Will turned out to be right. Little was left of the vice principal’s chamber, as if a wrecking ball had passed through, destroying all but the external walls. And yet, among the devastation, placed on the only piece of standing wall, was a green glowing mirror.
“Who takes it?” Jace asked.
That was a rather good question. Everyone’s contributions had been vital, even more so than when fighting the hidden boss. Unlike then, only one could claim the room reward.
“You take it,” Helen told Will. “Your plan, your strategy, your reward.”
Will looked at the other two of the group. Alex, as usual, gave him a thumbs up.
“Sure,” Jace shrugged. “I get the next one.”
ROOM REWARD (random)
FUTURE BOOST: the next reward you earn will be enhanced.
“That’s fire, bro!” Alex said. “You get to hit it big.”
“Only if we defeat the boss,” Jace grumbled. Anyone could tell he was a bit envious. “And if we do it this loop.”
“What if we get a mass reward?” The goofball wondered. “Does that mean only you get it double or is it double for everyone? Technically, you got the reward as part of the group, so your group will have to get it double, too. Right?”
It was an amusing thought, but even the mild outburst of humor wasn’t enough for anyone else to crack a smile. The final fight was about to take place, and even with all their levels and gear, the group didn’t feel at all ready.
“Alex, stock up on shards from the gym,” Will said. “We’ll wait for you here until then.”
“Right, bro,” the goofball rushed down the corridor.
“Was it a good idea?” Jace asked. “The bangs must have attracted attention.”
“He’s the thief,” Will replied. “He’ll be fine. Now it’s your turn to prep some gear.”
With plenty of available material left as a result of the fight, Jace got to work. The dark crafter had already created enough metal shards Will could use for throwing knives, so the jock focused on gear. Armor was always a good idea for Helen, especially a tower shield, as everyone had just seen. An adequate sword was also a must, yet despite his insistence, the girl refused to have a second exploding blade. While good in the short run, it had been rendered useless after one strike. As a result, Jace tried to recreate her original weapon as best he could.
In the meantime, Alex finally returned. If he were to be believed, he had managed to gather enough for several hundred copies. Will strongly doubted it, but hoped there would be enough for an adequate distraction.
Gearing up for one final time before their boss battle, the group set off to explore the school for one final time.
“There’s no change on the fragment,” Helen said, looking at her mirror piece. “Shouldn’t there be something if we’ve cleared all rooms?”
“Does it look like we missed anything?” Will looked.
The entire area of the school was lit up, indicating where they’d been. All standard mirror locations were grayed out, possibly indicating that they were broken.
“It’s probably like the hidden mirrors,” he said. “It only gets marked the first time we find it.”
“And it gets activated the moment I come near.”
It took close to a minute for every room to be checked out. With that done, the group went further down. Interestingly enough, no sirens were heard outside of the school. Given the commotion not too long ago, everyone expected the entire city to have gathered. Since it was for the best, the children ignored it and continued to the floor below. That took closer to two minutes; several additional rooms were present that needed additional attention. Unfortunately, none of them yielded anything, either.
“We should have gone up,” Jace grumbled.
“Nah, bro.” Alex shook his head. “It’ll always be at the last place we look. For real.”
“Don’t jinx it, muffin boy.”
There were no new mirrors in the basement. Will’s anxiety started to grow. Several times, he considered splitting off to check with Danny. Each time, he decided against it. Doing so risked the others finding out, and there was no telling what more Danny would ask for help.
Nothing was found on any of the other floors, leaving only the rooftop. It was the worst place for a fight—open, with limited light, and the option to easily fall to one’s death.
Making their way up the stairs, everyone mentally prepared. Despite the fear of the unknown after so many attempts, all of them wanted to complete the tutorial. And just like ripping off a band aid, it was better getting over with faster.
Will and Alex were the first to set foot on the roof. Helen followed several seconds later with Jace remaining on the staircase.
“Where is it?” Helen asked, as everyone looked about.
“It has to be here,” Will said. “Walk about a bit.”
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Curiously, the girl moved to every spot on the rooftop. It wouldn’t be the first time a mirror was hidden in an unusual location. Unlike before, though, no monster emerged.
“What’s the hold up?” Jace emerged on the roof after a minute of waiting.
“It’s not here,” Helen hissed.
“What the duck? Did you check behind the—”
“I checked everywhere!” The girl snapped. “Even the walls of the school. It’s not here.”
That shut up the jock. Sadly, the issue remained. Will reached for his pocket.
“Check your mirror shard,” Alex said.
Will froze. The shard was supposed to be his secret. Had the goofball managed to see him use it after all? Slowly, he turned to face his friend. Alex looked back, a slight smile on his face. It didn’t seem to be a mocking smile, but rather an understanding one, as if he knew exactly what was going through Will’s mind.
“What do you expect me to see?” Helen asked, a number of steps behind Will.
Glancing over his shoulder, Will saw the girl put down her tower shield and take out her own mirror piece. That was too close for comfort.
