It was as if the air itself had cracked. Fragments, like that of a fractured mirror, lingered suspended in midair.
A small crowd formed outside of the shattered space. There were over several hundred students, all of them huddled together in their cliques.
The same couldn't be said for me.
Be it because they were avoiding me, or just didn't like me, nobody appeared anywhere around me.
.....I was the only one who was alone.
"Mirror Dimension..."
Not that I minded since my attention was on the cracked space in front of me.
'Yeah, I really don't want to go.'
Everything about it felt ominous.
Still, it wasn't like I had a choice. Whether I liked it or not, I had to go. Perhaps I'll be able to find answers here...
While I was in the midst of my thoughts, the instructor, Amir Wallow, showed up.
The surroundings went quiet.
"Since everyone is gathered here, I'll make things short. We will now be diving in groups of five. I'll announce the list shortly."
The noise that had previously taken hold of the space increased as the cadets grew restless.
'So we're doing this in teams.'
"It'll be random so the balance won't be right. However, that shouldn't matter since you aren't being graded for this. It's all about getting used to the environment for when you end up entering the more dangerous parts of the mirror dimension."
He then proceeded to give a rundown of the team's compositions. A team generally was composed of four to five members — two damage-dealers, one long-range, one tank, and one support.
It generally alternated between one and two damage dealers per team.
In that sense, I was assigned the support role.
"It is up to you to decide the team leader. Be it the strongest person, or who you feel will be able to lead better... It's up to you."
The teams were announced shortly after.
.
.
.
「Team Seven」
∎ : 1. Julien Evenus
∎ : 2. Rosanne Brighton
∎ : 3. Aoife Megrail
∎ : 4. James Milner
∎ : 5. Adan Whitelock
"...Team Seven."
A lot of unfamiliar names appeared on the list. There were over a thousand first years, and it was hard for me to remember everyone's name.
However, there was one name that stood out from the rest.
Aoife Megrail.
The Megrail name stood out immediately. It was the name of the ruling house and one of the women that appeared in my vision.
Taking my eyes away from the board, I met her gaze. Her expression was hard to read, and briefly, I felt a certain coldness flash in her eyes. That went by really fast.
She was the first one to approach me. Her red hair gracefully swung in the air as her beautiful lips parted open.
"We're on the same team."
"...So it seems."
My tone came out rather stiff. I wasn't quite sure how to address her. With her being a princess, I had to be careful with my words.
That was until she spoke again.
"You're weak."
She spoke in a manner that left no room for debate.
"...That's why I will be the team leader."
I didn't answer and just stared at her. She looked back at me. Straight in the eyes. It was as if she was challenging me.
Wanted me to refuse her.
But...
"Do as you see fit."
All she did was do me a favor.
I didn't want to be the leader. I wasn't fit to be one as well.
As her composed expression began to reveal cracks under the impact of my actions, a smile tugged at my lips while I lowered my head.
".....Team Leader."
*
The air was dry.
The world appeared monochromatic, enveloped in shades of gray, with the sole exception of the vivid red and orange tones emanating from the sun in the sky.
I was running through a rocky field.
The other team members were running ahead of me. Unlike me, they didn't seem to be struggling.
My stamina was starting to run low.
Was this the difference between us...?
"Let's stop here."
Thankfully, we stopped just as I couldn't hold my composure. Halting, Aoife looked around before settling her gaze over a large rock.
"Let's take a small break for now. We're almost near our destination."
Taking advantage of the situation, I sat on the rock to catch my breath. There were a total of five people in the group, and as I sat down, none of the members approached me and huddled over to Aoife.
'Can't blame them... She's a princess.'
Had I been in their position, I too would've been like them.
It was unfortunate that in the future, there was a chance she'd kill me. I needed to be careful around her.
An appropriate distance was required.
Still, from where I was, I could overhear their conversation.
"Team Leader, where exactly are we going?"
"...Gathering point. We should be able to meet with the other members there."
"Ah, is that so."
A woman with gold locks sighed in relief. Rosanne Brighton. With a long staff in hand, she was the long-ranged fighter of the team.
An elemental user with dual attributes.
Fire, and water.
She looked around.
"Things have been proceeding rather smoothly. We still haven't seen many monsters yet. Is it because this is one of the safer areas?"
"The point of this excursion is for us to familiarize ourselves with the environment. There shouldn't be that many monsters."
