Chapter 8

Thanks to everyone, we managed to reach 7th place in the daily overall rankings. If you enjoyed it, I would appreciate your evaluations, subscriptions, and comments.

Rufus, who had suffered a severe injury to his groin, seemed likely to become incapacitated, and the stewardship might be passed to his younger brother Lloyd. While listening to the maid's story as if it were transparent, Zeo decided to swallow his frustration when he saw Rufus still protecting his groin. Even after a night had passed, the handsome man was still teary-eyed and holding his groin, which was truly refreshing to watch.

(Maybe being near the young lady raises your level?)

While Charlotte was at the academy, organizing today's schedule, Zeo, who had reached level 8 just by executing a "zama" (humiliation), was thinking about this. He realized that the mechanism was different from normal combat; instead of gaining experience points, you level up when you successfully execute a "zama."

(If that's the case, it might be better to raise my level while protecting Charlotte, but then I won't accumulate SP, and I won't be able to evolve into a Human Chimera.)

(There's no choice... I'll have to go over the mountain to raise my level and SP.)

Although he was worried about leaving Charlotte alone, he thought it was for the future and, with a heavy heart, left the range of the magic item that repelled monsters by crossing the mountain. Today, he had time, so he started exploring, hoping to find souvenirs like grand berries along with the monsters. After a while, Zeo found a slightly larger cave.

At first, he thought it was a natural formation and went in a little, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the walls were covered with deep scratches, as if made by a giant and extremely thick claw.

(This is scary. Is there really a monster that can do this?)

He tried scratching the rock wall with his claws, but it only left a slight mark. Instead, he broke one of his claws from using too much force. He wanted to cry.

(Maybe I need the "Rending Strike" skill... It not only increases damage from claws and fangs but also makes them less likely to break... Huh?)

While thinking about how to manage his SP and walking through the forest, he found a wooden treasure chest.

(A treasure chest! I wonder what's inside?)

Zeo's excitement soared. Dragons, weapons, and treasure chests are the romance of fantasy. At this moment, he lost all interest in anything other than the treasure chest and pounced on it as if he had forgotten himself.

(... Wait, this texture... it's not wood, is it?)

Instead of the unique texture of wood, it felt hard and rough like stone. Despite his confusion, he tried to open it, but suddenly the treasure chest rammed into his face.

"Yow!?"

It was a complete surprise. The sharp, nose-piercing blow made him stagger as he glared at the treasure chest. There, a treasure chest with unusually thin limbs was standing in a fighting stance.

Species: Kung Fu Mimic

Level: 8

HP: 201/201

MP: 198/198

Attack: 101

Defense: 300

Magic: 103

Agility: 208

Skills:

《Mimicry: Level 7》《Stealth: Level 6》《Tile Breaking: Level 4》

《Earth Magic: Level 2》《Box Armor: Level 5》

Titles:

《Living Treasure Chest》《Assassin》《Mad Box》《Fighter》

(What is this thing!? It has stats that could kill about fifty Rufuses at once!?)

While its magic and attack power were not particularly high, its defense was abnormally high, and its agility was also very high, making it a difficult opponent to defeat. It seemed that the Kung Fu Mimic had no intention of letting him go, as it started doing shadow boxing towards Zeo.

【Kung Fu Mimic. A mimic, a subspecies of the mimic that mimics a treasure chest. It combines the mimic's characteristic defense and agile fighting skills. It is also known for its ferocity, never letting its opponent go, and no one knows what is inside the treasure chest.】

Despite its name, it uses karate and boxing. Without the "Status View" skill, he might have misjudged its strength based on its unreliable limbs and comical appearance.

(The enemy won't let me go, and I won't let it go either... I'll knock it down, take its SP and experience, and then check what's inside the treasure chest.)

Still curious about the contents of the treasure chest, Zeo growled, signaling the start of the battle. The Kung Fu Mimic leaped towards Zeo's head, using the ground and tree trunks as launch points. Reacting to the unexpected acrobatic movement, Zeo received a hand strike on his back.

