Chương 20: Tank Mode Activated

Recap: You killed a Warg and reached Level 2. You voted to DISTRIBUTE STATS (DEFENSE/STRENGTH). Leveling up felt like getting a firmware update for my soul. I focused on the two stat points hovering in my mental interface. I needed to survive. Wood burns. Wood splinters. Wood gets scratched by claws. I needed to be less… wood-like. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONStat Distribution: Strength: 4 → 5Defense: 5 → 6Remaining Points: 0 I felt the change immediately. The iron bands around my sides tightened.

The wood grain became denser, darker. When I shifted my weight, I felt heavier. Solid. I wasn't just a box anymore. I was a fortress. Now, about that snack. The Warg's corpse was cooling in front of me. Around its neck was a thick leather collar with an iron buckle and a rusted chain tag. Metal, I thought. Item number two. I opened my false bottom. My tongue lashed out, grabbing the collar. I pulled it into my stomach. It landed next to the dagger with a heavy clunk.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONItem Acquired: Warg Collar (Iron)Type: Metal (Undigested)Evolution Progress (Ironband): 2/3 ItemsXP Gained: 0 (Consumption only)Current XP: 55/50 (Level 2) One more. I just needed one more metal item, and I could evolve into an Ironband Mimic. +5 Defense. Slam attack. Thicker bands. I'd be practically invincible against basic weapons. But first, I had to get out of this tomb. The stone slab blocked the tunnel behind the Warg. It was heavy. Maybe two hundred pounds.

Normally, my carrying capacity (Strength × 10 lbs) was 40 lbs. I couldn't budge it. But I had Strength 5 now. 50 lbs capacity. Still not enough. Wait, I thought. I don't have to lift it. I have to wedge it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I positioned myself under the slab. I expanded my lid slightly, creating leverage against the tunnel walls. I pushed with my base muscles. I pushed with my lid. I pushed with everything I had. Grrrrrrrr… The stone groaned.

Dust rained down. My Stamina bar dipped. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONStamina Cost: 5 SP (Heavy Lift)Current SP: 3/22 Crack. The slab shifted. Just enough. I slid out from under it, into the main corridor of Floor 2. I was free. But I was exhausted. 3 Stamina left. I couldn't fight. I couldn't run. I could barely slide. I needed to find cover. Or food. Or metal. My tremorsense pinged. I turned it on. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONSkill Used: TremorsenseCost: 1 MP/secCurrent MP: 11/12 The vibrations were… strange. Not monsters.

Not animals. Click. Click. Click. Mechanical. Rhythmic. Coming from the wall to my left. Behind the dirt. Behind the stone. It sounded like… picks? Mining? Goblins didn't mine with rhythm. Rats didn't mine at all. Adventurers usually smashed things, not clicked them. Was there a secret room? A hidden mining operation? Or… was this the Dungeon Core remodeling? I was too tired to investigate. But if I stayed here, I'd die of exhaustion. If I went toward the noise, I might find metal (tools?).

If I went away, I might find safety. Current Stats (Level 2): HP: 15/17 (Regenerating) Mana: 11/12 (Tremorsense active) Stamina: 3/22 (Critical Low) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger (Undigested). Warg Collar (Undigested). Warg (Digesting). Status: Exhausted, Evolution Ready (2/3 Metal), Mystery Noise Detected. What do you do? A) INVESTIGATE THE NOISE Slide toward the clicking. It might be miners with metal tools (Evolution Item 3). Risky but high reward. (Cost: 2 SP. Reward: Potential Metal Item. Risk: Hostile Miners.) B) FIND A HIDDEN CORNER (REST) Ignore the noise. Find a safe spot to regenerate Stamina. Survival first, evolution second. (Cost: 0 SP. Time Skip: 30 Mins. Reward: SP Regen. Risk: Noise might find you.) C) EAT THE WARG CORPSE (FULLY) You only ate the collar. The rest of the Warg is still outside the tunnel. Go back and eat the meat. Gain HP/XP buffer. (Cost: 2 SP. Reward: HP Full, XP Gain. Risk: Exposed while eating.) D) FOLLOW THE VIBRATIONS (FLEE) The noise is scary.

Move away from it toward Floor 1 (Exit). Find a safe zone to rest there. (Cost: 3 SP. Reward: Safety. Risk: Running out of Stamina mid-travel.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 19! Option B (Stats) made you tougher! You're now Strength 5 / Defense 6. You ate the collar (2/3 Metal), but you're exhausted from escaping the tunnel.