The Mirror Key's Secret
The key continued to emit light. Even after waiting a while, it showed no sign of fading.
"This is a bit of a problem."
It was too conspicuous. Had I accidentally poured in too much sorcery power? That worry didn't last long.
Whoosh.
The light gradually gathered, condensing on the key's surface in a spectrum of vibrant colors. It looked like the key had been coated in a rainbow.
"......What the hell?"
What had changed? At first glance, nothing seemed different.
"Artifact check."
As expected, no information appeared. When I realized I could use the key with my inventory, I'd assumed that was its secret. Apparently not.
It was clearly upgraded somehow. I tested it by opening a passage to the mirror realm, pulling out items from inside, putting them back in. Nothing had changed from before. Had the space inside expanded? It felt that way, maybe, but I couldn't be sure.
But if that was all, it was a bit disappointing. Especially since its appearance had become so flashy.
"Zhuque. Figure anything out?"
-Hmm. I'm not entirely sure this time either...... but I have a hunch.
"What is it?"
-Considering the key's purpose and nature, perhaps its function as a passage has been strengthened. Or rather, it regained a lost ability.
"Lost ability?"
-Why not try moving somewhere first? My liege.
"Sure."
I used the passage to hop around various deserted spots. Still, nothing different. It just did what it always had.
Of course, that alone was impressive.
"Passage, strengthened, lost function......"
Muttering the words like a parrot, I suddenly heard from Angelica.
-Liege. What if you try it like when you first got the key?
"Huh?"
Back then, I'd definitely been trying to return to my original world. Modern South Korea.
"Nah, no way."
-You won't know unless you try.
"That's true, but......"
Half-doubting, I stepped back into the passage anyway. I focused my mind on my old one-room apartment bathroom from twenty years ago.
"......"
I'd half-hoped, but no dice. Nothing happened.
"Tch. If only I could at least go to Parachao Pavilion.
As I grumbled, picturing the spiritual energy-rich inner quarters, Angelica spoke up.
-Liege! Something appeared.
"What?"
I turned, but saw nothing. Was she messing with me? Then, a round object caught my eye.
"A bronze mirror?"
It was the kind used in ancient times. Whenever I was at Parachao Pavilion, Nam Bi would peer into it constantly. I'd gifted her a hand mirror, and she'd been thrilled.
That's right. It was Nam Bi's bronze mirror.
"This is it!"
Was this how Archimedes felt, naked and yelling Eureka while running through the streets? I hurled myself at the face-sized bronze mirror.
* * *
Swoosh!
When my distorted vision normalized, I recognized the place.
"Parachao Pavilion's master bedroom."
It was where Nam Bi slept. Grinning, I turned around. On the desk sat the bronze mirror I'd emerged from, amid various cosmetics.
It was bright afternoon now, so wandering around, I might run into her. She rarely left the house. Probably in the inner quarters.
As I left the bedroom toward the inner quarters, a sudden voice made me turn.
"Haa...... I miss you so much. Where the hell did you go?"
I sneaked up behind and whispered.
"Who?"
"It's...... Ahh! You scared me!"
She spun around, her lantern-sized eyes scanning me up and down, front and back, left and right before speaking.
"H-How are you here?"
"Magic."
"Haha......"
Nam Bi laughed, then her eyes welled up with tears.
"I thought you'd left forever. Sniff."
"Why would I leave?"
Parachao Pavilion's inner quarters are right here.
"Right? You won't leave me behind?"
"I said I won't."
"Hehehe."
Nam Bi beamed and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.
"I have something to show you. Come on."
I followed silently. She opened a furniture drawer, pulled out a wooden box, and handed it to me.
I looked at her. "What's this?"
"Talismans I've made, spirit pills, and jade stones."
The box had some weight. Opening the lid revealed three compartments: talismans on the left, spirit pills in the middle, jade stones piled on the right.
I looked up. "Didn't you say you didn't have much left? You sure about giving these to me?"
"Yeah. That's how much I take when heading to Fire Mountain anyway."
"Ah, got it."
I felt good about the unexpected gift set, but it quickly soured. If even she—who I couldn't take lightly—was this prepared, how brutal was the journey to Fire Mountain?
"So don't waste them. Use them wisely."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Heehee."
Nam Bi grinned brightly. I stowed the wooden box in the mirror realm first.
"Can I head to the inner quarters now?"
"Of course."
As we moved, Nam Bi suddenly clapped.
"Ah! Jeongha. Oh yeah, some man and woman came by yesterday."
"Man and woman?"
"Yeah. Said they came to thank their savior. You weren't here, so I sent them away."
I turned to her. "They didn't say anything else?"
"They said they'd send a servant every half-month to check if their benefactor was around."
She added they looked refined, well-dressed, and wealthy enough to have servants. Obvious who they were.
The Jin siblings. If yesterday, they'd return in fourteen days. Come to think of it, they'd promised repayment. Might be worth visiting.
