Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

The slime flew through the air in a graceful parabola, narrowly escaping unscathed. Now, what am I going to do...?

Just run first and think later!

I only thought of ways to get the slime out of the trap, but I didn't consider my own situation. Just as I took off running, the rolling stone had already run over my back.

Eeee ...

I instinctively followed my human instincts and shrank back, completely encasing myself inside the box. Whatever you say afterward doesn't matter; as long as I survived, that's all that matters!

Cluck cluck cluck!

Inside the shell, I was surrounded by the sound of shattering. I could feel the weight of the stone above me, a weight that could easily crush me. But the shell successfully protected me.

A huge boulder rolled right over me; my body shell is almost completely destroyed. It was only recently replaced, and I already need to replace it again. I never want to experience that again; it's bad for my health and my heart.

Do mimics have hearts?

In short, I survived, which is great. The price was that my shell was ruined, but that's actually a good deal. I'll just have to find another shell from my fellow countrymen later.

"Ugh."

Slime-chan chased after me from behind, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. I knew I had acted recklessly this time, and I didn't want to do it again. I was almost scared to tears.

The slime wasn't hurt at all; it seems it landed perfectly when I threw it. On the other hand, I'm completely unharmed except for my shell, but the shell is tattered and torn, and I feel utterly insecure.

I was considering whether I should go back, so I glanced at Slime-chan, wanting to ask for its opinion. It just stared at me blankly, not understanding what I meant.

So I switched to body language to communicate my thoughts, pointing with my pincers into the depths and then in the direction we had come from. It looked in both directions and then chose to move deeper into the depths.

Ugh... Aren't you worried about your companions at all? I know I'm tough, but I'm still so sad...

Then I heard a "click" sound again...

Uh… this time it wasn’t me, I didn’t do anything. But I have a bad feeling, the same feeling as before.

Slime suddenly stopped in her tracks, then stiffly turned to look at me. Wow... no way... did that thing roll back again? There wasn't a single jolt?

Whoosh-!

A swift, slender shadow flashed across my field of vision, and by the time I noticed it, it was already stuck in the ground in front of me. The front part had a metallic, diamond-shaped structure, and the tail end had feathers attached to a slender wooden stick—that was an arrow.

Why did arrows suddenly appear?

As I looked at this thing, this question arose in my mind. This thing couldn't have appeared out of thin air. In this area, the only monsters that use arrows are goblins, but they mostly act in groups. There's no way I hadn't noticed them.

But after ruling out goblins, the only remaining option is humans, and I don't think we'll happen to run into them. Besides, why would humans be using bows and arrows to snipe slimes and mimics?

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Whoa?!

Then, the constant stream of arrows revealed the answer to me: it was another trap... and then, a rain of arrows poured down.

Why am I encountering traps again?! I've never encountered any before! Why are there traps everywhere here?!

I rushed over and grabbed the slime, then ran for my life. I had no confidence that I could withstand this rain of arrows without a shell. I didn't want to be the straw boat in the story of "borrowing arrows with straw boats"; I wanted to be a treasure chest monster!

Chapter 37 is still out?!

Arrows rained down as I ran as fast as I could, carrying Slime-chan. Arrows kept whizzing past me, sending chills down my spine. If Slime-chan were hit by this barrage of arrows, she would be doomed.

No matter how strong the physical resistance of the slime race is, it's useless if the core is destroyed.

When a slime is attacked, its core will drift along with the gel-like substance that makes up its body, which greatly reduces the damage.

However, it can't handle large-scale attacks, nor can it cope with dense, point-based attacks. That's why the slime just stopped moving; it couldn't handle that.

I had no choice but to become its shield, carrying it as far away from here as possible. Now that I'm without its shell, my defenses are greatly reduced, making this thing a very serious challenge for me as well.

Slime-chan huddled in my arms, not wanting to peek out at all, as if afraid of being killed by a hail of arrows. Just stay like this, I'll definitely get you out of here.

As far as I can see, this passage is now filled with arrows flying from above. These arrows, which seem to be coming from above, are falling at varying speeds, as if they are deliberately making things difficult for people.

