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Chapter – 12
“Shh, don’t make a sound, just follow me.”
“……”
The beach was bustling, yet there were people moving stealthily, crouching low like spies in a thriller.
It was Tae-woon and the two others.
“…Do we really have to go this far?”
“You don’t know better. If we run into them, humans can only run, nothing else. Do you want to go back to the ballroom? Or not?”
As expected, the passages between spaces were hidden in mirrors all over the place.
Tae-woon and the others had entered the beach through the massive mirror in the ballroom’s costume room, and now they were on high alert, heading for the next stage: the abandoned hospital.
“Turn right here, and we enter the building…”
Following Pedro’s guidance, they quickly found a mirror flickering with a mysterious light in the bathroom sink inside the café.
After all, having someone guide the way was a relief. Clearly, Pedro was the key figure in this “The Mirror” theater.
“Alright, this is the abandoned hospital. The corridors here are close together, so we should be able to move to the next area quickly.”
Pedro took a deep breath, slightly nervous, and continued.
“After the abandoned hospital is the forest mansion… honestly, I’m not sure about that part. There was no one around, and shortly after entering, monsters chased me.”
“……”
“It’s not certain, but from there, it seems closer to reality. And that means…”
“You’re saying it might be hard to escape the monsters?”
Exactly. Once they entered the forest mansion, it would be a race against time: find the next passage faster than the monsters, and repeat the process to escape the world of mirrors.
To ease Pedro’s tension, Jae-in, who had been quiet, smiled lightly.
“I like how straightforward it is.”
“Heh, right? My heart’s pounding after so long.”
“…Let’s go back. To reality.”
Resolute, the group followed Pedro, placing their hands on the mirror one by one.
And then—
BOOM!
“A monster! Run!”
Inside the dark abandoned hospital, Pedro shouted a warning like a scream, sprinting down the corridor without hesitation.
‘This…!’
Thanks to Pedro drawing the target’s attention, Tae-woon and Jae-in also reached the hospital safely, but Pedro himself was in a dangerous situation.
In this critical moment, Tae-woon and Jae-in exchanged a quick glance, drew the Claws of the Phoenix and the Red Wax Mask, and leapt into action.
TADADAK!
THUD—!
“Keep running!”
The monsters were spider-like creatures, entirely black, and they crawled not only on the floor but also on walls and ceilings—like something straight out of a horror movie, hunting humans.
SHEOROK!
SHAAH─!
“It works! The Claws of the Phoenix affect them!”
“Good. I’ll handle the rest.”
TADAK!
WHOOSH─!
Tae-woon leapt into the air, spinning while coating the Wax Mask with his own blood.
CRACK─!
[Condition 1: Wearing the Red Wax Mask]
[Condition 2: At least a little darkness within an 8-pyeong (≈26 m²) area]
[Condition 3: Offer a proper amount of sacrifice to the Red Wax Mask]
[Conditions fulfilled]
[Cinema Skill: Red Man]
RUSTLE!
Tae-woon, blending into the darkness, reappeared at Pedro’s escape route, slashing the side of the spider monster that was about to attack.
SHAAK! SHAA-GAGAK─!
One monster recoiled in shock, but the other was still standing.
BBAEOOK─!
Tae-woon twisted and kicked the monster’s torso, jumped into the air, and drove a hunting dagger into it in two steps.
POOHAK!
POOSHIK─!
KIEEEEK! KEK──!
“Are you alright?”
Jae-in had arrived and handled the remaining monster, and soon the abandoned hospital was left with nothing but their heavy breathing.
“Huff… huff. You… what exactly are you…?”
“We’re also victims trapped in this damned space. We just happen to have some special skills.”
“Exorcists or something? Amazing! Phew… anyway, thanks for saving us.”
Though not extremely strong, the black spiders radiated an eerie sensation.
“Tae-woon, did you notice anything while fighting them?”
“Not really. But I suspect more dangerous enemies are ahead.”
Tae-woon agreed. The Red Man, rated 1.5 stars in difficulty, had been strong, but these spiders were relatively weak compared to that.
