[Mimic]

Grade: ???

Description: Mimic is both a warehouse and your companion. Feed it well, and it will show you loyalty unto death.

[Link: Ha Gangwoo]

-Mimic’s Status Window has been opened.

‘Status Window?’

Gangwoo scratched his cheek, staring at the moving wooden box.

All he needed was a container for items—and now it came with useless extra features.

‘Is it alive?’

Mik! Mik!

The tiny box on Gangwoo’s palm opened and shut its lid, making noises.

‘Hmm…’

An item worth a whopping 70 million Gold. He needed to understand it thoroughly.

‘Let’s check.’

Gangwoo immediately opened the Mimic’s Status Window.

[Mimic]

Rank: F

Status: Freshly born and in good spirits. It will follow any order with a willingness to die.

HP: 20/20

Satiety: 50/100

Capacity: 00/50

(TIP: Mimic grows gradually.)

Skills: –

‘Growth? Skills?’

It seemed the Mimic was a pet-like entity. But one thing bothered him.

“Having HP means it can die…”

It had HP. And Satiety too—so it ate something.

Gangwoo rubbed his brow and frowned.

‘What do I do.’

If the Mimic died, what happened to the items stored inside? There was no way to know.

He’d bought it, so he had to use it, but storing important items seemed risky.

‘Only put in necessities.’

Gangwoo opened his Inventory and picked out items of low priority.

[Runetail’s Necklace]

[Rupicel Mineral x1]

[Mid-Grade HP Recovery Potion x3]

Three items he could afford to lose right now.

Ha Gangwoo lifted the dead Runetail’s Necklace, its light gone, and held it in his palm.

‘How do I even store this thing?’

The question had barely crossed his mind when—

Mik! Mik!

Mimic popped her lid open and shut, open and shut, broadcasting her intentions loud and clear.

Anyone could read it: she wanted it. For herself.

‘Just shove it in there?’

Mimic was the size of a palm—smaller than the necklace itself.

For a second he hesitated. Then she stretched like rubber, mouth gaping wide, and—gulp—swallowed the necklace whole.

Ding—

[Mimic stores Runetail’s Necklace.]

‘So she’s basically an Inventory, huh.’

[Capacity: 01/50]

Gangwoo fed her the rest of the items without another thought.

[Mimic stores Rupicel Mineral.]

[Mimic stores Mid-Grade HP Recovery Potion x3.]

[Capacity: 03/50]

‘Not bad.’

Now that he actually had storage space for supplies, a solid sense of security settled in his chest.

‘Maybe toss in some water and food, too?’

Smart thinking. The Auction House wouldn’t be open in the Scenario. He didn’t want to waste time running out every time he needed something.

He didn’t want the trouble of stepping outside every single time, nor did he want to waste his hours tied to the Auction House.

‘Let’s buy.’

[Purchased Clear Sparkling Water x20.]

[Purchased Ham Sandwich x20.]

[Purchased Clean Box 5×5.]

[Purchased Wooden Arrow x20.]

…..

…

..

.

Gangwoo snapped up food and supplies from the Auction House on the spot and stuffed them all into Mimic’s belly.

[Capacity: 20/50]

Arrows—consumables—water, food, Clean Boxes… everything.

All he’d done was load up a storage unit, yet some weird sense of accomplishment spread through him.

A reassurance that even if he dropped into the unknown, he’d be okay.

‘Time to go.’

Ha Gangwoo pulled his hood up and rose from his seat.

Everything was ready.

Gear check. Provisions secured. Scenario info scouted. All of it.

Only one thought now.

‘Move as fast as possible.’

Clear the Scenario—that was it.

Apparently there were towers you could only enter after clearing Scenario 1. He’d checked.

‘Let’s go.’

He was just about to take a step when—

Ding—

[Mimic is hungry.]

[If Satiety falls below 10, HP decreases.]

“Huh?”

A system window popped up.

“Satiety…”

Mimic gave him a whopping fifty inventory slots—a fantastic effect. But it came with a penalty to match.

“Troublesome.”

Now he had to worry about feeding a chest, of all things.

Hungry? What was he supposed to feed her? As he frowned, another system window appeared before him.

Ding—

[TIP—Mimic likes Gold.]

‘Gold?’

Come to think of it, she did look an awful lot like a treasure chest.

Gangwoo opened his palm and summoned a Gold coin.

Ding-

[100 Gold has been loaded from the Inventory.]

A coin the size of a 100-won piece. The Gaia System’s currency, stamped with the number 100 on both sides.

Mik! Mik!

As Ha Gangwoo took out the Gold, the Mimic made sounds to signal its intent.

He offered the Gold to the Mimic, and it snatched and swallowed it in one gulp.

