Chapter Three: Relics from the Mirror World

He had come so close—just a hair’s breadth away from ending up like that blood-soaked head, hung as a gruesome ornament. At this moment, justice and the fate of the other captives meant nothing to him; his heart was consumed by a raging inferno of anger.

Yet he was not blinded by his fury. If he had no chance of victory, he would flee, no matter how long it took or how much effort it required; one day, he would return for his revenge.

But now, there was no need for such trouble. Having grasped some of the rules of the Mirror World, Chu Yun was confident he could annihilate these pests who had nearly claimed his life.

Chu Yun’s gaze once more fell upon the goblin he had “killed” earlier. No matter how close he drew to it now, the creature—rendered half-transparent—remained oblivious.

The goblins within the Mirror World were all mirror constructs, a special kind of lifeform that existed only in tandem with their counterparts in the primary world. They were not mere spirits, but higher beings, intricately linked to their originals.

When Chu Yun picked up and absorbed the experience points dropped by a goblin, its real-world counterpart would forget that portion of its experience. When a goblin’s mirror form was slain by Chu Yun, the goblin in reality would become listless and weakened.

“A pity I can’t kill them while they’re in a half-mirrored state,” Chu Yun muttered regretfully. “Otherwise, I could simply slaughter them here in the Mirror World.”

In this state, he could neither touch nor attack them; only when their synchronization resumed could he strike again.

There were many goblins in the camp. Chu Yun decided to first raise his class level within the Mirror World before dealing the final blow to the goblins in reality.

He approached another goblin. When he came within about a meter, the goblin’s mirror form sensed him and, just like the previous one, detached from its original and lunged at him in attack.

This was an instinctive reaction of the mirror form to an intruder like Chu Yun. Even if the real-world goblin bore him no hostility, once he entered its alert radius, it would attack him involuntarily.

The more powerful the mirror form, the wider its alert range.

Chu Yun began experimenting with isolated goblins, discovering that their range of movement was also limited. If they chased him too far from their original position, a powerful force would draw them back, preventing further pursuit.

“These mirror forms really are like the monsters in online games…” Chu Yun thought as he tested their boundaries, dispatching another goblin.

This time, instead of experience points, the goblin dropped its weapon.

[Rusty Dagger (Inferior): A short iron blade mottled with rust.]

Chu Yun picked up the weapon. As soon as he obtained this piece of equipment from the mirror form, the real-world goblin, besides becoming enervated to restore its mirror form, also found its weapon had vanished from its grasp.

There was a fundamental difference between living and non-living things: whether or not they possessed a soul. Soul-less objects, when fused with their mirror forms, occasionally could be taken by Chu Yun indirectly.

Chu Yun’s unique ability allowed him to move freely in and out of the Mirror World, bringing his clothes and carried items with him. The dagger now counted as something he had brought into the Mirror World.

If he left the Mirror World carrying the dagger, it would return to the primary world with him. If he left it behind or strayed too far from it, the dagger would grow increasingly transparent, eventually vanishing from both worlds. This process took time; should Chu Yun reappear before it was gone, he could recover it.

Having roughly figured out the rules, Chu Yun focused on hunting goblins.

[Gained 2 experience points]
[Gained 1 experience point]
…

Goblin grunts were individually weak; with a weapon, Chu Yun dispatched them even more efficiently. The loot from mirror forms was random, most often yielding experience points—perhaps related to Chu Yun’s own strength.

Staying in the Mirror World constantly drained his mental energy, and fighting accelerated the depletion. Though he hadn’t reached his limit, Chu Yun chose to leave early; he had nearly gathered one hundred experience points, enough to level up.

He made his way downstream, away from the goblin camp. To traverse the Mirror World, he needed a reflection— the larger and clearer, the less energy it cost and the faster the passage.

After confirming there were no goblin patrols nor lurking beasts nearby, Chu Yun took a deep breath and, somewhat nervously, plunged into the river.

The Mirror World was no illusion. This time, watching closely, he saw the entire process: as he dove in and released his mental power, his reflection vanished, and the next moment he leapt out of the river in reality, unharmed.

Leaning against a great tree, Chu Yun squatted to rest, and his attribute panel floated once more before his mind’s eye.

This time, he allocated all 100 experience points to his class experience.

[Wanderer Mage class level raised to Lv1 (0/500)]
[Health +9]
[Skill Points +4]

[Class Level reached Lv1. As a Wanderer Mage, you will randomly gain class skills of corresponding rank from the multiverse.]
[Acquired 1st-level spells: “Burning Hands,” “Goodberry”]
[Acquired 0-level spells: “Arcane Burst,” “Mending”]
[Acquired basic abilities: “Meditation Lv1,” “Spellcraft Lv1”]
[Acquired language: “Common”]
[Tip: At the next level, you will unlock the Wanderer Mage Camp Selection. Different camps grant unique class features upon leveling up.]
…

A flood of messages filled Chu Yun with delight. Only upon reaching Lv1 could he truly call himself a Wanderer Mage, and this advancement brought substantial rewards.

His increased health made him feel more energetic; his body brimmed with vigor. Skill points could be used to enhance his basic abilities. With only four points, he raised Meditation to Lv3, then spent one more point to increase Spellcraft by one level.

Each level of a basic ability cost an equivalent number of points—one point for level one, two for level two, and so on.

Beyond these improvements, the most crucial gain was, of course, the magical skills.

The Wanderer Mage class was peculiar: among thousands, only a rare few possessed the “spark,” and fewer still ever ignited it and thus awakened their potential to traverse worlds.

Such individuals were called Wanderer Mages, or simply Travelers. The moment their spark ignited, they invariably faced tremendous peril; the danger and the power gained varied with each individual.

Chu Yun’s current abilities had been bestowed when his spark was lit; yet, as an ordinary man from Earth, he’d remembered nothing after his collapse.

Dusk fell, and the sky grew dark. After taking time to familiarize himself with his new spells, Chu Yun gazed at the distant campfires and once again entered the Mirror World.

Battle was at hand. From the Mirror World, Chu Yun would launch an attack his foes could not evade!