Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Chest Mimic Chapter 63: Chest Mimic Kai’s breath caught in his throat the moment his fingers brushed against the black chest.

A pulse ran through it.

Something slow and steady, but very wrong.

Something that went against the natural course of life and death.

The surface was slick with an unnatural warmth, the wood subtly shifting under his grip like living flesh.

Orlin gave him an amused glance.

“Feel that?” Kai nodded stiffly.

“It’s… alive?” “In a way.” Orlin’s grin widened, ever so slightly.

“The soul within has corrupted the vessel that once held it.

The chest is no longer just an object.

It’s a mimic.

A creature that is both prison and prisoner.

Your task is twofold.

Destroy the soul within… and survive.” Kai barely had time to process those words before the box shuddered violently in his grasp.

He instinctively yanked his hands back as the wood groaned, splitting apart at the seams.

Hinges bent and warped, the once-small container stretching grotesquely as it grew, expanding like a thing being born.

Then the teeth appeared.

Long, jagged, and uneven.

They lined what had once been the chest’s opening.

A thick, black tongue lolled out, dripping with something viscous and foul-smelling.

The mimic’s wooden form creaked as it snapped its maw open and closed, testing its newfound range of motion.

A dozen eyes appeared and blinked as they focused on Kai.

Behind the tongue was a gross mass of internal organs and then a deep pitch black hole beyond it.

Kai staggered back, barely avoiding the first lunge.

The mimic slammed into the ground where he had been standing, the stone splintering beneath its weight.

“Did you plan to tell me it could do that?!” Kai shot Orlin a glare as he scrambled for distance.

The old necromancer shrugged.

“I thought it would be more educational if you saw for yourself.” Kai gritted his teeth.

“Fantastic.” The mimic gurgled, its body swelling even larger.

What had once been the size of a small chest now loomed over him, nearly as tall as a man, its many hinges stretching unnaturally as its wooden form twisted and expanded.

Thick, spindly legs of warped wood burst from its underside, anchoring it to the floor.

It was no longer just a box.

It was a predator.

And it was hungry.

Kai barely dodged the next lunge, rolling across the ground as the mimic’s maw snapped shut inches from his face.

He needed to act fast.

Destroying the soul inside was his primary goal, but that was easier said than done when the damn thing was trying to eat him.

A deep growl rumbled from within the creature, the imprisoned soul inside its core seething with malice.

It had power, and he could feel it writhing in the depths of the beast’s body.

Kai forced himself to focus.

He reached out with his mana, searching for the soul’s core.

It was buried deep, pulsing like a festering wound at the mimic’s heart.

But before he could grip it, the mimic lunged again.

This time, it was faster.

Kai barely managed to throw himself to the side, but not fast enough, since jagged teeth scraped his arm, tearing through fabric and grazing skin.

He hissed in pain, rolling to his feet just in time to see the mimic’s form shift again, its mouth widening impossibly as it prepared for another attack.

Orlin’s voice cut through the chaos.

“You hesitate, disciple.” Kai clenched his jaw.

‘I’m not hesitating, I’m strategising!’ The mimic was strong, but its greatest weakness was the very thing that gave it life.

‘If I can just-‘ The mimic struck again, but this time, Kai was ready.

He didn’t dodge.

Instead, as the beast lunged, he reached out with everything he had, gripping the soul within its core with his mana.

The moment his power latched onto it, the mimic spasmed violently, its limbs seizing, its mouth snapping shut before it could reach him.

The tongue, hanging outside of its mouth, whipped back and struck Kai’s head.

Kai flipped midair and landed on his skull.

The room spun.

Kai’s fingers froze solid as he decided to limit the ice magic he was about to summon.

The mimic charged, and Kai exchanged most of his life essence stored for mana, and turned it into raw power.

The moisture in the air froze, creating fractals of ice that floated around, sparking from the lights of the lanterns on the walls.

The mimic stood still in place.

Its entire exterior encased in a thick film of ice.

Kai closed his eyes and reached for the energy within the mimic again.

He imaged tearing the soul from the chest, and once he had a firm grasp on it, pulled with all of his might.

The mimic let out a horrible, choked gurgle, its wooden body trembling as if suddenly aware of its impending doom.

Kai didn’t give it a chance to recover.

With a deep breath, he pulled.

The soul writhed, fighting him with everything it had.

The mimic flailed, slamming its bulk against the walls, and the floor, desperately trying to shake him off.

But Kai didn’t let go.

He reached deeper, feeling the fragile threads that bound the soul together.

And then, with a final surge of will, he tore it apart.

The mimic let out an ear-splitting shriek, its body convulsing violently.

Then, all at once, it collapsed.

The once-living wood splintered, its grotesque form crumbling inward as the corruption bled away.

Kai staggered back, chest heaving as he watched the remains of the mimic dissolve into lifeless debris.

The system chimed again in his mind: [Soul Destruction Successful.] Orlin clapped his hands together, looking mildly entertained.

“Well done, disciple.

I had half a mind to see if you’d get eaten, but I suppose this is acceptable.” Kai shot him a glare, still catching his breath.

“You are an awful teacher.” Orlin smirked.

“And yet, you’re still here.” “Only because there’s nobody else who can teach me…” Kai mumbled under his breath.

“Well, once you’re done cleaning up this mess, come back upstairs, and we can continue with your training.” Kai incinerated the pieces of the mimic that still remained after destroying its soul while Orlin headed back to the first floor of the manor.

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Jhaydun I’ve always loved a good mimic.

And what do you think about the origin of mimics in this world originating from strong-willed souls being bound to objects in the world?

Sorry for the slower chapter releases at the moment as well.

I’ve had to move into my friend’s garage and things are a little tough right now.

I’ll keep writing in libraries and at my university campus until things improve.