This is probably a labyrinth trap. I feel sorry for all the adventurers for a second, because I don't have time to pray for them.

Imagine an arrow landing on your head, twisted by a strange force, and then shooting forward instead.

--"distortion"!

Two magical circles appeared simultaneously, one above my head and one in front of me. I used my current amount of magic to maintain their existence, trying my best not to let them dissipate.

The arrows falling from above flew into the magic circle, and were then 'distorted' and sent to the magic circle in front of me. The arrows that were shot out collided and canceled out the arrows in front of me.

Although it's a drop in the ocean, it's much better than before.

I advanced with two magic circles, constantly deflecting some arrows to clear a path. I couldn't keep up with the arrows behind me, so I was hit by several arrows.

It hurts so much...

The feeling of that foreign object piercing my body was disgusting. It was because of this that I sped up and started running. I didn't want the arrow behind me to hit me at all.

When I reached the fork in the road, I saw a boulder blocking one of the paths. If I remember correctly, the other path seemed to lead to a boss room.

I absolutely will not fight the boss! The current conditions and situation are too terrible!

I saw a small space under the rolling stone, and without thinking much, I took Slime and went over there. I deliberately pulled my legs back and slid down through the small space to the other side of the rolling stone.

The arrows fell on the rolling stones and couldn't get through. There didn't seem to be any arrows here either. I think we're probably safe now.

This is exhausting... Why are there so many traps...?

Is this something a girl should be facing? Even though I'm a mimic now, this is just too outrageous.

I've never heard the guy in the next bed mention anything about traps trapping monsters along with the traps, so why am I getting special treatment?

snort!

I put the slime down. It seemed to still be in shock from what it had just experienced. It looked around and only relaxed after finding no arrows or anything like that.

Then it looked at me and seemed to ask if I was alright.

Of course I'm... fine...

click!

Not again?! When will this ever end?!

That ominous voice rang out again. I didn't know what would happen this time, so I could only wait and see. The two magic circles dissipated due to insufficient magic power—a complete shock.

Then, the ground beneath our feet suddenly opened up.

A moment of weightlessness spread throughout my body, and then I slammed hard against the foothold below, but I didn't think it would end so soon.

As a result, I slid down the slope before I could even stand properly; it turned out to be a super steep one. The slime landed right on my head and slid down with me.

I remember the guy saying something...

Pitfall traps often contain spikes or similar traps.

Yes, that's it!

Eh……

Hey, hey, hey, hey! ? ! ?

And so we slid uncontrollably toward the end of death.

Chapter 38 Encounter

But... this world doesn't always follow the rules!

I thought this was a landslide leading to the next trap, but this landslide is just ridiculously long! Why did it turn out like this?! Where's the trap I was promised?!

Pshaw, never mind. I don't want to run into another trap. I've already encountered three today.

But at least show me the end! Why haven't I seen the end after five minutes of gliding? It's going so fast, and five minutes have passed without any end in sight. Are you sending us straight to the Earth's core?

This hypothesis proved impossible, as there has been plenty of oxygen so far. The slime, however, seemed a little dizzy and was slumped on my head. Despite the dizziness, it clung tightly to me, preventing me from being thrown off during sharp turns.

It feels like riding an endless slide... It's novel but also very frustrating, so I don't recommend you try it...

Moreover, I don't have anything here to serve as a light source. It's pitch black all around, we can't see anything, and we don't dare to reach out and touch anything.

Gradually, the slope began to decrease, and some faint light appeared. Our descent speed also gradually slowed down. Thank goodness, if we had maintained this speed upon impact with the ground, I would have been smashed to pieces in this state.

My magic eye spotted the exit of the landslide, where a soft glow was emanating, much to my relief as I was accustomed to the darkness. We slid down the landslide to the exit, where I witnessed a breathtaking view I will never forget.

The world was filled with glowing soul grass, and the entire small world was filled with drifting glowing light. The boundless soul grassland was home to a clear and calm lake, in the center of which was a small island with a tree in full bloom.

