"Wait, Alex," Cairo called out before his disciple could approach the treasure chest at the center of the room.
"Yes, Master?" Alex paused. "Do you want to open the chest?"
"That’s not what I mean." Cairo shook his head. "That’s not a treasure chest. It’s a Mimic."
The young man blinked once, then twice, before focusing his attention on the unmoving bronze treasure chest.
No matter how hard he stared at it, there was no sort of monster description popping up. Logically, it shouldn’t be a monster.
However, it was also possible that the treasure chest hadn’t been recognized as a monster yet. Besides, he trusted the Catkin with all his heart, so he didn’t doubt the latter’s warning.
As if to prove that Cairo was telling the truth, Dim Dim took out a stone from who-knows-where and tossed it at the treasure chest.
A dull thud reached Alex’s ears as the stone bounced off the lid of the treasure chest.
At first, nothing happened.
However, a second later, the lid of the treasure chest creaked open to reveal rows upon rows of sharp teeth, ready to snap at the little guy who had tossed a stone at it earlier.
Its large tongue also emerged from within, slobbering all over the place. It truly looked like an abomination made to punish the greedy Adventurers who thought that they had lucked upon another treasure chest.
This time, the creature’s description finally appeared, confirming that this was indeed a monster and not the treasure chest Alex was looking for.
Note: Not all chests inside dungeons contain treasures and gold. Some are ancient predators in disguise, waiting for the opportunity to bite off the hands that dare to open their lids.
When the Mimic lunged at Alex, the young man didn’t back down and used his shield to attack as well.
The sound of metals clashing against each other reverberated inside the room.
A moment later, the Mimic crashed back down on the ground, allowing Cairo to land the killing blow.
With a screech filled with regret, the Mimic faded into particles of light, leaving a single item behind.
"Ye think it’s just a shiny rock, eh? Foolish thought. The shard is still alive, in a way. After all, it takes a Mimic to know a Mimic."
Item Grade: Super Rare
— A crystalline organ of a defeated Mimic. Required for crafting mid-tier magical gear or dungeon enchantments.
— Can be used as a crafting ingredient for the Mimic Lantern, which detects whether a treasure chest is a Mimic or not inside a dungeon.
"A Mimic Core Shard. Now that brings back memories," Cairo said softly. "The first time I encountered a Mimic, I almost got my hand bitten by it. Fortunately, my grandfather was around to stop me from touching the treasure chest.
"Once we get to the City of Harmonia, you should ask an Alchemist to help you craft a Mimic Lantern. That will help you determine whether a treasure chest is really a treasure chest or not until you are able to sense it naturally."
Alex nodded and stored the shining crystal inside his storage ring for future use.
He had seen a Mimic in the past, though this was his first time encountering it in person. It wasn’t rare to bump into one in ELO, but that could hardly compare to seeing one in real life.
At that moment, Alex made a decision.
Until he got his own Mimic Lantern, he would always toss stones at every treasure chest he found inside a dungeon unless they were dropped by Boss Monsters.
That way, if it was a Mimic, he would be able to react on time and smack the opportunistic monster to oblivion!
"Where to next?" Cairo asked. "Is there another secret room on this floor, Alex?"
"Yes, Master. It’s not far from here."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Just like Alex, Dim Dim was a bit disappointed to learn that the treasure chest was actually a monster.
However, it had learned a valuable lesson. Like Alex, it decided that from now on, it would always check whether a treasure chest was a monster in disguise.
When they arrived at the other secret room, Alex didn’t even need to do anything because the Dim Sum God was very eager to put what it had learned into practice.
Dim Dim threw stones at the treasure chest.
"Look, Master." Alex chuckled. "Dim Dim now has trust issues when it comes to treasure chests."
However, his amusement was short-lived.
After the third rock bounced off the treasure chest’s lid, a screech filled with anger and surprise spread inside the room as the treasure chest opened its lid, revealing its razor-sharp teeth.
"You were saying?" Cairo smiled faintly.
"I think I now have trust issues toward treasure chests as well, Master," Alex replied.
The Catkin laughed before taking a step forward.
His blade, now freed from its scabbard, shone faintly as the Swordsman cut the monster in half.
A few seconds later, it turned into particles of light, leaving two items behind.
The first item was a small pouch that contained 50 gold coins.
The second item was a pocket watch, which didn’t seem to be working.
However, after a quick appraisal, Alex learned what this item could do.
"Some memories are better left buried."
Item Grade: Super Rare
Active Skills: Echo Recall
— When this skill is activated, the owner of the Memory Dial can see past events that happened in the location where they are standing.
— You can choose a specific date and time, or you can just let the artifact play the most memorable event that happened in your location.
Effect: Creates a temporary illusion that replays what happened in a 20-meter radius around you. This illusion will only last for five minutes.
Skill Cooldown: 48 hours
Note: This artifact is now soul-bound to Alex Stratos.
"Wow," Alex muttered after getting the super rare item that could let him see the past.
Although the Memory Dial could only recreate the scenes for five minutes, it didn’t change the fact that this artifact was very valuable.
’This is the perfect item for detectives when they investigate the crime scene,’ Alex thought.
"Is that a good item?" Cairo inquired after seeing that his disciple was looking at the pocket watch in his hand with a solemn expression on his face.
"Yes, Master," Alex replied. "It’s an incredible item that can recreate previous events that happened in the location where its owner is standing."
Cairo, now aware of how powerful the pocket watch truly was, warned Alex to use it with caution.
After all, seeing fragments of the past was no different from uncovering other people’s secrets. This ability could lead to serious trouble if not used wisely.
The saving grace was that the artifact was soul-bound to Alex, which meant no one else could wield it for malicious purposes.
The Catkin’s warning rang true. If Alex were to use it in public, others would just become more wary of him. The more extreme ones might even actively try to eliminate him to preserve their secrets.
"So, what’s the next plan?" Cairo asked. "Should we go to the fifth floor and check what kind of monsters spawn in that location?"
Alex pondered for a bit before nodding. "I think that’s a good idea, Master. We might find some other secrets as well if we go there."
With a destination in mind, the two once again continued their exploration.
They still had a few weeks before the trial started, and Alex planned to take as many treasures as he could before their judgment day finally arrived.