Deep underground in the Empire, at a midpoint.
“Entering.”
“Entering!”
“Entering~”
The rankers of the Alliance standing on the Path of Light quickly descended into the underground through the newly created paths.
Although the thick mana spread throughout the underground made it hard even for rankers within the top 100 to withstand, being on the Path of Light provided sufficient protection.
There were a total of three paths created: the first path was for the Knights and the guild masters, the second path was for Black and the Western Alliance, and the third path was for the newly risen rookies.
Among them, a woman riding a long shark flew toward the man leading the third path, adorned with numerous blades.
“Jackal. What do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? About Lily.”
The woman glanced over her shoulder to see where Lily would be.
Shark chuckled and patted Jackal’s shoulder.
“Even though we’ve quickly risen after devouring the Hidden Piece, no matter how I think about it, that woman is pretty amazing, right?”
“What are you asking out of the blue? It’s obvious that she’s amazing…”
“No. Seriously. She’s changed a lot since getting the Hidden Job.”
Oh dear~
At Shark’s reaction, thousands of blades surrounding Jackal glared at her.
“I’ll kill her.”
“No~ not that. Think a little more.”
Sre-!
“That woman. Isn’t she abnormally strong?”
“…Well, obviously.”
“Why is it obvious?”
Shark shrugged.
“It’s been only a few months since we got the Hidden Piece. Despite that, if she’s stronger than the existing rankers, it means the ‘new’ Hidden Piece is superior to the existing jobs.”
“That’s true.”
“But what about Lily?”
“…?”
“She first appeared around last February. Even someone at Lily’s level should be enough to be considered a ‘rookie,’ but I can’t comprehend how she’s become ‘overwhelmingly’ strong this much.”
The rankers are not fools.
After acquiring an ‘Understanding of Mana’ from Lily, they were able to analyze their opponents’ strength level and were utterly astonished when they first faced her.
‘She’s strong.’
Incredibly strong.
Confronted with her in the Alliance, she was far stronger than anything they had seen in the media.
Probably, even if the entire Alliance, rookies and veterans alike, had jumped at her, it wouldn’t have ended well.
That’s why the rookies, while rejecting the veterans, did not oppose Lily.
“Rather, they would have lifted her up even more. Not rejecting Lily was a good choice, I think. I had no idea our patience was this good.”
“…It does feel strange.”
“Right? Lily proves the condition, ‘new Hidden Pieces are better than the old ones,’ but she also breaks it down.”
“……”
“In conclusion, Lily is in an overbalanced state~”
“What are you trying to say?”
“What do you mean, what? Of course, we should stick to Lily.”
“Snicker.
“That woman acts so cruel and cold, but she’s actually a softie. Honestly, I don’t get why she helps the emperor and the princes. I’ve been double-crossed a few times. If it were me, I would have just kkkkkilled them instantly.”
“Hmmm.”
“Besides, watching the broadcast, she helps people, saves NPCs, raises them, feeds them—where do you find someone like that? If we just give her a little flattery…”
“Dumbasses!”
The voice of a ghost scratching against the window resounded.
In response to the sudden unpleasant voice, Jacal and Shark, who were leading the way, frowned and looked back, but they shouldn’t have.
Swish…!
Danger was right in front of them.
“Rest. Why’re you cursing?”
“Dumbass! Look ahead when you walk! Are your eyes just for decoration?”
“What the hell—”
“Jacal!”
Kwa-ji-ji-ji-ji-ji!!!
The fist tainted with black magic broke through the Holy Protection of the Path of Light and punched Shark.
It was something unrecognizable, more mutated than a bear.
The blue shark summoned by Shark was torn apart in an instant, and in the meantime, Jacal, regaining his senses, drew thousands of blades and shredded something.
“How dare who…?”
“Huh?”
Swoosh…!
From something that burst forth, black magic began to ooze out.
The black magic quickly spread thickly enough to envelop the entire area around the Path of Light.
The forward movement of the Path of Light, which continued to generate, was also blocked.
Rest flew forward, enwrapped in a red soul, fuming.
“Damn it! Why are you leading the charge then!”
“Shut up.”
“Gonna tear your mouth apart…”
“Why are these guys at it again! Hey! I blocked with my shark! So look at the situation!”
“Hmph.”
“……What the hell is this?”
Only then did the three rookies look around to properly assess the situation.
Unfamiliar magic surrounding the Path of Light.
The density and danger level were similar to before, but… strangely, it was overlapping, delaying the generation of the Path of Light.
If it continued like this, they wouldn’t be able to progress even in over 10 hours.
In the end, someone had to break through that magic to advance the Path of Light.
Shark, with the newly summoned baby shark on her shoulder, turned to the two men.
“Who’s gonna do it? Just so you know, if you mess up, it can enter the Path of Light. Then our rear support troops would be wiped out.”
“There’s a little one in the back.”
“The kid is sleeping.”
