Translator: SumTLMan
Let’s start from the beginning.
After the Mirror Wraith arrived in Little Seim’s room, it quickly enveloped the entire room with its power, creating a series of multiple reflections.
The so-called reflections are a kind of looped space created using mirrors as the medium and space as the guide.
It has the nature of an illusion, but it is more than just an illusion. The mirror space gives the reflections an unimaginable sense of reality. When you can’t find a way to break the reflections, you might even be trapped in the mirror space forever.
Breaking the reflections is not so easy.
Apart from overpowering the reflections with sheer force, there is only one way to break them.
First, you must be in the real world, not in the reflected mirror space. This can be seen from the situation of Little Seim and a few other wizard apprentices at the beginning. Those apprentices entered the mirror space right from the start, so everything they did was in vain. They thought they could become saviors, but they ended up as prisoners.
Little Seim, however, was different. He was actually in the real room before the reflections even started to form. It can be said that from the beginning, Little Seim was in the real world, even if a flipped mirror space appeared, there was only one.
Little Seim was also very restrained. He only experimented back and forth between the real world and that single mirror space. If he had chosen to jump out the window at that time, he probably would have been lost in different mirror spaces like those apprentices.
Of course, Angel believes that even if Little Seim had jumped out the window, the Mirror Wraith could have guided him and made him lost in the reflections. The Mirror Wraith didn’t do so, perhaps because it was overconfident, thinking that Little Seim was just a mortal with no power to resist, so it didn’t treat him with full effort, which is one of the reasons for its downfall.
Next, after finding the real world, one must understand the laws of the real world and the mirror space.
Reflections are the real world’s reflection.
No matter what changes occur in the real world, the reflections will record them accurately. Just like a mirror, it reflects all changes.
Whether Little Seim moved a table or a chair, the reflections would accurately show the situation after the move. This is the law.
However, when Little Seim moved tables and chairs in the mirror space, the tables and chairs in the real world would also move, but this does not belong to the laws; it was the Mirror Wraith simulating the laws with its death aura.
After understanding the Laws of Reflection, the last step is to find the soul body of the Mirror Wraith hidden in the reflections.
To break the reflections, ultimately, it comes down to the source, which is the Mirror Wraith itself.
Only by harming the soul body of the Mirror Wraith can the reflections be broken.
But unless necessary, the soul body of the Mirror Wraith can always hide in the mirror space. How can it be harmed?
Stepping into the mirror space allows it to create countless mirror spaces, ensnaring you in an endless world of reflections. Without entering the mirror space, how can one strike at its true form?
Little Seim provided a beautifully succinct answer.
According to the laws of reflection, when in the real world, all changes are accurately mirrored in the mirror space, whether they be physical changes, such as moving furniture, or changes in energy, like lighting a fire. These alterations faithfully manifest within the mirror space.
Little Seim, being in the real world at the time, set a bookshelf on fire.
The roaring flames burned not only in the real world but were also detected by the mirrors, spreading to the mirror space.
Thus, the room within the mirror space began to burn as well.
To keep an eye on Little Seim, the Mirror Wraith left a mirror avatar hidden within the mirror space, which led to an unexpected outcome——
Little Seim, quite fortuitously, by igniting the flames in the real world, set the mirror avatar of the Mirror Wraith ablaze.
At that moment, Little Seim noticed the flames in the mirror space seemed brighter, a sign that the Mirror Wraith’s avatar was ignited.
Little Seim’s fortunate action injured the Mirror Wraith’s avatar, causing noticeable cracks in the mirror space. This allowed the trapped wizard apprentices to find an opportunity to escape.
Therefore, Freud’s earlier mockery of the wizard apprentices was misplaced; without Little Seim, they might have remained trapped in the mirror space indefinitely, eventually perishing.
They should be more grateful to Little Seim, rather than adopting a savior’s attitude.
…
Little Seim listened in astonishment to Angel’s explanation: “My inadvertent action turned out to be the key to breaking the situation?”
Angel agreed with this sentiment.
He concurred that Little Seim was pivotal in resolving the situation. However, he didn’t believe Little Seim’s actions were entirely without intent.
When one is in an unknown crisis, unable to accurately judge the situation or analyze information calmly, the subconscious can take over or guide the ego in making decisions. The subconscious is often the source of inspiration.
Little Seim’s sudden decision to start a fire under those circumstances seemed somewhat abrupt. Angel speculated that it might have been inspiration guiding Little Seim’s judgment.
Even if Little Seim’s conscious mind didn’t think so, inspiration helped him make a choice.
