Chapter 35: Ninth Floor, Hounds of the Labyrinth (4)

I wouldn’t have been so skeptical if we had been rewarded for defeating a minotaur, but it seemed unlikely the tower would give a reward for defeating a measly group of goblins. Maybe the goblins had been storing their belongings in the box, but I doubted that as well.

A treasure box after defeating goblins? That’s too easy.

Given everything I had seen in the Tower of Ordeal, such a straightforward scenario was hard to believe. Any experienced climber would find this suspicious.

“Su-Hyeok, there’s a type of monster called a mimic. It consumes its prey by pretending to be a treasure box...”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them, not to mention seen them in games before. Just when you think you’re about to grab some loot, they jump out at you, right?”

“Exactly.”

“In that case, let me handle it.”

Leaving my party behind, I slowly approached the box. I hadn’t encountered a mimic before, but since I already knew it was waiting for me, what could it possibly do to me?

But as I got closer, doubt crept into my mind.

Is this too obvious to be a mimic?

The whole setup was a bit ridiculous. I wondered if it was actually a real treasure box or full of some goblins’ junk. The simplicity of the situation felt off, especially compared to the trials I had faced before.

There wasn’t even a notification window above the box, which made me even more suspicious.

Hmm, it's better not to overthink it.

Whether or not I would find treasure, junk, or a monster, it would have to wait until we opened the box. If there really was treasure inside, surely it wouldn’t matter if the box was destroyed. Even the tower wouldn’t be that unreasonable.

Two meters away from the box, I braced myself for a sudden movement from it. I quickened my pace, focusing on my steps—right foot, left foot—before bringing the axe down with all my strength.

Crack!

The box, which had been about to spring open, was split cleanly in half.

“Kieeek...!”

The mimic let out a dying screech as it was cleaved in two, its cry fading into the air. Its thin, lifeless body, along with a thick stream of blood, spilled out from the shattered remains of the box.

I turned back to my party who were cautiously approaching.

“It was a monster. I had a feeling something was off. The mimic is dead...”

Just as I was announcing that the situation was under control, Seo Ho-Su suddenly shouted and frantically pointed at something behind me.

“Su—Su-Hyeok!”

What? The mimic is already dead, isn’t it?

I quickly spun around and spotted a small treasure box darting away at high speed.

What the...? I didn’t even sense it moving!

It must have slipped out from the mimic's corpse while I wasn’t looking. The tiny treasure box was sprinting down the corridor of the maze, and something told me I couldn’t let it escape.

If a small treasure box appeared after defeating the mimic, it couldn’t be ordinary. As if confirming that, Ha Hee-Jeong’s urgent voice rang out.

“Su-Hyeok! We have to catch that!”

Having already made up my mind to chase it, I sprang into action before she even finished speaking. The little box was fast but not faster than me. Although I was closing the distance quickly, I wondered if I could catch it even faster...?

It could complicate things if more enemies were to appear. If they did, I could fight my way through them, but I would risk getting separated from the group.

What if there is a fork in the path? We could lose track of each other.

Suddenly, my Lightning Essence skill came to mind. Until now, I had only used it to release bursts of energy, but surely the skill was capable of more than just discharging lightning. If that were all it could do, it would have been called Lightning Burst instead of Lightning Essence and it wouldn’t have been so expensive.

It was lightning

essence

, after all. I realized my narrow imagination had been limiting its potential. The thought of using it in this way hadn’t occurred to me before, but maybe...

I channeled the lightning through my legs, where my muscles were already working in overdrive, and then let it surge through my entire body. Instead of merely surrounding my limbs, I allowed the lightning streaks to flow through me as I moved—faster, even faster. My legs, my entire being, felt as if it was becoming one with the lightning.

In an instant, the scenery around me blurred.

What...?

It felt as if I had skipped through space. Of course, I hadn’t actually teleported, but the sensation was electrifying. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit me.

I am almost out of mana.

My mana had flowed uncontrollably in that brief moment. It felt like I had completely emptied some theoretical mana reservoir. Similar to how I would be after exercising intensely, my heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears.

