Dalmai remained as still as a rock, mentally praying he wouldn't be noticed by any other mimics looking for an easy meal.
「Suggestion: Recommend use of skill *False Appearance*.」
'*False Appearance*? I saw that on my skill list—will it actually work against other mimics?'
「Affirmative!」
'Alright. Here goes.'
Dalmai focused, and his form morphed into a rough, solid shape.
'I… turned into a rock.' He felt deflated; all he could do was sit and wait. 'This form is boring. Sofia, isn't there any other shape I can use?'
「Negative. The user's memory database lacks additional object forms.」
'Great. The only thing I've seen so far is another mimic disguised as a rock,' Dalmai grumbled internally.
While he conversed with Sofia, a rock rolled close to him, unfurling a pair of purple tentacles, followed by two yellow orbs appearing like eyes in its cracks.
'A mimic!' Dalmai's mind raced. 'It hasn't seen me, has it?'
「Negative!」
'What's it doing?'
The mimic sprouted more flexible limbs beneath its shell, using them as legs.
'This one's smaller and seems… smarter than the last,' Dalmai noted.
「Identifying target... Target identified.」
'Sofia, what are you doing?'
[Enemy Status Acquired]
[Name: None]
[Species: Juvenile Mimic]
[Titles: Mobile Imitator]
[Skills: Bite, Sticky Tentacles]
[Passive Skill: Increased Mobility]
[Threat Level: Low]
'You guessed I wanted to test my abilities, huh?'
「Affirmative.」
'Well, good call.'
Dalmai opened his skill panel, plotting his attack. The enemy mimic was oblivious to his presence.
'Let's start with *Strangle*!'
Tentacles burst from Dalmai's rock form and shot toward the juvenile mimic. Just as his tentacles closed in, the larger Spawn Mimic he had seen before emerged, crushing the smaller mimic underfoot.
'What the—' Dalmai blinked in shock, but his tentacles instinctively wrapped around the Spawn Mimic.
'Sofia?'
「Proceed as planned.」
'Alright… *Bite*!'
His jaws split open, revealing rows of jagged teeth. With his tentacles drawing him close, Dalmai latched onto the Spawn Mimic's head, biting down hard. He bit repeatedly until the creature stopped wriggling.
[Exp Acquired: 1000XP]
[Level Up!]
[New Passive Skills: Sticky Tentacles, Increased Mobility]
[Titles Earned: Defiant One, Mind-Breaker]
'Wait, what? That's a lot to process… Why did I gain so much XP?' Dalmai marveled.
[Status Updated]
[Name: Dalmai Fulsan
Species: Defiant Spawn Mimic
Titles: Mind-Breaker, Defiant One
Health: 120/120
Mana: 80/80
Stamina: 40/40
Skill Points: 5
Skills: [Bite, Lesser Sticky Ooze]
Passive Skills: [Increased Mobility, Sticky Tentacles]
'Sofia, why do I have two different types of points?'
「Skill points increase health, mana, and stamina. Sub-skill points increase strength, defense, intelligence, resistance, and speed.」
'I get it now… wait! Why did my health go up?'
「The 'Defiant One' title has boosted the user's stats after rejecting the Impersonator Mimic's control.」
'The Impersonator Mimic? My… parent, basically?'
Sofia stayed silent, and Dalmai knew she didn't have more information. Deciding to focus on survival, he turned to allocating his skill points.
'I want to be faster. Can you handle that, Sofia?'
「Affirmative. Stat allocation complete.」
Dalmai nodded appreciatively. But his relief was short-lived; more yellow eyes glinted in the dark, tentacles creeping toward him.
「Danger. Enemies approaching!」
'Shouldn't *False Appearance* hide me?!'
「Enemies identified the user during the recent battle.」
'Great…'
Sofia reported that nine Spawn Mimics had entered the cave. With his health at risk, Dalmai glanced at his surroundings, desperate for an idea.
'Eating defeated enemies restores health, right?'
「Affirmative!」
Trusting her, Dalmai opened his jaws and devoured the Spawn Mimic along with the Juvenile Mimic.
[HP Restored: 120/120]
[Title Acquired: Spawn Eater]
[Unique Skill: Gorger]
'That… didn't taste great,' he thought, grimacing.
[Consumption Exp Acquired: 800XP]
[Level Up!]
'This is effective, though.' Dalmai smirked. 'Now, let's try that on the others.'
The slits in his yellow eyes narrowed in determination. With his enhanced speed, Dalmai launched himself at the Spawn Mimics, smashing some with his weight and tearing others apart with his powerful jaws until none remained.
[Exp Acquired: 1800XP]
[Level Up!]
「Requirement Met: Defeat 10 Spawn Mimics. Reward: Enemy of the Spawn」
'Only 1800XP for nine? I got more from the first battle!'
「Juvenile Mimics provide additional XP.」
'So the smaller one boosted my total… interesting.'
After confirming no other threats, Dalmai consumed the defeated Spawn Mimics, earning another hefty XP boost.
[Consumption Exp Acquired: 1440XP]
[Level Up!]
'Another level up!'
Feeling stronger, Dalmai turned his thoughts to adapting his *False Appearance* further.
'Sofia, how do I add more forms?'
「Traveling to new locations may help.」
'An opening! But I won't fit…'
「Suggestion: Use *Ooze Form* to slip through.」
'Perfect.'
He focused, shifting back to his original ooze form and slipping easily through the crevice. On the other side, Dalmai felt prepared for whatever awaited him next.