Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Mimic Deception and the First Hunter's Trial
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“Ahh! Mister! You can’t open that! Stop for a sec!”
A frantic voice rang out.
The owner of that voice was one of the party members, a user named Timothy.
He was a streaming broadcaster whose subscriber count had skyrocketed recently after uploading footage of the Iron Mask.
And now, that Timothy was desperately stopping the bald man standing in front of the treasure chest.
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
The bald wizard,
Gelliver, asked with a baffled expression.
They had formed a party together and entered a nearby dungeon.
During their exploration, they’d stumbled upon this treasure chest, but for some reason, Timothy was urgently blocking him from opening it.
“That’s not a treasure chest—it’s a mimic. The moment you touch it, it’ll try to eat you.”
“What’s a mimic?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask that. Oh, viewers are curious too? Well, of course I have to explain!”
“Dude, can you pause the stream for a bit…?”
“Alright, here comes the Timothy-style explanation!”
“……”
He wasn’t even listening.
Timothy ignored them completely and kept streaming.
Exploring the dungeon with his party members had already become part of his content.
“He’s at it again.”
“Let him be. He got lucky thanks to Iron Mask blowing up. He’s just paddling hard while the water’s high, you know?”
“Why’d a guy like that even join us?”
“Guess he gave up searching for Iron Mask after concluding he’d headed to the upper zones. Ever since, he’s been grinding levels nonstop, saying he needs to catch up.”
“Ugh, should’ve never told him it was fine to stream before entering the dungeon.”
The other party members felt just as annoyed.
Man, I really joined the wrong party.
Left with no choice, Gelliver sat down alongside the others and watched Timothy’s enthusiastic explanation.
They were taking a break anyway.
Plus, he was curious about mimics himself.
“First off, what’s a mimic? Yes, that’s right. They’re also called trap-type monsters or man-eating chests. They disguise themselves as treasure chests normally, then reveal their true form when humans approach. That’s a mimic!”
The basic shape was that of a treasure chest.
But its true nature was a monster inside the box with a long tongue and sharp teeth.
They mainly inhabited interiors like dungeons or ruins—places perfect for exploration.
Their levels and traits were usually determined by their habitat.
“That’s why so many users mistake them for real chests and touch them. They fall victim to mimics all the time. Even if you realize it’s a mimic midway, it’s too late to do anything. Because the moment it swallows you, its skill binds your body completely!”
That was right.
The mimic’s Devour skill.
If caught, you were utterly restrained, unable to move.
An inescapable lethal ambush.
Even if you survived, the follow-up attacks made survival unlikely.
The only option was spotting it beforehand.
And right now, Timothy was pointing at the chest in front of them, explaining how to identify one.
“Every chest has its own locks and chains. Mimics, especially, have flashier locks. And the chains dangling to the floor are twice as long as on normal chests. That’s not all. See the lines engraved on this lid? Yep, normal chests have 15 lines. Mimics have just over 21. Oh, who has time to count them all? That’s your problem, folks!”
He kept explaining cheerfully, tossing in light jokes.
Then, midway through, a viewer asked a question.
-Any way to escape once it starts?
Timothy pondered for a moment before responding.
“Well, if you wanna get technical, there’s one method, but the timing has to be perfect. Only top-tier experts could pull it off… Yeah, distance from the mimic matters too. Plus, you need a status ailment skill.”
-Show us a demo.
“You want me to do it? Right here?”
-Wire you a million won if you succeed.
“Grr, a passionate fan, eh? Okay, let’s go. Here we gooo!”
Sudden mission bait.
Timothy wasn’t one to pass it up.
“Gaaaazuaaa—!”
“W-Wait, what are you doing?!”
“Folks, this is exactly…”
Chomp!
“Gaaaaah!”
The chest’s mouth gaped wide.
Timothy was sucked straight into those massive jaws.
Crunch, crunch!
One party member vanished in an instant. Gelliver shook his head at the sight.
Definitely the wrong party.
Stab!
Muteslash
Silence inflicted!
The long tongue twitched.
A giant treasure chest.
No, the mimic writhed in agony.
Well, it had good reason.
He’d stabbed Braincleaver right into its mouth.
Even aside from Muteslash, the damage itself was devastating.
“Kreeeeh!”
“Hah, thought I’d finally hit the jackpot for once, but these mimic bastards are just fishing for suckers.”
That was right.
The giant treasure chests before his eyes?
All of them were mimics in disguise.
Overly ornate locks.
Chains dangling excessively long from the chest.
Lids etched with over 20 lines.
There was no way Luke, a second-year gamer, wouldn’t know how to spot mimics.
“You ruined my mood, you little shits!”
“Kreeeh!”
Level 62 dungeon mimics.
Despite their powerful skills, their HP was pathetically low.
Plus, they were silenced by Muteslash right now.
And unlike other undead, they were vulnerable to bleeds, shocks, and poisons—easy pickings.
In the end, the two mimics disguised as chests had no choice but to perish from the unexpected ambush.
