After being rescued by those arms, Luca returned, not to the same place but to the mirrored area on basement level 2. For those who don't remember, this is where Luca and Eirene had to flee from Luxie.
At this moment, the arm that Luca had almost ignored since being chased and beaten by his mistress finally transformed into a giant pair of scissors and flew straight towards a little girl… Yes, Luxie, who looked at Luca, bruised and battered.
"Mom, are you okay? Seeing you all bruised and battered like that, I don't even want to chase you anymore."
Luxie replied, then ran over to look at Luca, who was covered in bruises. Ideally, Luxie should be chasing Luca like that, but the NPCs had their own thoughts, so Luxie just smiled slightly and tilted her head.
"Mom, how about we play a game? I'll give you time… well, until I get bored? Find the right mirror to escape from here, and I'll give you a hint if we meet again!"
Luxie flashed a terrifying, ear-to-ear grin that sent chills down the spine, then began to vanish on the spot, a part of Luxie transforming back into an arm and remaining on Luca's shoulder, while the mirror-filled room still surrounded Luca.
"Hey, you seem to be having a lot of fun, huh?"
Luca turned around and saw Arknight standing there, staring at him with a confident smile. Arknight played with her auburn hair, the red highlights forming a small curve with her fingers as she leaned against the wall.
"How did you know I was here?"
Arknight just smiled and moved closer.
"I guessed, is that not allowed?"
Luca didn't want to cause trouble with a mysterious person like Arknight, so he focused on finding the right mirror that Luxie had suggested, while Arknight watched and laughed.
"Hey kid, don't you have any more questions to ask me, like why I'm here?"
Luca looked at Arknight, who was still smiling.
"If I asked, would you even answer?"
"Bingo~"
Arknight approached Luca, then pressed even closer until Luca was pinned against a mirror before she finally stopped.
"But I'd be very happy if you could get out of here. If so, let's meet in the garden, kid."
"Is that what you wanted to say? Did you come all this way just to say that?"
Luca asked, but Arknight didn't answer; she just walked away. Then Luca asked another question, causing Arknight to pause for a moment.
"Hey, why are you so interested in me? And… how were you able to calmly escape Luxie without her attacking you?"
Arknight rubbed her head and chuckled, as if Luca's question was even dumber than his previous ones.
"I'm interested in you because of your god, and as for how I escaped from that child, you'll find out in 3…2…1."
Arknight winked and then disappeared from Luca's sight. After counting, Luxie reappeared, intending to attack, but Arknight just looked at Luca.
"Watch carefully. Let me give you an example, kid, so you'll know the difference in our power."
[God X-2]
[You have activated the skill 'The Vandal']
[Current status… Loading…]
[Successful]
Arknight watched Luxie lunging at her with scissors, only managing to utter a single word.
"A"
That was all she said…or perhaps whispered. She watched Luxie stand there motionless, veins bulging on her forehead.
"Well, I'm leaving now, or there'll be a murder there."
Arknight left the room while Luxie pouted.
"Just wait! After I'm no longer frozen, I'll take you down first!"
Luxie looked back at Luca and tried to make a cute face.
"Mom, you can continue. We'll meet again later, and how that happens is up to you."
Then, with all her might, she used the scissors to cut a path, fell into it, and disappeared. Luca stood there, stunned. Arknight had many different skills, but that wasn't so important anymore. Right now, Luca really needed to get out of here and recover from his injuries.
Luca sat down, needing to conserve his energy as much as possible; only then could he survive until the day he could escape. He tapped his fingers rhythmically on his thigh, staring intently at his reflection in the mirror.
Going to look for her now would be foolish, wouldn't it? But if I don't, I'll be chased, and in this state, Luxie might even kill me. Even with help, I wouldn't be able to escape in time.
Luca sighed like a precocious old man… this game really seemed to be targeting him. Almost everything, from the husband to the child to the wife, was at stake. Luckily for him, the butler hadn't targeted him yet; otherwise, Luca's survival would be a miracle.
For players who have played more than two levels, they're almost certainly capable of defending themselves, meaning that even if they attract more attention in a level, they won't suffer as much as new players… that's what Luca concluded.
Luca shook his head, using the pain to try and stay alert… but it seemed to have the opposite effect. He rubbed his eyes to see more clearly and slowly stood up.
Let's get started…
Luca had to take a risk, then looked at the arm.
"Is there any way I can try to dodge?"
The arm waved its index finger back and forth, indicating Luca couldn't.
"So, if I touch the wrong thing, I lose... that's tough, isn't it?"
Luca controlled his breathing and looked around, scrutinizing every detail for any clues. Generally speaking, it was definitely related to him… Luca guessed.