“It’s the same as before,” Helen said, sliding her thumb over the reflective surface. “No new mirrors, no rooms we haven’t been to.”
“What about the gym?” Jace suggested.
“No way, bro. Can’t have a boss and a hidden boss in the same spot. That won’t make it a hidden boss.”
“Where the fuck is it, then?” Jace shouted. “It’s not in the school and it’s not here, so—”
“Quiet.” Will raised his hand.
All conversations stopped. Everyone looked at him, expecting a revelation and right now, Will believed he’d just gotten one.
“Do you hear that?” he asked.
In the distance, barely audible, was the sound of sirens. There were several of them mixed together, yet the more time passed, it was clear that the sirens weren’t getting closer, but rather moving further away.
“So?” Helen looked at him. “It’s nothing new.”
“They aren’t coming here.”
“Are you complaining?”
“The blast shook the entire school, and still no one noticed. Why?”
This was a question to which no one had an answer. Everyone had been so worried that a crowd would gather while they were fighting an enemy that no one bothered to wonder why none had appeared. As Helen said, it wasn’t something to complain about. Everyone had to be grateful, and Will was. The difference was that he had noticed what the rest apparently hadn’t—when eternity changed the rules, it was always for a reason.
“Jace, you carry the chain,” he said, heading to the staircase entrance. “We won’t have much room to fight. Alex, start making copies.”
“You know where it is?” Helen asked.
“I think so.” It was by no means a guarantee, but by any account, it had to be there.
Soon enough, everyone was back in the staircase, heading down. Upon reaching the second floor, Will went into the corridor.
“We’ve already been here,” Helen reminded him. “It’s the first place we searched.”
“No, it’s the first place we almost searched. What was it that the hint said? That the boss will be revealed only when all the rooms are cleared.”
“And? You’re saying there’s a room left?”
“No. If I’m right, our entire interpretation was wrong. We only needed to kill the creatures to clear a room. Getting the room reward was just a bonus, as were part of the hidden mirrors.”
“Stoner, now I’m confused.” Jace grumbled. Carrying the chain was on the verge of his physical capabilities.
“Think about it. We’ve faced all sorts of creatures, and only four mirror images. Our own mirror images. All we had to do to clear the school was kill off all the wolves, the goblins, and our mirror classes. The hidden boss, the other creatures, they all were only a means to get better gear.”
The more he thought about it, the more Will was certain that he was right. It made sense, like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. There was no guarantee, of course. It was all based on guesswork and reasoning, but in his mind, the coincidences were too perfect for him to be wrong.
After half a minute, the group was back at the scene of their last fight—what remained of the vice principal’s office.
“Bro, for real?” Even Alex was surprised.
“You gotta be kidding,” Helen frowned.
“As Alex said, it’s always the last place we look.”
“But we’ve been here. If there was a mirror, I would have noticed. And even if I didn’t, it would have reacted. Or do you think it’s of the foggy kind?”
“I doubt it,” Will drew his dagger. “Either way, there’s one way for the mirror not to see you and vice versa.” He took a step forward. “All of you, stay there and get ready.”
Extremely slowly, Will went into the center of what was left of the office. As Helen had said, there was no sign of a mirror on any visible surface. Holding his breath, Will pressed against the floor with his shoe, then dragged it backwards. A reflective surface emerged.
“It’s here,” Will said, afraid to move his foot further as if he were stepping on a mine. “It must have appeared beneath the floor and the layer of dust.”
“Bro, that’s messed up,” Alex said. “First time I hear of mirrors appearing between things.”
Will ignored him.
“When I jump back, there should be enough for Helen to trigger it. After that all bets are off.”
“I’m ready,” the girl said.
“On three.” Will prepared mentally. “One.”
Jace and a large number of Alexes retreated to the sides of the corridor.
“Two.”
Helen placed the tower shield in front of her, ready for any potential impact that might accompany the appearance of the boss.
“Three!” Will leaped back.
The moment he did, Helen’s eyes focused on the patch of mirror.
BOSS BATTLE
A large purple message appeared. The layer of dust covering the floor, along with any debris and surviving pieces of furniture, abruptly fell down, as if pulled into an abyss. Chunks of the wall followed, pulling in more and more of the surrounding rooms with it.
“Get back!” Will shouted.
He didn’t need to say it twice. Everyone was already backing further away. The sight of a violently growing hole was enough to terrify even the most prepared person.
The entire façade of the building suddenly collapsed, setting off a series of alarms. This time, the scene was impossible to remain hidden. All the nearby buildings in the area lit up as people rushed to the windows to catch a glimpse of the disaster. As far as they were concerned, they had witnessed a building suddenly crumble due to age or flimsy construction. That was when a giant colossus made of concrete and steel emerged out of nowhere, mere feet from the half-destroyed school.
GIMESH, LORD OF GOBLINS
(Virhol Faction)
Victory Reward:
1 Completing Tutorial
2 ???
3 ???