Ding-

[You have given 100 Gold to the Mimic.]

[Satiety has increased by 1.]

[Satiety: 31/100]

‘So it’s 1 Satiety per 100 Gold.’

Ha Gangwoo, pressing on, pulled out 5,000 Gold and handed it over to the Mimic.

Mik! Mik!

The Mimic hopped up and down, then snapped up the Gold in a gulp.

[You have given 5,000 Gold to the Mimic.]

[Satiety has increased by 50.]

[The Mimic’s Loyalty has increased.]

[Satiety: 81/100]

‘Looks like food won’t be a problem.’

He had no idea what Loyalty was supposed to mean, but roughly understood the Mimic now.

At last, all the preparations were done.

‘Time to go.’

Ha Gangwoo tucked the Mimic into the pocket of his hoodie and took a step forward.

***

Pulling his hood low, Ha Gangwoo headed toward Scenario 1-2.

“Man, I want to see that archery again. Maybe I should job-change to Archer.”

“Same here. I used to think Archer was garbage, but… is that what an L-Grade Player can do? First time I’ve seen someone smash a shield with an arrow.”

Near the spot where Ha Gangwoo and Kim Ryujun had fought.

Even now, the other Players were still buzzing, replaying that PvP in their heads.

Ha Gangwoo walked right past them, cool as could be.

He even made eye contact with one of his fanboys for a split second,

“Hey, you got that footage? Send it to me.”

—but they were too wrapped up in the PvP hype to even notice.

Normally, that crowd would’ve hounded him, nagged him to death.

But thanks to the Costume effect, no one recognized him.

‘Definitely convenient.’

Leaving them behind, Ha Gangwoo kept walking.

Following the arrow marker, he arrived before a Gate.

With one hand shoved into his hoodie pocket, he trudged toward it.

Between two wooden pillars that looked like the start of a single-log bridge, a Gate blazed with intense light.

Ha Gangwoo stood in front of it and looked up. He had more than enough strength, and there was nothing hard about this Scenario, but still, a wave of tension crashed over him.

‘Nothing special’s going to happen, right?’

He’d already memorized the clearing guide for Scenario 1-2.

As long as the DLC—Another Story didn’t throw in any curveballs, this one would be a smooth clear too. Still, there was an odd thrill, knowing he was heading into another world.

Thump. Thump.

‘Let’s go.’

A hint of a curious smile on his lips, Ha Gangwoo stepped into the Gate—shimmering with radiant light.

Ding-

[You have entered Scenario 1-2.]

Ding-

[Quest has been updated.]

***

Whoosh!

In an instant his body shot up—then crashed back down under gravity’s pull, sinking deep.

Leaves rustled in waves — shhhh — and from every direction, insects chirred and trilled in the dark.

The far end of the bridge they’d crossed in 1-1.

Ha Gangwoo stood there.

As he lingered in place, Evan approached and spoke.

“Is something the matter, Player?”

“No. Let’s move.”

The Scenario was holding true to what he remembered.

For instance —

Rain was still shooting him wary glances. Evan, on the other hand, was openly friendly.

The end of Scenario 1-1 and this moment felt seamlessly connected.

‘Check the Quest first.’

He already knew what it said, but with the DLC — Another Story — introducing variables, it was worth confirming.

Stepping to the front, Gangwoo opened his Quest window.

[Quest]

-[Zenon’s Hideout.][Main](NEW)

-[Evan’s Request.][Sub]

No changes yet.

[Zenon’s Hideout][Main](NEW)

Description: Zenon’s Hideout is a concealed location. Magic beasts are abundant in the surrounding area, making approach difficult. Protect the prince and princess and arrive at Zenon’s Hideout.

(Caution! Prince and princess. If both are lost, the Scenario Quest will terminate.)

Reward:???

‘Same up to here.’

It seemed safe to proceed as is.

Mik! Mik!

Just as Gangwoo was about to step forward, the Mimic inside his pocket began squirming.

‘What now?’

He fished her out and gripped her. She clacked her lid open and shut, crying Mik! Mik!

‘Troublesome little thing.’

The Mimic was a living creature with HP. With food and arrows stored inside her, the last thing he wanted was to expose her to danger.

But she seemed cramped in the pocket, rattling her lid and clearly wanting something.

It was obvious — she wanted to be set down.

“Haah…”

‘No helping it.’

The monsters here in 1-2 were on par with an F-rank Gate.

They wouldn’t even get close, so she wasn’t in danger.

Gangwoo relaxed his grip on the Mimic.

With a cry of Mik! she dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

Legless as she was, she wobbled and moved surprisingly well.

‘She’ll follow on her own.’

This was a seventy-million Gold DLC, after all. It wouldn’t be that easy.

