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

Mo walked ahead, but his mind wasn't on guard duty; it was on his back. He believed this part of the task could be left to Neko, a trustworthy warrior who, although not yet psychologically mature, was qualified as an adventurer. Therefore, Mo focused his attention on his back, on the time bomb.

Prince Pelle of the Kingdom of Alyas, an extremely cruel and lecherous man, was now surprisingly well-behaved, which made Mod feel uneasy. They had been in the labyrinth for three days, maintaining this formation. When battles occurred, Mod and Neko would handle them, while Pelle would occasionally join the fray. As a warrior, Pelle was very strong, a fact Mod was unwilling to admit. Because, under these circumstances, if Mod found a suitable opportunity to ambush him and Neko, the team would crumble.

At that point, how to deal with Leila and Knight will depend on Peller's mood.

Therefore, Mo now has to be constantly on guard behind him to prevent a sudden attack by Peller. But as things stand now, this is too strange. He hasn't done anything for the past three days, except to say something when necessary and occasionally sexually harass female members. Other than that, he hasn't done anything.

Perhaps he understood the fact that in the labyrinth, one can only rely on companions? But he didn't actively help in the battle; he simply watched from the sidelines, his gaze utterly indifferent. This person is truly an anomaly, one couldn't help but think.

"Hey, the leader."

Peller suddenly spoke to Mode, who thought he had been discovered, and Mode immediately straightened his back.

"Why are you so nervous?" Peller asked, puzzled. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Mo tried his best to remain calm and talk to him.

"What kind of commission did we receive to come to the maze?" Peller asked.

"Why do you ask this?" Mo couldn't understand why he asked this.

"We've been here for three days, haven't we?" Peller said casually. "Haven't you found anything interesting? And you all seem to be wandering around aimlessly. I didn't come here to just hang out with you."

They actually said they weren't here to have fun...

Mo didn't scoff at his words, but she didn't show it. Peller's behavior these past few days was like he was playing around; he was smiling from beginning to end, no different from a trip for fun.

“We’ve taken on a commission,” Mo told him. “An investigation commission, not too difficult, just an investigation about slimes.”

"Huh?!" Peller scoffed. "Slime? What's there to investigate about something so fragile?"

"You don't know yet, do you, you bastard?" Knight said rudely, "Recently, a very strange slime has appeared in the dungeon. Even some high-level adventurers have been driven back or even killed by it. Because it's so unusual, the guild has issued a request, hoping someone can gather information about this slime."

"There's such a thing?" Peller was clearly unaware of this. "Wow, that's quite interesting. How exactly should we investigate?"

“We need to find it,” Naiko said. “We need to gather as much intelligence as possible about it and its characteristics as possible without engaging in combat, and observe its actions.”

"So, why do you guys always go and fight this slime one by one?" Peller asked a very practical question.

"Because many people don't believe it, they underestimate this slime too much," Leila suddenly spoke up. "I've encountered that slime before. When I was doing a quest alone."

"Huh? You've met Leila before?" Knight asked in surprise.

"So this is what you were doing when I couldn't find you..." Mo De said with a wry smile, "You could have come to find us and come with us."

"No. This is a private matter," Leila said, avoiding the question.

Since she said it was a private matter, the three of them didn't press her for details, but Peller was different.

“Hey, Leila,” Peller asked, “what do you think of that slime?”

“A monster,” Leila emphasized, “a monster among monsters.”

"What do you mean?" Peller was completely baffled.

“Literally, this slime isn’t an ordinary monster,” Leila said. “This slime might be intelligent, and very intelligent at that, using all sorts of methods to deal with its enemies. I learned this the hard way once. I initially thought it was a slime that only knew water magic, but it used magic of at least four different elements, and even employed hidden weapons and traps.”

"Wow... is it that powerful..." Knight exclaimed. "These days, not only have demon kings appeared, but also these kinds of strange monsters."

In the north of this kingdom lies a land inhabited by demons. A year ago, the Demon King appeared, leading his demons to invade human lands. Knight had lost count of how many times he'd heard this cliché, but it was reality. Seven thousand years had passed since the last Demon King's appearance. In that time, since defeating that Demon King, humanity had not only successfully driven out the demons but had also gained vast tracts of fertile land.

There's a fundamental difference between monsters and other creatures: intelligence. Monsters are intelligent beings, while other creatures can only engage in relatively simple thought processes. The monsters believed they couldn't fight humans and retreated without a shred of resistance. Until the appearance of this new Demon King, they began their invasion once more.

It is said that this time the Demon King is unimaginably powerful, and even his subordinates are ridiculously strong. The eleven heroes summoned by the kingdom all died at the hands of his subordinates, without even seeing the Demon King. Recently, the kingdom summoned another hero, who is said to be the weakest hero in history. Humanity is in grave danger!

“Hey, where are you going to find this monster?” Peller asked.

“According to information from those who have encountered it, it usually appears in areas where slimes gather. But it acts alone.” Mord pointed to the end. “We are now heading to the last gathering place.”

"Huh? The last one?" Peller didn't quite understand. "We've been to other settlements, haven't we seen any slimes there?"

