"Treasure chest?" The imp tilted its head, confused, as it heard Justin's command.

As soon as it looked at the treasure chest in the middle of the forest path, the imp burst into laughter.

"Kihihi! Master, there is no need to even check that," the imp said.

"And why is that?" Justin asked.

"Isn't it obvious? If there's a treasure chest sitting all by itself, not in a hidden spot and without any traps, it's obviously a mimic," the imp said, lifting its chin as if Justin didn't know something so simple. The mocking attitude from earlier was now outright disdain.

"So there is no need to confirm it. Just leave it and move on. Now that I have solved the master's problem, may I take my leave?" the imp asked.

"No," Justin replied.

"Um... what?" The imp blinked, surprised. It seemed to wonder if there was anything else for it to do.

Justin pointed at the treasure chest again. "Go and open that chest."

"Haa. Master, as I said..." the imp began.

"I know it's a mimic. I'm telling you to go and open it anyway," Justin interrupted.

The imp, who had been sighing dramatically, froze. The carefree attitude it had was replaced by visible tension.

"M-Master? Why are you asking me to do this? It's a mimic, you know?" the imp said, nervous.

"I know. I'm telling you to go get eaten," Justin said plainly.

Was the imp pretending not to understand, or did it genuinely not get it? Justin decided he had no choice but to explain it clearly.

"You know that mimics spit out treasure when they're full from eating something alive, right? But we don't have anything else suitable to feed it, so I summoned you instead."

"...!?"

"So, if you understand, go and open it," Justin ordered.

Sweat started dripping down the imp's forehead. It looked around desperately before forcing a smile. "Master, there is no need for this. I could lure in another fresh sacrifice—"

"Why bother wasting time? You're right here," Justin cut in.

"M-Master! Just hear me out this one time...!" the imp pleaded.

"No. Why are you talking so much?" Justin replied.

A summoned demon must obey the summoner's command without question. If the imp kept resisting, it was likely because Justin hadn't explicitly given an absolute command.

Justin looked the imp directly in the eye and spoke slowly and clearly. "As your contractor, I command you: go and open the treasure chest and get eaten by the mimic. This is an absolute command, and it will not be revoked."

"W-wait a minute! Agh!" The imp tried to resist but twisted its body in pain. A moment later, with a defeated expression, it slowly approached the treasure chest.

Just before opening it, the imp closed its eyes tightly and muttered, "Please, just be a treasure chest! A treasure chest! Not a mimic, just a—"

"Kyahhh!"

"Screeech!"

Chomp, crunch, gulp.

Despite the imp's prayers, the treasure chest was indeed a mimic. The chest's jaws opened wide, and it chomped down on the imp, chewing it up completely without leaving a trace.

The mimic then opened its mouth wide and let out a loud belch.

"Urgh!"

Thunk.

After letting out the belch, the mimic's mouth closed again. Seeing that it hadn't spat out any treasure, Justin and his teammates exchanged glances.

"It closed again," Cooper said.

"Maybe it's still not full?" Derek suggested.

"Can you summon it again?" Cooper asked.

"I have two more uses left today, so let's feed it again," Justin replied.

After a brief discussion, Justin summoned the imp once more. The same imp appeared from the purple smoke, looking terrified as it glanced at Justin.

"M-Master! You summoned me just now; what is it this time?" the imp asked.

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"The mimic still hasn't spat out the treasure. I guess it wasn't full yet," Justin replied.

"...!"

"Go get eaten again," Justin ordered.

As the imp's face turned pale, it tried to open its mouth to make an excuse, but Justin repeated his earlier words. "It's an order. Get eaten. No exceptions."

"Wait a second! Hold on! Please listen to me!" The imp, trembling violently, approached the mimic again.

The result was the same.

"Please! I'm just a lowly imp! I taste terrible, so please—!"

"Kyahh!"

"Aaagh!"

Crunch, chomp, gulp.

Once again, the imp was devoured by the mimic. However, the mimic still showed no signs of opening its mouth.

Justin summoned the imp once more.

"Imp, the mimic still..." Justin began.

"Master! I understand your grand intention!" Before the purple smoke had even cleared, the imp kneeled before Justin, tears streaming from its eyes in apparent gratitude.

"This was all a trial to correct my arrogance, bestowed upon me by you, Master! Through this hardship, I have learned to revere you and understand my true purpose!" the imp declared passionately.

"..."

"Master, I repent my wrongdoings and swear my loyalty! From now on, I shall be a true servant, please forgive my arrogance!" The imp's heartfelt cry was like that of a knight pledging loyalty, designed to move anyone's heart.

Justin opened his mouth. "Imp."

"Yes, Master!" the imp responded eagerly.

"Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense? Don't make unnecessary noise—just go get eaten. I think it will open if you get eaten one more time."

"...!"

The imp's tears stopped abruptly. Justin, with an indifferent face, repeated the same command for the third time. "Go get eaten. This is an order. No exceptions."

