The Death Knight's helm tilted slightly, the hollow eye sockets dimming.
"Inside," he said, "you will find a Royal Knight—one forged entirely from the Grand Art itself. He will dodge your attacks, block your strikes, and counter you relentlessly."
Mike nodded "So, he is basically a construct of the Grand Art itself"
Death knight nodded.
"In the first layer of the Grand Art—called the Empire of Mirage Art—our founder discovered this technique within ancient ruins. With it, he created his kingdom, then his empire, and named the empire after it in honor."
The Death Knight continued, voice echoing softly in the vast chamber.
"All magical engravings, circles, and constructs tied to the Art will manifest in the form of that knight. He will stand before you, embodying the technique."
Mike exhaled slowly. "So… I just have to fight him and defeat him?"
"You must survive him," the Death Knight corrected. "Dodge him. Learn from him. Understand the rhythm and essence of the first layer. Only then can you strike him."
"And until I learn the first layer?" Mike asked.
The Death Knight nodded " yes"
"He will be immune. No blade, no magic, no force you wield can harm him… unless you strike using the first layer of the Grand Art itself."
A long silence followed.
Mike muttered under his breath, "Great. An unbeatable knight as a teacher."
The Death Knight nodded once. "A teacher… and a test. Fail, and you will die. Succeed, and the Empire of Mirage Art becomes yours."
"You said I have five years, right?" Mike asked.
"Yes, but only after inheriting the first layer," the Death Knight replied.
"Hm… then can I postpone it?" Mike asked. "I mean, I just started my journey. I'm not confident, and I'm not some overconfident idiot who thinks he can multitask—learning the Art and fighting that knight at the same time."
"So you are backing off?" the Death Knight asked, unsheathing his greatsword.
"Yes. Tactically, it's better if I learn more first," Mike said. "I don't even have a single Art, much less a Grand Art. How am I supposed to learn something like that when I haven't learned even one normal Art in my whole life?"
The Death Knight held his greatsword, staring at him silently.
The Death Knight didn't move. His empty helmet stared at Mike, as if judging him without expression.
"…You are afraid," the Death Knight finally said.
Mike didn't deny it. "Of course I am. Anyone with a brain would be."
The Death Knight lowered the greatsword slightly, not in threat—more like in consideration.
"Most who stand before this trial are arrogant," he said. "They rush in, believing talent alone will save them. They die."
Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm trying very hard not to be one of those people."
A faint blue glow flickered inside the Death Knight's eyes.
"You are cautious," he said. "That is not a weakness. For someone without any foundation, attempting to learn a Grand Art immediately would be… illogical."
"So I can postpone it?" Mike asked again, hopeful.
"Yes," the Death Knight said. "But know this: once you walk out of this Dukedom, the trial will not call you back unless you choose to return. And when you return… the Hall of Echoes will activate instantly."
"Meaning no warm-up," Mike muttered.
"Meaning no hesitation," the Death Knight corrected.
Mike exhaled in relief. "Alright. Good. I'll come back when I'm actually prepared."
The Death Knight slowly sheathed his greatsword.
"Then remember this," the Death Knight said. "Five years. No more. After you inherit the first layer, your time begins. If you do not complete the other five layers within those five years… the trial chain ends. And the Mirage Empire will never acknowledge you."
He turned slightly, pointing toward the massive stone entrance.
"Now leave this Dukedom. The doors will not open again until you return for the trial."
Mike nodded and started walking, but paused.
"Also… if I grow stronger later, does it affect the trial?"
"No," the Death Knight replied immediately. "The trial adjusts. Even if one day you surpass me, the trial will remain the same. You cannot overpower it with strength."
Mike sighed but nodded, then turned and started walking toward the exit.
But right at the door, he stopped and looked back.
"Uh… any chance I can take the weapons from the armory?"
The Death Knight stared at him for a full second.
Then he tapped the floor with his greatsword.
A shockwave blasted Mike off his feet and launched him straight out of the doorway.
The massive stone doors slammed shut behind him with a thunderous BOOM.
Mike rolled across the sand outside, bouncing like a dropped potato, until he finally came to a stop.
He lay there for a moment, staring at the sky.
"…Well," he muttered, slowly sitting up and brushing sand off his face, "at least he didn't kill me for asking."
He coughed once.
"Yeah. Progress."
Mike looked at the setting sun.
"Time to use up my Reversal Engine," he mumbled, taking out one of the Mirage Soul swords.
Every day, he got one chance to activate the Reversal Engine—changing something into its opposite.
Simple concept. Completely broken ability.
Like how he once turned Black Mithril Ore into Silver Mithril Ore.
Black Mithril was empowered by darkness.
Silver Mithril was empowered by light.
Opposites.
Since he had two Mirage Soul swords, he could afford to experiment.
He could use one for the Reversal Engine and see what crazy thing came out of it.
"Let's see what you become…" he muttered, holding the sword up.
He took a deep breath, focused on the blade, and activated his one daily reversal chance.
A faint ripple of blue-gold energy wrapped around the Mirage Soul sword, twisting its aura, reversing its nature—
—and the transformation began.
The blade shuddered in Mike's hand—
light bending, color draining, the air rippling as the structure of the sword begun to change.
Cracks of blue-gold lightning crawled across the metal, peeling away the elegant transparency of the Mirage Soul sword.
The once glass-like blade darkened…then thickened…then solidified into something completely opposite.
When the light finally faded, Mike stared at the weapon now lying in his grip.