"Why is it about mirrors… I've always wondered why there's a room dedicated solely to mirrors, when besides roses, the things that appear most often are fire and mirrors?"
The arm remained motionless, as if it didn't want to answer or didn't know the answer. This made Luca sigh wearily. He brushed his hair back and approached the mirrors; each mirror reflected Luca's image almost identically, except that the arm wasn't visible.
Why can't I see the arm reflected? What's the rule here...?
Luca didn't know when time would run out; honestly, he was in a hurry, but for some reason, he felt unusually calm.
Luca decided to touch each mirror in the room, except for those too high for him to reach, starting from left and moving to right.
Luck appeared for Luca… there was a mirror in which Luca, who was perfectly normal, was reflected a wounded image: his hands bleeding, his body covered in scars, one eye, one leg, his face smeared with blood, and holding a large pair of scissors in a sea of fire… it was the strangest thing, so when he touched it, it passed right through the mirror… so he stepped inside.
After stepping inside, he was in another place full of mirrors, just like before.
"Four mirrors from left to right…"
Luca realized that only when he got closer could he see himself, and from left to right, at the end of the corner, and after four mirrors, he encountered that strange mirror leading into a new room.
Luca didn't remember much, but it seemed that in his fragmented memories there was a kind of game like this… a game? But Luca couldn't remember…
Currently, Luca didn't have much time to think about it, so he just put it aside and would look it up later when he had time.
Luca looked around again, this time thinking that perhaps he needed to find the differences. Which one was different? Maybe so…
At this moment, Luca began to remember the details more clearly. In the middle of the room, to his west, there were five mirrors, and to his east, there were seven. Above was a large mirror, and below was a cracked mirror surface, but without any broken pieces.
The common point was that the mirrors to the west and east were the same size and frame, while the mirrors above and below were the same size but not identical. The wall paint was a dark purple with some patterned borders… of course, Luca couldn't remember the patterns, but they contained very aesthetically pleasing curves.
Luca generally noticed that the interior here was quite similar to the previous room, let's call it room number 1… Luca hadn't looked very closely, but he was sure they were 'quite' similar.
The difficulty wasn't there, but something Luca had just noticed… Although the reflections of his own image were everywhere, normally on the left and right, some reflected the arm while others didn't, whereas in room number 1, none of the reflections showed the arm on his shoulder.
What exactly are these mirrors reflecting? What is their purpose?
Luca really wanted to answer the mysteries the level was hiding from him, not out of curiosity, but because, according to the mechanics, the more he knew, the sooner he could escape… Oh, Luca just realised no one had shown him how to escape the level after deciphering it…
Luca ruffled his hair, wondering why he kept thinking about all sorts of nonsense when he needed to concentrate…
Calm down, Luca, stop thinking useless things…
Luca looked around, then walked to the mirrors, from left to right. All four mirrors were the same; his image was still the same: blood, wounds, and the giant scissors. He then stepped into one of the mirrors.
Room number 2 was finished. Room number 3 was very strange… It was a completely different room, with only one mirror. Luca didn't know what to do, just looked around. Then, miraculously, or perhaps the gods took pity on a fool like him… or maybe there was a special reason even they didn't know, Luca's pants pocket suddenly felt hotter.
Luca reached into his pocket and felt something thin and hot, like boiling water. When he pulled it out, he found a charm… Luca was more surprised than ever…
What the hell is this?! How did it get here?!
If he wasn't mistaken, this charm was from the box Luca stole from the church, along with the summoning scrolls, wasn't it? Luca didn't know how this could help him in his current situation. He only held it up and looked at it for a few seconds because he didn't have much time left before Luxie started playing hide-and-seek. Or maybe chasing him, to be more precise.
This amulet is probably also inscribed in the Rume script… could it be a prop, like the exhibits in museums that players in the game can see? If so, it's not as useless as he thought?!
Luca tried using it like a talisman? Even sticking it to a mirror didn't work.
Luca was frustrated but couldn't do anything else except try more methods; all he could do was try more things, but it only worked on the yellow amulet with the red Rume script. Luca was both helpless and didn't know what to do.
Then Luca thought of a method, but he didn't dare to do it. Looking into the mirror, he saw the reflection of a person… Luxie was standing in the mirror looking at Luca, but the surroundings looked exactly like rooms 1 and 2.
At that moment, the arm on Luca's shoulder tapped him, then kept pointing at the amulet. Luca had no choice but to take a gamble, otherwise he would die in Luxie's hands.
Luca placed both hands on the amulet and tore it in half. Light shone from the amulet before Luca's eyes; the system had appeared.
