Rumble!
Kkamang skillfully pretended not to notice the whoosh of shapeshifters rushing away from Titosso as he acted as their guide.
“The entrance to the Mirror Dungeon is usually found at the end of a corridor other than a mirror, but the path to the hidden room where high-value treasure is concealed lies within the mirror. If the greedy Dark Princess is around, she’ll definitely be staying in the deepest part of the dungeon, so this must be the right way.”
“Wow! How do you know that even though you’re not from the Adventure Department? That’s amazing!”
“The Foundation Supervisor Assistant managing the Academy’s scholarship students inevitably comes across a lot of information about the Academy. At least concerning Gift Academy, I can guarantee it’s of higher quality than that from the Thief Guild.”
“Hmph, I’m jealous. I wish I knew that much too. Lately, I can’t even play well with Oknodie.”
“Titosso, objectively speaking, already has the skills to be in the Upper Class for Third-Year. You just lack the courage to skip a grade. Have some confidence.”
It was no empty flattery.
To Kkamang, Titosso’s combat power was as impressive as the strength of a light stand. Just earlier, one of the top-tier specters that had approached them using a horde of shapeshifters as a shield couldn’t withstand the light of the stand and poof dissipated.
“Here we are.”
As Kkamang pushed the mirror with her hand, it naturally sunk into the mirror.
She stopped walking as she began to feel the light fading further away.
“…What are you doing not coming in?”
“Hmph… but what if it’s scary…? What if I go into the mirror and can’t come out and end up living in there forever…?”
“Rest assured. I’m well-informed about the escape methods.”
“Really?”
“There are records in the branch archives of how a scholarship student, who just relied on the Foundation’s grants and went into hiding inside a mirror, was caught.”
“…That sounds scary in a different way!”
Still, perhaps thanks to the experience Kkamang had during Professor Sadako’s test or because Titosso’s combat power felt approachable, Titosso began following along, albeit slowly.
“Oh, my juniors actually made it inside the Mirror Dungeon! You’ve got potential! Haha! Since we’ve met, should I give you a little gift?”
“…Tito Beam!”
As Titosso unleashed a beam stronger than the light from the light stand, a shapeshifter disguised as a senior let out a scream and melted away.
“Argh! How did you notice…? My transformation must have reached an extreme level of ‘Perfect Imitation’…!”
“No senior is so kindly to juniors they’ve just met for no reason! Even I know that much!”
If they were lower class students who rarely encountered seniors, they might have easily fallen for it, but despite being from the lower class, Titosso, who had been caught up in a big commotion with Oknodie, had the experience of the upper class.
Having easily defeated the mid-boss shapeshifter disguised as a senior, Titosso picked up a dagger.
“Hehe. I got a present for Jiang!”
“…”
Kkamang decided to silently continue leading the way rather than weakly mention that even elite shapeshifters avoid the Foundation’s scholarship pursuers.
“Here we are.”
“The Mirror Exhibition Hall…?”
“It’s a kind of trophy storage for lost treasures or belongings of missing persons that were deceived by the shapeshifters within the mirrors.”
Naturally, the King of Shapeshifters, the Mirror Lord, also exists within.
‘If I had been alone, I would’ve given up on contacting the Dark Princess as soon as I realized this was the Mirror Dungeon.’
As the King of Shapeshifters, the Mirror Lord can imitate the appearance of those he encounters.
But not all imitations are merely ‘degraded’ versions of the original.
The Mirror Lord can embody a portion of the powers of the existence he has stolen, handling them as if they were his own abilities.
‘Thousands of stolen essences, that kind of strength could easily be rated as top-tier with a golden medal.’
Only sealed away by the might of the Dragon Principal.
Thus, whenever the principal’s vigilance weakens, he could cause trouble at any time.
A mere ‘outsider’ like Kkamang could end up as a meal.
Same appearance, different powers.
There was no way Kkamang could survive from an assault by an entity wielding superior abilities to those of the original.
‘But Titosso is a student. A student with extraordinary strength.’
Kkamang’s prediction was correct.
Although they entered the Mirror Exhibition Hall, the Mirror Lord did not attack.
The bane of shapeshifters whose essences are not clearly established, a light-attribute saintess.
A mighty ruler that oppresses all shadows.
In this Mirror Dungeon, Titosso could exhibit absolute superiority like a tyrant.
“Whoa! What’s that…?!”
Titosso gasped, staring at the throne of the Mirror Lord.
“Oknodie is a double!”
Two Oknodies.
One of them was the Mirror Lord, and the two Oknodies turned to look at Titosso and Kkamang.
“Wow! Titosso!”
“How did you get here?”
“More importantly, who’s who?”
“Can you tell?”
Titosso, furrowing her brows as she concentrated fiercely, finally exclaimed in realization.
Then, she pulled out an assignment from her backpack.
“The one who solves this assignment first is the real Oknodie!”
“What? You should know how to do that by yourself. Aren’t you in your second year now?”
“That’s too much whining! Titosso is cute, but I’m a little disappointed now.”