Standing at an imposing height of 2 meters, he towered over all of us. James Milner, the team's tanker, replied.
"Ah."
"That's right."
Chewing on a jerky, Aoife glanced around.
".....Still, keep your guard up. Always stay alert. Don't let your guard down."
"Got it."
Nodding, Aoife finished the jerky and patted her hands.
"Let's go."
We were back on the move.
The terrain shifted, and trees emerged in my field of vision, their leafless branches stretching out and gradually surrounding us as we advanced.
Scrunch... Scrunch...
Our group was engulfed in silence, disrupted only by the steady rhythm of our footsteps resonating against the uneven ground blanketed with a layer of damp, decomposing leaves.
Gradually, the light dimmed, and I sensed myself losing my sight. Wisps of fog clung to the gnarled trunks of the trees around us, making it hard for me to see.
"....Continue."
A sense of dread assaulted my mind as we marched forward.
From eyesight to hearing... We were gradually losing sight of all our senses.
"Haaa... Haaa...."
My breath started to feel heavy.
...Was it because I was growing tired?
A thought that accompanied my mind as I continued forward.
"Ukh...!"
My head throbbed all of a sudden.
The pain wasn't intense. It came as fast as it left. By the time I regained my senses, the light started to return.
'What was that...?'
Checking myself, I felt nothing strange with my body. Staring at my hands, I frowned but continued forward.
My mind eventually relaxed after a couple of minutes.
"....I'm probably tired."
Just as I felt my chest grow lighter.....
SHIIIING—!
Something streaked through the air, coming at me from a nearby tree. It was so fast that I had no time to react.
Before I even had the chance to gather my bearings, an intense pain flooded my chest.
Thump.
And I fell to my knees.
"Pftt."
Blood spilled from my mouth as I felt my head grow light.
The world became a blur from there.
"W-what..."
I could hardly speak and the words refused to leave my mouth.
The pain was hard to describe.
It was intense, and my consciousness grew faint.
Clank—!
The last thing I managed to see before I lost consciousness was a small creature diving from the front, right toward Aoife who just barely managed to react.
"Sh-it..."
And then the world grew dark.
Or so I thought.
"Uahp...!"
As if oxygen had been removed from my lungs, I took a deep breath. My consciousness returned and clarity returned.
Scrunch... Scrunch...
The familiar sound of my footsteps echoed through the ground, and as I looked ahead, familiar backs came into view.
'What just...'
The memory of the situation was still vivid in my mind. Although my vision was hindered, the path was familiar.
From the trees to our current location. It was all the same. Just in a couple of minutes, we should be coming out...
Indeed, as I thought, lights started to return. A familiar view.
Gradually, my feet started to slow down.
Noticing my situation, the others stopped as well. With a frown, Aoife looked at me.
"Are you tired?"
I didn't answer her.
Scanning my surroundings, everything appeared to be the same as before. So much that it felt eery.
"...Julien?"
The positions of the trees, the placement of the rocks, and the sensation of the air—every detail rushed vividly back to my memory.
It can't be, right...?
"Hey...!"
I snapped out of it when two large hands grasped my shoulders. A rough face inched close to mine.
"Someone is talking to you, pay attention."
"..."
That was when I realized everyone was looking at me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath before opening my eyes again.
"Let go."
"You."
Raising my hand, I was just about to grasp his shoulder when he let go and cursed.
".....Arrogant bastard."
Ignoring him, I patted and adjusted my clothes. Feeling Aoife's intense gaze, I felt compelled to say something.
"There's an ambush ahead."
Maybe.
I wasn't too sure.
"An ambush...?"
Making a dumbfounded look, James's mouth dropped.
"Is that really the best excuse you cou—"
Step—
Ignoring him, I took a step forward.
"Hey, you...!"
Step—
And then another. Carefully counting each step, I closed my eyes and replayed the memory in my mind. Gradually, I arrived near the exact spot where the memory ended.
I was just one step away.
"..."
My feet stopped.
Just one step. As long as I took a step...
"Are we seriously going to waste time waiting for him? He's just trying to save himself from the embarrassment. If—"
Step—
I took that step.
And...
SHIIIING—!
Just as in the memory, the moment I took the step, the tree rustled and something fast streaked through the air. But unlike last time, I was prepared. Tilting my body ever so slightly, it passed right before me.