[Prop 'Divine Assistance']
[You have activated the prop - this is a one-time use prop]
[God X-1]: <...>
Luca looked around at the space, slowing down, almost freezing, and above it was a chat window. And the person on the other side was God X-1? It was his god; perhaps Luca could ask a question or something?
[God X-1]:
[God X-1]:
After speaking, the charm vanished, time passed as usual, and the system disappeared, leaving Luca standing there, looking around to see how to reverse the process. Around him, there was only a mirror, and Luxie was staring at it intently as if time were about to end; the rest were just walls.
Luca felt his eyes hurt more, almost bleeding, perhaps a side effect of using the artifact. But for some reason, luck smiled upon Luca; he accidentally bit his tongue, causing his vision to blur. When everything became clear again, he found himself in Room 4.
Luca still didn't understand what was happening, but he currently had enough information to survive. Looking around, he saw that Room 4 was a room full of mirrors. To his west were five mirrors, and to his east were seven. Above was a large mirror, and below was a cracked mirror surface, yet devoid of any broken pieces.
The mirrors to the west and east were the same size and frame, while the mirrors above and below were the same size but not identical. The walls were painted a dark purple with some patterned borders…
Luca signed.
If that's right, then it's true.
He went from left to right, looking at the four mirrors, and they still showed Luca bleeding, but… Luca's eyes were aching and burning; generally, he looked terrible. And in the mirrors, Luca's eyes were bleeding, even though, if Luca remembered correctly, wasn't it just a body injury? He wasn't injured in the face.
Luca, trying to endure the pain, created another pain to get through the ordeal. He bit his lower lip, and then his eyes were covered again. When he could see again, he was in a new room, like room number 4, let's call it room number 5. Room number 5 was still very normal until he saw that every mirror, yes, from top to bottom, left to right, showed a film of someone's life.
A woman with birthmarks, who looked like the mistress, was incredibly beautiful in her white dress, or rather, a wedding dress, and a man in a groom's attire. They were walking down the aisle, and she was smiling very happily.
That was it. Luca only saw this as a clue. Luca also noticed that the mistress's belly was very large; perhaps she was pregnant before the wedding… At that moment, it seemed only she was smiling; the rest of them had expressionless faces…or rather, sad faces.
Luca just watched everything return to normal, biting his lip… when he woke up, he found himself in a place full of mirrors, like the first room. Room number 6 had normal patterns, the mirrors were still in their correct positions… No, both the west and east sides had the same number of mirrors, and Luca bit his lip again as he entered a new room.
Luca felt his hand trembling as he stepped into room number 7. This was probably Luxie beginning her hunt; if he made any mistake, she would come immediately. Everything in room number seven was normal until he reached mirror number 3. From the mirror in the far left corner, going to the right, he saw an image of Luca, but it wasn't Luca; it was the mistress holding a bouquet of roses, looking at Luca. That was enough; he bit his lip once more.
Everything was fine, Luca thought to himself, until he looked into the mirror above. It reflected the image of a door. Luca pinched his arm, but felt nothing. He then bit his lip, but still nothing… could it be…?
Luca jumped up, and upon landing, he sank into the mirror's surface as if it were a liquid, not a solid.
Luca saw a monster there; it was Luxie, with a wide, cheerful smile on her face.
"Found you, Mom."
Luxie, like a wild animal finding food in a dark corridor, had reverted to her monstrous form. She chased after Luca, who, despite his frail body, desperately tried to escape. The arm transformed into a pair of scissors, and Luca used them to cut a line through the air, creating a passageway. Stepping inside, Luca had successfully escaped… into room number 9.
Room number 9 looked perfectly normal, but Luca was breathless… and only had three fingers left on the arm.
This room, number 9, was generally quite easy, similar to the original room, so Luca successfully reached room number 10.
Room number 10 now has a new piece of information. The image shows the still beautiful mistress with that same smile playing with a child with jet-black hair like hers, and… a new character, the butler, standing there watching them play together with a gentle expression, a stark contrast to his usual cold demeanor when they first met, a cold face only concerned with the mistress and his rules, while the husband is nowhere to be seen.
Luca watched the images disappear, leaving only his reflection… another malfunctioning room. Luca pinched his cheek… but perhaps it wasn't hard enough; biting his lip didn't help either… Luca needed a stronger measure, so he bit his own arm, and his vision vanished again, leaving him in a new room, room number 11.
But what Luca didn't expect was that his hair had changed from ginger orange to black. He could tell from the mirror, but he didn't know if it counted as a difference. Luca was about to bite his arm when he stopped, for some reason feeling he shouldn't.
