Chapter 49: The Crystal Mimic
I stood still for a moment, waiting anxiously just in case.
I prayed that Fenry would appear before me, but even as time passed, she didn’t show up.
“Damn it, why is it that bad assumptions always turn into reality?”
From the moment I thought of the illusion magic circle, I realized that random teleportation might occur.
At this point, Fenry should have made it here by now. Seeing as there’s been no sign of her, it’s likely that she, too, was transported to a random location within the altar as soon as she fell into the pit.
“So, the others who were thrown in as prey must have also scattered randomly.”
I heard a few days ago that hundreds of people were thrown in here.
If any of them survived, I might encounter them.
Of course, that’s assuming they weren’t all slaughtered.
“Should I prioritize figuring out my surroundings?”
In the novel, this place was described as a complex maze.
“I need to find the altar first.”
To avoid getting lost, I had to move while keeping the altar as my focal point.
When I looked around, I saw that aside from the front and back, all directions were blocked by crimson walls.
It was a one-way path.
After some hesitation, I chose a direction and began walking slowly.
Crunch— Crkrrkk—
“…Ah, damn it.”
The sound of things breaking beneath my feet made me curse involuntarily. The ground was littered with shards of bone, making it impossible to avoid making noise.
It was disgusting, and every time the sound echoed, I worried that it might show up.
“To think I’m in a situation where I have to fear something as trivial as a chest. Bloody hell.”
Typically, Mimics are monsters that disguise themselves as treasure chests to devour unsuspecting adventurers.
As long as you’re cautious, they’re neither particularly threatening nor noteworthy monsters. But the Crystal Mimic that resides in this altar was different.
“Because it’s a Mimic that’s devoured ancient power.”
Mimics are creatures of insatiable greed, devouring everything from objects to people. Over time, they digest what they consume and assimilate it into themselves.
The Crystal Mimic had not only consumed ancient power, but it had also gorged on the sacrifices Dominic had offered to it over the years.
This thing had evolved repeatedly, growing far beyond the limits of an ordinary monster.
Encountering it alone meant only one course of action—run.
“Let’s just hope it’s slower than me.”
But as I glanced at the heaps of shattered bones piled along the passage, that hope seemed slim.
Could I really escape?
I shook my head and continued walking along the corridor.
When I had become somewhat accustomed to the sound of crunching bones, a new noise reached my ears.
Thud—
“…!”
The faint sound of the ground vibrating. I immediately crouched low and nervously scanned my surroundings. The one-way corridor stretched straight in both directions, leaving no place to hide.
If anything were to come barreling out, my only option would be to run in the opposite direction without hesitation.
Thud— Thud— Thud—
“……”
However, while the noise repeated a few times, nothing changed around me. Once it fell silent again, I cautiously stood back up.
“This is driving me insane.”
My heart was pounding in my chest.
Every time the thud echoed, I felt a faint tremor underfoot. Something heavy was moving. And in this place, there was only one thing that could cause such a sensation.
Surely, it wasn’t nearby, was it?
With that dreadful thought in mind, I strained my ears, listening carefully.
I had hoped to hear something else.
Specifically, the sound of screams.
“No screams… Is it farther away than I thought?”
If I’d heard a scream, I could have been sure there were survivors. But it was impossible to confirm that just yet.
This enclosed space surrounded by walls might have muffled the sound.
I resumed walking.
Before long, I came upon two branching paths.
A fork in the road.
I quickly inspected the walls near the fork and found them densely etched with countless markings and drawings.
It felt like looking at messy graffiti.
Who on earth had left these markings?
After a brief moment of thought, I chose the path on the right and started walking. I then continued to stick to the right path every time I encountered another fork.
It was a basic strategy for navigating a maze—I set a consistent rule for myself.
“How much time has passed?”
The crimson corridors stretched endlessly. No matter how far I walked, the scenery remained unchanged, giving the unsettling feeling that I was circling the same place.
The only indication of time passing was the occasional thud that echoed through the maze.
When I came upon yet another fork in the road, I naturally turned right again.
Then—
“……”
A specific marking amidst the countless scratches on the wall caught my eye, causing me to frown.
It was a mark I had left much earlier.
I immediately examined the ground, checking for fragments of shattered bone. Sure enough, the marks I’d made while stepping on them earlier stood out. I let out a low groan as I stared at the marking I had left.
[1]
It wasn’t a mistake.
“This is the first fork I encountered.”
I had gone in circles and returned to the very first branching path. In other words, I was wandering around in the same area.
“Did I give Fenry the jerky pouch for nothing?”
An ominous feeling crept up on me, as if I might be stuck here for a long time.
I paused for a moment, debating my next move.
After passing through five right turns, I had returned to the first fork.
“I need to confirm something.”
I retraced my steps along the right-hand path again, leaving a new mark as I walked. When I reached the next fork, I quickly checked the right-hand wall.
[2]
“There it is.”
The mark I had left was clearly visible.
This confirmed it—the right path wasn’t the exit.
From this point on, I avoided the marked paths and started exploring other routes.
As I ventured through different paths, new forks appeared, and I continued leaving numbered marks while I walked.
The same scenery. The same movements.
In this space where my sense of time was warped, I kept moving without rest.
Still, there was no change.
Even the thud sounds remained constant.
Was it half a day? A full day?
When it felt like I had been walking for an eternity, I found myself facing another fork.
“…Damn it.”
[21]
The 21st fork. A mark I had left long ago. Inspecting the paths to the right and left, I found both bore signs of my prior passage. A sudden headache throbbed in my temples.
I was lost.
This maze was far more complicated than I had anticipated.
I imagined the worst-case scenario.
“What if there’s no way out to begin with?”
