Do-Yoon and Min-Jae stood in front of the massive gate, still staring at the unbelievable city beyond it.
Even after seeing it for a full minute, their brains still couldn't fully understand what they were looking at.
The place looked endless.
Huge glowing towers reached high into the sky, while giant ancient castles stood beside them like something from another era. Strange floating lights moved through the air above the streets. Massive bridges connected buildings that looked impossible to build.
Everything looked alive.
The city wasn't silent either.
Even from outside the gate, they could hear voices, footsteps, and the sounds of people moving around.
Min-Jae slowly whispered,
"…Bro."
Do-Yoon nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
"…I think we accidentally entered a manhwa."
Do-Yoon looked at him.
"…Honestly? Same."
Both of them slowly started walking toward the entrance.
Their hearts were beating faster from excitement alone.
But before they could fully enter—
"Stop."
The guardian's deep voice echoed behind them.
Both instantly stopped.
Min-Jae slowly turned around.
"…Please don't tell me there's another test."
Do-Yoon looked tired already. "I can't survive another one."
The guardian calmly walked toward them.
"There is no second test."
Both sighed in relief.
"…Thank goodness," Min-Jae muttered dramatically.
The guardian then raised his hand.
"But there is something you must receive first."
Do-Yoon tilted his head slightly.
"…Receive?"
The guardian opened his palm.
Two cards appeared.
Both looked simple at first glance.
Small.
Metallic.
Cold silver in color.
The material looked strange, almost like metal but smoother and lighter. Tiny glowing lines moved across the surface slowly.
The guardian handed one card to Do-Yoon and the other to Min-Jae.
"This is your Mirror Card."
Min-Jae blinked.
"…Mirror Card?"
Do-Yoon carefully looked at the card.
Words slowly appeared on its surface.
Name: Kim Do-Yoon Rank: Player
Do-Yoon's expression slowly changed.
"…Player?"
Min-Jae quickly checked his own card too.
Name: Park Min-Jae Rank: Player
Silence.
The excitement on both of their faces disappeared immediately.
"…That's it?" Min-Jae asked slowly.
Do-Yoon stared at the card blankly.
"…After all that suffering…"
Min-Jae looked completely betrayed.
"BRO WE ALMOST DIED!"
"We fought guardians!"
"We got traumatized!"
"We ran around for hours!"
"And this is our rank?!"
Do-Yoon sighed deeply.
"…I thought we'd at least get something cooler."
The guardian calmly looked at them.
"Player is the first rank."
Min-Jae looked offended. "It sounds weak."
"It is weak," the guardian replied honestly.
"…Wow," Do-Yoon muttered. "That hurt."
The guardian continued calmly,
"Every Mirror begins from Player Rank."
Min-Jae crossed his arms dramatically.
"…So much hard work for beginner status."
Do-Yoon sighed and placed the card inside his pocket.
"…Whatever. At least we got cards."
Min-Jae nodded sadly.
"…Yeah."
The guardian stepped aside.
"You may now enter."
This time—
Neither of them wasted another second.
Both immediately walked into the city.
Inside the Endless City
The moment they entered—
Their eyes widened again.
The inside looked even crazier than outside.
The streets were full of people.
Some wore armor.
Some wore robes.
Some carried giant weapons on their backs.
Others floated slightly above the ground while walking.
Do-Yoon stared at everything around him carefully.
"…This place is insane."
Min-Jae pointed at a floating object flying through the air.
"BRO LOOK!"
"I SEE IT!"
"IT'S FLYING!"
"EVERYTHING HERE IS FLYING!"
Both looked around like tourists who accidentally entered another dimension.
People moved everywhere.
Shops lined the streets.
Some sold glowing crystals.
Others sold weapons that looked magical.
One shop even had floating books moving around by themselves.
The air smelled strange too.
A mixture of metal, smoke, magic, and food.
It somehow felt busy and peaceful at the same time.
Min-Jae looked at a man carrying a giant sword.
"…Bro."
"What?"
"If somebody attacks us here, we are finished."
"…Definitely."
Both laughed nervously.
As they continued walking, many people secretly glanced at them.
Mostly because they looked confused about literally everything.
Then suddenly—
A man approached them.
He looked middle-aged and wore simple brown clothes.
"Excuse me," the man said.
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae immediately stopped.
The man looked at them carefully.
"…Who are you two?"
Min-Jae blinked.
"Huh?"
"I have never seen you here before," the man continued.
Do-Yoon quickly answered politely.
"We just arrived."
The man frowned slightly. "Arrived from where?"
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae looked at each other.
Then Min-Jae answered proudly,
"We came after passing the gate test."
Silence.
The man froze.
"…What?"
Do-Yoon nodded.
"The guardian let us inside."
The man's eyes widened slowly.
Then he looked at both of them with disbelief.
"…You are Mirrors?"
Both froze.
"…Mirrors?" Do-Yoon repeated.
Min-Jae tilted his head.
"What does that mean?"
The man stared at them for a moment.
Then suddenly laughed softly.
"So you truly are newcomers."
Do-Yoon looked confused. "Can you explain?"
The man nodded.
"Mirrors are powerful individuals."
His expression slowly became serious.
"They are people capable of using skills, magic, abilities, and many mysterious powers."
Min-Jae's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
Do-Yoon also realized it instantly.