"Ugh!?"

Crack! His scales cracked. This attack, which compensated for the stat difference and delivered a decisive blow, was likely due to the "Tile Breaking" skill. However, everything went according to Zeo's plan until he received the attack. The main move was a counter... he punched the Kung Fu Mimic with his hard-scaled fist.

(... It hurts so much!?)

But the treasure chest was still unscathed. Instead, Zeo was the one who took damage. His scales flaked off, and blood seeped out. In this world, stats are affected by invisible modifiers based on the creature's characteristics and equipment. Even if there is a stat difference, the larger creature might still be stronger, and a human with 50 defense might have a practical value of around 150 with armor. The Kung Fu Mimic, covered in a material like stone, probably had a practical defense value of around 400. After failing the counter, the Kung Fu Mimic kicked Zeo repeatedly.

(Blah! Blah! Blah! ... Damn it...! Stop it already!)

Fortunately, there was a significant difference in strength and defense between the enemy and Zeo, and Zeo's scales provided a slight modifier. He had already figured out that the "Tile Breaking" skill only affected hand strikes. He focused on blocking hand strikes with both arms and ignored the smaller attacks to create an opening.

"Roar!!"

Zeo's most powerful attack, "Fire Breath," exploded. The Kung Fu Mimic was blown away, emitting white smoke, but based on Zeo's experience, he knew it wasn't down yet. This time, he aimed his fireball at the exposed legs.

(If I take out the legs, I can toy with it!)

The legs, not covered in stone, should not have the same defensive modifier. However, Zeo's attempt to turn the tide was thwarted when the Kung Fu Mimic suddenly retracted its limbs into the treasure chest. The fireball hit, and when the smoke cleared, there was only a slightly burned treasure chest.

(No way! Can you really defend like that!?)

Zeo, whose weak points were covered, was teary-eyed. It was probably due to the "Box Armor" skill. The Kung Fu Mimic extended its limbs again and approached. Zeo aimed his fireball at its legs, but the Kung Fu Mimic seemed to have learned. It dodged the three consecutive "Fire Breath" attacks with a forward roll, side roll, and backflip.

"Fire Breath" is excellent for physical destruction but has a low hit rate among the three breath attacks. Zeo tried the faster "Electric Breath," but the Kung Fu Mimic, likely judging the launch point, never stood directly in front of his mouth, and all the straight-line breaths were dodged.

(Ah, you're so nimble! If that's the case, how about this!)

Despite its high defense and agility, and its high intelligence, Zeo still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He unleashed the hard-to-dodge "Cold Breath." The three breath attacks each had their strengths and weaknesses. "Fire Breath" had high power but was easy to judge, "Electric Breath" had speed and range but a narrow area, and "Cold Breath" had lower power but a wide area and the ability to immobilize the opponent.

If he could immobilize the opponent, he could take his time to find a way to defeat it, and with multiple layers, he might even be able to freeze it to death. However, the Kung Fu Mimic suddenly placed its hand on the ground, and soil and rocks formed a spear. It then spun rapidly, using the soil and rock spear like a wheel in front of its body, scattering the freezing breath and turning it into mist.

(What the... How much of a fighter are you!? For a treasure chest!)

The Kung Fu Mimic probably used the "Earth Magic" skill to form its armor, the treasure chest. Zeo never expected it to use a spear and defend against the "Cold Breath" like an action movie. Stunned, Zeo watched as the Kung Fu Mimic tauntingly wiggled its hand at him.

(... Fine, you bastard. I'll definitely beat you and get what's inside the treasure chest!!)

Still not giving up on the contents of the treasure chest, Zeo charged at the Kung Fu Mimic. Fortunately, the soil and rock spear, made of poor materials, crumbled with one hit, but Zeo's disadvantage remained. The battle between the two monsters, which had turned into a prolonged fight, was difficult to overcome due to the level and stat differences. Zeo, breathing heavily, glared at the Kung Fu Mimic, which only had a slight burn mark.