“Wow!”

“I want one!”

Rain’s cheeks flushed as she looked at the Mimic, and Teil pointed with a smile.

“Is… is that your Summoned Beast, Player?!”

Evan’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked.

‘Summoned beast?’

Strictly speaking, she was just a warehouse, but Gangwoo made up something on the spot.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“I see… The more I learn about you, the more extraordinary you seem.”

Evan looked at the Mimic with an admiring expression.

If this world had a concept of Summoned Beasts, did it also have creatures like the Mimic?

Questions swirled through Gangwoo’s mind, but he emptied his head and focused on what lay ahead.

*’Follow the path until the signal drops, right?’*

[Zenon’s Residence][Main](NEW)

Description: Zenon’s Residence is a hidden location. Its surroundings are thick with magic beasts, making approach difficult. Protect the prince and princess and reach Zenon’s Residence.

(Caution! If both the prince and princess are lost, the Scenario Quest will end.)

Reward: ???

The place they were heading to was hidden, with no Pathfinding function available.

So the clearing method was to track the signal. The moment you lost the signal, he’d said you’d have to hold out for three full days.

*’Better stay sharp.’*

Gangwoo extended his right hand and summoned his shortbow.

A small wooden bow sucked into his palm with a soft *thwip*.

“Let’s go straight.”

Gangwoo spoke to Evan’s party, then slowly moved along the path.

Mik! Mik!

The palm-sized Mimic waddled across the dirt floor, trailing behind Gangwoo.

*’She’ll keep up… probably.’*

A nagging unease settled in, but she was bound by Link—faint, yet he could feel something connecting them.

“I want that!”

“It’s cute…”

“It’s the Player’s summoned beast. It seems weak now. When we reach Master Zenon’s residence, I’ll ask him about it.”

Rain and Teil, tucked in Evan’s arms, kept eyeing the Mimic, but Evan forced a smile and humored them.

*’Cute?’*

Gangwoo turned his head to look at the Mimic toddling behind him.

*’Hmm…’*

A tiny box waddled along, chirping *Mik! Mik!* as it scuttled after him.

He didn’t find it cute at all.

*’It’s just a box, plain as day.’*

Gangwoo walked along the path, then suddenly stopped.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes.”

At Gangwoo’s words, tension crept onto Evan’s party’s faces.

*’About four of them.’*

Gangwoo aimed his shortbow through the brush, spreading his Sense stat as wide as he could.

Four monsters lurking in the bushes, still unaware of his presence.

*’Ranged weapons are pretty useful too.’*

The bow he’d picked up upon arriving in the Scenario. Better than he’d expected.

Back in the Tutorial, he’d thought ranged weapons like guns were so-so. But now that view had completely flipped.

[You have summoned Wooden Arrows from the Inventory.]

*Creak-*

Gangwoo drew the bowstring back with all his strength, locking onto the monster.

About 120 meters out, four monsters prowled among the bushes.

*’Yeah, this is good.’*

Weapon Mastery. It wasn’t just about handling a weapon smoothly.

The monster’s movements, the air currents around him, the terrain felt through his Sense stat.

The moment all of it fused into one.

*Thwang-* He released the bowstring.

The arrow screamed as it tore through the air, vanishing beyond the brush in a single vicious stroke.

Ding—

[You have defeated an Infected Wolf.]

[You gain 600 EXP!!]

[You gained 600 bonus EXP from the Perk’s effect.]

[You gained 1,200 Gold.]

The monster on the other side of the bushes collapsed, dead.

Ha Gangwoo kept drawing the bow.

The Inventory Load effect meant that the moment an arrow left the string, a fresh one was already nocked in its place.

Twang— twang— twang—

Three arrows in rapid succession.

[You have defeated an Infected Wolf.]

[You gain 600 EXP!!]

[You gained 600 bonus EXP from the Perk’s effect.]

[You gained 1,200 Gold.]

…..

…

..

.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding monsters had been cleared out.

Ha Gangwoo hesitated for a moment, then started moving along the path.

‘Shame, but let’s hurry.’

Monsters dropped items at a certain rate. If he had the time, it was smart to check the carcasses.

But with Gold already in comfortable supply, he decided it was better to rush the Scenario clear instead.

He’d barely taken three steps when—

Mik! Mik! Mik!

Mimic suddenly waddled like crazy toward the spot where the monsters had been killed.

“Where are you going? Get back here!!!”

Gangwoo shouted in surprise, but Mimic was already out of sight.

“Do you know how much I invested in you? Don’t you run!”

Caught off guard, Ha Gangwoo chased after her. For something the size of his palm, her presence was surprisingly hard to track with his Sense stat.

But the moment she burst through the bushes, a System chime rang out.

