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“The moment anything touches my body, the slime is ready to shoot out spikes, but it still wasn’t enough.”

When I finally came to my senses, Minho, who had been nearby, was also being dragged into the Mirror Dimension.

The spikes raced through the artery of Wang Tai-lun’s arm towards his brain at breakneck speed, but even faster, Wang Tai-lun swapped his form.

In the end, all that was left was a black spike shaped like a blood vessel and a torn Academy uniform.

“Because of you…”

Just as I was about to rip my hair out and blame Minho, I realized he wasn’t moving up.

Is that guy seriously trying to escape right now? My anger flared up, and right when I was about to extend my tentacles, I belatedly figured out it wasn’t Minho rising but me falling.

Changwon was the one keeping everyone floating in the air, but since Changwon wasn’t in the Mirror Dimension, obviously I couldn’t stay afloat.

Aha, is that it? Minho can fly with his powers, but my propulsion is limited at best, so I can’t gain enough lift.

No wonder I felt like I was rising slowly; my brain had just instinctively sped up its processing in response to the danger.

After assessing the situation, the next order of business was clear.

“…Nyaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Screaming as if I was going to squeeze out my last lung, I desperately searched for a way to survive this fall.

A decent painkiller wouldn’t work. Opioids? No dice there either. Even if I ramped up the intensity of my magical power, at this height, I’d be a mess.

Using slime as a cushion? That might work, but I’ve never tried it before.

As all sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind, I was trying to find the most viable method when a voice cut through that train of thought.

“Blanca!!!”

It was Minho’s shout, arms outstretched towards me.

Oh right, I wasn’t alone. Minho swooped down to grab me, asking if I was hurt at all.

…I had this urge to punch that guy, but at the same time, I felt this overwhelming gratitude to be in his reach.

“…I’m fine, except for almost falling to my death. And get your hands off me! What do you think you’re touching?”

I scolded Minho, who was trying to act calm while suppressing the slime’s reactions as his hands snuck beneath my chest.

Minho panicked, swearing that he hadn’t meant to and that it just happened.

“I told you to hold me properly! Like a princess!”

It would be easier that way, and besides, looking down made me feel faint, so I ordered him to hold me in a princess-carry position.

He struggled a bit, but eventually hoisted me up correctly.

“…Am I heavy?”

“No, not at all.”

Except I was heavy.

…Should I go on a diet? It would be a loss, but Boss and Minho both keep saying I’m heavy.

“Good to hear you’re joking. That means you’re not in serious trouble. Now let’s get down…”

“No, absolutely not! Down there, there are clones spread out everywhere. The moment we land, you’ll be pummeled into a red paste. I’m sure of it.”

Sorry to Minho, who wanted to go down, but all I could see was a sea of black coats all around.

Staying up here, where that guy couldn’t reach me, was the safest option.

“Can you see down there?”

“You know that Einzong has good senses, right? I think I even told you that before.”

I snapped back at Minho, who looked shocked. He admitted he knew but didn’t expect it to be this extreme and apologized for thinking I might be upset.

“You think I’d be worried about what you don’t like while dragging me into stuff I didn’t want to do? Look where we are now?!”

Though I was grateful for the rescue, I couldn’t suppress my rising irritation and fury. I was ready to lash out, but I knew I’d mess things up if I let go, so I just glared instead.

My life was hanging by a thread in Minho’s hands.

“I didn’t expect that to happen…”

But Minho wasn’t the type to boast about holding my life, and he seemed genuinely remorseful, merely making small explanations.

“Ha… just know that I won’t let it go easily if we get out of here.”

It felt ridiculous to shout at someone who knew they messed up, and I knew that wouldn’t improve the situation, so I calmed my rage for the moment.

“…So, Boss. Got any good ideas? I hope this floating around isn’t part of the plan?”

Getting angry wouldn’t do any good unless I was safe. If I got caught by the Evil Society, I wouldn’t have a chance to lose my cool, so I decided to probe Minho for any thoughts.

It was something that didn’t happen in the original either, but maybe he had some unexpected solutions.

“The only thing I can think of right now… is probably the best option. Sorry.”

Still, Minho bowed his head, effectively admitting he didn’t know what to do.

