Fortunately, having learned from her first experience, Miss Fíliya had a much easier time escaping from the second Mimic's mouth.
After sending the second Mimic to the great beyond, Miss Fíliya defiantly sat cross-legged before the third chest.
Aura's undisguised, exaggerated laughter, entirely unbecoming of a young girl, still echoed in her ears.
Fíliya's lips twitched slightly. It's fine. Things happen twice, but not a third time.
She would be the chosen one to grasp that one percent chance.
With this thought in mind, Fíliya took several deep breaths.
Then, she opened the chest for the third time.
Would a miracle happen...? Obviously not.
Miss Fíliya was swallowed by a Mimic for the third time.
The third explosion was much louder than the previous two, and in the blast, Miss Fíliya's entire face was blackened with soot.
As for her hair, it was an absolute mess, beyond what words like 'disheveled' or 'a rat's nest' could describe. If one had to put it into words, it could only be called 'indescribable.'
"How could this happen..."
The young lady sat down on the stone floor, looking utterly dejected, her gaze vacant.
She never imagined that all three chests in this hidden room would actually be Mimics.
Just as Fíliya was feeling smug...
"What's going on... An earthquake?"
What happened to the promise of using Mimics as a disguise, with a real treasure chest filled with riches hidden among them? Miss Fíliya lost her footing, stumbled forward, and fell into Solitär's arms.
Miss Fíliya didn't seem to realize that from the very beginning, no one had made any such promise. It was her own wishful thinking that led her to distrust the results of the magical appraisal.
But that didn't stop Fíliya from sighing toward the heavens.
Is there any justice? Is there any law?
Is this something a person would do?
My smooth, silky, gorgeous hair, beautiful as brocade! How could you betray my trust, you trashy chests! This damned dungeon... you better hope I don't find out who built you! Or I'll dig up your bones and boil them into soup!
Naturally, Fíliya's harsh words couldn't reach the ears of the dungeon's creator.
Among those present, only one person would step forward to comfort her in her moment of despair.
Solitär approached with a light chuckle. First, she used the 'Magic to Make Clothes Clean as New' to clean the Mimic's slime off Fíliya's entire body.
But then, as Solitär looked at Fíliya's... very delicate hairstyle, she felt a sense of helplessness.
"Sorry, Fíliya. The 'Magic to Make Clothes Clean as New' doesn't work on hair."
"Ugh, it's fine... Can I borrow a knife?"
Fíliya had finally managed to compose herself. Of course, she hadn't spent that entire time just venting her anger.
She had already acquired a spell from the system shop.
"Magic to Regrow Hair."
The reason she didn't choose a spell similar to 'Magic to Make Clothes Clean as New,' like 'Magic to Tidy Hair,' was because most of Fíliya's hair was already scorched. Tidying it up would be useless; it was better to just get a new head of hair.
After acquiring the spell, Fíliya closed her eyes for a moment, getting a feel for this new magic, and then immediately cast it on herself.
Her hair began to regrow at a visible rate. In just a few breaths, the hair that originally reached only her back had grown down to her knees.
Of course, this speed was nothing compared to Miss Sense, who could extend her hair to perform mass attacks. After all, she was a true specialist in her field.
Solitär's eyes narrowed with curiosity. After all, in the past two months they had lived together, Fíliya had never shown such an ability.
Uh, you think I'm going to tell you I just learned it?
With a placid expression, Fíliya nodded at Solitär and then held out her hand.
Solitär didn't say anything more about it. She silently generated a sharp knife with her mana and handed it to Fíliya.
After taking the knife, Fíliya gathered the long hair at the back of her head with one hand and cut off all the scorched parts.
Fíliya tossed the severed portions onto the ground nearby.
At a glance, they looked like dried weeds from the roadside.
Ah... I'm so cool.
After performing this act, Miss Fíliya couldn't help but praise herself in her inner world.
"No... it's not an earthquake. The dungeon itself is changing," Solitär said after re-scanning the entire dungeon with her mana.
"Hm? Something like that can happen...? Where?"
The deepest part...? Fíliya raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she had ever encountered something so strange.
How could a dungeon that's been explored so many times undergo a structural change... Unless?
Fíliya quickly thought of a possibility.
Could it be related to those three Mimics?
Well, we were heading to the deepest part anyway. That strange mana signature is quite alluring.
"Let's head to the deepest part, then," Fíliya suggested.
This time, none of the three demons objected. It seemed they were also very curious about what changes had occurred in the dungeon.
The tremor from before, like an earthquake, was indeed intriguing.
Soon, the group arrived at the deepest part of the dungeon.
And what greeted their eyes was a rather spectacular battle.
However, the combatants were neither humans nor members of the Demon Race.
In the vast area at the dungeon's core, a massive Earth Dragon was locked in a life-or-death struggle with several Golems.
The Earth Dragon's head was shaped like an inverted triangle, with two frightening horns protruding from its jaw. Its entire body was covered in scales as dark as obsidian, and their sharp backs alone were enough to give off an oppressive feeling.
The Earth Dragon had blood-red, vertical pupils, which had narrowed into thin slits during the fierce struggle. This indicated that the battle with the mobile Golems had reached its climax.
As for the Golems' design, Miss Fíliya found it to be quite unique.
Typically, creations like Golems are made from materials such as dirt, stone, or wood, and have runes and magical inscriptions carved onto their surfaces.
But the five Golems before Fíliya had the texture of polished metal, or rather, of machinery. Furthermore, there were no runes or inscriptions visible on their bodies whatsoever.
_____
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