Chapter Seven

Ding!

Bite(F) has leveled up!

2 – 3

If it wasn’t for the fact that Bob’s mouth was already occupied – and currently lacked teeth – he would have smiled toothily at the news. As it was, he reveled in the feeling of his glorified pickaxe settling more firmly in his grip. Of it impacting the dirt with more power and precision. Of he, as a creature, becoming objectively better and more powerful.

And also, at seeing the material surrounding the newest part of his horde beginning to slowly be chipped away.

Though, honestly, he might keep going even after breaking them free. The sensation of leveling, when not in the midst of being hurled down a pit by a greasy-faced teen, was a delightful one. He wasn’t sure how ‘banging a piece of iron into a rock’ would affect his skill evolution, but he also wasn’t really sure he cared. Whatever he got almost certainly being better than what he currently had.

Bob continued daydreaming about potential evolutions as he hammered away in the stone crevice. Only snapping out of it when he saw the material surrounding his coins crack. The two silver pieces rattling loosely after the impact.

It took another good ten or so minutes more of banging and prying at the spot, but, eventually, they popped free. Coming out nearly in one chunk once he’d managed to fully loosen up the dirt around them; the grime and tarnish of a long stay underwater lightly binding them together.

For a moment, Bob could only stare down at them, marveling at his success. He almost didn’t want to pick them up, worried about some potential other shoe dropping. Like the system refusing to take them, given that it specified copper as his current requirement. Or silver being worth less in this universe, rather than more. Leaving all his recent efforts worth nothing.

‘Well, only one way to find out’, Bob supposed. Before reaching down to swallow them up in one fell swoop.

Ding!

Congratulations!

You have acquired 2 silver pieces!

Species level increased!
5 – 8

Next level: 2.21/2.56 Silver Pieces.

Name: Bob Stadler

Title: (None) +

Species: Lesser Mimic (F) +

Class: (None) +

Level: 5 – 8

Health : 9/10 – 13/13

Mana: 48/48

Strength: 5 – 8

Dexterity: 5 – 8

Constitution: 10 – 13

Intelligence: 48

Perception: 10 – 13

Willpower: 22 – 25

Species Traits: +

Class Skills: +

Obtained Skills: +

Blessings: +

Bob closed out his status screen almost as soon as it came in, only briefly noting the expected three points to each attribute other than intelligence; far more focused on the physical changes to his own body.

Previously, he hadn’t been in a position to notice any modifications as they happened, but now he watched in awe as reality was altered before his very eye.

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An almost comforting numbness overtook him as his form began to swell, breaking well out of ‘pouch’ territory and beginning to edge into ‘sack’. As it did so, the material he was made of also seemed to go through a transformation; his previous cloth-colored surface beginning to brown and darken into something approaching leather. His seams also broadening and tightening, bound now with thick gut rather than twine.

Bob nearly preened at the changes. The improvements might seem negligible to others, but they put him in a far better position when dealing with current threats to his existence. The few extra inches might just scare a good number of fish off. Not to mention tanned leather being far preferable to cloth should they still decide to take a bite.

He was even more enthusiastic when he noticed that the level increase had healed the damage he’d taken. The sole lost hit point which had been nagging at him for what, at this point, must have been most of a day. Not long enough to entirely nix the idea of him having a healing factor. But probably for him having a very good one.

In fact, he would have been ecstatic about the situation if it wasn’t for a tiny little voice in his head clamoring desperately for attention. A little voice which had noticed something strange about his ‘level up’ page. More specifically the amounts required for him to get to the next one.

While he hadn’t paid much attention in the moment, something had seemed… off. And, deciding he had no reason not to indulge his anxieties, Bob opened up his species page to have a look.

Lesser Mimic

Born of an act of theft, these amorphous monsters inhabit small sacks and coin purses.

They are considered little more than a nuisance, biting the fingers of the greedy and unwary.