Chương 8: The Art of Doing Nothing

Recap: A battle erupted between the Rat King and Chief Grumble. You voted to HIDE IN THE ALCOVE. Cowardice is just survival with better branding. I slid into the niche. It was tight. Dust bunnies (actually spider webs) clung to my corners. I pulled my lid down. Click. The false bottom settled into place. The teeth were hidden. The blood was hidden. I was just a box again. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONSkill Activated: CamouflageCondition: Motionless + Lid ClosedEffect: Indistinguishable from normal chest.

I shut off my Tremorsense. It was draining mana I couldn't spare. I relied on my passive vibration sense instead. Free, always on, range 2 ft. Outside the alcove, the battle raged. I felt the thuds. The squeals. The wet crunch of rat teeth on goblin leather. It was symphonic. A symphony of violence, and I had the best seat in the house. Thump. (Goblin fell) Skitter. (Rats swarmed) Roar. (Grumble? No, too high pitched. Rat King.) Ten minutes passed. My stamina ticked up. My mana crept back.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONStamina Regenerated: +10 (1 per minute)Current SP: 20/20Mana Regenerated: +1 (1 per 10 minutes)Current MP: 5/10 The vibrations stopped. Silence. Heavy. Thick. I waited another minute. Then another. Ambush predators love a quiet room. Finally, I cracked the lid. Just a sliver. Enough to see. The corridor was a slaughterhouse. Goblin bodies lay intertwined with rat carcasses. Blood pooled on the stone. Smoke from the torches hung low, stinging my… well, stinging the air around me.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Chief Grumble was gone. Either he fled or the rats dragged him off. I hoped he fled. I wanted a rematch. Eventually. When I had legs. Or fire resistance. The Rat King was gone too. Probably licking his wounds. But the loot… oh, the loot. A dead goblin warrior lay three feet from my alcove. He had a silver ring on his finger. Another had a pouch that burst open, spilling copper coins.

And there, on the chest of a dead rat, was a shiny metal tag. Jackpot, I thought. But wait. My passive vibration sense picked up something new. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Heavy boots. Metal shod. Not goblin bare feet. Not rat claws. Human. An adventurer was walking down the corridor. Probably drawn by the noise. They were humming. A cheerful, off-key tune. They stopped near the bodies.

"Well, well," a male voice said.

"Looks like a party happened. And everyone forgot to invite me." He kicked a goblin corpse.

"Dead. Rat bits. Hobgoblin blood?" He sniffed.

"Fresh." He turned. He was looking right at my alcove. I froze. Lid open a crack. Camouflage broken. He squinted.

"Is that… a chest?" He started walking toward me. Current Stats: HP: 12/15 (Fire damage remains) Mana: 5/10 (Regenerated) Stamina: 20/20 (Regenerated) Inventory: Spider Web, 3 Pebbles. Grib (Digesting - 2 hours 20 mins left). Status: Hidden (Compromised), Adventurer Approaching, Loot Nearby. What do you do? A) SLAM LID & HOLD BREATH Close the lid immediately. Hope he thinks you're just normal loot. He might try to pick you up. (Cost: 0 SP. Camouflage Re-engages. Risk: He might carry you away.) B) AMBUSH THE LOOTER He's close. Too close. Wait for him to reach down, then BITE. Surprise attack. (Cost: 2 SP. Damage: 2-6. Risk: He might be high level.) C) REGURGITATE THE WEB You have a Spider Web in inventory. Spit it at his face. Blind him. Then assess. (Cost: 1 SP. Lose Spider Web. Distraction.) D) PLAY "TRAPPED CHEST" Rattle your lid violently. Make noise like a mechanical trap. Scare him off without fighting. (Cost: 0 SP. Charisma Check. Risk: He might try to disarm you.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS.

Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 7! Option B (Hide) was the smart move. You survived the battle intact and regenerated stats, but now a new threat has arrived.