Leo blinked hard, his fingers tightening instinctively around the hilt of his sword. The idea crawled across his mind like a cold shadow. A mimic that talks?
It didn't make sense.
Mimics were monsters. Ambushers wrapped in the shape of treasure. He'd read about them in manuals, seen them in games. Their gimmick was simple: stay quiet, stay still, then strike.
But this one spoke.
It didn't snarl or hiss. Its voice wasn't hollow or monstrous. It was soft. Comforting. Wrong.
"I see I've stumbled upon another good sprout," the mimic said, its tone dripping like honey over glass. "But you… You are the greatest so far."
Leo's breath caught.
The mimic began to move.
Another limb slid out from its side with a sickening slurp. Then another. The chest cracked open. Not with fangs or tongues, but with a slow, syrupy shift. Its solid form melted. Wood turned gelatinous. Slime rippled across the floor, glimmering faintly under the torchlight.
And then it began to shape.
The mass didn't crawl. It stood. Stretched. Reshaped. A silhouette emerged. Slender, feminine. A humanoid outline rose from the puddle of mimic-flesh, its features slowly solidifying.
A woman now stood where the mimic had been. No, not a woman.
A kitsune.
Leo recognized the nine tails before he saw the ears. They flicked lazily, puffed full with golden-orange fur. Her skin gleamed pale under the firelight, her figure impossible to ignore. She was tall, dangerously so, her body mature and unashamed.
She wore red lingerie, thin straps hugging her shoulders. The silk clung tightly to her curves, the short hem riding even higher as her fluffy tail swished playfully behind her.
Leo's jaw clenched.
The kitsune moved like a dancer. Every step silent, seductive. Her golden eyes locked onto his, lips curling in amusement.
"Don't be fooled," she purred. "This form is just a trick. A shape for soft hearts and weak minds." Her voice poured into the space between them like smoke. "You see it, don't you? That hunger under the charm?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't. His body had gone cold. His hands itched to move, but every part of him felt… slow. Like gravity had doubled.
"I know what you're feeling," she said, closing the distance. "It's hard to fight instincts. Harder still when they're not even yours."
Her hand reached for his chest, but didn't touch. Just hovered. Close enough for him to feel the heat of her skin.
"You, though…" Her head tilted, curious. "You're different."
Then she crouched.
Leo's eyes widened.
She sank smoothly, balancing on the balls of her feet. The red slip dress folded upward with her, revealing more than it should have. Her breasts shifted under the clingy fabric, unrestrained, unhidden. If she were merely seductive, it might have worked. But this was something else. A performance. A warning.
Then,
The cats.
Two of them had somehow padded in front of him. Leo hadn't even noticed. Now, they sat between him and her, purring.
The kitsune's voice softened. "No need to be on guard." She smiled, stroking their backs. "I like animals. They don't lie. They don't scheme."
She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, fingers still gliding through fur. "They love without restraint… and protect what they love without hesitation."
The words hung in the air like perfume.
Then she stood again.
No jerk, no flex. Just smooth, fluid grace. Her dress slid back into place without a wrinkle, her body framed perfectly against the flickering torchlight.
Her golden eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, Leo saw something behind them. Not lust. Not evil.
Something ancient. Something watching.
Leo's breath finally escaped him. "What do you need from me?" he asked. His voice wasn't steady, but it was enough.
The kitsune's smile curved higher.
"Not bad," she murmured. "Most adventurers either attack me or melt into puddles."
She twirled once, laughing softly. "But you… You make Mama curious."
She began circling him slowly, her fingertip tracing an invisible line across his chest, shoulder, back. Leo didn't flinch, but his nerves screamed.
"VIP system, hmm?" she whispered behind him, barely loud enough to hear.
Leo's eyes snapped wide. How does she?
Before he could react, Ai stirred beside him,
"Shhh."
The kitsune flicked her wrist.
A gust like a crashing wave erupted. Ai vanished before she could even make a sound, dispersed into mana with a sharp crack.
"I don't like being out-informed in my own dungeon," the kitsune said calmly, already striding back toward her throne.
The girl. White dress, silver hair, was there again, standing at the throne's side with her hands folded and eyes downcast. She didn't move. Not even when the kitsune passed by her.
The mimic-turned-fox reclined with a casual elegance, leaning to one side, one leg crossed. She watched Leo, amused. "You want answers?" she asked, her voice light. "Then ask."
Leo hesitated. Then spoke. "How were you able to see my system?"
That changed her.
The lazy smile vanished. Her expression sharpened. She sat upright, elbows on knees, fingertips pressed together. Then, slowly, she pushed her hands forward, forming a web shape in the air. Fingers out, connected only at the tips.
Her grin returned, wider now.
"Because," she said, voice low and certain, "you're weak."
The words stabbed deeper than they should have. They rang with more than an insult. They carried truth.
Leo stiffened.
The kitsune watched his reaction closely, feeding on it. Her tail curled around her leg, her gaze gleaming like a cat with a cornered mouse.
And yet… he didn't back down.
He stood still. Eyes sharp. Breath steady.
She noticed.
And her smile… deepened.