Chapter 14

When he opened his eyes, a giant mirror was directly in front of Taewoon’s vision.

‘W-whoa, you scared me.’

For a moment, he thought something had gone seriously wrong, but it was just a mirror.

Taewoon was appalled to find himself bound by a bizarre device.

After using his strength to easily break free, he thought to himself.

‘This… is very similar to those mysterious devices that kept people tied up in the Mud Doll’s room.’

Just as he was about to sigh at the surging sense of déjà vu, Jain, who had approached him unnoticed, spoke with a stiff expression.

“Mr. Taewoon, look at this.”

Looking around, the place was filled with humans.

To be precise, there were countless people lying down, bound by mysterious devices and staring up at the mirrors on the ceiling, just as Taewoon had been a moment ago.

Witnessing this, Taewoon felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.

“Horrific. All these people…”

“Yes. Just like we were a while ago, they are continuing to wander inside.”

The moment he realized this, a sudden notification sounded in Taewoon’s ear.

【Congratulations! You have cleared ‘The Mirror’ Theater!】

【In 30 seconds, you will be moved to the Theater entrance.】

‘…It’s over? Just like that?’

Taewoon was momentarily bewildered, but he soon accepted the situation and nodded unconsciously.

Horror movies where characters fall into a mysterious space, suffer through all sorts of hardships to escape, only to end with a shocking secret being revealed.

This was one of those typical patterns.

“…What on earth was the purpose?”

“I’m not sure. However, to me, this all feels like a kind of fish farm. In fact, something unknown was constantly being shaved away from the humans inside.”

Mysterious beings who kidnap people, make them wander endlessly in a world of mirrors, and exploit some kind of energy.

That was what Jain claimed was the true identity of this Theater, ‘The Mirror.’

Even after the promised time passed and they returned to the outside of the Theater, Taewoon waved his arms and shook his head, the shock not yet having faded.

There were many things to consider, but the most important one was that Taewoon had taken the Theater of All Things too lightly until now.

‘…The Mirror was dangerous.’

The reason this Theater had a difficulty rating of two and a half stars wasn’t because of the endless mirrored spaces or the pouring hordes of pursuer monsters.

Taewoon was certain it was simply because that giant entity he encountered at the final moment was far too dangerous.

‘From now on, I must be extremely careful when selecting the difficulty.’

If he had hesitated for even a moment in using the blessing, Taewoon and his party would never have made it out safely.

He had only raised the difficulty by about one star, but this was far too extreme.

Current Taewoon had the strength to somehow face off against even three Red Men as enemies, but against that entity in the mirror world, he didn’t have the confidence to even attempt resistance.

Keeping that in mind, Taewoon quietly took out the Red Wax Mask and checked the information once more.

▶【Red Wax Mask】

• When equipped: Agility Enhancement Effect equivalent to Level 1.

• When equipped: Pressure Effect equivalent to Level 1.

• After sacrificing the wearer’s life: Activates a ‘Miracle’ equivalent to Level 3.

The final item of the Wax Mask, which had previously been listed only as “under specific conditions,” now clearly specified those conditions.

Only then did Taewoon clearly realize why the mask’s miracle had activated at the final moment.

‘It’s because the me from the 1st Cycle ended my life while wearing the mask!’

The mask had judged that as a sacrifice and had accumulated a stack of the miracle to be activated at a specific moment.

It was an unintended coincidence, but thanks to it, he had barely saved his life.

Sighing in relief, Taewoon set his thoughts aside for a moment and decided to check the Theater’s clear rewards.

【You have perfectly cleared the Theater with one ticket remaining!】

• Additional rewards are granted!

【You have acquired the Artifact, ‘Spider Orb’!】

▶【Spider Orb】

• Upon use: Summons a Mirror Spider equivalent to Level 1.

• Upon use: Summons a Mirror Spider equivalent to Level 1.

• Upon consumption: Permanently grants Chaos Resistance equivalent to Level 2.

• Upon consumption: Grants a Mental Awakening effect equivalent to Level 2.

To be honest, he hadn’t had a clue what the reward for this Theater would be, but it seemed he was given an Artifact that could summon the black spider he had fought in the mirror world.

‘Not bad. But is this the end?’

Just as he thought that, the characteristic notification sound rang out again, and a silver ticket fell into Taewoon’s hand.

【You have acquired 1 Rare-grade Ticket!】

“Rare grade?”

Normally, what Taewoon received once a week was a General-grade Ticket.

Recalling this, Taewoon’s heart swelled with anticipation, and just as he was about to use the ticket, he stopped his hand, wondering.

‘Right, there’s no need to rush.’

Since a new General-grade Ticket wouldn’t appear unless the previous one was used, it was always beneficial to use it early.

However, from what he could see, Rare-grade Tickets did not have such a restriction.

‘In that case…’

Wouldn’t the correct way to use the ticket be to utilize it at the necessary moment, in the right place?

Satisfied with the two rewards, Taewoon left the Theater and returned to the longing reality.

“Whew.”

To be honest, he was exhausted. It was because he had experienced so many things in such a short amount of time.

Taewoon collapsed onto his spacious bed and fell fast asleep without a sound, and thus a day passed.

