The forest expedition ended on the tenth day.
The trainees returned to the academy looking far less heroic than when they had left.
Clothes dirty.
Faces tired.
Hair messy.
But spirits were high.
They had survived.
And for young knight trainees, survival meant pride.
Daren stretched his arms as they entered the academy gates.
"I swear I've never been happier to see a bed."
Tomas nodded dramatically.
"And real bread."
Mikel added,
"And a bath."
Jorin simply glanced at Con.
"…and silence."
Con chuckled softly.
"Silence sounds good."
The instructors dismissed them for the evening, warning everyone to rest before classes resumed the next day.
Most trainees immediately rushed toward the dormitories.
But Con moved more slowly.
His mind was busy again.
The forest had reminded him of something.
Of how many strange skills he possessed.
Fishing.
Carving.
Cooking.
Tracking animals.
Building shelters.
And the magic spell he had used two nights earlier.
He didn't know the spell's name.
But he knew one thing.
It had erased the bear instantly.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just… gone.
And that frightened him a little.
Not because he feared the power.
But because it had felt so natural.
Like he had used it many times before.
What exactly was I… before?
The question lingered again.
But Con pushed it away.
There was another problem he needed to solve first.
The Mirror Realm.
He hadn't visited it again since the festival incident.
The forest expedition had kept him too busy.
But now—
He wanted answers.
And mirrors were everywhere in the capital.
Expensive shops.
Noble homes.
Even certain academy halls.
Con returned to the dormitory with his friends.
After a quick meal and plenty of complaining about the forest, everyone eventually collapsed into their beds.
The dorm room slowly grew quiet.
Breathing softened.
Night deepened.
But Con remained awake.
Listening.
His hearing carefully traced every sound in the room.
Daren snoring softly.
Tomas shifting in sleep.
Footsteps of distant guards in the hallway.
When he was certain everyone slept—
Con quietly stood up.
He tied the familiar blindfold across his eyes.
Not because he needed it.
But because people were used to seeing him wear it.
It had become part of his identity.
Then he slipped silently out of the dormitory.
The academy halls were quiet at night.
Moonlight spilled through tall windows.
Stone floors echoed softly beneath careful footsteps.
Con moved easily.
He knew the academy layout well already.
Eventually he reached a hallway used by the upper faculty.
The place was expensive.
Decorated.
And most importantly—
It had mirrors.
Several of them.
Large polished ones hung along the walls.
Con stopped before one.
His fingers brushed the smooth frame.
The cold surface reflected moonlight quietly.
Con took a slow breath.
Then he focused.
The memory of the mirror realm returned.
The strange emotional pull he had felt when opening the gate before.
He tried to recreate it.
Calm.
Focused.
Listening to his own heartbeat.
For several seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then the mirror trembled slightly.
Its surface rippled like water.
Con's lips curved faintly.
"…there it is."
He stepped forward.
And walked through.
The moment he crossed the surface—
The world changed.
Sight exploded into existence.
Color.
Light.
Distance.
Shapes.
Everything returned instantly.
After living blindly his whole life, the sudden flood of vision always stunned him.
But this time—
He remained standing.
Breathing slowly.
Adjusting.
The endless silver landscape of the Mirror Realm stretched around him.
Countless mirrors floating in every direction.
Like windows to infinite worlds.
And before him—
The system appeared again.
Bright.
Clear.
Alive.
[Welcome Back, Host.]
[Mirror Realm Access Confirmed.]
[Skill Inventory Available.]
Con stared at the glowing words.
Even now, they fascinated him.
"System…"
His voice echoed faintly in the empty world.
"…what exactly am I?"
The system flickered.
For a moment—
It almost looked like it was thinking.
Then new text appeared.
[Host Identity: Constantine]
[Previous Identity: Lee Eunwoo]
[Previous Form: Divine Mirror]
Con blinked slowly.
"…Divine… mirror?"
He laughed quietly.
"That sounds ridiculous."
But something inside him stirred uneasily.
Because deep down—
The words felt strangely familiar.
He looked around the endless realm again.
Thousands of mirrors floating silently.
Each one leading somewhere.
Any place.
Any city.
Any room in the world.
Con slowly realized something.
This place was not just a strange dimension.
It was a gateway.
A network.
A hidden road connecting the entire world.
And he—
Could walk through all of it.
Con grinned slightly.
"Well…"
He turned slowly toward the floating mirrors.
"…that's going to be useful."
But as he walked deeper into the silver world—
One mirror far in the distance flickered faintly.
A reflection.
A memory.
For the briefest second—
A girl's voice seemed to echo across the realm.
Soft.
Familiar.
"…Mirror."
Con stopped.
His heart tightened suddenly.
But when he turned—
The sound had vanished.
Only endless mirrors remained.
Waiting.