I still can’t control the speed or the mana expenditure, but if I could use this technique in battle...

The thought thrilled me... But no, this wasn’t the time for that. I would think about it later.

The small treasure box had vanished from sight.

I quickly glanced back and saw the tiny thing sprinting straight toward me. It hadn’t noticed me yet and showed no signs of stopping, even though I was right in its path.

I swiftly reached out, snatching it up.

“Kieek!? Kieeek!”

The small treasure box was about the size of my fist, with tiny flailing limbs that stuck out. Through the slightly open lid, a pair of beady eyes gleamed sharply. Despite its cute appearance, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly this creature looked like inside the box.

It had to be the offspring of the mimic I had just killed. The resemblance was too close to be a coincidence, and it had emerged from the dead mimic’s remains.

Ha Hee-Jeong arrived a moment later, slightly out of breath.

“

Hah... whew.

Su-Hyeok, did you catch it?”

Wait. Why is she alone? Where are the others?

“Yeah, I caught it. But where are the others?”

“I asked them to check the mimic’s corpse for anything valuable. I also wanted to talk to you.”

I glanced back and saw the rest of the group rummaging through the mimic’s remains. Even in death, the mimic might still hold something of value, considering it had taken the form of a treasure box.

“

Phew,

that’s a relief. Catching a baby mimic isn’t easy. You used Lightning Essence back there, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d try something different.”

“Smart move. I was wondering when you’d start using it more creatively, and you managed just fine on your own. The essence has a lot of potential, so don’t limit yourself.”

“Right, no limits. Got it.”

So Ha Hee-Jeong knew about the essence’s potential all along.

I nodded and took her advice to heart. It was true that I had been using it too simplistically.

When we get back to the waiting room, I should think about more potential uses of the skill.

“So, why do we care about this baby mimic? Is it useful?”

“Kiiit! Kiiit!”

I held up the squirming mimic for Ha Hee-Jeong to see. The little creature flailed its limbs as if trying to attack her, though it couldn’t reach. The sight made Ha Hee-Jeong chuckle.

... It did look kind of cute, unlike its full-grown counterpart.

“This little guy can be used as an inventory.”

“An inventory?”

“Yeah, like in games where you store items and money. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

“Of course, but isn’t this thing a monster? Can it really be used that way?”

“Yup. The adult mimic is too big and aggressive to train, but the baby can be.”

Ha Hee-Jeong took the mimic from my hand and gave it a firm shake. The baby mimic, which had been shrieking wildly, suddenly went limp and retracted its limbs. There were no visible holes for them to fit through, making it all the more mysterious.

How does this thing even work?

“Once it’s knocked out like this, you can place it in a mimic storage box. Hmm, or was it called a collection box? I can’t quite remember since it’s been a while. Anyway, it’s something you can buy from the shop.”

“So I just need to transfer the mimic into that box?”

“Exactly. Once it’s inside, it won’t be able to open on its own or grow any larger. You’ll be able to use it just like a regular inventory.”

“Wow...!”

In that case, I can store the sword and shield that have been gathering dust in the waiting room. Should I use it to store loot I collect during battles too?

Actually, maybe not. The system didn’t allow climbers to sell items to the shop, so it was pointless.

Ha Hee-Jeong seemed to sense my thoughts and continued.

“Haha, I can guess what you’re thinking. Bring along all the loot you’ve collected, you’ll need it on the tenth floor.”

“The tenth floor?”

“It’s a rest area. Every ten floors, so the tenth, twentieth, et cetera, there’s a break. You can sell items there too.”

“A floor that is just a rest area... So that’s why you mentioned there wouldn’t be any battles there. When you sell items, do you get achievement points?”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“Exactly. The exchange rate isn’t one-to-one with the prices listed in the shop, but it’s better than nothing. You can also use the loot to pay for equipment checks or repairs instead of using points.”

“Equipment checks and repairs?”

“Yup, but let’s leave that for when we get there. We’ve been here long enough, and the others might start wondering what we’re up to. I’ll explain more on the tenth floor.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ha Hee-Jeong tossed the mimic back to me and turned to rejoin the group.

Do I really have to carry this thing around? It’s going to be a hassle...

