If Lee Eunwoo had learned anything about this world so far, it was this:
Bad news rarely arrives alone.
Inside the mirror realm, Eunwoo floated cross-legged in the air while rereading the royal scroll that had been placed on the altar the previous day.
Technically he couldn't touch it.
But after copying Advanced Magical Theory, he had learned a few tricks for observing objects through reflective mana patterns.
Which meant he could now read upside-down parchment.
"Royal scholars will visit periodically…"
He sighed.
"Fantastic."
Outside the mirror, morning sunlight crept across the stone floor of the temple chamber.
The priests had already started their daily routines.
Candles were lit.
Incense burned slowly.
Footsteps echoed through the hallways.
And like clockwork—
Pilgrims arrived.
The first visitor was a fisherman.
He approached the mirror awkwardly while scratching his beard.
"I heard this thing helps people."
Eunwoo leaned forward.
"Yes hello, I am the magical self-improvement mirror."
The fisherman stared into his reflection.
The system chimed.
DING.
Ability Detected: Master-Level Net Casting
Copy?
"Sure."
Copied.
Eunwoo immediately gained a terrifying amount of fishing knowledge.
Throwing angles.
Water current prediction.
Fish behavior.
"This is actually weirdly useful."
Meanwhile the fisherman gasped.
"Whoa!"
He flexed his hands.
"I suddenly feel like I could catch twenty fish at once!"
He ran out excitedly.
Eunwoo leaned back again.
"Congratulations. You unlocked seafood expansion."
Another pilgrim entered soon after.
A young blacksmith apprentice.
He nervously approached the mirror.
"I just want to be better at forging."
The boy stared into the glass.
DING.
Ability Detected: Intermediate Metal Forging
Copy?
"Yes please."
Copied.
A second later Eunwoo understood furnace temperatures, hammer techniques, and metal folding patterns.
His brain now contained enough knowledge to start a weapon manufacturing business.
"I am becoming industrial infrastructure."
The apprentice blinked in surprise.
"My hammer grip… it suddenly makes sense!"
He bowed deeply to the mirror.
"Thank you, sacred reflection!"
Then he rushed out of the temple.
Eunwoo stretched lazily.
"Another satisfied customer."
The chamber quieted again.
His gaze drifted across the familiar objects.
The altar.
The shelves.
The stone pillars.
Sir Frogbert.
The ugly frog statue sat quietly on its shelf.
But something felt different.
Eunwoo narrowed his eyes.
"…You moved again."
The statue now faced almost directly toward the mirror.
Which it definitely hadn't done two days ago.
Eunwoo floated closer inside the mirror realm.
"Okay."
"This is starting to bother me."
The frog statue remained stubbornly silent.
From the corner of the room came a calm voice.
"The frog turned during the night."
Eunwoo nearly fell out of the air.
He looked toward the bench.
Constance sat there quietly, her hands folded in her lap.
Her head tilted slightly toward the shelf.
"You heard it move?" Eunwoo asked automatically.
Of course she couldn't hear him.
But she nodded slightly to herself.
"It scraped against the wood."
Eunwoo stared at the statue again.
Then sighed.
"Haunted frog."
Before he could investigate further—
The temple doors opened.
And Eunwoo immediately knew something was wrong.
Because there were too many footsteps.
Not pilgrims.
Not priests.
Organized footsteps.
Several people walking together.
Eunwoo groaned.
"Please don't be the scholars already."
Unfortunately—
It was exactly the scholars.
Four men entered the chamber wearing dark academic robes filled with pockets and scrolls.
And leading them was a very familiar face.
The suspicious scholar from before.
The man adjusted his glasses while examining the room.
Eunwoo stared.
"You came back."
And you brought friends.
The scholar approached the altar with calm curiosity.
"Gentlemen," he said to the others.
"This is the artifact."
The other scholars immediately began inspecting the chamber.
One measured the distance between pillars.
Another studied the mirror frame.
A third began sketching diagrams in a notebook.
Eunwoo slowly backed away inside the mirror realm.
"This is bad."
The first scholar leaned closer to the mirror.
"You feel it, don't you?"
One of the others nodded.
"Yes… the mana pattern is unusual."
Another spoke thoughtfully.
"It doesn't behave like an enchanted object."
Eunwoo felt sweat forming.
Which was impressive considering he technically didn't have a body.
The suspicious scholar continued speaking.
"My previous hypothesis remains possible."
He tapped his notebook.
"The mirror may contain an observing intelligence."
Eunwoo screamed internally.
"STOP SAYING THAT."
One of the younger scholars laughed nervously.
"That sounds ridiculous."
The leader shrugged.
"Perhaps."
Then he looked directly into the mirror again.
And smiled slightly.
"But the behavior patterns are interesting."
Eunwoo stared back at him.
"You are way too calm about this."
The scholar slowly circled the altar.
Then he spoke again.
"I propose an experiment."
Eunwoo panicked.
"No experiments."
The other scholars leaned closer.
"What kind?"
The leader tapped the mirror frame gently.
"A reflection experiment."
Eunwoo braced himself.
"This is where everything goes wrong."
From the corner of the room Constance spoke softly.
"They sound very curious."
The scholars paused briefly, noticing her presence for the first time.
One of them asked quietly,
"Who is she?"
A priest answered from the doorway.
"Lady Constance. The temple assigned her to attend the mirror."
The scholars looked at her thoughtfully.
The leader adjusted his glasses.
"A blind attendant for a mirror."
He chuckled softly.
"How ironic."
Eunwoo glanced at Constance.
Then back at the scholars.
Something about this situation felt dangerous.
Not violent.
But… investigative.
The kind of curiosity that eventually led to very inconvenient discoveries.
The lead scholar finally turned back toward the mirror.
"Let us begin."
Eunwoo sighed deeply.
"I officially hate the education system."