With its hard shell that retracts when attacked, did this creature have any exposed weak points?
Gauss stared at the mimic chest about ten meters away and the ground beneath it, an idea forming in his mind.
After using the Message cantrip to instruct Aria to retreat further away,
Gauss fired three consecutive Magic Missiles to force the mimic chest back into its shell. Seizing this opportunity, he retrieved oil from his Storage Bag and poured it onto the ground.
Once prepared, he retreated again.
The mimic chest, suspecting nothing, continued advancing toward him.
"Whoosh!"
But the oil had already seeped through the tentacle openings beneath its body into the interior. And if Gauss wasn't mistaken, the underside was precisely its weak point.
"UOOOOH!!!"
Sure enough, a muffled yet piercing shriek emerged from the flames.
A peculiar aroma - a mix of charred fragrance and some unique meaty scent - wafted through the air!
The mimic chest, now fully ablaze, leaped out from the fire, hopping frantically.
Beneath its body, flames stubbornly burned within the tentacle retraction holes.
Gauss pursued relentlessly.
"Burning Hands!"
Another sea of fire erupted beneath the mimic chest!
Gauss also cast the Gust cantrip, making the flames burn even fiercer with the added wind.
Amidst the intensifying aroma, the mimic chest's movements grew increasingly sluggish until it finally collapsed motionless.
Only a charred black shell remained.
However, since no Monster Encyclopedia notification appeared, Gauss cautiously cast Burning Hands once more.
Under this fresh wave of flames, the chest convulsed violently several final times.
"Elite Monster Mimic Chest x1 eliminated"
The notification finally appeared.
As expected, the mimic chest had been clinging to life, waiting for Gauss to approach for one final bite.
It never anticipated Gauss had such unique long-range verification methods.
With the mimic chest's death, the fourth elite monster illustration was unlocked.
"Elite Path Stage 2: Eliminate 5 elite monster species (4/5). Reward: Random elite monster racial talent."
"Obtained title [Mimic Chest Hunter]. This title upgrades with more kills."
"Current effect: Penetration. Against mimic chests, your attacks may penetrate their shells to damage the creature inside."
Text notifications flashed.
Gauss read them one by one.
So far he'd eliminated mantis men, half-ogres, mud statues, and mimic chests - four elite monsters.
Only one more creature stood between him and a talent extraction.
Could his first maze expedition accomplish both goals - earning money while completing the elite monster collection?
Gauss took a deep breath.
What talents might he extract from mantis men, half-ogres, mud statues and mimic chests?
Theoretically, he should carefully select five specific monster types to control the extraction pool, but reality offered no such luxury.
Moreover, being random, different creatures might yield different talents. Even seemingly powerful monsters could possess mediocre abilities, making excessive planning unnecessary.
As his monster hunting experience grew, he gradually understood the Adventurer's Manual better.
As for the Mimic Chest Hunter title's penetration effect - quite useful indeed.
Penetration specifically countered mimic chests. Future encounters would be much easier even without fire attacks.
Contemplating this,
he used Mage Hand to open the chest.
An intense, peculiar aroma burst forth the moment it opened.
Peering inside curiously,
Gauss saw a large, red-braised tongue lying peacefully within.
"Is this... cooked?"
Meanwhile, Aria and Ulfen had long since dealt with the minor creatures.
Ulfen lifted his head, gray nose twitching continuously until his gaze locked onto Gauss's chest.
Dinner time?
"Gurgle..."
Gauss's stomach growled hungrily.
Drawing his steel longsword, he pierced the mimic chest's significantly shrunken tongue.
Its steaming interior was skewered and lifted out.
Gauss took out a cast iron pan and placed the roasted mimic chest inside.
"Can this actually be eaten?"
He had doubts, though the aroma was enticing.
This mimic chest had undergone rapid, intense "braising" from all sides - different from traditional roasting, retaining more juices. The sword's resistance when piercing suggested excellent elasticity.
Yet Gauss remained hesitant.
Having witnessed the corrosive mucus coating its tongue earlier - was this fragrant but poisonous?
He retrieved the Complete Guide to Emerald Forest Ingredients, checking the index.
The tome was too thick to have read entirely.
Locating the mimic chest entry under special creatures:
[Mimic Chest]
Mimicking crustacean, often disguises as treasure chests to trap prey.
Tongue - 60% of body weight. Delicious flavor, tender texture, thick as ox tongue. Edible after high-temperature cooking to remove surface mucus layer. See details for preparation methods.
Tongue root - integrated brain cluster, nerve ganglia and cardiac pump. Inedible.
Shell interior - lined with semi-digested matter. Inedible. After cleaning, may be repurposed as sturdy storage container.
It's actually edible?
Gauss swallowed hard.
A level 2 monster...
He'd never tasted elite monster flesh before.
Previously only cooking low-tier creatures.
Moreover, the guide's description - "delicious flavor, tender texture" - unlike the Rust Frog or Frost Snake entries which lacked such emphasized praise.
His [Energy Storage Gland] seemed excited, urging him to consume this monster meat - clearly beneficial nourishment.