Jerard's Second Job Change
Jerard opened his eyes in a vast white expanse.
A massive mirror loomed before him.
It was split into three distinct paths, each mirror separated by a fixed distance, like a fork in the road.
What the hell is this place?
What do these mirrors mean?
He was utterly confused. No entrance or exit in sight, no matter where he looked. Just endless white void.
"How the hell did I end up here? I remember falling into that well..."
The walls rippled gently like water, a clear sign this wasn't any ordinary space.
His only clues were those mirrors.
Jerard edged closer to one.
...What sent a chill down his spine was the figure's back reflected in it.
"...But there's no one standing in front of the mirror...?"
If his own reflection hadn't been missing, he might've mistaken it for someone peering through a window.
A bit closer now, he spotted engraved letters atop the mirror.
"...The Mage's Path."
The leftmost mirror showed the back of a man in mage robes.
He moved to the rightmost one next.
"The Archer's Path."
There, a man clad in archer gear.
...Finally, he approached the center mirror.
As he drew near, his own image vanished, leaving only the man's back.
Unfamiliar yet somehow familiar... Probably because of the sword the man held. It was the sword Jerard knew intimately—the one he'd wielded for years.
That realization hit: the reflection was him. He'd never seen his own back before, so it felt strange.
No face visible, but the gear matched his exactly. No doubt about it.
Suddenly, the other mirrors' figures—a mage and an archer—felt like his own backs too.
Jerard read the engraving above the center mirror.
"...The Warrior's Path."
Mesmerized, he took a step closer.
Ripples spread across the glass, the figure dissolving into a vision.
"This is...? My hometown?"
It was his childhood, shockingly vivid.
A modest kingdom town—barely more than a village. A small two-story house on the outskirts. That's where an ordinary kid like him lived.
Jerard had loved the stories his mother read.
- And so the legendary knight, chosen by the gods, joined forces with the wise dragon to slay the evil one and married the princess, living happily ever after.
That one book she read was about a divine knight teaming with a dragon to defeat the evil dragon, minion of the demon god.
Kid Jerard idolized that dragon knight, begging for rereads endlessly. The book was worn to shreds from his obsession, but Mom would smile wryly and indulge him.
Looking back, had he pestered her too much? She was exhausted from work.
The vision sped forward. The dragon-knight-obsessed kid picked up a sword... striving to become a great warrior like the book's hero.
Time passed, but...
The kid had no talent.
The boy's family was dirt poor...
The young man faced harsh reality as an adult.
Jerard never became a knight.
Born to common folk, he'd needed exceptional talent to rise. No talent meant needing a mentor, but his family couldn't afford one.
An average guy from average stock.
That was Warrior Jerard.
The vision flowed on into his early twenties...
The world ended.
Monsters overran everything; the kingdom collapsed, shelters opening for survivors.
He'd returned home to protect his family. Luckily, they all evacuated safely.
Jerard wasn't exceptional, but strong enough to shield them from monsters.
In the chaos, he even started a family with his first love—war babies were real, apparently. It just... happened.
Time marched on, past the present...
Into the future.
Future him? A mid-upper layer warrior... a Jeonbung-i. No change, even years later.
Others mocked him, gearing up better, climbing higher.
He always lost raid spots, slouching through basic dungeons.
Mirror-Jerard aged without growing.
Efforts unrewarded, a life of nothing.
The vision faded.
"...I know. This is reality... I didn't need you shoving it in my face."
No-talent folks grinding away changed nothing. How many childhood dreams actually came true?
But shoving it this bluntly...
It stabbed at his buried weaknesses, unleashing pent-up rage.
"You saying my efforts... my life... are worthless?! What do you want from me?!"
Jerard yelled at whoever dragged him here.
Silence.
"......"
Calming down, he approached the mage mirror next.
His childhood played, but different.
Starting with a chat between two kids. Memories flooded back.
His old pal Owen—now a raid leader—had shot down his dragon knight dreams back then.
- Jerard, no matter how hard you try, you can't be a real dragon knight! The mage who visited said ground dragons went extinct ages ago. What knights ride now are chimera made by alchemists!!
- No way!! Dragons are real!!! I'm gonna be an awesome dragon knight! So you be the evil dragon!! Die!!
- ...Jerard, enough dragon knight play. Let's do something else... It's boring.
They grew. One day, a mage arrived in town.
Kingdom-sent to scout magic talent.
- Oho... You two have some potential. I'll write academy recommendations. Wanna give mage life a shot?
The mage left after. The rec letters covered most academy fees.
But...
- Sorry, Jerard... We can't afford to send you. Money's too tight... I'm so sorry...
Mom hugged him, sobbing.
Probably couldn't swing the carriage and lodging costs.
Normally, he'd have said:
- Mom, I don't wanna be a mage anyway!! I'm gonna be a cool dragon knight!!
But vision-him threw a fit.
- Owen's going to the academy!! I wanna go too!!! Waaah, send me!!! I hate you, Mom!!!