Luck, sometimes, is not coincidental.
Although Angel thought this, he didn’t voice it out loud. Instead, he took the opportunity to caution Little Seim: “The Near Spirit Body talent is a double-edged sword. It can bring benefits as well as drawbacks, just like in this situation. You killed the farm owner, who then turned into a ghost to haunt you.”
“This time you were lucky to escape. But luck won’t always be on your side. If you continue on the path of a wizard, you will face countless situations similar to today’s in the future.”
“If you rely solely on luck, you cannot keep going indefinitely. Only by enriching your foundation and strengthening yourself can you face various situations.”
Little Seim also nodded in deep agreement.
After the admonition, Angel still praised Little Seim a few times.
Regardless, Little Seim’s performance today was commendable, especially in comparison with those few wizard apprentices, making Little Seim appear quite impressive.
After waiting a few more minutes, Freud came down with a soul bottle, smiling broadly. Behind him followed six dispirited wizard apprentices.
These six apprentices, too embarrassed to face Angel, sheepishly hid behind Drew.
Drew glanced at them and, not wanting to reprimand them in front of Angel, could only sigh deeply.
Angel looked at Freud: “Did you catch the Mirror Wraith?”
Freud shook the dusty soul bottle: “It’s inside.”
After a pause, Freud walked over to Little Seim, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and said, “I have to say, Little Seim played a crucial role this time. The soul of this Mirror Wraith was too weak. With Little Seim’s burning, its strength was directly halved. It was incredibly easy for me to deal with after that.”
Angel said, “Although the Mirror Wraith is a special ghost, its birth time was too short, and its soul strength, combat consciousness, and combat experience are all very low.”
If the Mirror Wraith had existed for a longer period, allowing its soul strength and combat experience to increase, then not just Freud, but a significant portion of formal wizards would probably have a hard time dealing with it.
Indeed, the various abilities of the Mirror Wraith have a lot of room for growth. For example, its Death Mirror Image, which has a vast potential for manipulation. The Mirror Wraith only uses it to trap enemies, but its potential goes beyond just trapping.
Moreover, the Mirror Wraith can also perform spatial jumps through mirrors, which is a terrifying ability.
Once it grows, even soul wizards would covet its “intervention” ability.
Freud asked, “Should we let Tulas devour it now?”
Angel shook his head: “Not yet, I’m interested in the Death Mirror Image created by this Mirror Wraith, and I plan to study it for a few days. After that, it’s not too late to hand it over to Tulas.”
Angel had been observing the Death Mirror Image; it’s based on illusion but also incorporates elements of mysterious spatial properties.
The more Angel observed, the more intrigued he became.
The combination of illusion and spatial powers is something Angel had only read about in books and had never seen in reality. Although the Mirror Wraith’s illusion isn’t traditional illusion, Angel still wanted to keep it for a few days to study its mysteries.
After Freud handed the soul bottle to Angel, the sudden drama of today came to an end.
Due to the apprentices’ performance being unbearable to witness, and to slightly recover the dignity trampled on the ground, Drew took the initiative to take care of the aftermath.
Little Seim was arranged to stay in another room for temporary rest.
Angel and Freud, on the other hand, went into that cavern filled with a death aura.
Alda was also in the cavern, guarding by Sunny’s side. Seeing the arrival of Angel and Freud, Alda’s eyes lit up, and he came over to inquire about Little Seim’s condition persistently.
Given that Little Seim has a close affinity with spirits, Alda’s behavior towards him was naturally affectionate.
While Freud shared the day’s events with Alda, Angel activated a purification barrier and entered deeper into the cavern.
He first checked on Sunny’s condition to ensure there were no signs of distress before he began to explore the cavern.
The death aura in the cavern remained as intense as before, showing no signs of weakening since their last visit. The dark, ghostly wind blew in gusts; a mere half-second in its presence could erode a soul directly, as this was almost a tangible manifestation of death aura, unbearable even for a wizard apprentice.
The only change in the cavern was the addition of several lamps made from luminescent stones, which prevented it from being completely dim.
With the light from the luminescent stones, Angel could clearly see the small caves on the cavern walls.
There were a total of three hundred and sixty small caves, each housing a skeleton.
Looking at these similarly statured skeletons, Angel thought of the information previously mentioned by Freud.
Thirteen years ago, Dawn Town, the slave market.
Based on this information, it could be inferred that each skeleton here was likely a slave, specifically selected by that mysterious person.
But why did he do this? What exactly was the ritual for?
And more importantly, who was he?