Chapter 157: Chaos Mimic
Dianne's magic took longer than expected.
Let's check. It might be because the magic wasn't working properly due to what was said.
Wuuung—.
A magic circle formed on the floor where the Chaos Mimic was.
Originally, the magic that would have been cast immediately was rearranged and recreated at the tip of Dianne's staff.
Kkuddug.
However, for a moment, the thought that it might be possible, the patterns drawn on the box began to emit light and started absorbing mana.
"It's a headache."
Dianne redistributed mana with a furrowed face.
The staff in her hand moved like a conductor's baton.
The resounding energy imbued with the dawn spread out in waves around her.
Everyone opened their mouths and watched the majestic scene.
"Is it stronger than during the tournament?"
"No, it's been over a year, so of course, she's gotten stronger. But what on earth is preventing that? Is she the same student?"
An overwhelming mana performance.
Under Dianne's command, mana moved briskly, creating an orchestra.
But then, instead of magic circles appearing only on the floor as before, three-dimensional, large magic circles formed dozens of them in the empty space surrounding Chaos Mimic, intertwining and creating.
"I think she's planning to move it as a whole."
"Space magic is incredible."
Kwajijijik!
Once again, light emanated from Chaos Mimic, and a powerful rupture occurred.
And finally, black smoke began to seep out from the open lid, and a giant arm sprang out.
"Is that a monster?"
Dianne exclaimed in surprise while casting a spell.
The giant arm was flickering like it was wrapped in black flames.
The fingertips were as sharp as honed blades, and it seemed they could easily cut through anything they touched.
"That's right! That hand took Macallen and Thresa into the box!"
"They took Lumen before that."
Listening to the names of the victims of Chaos Mimic, Dianne injected more mana.
With the use of almost all of her mana, a sharp pain in her abdomen indicated she was near her limit.
However, canceling the magic was even more dangerous, so she continued relentlessly.
Kwadduduk!
The black hand grabbed the magic circle.
Then, with tremendous force, the magic circle warped, and mana poured out.
"Ugh..."
Desperately trying to repair the broken parts, mana was scattered helplessly in the face of the black hand's powerful grip.
.
.
.
.
It seems Dianne is also struggling.
Well, Chaos Mimic is a monster that even I couldn't find a clear strategy for.
In fact, I only learned about Chaos Mimic by chance.
In the game, it was a hidden piece that existed as part of the scenario for the latter half of the assembly and the main fight. The Chaos Mimic was an item owned by Morne's disciple, Asran Blue.
'What's funny is that neither Asran nor Morne knows the true identity of Chaos Mimic.'
As long as it remains sealed, Chaos Mimic is just an ordinary box. But when the seal is broken, it reveals the appearance you saw. Asran only thought of it as a mere artifact.
'I wouldn't have known that the name of that box was Chaos Mimic if I couldn't see the status window. At that time, there was not a single character who knew about Chaos Mimic.'
In the game, just like I can view the item window now, you could confirm the name and a brief description of the monsters you encountered.
So, I found out the name was Chaos Mimic that way.
The description was something like an ancient being hiding inside an old box.
"Dianne, have a sip of this and rest a bit."
I handed her a potion, watching as Dianne's abdomen, which had started to bleed, was expanding.
It seemed like she had put her all into using magic.
"What should we do now?"
"Dianne failed too. Should we just wait for the professors to arrive?"
The students' pessimistic comments were heard, but it wasn't a desperate situation as long as they didn't get too close to Chaos Mimic.
'Unfortunately...'
Chaos Mimic was different from a regular Mimic.
While a regular Mimic would feign being a treasure to lure those seeking treasures, Chaos Mimic had been living in the box, collecting treasures itself.
'In other words, it's a treasure hunter. It won't stay quiet like this.'
Being the kind to actively seek treasures, it would probably start moving soon.
Right now, it might be taking a break from the effects of being sealed for a long time.
In that case, the problem was how to deal with it...
If this were outside, we would just ignore it and move on.
No matter how good the treasure was, Chaos Mimic's combat power was on par with superhumans.
But trapped in Monet's Maze, we couldn't escape.
'In the end, it comes down to tackling it.'
Unlike my experience in the game, where I ignorantly used brute force, I had to find a different approach.
The only fortunate thing was that I had encountered it several times in the game, so I had some information.
"Adrias, what's the plan?"
Dianne, who had finished her potion, asked me.
I decided to start by sharing the information I had.
"I have a vague memory of reading about that trap somewhere."
"Really? Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"I wasn't sure at first, but I think it's correct."
As I mentioned that I knew about Chaos Mimic, everyone's attention turned to me.
Now, when I share the information, it might create confusion, but I had no choice if I wanted to act comfortably.
"That's not originally a trap in Monet's Maze. So, the term 'monster' suits it better. Remember how the goblin's door said that another presence had entered the maze besides us? I think it might be referring to that."
"So, that was the heteromorphic presence."
Dianne nodded and turned her gaze towards Chaos Mimic.
