Rain and Elys stood still, their faces locked in surprise. Looking around the room, the more advanced trainees seemed not to be having nearly as much of a reaction.

  “Alright, Lance. I’ve looked through your file, impressive. This shouldn’t pose much of a threat to you, so I’ll allow it.”

  Officer Trant shifted toward the sidelines of the arena while speaking into his earpiece. Moments later, the ground shook slightly, and a row of weapons appeared from under the arena floor. Dozens, if not hundreds, of different weapons rose up, each fixed neatly on metal stands.

  With a quick nod, Lance walked calmly toward the variety of deadly instruments.

  ‘He’s really going to fight it, huh… Since Officer Trant allowed it so easily, he must know Lance is capable of beating it.’

  Rain took a step toward Naomi, who sat quietly on the far side of the window, watching her brother with an unbothered look.

  “Naomi, is he going to be okay?”

  Startled, she turned her head toward Rain and let out a light chuckle.

  “Lance? Oh, don’t worry. This isn’t the first driver wolf we’ve fought.”

  “Are you for real?!”

  Upon hearing that, Elys rushed toward the conversation. If no one had known any better, it seemed as if he had just seen a ghost.

  “You’ve fought one before?!”

  Wincing a bit at Elys’s loud voice, Naomi looked at the others for affirmation.

  “Uhm, yeah… I think we all have, no?”

  Yuol, sitting nearby, gave her a nod, as did Rina, who interjected shyly,

  “W-Well, I didn’t win though…”

  Hanging her head, Rina looked quite embarrassed at that.

  “W-Wow… you guys are on another level. That was my first time even seeing a Shard.”

  Rain glanced at Elys, who wore a worried look while staring out the window.

  ‘I’m thinking it too… We’ve got a long way to go.’

  Meanwhile, Lance had already chosen his weapon from one of the stands. In his hands was a modern khopesh, its blade longer than usual, with a simple black fiber wrapping around the metal handle.

  Spinning the handle around his fingers, Lance gave Officer Trant a small nod, signaling he was ready for the exam.

  “Remember, Lance, while I’m certain you can pass this exam without your Reflection, you are obligated to learn to show it in combat.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Yes, sir.”

  The floor began to rumble once again. Machinery came to life as gears spun beneath the arena, and a see-through cage began to ascend. Inside it, a towering bipedal figure stood, wildly swinging its arms against the magical barrier surrounding it.

  Surprise screamed across Rain’s face. It was not the Shard he had imagined. The figure stood nearly three meters tall; its original skin seemed to have once been dark green, but now pulsing black veins covered every inch of its body. Around its chest, legs, and arms, fleshy black masses clung like parasites, throbbing in a rhythm that resembled breathing.

  ‘This… is the exam.’

  Clutching his arms, Rain realized the intensity of what they were witnessing. The exam was merely meant to train the trainees, to prepare them for the reality of the Mirror. Pass or fail, the Mirror would summon them regardless.

  Equally surprised, Naomi spoke up.

  “Oh, it’s an Infected.”

  “Infected?”

  At the corner of his eye, Rain noticed Rina ready to explain, but Naomi spoke first.

  “Yeah. They’re one of the most widespread Shards out there. It’s sort of a parasite. Apparently, other beings lived in the Mirror before us, and for some reason, they were infected by it. Not much is known about what it actually is.”

  “Oh… sounds scary.”

  “They can be,” Naomi continued, “since the parasite takes over the body, it uses that body’s properties. Luckily, they’re pretty dumb.”

  “Ready?”

  Their conversation was cut short by Officer Trant’s voice through the microphone.

  “Yes, sir.”

  As Lance answered, the magical barrier slowly dissipated into flickers of light. The beast was now free, staring directly at him.

  Thundering steps echoed throughout the hall as the abomination charged forward with tremendous speed. Lance stood calmly in the center of the arena. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and the tips of his hair began to turn white.

  Everyone felt the temperature drop. Frost began creeping along the window edges, the metal ground glistened under a thin layer of ice, and a chilling wind brushed past the spectators.

  Lance opened his eyes. As he took his first step, breaking through the ice beneath his boots, multiple grey wraiths shot out from his body, surrounding the oncoming beast and seizing its arms and legs.

  Surprised, the abomination stopped mid-charge, thrashing wildly against the wraiths as they dissipated upon impact. The spirits focused on its legs, clawing through the black masses, dark liquid spilling from the wounds as the Shard let out a deep, guttural growl.

  Breathing heavily, Lance ordered one of the wraiths to wrap around the creature’s eyes. Blinded, the Shard charged toward where Lance had last stood. With one leg barely functioning, it moved slower, and Lance easily dodged aside before slashing through its remaining leg.

  The Infected stumbled, sliding across the hall. Before it could rise again, Lance grabbed its massive head from behind and sliced it cleanly off. The parasitic veins pulsed once more before deflating and falling still.

  Letting go of the head, Lance dropped to one knee as small streams of blood ran down his nose.

  “Trainee Lance, most impressive work. An unusual Reflection, to say the least. I expect your focus for this month is to achieve better mastery of it, without the nosebleeds. Your combat skills alone should ensure your survival if you choose your fights wisely. You pass.”

  Standing back up, Lance wiped his nose and looked at Officer Trant.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The mood in the waiting room was conflicted. Surprise, fear, and determination filled the air. Lance’s skill and Reflection were impressive, taking down such an opponent with relative ease. Yet fear quietly gnawed at their minds. These were the monsters awaiting them in the Mirror, and worse ones surely lurked beyond.

  Still, through all that, they shared one goal.

  To survive.

  ‘Damn… That guy said he was gonna teach me, right?’