The large hall of the Mirror Cemestors slowly became noisy again after Saphiens left.
People continued talking about her achievement excitedly.
"She defeated a Zentornt-ranked monster alone…"
"That's insane…"
"She's getting stronger again…"
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae silently stood there for a moment.
Even after Saphiens disappeared from sight, the pressure she left behind still remained in their minds.
Min-Jae slowly crossed his arms.
"…Bro."
"…Yeah?"
"We are weak."
Do-Yoon looked down at his Mirror Card.
Player Rank.
The lowest rank.
Seeing that title suddenly felt heavier than before.
"…Very weak," Do-Yoon admitted quietly.
Min-Jae sighed dramatically.
"We came here thinking we were special."
"And then reality punched us."
"…Hard."
Both looked depressed for exactly five seconds.
Then Min-Jae suddenly straightened up again.
"But!"
Do-Yoon looked at him tiredly.
"What now?"
"We will become strong too."
Do-Yoon stared at him for a second.
"…Your confidence changes every two minutes."
"That's because my emotions are legendary."
"…That doesn't even make sense."
Before their conversation could continue—
"Wait."
Drain's voice stopped them.
Both turned around.
Drain was still sitting behind the desk calmly.
"You two are leaving already?"
Do-Yoon nodded.
"We thought we should look around the city first."
Drain tapped the desk lightly.
"…Before that, there is something important you should do."
Min-Jae blinked.
"…Please don't say another test."
Drain smiled slightly.
"No test."
Both sighed in relief again.
Drain continued,
"You should register at the Mirror Academy."
Silence.
"…The what?" Do-Yoon asked.
"The Mirror Academy," Drain repeated calmly.
"It is where Mirrors learn."
Min-Jae tilted his head slightly.
"…Learn what exactly?"
Drain looked at them both.
"Skills."
"Magic."
"Strength."
"Combat."
"Elements."
"Control."
"The history of Mirrors."
"The structure of ranks."
"The laws of this world."
The more Drain explained—
The more confused both of them became.
Do-Yoon blinked repeatedly.
"…That sounds complicated."
Min-Jae nodded quickly.
"…Very complicated."
Drain sighed softly.
"You two are extremely inexperienced."
"…That sounded insulting," Min-Jae muttered quietly.
Drain ignored him completely.
"If you continue wandering around without knowledge, you will die very quickly."
Silence.
"…Okay," Do-Yoon said immediately. "We'll go."
Min-Jae nodded rapidly.
"Very quickly. Extremely quickly."
Drain opened a drawer and pulled out a small folded paper.
He handed it to Do-Yoon.
"This is the location."
Do-Yoon carefully took it.
"…Thank you."
Drain leaned back in his chair.
"The academy entrance exam will begin soon."
Min-Jae blinked.
"…There's an exam too?"
"Of course."
Min-Jae looked offended.
"Why does every important place in existence have exams?"
Drain smiled slightly.
"Because weak people cannot survive here."
That single sentence instantly made both of them serious again.
Searching for the Academy
A few minutes later—
Both left the Mirror Cemestors building.
Do-Yoon unfolded the paper carefully.
A map was drawn on it.
"…This place looks far."
Min-Jae looked at the map.
"…Bro, I don't understand anything here."
"Same."
"…Then how are we supposed to find it?"
Do-Yoon looked around the massive city.
"…We guess."
Min-Jae stared at him.
"…That's your plan?"
"Yes."
"…We are doomed."
And so—
The two geniuses began searching for the academy.
The city was unbelievably huge.
Every street connected to another giant street.
Every area looked different.
Some places looked ancient like fantasy kingdoms.
Others looked futuristic with floating lights and moving platforms.
At one point, Min-Jae even saw someone riding a creature that looked half wolf and half dragon.
"…Bro."
"…What?"
"I think Earth is boring now."
"…Yeah."
They continued walking.
And walking.
And walking.
After nearly one hour—
Both already looked exhausted.
Min-Jae dragged his feet dramatically.
"…I'm dying."
"We've only been walking."
"That's enough to kill me."
Do-Yoon sighed.
"…How is this city so huge?"
Min-Jae pointed randomly ahead.
"Maybe the academy is there."
They walked there.
It wasn't there.
Another thirty minutes passed.
Then another thirty.
At this point, both looked spiritually defeated.
Min-Jae leaned against a wall dramatically.
"…If I die before entering the academy, tell people I fought bravely."
"You fought stairs."
"THE STAIRS WERE STRONG."
Do-Yoon rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"…We should ask someone."
"Oh."
Both stared at each other silently.
"…Why didn't we think of that earlier?" Min-Jae asked.
"…We're not smart."
"…True."
After finally asking directions from several people—
They eventually found it.
And the moment they saw it—
Both froze.
"…No way," Min-Jae whispered.
The Mirror Academy stood before them like a gigantic kingdom.
Massive towers stretched high into the sky. Giant silver walls surrounded the academy grounds. Flags moved with the wind above the buildings, each carrying strange glowing symbols.
The entire academy looked larger than some cities on Earth.
Students wearing different uniforms walked around the area confidently.
Some practiced magic openly.
Others trained with swords.
The atmosphere alone screamed power.
Do-Yoon swallowed slowly.
"…This is just an academy?"
Min-Jae stared blankly.