“How much magical power do we have left?”

“If we keep floating like this, we should last about six hours.”

Six hours, huh?

“Is that enough…?”

I wasn’t sure if my slight weight would affect that, but if it looked hopeless, I’d have to discard some slime to make it work.

Better to try something than be in a situation where I could die or end up worse.

“Do you have any plans?”

This time, Minho was the one asking if I had a plan.

“I have something, but it’s not confirmed. It’s really just a tentative idea.”

Honestly, I didn’t know how it would end. I picked up some hints by reading the original, but even that didn’t clarify things completely.

“…Minho, have you ever tried playing a high-spec game on a piece-of-junk computer?”

“Uh… huh? Well, I have, but… why do you ask?”

Minho, taken aback by my sudden question, still answered honestly after a moment.

“Do you remember rushing and then suddenly stopping, or when the ground or buildings look like clumps of clay?”

“Yeah. But what’s that got to do with…”

Wait, wait a second. Are you serious? You actually think that could happen?”

Minho paused for a moment, grasping at straws, but since he was sharp, he quickly figured out what I was getting at.

I was suggesting that we fly out of the rendering range of the Mirror Dimension’s power.

So fast and far that the loading couldn’t keep up.

“See? I told you it was just an idea. But still, there’s some reasoning. A dimension as convenient as the Mirror Dimension couldn’t possibly exist as is.”

There couldn’t be a world that was identical to ours but completely devoid of people. Therefore, I theorized that the Mirror Dimension was merely a ‘region’ created through powers.

After all, that notion came up in a discussion among the main characters in the original.

Of course, it was a debate regarding what would happen to them after defeating Elize.

After defeating Elize, they safely returned to reality. The Mirror Dimension hadn’t shown up again, but at least that’s how I interpreted it.

Once the owner of the region was dead, everything inside it was released back out.

“A single individual can’t genuinely create a world. Even gates have limitations; humans can’t possibly manifest a world or the universe.”

Minho took my words seriously and acknowledged that I had a point.

“Indeed, that makes sense… If that’s true, then we just might be able to overload the power and escape.”

“Exactly! Get ready to squeeze out every ounce of power you’ve got and fly upward.”

With both hands gripping Minho tightly, I formed a support around my neck with slime to prevent my cervical vertebrae from breaking under the sudden speed.

However, Minho remained quiet and just looked at me.

“But… Blanca. You knew, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about…”

He went on without letting me respond, “Thinking back, you’ve always acted like you knew something. Even at the entrance ceremony and the field trip.”

…

“Moreover, whenever something went awry with what I knew, you were always involved. I don’t know why, but… now I think I understand a bit.”

You’re from outside too, aren’t you?

After a long moment of contemplation, Minho finally tossed that simple yet bizarre question at me.

Were you possessed as well?

I had no obligation to answer. I could just deny it and move on.

It wouldn’t change anything, and regardless, it wouldn’t matter.

However, if by chance I was mistaken, this could be the last conversation I’d ever have.

“Yeah.”

If a friend asks about a secret, you can’t help but answer.

Minho’s eyes twitched as he heard that, a complicated smile crossing his face.

Was that a bitter expression, or a joyous one? Maybe both.

“The incident was… for your organization, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Can you tell me where it is?”

“No.”

“I see.”

As I continued to lock eyes with Minho, I answered each of his questions.

“Since I’ve asked you so much, let me ask one too.”

Minho readily agreed, telling me to ask anything.

“Am I a heroine?”

“…That seems to be the case.”

Ha.

So that’s why.

“How much has been uncovered?”

“…That, I really don’t know. I can’t even guess how much more you’re hiding.”

He still hadn’t fully pinpointed what organization I belonged to.

After a moment of silent gazes, I spoke first.

“…Don’t expect any special treatment just because of this. Nothing changes. You’re still my… friend, and my classmate, Yong Minho. To me, everyone is a real person.”

They may just be characters to you, but I’ve seen those extras as people with families or siblings.

“…Yeah.”

Minho broke the silence and replied blandly.

“So, now we don’t have much left to say, right? Let’s go. Don’t stop until we feel something ‘break.’”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Whether we were heading towards paradise or the black universe beyond the clouds,

not even the gods would know.

 

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