest. And it waited.
Hours turned to days and days turned to weeks. The Mimic patiently stood there without moving a single muscle. It didn’t mind, though. It was pretty much born for this sort of thing. But every living being had a limit to how long it can sit around and do absolutely nothing.
[You are hungry. Automatic HP and MP recovery are now halved.]
Something inside the Mimic growled. Its bottomless pit of a stomach was running on empty. The most primal need to eat and survive clashed with the Mimic’s natural hunting instinct. Should it abide by its Hider’s Intuition or follow the impulse to seek prey immediately? This was an important decision for this creature. After all, it had never ventured more than a dozen or so meters from its birthplace.
Having made up what passed for its mind, it sprouted its numerous tiny legs and lifted itself off the ground. Lunch was unlikely to come on its own, so it would go find it instead. It scuttled sideways towards the direction most of its prey had come from. However, it paused when it reached the edge of the unnaturally smooth and even ground found around its birthplace. It had tried to walk further once before, only to have jagged rocks and pebbles poke and scrape its sensitive underside. It was not a pleasant sensation. Therefore, its current mode of transportation would need to be revised.
The Mimic put its Shapeshift Skill to use. It could change the structure of its body to a certain degree, but its species - that of Mimic (Lesser) - could not completely abandon its original box-like shape. What it could do, however, was alter the other bits of its body. It sat on the ground and retracted its tiny limbs. After a short while, six long, smooth, spider-like legs grew out steadily from its sides.
While it may not have been able to shift its body as freely as something like a Slime or Mud Elemental, it did have a natural talent for imitating things. After all, Mimics gotta mimic. And in this situation, it was copying the appearance of a small spider that made its nest directly above the Mimic’s resting spot. Having literally nothing better to do over the last two weeks, the monster simply observed the tiny arachnid with its magical perception. The way its multi-jointed legs climbed up the wall and walked along its thread was thoroughly entertaining, so it ended up memorizing quite a few of those movements. And now would be the time to put that knowledge to use.
It tried to stand up on its new legs and failed miserably. The stick-like legs were too weak and too long to lift the faux-wood body. After readjusting their thickness and length several times, it finally found the right balance and stood upright. The spider-chest then made a few experimental steps. However, keeping itself from falling over proved to be tricky. Having the legs come out at the sides made the monster worryingly unsteady whenever it moved forward or backwards. It had to learn how to distribute its weight and control its center of gravity for the first time.
Eventually, it simply found it easier to change where the legs came out from. Rather than all six coming out from its sides, it spread them out evenly. One on the left, one on the right, two in the front, two in the back. Like this, it could move quickly and comfortably across any terrain the dungeon threw at it. It could even get quite a bit of speed, although stopping itself without the help of a wall or the floor proved to be a challenge.
[Proficiency level increased. Shapeshift is now Level 3. AGI +1. DEX +1. END +2.]
GURURURU
The Mimic had no time to enjoy the slight power-up. Time was ticking! Screwing up its determination, it took its first steps into the complete unknown. Its perception had no trouble penetrating the dark, but the range was limited. So the Mimic could only move slowly and quietly, keeping as low to the ground as possible without scraping its sensitive bottom against the hard surface.
Ideally it would have used Stealth, but moving around under its effects steadily drained MP. That wasn’t something it was willing to do considering its stunted recovery speed.
It shuffled up and down the tunnels, passing by its fellow monsters. They were all born from the same ‘womb’ and thus shared a slight telepathic connection with each other. They were not hunter and prey, but kin. So rather than get in each other’s way, the different species of monsters simply exchanged curt greeting-like gestures as they walked past each other.
The Mimic kept searching the tunnels, actively hunting for prey. But it never found any. In fact, all this moving around simply made things worse.
[You are ravenous. Automatic HP and MP recovery are now disabled.]
While waiting in ambush, mimics entered a sort of suspended animation. This not only allowed them to better preserve their energy and stamina, it also meant their presence was thinned out. So having a shut-in like that suddenly move around would make it tired without question. The frustrated monster had every right to wonder why it had to go through all this hassle just for a meal.
In reality, this sequence of events was more or less the natural order of things.
Every dungeon had something called Minimum Monster Level. This depended on the quality and quantity of mana permeating through the air and ground. Monsters sprang forth naturally over time in such places, birthed from seemingly thin air by the abnormally high concentrations of magical energy. Denser mana would naturally give birth to more powerful monsters.
For example, the dungeon known as the Staircase To Heaven was home to vicious creatures that w
ould give even Level 100 adventurers a run for their money. The air on that mountain was so thick with mana that it was outright lethal. If anyone or anything under Level 70 tried to challenge it, they would choke and drown as if they were underwater.
However, that mystical substance did more than simply give birth to monsters of a certain Level. It also sustained its ‘children,’ allowing them to ignore basic needs such as food, water or, in some extreme cases, sleep. And these creatures would inevitably grow in strength as they repelled invaders. If they became too powerful, their home would no longer be able to sustain them and they would have to either leave the dungeon or starve to death. That was what dictated the Maximum Monster Level of a dungeon.
And this was exactly what was happening to this particular Mimic. Although it had been born as a measly Level 1, it had grown to Level 15. The Green Zone of the Litigar Dungeon Complex had a Maximum Monster Level of 6, meaning this particular individual had long ago outgrown its home. Its dormant state and steady supply of blood and meat had staved off its hunger so far, but something had changed. The meals-on-legs stopped coming entirely. And the Mimic’s exploration soon revealed the answer as to why.
“Huck!” it cursed. Part of the dungeon was sealed off. Vertical and horizontal steel bars were welded to create a formidable grate. It blocked off the two-meter tall circular tunnel, cutting off any and all foot traffic through the passage.
After Valeria’s mysterious disappearance, the nearby town simply decided to seal off the highly dangerous area and let nature take its course. Anything that could take down a Level 20 adventurer was clearly over the Maximum Monster Level and would just starve to death. Even something like eating its fellow monsters wouldn’t save it - their bodies would disappear into raw mana before they could be digested.
Also, quarantine was ultimately cheaper than issuing a subjugation Quest. So what if 20% of the Green Zone was sealed off? The newbies could still hunt leisurely in the remainder of the maze-like dungeon.
The Mimic knew very little about such circumstances, but it recognized this mass of metal as the source of its dilemma. Even it wasn’t dense enough to fail to realize this abnormality and the sudden lack of prey were linked. The question was - what could it do about it? It desperately needed to get past it, so it tried several things.