"…Bro, their school is stronger than our entire country."
Both slowly walked toward the entrance.
But just before entering—
"Stop."
A deep voice echoed.
A large knight stepped in front of them.
Heavy armor covered his entire body.
The knight looked intimidating enough to scare normal people instantly.
Min-Jae slowly turned toward Do-Yoon.
"…Bro."
"…Yeah?"
"…Is this Knights Day today?"
Do-Yoon looked at the knight.
Then sighed.
"…This is the third knight we've met."
"We're collecting knights at this point."
The knight stared at both of them silently.
"…State your purpose."
Do-Yoon quickly straightened himself.
"We came to register for the Mirror Academy."
The knight remained silent.
"…Names?"
"Kim Do-Yoon."
"Park Min-Jae."
"…Ranks?"
Both answered weakly.
"…Player."
The knight stared at them for a few seconds.
The pressure coming from him felt heavy.
Then he asked,
"Who directed you here?"
"Drain," Do-Yoon replied immediately.
The knight's expression softened slightly.
"I see."
Min-Jae quickly added,
"We are officially registered Mirrors!"
The knight nodded once.
"Follow me."
Both instantly became excited.
"…We can enter?"
"Yes."
Min-Jae whispered proudly to Do-Yoon,
"Bro, I think my face convinced him."
"…No. Definitely not."
The knight guided them through the academy grounds.
As they walked deeper inside—
Both became more amazed.
Large training grounds covered huge areas.
Students practiced combat everywhere.
Some controlled fire.
Others manipulated water or wind.
One student even lifted massive rocks using magic.
Min-Jae's eyes sparkled.
"BRO THAT GUY IS FLYING!"
"I SEE HIM!"
"WHY IS EVERYONE COOL EXCEPT US?!"
Do-Yoon looked down sadly.
"…My Disk Dash suddenly feels useless."
The knight continued leading them silently.
Eventually—
They reached a massive office.
The knight knocked once.
A calm voice came from inside.
"Enter."
The knight opened the door.
Inside sat an older man with long silver hair and sharp eyes.
Despite looking calm—
His presence felt incredibly powerful.
The knight bowed slightly.
"Principal, the new Mirrors have arrived."
The principal looked toward them.
"…So these are the newcomers."
Min-Jae immediately bowed awkwardly.
"H-Hello!"
Do-Yoon bowed too.
The principal studied both of them carefully.
"…Interesting."
Both became nervous instantly.
The principal leaned back slightly.
"What are your names?"
"Kim Do-Yoon."
"Park Min-Jae."
"…Ranks?"
"…Player."
The principal nodded calmly.
"Expected."
Min-Jae looked slightly offended again.
The principal then asked several questions.
"How long since awakening?"
"What skills do you possess?"
"Do you understand elemental control?"
"Do you understand mana circulation?"
"Do you understand Mirror resonance?"
Every single question confused them more.
Min-Jae finally admitted it.
"…We understand absolutely nothing."
The principal stared at them silently.
Then unexpectedly—
He laughed softly.
"…At least you are honest."
Do-Yoon sighed in relief slightly.
The principal opened a book on his desk.
"You are now registered applicants for the Mirror Academy Entrance Examination."
A glowing symbol appeared briefly on both their Mirror Cards.
"The examination will begin in three weeks."
Min-Jae blinked.
"…Three weeks?"
The principal nodded.
"And it will not be easy."
His expression slowly became serious.
"Many fail."
"Some quit."
"Some become injured."
"Only those worthy may officially enter the academy."
Do-Yoon swallowed slightly.
The principal continued calmly,
"Train hard."
"Learn quickly."
"And grow stronger."
"Because weakness is punished heavily in this world."
Silence filled the office for a moment.
Both nodded slowly.
"…Understood."
The principal looked satisfied.
"You may leave now."
Both turned around—
But suddenly stopped.
Because they realized something important.
Min-Jae slowly looked at Do-Yoon.
"…Bro."
"…Yeah."
"…Where are we sleeping?"
Silence.
Both froze completely.
"…We're homeless," Do-Yoon muttered.
"…We're actually homeless."
Both slowly turned back toward the principal awkwardly.
The principal looked at them.
"…What is it?"
Do-Yoon scratched his head nervously.
"…Um…"
Min-Jae continued for him.
"We kinda… don't have a place to stay."
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then suddenly—
The principal laughed loudly.
Not a small laugh.
A real laugh.
Both looked shocked.
"…Did we say something funny?" Min-Jae whispered.
The principal shook his head while smiling slightly.
"You two are interesting."
He opened another drawer and pulled out two small keys.
"You may stay here."
Both froze.
"…Really?" Do-Yoon asked.
The principal nodded.
"The academy contains 39,874 rooms."
Silence.
"…What?" Min-Jae whispered.
"And nearly 10,000 students."
Both completely froze.
"…TEN THOUSAND?!" Min-Jae shouted.
Do-Yoon looked stunned too.
"This place is bigger than a city…"
The principal handed them the keys calmly.
"Your rooms are in the lower residential district."
Both immediately accepted the keys thankfully.
"THANK YOU!"
The principal smiled slightly.
"Do not waste these three weeks."
Both nodded seriously.
And as they left the office—
One thought filled both their minds.
This world…
Was far bigger than they ever imagined.