Pain is a funny thing when you don't have nerves. It's more of a… systemic error. A loud, screaming glitch in my code that told me my body was being ripped apart and put back together by a blind carpenter.
[Transformation in Progress: 14%... 42%... 88%...]
My oak planks didn't just grow; they condensed. I could hear the fibers groaning under the pressure as they became as dense as stone. The iron bands around my waist—previously rusted and thin—liquefied and spread, crawling across my surface like molten snakes before hardening into thick, serrated plates of dark steel.
My internal space expanded. The void in my throat grew deeper, colder, and hungrier.
[Evolution Complete!]
[New Species: Iron-Bound Mimic (Uncommon)]
[Level: 5]
[HP: 150/150]
[Defense: +15 (Physical Resistance increased by 30%)]
I felt... heavy.
I tried to *Hop*. Instead of a light wooden clatter, I hit the floor with a bone-shaking *THUD* that cracked the stone tiles.
"Okay," I muttered, feeling the new weight of my lid. "I'm not a box anymore. I'm a vault."
[New Skill Unlocked: Heavy Slam]
[Effect: Use your increased mass to crush targets. 20% chance to inflict 'Bone Fracture'.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Iron Lock]
[Effect: For 10 seconds, your lid cannot be opened by any physical force lower than your Strength stat. Defense +50% during duration.]
I checked my new appearance in a puddle of spilled Goblin blood. I looked intimidating. My wood was now a deep, obsidian black, and the steel reinforcements had sharp, triangular teeth along the edges. I wasn't just a trap; I was a piece of siege equipment disguised as furniture.
But the evolution came with a price.
[Hunger: 10/100 (CRITICAL)]
The transformation had burned through every scrap of calories I'd gained from the Goblins and the humans. My "stomach" felt like it was trying to eat itself. I needed high-quality Mana, and I needed it now.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
The sound came from the hallway. It wasn't the clumsy stomp of a Warrior or the skittering of a rat. It was precise. Methodical.
I quickly reset myself. *Deceptive Stillness* felt different now. I didn't just look like a chest; I looked like a *High-Level* chest. The kind that made adventurers think of Epic-tier loot and legendary swords.
The door didn't creak open this time. It floated open, pushed by an invisible force.
A young man stepped in. He wore long, sapphire-blue robes embroidered with silver thread. In his hand was a mahogany staff topped with a glowing crystal.
[Human Mage - Lvl 7]
[Status: Cautious / Analytical]
"A lone chest in an empty room," the Mage whispered, his voice echoing. He didn't move an inch closer. "Typical. Too typical."
He raised his staff. The crystal began to hum with a violent, blue light.
"Let's see what you're hiding under that lid, shall we?"
A spark of fire ignited at the tip of his staff. My "Bio-Detection" went haywire. This wasn't a physical fight. This was magic.
And I was a box made of wood and metal—the two favorite targets of a fireball.
"Oh, crap," I thought. "This is going to smell like a barbecue."