Meera shut the box and set it down while she stared at the crystals scattered on the table and wondered if this was where all the crystals came from. These harmless crystals turned into artifacts with the power of a god through horrific experiments.
"So, you're really going to make me ask, huh?" Shade fluttered down to land on the table.
"It says that only the witch, Kalrina, can use its gift and turn mirrors into protection. When I met her, she said something like she was a master of the prismatic arts. It must mean that only she can use it, or she can bend mirrors to come to her aid. I don't know." Meera shrugged. "It just seems a little confusing."
"Mirrors to protection?" Cinders asked, twinkling her nose, which Meera took to be her version of a frown.
"That's what it says," Meera replied. "I don't have the power to bend mirrors like the Sorceress of Mirrors."
"Is that what she is called?" Shade asked.
"That is what her tag said."
"I see," Shade said as if that solved a great mystery.
"Anyways, I'm going to check out my notifications and then rest some before we head out for the locked rooms and pray to whatever gods you believe in that we don't run into Ed—you-know-who, first."
With that, Meera plopped herself in the chair by the table and called up her notifications.
*ding!*
[Your party has killed 3 Shrouded Cursed Wraiths – Level 123 – Level 127. For killing enemies more than twenty higher than your own, you have earned bonus experience.]
[Your party has killed 11 Cursed Wraiths – Level 74 – Level 77]
*ding!*
[Congratulation. Image Stealer has gained 7 levels and reached Level 104. You have been awarded 21 stat points.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 100 in your main class, you have earned one more Chakram.]
[Chakram of Echoes Stage 2 effect unlocked. Chakram Fusion - You can combine two chakrams into a singular, more potent chakram. This process enhances the weapon's power, versatility, and destructive potential, making it a formidable weapon.]
Another chakram appeared on her arm. She had five on each arm now, and with the one chakram tied to her belt on the back, she had a total of eleven. But she cared little for that as she couldn't wait to try the Chakram Fusion.
"That's a neat trick," Shade commented.
"Thanks." Meera grinned.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity has gained 5 levels and reached Level 80. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 82% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shadow Step has gained 8 levels and reached Level 52]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Eagle's Perceptivity has gained 10 levels and reached Level 41]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shroud of Shadows has gained 21 levels and reached Level 22]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity has gained 9 levels and reached Level 10. All of your shadow-based attacks will get a 12% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Druvis Power has gained 8 levels and reached Level 9]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Tactician's Gaze has gained 5 levels and reached Level 31]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vitalize has gained 9 levels and reached Level 39]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Absorption has gained 7 levels and reached Level 15]
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Alpha Aura has gained 6 levels and reached Level 7]
Meera paused her notifications and tilted her head as she didn't remember what this skill did. She thought of bringing up the skill's explanation, hoping it would work, and it did.
[Alpha Aura – general skill. You emit an aura of leadership and confidence, which boosts the morale and combat abilities of nearby allies, granting them increased strength and resilience.]
Ahh…that's why. I must've inadvertently provided a boost to Cinders and Onyx when they came to my aid in the last fight.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Haunting Presence has gained 4 levels and reached Level 16]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Spectral Resistance has gained 9 levels and reached Level 13]
Next came the skills she had stolen, and there was nothing new as expected. She gained three Shroud of Shadows, four Haunting Presence, two Soul Drift, three Phantom Strike, and two Dreadful Wail. And none of the skills leveled up either, which was fine by her.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Reflection has reached Level 19]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Identify has reached Level 4. You can now Identify people up to fifty levels higher than you.]
Meera thought that was it when another new kind of notification popped up—something she hadn't seen before.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. You have met the requirements for Class evolution: Image Stealer can evolve to Divine Mirror Knight. You harness your healing magic and the mystical powers of your divine mirror weapons to excel in combat. You can take a lot of punishment and remain in the fight until you vanquish your enemies, even to the point of death. Your healing magic and tenacity have been deadly for all those who have raised their arms against you.]
[A Divine Mirror Knight is one of Midea's own, the Lady of Mirrors and the caretaker of the System. You will march forth in your quest provided to you by the Lady, be the bearer of her honorable name, and receive gifts befitting a true Knight.]
[Would you like to evolve Image Stealer to Divine Mirror Knight? No skills will be lost, and your progression will remain the same. Choosing this class will lock other progression paths.]
Meera only had the time to frown slightly as the next notification appeared.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. You have met the requirements for Class evolution: Image Stealer can evolve to Mirror Image Hunter. You hunger for skills and have sought out all kinds of foes to satisfy this hunger. You have used this hunger to gain formidable skills that have kept you alive. You have shown no hesitance from where you gain your skills, whether they be foes or cursed items.]
