"Flame Arrow"
A third white flame arrow shot forth from a small broken window toward the night sky, exploding like a firework that illuminated the entire Mages Guild building and its surroundings, even if only for a brief moment.
The light of the white flame and the sound of the explosion were enough to tell everyone in town that there were survivors at its source, and to signal a specific group that their companions were alive or asking for help. But at the same time, it attracted more rampaging locals, or rather—
"That should be enough, Ms. Senna, or you might attract the attention of the Visages outside," one of the mage instructors said, putting a stop to their attempt to call for help from the Annual Caravan.
Visages were unique undead monsters that only spawned within the Crystal Mirror Dungeon. They were monsters born from the reflection of one's envy. Unlike ordinary monsters, which were categorized as low-level, mid-level, or high-level depending on strength, unique monsters like the Visages couldn't be classified this way. Their strength depended entirely on the envy they reflected. They could be as weak as a goblin or as strong as a dragon.
Although the mage instructors weren't certain if the expansion of the Dungeon Domain was the reason the town had turned into a dungeon and its locals had begun rampaging, upon seeing the reflections of captured instructors and students—dragged into mirrors and reemerging to attack their allies—they assumed their opponents were indeed Visages.
"I hope that's enough for them to notice our signal," Senna said, peeking through the small broken window to watch her nearly fading firework.
"Let's hope they're still alive first."
Leo's remark made everyone more uneasy, causing others to cower in fear like him.
"We all know how strong they are, especially Mr. Arezu and Ms. Lynn. So I'm sure they're alive," Casey said, trying to encourage everyone not to lose hope.
Meanwhile, Cliff worked with other students to push bookshelves and use them to block doors and windows that were about to collapse under the attacks of the Visages.
The four of them, together with more than two dozen remaining mage students and a few instructors, managed to retreat into a room Casey had spotted during the Visages' assault.
Although they secured a decent hiding spot—a conference room on the ground floor of the Mages Guild, lit by a few enchanted lanterns on the wall—they had to barricade the windows and doors with bookshelves, chairs, and tables to keep the Visages outside. Their situation grew worse with every passing second, as the barricades began to collapse.
"We need more barricades for the windows," one of the students said, asking Leo, Senna, and Casey to gather more items within the conference room.
The three moved to different spots to collect what they could. Leo pushed a table toward the window, Casey picked up a chair, and Senna grabbed a board leaning against the wall.
They had checked the conference room earlier and confirmed there wasn't a single mirror inside. They had even smashed all the glass in the windows to prevent Visages from emerging.
But when Senna lifted the board against the wall, a mirror hidden behind it was revealed. The moment Senna and the other students looked at it in panic, their reflections were replaced by the images of captured students and instructors—the Visages.
Senna panicked as the Visages began moving to step out of the mirror. She lost her balance and stumbled to the floor as she tried to flee.
"Lady Senna!"
Casey grabbed her twin-arrow crossbow, strapped to her belt, and fired at the mirror to shatter it before the Visages could emerge. But her arrows were blocked by the undead as they continued to step out of the mirror.
One of the Visage mage students cast a Wind Blade mystic spell, conjuring multiple blades of wind that shot toward the students, including Senna. Still on the floor, she couldn't dodge. She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact, but nothing came.
Before the wind blades could strike, Cliff had leapt in front of her, shielding her with his body. He collapsed unconscious into Senna's arms, a deep wound carved across his back.
"Cliff!"
Leo's scream made Senna open her eyes in panic.
As Senna, Casey, and Leo trembled in fear and panic, worried for Cliff's life, the Visages swarmed the conference room.
With no place to run and no chance to fight back, everyone—students and instructors alike—was overwhelmed, pinned down, and dragged toward the mirror.
But before anyone could be forced inside—
'Shatter'
A loud crashing sound echoed through the room as a powerful blast opened a large hole in the ceiling above.
What followed—or rather, who came down from the second floor through the opening and landed gallantly on the floor—gave Leo, Senna, and Casey hope in their dire situation.
—"Ms. Lynn!"—
"Glacier"
Lynn immediately cast her mystic spell, freezing the entire room and encasing all the Visages in crystal-clear ice—instead of killing them, in the hope that they could still be saved. At the same time, the mirror shattered from the extreme cold, preventing more Visages from emerging.
"Everyone, climb up here!"
Arezu threw down a rope tied to a column on the second floor for the students and instructors to climb. Then he jumped down the moment he saw Senna crying as she clung to the injured, unconscious Cliff.
"Let's get him out of this room before he freezes to death," he said, carefully lifting Cliff in both arms.
"Cliff…" Senna cried, looking at Cliff as Casey helped her stand.
"Hurry up! We're running out of time!"
Following Lynn's instructions, everyone began their escape, using a table as a stepping stone to reach the rope and climb. Upon reaching the second floor and following her to the balcony at the third floor, they stopped in shock. Before them stretched a massive ice bridge connecting the Mages Guild to the rooftop of the building across the street.
"Shut off your mounts and your lanterns as you cross the bridge. If any of you slip and fall, don't expect us to rescue you from the Visages swarming the streets."
"Can't you say that in a more considerate way, Lynn? You're scaring them."
"Don't be an idiot and die. Is that more considerate for you, Mr. Arezu?"