Titosso fell into a state of confusion.
“This can’t be! Neither the real nor the fake will solve the assignment? How can I tell them apart?!”
“…I think you can just shine the light normally.”
“Ah!”
As Titosso held up the light stand, the Oknodie sitting on the throne screamed, “Ugh!” and covered its eyes.
At the same time, the Oknodie that was leaning against the chair also cried out, “Agh!” and hid behind the chair.
“Both of them are reacting?!”
“…That’s just because it’s too bright.”
Who could avoid the glaring sunshine-level radiance hitting their eyes?
While torturing them at a moderate brightness to find out who the real Oknodie was, the throne Oknodie got angry and began tossing +5 enhanced goblets and high-grade gemstones, diamonds all over the place.
Similarly, the hiding Oknodie behind the throne threw out +5 enhanced durians and scrolls that forced action to doodle the assignment, along with paper airplanes.
“Wow! The Oknodie behind the throne, you’re the real Oknodie!”
“Correct! How did you know?”
“Even if it’s not strange for Oknodie’s wealth to throw diamonds, his main weapon since last year has been paper airplanes!”
“That’s right! Wow, Titosso has really raised her observation skill!”
“Hehe, I’ve been working hard!”
Oknodie’s pet dog clapped and cheered as if it had learned a new skill.
“Oknodie, what were you doing here all alone?”
“Just collecting dorm rewards that come out every week?”
Looking closely, more than half of the display in the Mirror Exhibition Hall was completely empty.
It was evident to anyone that the contents had been stuffed in Oknodie’s backpack.
“Whoa! Why does the Mirror Lord act so friendly while impersonating Oknodie even after committing such a bad deed?”
“Because it taught me something better than collectibles!”
“That makes sense. Oknodie is really a special human. Look at this.”
The throne Oknodie proudly posed, hands on hips, then began to change shapes.
In a moment, it took on the appearance of Rosgini, then transformed into Ishtar, known for her bad personality, and finally turned into Northern Grand Duchess Irene, closing her mouth and giving a chilly stare.
“There’s so much information about so many people within a single body. It even exceeds a thousand. How could anyone not like such an amazing person?”
“Whoa! Incredible! Did Oknodie understand shapeshifters deeply enough to transform into all those people?”
“Kind of.”
“What about me?”
“Huh?”
As the Mirror Lord wriggled, it suddenly shrank and took on the form of Titosso.
Seeing the 139 cm tall mirror version of herself, Titosso gasped in surprise.
No matter how dim the light stand got, she had never seen a shapeshifter capable of withstanding her imitation.
Wiggle wiggle.
Flop flop.
The mirror version of Titosso looked inferior and odd compared to the real thing.
“Ugh! What is this! Am I the only weirdo?! Oknodie, have you been thinking of me like this all along?”
“I can’t help it the first time!”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I hate Oknodie!”
Suddenly, the scene looked like a spat between friends, making Kkamang feel like the villain.
‘Wait, am I supposed to be the bad guy as the Foundation Supervisor Assistant?’
Snapped out of her thoughts, Kkamang quickly spoke up, “Oknodie, do you remember me?”
“The one who looked like she was going to marry the director, right?”
“…That’s correct. You remembered very accurately. I believe there was a misunderstanding with Titosso, but your memory is perfectly normal, Oknodie.”
Though Titosso was whining and angry from behind, Kkamang cleanly ignored her.
“In any case, the reason I sought you out today is that the Foundation has summoned the director before the Executive Meeting.”
“Oh wow. That means I can’t act as a mole!”
“That’s right. So, I would like to ask for your assistance in rescuing Pasible Yep.”
“Ugh! I’ve been out a lot lately, you know? I was just starting to feel like focusing more on my studies and maybe exploring the Academy’s content!”
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
Kkamang internally suppressed her frustration.
Using the director as a tool was one thing, but Oknodie’s indifferent demeanor showed that the value of Pasible Yep, in her eyes, was only at that level.
Yet, she found herself in a position where she needed her mercy.
She wasn’t in a place to confront Oknodie directly.
All she wished for was a generous response.
“If it’s too burdensome for you to come, would you let your organization help?”
“Organization?”
“I know that you have an Organization that Plays with Oknodie. According to our branch reports, you also have another group formed mainly by scholarship students, which is referred to as the Secret Scholarship Society.”
Oknodie commands a large number of Upper Class students from Class 981. Even a few of them helping would surely be of immense assistance.
“I’ll pass on the word!”
Oknodie thought lightly about it.
It would be nice to have someone handle the annoying tasks for her.
It was a casual lightness, not considering how seriously the other students would regard her ‘direct’ request.
“Hello, members of Class 981! Today, Professor Bronze de Estrada will substitute for the mandatory lecture for the Upper Class for Second-Year. But… why are there so few students?”
Honer Fried Chicken awkwardly answered the bewildered Professor Bronze, gazing at the nearly empty desks.
“The upper-class students from the border region all took a two-night leave together.”
