Yeon-hee seemed to be the only one who noticed, but that picture probably pointed at me. The shape of the head and the split golden strands was something I had seen often.
I was just as surprised, and I gazed silently at Yeon-hee, who was looking up at me with her mouth wide open.
“Why… why is Il-wol here? Mimic! Does that mean summoned creatures count as challengers?”
“Huh? Is that Il-wol?”
“But Il-wol is not a person!”
The Mimic, quietly observing us, replied to Yeon-hee.
– Any being with a self-awareness counts. For example, it’s possible for that black-haired woman to be eligible.
-!!
At the Mimic’s answer, we all turned our heads toward Ham Eun-young.
“Sister! What’s up with that mirror having a self-awareness?”
“Was it not just an ordinary hand mirror? Could this be an artifact?”
“Ah… A- no. That’s- mine.”
“No wonder… I thought it was too sturdy.”
“Then why Il-wol… There are other summoned creatures too.”
Yeon-hee asked the Mimic again, her voice slightly subdued, and the Mimic circled over the remaining Lizard Squad and Orcs and spoke.
– They can’t make our master happy. At least a minimal standard is needed. Among beings with self-awareness, only the mirror meets the criteria.
“……”
At the shocking information, everyone was at a loss for words when suddenly the world froze.
Originally, the mana in the air continuously circulates, but even that had stopped.
Yeon-hee, with her chin resting in her hand, became frozen like a mannequin, staring intently at me.
Joo-ah, with her gaze fixed on the summoned creatures, Ah-rin, who had her head pressed in her hands and was frozen, and Eun-young, who squeezed the hand mirror while tightly shutting her eyes.
And the Mimic, who was staring right at me. It seemed like this was the only creature in the world that could move right now.
The thing that had been spinning around me suddenly bounced off like a bouncy ball as if it had gotten excited.
‘What’s so great about this?’
– I am the Golden Mimic Tanya. Welcome to my domain.
And before I even realized it, I had already been transported to another space.
‘Everything is golden…’
The endlessly extending floor and the infinitely high ceiling were all in a golden hue.
And in that place, only the Mimic was welcoming me, now taking the form of a bipedal werewolf.
‘Looks like it really loves the golden color.’
The werewolf’s fur, sprawling chaotically in every direction, was also golden. Even the fur around its significant areas looked quite impressive. Moreover, it looked very robust.
– You’re quite lucky. You’ve got the lowest grade creature that could appear. I suppose it was to be expected in a way.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
‘So the werewolf is the weakest grade? You must be joking!’
The werewolf, a type of monster at the peak of C-rank dungeons, is considered the weakest here. What in the world is the lineup like?
– I’m not joking.
‘······ huh? Wait?!’
– Normally, the selection process is slightly weaker or slightly stronger compared to the challenger’s level. But it’s been a while since a low-grade dungeon has been connected… Looks like I ended up with the bottom-tier werewolf.
‘No, wait a minute. Did you just read my mind?’
– This place is a perfectly controlled space handed down by that being. So there’s no need to be surprised that I can hear your thoughts.
‘Whoa… Really? You can hear my thoughts? If it’s a space you completely control… then maybe that absurdity is possible… Wait. Then can we talk a bit? I feel like I’ve been talking to myself for ages. The summoned creatures only keep saying “Oh Master, you’re the best.” and stuff like that. Ran just sticks to Yeon-hee. Basically, they’re too old-fashioned to understand.’
– …… Huh? What do you mean by that… We need to duel!
‘Let’s talk first. I’m going to lose anyway. So come sit next to me.’
I was serious. The weakest being, the werewolf? And not just any werewolf but one that’s several levels above a brown mimic equivalent to a great sorcerer. It has to be considered a boss-level werewolf.
I could feel a much stronger aura than what I felt when I encountered “Tooth” in the Guchangro Dungeon Break.
Unfortunately, the chances of me beating such a being are extremely slim. Luck like what happened last time wouldn’t happen again.
But thinking that way somehow made me feel relaxed. Of course, that’s only because I had extra lives.
– ……
The Mimic transformed into a werewolf and after some contemplation, timidly approached my side.
Thud— thud—
The werewolf is one of the most powerful breeds among beastly humanoids. When it came next to me and looked down, the pressure it radiated was truly immense. It was indeed much larger than a typical werewolf.
Even Lizardman 1 would look like an elementary school student standing beside it.
But rather than being afraid, I was much more curious, so I patted the seat next to me and told it to sit.
– …… Are you really asking to have a conversation? You may not know this, but I cannot extend time indefinitely. We must fight soon—
‘I got it. So who should start talking? I feel like there’s something we can connect about. Let’s ask one question each.’
– I don’t have much curiosity…
“Alright. I’ll ask first.”
– …… You’re not listening to me at all.
“When did you first come to this space? I was stuck in a space myself, but I can’t remember how long I was there.”
– ……
Thus began my bizarre conversation with the Mimic. I initiated it, but looking back, it was quite absurd.