Luca went to the same mirror again, the one four mirrors away, and the image was still the same: Luca in the sea of fire, holding scissors, with his wounds. Luca took a gamble and gritted his teeth, biting his own arm.
This time, Luca went to a room with another mirror, and he saw the reflection again, it was the mistress, but this time it was her as he had first met her… Her white dress stood out against her charred skin, her bones protruding, yet the surrounding roses seemed to separate her from the scene.
Luca continued biting his arm… Room 12.
Luca arrived at another room full of mirrors, and then another, and even more mirrors. Luca was getting tired of looking at them. His eyesight was failing, so his punishment time was over. Luca was more alert now. He looked at his bruised reflection in the mirror, then looked around.
Everything was the same, except this time the arm was reflected in the mirror… Luca had to bite his arm again to get to the next room.
Room number 13, and for some reason, Luca smelled a strong burning odor… the clue came again: a series of images playing the same scene, like a videotape.
This time, only the mistress was sitting in the rain, looking at a tombstone in the middle of a rose garden, with the butler standing beside her, holding an umbrella to shield her from the rain, while her husband appeared, bursting into laughter and kicking away the small tombstone in front of her.
The mistress's expression remained unchanged as she looked at her husband, and Luca heard their voices again.
"Is this love?"
"What are you saying? Isn't it all your fault, with those ugly birthmarks! It's all your fault!"
The butler clenched his fist, ready to strike, when the mistress stood up.
"You picked roses for me, but you were the one who removed each thorn. Your love… Why does it still make me wonder if it killed me? Is this still love?"
The husband looked at his mistress with disgust and then left, leaving her in tears. The butler could only stand by, lacking the authority to help her. He could only take out a small handkerchief to wipe away the tears she shed, tears brought about by the love she believed in.
Everything vanished as if the rest was something Luca had to figure out for himself. Luca just stood there watching, and Luxie reappeared, stepping out of the mirror.
Luca knew he was running out of time and started running towards the mirror. Luca realized that if he kept biting himself, he would never escape.
The god's hint had helped him a little; if it was the same, he should continue, if not, then the opposite. So instead of going, he just needed to run in the opposite direction.
Luxie, wielding her scissors, cut a path and teleported right in front of Luca, forcing him to dodge as he ran through a corridor filled with mirrors. At each mirror, Luxie would suddenly spring out and chase after Luca.
Luca ran, clutching his chest and trying to breathe at a slower-than-normal pace. The pain almost made him forget his fear of Luxie. Luxie laughed and continued to chase Luca by teleporting through the mirrors with her weapon, a giant pair of scissors.
The sound of footsteps echoed, but Luca couldn't distinguish his own. The mirrors' movements were half a beat too slow, making the hallway seem to stretch. Each time he passed a mirror, Luxie's reflection appeared there a second before his, as if anticipating his run and toying with him.
Luca's heart pounded, dodging left and right, concentrating intensely to avoid tripping over anything, but Luca's body had probably reached its limit; he couldn't take it anymore. Luca slowed down, and Luxie leaped out of the mirror, causing it to explode. Shards of glass hit Luca's legs, while others inflicted wounds all over his body.
"Mom, you have lost."
Blood soaked through his pants. The wound in his side ached with every breath, as if something was clawing from the inside. Luca gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up; he couldn't give up now. Despair mixed with hope made Luxie laugh louder.
Luxie held the scissors close to Luca's neck.
"Mom, we can be together now."
SNAP!
Just as the giant scissors were about to hit Luca's neck, an arm pulled him back from the brink of death.
"Hey, kid, you can't die so soon."
Luca looked up at the person who had saved him… and there was only one person who spoke like that: Arknight.
"You… how did you get in here?"
Luca stared at Arknight in disbelief… this woman was too strange; were all the veteran players like her?!
"It's a secret, kid."
Arknight winked at Luxie, who was so angry that the scissors had grown larger.
"You… YOU GIVE MY MOTHER BACK!!!"
Arknight immediately dragged Luca along, while Luxie continued to chase after them. However, Arknight was much more agile than Luca; she easily dodged Luxie while carrying Luca like a piece of luggage.
Thanks to Arknight, Luca escaped from the mirror room. Luca tried to breathe evenly and calm down, while Arknight carelessly dropped him.
"Why did you save me? You look more like you were going to kill me."
"If so, you'll be the last prey I kill."
Arknight laughed and picked Luca up.
"There's no time to rest; that little brat will find you soon."
Arknight then dragged Luca back to the first floor near the garden, where she had arranged to meet him before dropping him down again, leaving Luca even more sore.
"What do you want to do here?"
Luca looked at Arknight, who was gazing at the garden with a strange smile.
"Complete a deal that was agreed upon."