...Fate forked.
Mom scraped together funds; vision-Jerard entered the academy, became a mage.
Time passed; in the shelter, he pushed past upper layers, thriving.
Raids accepted him instantly; others envied him.
Vision ended.
...This was his recent regret.
If I'd thrown that fit back then... I'd be a mage now...
"......"
Jerard moved to the right mirror.
Archer's Path: Similar fork from a trivial trigger, becoming an archer, reaching mage-like success.
He had some bow aptitude, apparently.
All visions done, mirrors vanished, a path appeared.
Clear meaning.
"You want me to... choose?"
Could he really alter fate?
Despite knowing it was impossible, his eyes lingered on mage and archer paths.
"......"
He stood before the mage path.
But after agonizing, returned to warrior.
A voice from behind:
- Hey, that's hell up ahead.
He froze.
- What're you agonizing over? Isn't this what you always wanted? Chance to ditch the scorned warrior class.
No need to turn. His own voice.
Future self from the warrior vision.
- You saw it, right? What warrior life means. Effort goes unrewarded. Your talent caps there. No more growth... It'll never change. If you'd never been a warrior, you'd be way stronger now. Warrior isn't your talent. This is your last shot from the gods.
Future him? Words rang true. No countering.
- Gonna live scorned forever? A life of pain?
One flaw in his words.
"...My life isn't all pain..."
- What?
No matter how brutal the day, family welcomed him home.
Why choose warrior again.
"The other paths... had no family..."
No wife, kids... not even parents.
Other selves bloomed talent, became vital frontline assets, fighting nonstop.
That's why he—unremarkable, overlooked—could return home and protect them.
His plain sword saved his family, not perfect arrows or fireballs.
Mage Owen moved his family to the capital... and lost them to monsters.
Mage-Jerard would've too.
"So screw that—I'll stay your basic Jeonbung-i!! No raid spots don't kill ya!"
- Other paths bring hotter wife, wealth, fame.
"I like my family now."
- You'll regret it forever. You can't be a dragon knight. Warrior-you is weak. Fact.
True. Chimera farms destroyed; he lacked knight talent anyway.
But
"I idolized dragon knights as a kid not for strength, but coolness. A family protector dad is cool enough to call dragon knight, right?"
- Don't bullshit... I'm your future. You'll regret today.
"Then I'll out-effort future-me starting now. Mirrors showed fate bends on tiny choices."
- ......
Doubt vanished from his heart.
He stepped toward warrior.
Behind, future-self muttered—sounding relieved?
- Ha... Dumbass...
Paths dissolved in golden particles...
As if his resolve forked fate, prior choices illusions...
New mirrors appeared beyond.
"...This!!"
Five mirrors, gold-framed. These were the real choices.
All backs: warriors.
No past visions. Only futures.
He inspected each.
Axe-wielding berserker spinning through monsters. Raw power over skill. Body reddening—Red Bull vibes?
"...But I'm not that strong..."
Blade aura whipped like a lash, slicing multiples. Cutting power over range.
"...But I can't handle aura like that..."
Shield tanking 4-5m giants like an upper-layer pro. Deflecting, grounding impacts. Shield aura-enhanced?
"...But I've never even used a shield..."
Next: Absurd. Vampire-like blood manipulation. Blood clotting on thin blade, extending it. Blood-soaked berserker.
"...Is this even me? Hmm..."
Something off.
Last: Riding wyvern-sized dragon, slaying ground monsters from the sky.
Aura on blade flung far—dragon speech mixed in?
Vision ended; he stared at the engraving.
"Dragon Knight's Path... But chimeras can't speak dragon tongue...? Wait, that dragon's real?"
All checked, mirrors gone, blue-shimmering portal-path opened.
Exit, probably.
"Pick one, huh."
Dragon knight stuck most.
But... could he really become that?
Pondering before it.
"...No dragons left, what kinda dragoooon kniiiight—?!"
Thud—
Sudden shove from behind; he stumbled into the dragon knight mirror, sucked in.
- Quit overthinking! Chance at your dream—grab it!
Whirling, kid-Jerard grinned, waving.
...Guess he dragged me here too...
Ha... Dragonless dragon knight.
Fits a half-baked guy like me.
Brief submersion sensation, then eyes open.
"...Where...?"
Minotaur pasture dungeon—his original spot.
No well. Just a 3-4m round boulder.
"A dream...?"
No changes felt.
Duh—such nonsense had to be.
"Still... feels lighter somehow."
Burdens lifted.
"Passing out in a dungeon without monsters eating me... miracle, reall—"
Tap tap—
"......?"
Tap tap tap—
"What sound is that?"
Source: the boulder beside him.
Crack—
"Wha...!"
Boulder split; reptilian slit pupil gleamed within.
*
"No, Kkomangi, poop some tickets already? Huh...? Why's he so wiped?"
"Hek... Hek..."
*
The next day