I never thought I'd die in such a stupid way.
Not during some epic battle.
Not saving the world.
Not even in a dramatic accident.
I was simply driving home from work.
I remember the car lights.
The screech of tires.
And a brief thought:
"Really? This is how it ends?"
Then there was only darkness.
…
Silence.
A long, endless silence.
I don't know how much time passed before I regained consciousness. A second? An hour? Or maybe years?
The first thing I felt was… a strange heaviness.
Like I was trapped inside something.
I tried to move my arm.
Nothing.
I tried to move my leg.
Nothing either.
Panicking, I tried to open my eyes.
But I couldn't even do that.
"What is…?"
I tried to scream.
No sound escaped my throat.
And then I realized something even more terrifying.
I couldn't feel my body.
Not at all.
As if it weren't there.
"Easy... easy..." I tried to calm my thoughts.
Maybe it was a dream.
Yes. It had to be a dream.
A nightmare.
Unfortunately, nightmares usually end.
This one didn't.
After a while, I started to notice something strange.
I felt the space around me.
Cool, damp air.
A stone floor.
The smell of... earth?
Slowly, I began to understand one thing.
I was somewhere underground.
A dungeon?
I didn't have time to finish that thought.
Because suddenly...
I heard voices.
"Do you think there's anything left here?"
"This dungeon is almost cleared."
"Shut up and search. Maybe we'll find a chest."
"A chest?"
The footsteps were getting closer.
Closer and closer.
" My heart—if I still had any—started pounding like crazy.
"Hello?! Is anyone here?!"
Of course, no one heard me.
Because I couldn't speak.
Suddenly, I felt something strange.
A touch.
Someone… touched me.
"Oh! I told you we'd find something!"
"Really? A chest?"
"Open it!"
"Wait.
A chest?
Why are they talking about a chest?"
And then…
something strange happened.
My "field of vision" suddenly opened.
I had no eyes.
And yet I saw.
Three men in armor stood before me. One of them held a torch.
And I…
I was standing on the ground.
No.
I was lying down.
Because I was…
a wooden chest.
…
"Wait."
"Wait, wait, wait."
"WHY AM I A CHEST?!"
"Okay, I'll open it," one of them said.
His hand reached for my lid.
I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt a strange instinct.
As if something inside me…
waiting.
Click.
The lid opened.
And then…
something inside me exploded.
My "body" moved on its own.
Sharp, monstrous teeth shot out from inside the box.
"WHAT THE—"
CHOMP.
The scream stopped immediately.
Warm liquid spread throughout my body.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence.
The other adventurers stared at me in horror.
And I…
was just beginning to understand what had happened.
Then something even stranger appeared before my eyes.
Glowing letters.
STATUS UPDATED
+50 EXP
Level increased!
Unlocked Skill: Camouflage Lv.1
Evolution available at level 10
I stared at it in utter shock.
"Did I just..."
"I ate a human?"
The second adventurer suddenly shouted,
"IT'S A MIMIC! RUN!"
But it was too late.
Because I, too, had just realized one thing.
If I wanted to survive in this world...
I'd have to eat them all.
After that first, terrifying confrontation, silence passed.
Not a pleasant and peaceful silence, but a silence that practically screamed, "Survive or die."
I couldn't feel my body, and yet... I knew I could move.
Every movement was awkward, clumsy.
My "legs"—if you could even call them that—slid slowly across the ground.
I tried to understand what had happened to my brain.
I was no longer human.
I was no longer an ordinary being.
I was... something else.
A monster, a chest that survived thanks to the blood of the first hero.
And then… the system appeared.
The status again flashed in the air before me:
STATUS UPDATED Level: 2 HP: 30 Mana: 6 Skills: • Camouflage Lv. 1 • Slam Jaws Lv. 1 Evolution Points: 0
"Level 2…?" I thought.
I didn't feel stronger, but suddenly my teeth were sharper.
And instinctively I knew: I could react faster.
The next minutes were chaotic.
The rest of the adventurers fled, and I had to learn to survive on my own.
Every sound of footsteps, every echo in the dungeon was a potential threat.
Every uncertain decision could result in… another "feed" or my end.
The first night was long.
With each minute, I learned to control my movements.
Even though I was a box, I could now twist, move away, and… even track the movements of intruders.
My eyes, though I didn't have them, could see.
My perception is growing, I thought, piercing the shadows.
In the morning, something else dawned on me.
I wasn't alone in the dungeon.
Other creatures, small monsters that had seemed harmless until then, suddenly began to investigate me.
Some left, others watched.
Instinctively, I knew this could be my chance to learn and experience.
Several days passed, and every movement, every interaction with this world gave me EXP.
My skills slowly unlocked:
New skill unlocked: False Treasure Lv. 1
The first attempts were comical.
When I tried to lure a small goblin with false treasure, it immediately realized something was wrong… and fled in panic.
I felt neither joy nor sadness.
I felt only an instinct: to survive.
Each experience increased my power.
A few days later… a team of heroes appeared.
This time stronger.
More members, better equipment.
I knew I couldn't just devour them all.
Not yet.
But the system still pulsated before my "eyes":
Evolution available after reaching level 5
"Level 5..." I thought.
I didn't know how long it would take, but I knew one thing: if I wanted to survive in this world, I would have to become better.
Not a human, not a hero.
A Mimic. A monster. And something more.
That evening, I heard their conversations:
"Have you heard of that cursed chest?"
"Yes... apparently it eats anyone who tries to open it."
"Sounds like a legend... but best not to find out."
I smiled.
I had no mouth, but I felt satisfaction.
The legend... began now.
And then I heard something else.
A soft crack from behind the wall.
It wasn't the echo of an ordinary dungeon.
It was... something bigger.
Something that made my EXP points tremble in the system.
I was no longer the most dangerous creature in the dungeon… and I had no idea who was coming.