“Are you really that dumb—”
“Just quiet down. Who’s gonna do it?”
Unlike her appearance, Shark was the supporter.
Removing the doll girl in the back, the only ones who could deal enough damage in this uneasy rookie party were Rest and Jacal.
Jacal sighed and moved his sword again.
Let out a sigh and moved the sword again.
“I’ll do it.”
“Do you need help? You seem like you’re going to mess up the sword again.”
“…Just watch.”
The jackal’s blades resonated with each other.
Thousands of blades converged into a single long sword and were thrust forward as if drawn to a point.
Swoosh…
A strike of the sword piercing the path of light precisely.
As the magic scattered, the path of light began to form again.
Did you see that? The look on Jackal’s face turned to check behind him.
“Not bad.”
“Of course~ I have to live up to the price of eating my shark.”
“Get going. I won’t let my guard down this time.”
“Yeah, yeah~”
How long did they go down?
“A mirror?”
They found it.
The glass space reflecting everyone’s faces.
—
“It’s just like a mirror room.”
“Fascinating.”
The first team of the Path of Light.
The knight and Master of the Magic Tower Neris. The guild masters not included in the Western Alliance joined the first team that arrived in the glass-filled space.
As faces appeared all around, everyone curiously looked around.
“The faces are reflecting everywhere. They even get all squished.”
“It seems we should be careful since it’s risky.”
“Hehe~ That’s hilarious!”
“Shut up!”
“Isn’t this dangerous~?”
Unlike the third party led by four rookies, the first team was occupied by several guild masters.
Even though the knight was the Alliance Leader, he didn’t hold absolute power over everyone, so various comments kept coming up.
With a calm demeanor, Neris approached the knight, looking a bit displeased.
“This is… yes. Master of the Magic Tower.”
“Knight. Say something.”
“What… Ah. It’s fine. We can look around.”
“What do you mean it’s ‘fine’? Is everyone here on a field trip?”
Neris pouted but soon sighed.
“We’re in the midst of a demon boss raid, and everyone is relaxed just because of one space. Tsk.”
“As long as no one touches anything, it should be okay. If someone does, they’ll face strict punishment due to the Alliance’s rules.”
“I wonder if anything will happen.”
“You don’t need to worry too much. Everyone here is a well-known guild master. They should know how to be sensible.”
“…Hmph. True.”
“How is it going on Lady Lily’s side?”
“She’s trying to revive the Emperor. It seems like it’ll take some time. For now, we should focus on our tasks.”
With that, Neris activated her ‘Multi Detection’ skill, cautiously scanning the surroundings.
This space is suspicious.
The magic was barely present, as if thousands or tens of thousands of mirrors were placed around.
Seeing her own reflection in the mirror gave her a strange chill.
‘…Different.’
“That’s different.”
The reflection in the mirror is not the same as my own!
“Ugh. Creepy.”
“Hmm… I knew it.”
“Did you figure something out?”
“Yes.”
Tap tap! The knight, who was kneeling and touching the ground, stood up.
Definitely tall as a knight, Neris had to lift her head high to look up at him.
Neris, seeming a bit dissatisfied, used her ‘Levitation’ skill to meet the knight’s gaze.
“What is it?”
“Look around.”
“Around? I just looked.”
“Doesn’t it feel empty?”
Empty?
What…
In that moment, a light turned on in Neris’s mind, and her vision sharpened distinctly.
Something that everyone overlooks, but is not present in this place.
Neris used her ‘Awakening’ skill and carefully surveyed the surroundings with a proper gaze.
It’s not here.
“…The Path of Light isn’t being reflected, right?”
This place is a glass cave that reflects everyone.
However, the Path of Light that the Alliance is stepping on is not being reflected at all.
Neris looked back at the still-grinning Alliance members with a confused expression.
“…Is this a mental confusion pattern?”
“The structure is similar. We need to trigger the Light Burst immediately.”
“Ah, got it! Guild Masters!”
At Neris’s shout, everyone turned to look.
“Immediately trigger the Light Burst! This is a trap!”
“…What are you doing? If you don’t burst it…”
Everyone turns to look.
Everyone.
“…Shit.”
All the reflections in the mirror are looking back.
‘Trigger the Light Burst immediately!’
‘Trigger the burst of light right now right now right now…’
‘Just trigger it! No, don’t trigger it!’
‘Trigger it trigger it trigger it trigger it.’
‘If you trigger it, everyone will be preserved in the mirror and die.’
Don’t trigger it.
Everyone vanished.
■
“You shouldn’t take too much… this is still the Empire’s secret place.”
“Don’t worry. I’m only taking a little. Besides, I can’t carry much since I can’t use the spatial magic.”
I was gathering the Empire’s treasures while glancing at a small mirror stuck to the wall.
A small mirror that emanated ominous magic in a space made of holiness.
“This is… a bit dangerous.”
This mirror has the property of ‘preserving’ the opponent.
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