"Be careful."
Upon reaching the platform, Gauss quickly regained his composure.
He glanced at the bubbling green acid pool emitting white fumes at his feet, the pungent odor and unsettling sight instinctively making one uncomfortable, then averted his gaze.
Moving cautiously toward the platform's center with Aria, they examined every step carefully, wary of potential trigger traps.
However, aside from a few loose and sunken ordinary floor tiles, there seemed to be no other abnormalities along the way.
Yet the acidic, rotting stench in the air grew increasingly thick.
"Cough cough." Aria cleared her throat lightly.
Finally entering the effective range of Mage Hand, Gauss concentrated.
A magical hand rapidly materialized before him.
Unfortunately, the Identify Spell required physical contact and couldn't be cast remotely—otherwise using it to identify the target beforehand would have been safer.The Mage Hand floated leisurely toward the treasure chest.
It was only then Gauss noticed several peculiar green plants emitting soft white light growing atop the chest—these were what provided illumination, making the chest so conspicuous from afar.
The Mage Hand reached the chest.
The container wasn't locked, appearing ready to open at any moment.
Gauss attempted to make the Mage Hand penetrate the chest to probe its interior,
He turned to exchange a meaningful glance with Aria,
then retrieved the Hundred Bone Staff from his Storage Bag.
Originally, he hadn't planned to use offensive spells for probing, uncertain about the contents—if they were fragile, reckless spell attacks might damage potential treasures.
But now, safety took priority.
A deep blue Magic Missile swiftly condensed before him.
"Boom!"
The Magic Missile streaked through the air at incredible speed,
reaching the chest in nearly the blink of an eye.
Just as the missile was about to hit its target, a sudden change occurred!
The chest shifted slightly, causing the missile to deflect off its surface with a peculiar force.
This movement revealed the chest's true form—the embedded gems instantly transformed into crimson eyeballs,
while the lid sprang open to reveal a gaping maw filled with yellowish-brown fangs.
An astonishingly thick, mucus-covered green tongue lashed out.
A mimic chest!
Gauss wasn't entirely surprised by this outcome—it was either a treasure chest or a trap, a fifty-fifty chance.
Mimic chests were magical creatures with challenge ratings of level 2 or higher,
possessing perfect mimicry abilities. When transformed, they could not only imitate chest appearances but even conjure convincing "treasures" inside.
Meaning if someone opened it carelessly, they'd genuinely see glittering jewels and gold—only to have their hand severed by the creature's terrifying jaws and fangs.
Moreover, while weaker in combat compared to most monsters of equivalent levels, they still possessed elite monster capabilities.
Their undersides were covered with countless tiny tentacle-like pseudopods that granted them remarkable jumping and movement abilities.
Their bite force was also exceptional, teeth enhanced by mysterious energy that could crush not just flesh but even steel and jade.
They also secreted corrosive mucus to capture prey or disarm opponents.
"Prepare for battle!"
As the two activated the mimic, a dozen green jelly-like acid slimes emerged from the bubbling acid pools at the platform's edges, surrounding them.
Meanwhile, the hanging green vegetation on the ceiling rocks fell away, revealing clusters of crawling insects about a dozen centimeters large—two common monster types: acid slimes and shrub insects.
So there were other hidden monsters?
Perhaps like attracted like—all these creatures shared environmental camouflage abilities.
"!!"
Ulfen howled as Eck took flight.
Gauss gathered two blue energy orbs at his staff tip, targeting one acid slime and one shrub insect.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
One of each fell instantly, unlocking entries 22 and 23 in the Monster Encyclopedia.
Acid slimes were more dangerous than regular slimes—upon death, they exploded like small acid bombs, splattering corrosive green liquid that sizzled on the ground with acrid white smoke.
Shrub insects were relatively weaker, crawling about with clumps of dark green shrubs growing on their backs—their only notable trait being excellent camouflage.
Perhaps only someone completely inattentive and barefoot might get bitten passing by.
After swiftly dispatching these minor foes to expand the encyclopedia, Gauss focused entirely on the mimic before him.
"I'll handle this. Stay alert."
"Understood. I'll manage the rest."
Though primarily skilled in support abilities, Aria's Entangling Roots sufficed to clear surrounding monsters without disturbing Gauss's fight.
As usual, Gauss first cast Enhanced Jump to boost mobility,
then faced his charging opponent.
Its hard shell was coated with magical armor unique to monsters—
explaining why the Mage Hand had encountered an impenetrable wall earlier.
Now, that stench-laden tongue dripping with corrosive mucus lashed out viciously.
Gauss pushed off forcefully, rapidly retreating.
"Sizzle sizzle!"
Several mucus droplets landed on him, immediately emitting pungent white smoke.
Thankfully, Gauss Field's protection prevented harm,
though he could feel the field weakening significantly from the corrosive attack.
While far from breaking, this indicated he couldn't rely solely on defense.
"Bang!"
Another Magic Missile fired, but the mimic instantly retracted into its shell, deflecting the attack.
Essentially, this shell wasn't part of its body but an ultra-hard armor formed from long-term secretion and compression, far surpassing flesh defenses.
Its reactions were remarkably fast—every time Gauss launched a Magic Missile, it promptly turtled up.
Only when lunging close would it open wide to bite.
Gauss also preferred not engaging a mimic at close quarters—it left little casting opportunity and made melee combat awkward.
Several times, it nearly disarmed him with its tongue.
That prehensile appendage proved alarmingly swift and flexible—momentary inattention meant losing weapons.
Truthfully, as a level 2 monster, this mimic didn't pose overwhelming threat—just proved annoyingly cunning.
While dodging attacks and planning counterattacks, Gauss's eyes continuously scanned the terrain.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.