Re:Mimic [MONSTER MC LITRPG]

'What just happened?'

Lucas asked himself, confusion drowning his thoughts. He could still feel the dust and small rocks on him from smashing into the ceiling. In a few moments, he deduced the force that smashed him into the ceiling definitely had something to do with his core. With this in mind, he hastily looked within himself and saw something that surprised him.

The initially static and perfect sphere had completely changed. What replaced it now was an ever changing mass. It had no real structure or shape. Its "color" shifted wildly and unpredictably, becoming hues that made no logical sense. Like he was staring at the color of his very being. As he watched its motion, he could not help but become mesmerized by its otherworldly nature.

'This is my core?'

The word core had much more weight in his mind at the moment. Even though he had named the mysterious object casually, it seemed he was on to something. As he sensed it for a few more moments, he picked up on some other changes.

'Weird… it now feels more like a part of me.'

If he couldn't feel a powerful connection to the esoteric mass, Lucas would not have carried such a notion. After about half a minute of just watching it, Lucas gathered himself and tried to interact with the core's energy once more. This time much more cautiously.

His amorphous form stilled, its chaotic flux calming to a placid state. The only thing in his mind being the chaotic flow of his core's energy. He focused for just two seconds before it clicked. The core's energy rushed around his body in a chaotic stream, comfortably following his will like an obedient pet.

That feeling of confidence returned but it didn't distract Lucas, he stayed in this state of supreme concentration for about half a minute. After this duration, when he was confident he could keep the stream running, he generated a tendril. Trying to test the limits of his control.

'Huh?'

The instant he thought of generating a tendril, he felt his energy move and change on its own. It focused on the spot where the limb was to be generated and spawned it in less than a second.

'Interesting.'

Lucas could sense an energy stream within the tendril. With the energy flowing within it, it felt far more powerful and dexterous than it ever had before. Focusing once more, then tendril shifted and transformed into a human arm.

'Oh, the streams within it are now more complex.'

He thought leisurely. Since the moment he began using his core's energy properly, he felt… lighter. All the fear, frustration, and despair the cavern usually brought to his thoughts were nowhere to be found.

He sensed himself again, trying to notice any changes and instantly found one. His body had changed considerably as his energy began flowing. It had gone from almost gelatinous flesh to tough and packed with muscles.

'How's the energy doing this?'

Lucas couldn't help but ask himself before ignoring the train of thought.

'It doesn't matter how or why it's working, since it is—I'll use it. I just have to gain proper control of it and my power will soar. Now let's try moving around with these new muscles.'

Lucas slithered around his crevice like a snake. His body moved with surprising agility and control. After a few seconds, he focused and tried to make himself lighter. He felt his energy flex once more and his body returned to its almost gelatinous flesh.

He stopped once more and took inventory of himself. His energy moved within him with its usual chaotic stream but now he felt there was definitely much less energy within his core.

With a shift in his mental state, he turned off the stream. He immediately felt his mind crash back down from his carefree high.

'Is the energy influencing my mind? No, I was probably just too focused on channeling it. With this, I might be able to transform back to human much faster. But first it's time to grow myself a nice pair of eyes.'

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Lucas knew he couldn't immediately transform to a human but that would not stop him from gaining human parts. And since he lacked the sense of sight, he would be killing two birds with one stone.

Thinking up to this point, his form solidified as he steeled himself for the growth process. If this went like how growing an arm did, he would have to buckle down for the excruciating pain. He patiently waited for his energy to regenerate while visualizing the eyes he would grow.

A few minutes later, he felt refreshed enough to proceed with his plan. He then gave himself some words of encouragement to psyche himself up.

'I can do this. Gaining sight will be a game changer for me… Well if the cavern isn't pitch black that is. No, positive thoughts only. I need sight and I will have it. Let's do this!'

He felt his core once more. Using his recently acquired experience, it was much easier than before. He directed his will and energy to create eyes, human eyes which he could use as a gateway to peer out of his current dark world.

He pictured the general shape of an eye—round, glistening, and embedded in a socket—but his understanding of its intricacies was surface-level at best. He could only focus on the basics, visualizing an orb capable of sight rather than fully grasping the delicate layers of muscle, tissue, and nerves. Still, he willed [Mimicry] into motion by galvanizing his newly acquired energy. Almost instantly, two spots on his body ignited with searing pain, like flames drilling into his form.