"I'm not quite sure what's going on either..." This has been a question Mo has had all along. "We haven't seen a single slime from beginning to end."

Yes, they've been in the labyrinth for three days and haven't seen a single slime. Slimes are relatively weak monsters, but to ensure the survival of their species, they reproduce rapidly, making them virtually inexhaustible. Yet, they haven't seen a single slime, not even a single settlement. What's going on? Anyway, they're now heading towards the last settlement, where slimes might appear. If they don't find one, this quest might fail.

This wouldn't matter much to Peller, but it would change the adventure rating of the four of them, who had finally reached B.

The rating dropped because of this kind of thing, which is not good at all.

“We still have some time before we get there, let’s rest here first.” Mo De took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"Then I'll go ahead and scout ahead first."

Leila left those words behind and ventured deeper into the area, while the other four stayed to rest. Neko took out dried meat from her storage bag and distributed it to everyone, then sat down on the ground to eat it. Knight deliberately sat down next to Neko, avoiding Peller. Morde leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to rest, ignoring Peller completely.

"I'm going to make it easier."

Peller didn't pay much attention and left, finding a secluded spot to relieve himself. He knew these people were afraid of him, but he liked it that way.

"Hey, is everything arranged?"

Peller spoke something to the void.

"All the exits are blocked. They can't leave. I can give you anything you want."

"Just do as I say."

Chapter 57 What people do, the dragon sees.

"Tsk... Damn it, why are these adventurers so annoying?" Rielfa cursed as she took a bite of what looked like a watermelon slice.

Lelfa stood at the heart of the labyrinth, watching the adventurers' movements. She had set traps for them several times, but they were too cautious and difficult to deal with. Why was Lelfa bothering them? Because among them was someone she didn't want to see: Prince Pelle, the instigator of Nao's murder. Nao knew nothing about this; she didn't even know who had killed her, and she didn't care about such things.

But Rielfa is different. Nao is a saint, though no longer a pure saint, she still possesses a magnanimous heart and noble qualities. She can't simply discard these qualities, and Rielfa won't let her. Nao is Nao; she should remain as she is. Anyway, Rielfa isn't human and won't care about the affairs of the human kingdom, so it's best to resolve things this way.

Leifa had been harassing them with traps, but with little effect. There was a woman named Leila among them who was extremely skilled at disarming traps. With her around, using traps was virtually impossible. Now, Leifa was thinking about how to deal with them. Although she could take matters into her own hands, simply driving them away would suffice; she only cared about the prince.

The adventurers who had appeared on the core began to rest. Neko and Knight sat together to replenish their energy, the leader leaned against the wall to rest, and the woman skilled at disarming traps went to scout deeper into the area. Peller was isolated and then went outside to relieve himself.

“Hmm…that’s really small.” Relfa said something very rude as she looked at the thing.

"Hey, is everything arranged?" Peller suddenly spoke up. "All the exits are blocked. They can't leave. I can give you anything you want. Just do as I say."

“…………? Is this guy talking to me?” Rielfa felt a little uncomfortable.

She adjusted her perspective, switching to a bird's-eye view, and finally spotted Leila on the other side. Leila was on the other side of the wall, leaning against it, and could probably hear Peller's voice; perhaps Peller was speaking to her.

What's this guy up to? I haven't seen him do anything these past few days... I'll just have to wait and see...

"Laila." Knight greeted Laila as she returned from afar.

Hearing the noise, Mode woke up from his light sleep and saw Leila return. Leila's expression seemed somewhat solemn, and she no longer had her usual composure.

"Oh...you're finally back." Peller stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "I've been waiting a long time. Shouldn't we get going?"

"What's the rush? Let Leila tell you what's going on first," Knight said, giving him a cold glare.

"Knight, watch your mouth," Mo reminded her, then looked at Leila, "Leila, what's the road like up ahead?"

“There’s no major problem, we can go directly to our destination,” Leila said.

"Alright, everyone, let's get ready to go." Mo gave the order and walked forward first.

Neko picked up her luggage and greatsword and followed them out. Peller shrugged, glanced at Leila, and walked past her.

"What's wrong, Leila?" Knight looked at her worriedly. "Are you feeling unwell? Should you tell Mo?"

“No, it’s okay.” Leila shook her head. “Let’s go.”

After Leila told Knight she was alright, she followed the group. Knight could tell that Leila seemed to be thinking about something. Knight couldn't help but be concerned, but since she said she was fine, he felt awkward asking further. Conversely, Knight became more wary of Peller, because a very unpleasant smile appeared on his face, and Knight had a bad feeling.

Moreover, her premonition later came true.

"Really... not a single slime." Neko was a little dumbfounded.

They arrived at their destination, the last slime settlement. They had been here when they were newbies, and back then, slimes were practically everywhere. But now there was nothing but empty maze rooms. Not a single slime, not even a monster. This maze was becoming increasingly strange. What had happened?

“Don’t let your guard down,” Leila warned. “That slime is intelligent, which means it might attack us.”

"In short, everyone should be prepared for battle." Morde didn't dare to relax either. "We'll split up and not make any rash moves when we encounter that slime. Leila, Prince, we'll go together. Nekonet, you're in a group. We'll go there, this way, you go that way."

