Silence stretched around them like a drawn blade.
The deeper they walked, the more distorted the dungeon became. Walls of reflective stone shimmered like ice under moonlight. Shadows stretched where they shouldn't. Even their footsteps, off by half a second, like echoes arriving too late.
Shang Di didn't say anything.
Neither did Wei Lin.
Then the system spoke.
[System Notification]
Zone: Pale Gallery – Illusion Trial
Dungeon Progress: 31% → 44%
Type: Mindscape / Shadow Illusion
Threat Class: High
Objectives:
– Survive Illusion Manifestations
– Locate and Shatter the Anchor Mirror
– Resist Emotional Collapse
Bonus Reward: Personal Confrontation Cleared
Warning:
– Perceptual layering engaged
– Technique priority misalignment detected
– Illusion field may suppress system assistance for short intervals
Shang Di exhaled slowly.
The system didn't usually talk like that unless it was serious.
"Guess we're in it," Wei Lin muttered.
Shang Di nodded, then stepped forward.
...
The first wave came with footsteps.
But not from ahead—from behind.
Shang Di turned.
A figure stood where he had just walked. Same build.
Same cloak.
Same hair.
Same expression.
A second appeared next to it.
Then a third.
Each one slightly off—a twitch here, an extra breath there, a flicker in the eyes that didn't belong.
When they moved, it was silent.
Not quiet.
Truly silent, like shadows.
No scuff of boots. No breath. No presence.
And when they attacked—
They were fast.
[System Alert]
Mirror Copies: Partial Data Hijack Detected
Host Technique: [Silent Darkness Steps]
Status: Replicated with corruption
Countermeasure: Activate False Qi Patterns to desync mirrors
He tried. He flicked his fingers like he would start a draw.
Three reflections surged forward in perfect sync—
But he hadn't actually activated anything.
That was the plan.
The real strike came a half-step later—he dropped low and kicked the knee of the closest illusion, followed by a burst of raw Qi from his palm into its torso.
It scattered like dust and glass.
Wei Lin wasn't doing badly either. He'd figured out the trick: act like a beginner, then move like a killer.
"You alright ?" Wei Lin asked while fighting, with a wide smile on his face.
The mirrored figures flickered, confused.
Shang Di finally activated [Flying Darkness Sword].
But his version crackled—unstable.
"Could be better!" Shang Di exclaimed as he stepped back.
It twisted in his palm, like it couldn't decide whether to obey him or not.
He gritted his teeth and crushed it with raw will.
"Guess we're doing this old-school."
He used his footwork instead—flashing between mirror figures, striking with palms and knees, not giving them time to recover.
When the last one shattered, the floor shook—just once—and the air trembled like a sigh had passed through the stone.
...
Wave One Cleared
Illusion Manifestations: Terminated
SP Gained: +40
New Instability Detected: Emotional Anchor Cracking
Initiating Phase Two…
...
The entire hallway folded inward.
Glass warped. Shadows stretched. The walls disappeared.
And Shang Di was back in his room.
But not the one in this world.
His old room.
A worn-out bed and blank walls. A desk littered with snack wrappers and unopened letters. The light from his monitor glowed pale blue in the dark.
Wei Lin was gone.
The system was silent.
"…No," Shang Di muttered.
His phone buzzed.
He already knew what it would say.
Would you like to become a sect master?
[YES] [NO]
The same screen.
The one he'd thought was fake.
But this time, the room didn't freeze. The message didn't vanish.
It started to multiply. Every object in the room repeated the question. His walls. His mirror. His old cracked phone. Even the screen of his dead TV.
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
He couldn't breathe.
The desk chair creaked.
He turned.
A figure sat there.
Himself again. Unkempt hair. Baggy green shirt. Tired eyes. The same ones that used to stare blankly at a screen for hours—numb, muted, angry for no good reason.
"You thought this would fix you," it said.
Shang Di didn't move.
"You clicked yes, thinking it would be an escape. A new start. That you'd become someone."
The illusion tilted its head.
"But you didn't change. You're still the same loser. No real friends. No future. No spine."
The air thickened. His pulse beat in his ears.
"You're a product of pity," it spat. "Even the system holds your hand."
Then—
[System Interruption Attempted]
Assistance Suppressed. Host Mental State: Unstable
Countermeasure Available: Accept confrontation
Shang Di looked up.
"…I didn't come here to be someone else," he said quietly.
The illusion paused.
"I came here to build what I couldn't. To prove that I can start from dirt and still climb."
He stepped forward.
"You're not me anymore."
"You're a fraud."
"Maybe," Shang Di said, clenching his fist. "But I'm a fraud that wins."
The illusion's smile faltered.
Then cracked.
He punched it once—straight into the face.
The figure didn't crumble. It didn't explode.
It imploded…like being erased from memory.
...
He woke up kneeling in the center of the mirror gallery. Breathing hard, while sweat ran down his back.
Wei Lin crouched a few meters away, eyes wide.
"You—you were out for ten seconds. You just froze. And then… you looked like you were trying not to cry."
"I wasn't," Shang Di muttered, he then looked at his hands.
'Can I really-' Shang Di was trapped in his thoughts as something interrupted him…
He shifted his gaze up and saw Wei Lin handing him a water flask.
"I know. Still looked badass, though."
"I-" before Shang Di could end his sentence a system message popped up.
[System Update]
Emotional Trial – Passed
+80 SP
Shadow's Favor 4/7 → 5/7
Subtrait Seed: [Echo Memory] – Latent
Dungeon Progress: 44% → 58%
Shang Di got to his feet, slowly. He looked ahead.
The glass corridor twisted again. No doors. No visible exit.
But something called from deeper inside.
And this time, it wasn't a voice.
It was a memory that hadn't been shown yet.
...
To be continued…