"Our skills…"
The man nodded.
"If you possess skills, then you are Mirrors."
Min-Jae suddenly looked proud again.
"BRO WE'RE SPECIAL!"
Do-Yoon looked at him.
"You were depressed five minutes ago."
"That was before I became important."
The man laughed slightly.
Then he asked,
"What is your rank?"
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae both took out their Mirror Cards awkwardly.
"…Player."
The man looked at the cards.
But surprisingly—
He didn't look disappointed.
Instead, his expression became understanding.
"…I see."
Min-Jae blinked.
"You're not shocked?"
The man shook his head.
"Becoming a Mirror itself is extremely rare."
Do-Yoon looked surprised.
"…Really?"
"Most people never awaken at all," the man explained. "Even reaching Player Rank means you stepped into a world ordinary people can never touch."
Min-Jae suddenly stood straighter.
"…Did you hear that, bro?"
"…Don't get arrogant already."
The man then pointed toward a large building farther down the city.
"If you wish to grow stronger, go there."
Do-Yoon looked carefully.
"…What place is that?"
"The Mirror Cemestors."
Min-Jae blinked.
"…That sounds important."
"It is," the man replied calmly.
"Thank you," Do-Yoon said politely.
Both quickly thanked him and started walking toward the giant building.
But halfway there—
Min-Jae suddenly stopped.
"…Bro."
"What?"
"…We forgot to ask WHY we should go there."
Do-Yoon froze too.
"…Oh."
Both stared at each other silently.
Then Min-Jae sighed dramatically.
"We really have low intelligence."
"…Yeah."
But since they already came this far—
They simply continued walking anyway.
The Mirror Cemestors
The building was massive.
Huge black pillars stood outside the entrance, and glowing blue symbols moved slowly across the walls.
The atmosphere here felt different from the busy streets.
More serious.
More professional.
Do-Yoon swallowed slightly.
"…This place feels important."
Min-Jae nodded.
"…Yeah."
Both slowly entered.
Inside, many people moved around carrying papers, weapons, crystals, and cards.
Some people discussed quests loudly.
Others sat silently studying magical screens.
Then suddenly—
A man sitting behind a large desk looked toward them.
He had black hair, calm eyes, and a relaxed expression.
"…New faces?" he said.
Both approached carefully.
The man smiled slightly.
"My name is Drain."
Min-Jae whispered quietly to Do-Yoon,
"…Cool name."
Drain looked at them calmly.
"Are you both Mirrors?"
Do-Yoon nodded.
"Yes."
Drain extended his hand.
"Mirror Cards."
Both handed him their cards.
Drain checked them quietly.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Player Rank."
He placed the cards onto a glowing device.
Light flashed briefly.
Then he handed the cards back.
"You are now officially registered as Mirrors."
Min-Jae's eyes widened slightly.
"…Officially?"
Drain nodded.
"From now on, you belong to the Mirror System."
Do-Yoon immediately asked the thing he cared about most.
"How do we become stronger?"
Drain leaned back slightly.
"You complete quests."
Min-Jae nodded seriously.
"And missions."
Do-Yoon listened carefully.
"The higher difficulty the quest is, the greater the rewards become," Drain explained.
"You level up, gain experience, obtain stronger skills, and eventually rise through the ranks."
Min-Jae's eyes started shining.
"…This really IS like a manhwa."
Do-Yoon nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Just as both of them were about to ask for their first quest—
The entrance doors suddenly opened.
A girl walked inside calmly.
Instantly—
The entire room became quiet.
Everyone looked toward her.
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae also turned.
The girl had long dark hair and cold eyes.
Her expression remained calm.
Almost emotionless.
Yet her presence alone felt heavy.
She walked toward Drain silently.
Then placed a glowing crystal onto the desk.
"I have defeated the Deathcrystal," she said calmly.
The room exploded into whispers immediately.
"Deathcrystal?!"
"She defeated it alone?!"
"That monster was Zentornt Rank!"
"Unbelievable…"
Do-Yoon blinked repeatedly.
"…Zentornt?"
Drain nodded slowly.
"A very high-ranked monster."
Min-Jae swallowed.
"…And she defeated it?"
Drain looked toward the girl respectfully.
"She is Warrior Rank."
The girl remained completely calm despite everyone praising her.
Almost like she was used to it.
Do-Yoon stared at her silently.
"…She feels different."
Min-Jae nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
One person nearby whispered her name.
"…Saphiens."
The moment both Do-Yoon and Min-Jae heard that name—
Something inside them changed slightly.
Everyone around them admired her.
Praised her.
Respected her.
Meanwhile—
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae stood there like complete beginners.
For the first time since arriving here—
Both of them truly realized how small they were.
Min-Jae slowly looked down at his Player Rank card.
Then toward Saphiens.
"…Bro."
"…Yeah?"
"…We seriously look like side characters right now."
Do-Yoon sighed.
"…Definitely."
A small silence followed.
Then Min-Jae slowly clenched his fist.
"…I don't like this feeling."
Do-Yoon looked at him.
"…Me too."
Both looked toward Saphiens again.
Toward the people praising her.
Toward the power they didn't have yet.
And at that moment—
Without saying it aloud—
Both of them made the same decision.
They would become stronger.
No matter what.