"Got it, let's go, bro."

Knight dragged Nico, who was twice her size, away very quickly. Are all women this capable?

In fact, Knight couldn't be more eager to get away from Peller right now. The sinister aura emanating from him was growing stronger, making Knight feel somewhat nauseous even from behind. She wasn't worried about Leila, because with Mo with them, Peller probably wouldn't dare to make any rash moves. Thinking of this, she felt relieved and ran off first. She didn't want to spend another minute with this prince and was eager to finish this commission.

Only after the two teams could no longer see each other did Nico speak up: "Hey, Knight, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong with me." Knight's voice was clearly off.

"Wait for me a moment."

Naiko shook off his sister's hand, pressed her down, and pushed her against the wall, leaving her nowhere to escape. He glared at her. How could he not know what his sister was thinking? As an older brother, it was his duty to care for his sister. If something was wrong with her, how could Naiko not know?

“Knight, look me in the eyes.” Neko wouldn’t allow her to be evasive. “What exactly is it?”

"I don't know!!" Knight yelled back at him, "But I just couldn't help wanting to run away! Why that scumbag?! I'm so scared! Terrified!"

“Nate…?” Neko was speechless.

Nico understood that Knight was the kind of person who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside; she was also a girl. It was only natural that she was terrified after unfortunately being targeted by that scumbag and spending three days with him. Besides, he had power and influence; suppressing and eliminating them would be incredibly easy for him.

“Brother… that scumbag is acting strange…” Knight’s voice was trembling with tears. “Just now, that guy was laughing, laughing very brightly. I don’t know what he was laughing at, but I have a bad feeling.”

“…………I felt it too.” Neko looked to the other side, “But there’s nothing we can do now, we can only watch Leila and Morde.”

Neko knew perfectly well that Mo had already figured things out, so he deliberately split the team into two, hoping to give Neko Knight a chance to escape. The brother and sister prayed for their two best friends and partners and began their own work.

"Then let's go too."

After losing sight of the brother and sister, Mo turned back and spoke to them.

"What kind of achievement did His Highness come to the maze to accomplish, right?" Mo looked at Peller.

“Ah, yes, like slaying dragons or something.” Peller’s eyes lit up with fervor, but he quickly looked away. “But we haven’t seen any dragons yet. We’ll see when we do.”

This person really dares to say that...

Mo didn't know that Peller was very strong, but not strong enough to kill a dragon single-handedly. Then he looked at Leila, who gave him a wink, meaning he should change the formation.

“Your Highness, we need to readjust our formation now,” Mo De said. “We’re in a bit of a rush, so Leila and I will be leading the way in the front, and you’ll be in charge of the back. I remember you should know magic, right?”

“Ha, no way!” Peller puffed out his chest confidently.

“…………That’s settled then, thank you for your help.” Mo De silently looked away. “Leila, let’s go first.”

“Mm.” Leila nodded and walked to Mo’s side.

Peller watched from behind and followed, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips as his gaze lingered on Leila.

I've given you the timing, the opportunity, the chance. What are you going to do with it, Leila?

Chapter 58 Encounter

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

The massive Flame Mountain Elephant walked straight past Morde and his companions, showing no intention of fighting, and simply walked away. Peller's hand was still on his sword hilt; thankfully, Morde stopped him in time, or he would have been in serious trouble. This Flame Mountain Elephant was one of the strongest monsters in this labyrinth, but it was gentle by nature and didn't like to fight. It wouldn't react to adventurers, only doing what it wanted. Generally, people wouldn't provoke it; those who had are probably long gone.

"Are you two alright?" Leila asked as she walked over from the other end.

"It was terrible, I was terrified..." Mo said with a wry smile, "We almost got into a fight."

After hearing Mo's words, Leila glanced at Peller, who was whistling, and figured it must have been this guy who was behind it.

"It's just a Flame Mountain Elephant, right? I killed one a year ago." Peller boasted shamelessly about his strength.

"I know you're very strong, but please consider your teammates," Leila advised him.

“Ha, woman.” Peller snorted meaningfully.

“Alright, let’s move on.” Mo interrupted their conversation by stepping between them. “We’ll search for a little longer and then go back to meet up with Nekonet.”

They've traveled quite a distance and haven't seen a slime yet. They did spot a Fiery Mountain Elephant earlier, though its volcano back was somewhat damaged; they wondered what it had been through. Keep in mind, that volcano was so hard that even a level 4 fire spell couldn't damage it.

They walked on for a while longer, but saw nothing. The monsters here seemed to have vanished; they couldn't see anything except a Flame Mountain Elephant, which had just left.

“Something’s not right…” Leila said intuitively.

"Hmm..." Mo also sensed something was wrong and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"It's too quiet... damn it..." Peller was also getting nervous, affected by the atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the entire maze had become strange. They moved forward cautiously. Ahead lay a dimly lit corridor, and they couldn't see what lay deeper inside. But it was too quiet, and their senses became extremely acute.

“Hey… what’s that?” Peller saw a hole in the wall.

"Could it be... a hole in the iron armor?" Mo De was also somewhat surprised.