4th - Deep within the Dungeon

{Mimic}

I have inched far, far away from the hell that would've been a lifetime. I don't know how long I moved, but I've been hugging the left wall for so long that I don't even remember how many times I turned left. It should be safe here, it has to be. I've already promised myself to not get stuck in another situation like that again, never again. Damn it, the pain is still lingering in my mind. Even if the keys were only used once each, that monster has a temper that uses me as a punching bag. I get that's why it was hanging me up instead of placing me on the ground. What a sadistic beast.

"Mimicry Movement Mastery (II)" has evolved into "Mimicry Movement Mastery (III)"

Closing the new window, I stopped running away. Though I said running away, I was still only moving at the speed of a walking child. I tried moving now, and it seems my max speed has increased to a walking adult. Better than nothing I guess. I paused and surveyed the surrounding once more.

Now, I'm stuck in a corridor with my back facing the corner I turned from. The corridor lies straight with a cross conjunction a couple metres in front of me. I moved towards the conjunction and checked both sides. The left, another corner twisting back towards where I came from, the right, a short distance to a door in a dead end. I've actually never seen any other doors than the one with a hole in it and the door to where I woke up from.

Though curiosity killed the cat, right now I am a chest. The only connection is that both words starts with 'c', but that shouldn't matter, should it?

("Towards the door I go then.")

I really couldn't help but be curious. There's just something about that way that attracts me. It does have some pretty mystical patterns on it though.

With only the door in mind, I moved towards it. Upon reaching the door, I realised it was larger than I though it was. Using the man I ate before as a measurement, it's practically double the height, slightly smaller than the giant spider. I looked around the frame and found symbols of some sort. Maybe another language?

But as I touched the door, the cracks and spaces around the door suddenly began to shine. It was so bright that I had to look away; I did try to cover my eyes but, chest body, and I still don't know how my vision works. The light lasted for a instant before dimming with the door sliding open. I can't see anything inside.

("What the?")

The inside was literally pitch black like when I woke up, but the darkness only stopped at the door frame. No matter which angle I look inside from, I just couldn't see nil. I have a bad feeling about this.

You have earned the ability of "Instinctual Prediction (I)"

You have a bad feeling

Oh, thank you for repeating what I just said. What the hell is with that useless ability? But the bit on the end of the ability's name, doesn't it mean that there's a better version if it was like the movement mastery? What could possibly be the power of this ability?

("No, I need to stop being distracted all the time. That's how I will die in this place.")

I wanted to go into the pitch black darkness, just to see what's beyond it. But with what I had just experienced, I just stood there. Something is pulling me in, but my feeling of running away seems to balance out. I froze on the spot for a while until a loud voice cut in.

("Just enter the room and get consumed by me alre- I mean, you must be tired standing outside, why not come in and take a rest from all that running from that immature arachne?")

("Yep, totally legit. I leaving.")

That was close. I almost jumped into the mouth of another monster, though this one's strangely nice-mannered, if you ignore the first bit. From what he, or is it she? From what it said, I guess he was somehow attracting me towards it? Maybe it's these strange mystical symbols, which now that I look at it, they're slightly glowing.

("Grr, damn, I was so close to enjoying such a rare meal.")

("Haha, too bad, I'm not falling into another monster's hands, or, claws, again. I mean, you get the point.")

("Don't get cocky. I only thought you were just like other mimics. It seems I was wrong.")

("Wait, it can read my thou-")

A force stronger than gravity suddenly ripped me from the place I was standing and into the darkness. It happened so fast that the scenery immediately changed from the opened door to a dome-like room with curved supports lined to make a cross in the middle of the dome. The most obvious thing to notice was the red glowing orb floating in the middle. Did I mention that it's on fire?

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

("You, how did you resist my 'beast attraction' runes?")

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{Alexander}

Someone has set off your 'Castilian Dungeon Back Entrance' alarm

While I was playing with the less evolved spiderling children, an old alarm which I set just in case was tripped. It seems that even this place cannot hide from those barbarian immortals.

Suddenly staring with a grim face must have startled the children. They all stopped when I read the content of the message. They were so happy jumping around before, just how scary were my expressions I wonder? I'll have to hunt something for them later as an apology.

"Daddy can't play with you all right now. Something suddenly came up, so I'll play with you guys later okay? I promise I'll get lizard meat for everyone later, all right?"

They all leaped for joy, like a pet suddenly getting what it wanted. They're all so cute. If only the big ones act like this more. Well, the biggest one of them does, so I guess I don't really mind that much.

I leaped quietly towards the place where the alarm was set off using the skills 'Power leap' and 'Silent dash', the two skills I'm most confident at, even if a certain someone can catch me when I uses these two skills. Man, I can never beat her in physical combat. But with these two skills, I quickly reached near the back entrance to the Castilian dungeon. My biggest child, a daughter no less, seems to like it here. I've already seen her own room, claimed near the entrance. Fortunitely, she is currently with her mother; she's definitely not going to get away from her, much less come here.

"I don't think this is a part of the dungeon."

Hearing the language of the immortals, I instinctively duck under the shade of a nearby boulder. Using another skill of my old profession, I peeked out from my position without giving it away. A party of three, half the usual, either unsociable, stupid or powerful enough to be by themselves. From their conversation, it seems it isn't the last. A happy-go-lucky bunch of teens It seems.

"Never mind the new area. We have only barely scratched the surface of this new dungeon! If we dawdle, it'll be the same as letting the other players get ahead of us and find the treasures first!"

A hotheaded blond, one of those rich kid types, always putting pride first and competes over everything for himself. I could see the greed in his eyes. Good thing he's also an idiot.

"But a new area means no competition and more treasure for us! Shouldn't we go and check it out first?"

The smart black-haired sidekick, trying to show off with his intelligence to be the most popular, but inevitably fails every time. Tragic little runt, if not for his personality and the people he hangs with.

"What do you think, Neru?"

"I'm fine with whatever you choose, Haji."

And then there's the maiden, pink hearts streaming out of her head. Just how love-struck can a teenage girl get? Even my wife wouldn't be like that, at least, I don't remember her to be. She and the blond are a couple, who would have guessed? Blonds just have that charisma that attracts these types of maiden for some reason. Just look at those two, dumb and dumber, who's who is the question.

Looking at them is making my hatred and rage return.

"Come on, just one look. We could find something even more impressive than others!"

"...Okay fine. We'll go have one look. What's the har-"

I cut off his heads the moment they turned. Should have decided to go back, dumber.

"Haji? Why are you-"

There goes the head of dumb, or maybe this one's the dumber. Didn't even realise her partner just got offed.

"?! Who the hell are-"

These so called 'smart guys', always questions first, never figure things themselves. Dumbest maybe?

The blade I used to cut their head wide open was clean. Not a single blood was stuck, clean deaths, I still got it. The three heads rolled as their limb bodies finally fell to the ground. Then, their bodies burning with white flame, disappeared without a trace. Not going to see those three again anytime soon.

My rage dissipates, my hatred still active, but I focus for the 'other players' the immortals were talking about. Nothing. Not risking missing anything, I waited, and waited, and waited.

Looking down the corridor of the Castilia dungeon, I slide my blade back into the sheath. I walked out the hole I made in the door, a mistake from my youth, and began setting another alarm.

"I hope I still have enough time to hunt a lizard before dinner."