“…Anyway, since we’ve been spotted, let’s not waste time and move. I feel like we can escape this place if we stick together.”
“Understood. Let’s hurry.”
Though Tae-woon and Jae-in had fought off the monsters, Pedro’s courage as bait was truly impressive.
Having overcome this crisis, the group dashed through the abandoned hospital without hesitation.
“The passage is over there! But I don’t know where the entrance is from here on!”
“Understood. We’ll have to learn by trial and error.”
TADAK! THUD! FLASH! WHOOSH!
Finally, they passed through the abandoned hospital and arrived at the forest, facing a dilapidated mansion in the rain.
Following Pedro, they opened the entrance door, greeted by the stench of rot and an oppressive air.
CREEEEEEAK─!
CRACK.
WOODDDD─CRUNCH.
“Damn it… I never get used to this place.”
“Definitely not somewhere anyone would live.”
The mansion felt completely different from the previous areas. Clearly, not many zones remained before they could escape.
“We shouldn’t split up; let’s search together.”
“I searched the left side of the first floor last time. If there’s a passage, it should be on the second or third floor.”
They quickly moved to the second floor and began searching.
They found two mirrors, but neither seemed to be the designated passage.
“Nothing left… then it must be the third floor.”
As they climbed the creaking stairs, a distant, horn-like sound echoed.
BUUUUUU─!
“What…?”
“This doesn’t feel right. Let’s search the third floor quickly.”
Jae-in’s intuition proved correct. They rushed to the third floor and searched every corner.
“Here! Nothing here! Over there?”
“Same here!”
The far ends were empty, but Tae-woon entered a spacious study with many unexplored areas.
“Coming now!”
They hurried and scoured the study, finally discovering a small hand mirror radiating an odd energy.
“Feels like this is it… why is the glass black?”
“…Perhaps something’s missing that we need to find.”
“Damn, where would that even be!”
Pedro groaned, holding his head. Tae-woon felt the same.
THUD! BOOM! THUD─!
The strange sound grew closer, vibrations shaking the floor.
They rushed to the corridor, lifting a dusty window frame, and saw a giant in the forest.
At least 15 meters tall, covered in mud and earth, emanating a dark aura.
The three froze, unable to speak.
“Do you think something like that is a target too…?”
“If I could fight something like that, my title wouldn’t be a Resolver but the Dawn Sun God itself.”
“Run. As fast as possible.”
Tae-woon couldn’t shoot a cannon from his hand, and stabbing it with a dagger wouldn’t scratch it.
Yet, before fleeing, Jae-in pointed to the giant’s torso.
“Look there—something’s shining, isn’t it?”
“Hm? Shining…? Yeah, it is.”
At the center of the giant’s torso, something glowed with the moonlight, radiating a mysterious energy.
At the same time, Pedro’s mirror flickered faintly.
“No way…?”
“It’s too obvious to deny.”
Such a ridiculous mission, but Tae-woon sensed an opportunity.
“Jae-in, how about using the Red Wax Mask?”
“…Indeed. That could work.”
Using the mask’s ability to move through darkness, they might reach the mirror without confronting the giant.
WHOOSH!
THUD─!
Jae-in handed the Claws of the Phoenix to Tae-woon. He put on the Red Wax Mask again.
[Conditions fulfilled]
[Cinema Skill: Red Man]
POOHAK! POOHAK─!
SLIDE!
Blending into the darkness, Tae-woon appeared at the giant’s torso and successfully removed the glowing part.
POOHAK! SLIDE─!
FLASH!
“Here!”
CLANG! CRACK! CRACK-CRACK─!
Like scraping a giant iron door, the sound was unpleasant. But the Claws of the Phoenix were effective, and Tae-woon secured the piece in his hand.
POOHAK! SLIDE─!
FLASH!
The giant was enormous, capable of crushing the mansion, but slow. Tae-woon quickly placed the mirror before the group, and they were pulled into another mysterious space once again.
