Wasting no time, Spook quickly dug around the object he hit, uncovering more and more of his prize with each scoop. A familiar shape slowly started to take form as the dirt lessened, enticing him to go even faster as he realized what he was digging up.

It’s a treasure chest!

Abandoning his shovel, Spook reached down and grabbed it by the exposed handles on the side. He pulled it out of the ground with ease, surprising himself at how much strength he was exerting as a skeleton. It was going to take some time to adapt to his new body and change his mindset as a player.

[Treasure Chest discovered!

Life Skill: has been improved since you have robbed a grave.

Increasing will improve the potential rewards you gain from stealing and treasure hunting!

Current: (Rank 1)]

They made stealing into a life skill?! That’s hilarious. But it looks to be a very useful skill that is applied to finding loot. Not too bad of a pickup.

Spook pulled up his Status, noticing that Life Skills were now directly positioned under Pugilist Skills. Larceny was the only skill under that category. He figured there were probably more ways to acquire different life skills in the game.

Closing his status, Spook turned his attention back to the chest. He was eager to discover what kind of rewards awaited him inside although his expectations were rather low. He had no idea how profitable gravedigging was.

He opened it.

Or rather, it opened up.

What the fu--

A set of jagged teeth briefly gleamed in the darkness before latching itself onto Spook’s forearm. For a second, he didn’t comprehend what was happening as there was no pain registering thanks to his skeletal perks. Then his health bar dropped a tick, kicking his senses into action.

He reacted with quick blows to the mimic’s mouth, forcing the creature to release his arm. Rolling away, he put some distance between him and the monster.

Suddenly, a slew of information popped up on Spook’s screen as he observed the monster.

[Mimic Lvl 2

A box-type monster capable of changing its form to fit inanimate objects. Its favorite form is taking the shape of a treasure chest to attract unsuspecting adventurers into opening it. Then it preys on the unfortunate by devouring their bodies whole.

Scaling Ingredient: Yes]

Spook absorbed all the information he was just presented with. For some reason, the game system was providing him a detailed description of the monster he was fighting alongside something called “Scaling Ingredient”.

He connected the dots, remembering that his unique title, “Scaling Skeleton”, allowed him to grow stronger by eating. The system was likely telling him that this monster in front of him was edible.

But what part of this is edible?! The damn monster is made out of wood. You can’t eat a goddamn treasure chest. I’m a skeleton not a beaver!

As if to answer his question, a slobbery purple tongue suddenly snaked out of the mimic’s mouth as it growled at Spook.

Well, there's the edible part.

“I can’t believe my first meal is going to be a mimic’s tongue,” sighed Spook as he put himself into a combat stance. He was doing fine so far, though the mimic’s bite had shaved off a sliver of his health. The punches he had given the mimic had been far more effective though, as the monster’s health bar had dropped to almost half.

This was the perfect time to test out his new skills.

The mimic approached, jumping at him with a wide set of sharp teeth. Spook wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. He evaded the attack by jumping to the side, allowing the monster to pass by him. Then he pounced, activating his new skill, Sunder.

A red aura surrounded his fist as it connected with the backside of the mimic, eliminating a decent amount of health from the bar. Then a skill icon popped up.

[ chain is available.

Activate to increase damage?]

Spook focused his mind and accepted, his body moving to perform the chain skill. In a swift and fluid motion, Spook’s right leg went up and briefly glowed red before slamming down on the treasure chest. There was a loud crunch and a cry of pain as the monster convulsed on the ground, the top dented from the powerful kick.

[Energy 50/100]

Spook followed up with a series of regular punches to the disabled mimic, easily finishing it off. He noticed that each normal blow he dealt gave him back five points of energy.

I understand now. There’s a combo system involved with the pugilist abilities. Regular attacks will replenish my energy, and using the skills will consume it. That means when I fight, I have to manage my energy bar effectively so I don’t end up spending it carelessly.

The mimic’s health bar dropped lower and lower until it finally reached zero. A jingle sounded in Spook’s mind as he felt EXP flowing into his body. The defeated monster had given him a fair amount of experience, though he was still at level one.

Then the mimic’s body disappeared, leaving behind a looting bag.

[1x Mimic Tongue---A delicacy is known only to those who are brave enough to sample the creature’s bizarre tongue. An uncommon ingredient used in monster cooking.

7x Copper Coins (Stackable)---100 Copper Coins will turn into 1 Silver Coin. Inside Online’s official currency. Usable in the auction house.]

So there was money to be gained from killing monsters, although it seemed to be quite a meager amount. Then again, Spook had no idea what the game economy was like yet. One thing did excite him though.

The auction house.

Through some previous research online, Spook had discovered it was possible to legally convert the in-game currency to real money by using Inside Online’s auction house. Some people had made enough game currency to completely change their lives in the real world.

If I can somehow make enough money in the game, I can change the way I live! Spook was excited at the thought of making it big. The monetary prize that Mark Staun had offered was too much of a pipe dream for now. Spending too much time focusing on a distant goal would potentially distract him. He would rather focus on things he could obtain in the present.

Putting aside his future goals of becoming a mega-billionaire, Spook focused his attention back on the mimic tongue. He pulled the strange object out of his inventory with a mental command. A slimy purple tongue that was the length of his forearm filled Spook’s vision.

To say the least, it looked very unappetizing.

A thought occurred to him. How am I supposed to even eat this? Wouldn’t it just go straight through my body?

Grimacing, Spook held the massive tongue up to eye level and poked it a bit. It felt soft and squishy, like a jellyfish. There was only one way to find out. He took a big bite of the purple tongue and ripped off a chunk.

Surprisingly, it was rather easy to chew as he ground away at the monster flesh. The stringy meat had an interesting texture, similar to that of cooked squid. It wasn’t all that bad. With some proper seasoning, it wouldn’t be too far off from being a proper dish.

Maybe there’s a cooking profession I can learn. Spook thoughtfully mused as he chewed on the mimic tongue. Then he swallowed, unsure of what would happen next. To his surprise, the morsel disappeared, seemingly to have vanished into thin air. He didn’t have a belly so he wasn’t sure where the food went.

One thing was certain. Somehow, after eating the mimic tongue, he felt as if his body had improved. He felt a surge of power ripple through his being, filling him with energy and strength.

Did I gain a buff from eating? It felt very much like he had powered up by consuming the monster meat.

Then a system message popped up.

[Scaling Skeleton Effect Activated

------------------------------------------

developed.

developed.

strengthened.

More Information]