I rushed toward Alicia's group, and a few meters in front of them, I transformed into Alicia using my two skills: Mimic of Woman and Slime Lady Shape.
I approached them. The group immediately readied themselves, thinking I was a monster, but as they got a better look, they relaxed—well, as much as they could. After all, I'm the dungeon master!
With a gentle smile, I presented them with my offer.
"I'd like you to open the treasure chests, especially those with accessories, and give me one valuable accessory."
Kaelyra, with her big mouth, immediately shot back:
"Why would we do that? Especially for an accessory that could be useful to us!"
The others nodded in agreement. I simply smiled, but before I could reply, Alicia spoke up.
"Especially since you cheated on the contract! You think we don't know you're using a loophole?!"
Now I was starting to get a little annoyed… I replied with a forced smile, veins bulging at my temples.
"First of all... it's not my responsibility to find and patch contract loopholes, especially when they work in my favor!
Second! I intend to give you something in exchange... If you give me the accessory I want, I won't upgrade my dungeon for the next month. So, what do you say?"
The group was stunned when they heard that! But I can understand. What sane dungeon master would not upgrade their dungeon? But for me, the trade is worth it!
"Really? If we give you the accessory, you won't upgrade the dungeon next month?"
"Yes! Promise!"
"This accessory must be really important to you..."
"I won't lie, it is!"
And I'm not lying—it really is, but I'm not going to explain any further. Knowing this much is already a lot for them.
I continued with a smile, eyes slightly narrowed.
"So, do you accept?"
"We need to talk it over first."
I nodded in agreement. The girls huddled into a circle and started discussing. Alicia looked a little tense as she began.
"What do you all think? To me, it's an excellent deal."
Lyssara frowned and added:
"As for me, I feel like there's something fishy about this. Why would she want this accessory so badly that she'd forgo upgrading the dungeon?"
Elenya shook her head and voiced what everyone was thinking.
"We all know it. Clearly, for her, it's more valuable to have this accessory than to upgrade the dungeon!"
"Obviously, yes."
One by one, they all agreed. Well, I can't blame them for thinking that way!
Alicia continued.
"But it would benefit us if the dungeon isn't upgraded for a month! Even if it's just one month, that's a loss for her."
"I agree with Alicia."
"So do I."
In the end, they came to a decision. Alicia turned to me and, with a forced smile, said:
"We accept!"
"Perfect!"
Clearly, they didn't really want to accept—judging by their tense faces! But for them, a month without upgrades means a month to get stronger with less danger...
But in the following months, I fully intend to pack in three times the upgrades to make up for the lost time!
In the end, I followed them through the dungeon, pointing out which chests were trapped and which were treasure chests.
That allowed us to go from chest to chest quickly, though we didn't always find a mirror!
I had thought it might take me months to find a mirror, but after a week, we finally found one!
"A mirror? Is that really possible as an accessory?"
Kaelyra asked, surprised! I replied with a smile.
"Of course it is! Accessories aren't just jewelry, you know!"
"I didn't know that."
It seemed Kaelyra really didn't know accessories could be anything other than jewelry—but that's normal, since those are the most common!
We checked the mirror's stats.
[Accessory: Ancient Mirror of Lilith]
[Level: 10]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Skill: Ancient Minor Charm]: Increases your charm slightly when holding this item. Conversations become a bit easier.
Oh? Not bad! If I can use skills with my clones, this one wouldn't be bad! And if I can improve it? Even better!
But that's all just theory for now. I still have to try it! The girls looked at the item, frowning.
"I don't know if that's a good item or just junk..."
I smiled at the comment.
"Trust me, it's a good item. Charm is not an easy stat to increase. Normally, it's impossible to raise unless you're a succubus—and even then, it's hard."
They were surprised to hear that, but it's true. Charm is a hidden stat—meaning it can't be raised like Strength or Endurance, which can be improved through training.
Charm is innate, tied to one's beauty. And beauty can't be raised just like that! You can't cheat with makeup!
And as for increasing it with stat points, forget it—that's not possible. Normal stats increase with levels and are usually tied to your class.
Meaning a knight will have more strength points than a mage. Which makes sense. That's why classes like Alicia's Dual Magic Wielder are so popular—everything gets increased—but getting one is even harder than obtaining rare specialist classes!
I decided to stop thinking about it and took the mirror for a closer look. The Mirror of Lilith was an artifact of stunning beauty.
Its oval frame looked as though it had been carved from a single block of translucent amethyst, a deep violet color. Ancient runes, barely visible, were etched all around the edge, pulsing with a faint purple glow when held at the right angle.
The handle, forged from an unknown silvery metal, was adorned with intertwined patterns resembling stylized serpents—Lilith's signature.
I couldn't help but stare at the mirror for a long time—several minutes, probably! It's one of the most beautiful mirrors I've ever seen... It draws me in naturally, as if... it has a charm of its own! You can feel that its former owner was Lilith...
To the point that the girls started laughing!
"So that's what your face looks like when you're absorbed in something, Alicia?!"
"It's not funny, Kaelyra! And you, Elizabeth, stop making that face with MY face!"
"Oops, sorry! I couldn't help it, the mirror is so pretty!"
After teasing Alicia a bit more, I decided to head to my boss room to create my very first clone!
"Alright, I've got what I wanted! As promised, I won't upgrade the dungeon next month!"
Without waiting for a reply, I left—but Alicia shouted after me.
"I hope you'll keep your promise, Elizabeth!"
"Promise!"
I immediately activated Alicia's Lightning Body skill and rushed to my boss room on the lowest floor!