"M-Master! You bastard! Damn it, for real...!"

"Kyahhh!"

"Damn it, nooo!"

Crash, crunch, chomp.

The sound was oddly satisfying.

If only the imp had cooperated from the start, maybe Justin would have considered hearing it out.

Clunk.

"It opened!"

After eating the imp three times in a row, the mimic finally relaxed and opened its mouth. They rushed over and looked into its open mouth.

There was no visible hole to indicate where the eaten imp had gone. All they saw was a dry, cushion-like tongue with a book placed on it.

"A book? Is the treasure a book?" Cooper asked.

"If it's going to give us something, it should be equipment at least," Derek grumbled.

Their expectations had been set on a grand item, so they were disappointed to see a book. However, Justin immediately realized something and quickly picked up the book.

In World Breaker , there was only one kind of book that could be considered treasure.

〈Skill Book: Dual Enhancement〉

"A skill book!"

Sure enough, it was exactly as Justin had expected. If it was a book considered a treasure, it could only be a skill book containing a whole skill.

"Huh? A skill book? Is it really a skill book?" Cooper asked.

"What kind of skill is it? Please tell us!" Derek added.

Upon hearing it was a skill book, the expressions of Cooper and Derek completely changed. It was understandable—there were two ways to acquire skills in World Breaker.

One was by reaching certain levels and learning a skill related to one's class, and the other was by using a skill book.

With the first method, players learned skills automatically. However, with skill books, it was different.

'Skills learned from skill books are added without any cost, and they can even be skills unrelated to your class.'

In a way, it was like hitting the jackpot. Justin gestured for the two of them to calm down and then read the item's description.

"Skill Book: Dual Enhancement"

Category: Consumable Item

Details: When you open this book, you will acquire the skill [Dual Enhancement]. After one person learns the skill, the book will turn to dust and disappear.

[Dual Enhancement]

Category: Enhancement Skill

Details: When used on a specific skill, it doubles the skill's power. However, the health consumed and the number of uses are also doubled. Once the enhanced skill is used, its power resets.Additional Info: Daily usage limit (5/5)

"...!"

Justin's eyes widened as he confirmed the skill. Honestly, he had thought that as a Warlock, there would be no use for a skill book unless it was a magic tome. He even considered giving it to someone else to owe him a favor if it turned out to be a good skill.

But this skill had far exceeded his expectations.

'I must learn this.'

A mage's raison d'être is firepower, and this skill doubled that firepower. Of course, the drawback was that it also doubled the health consumption and the number of uses.

Other classes might consider it a fair trade-off for the increased power.

'But it's different for a Warlock. I can replenish my health on the spot.'

In other words, for Justin, this skill essentially had no drawbacks. Even if he consumed twice the health, as long as he won the battle, he could recover quickly afterward.

After finishing his thoughts, Justin explained the skill to Cooper.

"Dual Enhancement! That's an amazing skill," Cooper exclaimed.

"Yes. Whether I learn it or you do, it's an incredibly useful skill," Justin said.

"Oh, no, Justin, you should learn it. I'm fine without it," Cooper replied.

Justin was surprised at how easily Cooper backed off. As a healer, the skill could be extremely valuable to him, yet he was giving it up so easily. If he wanted, Cooper could argue that combining it with his abilities could save lives.

Perhaps noticing Justin's confusion, Cooper gave a wry smile. "You know, Justin, you act all cold-hearted, but there's a soft side to you."

"Excuse me?" Justin responded.

"To be honest, you're the one who opened the mimic, right? By feeding it the imp three times. If you weren't here, we would have just passed by without being able to open it," Cooper explained.

"..."

That was true. But would someone normally give up so easily? Especially for something as valuable as a skill book?

Cooper seemed to read Justin's thoughts and shook his head again. "I'm not an ungrateful guy. I know my worth here. If it were a skill that only I could use to its fullest potential, then maybe I'd insist. But it's not."

"If it's a healing skill, wouldn't it still be beneficial for you?" Justin asked.

"Sure, but in a world like this, offense is better than healing. The best thing is to attack and eliminate threats before they hurt us, not to heal afterward."

Cooper pushed the skill book toward Justin again, emphasizing that Justin should have it. It didn't seem like he was stepping back to be considerate—he genuinely believed it was the right decision.

"Thank you," Justin said.

"No need to thank me. It's yours to begin with, so just take it," Cooper replied.

Feeling a bit touched by Cooper's attitude, Justin nodded. Since Cooper had insisted, it was time to learn the skill.

Just then, Derek spoke up. "Um, excuse me."

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to ask me about it?" Derek asked.

"..."

Justin, Cooper, and Nathan all looked at Derek. After a few moments of silence, they all shouted in unison.

"Are you serious, Derek?"

"Where did you sell your conscience to ask something like that?"

"Hey, Derek, do you want me to start talking down to you again?"

"..."

Under the barrage of criticism from all sides, Derek shrank back. How dare he claim a right to something he had no part in?