[Hunger: 45/100]
The hunger was no longer a screaming void, but a dull, nagging ache. Eating a whole human Rogue had been... surprisingly filling. It felt like I'd swallowed a Thanksgiving turkey, bones and all.
I looked at the floor. A single, muddy boot sat near my base—the only evidence that a Level 3 human had existed sixty seconds ago.
*Clang. Clang. Clang.*
Heavier footsteps this time. And the sound of metal hitting metal.
"Kael? You in here?" a boisterous voice boomed from the hallway. "Stop trying to ninja all the loot, you greedy rat!"
I froze. My internal alarm bells—which I was starting to realize was just a heightened sensitivity to vibrations—went off.
A second man entered the room. He was broader than the first, wearing a battered iron breastplate and carrying a kite shield.
[Human Warrior - Lvl 4]
[Status: Irritated / Suspicious]
The Warrior stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't look at me first; he looked at the boot. Then he looked at the blood spatter I'd missed near the door. His grip tightened on his sword.
"Kael?" he called out, his voice dropping an octave. He scanned the room, his eyes lingering on me. "A chest... and blood. Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
He didn't rush in. He was smarter than the Rogue. He began to circle the room, keeping his back to the wall and his shield raised.
[Warning: Enemy is wary. 'Deceptive Stillness' effectiveness reduced by 40%.]
Dammit. If he poked me with that longsword from a distance, I was toast. I was a Level 2 box of wood; I couldn't survive a sustained hacking from a Warrior. I needed him close. I needed him to *want* to touch me.
Then I remembered my new skill.
[Skill Activated: Lock Manipulation (Lvl 1)]
I focused on my internal mechanism. I felt the tumblers and the rusted iron latch. Instead of locking myself tighter, I did the opposite. I triggered a soft, metallic *click*.
Then, I pushed my lid up—just a fraction of an inch. Just enough for the dim torchlight to catch something inside.
I "vomited" one of the gold coins I'd just looted into the gap of my lid.
The Warrior froze. He saw the gold. He heard the click.
"The latch broke?" he whispered to himself. "Did Kael get caught in a needle trap? Is that why he's gone?"
Greed is a funny thing. It fights with fear, and in a dungeon, greed usually has a better reach. He approached, one cautious step at a time. He reached out with his sword tip, intending to flip my lid open from a safe distance.
*Not today, buddy.*
[Skill Activated: Digestive Acid (Lvl 1)]
I didn't wait for him to touch me. I "coughed."
A glob of sizzling green bile sprayed out from the gap in my lid, aimed directly at his face.
"GAAAH!" The Warrior screamed as the acid hit his eyes, bypassing his helmet's visor. He dropped his guard, clutching his face.
This was my chance.
[Skill Activated: Hop (Lvl 2)]
I didn't just hop; I launched. I used the tension in my base to spring forward like a trap. I didn't aim for his neck—he had a gorget. I aimed for his midsection, where the leather straps held his breastplate together.
[SNAP!]
My lid slammed shut on his waist. My wood-splinter teeth tore through leather and skin.
"GET OFF! GET—"
He hammered his sword into my lid.
[HP: 42/50]
[HP: 35/50]
It hurt like hell. Every strike felt like a migraine vibrating through my entire skull. But I didn't let go. I clamped down harder, my acid seeping into his open wounds.
[Critical Hit! Hemorrhage status applied to target.]
The Warrior's blows grew weaker. His sword clattered to the floor. With one final, desperate heave, I tilted my body back, dragging him into the dark abyss of my "stomach."
[Enemy Defeated: Human Warrior (Lvl 4)]
[Experience Gained: 210 XP]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Lesser Wood Mimic -> Lvl 3]
[Devour Complete. Extracting Attributes...]
[Loot Acquired:]
[- Iron Scraps: Defense increased by +2]
[- Skill Unlocked: Shield Bash (Passive) - Your lid slams now have a 10% chance to Stun.]
I settled back into my corner, panting (if a box could pant). My lid was chipped, and I had a nasty gash near my hinges, but the warm rush of new stats was already repairing the damage.
I looked at my internal inventory. Two humans down. A sword, a shield, and some iron armor were being dissolved into raw essence.
"Two-course meal," I thought, tasting the metallic tang of the breastplate. "I think I'm starting to like the taste of iron."
But the room felt quiet. Too quiet. I knew that in a dungeon, the noise of a struggle was like a dinner bell. And I wasn't the only monster in the dark.