Chương 37: Brick with Anxiety

Recap: You reached Level 3 and unlocked Taunt. You have 0 Stamina and are immobile. Prisoners are guarding you. You voted to DISTRIBUTE STATS (DEFENSE/HP). Being a statue sucks. I could think. I could feel. I could even see (via tremorsense). But I couldn't slide. I couldn't bite. I couldn't even close my lid properly without spending Stamina I didn't have. I was a loot box waiting to be opened. And not in the fun way. Focus, I thought. System. Menu. Stats. I couldn't move my muscles, but I could move my mind.

The level-up notification was still hovering in my peripheral vision. Two stat points. Glowing blue. I chose the closest thing to "not dying." SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Level Up Bonus Applied: HP Max: 17 → 19 (+2) MP Max: 12 → 14 (+2) SP Max: 22 → 24 (+2) Stat Points Available: 2 Distribution: Defense +2 New Defense: 13 (Base 5 + Ironband 5 + Stats 3) Current HP: 10/19 Current MP: 6/14 Current SP: 0/24 I felt… denser. My iron bands hummed.

The scratches from the cultist blades seemed to shallow slightly, the metal knitting together faster. I wasn't just a chest anymore. I was a vault. A bunker. A very anxious bunker.

"Did you see that glow?" Kara (the woman) asked. She was bandaging her arm with a strip of cloth from a dead cultist.

"The box… it leveled up." Torin (the man with the sword) wiped blood off his blade.

"Mimics don't level up. They're monsters. Beasts."

"It talked," Renn (the third prisoner) whispered. He was young. Maybe sixteen.

"It said 'Go'. I heard it."

"It creaked," Torin corrected.

"Wood creaks."

"It creaked words," Kara insisted. She walked over to me. She looked into my slightly open lid.

"Hey… Box. Can you understand me?" Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I wanted to nod. I couldn't. I wanted to say Yes, I'm Alex, I died from a vending machine, and I really need to pee. Instead, I vibrated my lid. Buzz.

"See?" Kara said.

"It's intelligent." Torin sheathed his sword.

"Intelligent or not, we need to move. The noise… it'll bring more. We need to find the exit."

"Exit is blocked," Renn said. He pointed to the tunnel we came from.

"More cultists. I heard them shouting."

"Then we go forward," Kara said. She pointed to the wall behind the cages. The wall I had felt vibrating. There was a door there. I hadn't mentioned it yet because I couldn't move. It was made of black stone. No handle. Just a keyhole that looked like a dead eye. Wait, I thought. That keyhole… it looks like mine. My tremorsense pinged the door. It wasn't just wood and stone. It was alive. Like me. But… bigger. Older. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Stamina Regenerated: +1 (1 per minute) Current SP: 1/24 One point.

I could move. Barely. I shifted my base. Scrape. The prisoners jumped.

"It's moving!" I slid toward the door. Slowly. Painfully. My stamina bar was a red sliver.

"Wait!" Kara said.

"Don't touch that! It's… wrong." I ignored her. I had to know. I pressed my front against the black stone. It was cold. Colder than the sewer. The keyhole pulsed. A faint green light. Click. The door didn't open. It… absorbed me? No. It recognized me. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Detection: Dungeon Sub-Core Fragment Compatibility: Mimic (High) Warning: Unauthorized Access The ground shook. Dust fell from the ceiling. The vibration wasn't coming from behind the door anymore. It was coming from inside the door.

And it was waking up. My stamina ticked up again. 2/24.

"Back away!" Torin yelled. He raised his sword.

"The wall is breathing!" He was right. The black stone was expanding. Contracting. Like a lung. I had enough stamina to bite. Or run. Or use my new skill. Taunt. It cost 3 MP. I had 6 MP. I could use it once. Maybe twice if I waited. If I Taunted the door… would it open? Or would it attack? If I ran… I'd leave the prisoners. If I bit the door… would it taste like magic? The door bulged outward. A crack formed. Green light spilled out.

Current Stats (Level 3 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 10/19 (Regen pending) Mana: 6/14 (Undead Flesh Penalty Active) Stamina: 2/24 (Critical) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Mobile (Minimal), Sub-Core Door Activating, Prisoners Panicking. What do you do? A) USE TAUNT (AGGRESSIVE) Use your new skill on the door. Force it to react. Maybe it opens, maybe it attacks. (Cost: 3 MP. Gain: Interaction. Risk: Hostile Response.) B) BITE THE DOOR (CONSUME) Try to eat the magic stone.

It's high-level material. Could be evolution food. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Potential XP/Material. Risk: Magic Backlash.) C) FLEE (SURVIVAL) Turn around. Slide back to the prisoners. Let them deal with the magic door. (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Safety in numbers. Risk: Door chases.) D) COMMUNICATE (WARNING) Creak loudly at the prisoners. Warn them to run. Sacrifice your stamina to save them. (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Ally Survival. Risk: You stay behind.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins.

[Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 36! Option A (Stats) made you tankier! You're Level 3, Defense 13, but still low on Stamina. The mysterious door is a Dungeon Sub-Core Fragment!