The world seemed to spin for Selinor. He threw a blindness potion upward, then swiftly hurled his dagger, shattering the bottle in midair.

Poison spread everywhere. Vaelis quickly pulled back, channeling energy into the wooden plank before hurling it toward Selinor. Due to the potion's fumes clouding his vision, Selinor couldn't see it in time. The plank struck his arm, leaving a deep wound.

He let out a small cry, but he was still standing. Or so he thought.

Vaelis had vanished.

Selinor immediately tried to find a healing potion, but it was nowhere to be seen. His head started spinning—this feeling was unfamiliar. He despised it.

Suddenly, there were dozens of Vaelises. He knew they were illusions, yet he couldn't tell which one was real.

—

Nam swiftly grabbed the frayed rope and moved, crouching behind the ruins, trying to get behind Ariax.

Larod clenched his fists. The kind of person he hated the most was standing right before him—a narcissist.

Ariax continued gazing into the Echoing Mirror, as if expecting praise, as if he saw himself above all others.

Larod's brows furrowed even more. "Enough already! Do you have any idea how many of my missions were canceled because of you?!" His anger was like an erupting volcano.

Still, Ariax kept staring at his own reflection.

"Oh, come on~ They were just missions, weren't they?"

Larod's fury only intensified.

Nam had made it behind Ariax.

Noticing this, Larod kept him distracted. "Did you really sing that song?"

For the first time, Ariax looked away from the mirror. His arrogance seemed to fade, his body almost surrendering to reality.

"The second song... that was me. But the first song... I didn't sing it. He is above me."

Larod's pupils dilated, and his body trembled.

He stammered, "W-What?! You… you actually acknowledge someone as superior?!"

Unease crawled up his spine. Two songs? But he had only heard one. That meant… the other one must have come from someone at a demi-god level.

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Larod instinctively stepped back, but the moment he did, Nam threw the rope.

The rope wrapped around the mirror. Nam pulled it toward himself in one swift motion, seizing the Echoing Mirror.

Ariax did not panic. He simply turned, looked at Nam, and then vanished.

Larod took a moment to compose himself before making his way to Nam's side.

—

Reina had been going in circles, always ending up in the same place. The power guiding her was fading—it was clear the source was engaged in battle.

She had no time to waste. She sprinted toward Luth's location.

—

Selinor frantically searched for the real Vaelis. They all looked too lifelike. His arm was still bleeding. If this continued, he would lose consciousness from blood loss.

There was only one option left. Escape.

Selinor scattered every potion he had left.

Vaelis hesitated, pulling back. A foul stench filled the air, thick smoke clouding his vision.

"They don't call him the Keeper of Forgotten Formulas for nothing… If he knew my power, I'd already be dead."

Vaelis scanned his surroundings. But Selinor was already gone, leaving behind only shards of broken potion bottles.

Vaelis clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth.

"Damn my luck!"

—

Reina reached Luth. He was still there, drawing something in the dirt.

In a panic, Reina shouted, "We need to leave! Now!"

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and started running.

Luth didn't understand what was happening, but he had no choice but to follow.

They both hurried toward the underground passage.

The same went for Nam and Larod.

Nam was suspicious. Ariax had given up the Echoing Mirror too easily.

Larod, on the other hand, was disturbed by something else. The idea that Ariax saw someone as superior made him uneasy—no, terrified.

He had spent decades working with Ariax. And as much as he hated to admit it…

Ariax was powerful.

"Based on manipulation and sheer power alone, he was among the top ten strongest spirits," Larod thought to himself.

Nam's footsteps grew heavier.

"Larod, I know you're thinking the same thing as me," Nam said, glancing at him.

Larod kept his gaze forward. "Do you think I care?"

They walked in silence until they reached the underground passage.

—

Reina knew they were the luckiest ones. They hadn't encountered any enemies.

Right now, the only safe place was underground.

They arrived at the entrance.

Luth pulled the hatch open. Reina went in first, followed by Luth.

Nam and Larod were already there.

Nam was flipping through books, while Larod sat deep in thought. His hands trembled slightly, his eyes twitched, and strange noises escaped his lips.

Selinor hadn't arrived yet.

Reina glanced around. Luth grabbed a chair near Nam and sat down. The Echoing Mirror was still in Nam's hands.

Reina's gaze landed on it.

"That thing…" She pointed at the mirror. "That's what we needed, right?"

Nam and Larod nodded in unison.

— Three minutes earlier —

Larod had grabbed one of the chairs and slumped into it.

He lazily looked toward Nam. "Do you even know how to use that mirror?"

Nam pulled out the mirror. His hands trembled slightly, sweat ran down his back, but he ignored it.

"Nope."

He started experimenting.

First attempt…

Nam held the mirror at eye level.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the—"

A book flew straight into Nam's face.

"This isn't a fairy tale, you idiot! And you're a guy!" Larod yelled.

Second attempt…

Nam posed dramatically, mimicking the stance of a certain blond-haired man with a time-stopping ability.

"The World!"

Larod clenched his fists, his face twisting in frustration.

"This isn't an anime, you moron!"

Third attempt…

Nam simply stared at the mirror.

And stared.

And stared.

Would you believe me if I said he stared some more?

Larod couldn't take it anymore. He smacked Nam's head several times