Though one thing worried me...... Well, it'd sort itself out when I went.
* * *
After that, my routine simplified. Wake at dawn, cultivate Thunder Cloud Heart Knot in the inner quarters. (Note: Zhuque studies herbalism for me then.) Once the weather cleared, practice Body Thunder Knot. At night, back to the company dorm to sleep.
The stage entry ban? No issue for me. I smirked, rubbing Cromwell's key.
"If Cromwell knew this secret, it'd give him a stomachache fatal enough to kill. Heh."
I was certain he hadn't known. Probably lost in the family lineage, forgotten naturally.
Then Angelica made a suggestion.
-What if you infuse sorcery into other items? Maybe they have secrets too.
"Good idea."
I tried immediately, from the recently acquired iron greatsword to the Sealed Sword. One reacted unexpectedly.
-Ugh! That's the larva egg.
The golden egg, still unhatched, I'd left alone. But it greedily sucked up the sorcery I infused. Curious, I pulled it from the inner quarters.
Shaaa......
Sure enough, the golden egg steadily absorbed ambient spiritual energy.
From then, I trained with the breeding box out in the inner quarters. Even when leaving, I left it there.
Anyway. Since returning to the inner quarters, a few small but precious changes occurred.
First, Thunder Cloud Heart Knot slowly recovered expended divine power. Before, divine power was a last resort. Now, I could use it more proactively.
That was day two. On day three, I ran into Gwak Do-cheol in the Parachao Pavilion courtyard.
"Hm? Young master Kim. What brings you here?"
No wonder he was puzzled. My punishment was an open secret among Safety Planning Agency staff.
Knowing his character, I was honest.
"I have a mirror that lets me go anywhere I want. Including here."
"Heavens. Quite the treasure."
I skipped mentioning the key. He didn't seem to covet the mirror. Probably because his lightness skill allowed fast travel.
"Do you patrol around here often, Do-cheol?"
"Only when honing my lightness skill."
"Perfect timing. Dragon Whisker Art hit four stars."
Gwak Do-cheol brightened and taught me Moon Sky Step.
I tried it per his formula. At first, just bunny-hopping on the grass. But as I got used to it, I evolved to kangaroo leaps.
By day four, contrary to fears, I reached one star quickly. As he'd said, mastering Dragon Whisker Art made Moon Sky Step straightforward.
Though like any martial art, it got harder with progress.
Just form qi springs in your legs like Dragon Whisker Art and jump.
"Hm. Better to focus qi in the legs and run."
"Hoho. It's like that now, but someday you'll cross thirty zhang in a single step."
"That'd be great."
"No worries. Steady practice, and Equal Step Treading Plains or Void Treading aren't dreams."
He was right. I had Parachao Pavilion's inner quarters and spirit pills.
That dawn, cultivating in the inner quarters.
Crack.
"Huh?"
A breaking sound drew my eyes to the breeding box.
-Ugh. Another bug hatching.
Angelica sounded disgusted, but I was thrilled. What abilities did this golden larva have?
Soon, a fingernail-sized head poked out, struggling from the egg. My curiosity grew with each wriggle.
Like the Black-White Yin-Yang Go, no info since it wasn't an artifact.
"What can you do?"
Crack.
It finally shattered the egg, crawling gooily over the grass pile.
"Heh."
Its body gleamed golden. I watched a while, but it ate nothing. Unlike the voracious Black-White Yin-Yang Go.
It even avoided the Black-White Yin-Yang Go's spot. Wouldn't approach eggs or larvae. Like an ugly duckling, forever on the outskirts.
"Why?"
Pondering, I fetched a small box from Nam Bi's room as its new home. Still no eating.
Not liking the place? Stress anorexia?
"Hmm......"
Then Zhuque spoke.
-If you really want to raise it, try spirit herbs. My liege.
"Spirit herbs? Even if it eats, it's a waste."
-It absorbed qi before hatching, so possible. If not, toss it as others said. Keh heh.
Valid point.
"Tch. Fine."
I sliced low-grade spirit herb petals.
"......It really ate."
Invisible mouth chomping away.
"Good it eats even low-grade."
Spirit herbs vary by age; longer qi maturation means higher grade. The one I fed—Snowmelt Flower—Zhuque found while I practiced Moon Sky Step, roughly plucked.
I'd shown Nam Bi; she'd said:
'Looks less than a month old. Not even spirit herb.'
'From the Spirit Herb Encyclopedia you gave.'
'Sigh. Needs decades minimum. Leave sprouts like this.'
By her words, it wasn't true spirit herb. More like potential sprout. Not every grass becomes one with time.
True spirit herb needs at least a century.
Recalling that, feeding Snowmelt Flower felt zero waste.
"Fine. Eat that and grow big. Give me something useful, yeah?"
Black-White Yin-Yang Go fuses to Black-White Yin-Yang Pill. Even unfused, it's a virtuous poison gu that turns bad guys good.
This golden larva had to be something comparable. Expectations swelled.