Was this maze designed for people to wander endlessly until they were devoured by the Crystal Mimic?
No, there had to be a way to another space.
I touched the necklace around my neck.
Fenry had given it to me before I was swallowed by the chimera. It contained a tracking spell to locate me.
If she had entered the altar, she would have been moving to find me.
Given how long I’d been wandering, I should have encountered her at least once by now. The fact that I hadn’t meant she must have been teleported to a completely different location.
What was I missing?
I began to focus on the markings etched into the walls.
“Could it be…?”
The more I examined them, the more convinced I became.
These weren’t random doodles.
They were all marks.
The people who had fallen into this place must have left these behind while wandering, just like me.
These markings were their traces.
“The fact that they’re now just scattered bones on the floor…”
This method clearly hadn’t worked.
I had to try something else.
Thud—!
At that moment, that same ominous, familiar sound echoed once more.
The chilling noise that struck my nerves whenever I began to forget it.
“…This doesn’t feel good.”
The sound was growing louder. The vibrations beneath my feet were now unmistakable.
If that thing was getting closer, I needed to leave this place quickly. If I encountered it before reuniting with Fenry, my chances of survival were slim.
“What is it? What am I missing?”
The only clue at the fork was the graffiti-like markings.
I started scrutinizing the densely packed scribbles on the walls. But soon, frustration boiled over, and I cursed under my breath.
There were too many.
Too many forks, and far too many markings carved into the walls.
It would be impossible to check each one carefully while moving through this maze.
Overcome by a surge of irritation, I instinctively raised my right hand.
Flash—
Golden light flared forth.
There was no specific reason—I simply wanted to escape this oppressive crimson scenery.
Any longer, and I felt like I might lose my mind.
The golden wave painted the walls in a brilliant yellow glow.
“This feels a little better.”
The light helped calm my frayed nerves.
As I stood still, staring at the glowing walls, something unusual caught my eye.
Among the countless markings, one stood out distinctly.
While most markings turned yellow under my golden light, one drawing resisted, glowing a vivid red instead.
It was such a subtle change that I never would have noticed it against the crimson walls.
And it was a familiar symbol.
“A burning heart.”
It was the same emblem from Dominic’s research journal. Proof that this altar was tied to Dominic’s power.
I glanced up at the corridor where the symbol was etched.
To the left?
My hesitation didn’t last long.
The moment I made my decision, I began moving toward the corridor with the symbol.
Thud—!
The sound was now even closer.
My steps quickened instinctively. No—
“Huff, huff, huff…”
At some point, I had broken into a desperate run. It felt as if my instincts were screaming at me that danger was imminent.
When I reached another fork,
Flash—!
I summoned the golden light again to search for the burning heart.
Where is it?
“Right!”
There it was, once more.
If this symbol was a guide out of this place, then—?
Determined, I began sprinting full speed.
I drew on my remaining mana, accelerating my movements.
Thud! Thud!
“…Shit!”
Was this proof I was heading in the right direction?
The intervals between the thuds were growing shorter. The ground trembled violently with each impact. Whatever massive presence was chasing me, it felt like it was gaining on me.
Had it locked onto me?
Right, left, left, right.
I dashed madly in the directions indicated by the symbols, passing through about ten forks.
Then, suddenly, the atmosphere of the space changed.
The corridor widened significantly, the floor was smooth and polished, and the piles of bones had disappeared.
A light I’d never seen before shone in the distance.
Had I escaped the maze? Was this the exit?
Just as I felt a surge of relief—
Grrrrrrr—!
“……!”
The spine-chilling screech of grinding metal echoed from behind me. I whipped around in alarm, only to see the dim, shadowy outline of the crimson corridor I had just fled through.
The darkness there rippled ominously, as if something was writhing within it.
Thud—!
“Gah!”
It was coming.
The tremor from the impact rattled the ground beneath my feet. Clenching my teeth, I hastily summoned more golden light.
Flash—!
GRAAAAHHHH—!!!!
What I saw made my eyes widen in horror.
“Sh-Shit!!”
I hadn’t realized how close it had gotten.
It was only five steps away.
A massive maw gaped wide before me, its interior lined with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. A vile stench assaulted my nose as its rancid breath washed over me.
The golden light caused it to recoil violently, its enormous form flinching backward.
If not for the light, I would have been swallowed the moment I heard the thud.
The creature’s full appearance was impossible to take in at once.
Its size filled the corridor completely.
No—everything I could see was its gaping maw.
Thud!
When the jaw snapped shut, the monstrous figure resembled a colossal chest.
It felt like standing before a 25-ton dump truck.
Its surface was dark, studded with countless glimmering crystals.
The Crystal Mimic.
It was here.
The monster took the shape of a massive chest, but it had no limbs. How was it moving?
My question was immediately answered when the chest’s mouth opened wide again, and a gigantic tongue shot out.
The tongue slammed into the ground, propelling the creature forward.
Thud—!
The resulting shockwave was deafening, enough to make me stagger.
The gust of wind that followed struck my face harshly. Grimacing, I threw myself flat onto the ground in panic.
I didn’t even have time to summon the golden symbol again.
Flattening myself to the ground was what saved me.
Had I tried to dodge or confront it, I would have been devoured instantly.
The massive shadow grazed my hair as it passed.
“Aaagh!”
A chunk of flesh was torn from my left shoulder.
Boom—!
The Crystal Mimic landed heavily on the ground, rolling forward with resounding thuds.
Now I understood what the thud-thud sound I’d been hearing all along had been.
I also realized why I hadn’t heard any screams.
There wasn’t even time to scream.
There wasn’t even a moment to feel pain—its victims were devoured instantly.