The soul grass swayed in the breeze, like dandelions, dancing in the air. Its faint glow, merging with countless other faint lights, illuminated this small world. But these lights couldn't reach the other side of the lake; on that side, another kind of light danced.

Those were the flowers of that tree; the blue light emitted by their petals illuminated the tree, making it appear blue and radiating a strong presence.

Oh my god... what is this...?

This place is like something out of a novel or comic book. It's so beautiful it's beyond words. Only by actually visiting such a place can you truly understand how amazing nature is, even though this isn't Earth.

But beauty is universal, no matter the world.

Tch... I've been tricked by this world again. Oh well, it's not so bad this way either.

Seeing such a beautiful view is a real treat, isn't it? Spiritually...

I just realized that Slime-chan has returned to its original form and is sitting right beside me, admiring this picturesque scene. Its translucent, light blue body has been illuminated by the light of this world, turning into a different color—a dreamlike color, as if it has been dyed with the colors of this world.

This place can be called a world, a world completely different from the outside, the labyrinth, and even beyond the labyrinth—a peaceful world.

This might just be a paradise on earth...

I sighed inwardly.

"I don't quite understand what you mean by 'Shangri-La,' but if you're happy, that's what matters most."

Huh? That voice is...?

It seemed to come from afar, yet it also seemed to be right in front of me. That person's voice sounded so reassuring, as if I were enveloped in gentleness.

Before me stood a blonde girl in ceremonial attire. Her long, flowing blonde hair reached her waist, and her features were delicate. Despite never having met her, I felt an immense sense of warmth, as if she could embrace the entire world.

A white blindfold covered her eyes, so I couldn't see them, but I could feel her gaze.

Her slender body was wrapped in a thin gauze robe, constantly exuding an aura of frailty that was hard to shake off.

She greeted the two guests who had arrived with a gentle smile—a mimic and a slime.

Chapter 39 Nao

When I saw the girl, I was speechless for a moment; there was just too much information to process.

Why is there someone here? How can there be a person in this place deep within a maze? This person just spoke to me? Can I speak the language of this world? No, could it be that my mind is being read?

Even though the other party adopted a friendly attitude, Slime-chan didn't dare to be careless and prepared for battle early on. I reached out and grabbed it, preventing it from making any rash moves.

The labyrinth is treacherous, and no monster can be trusted because communication is impossible. This also relates to some other issues, which are too complicated to explain.

However, the person in front of me is someone I can communicate with.

"Huh? Did I just hear that right?" The blonde girl gave an embarrassed smile. "Was I hallucinating?"

I remained silent, staring at her with my demonic eyes, trying to glean some information. How could she hear me?

"Are you talking to someone?" The girl tilted her head. "I'm talking to you telepathically, that's why I can hear you."

Read aloud...?

"Yes, 'reading words.' 'Reading' as in 'longing,' and 'talking' as in 'conversation.' The girl smiled. 'As the name suggests, it's about communicating through longing.'"

Wow... How can there be such a convenient ability? Hey, why did I start talking to you like that?

Frustrated by my own slow-thinking nature, I resigned myself to simply engaging in conversation with her. However, I didn't stop using my Mystic Eyes to gather information about her; currently, all I knew was her level 71, HP/MP, and her attributes.

who are you?

"Me?" The girl answered me without the slightest hesitation, "Nao, Nao Ellando. Well, at least, I'm still a person..."

When she uttered the second half of her sentence, something caught my attention; her expression turned extremely sorrowful. Until I saw the new information—the race 'The Living Dead'.

...? !

The living dead—there are countless works about this type of being on Earth, and Earthlings generally call them "zombies." The literary image of zombies has always been one of ferocity, cruelty, and extreme ugliness. But she's different. I don't want to see her as a zombie, but as a person.

What happened...?

I asked her cautiously.

"...Yes, a lot." Nao didn't avoid the question, but remained silent for a while.

The slime has been struggling in my hand, and I'm almost losing control of it. I need to get it to calm down first.