[Status: Spectating]
[Current HP: 242/250]
[Hunger: 25/100 (FAMISHED)]
The Ogre's Den was a symphony of destruction.
Sir Alistair was no longer a man; he was a whirlwind of sapphire light and righteous violence. Every time his hammer, *Truthbringer*, struck the Ogre's massive club, a shockwave of holy energy rippled through the room, turning the bones on the floor into fine white powder.
"RAAAAAGH!" The Ogre roared, its skin turning a bruised shade of red. This was its *Enrage* state. Its muscles swelled, and it swung its tree-trunk club with enough force to collapse the ceiling.
*CRACK.*
Alistair didn't dodge. He raised his shield, the light on its surface forming a translucent barrier. The club hit the shield, and the ground beneath the Paladin's boots shattered. But Alistair didn't move an inch.
"Your flesh is weak," Alistair shouted, his voice echoing inside his helmet. "Your soul is a void. By the Light, be purged!"
He lunged forward, his hammer glowing with the intensity of a dying star. He struck the Ogre's knee, and the sound of the bone snapping was like a thunderclap. The giant collapsed, a mountain of meat falling to its knees.
I watched from my pile of skulls in the corner. My *Mana Sense* was vibrating. The Ogre was dying, yes, but it was leaking *massive* amounts of Floor Boss Essence—a thick, golden-green mist that only monsters could see.
And Alistair? He was breathing hard. His holy incense was running low, and the blue glow of his armor was flickering. He was winning, but he was vulnerable.
[Hunger: 15/100 (STARVING)]
I couldn't wait any longer. If Alistair finished the Ogre, he'd turn back to my corner and finish me. I needed to grow. Now.
I reached into my internal inventory and activated the item the Elder Mimic had given me.
[Item Consumed: Fragment of the Mimic King]
[Effect: Forcing Level Up to Milestone 15...]
[Evolution Path: UNLOCKED.]
I didn't just evolve; I erupted.
[Evolution Selected: The Iron Maiden (Rare)]
[Description: A vertical transformation. You are no longer a chest; you are a sarcophagus of spikes. Specializes in 'Internal Execution'.]
The pain was unlike anything I had felt before. My spider legs didn't just grow; they fused with my base. My rectangular body began to stretch upward, my wood grain screaming as it was forced into a tall, humanoid shape. My lid split down the middle, becoming two heavy, swinging doors.
The iron bands that had protected me melted and reformed into jagged, inward-facing spikes that lined my hollow interior. On the outside, my black wood was replaced by cold, unyielding iron plates embossed with the screaming faces of those I had eaten.
[Transformation Complete!]
[New Species: Iron Maiden Mimic (Rare)]
[Level: 15]
[HP: 600/600]
[Defense: +45]
I stood seven feet tall. I was a vertical coffin of death.
"What is this?" Alistair's voice wavered. He had just delivered the finishing blow to the Ogre, his hammer buried in the giant's skull. He turned around, expecting to find the 'Stalker' he had been chasing.
Instead, he found me.
I wasn't skittering anymore. I was walking. My legs were shorter now, thick and powerful, hidden beneath the heavy iron skirt of my new body.
"A-an Iron Maiden?" Alistair whispered, his visor flickering. "On the First Floor? Impossible. The System... the System shouldn't allow this."
"Krieeeeeeeet."
My hinges didn't click; they screamed. I opened my two front doors wide. The interior was a dark abyss lined with hundreds of razor-sharp, rusted iron spikes.
[Skill Unlocked: Internal Execution (Lvl 1)]
[Effect: Once a target is inside, the doors lock with 300% Strength. Deals 50 HP/sec bleed damage.]
[Skill Unlocked: Magnetic Pull (Passive)]
[Effect: You can draw metal-clad enemies toward your open doors.]
"I will not be cowed by a coffin!" Alistair roared, though I could hear the fatigue in his voice. He raised his hammer for one last strike.
He lunged.
I didn't dodge. I didn't hide. I stood my ground and used my new skill.
[Skill Activated: Magnetic Pull]
The Paladin's own plate armor betrayed him. As he swung his hammer, an invisible force yanked him forward. He lost his footing, his momentum carrying him directly into my open, spiked embrace.
*CLANG.*
I slammed my doors shut.
The sound was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. It was the sound of a heavy vault door locking.
"GAAAH!" Alistair's scream was muffled by two inches of reinforced iron.
I felt him thrashing inside me. His hammer struck my internal spikes, but there was no room for him to swing. Every time he moved, he was impaled by a dozen more needles. I could feel his hot, holy blood flowing into my wood grain, being absorbed, being *converted*.
[Internal Execution Active: -50 HP... -50 HP...]
[Mana Sense: Absorbing Holy Essence...]
"LET... ME... OUT!" Alistair's voice was fading.
I leaned back, savoring the sensation. The holy blood was spicy—it burned my tongue—but the sheer amount of Mana was intoxicating. It was like drinking liquid starlight mixed with iron shavings.
*CRUNCH.*
The thrashing stopped.
[Enemy Defeated: Sir Alistair the Purge (Lvl 30)]
[Massive Level Gap Bonus: +500% Experience!]
[Floor Boss Essence Absorbed!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Iron Maiden Mimic -> Lvl 18]
[Devour Complete. Extracting Legendary Attributes...]
1. [Weapon Gained: Truthbringer's Core (Absorbed)]
2. [Skill Gained: Holy Resistance (Major)]
3. [Loot Gained: Paladin's Divine Heart (Consumable)]
I stood in the middle of the Ogre's Den, surrounded by the giant's corpse and the empty suit of Alistair's armor. I was no longer a tutorial monster. I was no longer a "lucky" box.
I looked at my own iron doors. One of the embossed faces on my front now looked remarkably like Sir Alistair.
[Hunger: 100/100 (OVERFLOW)]
[Status: Evolution Milestone 20 Imminent.]
"Thank you for the meal, Sir Alistair," I thought, my hinges letting out a satisfied, metallic burp. "You were right. The dungeon does need to be cleansed. And I'm going to start with the second floor."
I turned toward the stairs, my heavy iron steps echoing through the chamber. *Thud. Thud. Thud.*
The First Floor was officially empty.
And I was still very, very hungry.