Chit-chatting away with a monster that could tear me apart at any moment in an unknown space.
– … I don’t remember. What I know is only to make the one who created me happy. That’s all.
‘So you bring people to this space to fight to make your master happy?’
– That’s correct.
‘What kind of being is your master?’
– I cannot speak on that. But trust me, they are a great being who is beyond even looking up to.
‘Oh… You have such a powerful backing, and I’m jealous since I have none.’
– Huh… I am quite fearful of what thoughts you might have seeing such an unprecedented interaction between a challenger and myself.
‘Well… I don’t know, but I think they might like it?’
– … Why do you think so?
‘If they created you, they probably wouldn’t want you to be fighting all the time, right? If watching you is their amusement, wouldn’t they be more excited about such events?’
– ? I was created for this purpose… Your logic seems flawed.
‘I just feel like that’s the case.’
The Mimic, now appearing in the form of a werewolf, struggled to clasp its gigantic hands together and seemed to fall into deep thought. Watching it ponder made me smile involuntarily.
After that, the conversation mainly revolved around my somewhat over a month-long skeleton life. I spoke as if narrating the significant events, mentioning that I used to be a human before I regressed.
Surprisingly, the Mimic didn’t interrupt me at all while I was talking and even nodded occasionally.
‘That red-haired elf is currently on my mind the most. Have you ever captured orcs in this space?’
– That’s a strange thing to say. There are far more orcs than humans. They even have better challenge scores than humans.
‘What? Really?’
– Yes. Though there are races that perform better than orcs.
‘… Like elves?’
– Exactly. Elves are truly an outstanding race.
This was unexpected. So they were also utilizing a completely identical system to us? Hmm…
‘I don’t know… So that’s why the Orc Legion Commander was so strong?’
– Do you have more questions?
It was this guy who was pushing to fight but was continuing the conversation instead.
‘Oh! You said the werewolf is the weakest specimen, then what’s the strongest one?’
– I will show you just one thing.
The Mimic reached out its right hand and pointed at the empty space.
– Let me show you one. Raise your hand if it’s too much.
‘Huh? Got it.’
With that, a huge portal opened in the direction pointed, revealing another world within it.
A desolate world of brown color. In there stood a giant, staring intently at me.
It had a bird’s head and wings, but the massive hands and legs split like spider legs told me that it was different from any being I knew.
‘Its size is hard to gauge. It appears to be nothing just by looking at it, but…’
Just as I thought that, I met its gaze.
Those glowing red eyes devoid of any emotion pierced through me like molten lava.
Chill―――
In that moment, I knew.
That is a being that I could never reach, no matter how hard I tried in my lifetime.
‘Enough… Enough…!’
Woooosh—
Upon my desperate scream, the Mimic instantly dissolved the portal.
Even as the portal closed, the existence kept its gaze fixed on me. That stare seemed to say it would come to find me someday.
Tada-da-da-da-da-dak—
The interlocking teeth clashed fiercely.
– Trait [Calm] strongly resists!
– Resistance failed!
– Resistance failed!
– Resistance failed……
‘Whew… Damn… damn…’
– …… I should have warned you. Let me assist you a little.
‘Phew…’
It seems the Mimic did something. My deteriorating sanity finally calmed down.
‘That, that’s the highest tier…… insane… that’s more than just a monster, right?’
– Yes. I called upon the highest being that I could mimic and that you could withstand. In fact, it’s the lowest among the ‘Lost Titans’.
‘Whew… so that’s considered weak… Was that “Necrosquall” that appeared ten years ago also one of those ‘Lost Titans’?
– What kind of talk is that… They are not even comparable to such dust. Even though they are lost creatures, Titans are beings of superior lineage, descended from great beings. They are close to what you call divine beings.
‘…… So Necrosquall is dust…’
If that being could only be put to sleep with the cooperation of the top-tier warriors of China, I felt breathless at the immense scale.
‘I really was lucky…’
– …… Yes. Now it’s really time. Prepare yourself.
The golden werewolf spoke resolutely as it rose to its full height.
Right, even if such a world exists somewhere, it’s a story far removed from my current reality.
‘Alright. Let’s give it a shot.’
After chatting for what felt like forever, time didn’t seem to flow at all, which felt peculiar. After stretching my arms back, I took out the dagger of Argen.
– There are several stairs between you and the werewolf that are difficult to overcome.
The Mimic stood still, having stepped back.
– I actually forgot, but in cases where the gap between the challenger and I is vast, I temporarily grant a special ability. The special ability will have choices based on the path you’ve taken so far. That’s something even I cannot know, so think carefully before you choose.
Although it was overly kind for the opponent about to fight, I naturally nodded and began to read the message that popped up in front of me.
1. Stat Enhancement (Matches one of your highest stats to another one at the same level.)
2. Slight Luck Stat Increase (A low probability of unexpected luck may occur.)
3. Unlock Hidden Skill (One of your hidden skills will be unlocked for this battle.)
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