[Hunger: 20/100]
[Status: Level 3 (Lesser Wood Mimic)]
Victory was sweet, but silence was long.
Hours turned into a day. A day turned into two. In the dark, damp silence of the dungeon, time didn't flow; it stagnated. I sat in my corner, my lid shut tight, watching the same single torch on the wall flicker and die, plunging my room into oppressive darkness.
Being a Mimic was 10% adrenaline-fueled murder and 90% acting like a piece of furniture.
I was bored. Boredom for a human means scrolling through a phone; boredom for a Mimic means contemplating the texture of the moss growing on the north wall.
*Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.*
My sensory vibrations picked up something small. Not the heavy, rhythmic thud of human boots, but something skittering. Fast. Low to the ground.
[Warning: Pest Detected.]
A Giant Rat, the size of a fat badger, scurried into the room. Its eyes were milky red, and its yellow incisors looked sharp enough to puncture wood. It didn't care about gold. It cared about the smell of the dried blood on my hinges.
The rat approached me. To my horror, it didn't look at me with fear. It sniffed my base, then opened its mouth and *gnawed* on my corner.
[HP: 49/50]
[-1 HP. Wood integrity compromised.]
"Hey! Get off me, you furry parasite!" I screamed internally.
I tried to use *Hop*, but the rat was too fast. It jumped back, then lunged again, taking another splinter out of my "foot." If I let this continue, I'd be nothing but sawdust before the next adventurer showed up.
I needed to hunt.
I focused on the hunger. I focused on the long, muscular appendage coiled inside me.
[Skill Unlocked: Tongue Lash (Lvl 1)]
[Effect: A high-velocity strike using your prehensile tongue. Reach: 3 feet.]
The rat lunged for a third bite. I didn't wait for it to touch me.
*THWIP!*
My lid flew open, and my purple, slime-coated tongue whipped out like a cracked lash. It caught the rat mid-air, wrapping around its middle.
"Squeak—!"
[SNAP!]
I pulled the rat into my maw and slammed my lid. It wasn't a satisfying crunch like the Warrior's armor; it was soft, furry, and tasted like sewer water.
[Pest Defeated: Giant Rat (Lvl 1)]
[Experience Gained: 10 XP]
[Hunger: 25/100]
[Title Acquired: Pest Control]
[Effect: +5% damage against vermin-type enemies.]
It was a drop in the bucket for my XP bar, but it taught me a vital lesson: I didn't have to wait for the door to open. My tongue was a tool. A weapon.
I began to experiment. I spent the next few hours practicing with my tongue, flicking it out to catch flies, or using it to grab the rusty shortsword left behind by the Rogue. I couldn't "wield" the sword like a human, but I could swing it around like a drunken blender.
[Skill Unlocked: Bio-Detection (Passive)]
[Effect: You can 'hear' the heartbeats of living creatures within a 15-foot radius.]
Suddenly, my new passive skill pulsed.
*Thump-thump. Thump-thump.*
It was faint, but it was there. Multiple heartbeats. Not one, not two... but a whole pack. And they weren't coming from the door. They were coming from the ventilation shaft in the ceiling.
Green, warty hands gripped the edge of the stone vent.
Goblins.
They weren't here to explore. They were here to scavenge. And unfortunately for them, I was tired of eating rats.
"Lunch is back on the menu," I thought, my hinges creaking with anticipation.
I spat the rat's tail out and reset my lid. It was time for a show.