“I took out the egg salad bread that I had stored in my inventory. I took a bite, and the texture was both fluffy and crunchy.
The combination of egg and apple with strawberry jam was undoubtedly delicious.
[‘Yubom (F)’ has consumed ‘egg salad bread’.] [‘Yubom (F)’ energy has been restored by 10%.]“Since it might take a while, Hunter-nim, please have a seat over there and take a break.”
I pointed to a neatly organized corner after finishing my egg salad bread.
“Don’t go too far.”
“Yes.”
He didn’t refuse and walked away. I wondered if he was really bored. Checking his expression, his eyes were still fixed on me.
“Just because I told him to go.”
At first, his gruffness had been intimidating, but now it didn’t bother me at all. Chae Donghwa Hunter might speak like a machine, but I knew he was an honest and kind person.
“It’s strange how a kind person… diligently does what I ask. He resembles a black ant in some ways, although he’s not small in stature.”
As I continued the repetitive lighting work, thoughts came to me naturally.
“Come to think of it, didn’t he say he’d bring a gift when he came back?”
It had been quite a while since he returned. He had spent a lot of time with me.
“Maybe it was just empty words? Although he doesn’t seem like the type to say empty words…”
Lost in thought, I might have forgotten. After all, he was a bit absent-minded.
With various thoughts in my mind, I saw a flicker of yellow light in the distance.
“What’s that?”
As I approached, I found a wooden box. It had a gold band around the edge and a small keyhole in the center.
Even though the box looked old, the metal on the surface gleamed, giving it a luxurious appearance.
This seemed like a treasure chest I had heard about in dungeons. The lock wasn’t engaged.
“Wow, this is amazing! As long as no monsters come out, my luck is on fire today!”
With an excited heart, I grabbed the lid of the treasure chest. As I opened it, a black mist burst out. I was startled and fell backward.
The edges of the treasure chest were filled with sharp teeth. The black mist gradually took shape, transforming into arms and legs.
Compared to its body, the thin arms and legs felt eerie. From deep within the box, a slimy purple mass emerged.
“Uh… what…”
It seemed to have seen something edible as its purple tongue dripped with saliva. I was too shocked to speak properly.
Before long, the chest lid opened wide, and it jumped toward me.
“Ah!”
Panicking, I swung the pickaxe I was holding recklessly.
It seemed like the skill ‘Pack, wasn’t it? (B)’ was used, even though I didn’t activate it intentionally.
“What’s happening!”
Chae Donghwa Hunter arrived late. The treasure chest was now stuck in the ground.
‘Pack, wasn’t it? (B)’ was an on-off skill. I had left it on and forgotten about it while exploring the dungeon.
It seemed that the pickaxe had triggered the skill automatically.
“I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry; I heard a ringing in my ears for a moment.”
After listening to the explanation of the situation, he nodded and touched his forehead, grimacing.
“It’s… it’s alright. I just ended up coming deeper on my own.”
And it would have been fine even if ‘Pack, wasn’t it? (B)’ hadn’t been used. Thanks to the invincibility effect, I was still invincible.
However, my heart was still pounding with shock. The monster was stuck tightly inside the chest, unable to open the lid.”
“This is a monster called ‘Mimic.’ It tempts its prey with a treasure chest-like appearance and can disguise itself as other monsters using black smoke. Many novice hunters fall for its tricks. It’s usually rare to encounter one in a dungeon, so I didn’t mention it. It seems this monster likes shiny things, which is why it was in the Marble Cavern.”
It was a monster that targeted hunters like me who innocently opened treasure chests without any caution.
“Keeek!”
Perhaps because the Mimic’s rank was higher than my skill level, it was gradually emerging from the ground. Its purple tongue wriggled as it tried to escape.
[‘Yubom (F)’ uses ‘Pack, wasn’t it? (B).’]“Ah! Disgusting! Stay right there!”
“Kek! Kek!”
I struck it multiple times, as if I were driving a pickaxe into it. It was driven further into the ground.
Now it didn’t move at all.
Did I go too far…?
“Come to think of it, this monster is also of the dark attribute.”
“Really?”
Earlier, Chae Donghwa Hunter had mentioned that Mimics liked shiny things. Luckily, my inventory had many items that this monster might like.
Since its rank was low, it wouldn’t be a waste to use Marble, an item that could increase monster favorability.
“Hunter-nim, can you just open the lid of this Mimic and keep it from moving? I can increase its favorability by giving it Marble.”
“Yes.”
If the lid closed while I was feeding it, it would be problematic. The sharp teeth would probably tear into my arm.
“Yes.”
He finally opened the lid of the Mimic and used a skill.
[‘Chae Donghwa (S)’ uses ‘Shadow Bind (S).’]The shadows of Chae Donghwa Hunter and the Mimic connected, and the Mimic froze as if it were petrified.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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