Chapter Twenty: The Abandoned Mine Shaft

At present, Chu Yun's mental strength had reached an impressive 21 points. If he were merely walking normally, a single point of mental power would allow him to remain in the Mirror World for ten minutes—an entire hour would cost him only six points. To err on the side of caution, shortly after leaving the camp, Chu Yun took out his canteen and poured water onto the ground, then stepped onto the surface.

The puddle was slightly smaller than his body, but as soon as Chu Yun touched the mirror-like water and activated his ability, his figure began to shrink until he could pass through it and enter the Mirror World. The mirror surface acted only as a passage node; its size or clarity merely affected the speed of entry and exit.

Once inside the Mirror World, Chu Yun finally felt a measure of relief. The main road through the mines was relatively safe, frequented by adventurers and mine workers; trees and grass along the route had been cleared, so monsters rarely ventured there. Along the way, Chu Yun encountered many adventurers and hunters, and even some miners carrying pickaxes.

These miners were typically residents of Rockstead. With little combat ability, they came here mainly to try their luck, much like those who gathered herbs. However, compared to herb gathering, independent mining was far more dangerous, and only possible in the Carlos Mountains.

As he traveled, Chu Yun discovered something interesting. Normally, birds in the forest would fly away upon encountering beings stronger than themselves, but in the Mirror World, these reflected entities could not stray far from their originals, and Chu Yun was an intruder. Even knowing they would be defeated, these mirrored creatures still launched themselves at him.

Along the way, whether birds or insects, as long as he entered their alert range, they would relentlessly attack.

[Experience gained: 0.05]
[Experience gained: 0.001]
[Experience gained: 0.12]
...

Though the experience points were meager, they accumulated over time—a small but welcome diversion from an otherwise monotonous journey.

"Roar!"

Just as Chu Yun was immersed in the simple pleasure of crushing ants, a shadow leapt from the trees toward him. It was the mirrored form of a black panther—fast, with exceptional stealth. Unfortunately, in the Mirror World, it lacked the patience to wait for Chu Yun to pass by. The moment he stepped into its domain, it attacked.

"Manaburst!"

Manaburst was a zero-level spell, and both the gestures and incantation were second nature to Chu Yun; he could instantly construct the spell model and attack. In midair, the panther could not dodge; the energy struck its head, inflicting a grievous wound.

Chu Yun, not wanting to waste time, cast another Manaburst and finished it off.

[Experience gained: 10 points]

Surprisingly, the panther yielded more experience than expected, and in addition to experience, another glowing orb dropped. Chu Yun unhesitatingly picked up both orbs.

[Darkvision Lv1: You can see clearly for five meters in darkness.]

As a nocturnal predator, the panther relied heavily on night vision. Though Chu Yun carried torches prepared by Parker, possessing night vision was far more convenient—and far less likely to attract monsters.

Torch = Target

After killing the panther, its real-world counterpart remained asleep. Chu Yun could easily dispatch it if he wished, but his current priority was to complete his commission; his mental strength was not yet sufficient to be squandered.

Arriving at the side road, Chu Yun noted the mine had been abandoned for more than ten days, and monsters had become more numerous along the way. If he approached the mine in the real world, he feared his mental strength would not last long enough. Within the Mirror World, however, he could simply avoid monsters from a safe distance, taking detours as needed.

Though this took more time, it conserved his magical energy. Even so, lingering in the Mirror World for extended periods depleted his mental strength, and by the time he reached the mine, only ten points remained.

The entrance to the abandoned mine was tightly locked, and strange noises—likely rock worms gnawing at stone—could be faintly heard from within.

Glancing around, Chu Yun found no suitable return point, but he had prepared for this. He took his canteen from his pocket and poured water onto the ground. This water had entered the Mirror World with him, serving as a passage medium.

However, after Chu Yun exited the Mirror World through the puddle, the water remained in the Mirror World. Without a physical body to anchor it in the main world and without Chu Yun’s protection, it violated the world’s rules and began to fade, becoming transparent before vanishing from both worlds.

With this method, as long as he could bring an object into the Mirror World, Chu Yun could destroy anything in the real world.

Back in reality, Chu Yun found a relatively safe spot outside the mine, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate. Draining one’s mental strength entirely was foolish; in facing real-world threats, it was best to remain at full strength.

At his current meditation level (Lv4), he could recover 4 + 2.1 (one-tenth of his mental strength) points per hour, requiring nearly two hours to be fully restored.

While meditating, Chu Yun kept a sliver of awareness on his surroundings. Fortunately, there was no danger here, and he was able to recover completely without incident.

"According to Parker, the crystal is hidden deep within the mine. I don’t know what awaits inside, so I’ll open the door and have a look first." Chu Yun approached the mine entrance and cast Manaburst on the iron lock.

"Boom!"

The lock, along with the iron door, was blasted open. From within, rock worms—each as thick as a man’s arm and armored in tough carapaces—heard the noise and crawled toward the entrance. As slow as Parker had described, their defense was nonetheless formidable; even someone like Hansen might not cut through them in half a day.

The mine’s narrow passages made stealthy infiltration and obtaining the crystal a task that would require battling through mirrored entities. If the rock worms proved too dangerous, Chu Yun would rather take his time in the Mirror World, but for now, that didn’t seem necessary.

Near the entrance, there were three rock worms, huddled together, seemingly disliking sunlight and reluctant to emerge. Chu Yun approached, prompting them to crawl out unwillingly, but when he retreated a certain distance, their slow pace brought them no farther; they returned to the tunnel.

They treated this place as their nest; as long as Chu Yun didn’t enter, they wouldn’t bother to pursue him.

After this test, Chu Yun began his assault. Though Manaburst was a magical attack, its explosive force was limited against the rock worms, so this time Chu Yun opted for the more powerful Burning Hands.

Approaching the tunnel, Chu Yun lured the three rock worms out once more. Just as they left the entrance, a torrent of flames burst from his hands. The worms’ tough hides were scorched, and a foul stench filled the air.

[Class experience gained: 12 points]
[Class experience gained: 15 points]
[Class experience gained: 13 points]

Killing creatures in reality guaranteed experience, and at the same time, two of the three mirrored worms in the Mirror World also dropped experience orbs.

Killing real-world creatures granted double experience—double the reward, double the joy.