Luckily, the possible choices I had were limited. I didn't know whether to be offended by that or thankful. Either way, I thought I'd be fine with the challenge.
'If my mirror self chose to be a maid to that idiot… that would be a blessing.'
Imagining that haunted my self-esteem. Yet if that happened, the challenge would be child's play.
'James, if that's what "me"—no, "mirror me"—ugh, whatever—chose, you'll get one kick less. Out of the hundred I had saved for your jewels, of course.'
Either way, most of the choices I would've taken weren't too worrying, except one.
'What if one of my mirrors chose to go to Star Fall and become a body cultivator?'
I hurriedly shook off that thought. There was no way an ordinary person like me could survive there just to become a body cultivator.
My worries started to dispel as confidence overtook them. With a simple thought, I tapped the red button.
My vision turned blank as a cold, merciless voice rang from every corner.
{A fragmented mirror once pulled yourself into it, pushing out your reflection to wander in the world. Now, the reflection stares into the mirror, but the mirror is empty.
Stare back at the reflection.}
'What in the demonic, godless choice did I make to get this mission?'
"I call foul…"
No one replied to my rant. A hot breeze passed by, almost like it was expressing its schadenfreude.
I cursed into the air for a few seconds before calming my foul mood. Having no one around felt like a blessing in this situation. I could do anything, and no one would be here to watch.
I would run naked around if possible. I pushed that thought aside. Shameless.
[Cough, Master… are you okay?]
"Who?" I spun around, alarmed. No one was there, not even in my senses. This place was already under my full perception. That was the main reason I chose to throw my outburst here freely.
"Is it an illusion?"
[Eh? Master, not an illusion.]
This time, I clearly heard the voice. I looked down at my finger. The broken ring was gone. In its place was a small tattoo: a snake's head, coiled around my thumb.
The tattoo… it appeared to be alive. It circled around my finger like a serpent, slowly pulsating.
I nearly screamed my lungs out.
"What the fuck?!"
[?]
"How can you speak? No—what are you? Where is my ring? What did you do with my ring? Did you eat it? Spit that out, bastard!"
Surely, I couldn't be blamed. Imagine your ring-the one you considered your only family—suddenly disappeared and in its place a talking, moving snake appeared? That's my reality now.
I tried to shake off the little snake from my thumb, but it didn't budge an inch. That's when I noticed it wasn't a foreign body, rather, my veins moving like a snake. The dark green colour of it made me mistake it for a tattoo.
It's just that the vein had a snake head at its end. I hurriedly pulled up my sleeve, horrified to find that the vein moved along my forearm, through the shoulder, reaching toward my chest where my heart drummed its fuel out.
[Master, a modest woman will never undress herself outdoors.]
"Shut up, you…"
[So Master isn't that modest. I'm fine either way. Anyway, who cares if a girl runs naked in this world, right?]
I was completely at a loss. The yapping of my vein—if I could call it mine at all—angered me to the core. But I couldn't do anything to it, because hurting it was the same as hurting myself. I absolutely never wanted to do that.
Yet a talking vein suddenly appearing in me was terrifying, even if I tried to overlook the creepiness in it. And it looked like panicking wasn't helping me at all. So I quickly calmed down, or attempted to.
It helped me perceive things more positively and discern my situation clearly. Whatever this abomination was, I had perfect control over it. Like stopping its movements the same way I controlled my limbs. A single thought made it disappear under my skin.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it's gone. That relief only lasted a short time, though.
[Master, your insides feel good.]
"…"
[Master?]
"Who the hell are you?"
[Me? Do you forget already? I am your inventory!]
I was taken aback by the slight accusation in that voice. I furrowed my brows.
"Inventory? What in the nine heavens is that? My ring?" I asked in a strained tone. I already knew the answer, but it was too unrealistic to be the truth.
My ring—the old, almost broken ring—started to speak? And it's telling me it's an inventory? I recalled reading somewhere that legendary artefacts might form a spirit sense and could talk to their owners.
However, there was no way my ring could be a legendary artefact. If it was, it would've already been stolen from me by those in the sect.
Sure, ordinary disciples might not discern an artefact, but the elders or even the sect master must have ways to uncover its secret. If not, at least sense its uniqueness.
They didn't find anything like that, which meant it was just an ordinary ring. At least to their probes.
So, what in the demonic, godless situation was this?
I stared at my thumb again. Even though I'd hidden it under my skin, the tattoo was still visible. The snake head appeared to be staring straight into my soul.
[A ring? Master, I am the great divine inventory—something you must never associate with a mere ring!]. It appeared to be disappointed.
I turned my thumb a few times.
"Seems like a ring to me. With a snake head."
[Maaaster!]
"Enough… explain what you are."
[As I said, I am a divi—no—an ordinary inventory. I can hold things and have infinite space…]
I knitted my brows.
"That's all?"
Just a storage ring. So not a legendary artefact.
[…And can upgrade each item to its maximum potential—even extract some of their properties.]
Didn't think so.
[Master, in simple terms, I am an inventory that can absorb anything and evolve it to its maximum potential. I can extract some of their properties for you to use.]
[I am a divine artefact, Master. And you are my Divine Master.]
Was this world fully turning crazy, or was it just me?
Only time could tell.