Name: Zeo

Species: Proto Chimera

Level: 8

HP: 33/248

MP: 11/237

Species: Kung Fu Mimic

Level: 8

HP: 171/201

MP: 9/198

Both were running low on MP, but there was a significant difference in HP. If this continued, defeat was inevitable. Although he could choose to flee with his wings, Zeo didn't like the idea of retreating in such a disgraceful manner. Therefore, he decided to launch his final attack.

(Probably, under these conditions, it will have more power than "Fire Breath." I have to rely on this.)

He stomped the ground with his beast's legs. Seeing this as an opening, the Kung Fu Mimic used its remaining MP to form a soil and rock spear and slashed at Zeo's arm.

"......!!"

Biting back a scream of pain, Zeo swung the soil and rock spear away with his bleeding arm, broke it, and grabbed the Kung Fu Mimic on both sides, lifting it with his entire body. He flapped his bird wings and soared high into the sky.

(It hurts! It hurts! Stop struggling!)

The Kung Fu Mimic struggled, attacking Zeo with its fists and knees, but the attacks were weak due to the poor position. Despite his fatigue and blood loss, Zeo pushed himself to the limit and, at the highest point, casually dropped the Kung Fu Mimic.

The treasure chest, accelerating due to gravity and weight, fell straight to the ground. Zeo followed up with a "Fire Breath," causing an explosion that further accelerated the fall.

(Please! Die! If not, I have no other options! Show me what's inside the treasure chest... Show me what's inside the treasure chest!!)

Even if the attacks didn't penetrate, the shock would pass through the armor. Zeo, who had thrown the Kung Fu Mimic from a great height to a place with no trees or grass, where the rock surface was exposed, watched the landing point with a mix of hope and expectation as he descended.

Bang!!

With such a crushing sound, fresh blood and internal organs splattered everywhere. Forgetting to look away at the grotesque scene, Zeo roared to the heavens.

(The contents are just internal organs!?)

Defeating a mimic to get the contents of the treasure chest was just a fantasy in games. The chimera had grown a little wiser.

(It hurts... Is this what they mean by "a labor of love" ...)

After that, Zeo hid in the first cave he found and focused on recovering his HP and MP over time. He was teary-eyed, having had his romantic notions about treasure chests shattered. However, he did gain something.

(I got 100 SP, and my level is 11. For some reason, my "Mental Resistance" skill is level 3.)

Was it due to the frustration of his attacks not working, or did the treasure chest have some unknown mental interference effect that couldn't be detected by stats? For now, he was too tired to think and focused on relaxing and recovering.

Since his rebirth, his injuries healed very quickly. It seemed that HP and physical damage were closely linked. While a missing limb would not heal, a small hole would close within half a day as HP recovered. There were many status effects that prevented natural recovery, such as poison, bleeding, and exhaustion, but none of these were present in his current stats. After resting until noon and recovering about 70% of his HP and MP, Zeo yawned and got up.

(Probably, it's not the level but the stats of the monsters that determine the amount of experience and SP. I didn't get as much from defeating a higher-level Gray Wolf as I did from the Kung Fu Mimic.)

There was a significant difference in stats between individuals who had experienced evolution and those who had not. While thinking about targeting such big catches in the future, he left the cave and unexpectedly ran into a middle-aged man in a white ceremonial robe.

"I've been feeling a strong presence... Is someone here... Oh?"

For a moment, Zeo froze, forgetting to use "Invisibility." He couldn't tell if the man would attack him as an enemy or if he would run away upon seeing a monster. He looked at the man's entire appearance.

His hair was slicked back in a perfect side part, and his chest, visible through the likely modified ceremonial robe, was thick and hairy. His limbs were muscular, and his lips were thick. Most notably, he had impressively long lower eyelashes, characteristic of a priest.

"Oh! I thought it was someone else, but