[A Mirror Image Hunter is an expert thief and can take skills from even those protected by magics. Your hunger for skills will only be satisfied by assimilating more skills from friends and foes alike. You will excel in tracking, hunting, and countering foes.]
[Would you like to evolve Image Stealer to Mirror Image Hunter? No skills will be lost, and your progression will remain the same. Choosing this class will lock other progression paths.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. You have met the requirements for Class evolution: Image Stealer can evolve to Mystic Mirror Arcanist. You have gained many magical skills and used them to their full content. Your path has led you to assimilate a mix of shadow, mirror, and even the accursed blood magic. You've used them to better yourself and fight against foes, natural and unnatural.]
[A Mystic Mirror Arcanist is the first step towards truly mastering the mystic arts. Your magical skills will grow more powerful. You will seamlessly blend your spellcasting abilities with mirrors, creating a synergy that enhances your magical prowess.]
[Would you like to evolve Image Stealer to Mystic Mirror Arcanist? No skills will be lost, and your progression will remain the same. Choosing this class will lock other progression paths.]
Meera waited for any other notifications of class evolutions. Nothing else appeared, so she figured this was it. She was too mesmerized by the new class evolutions to realize that her animal friends were staring at her.
"Why are you smiling so creepily?" Shade asked. "You always get like that when you look at your notifications. What's with you humans and creepy smiles? Why do your mouths even move that way?"
Meera snorted. "Well, this time, I've had a reason to smile. I reached level 100 and got a class evolution, which is surprising since…"
She trailed off as if she had said too much. Once again, it wasn't that she didn't trust them. It was this place she didn't trust and who might be listening. But it was surprising that she got these notifications for a class evolution, seeing as it said that she was an unnatural human and couldn't get new skills or classes as per the system. But class evolutions were fair game.
Shade sighed loudly. "Were you about to say that secret of yours that you are so desperate to hide from us?"
"Not from you," Meera replied. "As I've said, I would have told you, but we can't be sure who else is listening."
"She'll tell us when we're out of here," Cinders said. "Now, let us give her time to focus on her decision."
"Thanks." Meera smiled at the rat and turned her attention back to the notifications. The three class evolutions waited. She had to make a decision. All three had their merits. If she were deducing this correctly, the Knight class would give her more melee-type benefits. The Hunter class would be the most similar to Image Stealer, but it would let her satisfy her hunger for skills—whatever that meant. The last was the Arcanist, which was clearly like a mage class.
The more she thought about it, the more she was drawn to the Hunter class. It was the class closest to being an assassin, which was what she really wanted from the start. She had a bunch of skills that would gain enhancements from the Arcanist class, but being a mage was not what she was interested in.
I choose Mirror Image Hunter.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Image Stealer has evolved to Mirror Image Hunter – Level 104]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Change. Reflection has evolved to Stalker. You stalk your prey like a true hunter. Your prey will have no option but to give you what you want. You will be given a choice of two skills from those you attack, but you can only choose one.]
Meera raised an eyebrow at that, and a slow smile spread her lips until she was grinning, which then turned into a chuckle and then before she knew it. She was laughing. But the system or Midiea was not done giving her more gifts.
*ding!*
[Stat Points Awarded]
[Constitution: +15]
[Power: +10]
[Dexterity: +20]
[Endurance: +15]
[Focus: +10]
[Agility: +15]
[Perception: +20]
*ding!*
[Skill Change. Shadow Step changes to Mirror Step. Mirror Step – Type: Active. You can instantly teleport yourself to a mirror or any reflective surface within sight, granting swift and unpredictable movement.]
Now, Meera wasn't sure if this was an improvement. It did take away the handicap of only teleporting to shadows, but then it gave another handicap of only teleporting to mirrors.
This is the skill that the final mirror golem of Kalrina had. This is going to slow me down…
She stopped mid-thought as she realized this skill was good for her. She could feign an attack with her chakrams only to appear behind her opponents. Or she could use a Mirror Shard Barrage to litter the area with mirrors and have endless teleporting targets. Though, it reduced the utility of teleporting right away.
I guess it's more geared for combat situations than anything, but it did say within sight, and thanks to Mirror Eagle's Perceptivity, I can see very, very far.
She distributed her stat points to Agility, Focus, and Endurance. With that, she was done and ready to move out.
"Okay, let's head out to the locked rooms," Meera said, "and pray we don't run into the big bad wolf on the first try."
She moved for the door, but Cinders squeaked. "Meera, aren't you forgetting something?" She stood on the necklace box.
"Oh, right." Even if Meera couldn't use it, she could use it as a bargaining chip with the witch.