"Why didn't I know about it? It wasn't originally here."
"From now on, I will share what I know. That's a monster called a treasure hunter, and it literally searches for treasures. Naturally, it's going to move."
"That means...?"
"We shouldn't be at ease. It's going to start moving soon."
As I finished speaking, the students' faces turned pale.
If a creature that even Dianne's magic couldn't affect started to move in earnest, ordinary students wouldn't be able to resist.
"Ah, Adrias! What should we do then? Is there any other information?"
Someone asked urgently.
"As I said, that monster is so fixated on valuable items that it's called a treasure hunter. And all those items are probably inside that box."
I pointed to none other than the Chaos Mimic's box.
The open lid had shown no movement so far, but the eerie feeling inside was creating an atmosphere of fear.
"Just as you saw earlier, that monster lives inside this box. This box isn't its main body; it serves as a habitat and a storage. If that monster comes out and we take the box hostage, it might paint a different picture."
"Adrias. But before that, it seems important to figure out how to lure the monster out, right? Just a moment ago, it only stuck its hand out and destroyed my magic. Will it come out of the box?"
"Now, Dianne, you should do that."
"Me?"
I pointed to the staff she was holding.
"If that's a treasure too, isn't it a treasure?"
"Oh! You mean to lure it out?"
"That's right."
"Alright. Let's give it a try."
"It's going to be dangerous."
I told her with a stern expression.
Facing me, Dianne responded confidently with a dignified expression.
"So what? Are you saying we shouldn't do it? There's no other choice."
"...You need to be careful."
If Dianne were to die, it would be all for naught. Escaping this place was important, but Dianne's life took top priority. I would do everything to save her.
"But when is it going to move?"
A considerable amount of time had passed since we arrived here.
However, except when magic was used, Chaos Mimic hadn't moved a muscle.
"Well, I don't know if it'll move in an hour or a day. Maybe it will stay still until the professors arrive."
"For now, waiting seems to be the best option."
Will something change when the professors arrive?
Once again, Chaos Mimic possessed combat abilities that surpassed superhumans.
This is reliable information, as I've experienced it in the game.
Back then, the characters I raised and my party members were all either Master or Warlock-class superhumans, so I could easily defeat Chaos Mimic. But now, a different strategy was needed.
'Everything depends on that box.'
A peculiar pattern was drawn on the box. Knowing that these patterns were ancient runes, I felt it was time to unlock my knowledge about runes again.
.
.
.
.
Two more days had passed since we reached the exit.
During that time, steadily more students joined, and soon, a large group of nearly 60 people had formed.
"I suppose the professors will depart soon, right?"
"What about our grades? Will we just be retaking evaluations?"
When the group expanded, a few students initially disregarded Chaos Mimic, causing some casualties.
Even though Dienne warned them, they all got sucked into the Chaos Mimic's box.
After that, everything remained calm.
Students no longer approached Chaos Mimic, and since Chaos Mimic was peaceful, the students who had gradually relaxed were now discussing their assessment grades rather than survival.
"It seems they're worried about their grades since they're safe."
It had been a long time since I felt the same tension as at the beginning, so I couldn't say anything to them.
I had already informed the newly joined students about the box's identity and our future plans.
"Adrias."
Thanks to Yurie's sudden arrival, Dianne, who had been with her, approached.
"Yes, Dianne."
"Once the professors arrive, it should be possible to escape. So get some rest."
For the past few days, I had stayed up all night.
It wasn't too difficult to stay awake, and I couldn't sleep in a situation where we couldn't predict Chaos Mimic's actions, but it seemed that those around me were concerned about me.
"Right. When the professors arrive, they'll wake you up, so get some rest. It's embarrassing for us to be seen like this."
Someone must have heard Dianne's words, and they shouted at me.
The students around also nodded in agreement.
"I'll tell you when the box moves. So, please rest for a while."
"I'm fine."
I really was fine.
And if a mistake were to occur due to a momentary lapse of attention, that would be more painful.
"I'm okay. I can endure just one more day. I'll wait until we leave."
"Stubborn, aren't you? Well, if that's more convenient for you, we can't help it."
As I nodded, she turned back to Yurie.
Yurie used to chat and gossip with me by my side, but Dianne, who cared about me, distanced herself. There was no need for such consideration, but I just quietly watched the Chaos Mimic.
"It's difficult."
By the way, I hadn't been thinking nothing all this time.
The patterns drawn on the box could be thoroughly examined from various angles by enhancing them with mana.
I had confidence in magic circles, but these ancient magic circles were unfamiliar and gave me a headache.
If I hadn't experienced this in the game, I probably wouldn't even attempt it.
Then, a sudden change was noticed from the box.
Woo-woo.
Black flames gradually emerged.
I shouted at the response of the Chaos Mimic, which seemed to be finally revealing itself.
"Dianne! The box is moving!"
Before I could even tell her to prepare, an intense wave of mana engulfed the area around the Chaos Mimic.
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