Thud.
Thud.
THUD.
Each step made the forest tremble. Birds scattered, smaller monsters fled, and Damien, now Level 5 and armed with his new [Mimic – Lesser Form] skill, watched from behind a mossy log.
The Forest Ogre was massive. Nearly three meters tall, with moss-covered skin and arms like tree trunks. It carried a jagged club that looked like it was carved from a fallen boulder. The creature sniffed the air, grunting.
> "Forest Ogre – Level 12. Aggressive. Weak to fire and piercing. Immune to poison."<
"Okay. That's bad. That's really bad," Damien muttered. "I'm five levels below it, I have no fire, no weapons, and I'm literally a ball of goo."
> "Recommendation: Flee."<
"Yeah, no kidding. But…" He stared at the ogre, which had begun tearing mushrooms from the ground and chomping on them. "That thing's in my grinding spot. I can't level up if he's stomping around here."
Damien didn't have a heroic spirit. He wasn't brave or bold—he was just stubborn. If this world was going to throw monsters his way, he'd bite back.
He slid behind the ogre as quietly as a slime could, focusing.
> "Skill: [Mimic – Lesser Form] activated. Form chosen: Mushroom-type."<
His body shifted, stretching upward and widening like a squat, fat mushroom. He barely looked like the real thing, but it was enough to fool the ogre… for now.
The ogre plodded closer, sniffed, then looked away. Damien waited. One minute. Two minutes. The cooldown reset.
> "Cooldown finished. Skill ready."<
Perfect.
He dropped the disguise, leapt forward, and latched onto the ogre's ankle.
> "Skill: Devour – active."<
The ogre roared, swinging its club down. Damien released immediately and bounced away.
"Okay! That hurt him a bit!"
A red mark burned around its ankle. Not much, but enough to piss the beast off.
It charged.
Damien fled, bouncing through the clearing, weaving between rocks and trees. The ogre gave chase, furious. Then Damien saw what he wanted—roots. Thick, tangled ones.
He slipped through them easily. The ogre wasn't so lucky. Its foot got caught for a second—just long enough.
> "Mimic – Lesser Form activated. Form: Mushroom-type (Spore Bomb)."<
Damien had devoured a few explosive mushrooms earlier. The transformation lasted only thirty seconds, but it was enough.
He dropped right beside the ogre's head and popped.
BOOM!
Spores exploded everywhere, thick and sticky. The ogre roared in confusion, eyes watering as it stumbled blindly, crashing into a tree.
> "Devour successful: Gained Forest Ogre Tissue. +EXP."
"Level up! Level 6."<
Damien returned to slime form and dashed in again.
This time, he aimed for the ogre's neck, using his full body weight to slap and stick.
> "Devour – active."<
The ogre bellowed, swinging wildly. One hit grazed Damien and sent him flying—he barely managed to hold shape.
"One more hit like that and I'm jelly on the grass."
The ogre stumbled, then dropped to one knee. His attacks slowed.
"He's wearing down. One last gamble."
Damien launched forward again—this time aiming for the mouth. Gross? Yes. Smart? Definitely.
The ogre screamed, but Damien clung tight, dissolving what he could.
> "Critical Devour – Success. Gained: Ogre's Roar (Limited Skill – 1 Use Only)"
"Level up! Level 7."<
The ogre groaned, then collapsed with a final thud.
Silence returned to the forest.
Damien sat there panting—not that he had lungs—completely drained.
"I… I actually killed it…"
> "Congratulations. Host has defeated a Mid-Boss while underleveled. Reward: Trait unlocked – [Adaptive Evolution: Locked – 1/3 Conditions Met]."<
"Wait—evolution?"
> "Not yet. This is the first condition. Two more required."<
Damien laughed—again, mentally.
"Alright, world. You're playing hardball, huh?"
He glanced toward the ogre's body.
"Thanks for the XP, big guy. But I'm not stopping here."
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