It had been only a week since he had bloomed his Trait and become a Hunter.

The next day, Taewoon woke up, briefly tested the Spider Orb, and headed to the Baran Guild’s training center to keep his promise to Han Saebom.

‘…It’s grand.’

The Baran Guild wasn’t exactly unknown, but even so, it was unusual for a mid-sized guild to have such a modernized training center.

The influence of the Guild Master, the Level 6-rank Hunter Hongyeon, likely played a large part in allowing such lavish investment.

‘A Level 6 Hunter…’

Usually, someone of her skill would focus on being active in a top-tier guild rather than creating their own guild like this.

This was the reason why Baran, backed by Hongyeon, could exert omnipotent influence among mid-sized guilds.

“What brings you here?”

“Hello. I’ve come through the introduction of guild member Han Saebom. I am Seo Taewoon, and I’ll be instructing in Weapon Arts.”

“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you. Welcome!”

Upon entering the guild building, he was greeted by a bright-faced receptionist, and following her guidance, Taewoon stepped into the guild’s specially constructed modern training center.

Shouts of exertion echoed from everywhere, and the movements were systematic even at a glance.

Although the scale wasn’t massive, it was a point where one could confirm the solid internal strength of the Baran Guild.

“Ah, you’re here!”

“It’s been a while.”

“What do you mean ‘a while’? We saw each other just a few days ago.”

That was true. It seemed his sense of time had been slightly distorted due to his time in the Theater.

“Anyway, these are our energetic juniors! On the left is Eun Harim, and on the right is Kwak Minjun.”

“Hello, hyung-nim! I’m Kwak Minjun.”

“I’m Eun Harim.”

To be honest, he had been a bit worried, but fortunately, the two didn’t seem to have any great reluctance to receive instruction from a rookie Hunter.

From that day on, Taewoon began teaching Minjun and Harim while occasionally conquering dungeons with the existing members, and he didn’t forget to meet the fully recovered Yoo Gahee and enjoy a delicious meal provided by her.

Five days passed, and when it was time to move past the basics and teach actual Weapon Arts, Taewoon asked the two a candid question once more.

“I’m very grateful that you two have followed along so diligently. Do you find it uncomfortable to learn from me, despite me being only a Level 1 Hunter? Saebom isn’t here, so you can be honest.”

“…N-no, hyung-nim! Why would we think that? You’re making me feel bad.”

“I’m very satisfied as well. Your understanding of a Hunter’s physical characteristics is high, and opportunities to learn so systematically are rare.”

That was only natural. Taewoon had undergone repeated training for over five years with a body that hadn’t even bloomed a Trait.

Since that was all he could do, he had no choice but to pour his time into what was possible.

‘…This is embarrassing.’

Thinking that his hard work from back then was being recognized, he felt the sorrows he had endured melting away like snow.

Feeling grateful to Saebom, who had introduced him to this job, and to his two students, Taewoon simultaneously recalled the face of someone from his past.

‘Seoyoon.’

In Hongsim Hall, where Taewoon didn’t have many allies, she was almost the only woman who had recognized his efforts and cheered him on.

Although their bond wasn’t deep, the warm comfort she had given him the moment he left Hongsim Hall remained as a grateful memory in his heart.

‘I wonder what she’s doing now?’

He hadn’t checked, but she was likely consistently clearing dungeons and training to become a higher-level Hunter.

Taewoon suddenly felt the urge to tell her about his current situation, but on the other hand, he knew there was no need.

Taewoon is a Hunter.

If so, as a Hunter, he could simply share a more pleasant reunion from a higher position someday.

“…Thank you. Then, let’s begin the training in earnest.”

For the first time in a very long while, Taewoon finished the training with the two of them with a refreshed feeling, free of any distracting thoughts.

As he was resting and wiping away sweat with a towel, Han Saebom approached and threw a new proposal to the three of them, including Taewoon.

“You three look great together.”

“…H-hard work, senior!”

“Hard work.”

Perhaps because her rank in the guild was quite high, the two responded very politely, and Han Saebom seemed to enjoy this for some reason as she began to bring up the matter of a dungeon conquest with a kind smile.

“A Level 2-rank large-scale dungeon has appeared, and there’s been a discussion for five mid-sized guilds to each deploy one party.”

“A large-scale dungeon?”

A special dungeon that is too large compared to normal dungeons, requiring more personnel than usual.

Han Saebom was suggesting that the three of them, including Taewoon, challenge it.

“Harim is already Level 2, and Minjun is scheduled for a rank-up soon. Since Mr. Taewoon has cleared Level 1 dungeons several times, isn’t it about the right time?”

“A-am I taking the role of Party Leader?”

“Yes. On the surface, that’s the case. But if you’re anxious, you can rely on Mr. Taewoon. No matter how I look at him, he doesn’t have the skill of a Level 1.”

While he had things to say about Han Saebom’s high evaluation, it was honestly a pretty good opportunity.

After weighing the value for a moment, Taewoon asked for the other two’s opinions and then nodded, accepting the proposal.

It was, indeed, his first declaration of intent toward the conquest of a Level 2 Dungeon.