He felt the muscles in the area develop into something more solid almost like bones, forming two sockets for his presumed eyes. He could feel in excruciating detail as new muscles, tissue, and nerves grow on the two spots. The pain almost caused him to falter and let go of the skill.

'No!'

Gritting his metaphorical teeth, he pushed his energy to work even faster, his form flickered ominously at the strain. Unfortunately, that just caused the pain to spike dramatically. Each new muscle that grew felt like strands of barbed wire were being sewn into his brain, pushing him further to the edge of sanity.

'Damnit!!!! No! I can do this!! I will push through!!!!'

Refusing to give up, he cranked up the energy output even more. Though the pain was immense, the confidence and comfort his energy gave him cheered him on. If he could see his core at the moment, he would see his core was shifting and changing more frantically than ever before. Doing its absolute best to power his skills.

The two searing spots felt like they would incinerate him. The pain became so sharp it felt like they were burning holes directly into his mind. But he held on. He could not back out now when the completion of his eyes felt closer than ever.

Suddenly, the pain faded. Before he could comprehend this change, everything went black as he passed out from exhaustion. His core now dimmer than ever, barely changing form as it slowly recovered. In an undetermined amount of time later, Lucas stirred awake. He looked around where he was in confusion. This wasn't his room. Then it came back to him.

'Oh yeah, I'm in the cavern.'

He blinked as he took in the claustrophobic crevice he was settled into. Wait what?

{[Mimicry] has leveled up from level 2 —> level 3.}

He suddenly received a notification but it didn't distract him from the fact that he could actually see it.

'I did! All that pain wasn't for nothing. Let's go see what's outside!'

He felt an odd excitement towards being able to see. Being a former human who relied primarily on sight before, he couldn't really be blamed. He swiftly slithered to the edge of his elevated crevice and gazed at a sight which he would never forget.

'Woah…'

The cavern wasn't dark as he feared, in fact it was quite the opposite. The rocks seemed to give off a soft ambient light, each radiating its own distinct hue, from vibrant turquoise to deep, pulsing crimson, creating a kaleidoscope of light that painted the cavern walls like an artist's chaotic masterpiece.

Strange, bioluminescent plants thrived among the glowing rocks, their ethereal colors weaving seamlessly into the kaleidoscope of light, transforming the cavern into a hypnotic, otherworldly landscape."

'Seems I have been missing out on a lot.'

Lucas was transfixed. His form leisurely writhing and shifting hues as he watched the mesmerizing display. Each shift in the cavern's colors seemed to reflect off his own body, creating a subtle interplay between his alien form and the kaleidoscopic environment.

The once-familiar cavern had become something utterly alien, transformed by the soft, glowing tapestry of light that seemed to breathe life into every corner. Yet, unlike before, there was no fear gnawing at his mind, no overwhelming dread of the unknown. Instead, he was overcome with a bizarre, almost childlike sense of wonder, as though the harshness of his ordeal had given way to a quiet promise of discovery.

'This sight was possible due to my own efforts,'

He thought, his confidence swelling like a tide. The chaos and struggle he endured had forged this moment, and he could feel it in his very Essence.

'I can and will forge a path for myself in this new world. It's just a matter of time.'

As he resolved himself, the glimmer of wonder didn't fade, but it was tempered by determination. He slithered back toward his crevice, his movements deliberate and steady.

The vibrant light of the cavern receded behind him, but its impression remained, etched deeply into his mind like a guiding beacon.

Returning to the confines of his elevated nook, Lucas paused for a moment to reflect. The view had been a revelation, a vivid glimpse of what lay beyond the darkness of his struggles. But now, it was time to focus.

His thoughts shifted to the experiments he had planned, the steps he would take to harness the chaotic energy coursing through his new body. The path ahead would be grueling, filled with uncertainties, but Lucas welcomed the challenge.

Settling into the shadows of his crevice, his resolve hardened. He wasn't just surviving anymore—he was adapting, evolving. The world may have turned alien, but so had he. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, that realization didn't fill him with despair. It filled him with purpose.