Chương 19: The Creaking Bait

Recap: You killed a rat with glass shards but a Warg found you. You're at 45/50 XP. You voted to TAUNT THE WARG (DISTRACTION). I didn't have the Taunt skill. That unlocked at Level 3. But I had something better: hinges that hadn't been oiled since the Mage-Emperor War. I needed to make noise. Not just any noise. I needed to sound like something worth killing. Something vulnerable. Something… delicious. I slammed my lid. CLACK. Then I creaked my hinges back and forth. Creeeeaaak.

Then I rattled the loose iron bands around my sides. Jingle-jangle. To a human, I sounded like a haunted cupboard. To a Warg? I sounded like a struggling meal. The Warg's ears perked up. Its red eyes narrowed. It lowered its head. Muscles coiled. Come on, I thought. Take the bait. The Warg charged. It was fast. Faster than me. Much faster. If it caught me in the open, I was dog chow. But I wasn't planning to stay in the open. I had spotted a tunnel entrance nearby. Narrow. Low ceiling. Cracked stone overhead.

Perfect for a box. Terrible for a wolf the size of a pony. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Stamina Cost: 3 SP (Sprint to Tunnel) Current SP: 10/20 Scrape-scrape-scrape! I shot toward the tunnel. The Warg was right behind me. I could feel its hot breath on my rear iron band. I slid into the tunnel. Clunk. I fit perfectly. Snug. Secure. The Warg tried to follow. It shoved its head in. Its shoulders hit the walls. It growled, pushing harder. The stone groaned. Dust fell from the ceiling. It was stuck. Half in, half out.

Its neck was exposed. Right in front of my lid. Now or never. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: BiteCost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 8/20 I lunged. My teeth sank into the Warg's thick fur and hide. It was tough. Like biting into a leather tire. But I had Strength 4. And I had gravity. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I clamped down. I didn't let go. The Warg thrashed. It clawed at the tunnel entrance. Stone scraped against my wood.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 2 HP (Claw Scratch) Current HP: 12/15 I held on. I tasted blood. Iron-rich. Hot. The Warg's thrashing slowed. The tunnel ceiling cracked above us. A large slab of stone loosened. Fall, I thought. Please fall. The Warg gave one final buck. The slab dropped. CRASH. It landed on the Warg's spine. There was a sickening crunch. The Warg whined. Once. Then silence. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Target Defeated: Dungeon Warg (Level 3 Elite) XP Gained: 10 XP Current XP: 55/50 (LEVEL UP!) Level: 2 Stat Points Available: +2 HP Regenerated: +5 HP (Meal Consumed) Current HP: 15/15 (Full) I spat out the chunk of fur. My stomach accepted the rest. I felt… stronger. My wood felt denser. My mana pool expanded slightly. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Level Up Bonus: HP Max: +2 (Now 17/17) MP Max: +2 (Now 12/12) SP Max: +2 (Now 22/22) Current Stats Updated. I was Level 2. I wasn't just a box anymore. I was a Level 2 Box. I waited for the dust to settle. The tunnel was blocked behind the Warg's corpse.

I was trapped in here with a dead wolf. But I was alive. And I had stat points to spend. Strength? (Bite harder). Agility? (Slide faster). Intelligence? (Magic stronger). Charisma? (Trickery better). Defense? (Take less damage). I needed to decide. But first, I needed to check the corpse. Wargs often wore collars. Metal collars. Metal, I thought. That's item number two. I slid over the corpse. My tremorsense pinged the collar. Iron buckles. Rusted chain. I could eat it now. Get 2/3 Metal. Then hunt for one more.

Or I could rest. Plan my stat distribution. But the tunnel was blocked. I had to dig out or wait for the corpse to decay. Current Stats (Level 2): HP: 15/17 (Regenerating) Mana: 12/12 (Full) Stamina: 8/22 (Low) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger (Undigested). Warg (Digesting). Loot: Warg Collar (Metal Item Available). Status: Level 2, Tunnel Blocked, 2 Stat Points to Distribute. What do you do? A) EAT THE COLLAR (EVOLUTION) Consume the metal collar immediately. Progress to 2/3 Metal for Ironband Evolution.

(Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Evolution Progress. Risk: None.) B) DISTRIBUTE STATS (DEFENSE/STRENGTH) Focus on survival. Put both points into Defense or Strength to handle future fights better. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Permanent Stat Boost. Risk: Delaying evolution.) C) DISTRIBUTE STATS (INTELLIGENCE/CHARISMA) Focus on magic and trickery. Prepare for higher-level deception or future Taunt skill. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Magic/Trickery Boost. Risk: Physical weakness.) D) DIG OUT (ESCAPE) Use your body to push the debris.

Clear the tunnel. Get out of the cramped space before more enemies arrive. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Mobility. Risk: Exhaustion.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. (Note: For B and C, specify stat distribution in comments if possible, or vote for the focus). [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 18! Option B (Taunt/Distraction) was a success! You lured the Warg into a trap and leveled up to Level 2!