WebNovels

Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: The Enemy in The Mirror

The fake Lin grinned, twirling its club like a baseball bat. Its red eyes glowed brighter, casting eerie streaks of light across the mirror chamber.

Real Lin swallowed hard. "Oh great. Evil me. Because normal me wasn't pathetic enough."

Crystal snickered. "He's taller too. And… wow. Better hair."

"Not helping!"

Elara nocked an arrow, but Nyra raised her staff. "No. This is his fight. The Maze tests only the one it reflects."

"Excuse me?" Lin squeaked. "I didn't sign up for a boss fight against myself!"

"Survive," Nyra said simply. "Or die. Those are the rules."

---

First Clash

The fake Lin lunged forward with inhuman speed, swinging its club. Lin ducked barely in time, the wind of the strike cutting past his ear.

"Whoa!" Lin yelped, rolling to his feet. "Okay. Okay. I can do this."

Crystal's voice purred. "Hint: he has your strengths but no patience. Bait him."

Lin blinked. "Bait him…?"

The fake Lin snarled and charged again. This time Lin sidestepped, letting the mirror-Lin's club smash into the floor. The stone cracked, echoing through the chamber.

"Right," Lin muttered, clutching his own club. "He's me on steroids. Gotta fight smart."

---

Trap Turnabout

Lin noticed faint runes glowing near the base of the mirrors—an eagle symbol again. He grinned. "Oh, thank you, Indiana Jones."

He backed toward the runes, waving his club. "Come on, ugly. Hit me!"

Mirror-Lin roared and sprinted. At the last second Lin leapt aside. The fake Lin's club struck the runes—blue light flared, and the mirror behind it shattered like ice.

The fake Lin staggered, flickering.

Crystal whistled. "Not bad. Keep breaking those seals."

---

Skill Unlock

A system notification blinked in Lin's vision:

> DING!

New Skill Unlocked: Puzzle Sense Lv.1

Your brain connects clues faster under stress. Runes reveal their meaning more easily.

Lin smirked. "Finally! A cheat I can use!"

He sprinted to the next set of glowing runes. The fake Lin followed, enraged. Another dodge, another shattering mirror. Its form weakened with each break, until only one mirror remained.

"End it," Nyra said softly.

Lin spun his club like Thor's hammer. "This is for every humiliating death I've had so far!"

He slammed the club into the last rune. The mirror exploded in a burst of blue shards. The fake Lin screamed, dissolving into mist.

---

Aftermath

Silence fell. The mirror chamber flickered and melted away, revealing a stairway leading down into darkness.

Lin wiped sweat from his brow. "That… was actually kind of satisfying."

Crystal purred. "Don't get cocky. That was just the appetizer."

Elara clapped him on the back. "Nice job. Didn't even trip once."

Lin grinned. "Don't jinx it."

Nyra stepped past them, her expression unreadable. "You have passed the first trial. The second will not be so… merciful."

The stairway glowed ominously, runes shifting like snakes. A low rumble echoed from below.

Lin groaned. "Oh no. That's the 'boss music starting' sound, isn't it?"

Crystal: "Oh yes. And it's my favorite track."

To be continued…

More Chapters