With a 'thud,' it came crashing toward the ground, revealing a glimpse of its features.
"..."
I didn't pay much attention to it's looks. Turning my attention toward my group, I nudged with my chin.
"...Get rid of it."
Foresight.
The gift of glimpsing into the future—a power I held. It was the third time now, and even now, I didn't fully understand it.
What triggered it...?
Was it just random, or did it follow a set pattern?
Questions flooded my mind.
But I didn't have long to ponder over them.
Splat—!
Grabbing my attention, a black substance splattered on the ground, presumingly from the monster that had just been killed.
I didn't care to look, though. The vision grabbed my thoughts as it replayed in my mind.
Every detail, from the minutiae to the grand, was etched vividly in my memory.
With a thought, I could recall everything that had happened. From the pain to the very last moments when something dashed at the team leader.
The memories were vivid in my mind, and as my gaze settled on a specific tree, my hand instinctively reached out, extending a finger to point at it.
"That one."
I was sure.
The memories told me so.
".....Get rid of that one too."
Another one was hiding in that tree.
***
'How did he know...?'
Aoife looked at his back, her eyes falling on the creature on the ground.
'Rabbleflit'
An 'infant' ranked beast. Though the lowest of all classes, it was a beast that specialized in stealth and ambushes.
They were both deaf and blind. They attacked based on nearby vibrations, limiting their range to a small area.
Even so...
To compensate for this evident flaw, their mastery over stealth was unparalleled.
Unless one possessed proficiency in search magic or had extremely keen mana senses, detecting them was nearly impossible.
Was Julien proficient in search magic...?
She didn't think so.
So how?
Mana sensitivity...?
"It's hiding on that tree over there."
Aoife followed his finger. Again, she could see nothing.
".....Team Leader."
Aoife looked back at him, immediately noticing his annoyed expression.
"Yes?"
"As far as I'm concerned, there's another creature hiding over there. I'm not proficient in long-range magic. If you wouldn't mind."
"Right..."
Aoife eyed the tree in the distance and flicked her finger. The tree shriveled up, compressing like a scrunched-up paper.
It all happened so fast that the creature was unable to react.
"Hieek...!"
After a deafening screech, what followed was the creature's shriveled-up body.
"...."
Aoife took a look at the creature before turning her head away.
'How ugly...'
Just like Julien, she was talented in two fields.
[Mind] and [Body].
Unlike Julien, who was proficient in the Emotive field under the Mind classification, she was more proficient in Telekinesis.
With a single thought, she could manipulate an inanimate object.
"Yuck, it looks nasty."
A different figure drew near, leaning forward as her golden locks cascaded over her face while she grimaced.
"They really do look different than the textbooks, don't they? Team Leader."
It was...
What was her name again?
Aoife struggled to recall. Nonetheless, she nodded her head.
".....Yeah."
That was when two other figures approached her. With bright smiles, they started to praise her.
"You were amazing."
"That was great. I can't believe you're so strong."
It was a situation she had grown used to. Typically, she didn't mind such flattery.
But strangely, they felt rather annoying at the moment.
'...I didn't do anything.'
She found it odd.
Since when did she mind such things?
"..."
At heart, she already knew the answer.
Swallowing her pride, much to the surprise of the others, she moved toward a certain figure. He stood alone, his gaze lingering over the nearby trees.
"..."
She stopped when she was a few meters away from him.
Taking note of her appearance, he glanced at her.
"What?"
His tone was as flat and rude as ever. However, she didn't mind it.
She knew he could take advantage of her cracks if she showed them.
"....Thank you. The situation would've been difficult had you not warned us."
"Ah."
He extended his hand to brush his shoulders.
"You're right."
"...?"
Aoife found the entire situation somewhat funny. She somewhat expected such an answer from him.
It seemed fitting.
Could she be starting to get an idea of his character?
"Can you continue doing it?"
Aoife believed that moving forward, if they wanted no accidents to occur, they needed his assistance.
He had proven his abilities worked.
Even as the other members showed clear signs of refusal, she ignored them. For this journey to go smoothly, she needed him.
Pride was meaningless under such circumstances.
She expected him to feel the same too, but as their gazes met, he shook his head.
"No."
Casually taking out a jerky, he bit into it and turned away.
"...Even if I want to, I can't."
Staring at his back, Aoife's expression didn't change.
Such response... It was fitting of him.
But as expected.
'I really can't stand him.'