“Kwek…”
“Kweeeh…”
The limp mimics.
Poko’s eyes sparkled at the corpses, tongues lolling out.
“Poko, pokopoko.”
He poked and prodded their bodies, checking reactions.
Blissfully unaware of Luke’s disappointment.
Ah, figures.
He’d been secretly hopeful when he spotted the chests.
After all, his Luck had gone up from that spirit-related achievement, and this was a hidden dungeon.
Naturally, he’d expected even the hidden elements to deliver.
But no.
His rotten luck hadn’t changed since becoming a thief.
Not one mimic out of two—both were mimics. Worst case.
At least Dagger Mastery leveled up as some consolation.
Luck’s still trash.
Luke sighed deeply and sheathed Braincleaver.
Anyway…
His eyes fell on the mimic corpse Poko was rolling around.
Muteslash, the skill he’d tested on them for the first time.
Its effect was even more satisfying than expected.
The mimic’s Devour canceled the instant the blade sank in.
And the Silence duration was impressively long—it lingered afterward.
Lives up to its name.
Muteslash.
A skill truly worthy of silencing foes.
With the skill check done, Luke turned away.
“Hey, quit rolling that around and hurry up. Time to—”
“Hm?”
That’s when it happened.
His gaze suddenly shifted to the wall.
The wall painting he’d overlooked amid the mimics finally caught his eye.
Who the hell graffitied this dump?
The artwork was atrocious.
Like something from the Stone Age.
Humans?
Among them, the noteworthy part: humans wielding bows and daggers.
A scene of them firing arrows while chasing a fleeing deer in the distance.
It looked like ancient continent folk hunting.
The message popped up right on cue.
Archaeology skill.
He’d seen posts from explorer or archaeologist users.
Discovering ancient traces boosted archaeology-related stats or skill proficiencies.
Not something I need.
His attention was drawn instead to the painting following the deer chase.
A tidal wave?
A black one, no less.
Hunters on the verge of being swallowed by it.
Luke had seen something similar somewhere.
Primal Shadow.
Yes.
The grudge of the shadow.
Just like the memory in these gloves.
Something feels off…
What secret did this hidden dungeon hold?
Before he knew it, worry mingled with curiosity.
After slipping back through the crevice and fully exiting the vampire zombie cavern,
Clunk, clatter!
This time, a barrage of traps unfolded before him.
Floor pitfalls.
Left-right swinging chain sickles.
Pillars riddled with arrow slits.
And suspiciously placed stepping stones and walls.
Dangerous at a glance.
Right, not just undead—it’s this too.
True to a hidden dungeon, obstacles littered everywhere.
Take them one by one.
Luke’s eyes gleamed.
“Poko. You watch from there.”
“Poko?”
“I’ll be quick.”
Traps and stepping stones aside, the rest seemed to have separate disarm buttons.
So, no rushing.
Disarm them methodically, one at a time.
First, the faint threads glinting in the light.
Slip past them to the other side.
Who knows what happens if I touch one.
Thus, Luke calmly entered the thread-filled space.
Slowly.
Cautiously.
Avoiding every wall-stretched thread.
Without a single mistake.
With precise movements.
Skill proficiency rising during the process.
He’d seen a similar message when sneaking into that mansion before.
Probably a movement-related skill.
“Po, poko.”
Poko, watching the precarious scene, covered his eyes with both hands.
Kid’s scaredy-cat.
Luke smirked sidelong at Poko and extended his left leg again.
Trap masters plastered their traps everywhere, and I cleared them all. No way I fail here…
That’s when it happened.
Shing!
A blade suddenly shot up from underfoot.
HP below 70%!
The blade grazed his chin before rising. Luke swallowed hard, staring at it.
“……”
If he’d pulled his head back even a fraction slower, it would’ve pierced his skull.
Almost died.
Trap within a trap.
These were popping up already.
Luke exhaled in relief and focused on his feet.
No visible holes, so it’s instantaneous…
Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t dodge.
This was the body that scored 97 overall in the ability simulator.
His dynamic vision and reflexes were near peak.
Shing, shing!
Full concentration.
Shing!
As fast as possible.
Sh!
No delayed reactions allowed.
The blades’ speed.
The angles.
Capture, calculate, react instantly.
Both sides at once?!
Another crisis hit.
But he extended both arms upward, body rigid, dodging once more.
“Vicious bastards, designing the first trap like this.”
Luke scowled at the trap gauntlet ahead.
A rough road lay before him.
After navigating the thread cluster,
There it is.
He spotted the disarm button hidden in the corner.
Press!
Snap, snap!
Threads severed rapidly.
Poko scrambled across hastily.
“Whew, good. Next up…”
Cleared the First Hunter's Trial!
📍 Achievement: A
⏰ Incredible score!
🎁 Special reward granted!
💨 Agility increased!
The moment he cleared the traps, messages appeared.
Luke’s eyes widened at the unexpected stat boost.
…It raises stats?