Ding—

[Mimic has acquired an Iron Dagger.]

“Huh?!”

While Ha Gangwoo stood there stunned—

Mik! Before he knew it, Mimic had waddled right up to him again.

“A looting skill?”

Come to think of it, that ability was listed in the ‘DLC – Warehouse Mimic!’ description.

A smile spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

“Pretty useful.”

For a second, he’d panicked, thinking she’d run away. But she was dependable — and on top of that, she picked up items from the monsters he killed.

‘I wonder what her skills look like.’

Interest sparked in him about the skill slots that came with Mimic.

“What’s the matter?!”

Evan rushed up behind Gangwoo, out of breath. From the looks of it, he’d left Rain and Teil with the other knights.

“Nothing. Just a misunderstanding. Let’s keep moving.”

And so Ha Gangwoo continued along the path.

[You have defeated an Infected Wolf.]

[You gain 600 EXP!!]

[You gained 600 bonus EXP from the Perk’s effect.]

[You gained 1,200 Gold.]

Ha Gangwoo kept cutting down the monsters as they appeared.

‘Should trigger around here, right?’

Gangwoo loosed another arrow absently, lost in thought.

Right on cue—

Ding—

[You have defeated an Infected Wolf.]

[You have acquired 600 EXP!]

[You have acquired an additional 600 EXP from the Perk effect.]

[You have acquired 1,200 Gold.]

The monster died instantly, and the System window floated up.

That was the exact moment.

Ding-

[Mimic’s rank has risen by one step!!!]

[Rank: F → E]

After the repeated hunting, Mimic had finally grown.

‘Huh? Rank?’

Ha Gangwoo was just smiling in joy when—

Mik! Mimic suddenly tried to dart into the bushes.

Looked like another item had dropped this time.

Snatch!

Ha Gangwoo grabbed Mimic right away. The way it squirmed in his grip was pretty grotesque, but he scrunched his face and muttered low.

“Just stay still.”

In that instant—Mik! —the struggling stopped.

[Mimic’s loyalty decreases.]

‘…’

A somewhat unsettling System window appeared, but Ha Gangwoo immediately checked Mimic’s Status window.

[Mimic]

Rank: E

Status: Mopey after being scolded. This is still a young individual—please treat it gently.

HP: 70/70

Satiety: 64/100

Capacity: 21/50

Skill: [NEW]

“Just as I thought.”

Ha Gangwoo, intrigued, smirked and clicked the [NEW] button at once.

Ding-

[Please select Mimic’s skill.]

[Mimic Summon] — Can summon Mimic to your hand no matter where it is.

[Evolution] — Mimic evolves.

[Expansion] — Mimic’s capacity increases.

“Hm…”

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, eyeing the three icons that had appeared.

He’d have to pick one of those three skills.

‘Interesting.’

The Evolution in particular caught his interest. Was it going to grow arms? The question flickered through his mind, but he’d already decided which skill to pick.

Ding-

[You have learned: Mimic Summon.]

The skill he’d learned could bring Mimic to his hand anytime, anywhere—via Link.

Evolution and Expansion were plenty tempting, but right now what bothered him most was Mimic’s unpredictable movements.

Ha Gangwoo slowly set Mimic down on the ground.

It started pacing around him, glancing over like it was checking his mood.

“Go and pick it up.”

The moment Ha Gangwoo gave the command, a weird Mik! sound rang out, and Mimic waddled into the bushes.

Ding-

[Mimic has obtained Black Wolf Pelt.]

Mimic had already sprinted to the dead monster’s corpse a hundred meters ahead.

Normally, there’d be a bit of anxiety, but not anymore.

‘Mimic.’

The moment he thought of the activation word—

Sshhk-

Mimic zipped into his hand with a snap!

Mik! Mik!

Ha Gangwoo smiled, watching Mimic still making those weird noises.

‘What should I choose next?’

Mimic’s rank would keep rising, and the skill selection would come again.

A happy dilemma already rose in his mind.

Ha Gangwoo set Mimic down on the ground with a satisfied expression.

‘But when is it going to show up?’

No matter how he thought about it, the reaction should have appeared by now.

‘Could the Scenario have changed because of the DLC?’

In that instant, an ominous thought made him scowl.

“Kyaaah!!!!”

A girl’s scream rang out from beyond the bushes.

The moment he heard it, Ha Gangwoo’s gaze sharpened.

“There it is.”

The signal he’d been waiting for.

Ha Gangwoo stepped forward with his right foot and activated a skill.

[Swift Movements] [ON]

[Increases movement speed by 50%.]

‘Let’s go!’

Ha Gangwoo moved at his maximum speed.

And so, the main story of Scenario 1-2 began.