***
The Mirror Dimension was an expansive space devoid of any life.
The amount of manpower used by the kingdom to keep the space from expanding was enormous.
Thankfully, just as threatening as the Mirror Dimension was, it was also a land filled with opportunities.
Black Region Supply-Station.
In front of a levitating panel adorned with a myriad of shifting images stood a gracefully poised woman with flowing black hair.
Delilah's gaze seemed fixed on a certain panel.
".....Could it be that he's very perceptive to mana?"
[Get rid of that one too.]
The way he was able to detect Rabbleflit so effortlessly despite not specializing in such magic. The way he was able to avoid its ambush...
It aroused curiosity.
When one thought about it, what he did wasn't all that impressive. Recognizing the mana flow of a creature was something that most mages were capable of doing after reaching a certain point.
The key point, however, was 'certain point'.
Tier 3 and above was the requirement.
In other words, he was able to achieve something like that before even reaching Tier 3.
"Fascinating."
Truly.
But that was all.
It was just fascinating.
Her lingering interest in him waned when she brought her attention to a specific paper.
"...."
It was a document detailing Julien's background.
The contents weren't very thick. However, a certain page caught her attention. It was a close-up image of him.
Her eyes slowly traced down toward his forearm, where a small black tattoo appeared.
It was an unremarkable tattoo. One that any other person could have.
But...
She was confident.
After doing an intensive background check, she was sure of it.
"....So you've finally shown yourselves."
Delilah gently closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The paper in her hand wrinkled under her grasp.
"To think you'd even try to target this place..."
Finally, cracks appeared on her usually composed expression as her lips twisted up. A sneer marred her features.
"How bold."
She spat out, trying her best to suppress the raging storm that was boiling in her chest.
Staring at the tattoo in the picture, her expression turned frosty.
"How very bold..."
***
"Looks like all the teams have gathered."
There were no other hiccups on our journey to the designated spot. That was good because I still struggled to clear my mind of the vision.
I still felt the lingering after-effects of my death. Thankfully, it happened fast... but the very last moments were still deeply rooted in my mind.
"What you guys currently experienced was merely a taste of the dimension. The deeper you venture, the harder things will become. Thankfully, our empire set up several safe stations located throughout. This one being one of them."
Amir Wallow gave a long-winded statement. He gave us a short overview of our current location.
Looking around, I had to hold myself from expressing my surprise.
High walls constructed from sturdy rock enclosed the area, while tents were scattered throughout. In the distance, a fissured space marked the entrance and exit points where people came and went.
It was a strange sight. One that I didn't think I would get used to easily.
"This is a rather small safe-station. There's plenty deeper within the dimension, but you won't get to experience those just yet. For now, enjoy yourselves here. We will return to the institute in an hour."
The cadets all separated.
Perhaps because everything seemed so new, everyone looked strangely excited as they scattered to check out the safe zone.
I thought about checking the place, too, but...
"I'm tired."
I felt strangely tired.
My eyelids were growing heavier, and each step felt heavier than the last. It was to the point where I had no choice but to find a place to sit.
"Haa..."
Taking a deep breath, I covered my face.
What sort of situation was this?
It wasn't as though I did much coming here. My group members did most of the killings while I watched from behind.
The only time I acted was when...
"Could it be that?"
Was this the consequence of the 'insight' ability?
If that was the case, I was more than happy with it. Compared to the backlash from 'immersion,' this felt like nothing.
"Haha.... shit, have I become too used to this?"
Physical pain, tiredness, mental trauma... It felt like I had experienced a lot of things over the past week.
"This is crazy. This i—Ukh!"
Pain seized my body all of a sudden.
It was so intense that I couldn't even shout. Spit flew from my mouth as I lost control of my body.
My vision blurred, and the world tilted.
"...Ukh."
'Wh-what's going on...?!'
Clutching the side of the bench I occupied with all my strength, my legs quivered.
It was hard to describe the pain I was in.
It seemed as if it aimed to consume my mind, stimulating every corner of my consciousness before honing in on a particular point.
A familiar spot.
"...Ah."
And as my gaze fell on the spot, I finally found my breath again.
I didn't know how to feel.
Lowering my head, I stared at my forearm, where a small tattoo appeared.
It was unlike how it was before.
Something changed.
"T-his...haa... of all things..."
The second leaf of the tattoo.
It had lit up.
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