Keiz stood frozen, staring at the lone chest in the middle of the hidden chamber.
It didn't make sense. Why would there be a chest here, hidden behind a secret wall? The dungeon so far had only been corridors and monsters, nothing else. But this… this was different.
The chest was large, old, its surface carved with strange symbols he couldn't recognize. Its wood was blackened with age, its iron frame dulled with rust. Yet despite the dust and grime, it wasn't broken down like the rest of the dungeon. It almost looked… preserved.
"…A chest," Keiz muttered to himself.
His voice echoed slightly through the chamber, bouncing back to him as if mocking his disbelief.
A normal person might have thought twice. A normal adventurer might have been suspicious. But Keiz had no equipment, no food, no weapon, nothing. His stomach gnawed at itself, his throat was dry, and his head pounded with exhaustion.
Hope was the only thing keeping his legs moving.
"If there's food inside… or maybe… something I can use as a weapon…" he whispered.
His body swayed as he stepped forward, barefoot on the cold stone. He had no strength to be cautious anymore. He just needed something—anything—to survive.
The chest sat with its lid slightly ajar. Just a crack. Just enough to tempt him.
Keiz crouched down. His hands shook, bloodstained and raw from crawling through the dungeon. He wiped them on his pants and reached out.
Creak—
The faintest sound came as his fingers touched the chest's lid. His heart skipped. He froze, staring at the tiny gap. His breath came out ragged, shallow.
"…It's fine. It has to be fine," he muttered, convincing himself.
He pulled the lid open.
And then—
SNAP!
A blur of movement. A deafening crunch.
Rows of teeth shot upward where wood should have been. The lid split open like a giant maw, jagged fangs dripping with saliva lunging straight for him.
"What—?!"
Before he could even react, the mimic bit down.
CRUNCH!
Keiz's world exploded into white-hot pain. His scream echoed through the chamber as his left arm disappeared inside the monster's mouth.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The mimic's fangs tore through flesh, crushed bone, ripped muscle. Blood sprayed across the ground, splattering against the black stone.
Keiz yanked back, but it was too late. His arm was gone, ripped clean from the shoulder down.
He collapsed, clutching the stump where his arm had been. Blood gushed between his fingers, pooling beneath him.
His vision shook violently. His ears rang. The pain was so intense that his mind couldn't even process it.
"No… no… no no no no!!" His voice cracked, breaking into sobs. "My… my arm… my arm!!"
The mimic slammed its lid shut, chewing loudly, the sound of bone crunching inside its mouth making Keiz want to vomit. Then it opened again, drool and blood dripping from its maw, red glowing eyes staring straight at him.
It wasn't a chest.
It was a monster.
A mimic.
The creature's tongue slithered out, licking the blood from the floor as it crawled forward on twisted limbs, its maw opening wide again.
Keiz tried to crawl backward, but his body refused to move. His strength was draining with every drop of blood spilling from his body.
His vision blurred. His breath came out shallow and ragged. His heart pounded, each beat weaker than the last.
"Not… like this… I can't…" he muttered, tears falling down his cheeks.
He thought of his father. How he wanted to impress him, to prove that he wasn't useless. That he could tame a monster, earn respect, and finally step out of the shadow of being called weak.
But now—he couldn't even protect himself. He couldn't even keep his own arm.
The mimic crept closer, its clawed legs scraping against the stone, its movements unnatural and jerky, like a puppet pulled by invisible strings.
Keiz pressed his back against the wall. He couldn't move anymore. His body was cold, his fingers numb, his blood leaving him faster than his will to fight.
Still, his right hand rose weakly, trembling, reaching toward the monster as if to hold it back.
"Stop… don't… come closer…" his words slurred. He didn't even know if he was speaking anymore.
Pain consumed him, but his mind refused to shut down. His thoughts scattered, fragments flashing before his fading vision.
Avin's smile before he betrayed him.
The thief Cian's annoyed voice.
Keska's false kindness.
The adventurer guild.
His father's face, always disappointed.
And now—this monster.
The mimic opened its jaws wider, saliva dripping in thick strands, hot breath brushing against his skin.
Keiz whimpered, tears mixing with blood on his face. His right arm still trembled, trying to hold the monster back, though he had no strength left to resist.
"I… I don't… want to die… not here…" he whispered. His voice cracked, barely audible.
His mind broke under the pain. He couldn't think anymore. Words spilled from his lips without meaning, fragmented mutterings he couldn't remember.
"…please… no… father… forgive me… I…"
The world tilted. His vision narrowed to a tunnel. The monster loomed larger, its fangs glistening, its eyes burning red.
And then—everything went dark.
Keiz lost consciousness.
The mimic crept closer, its maw stretching wide, ready to devour him whole.