“Oh, and by the way, starting from the eleventh floor you’ll be completing the trials alone again. Prepare yourself, the floor challenges you encounter could be more difficult versions of the trials normal climbers would face, just like in the tutorial.”

“

Huh?

”

Individual trials again?

I tried to ask more, but Ha Hee-Jeong acted like she didn’t hear me as she continued walking toward the others.

Well, I’ll find out soon enough. If it’s the same thing she experienced in her previous life, I’ll manage, and even if it’s harder, Ha Hee-Jeong’s advice wouldn’t even matter since she hasn’t experienced it.

In the end, I’ll just have to face it head-on.

But this mimic... what should I do with it in the meantime?

I glanced at the goblin assassin’s belt I had picked up on the first floor. Although it hadn’t seen much use after I started wielding the mace, maybe it would come in handy now.

I shoved the baby mimic into the crossbow bolt pouch attached to the belt. Thankfully, it fit perfectly, although I hoped it wouldn’t find a way to escape.

After ensuring it was secure, I followed Ha Hee-Jeong back to the group. Seo Ho-Su was still rummaging through the dead mimic’s remains.

“Did you find anything interesting”

“Eh, just some jewels and a few old weapons. Seems like this stuff was just whatever the goblins had lying around. By the way, did you catch that little critter?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it tucked away in my bolt pouch. I think it can be used as an inventory, so I’m bringing it along.”

“Oh, that's great! I think I've read about using mimics like that in a novel before. Should we test it out by putting some of this stuff in there?"

Seo Ho-Su’s eyes lit up as he held out some worn-out weapons.

I wasn’t sure if those items could even be sold, but the eagerness in his eyes was unmistakable. He seemed more interested in testing the mimic’s inventory function than keeping those junk items.

Not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm, I pulled out the baby mimic again. Looking into the small box, a dark void filled the inside.

“Oh! So this is a baby mimic, huh? The big ones look pretty weird, but you can’t even see this one’s form. Is it because it’s still a baby?"

The dark void must be the mimic's true form. Sadly, the cute little limbs that had poked out earlier didn’t seem to be what it truly looked like. We also couldn’t see its eyes anymore, just a dark, shapeless mass.

“Let’s try putting these in," Seo Ho-Su said as he quickly placed the junk items into the chest.

One by one, the items disappeared into the mimic’s darkness. Even though the mimic was unconscious, it seemed to accept the items without issue.

“Oh, it’s all going in!"

“Yeah, it sure holds a lot."

“Dad, don’t you think you’re putting too much in?"

“Nah, it’s fine. See? It’s all fitting!"

I couldn’t believe how much could fit into such a small box—old weapons, goblin leather armor, and other junk. How many things had we put in already?

As we marveled at the mimic’s capacity, it suddenly came to its senses. Bright little eyes gleamed within the dark interior. There was something strange about those eyes...

“Kieeek!"

“Whoa!"

The baby mimic let out a shrill cry and began to spew out everything we had put inside. Junk poured out from the darkness. It was clear we had overloaded it. I should have stopped Seo Ho-Su sooner...

Wait... Among the spilled junk, something gold flashed. I quickly reached out and grabbed it. A small golden key lay in my hand. I examined it closely, and a notification window appeared.

[Small Golden Key]

- Cherished enough to be given to the mimic’s offspring.

- Seemingly connected to the Maze of Kashatum.

This key is probably linked to a hidden room, right?

It had to be. When I looked around, my party members were staring with their mouths agape.

“Haha, looks like this key is connected to a hidden room. Of course, it’s useless if we can’t find the room..."

Even Ha Hee-Jeong looked dumbfounded. We had stuffed random junk into the mimic and out popped a key to a hidden room. It was ridiculous.

Does this even make sense?

In any case, it was all thanks to Seo Ho-Su’s curiosity. Kudos to him!

Clap, clap, Seo Ho-Su is the best!

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has utilized his Lightning Essence skill in a new way! His skills have leveled up. Lightning Essence is now lvl 7.」

「Invisible Message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has acquired the Golden Key! The hidden room will now reveal itself.」