A Bizarre Conversation

The strange conversation seemed to go unnoticed by everyone except Yeonhee, but that painting was probably pointing at me. The skull and the branching cracks were shapes I'd seen often enough. I was just as startled, so I simply stared back at Yeonhee, who was looking up at me with her mouth hanging open.

"Why... why Ilwol? Mimic! Does that mean summoned beasts count as eligible targets for the challenge?"

"Eh? That's supposed to be Ilwol?"

"Ilwol isn't even human, though?"

The Mimic, who had been quietly observing us, answered Yeonhee.

"Any being with a sense of self qualifies. For example, the one held by that black-haired woman over there would also be acceptable."

At the Mimic's reply, every head turned toward Ham Eun-yeong at once.

"Unni! What's with that mirror that it has a sense of self?"

"It wasn't just an ordinary hand mirror? Was it an artifact this whole time?"

"Ah... ah, no. This is— mine."

"I knew it... it was way too sturdy."

"Then why Ilwol...? There are other summons too."

Yeonhee asked the Mimic again in a slightly lowered voice. The Mimic spun once above the few remaining lizard troops and orcs before speaking.

"These creatures cannot bring joy to our master. A minimum qualification is required, after all. Among those with a sense of self, only that mirror meets the standard."

"......"

Just as everyone stood speechless at the shocking information, the world suddenly stopped. The mana that normally circulated endlessly through the air had frozen in place. Yeonhee remained frozen like a mannequin, still resting her chin on her hand while staring at me. Jua's gaze was locked on the summons, Arin had gone rigid with her head clutched in her hands, and Eun-yeong had squeezed her eyes shut while gripping the hand mirror. And the Mimic was staring straight at me. It seemed like the only thing moving in this world right now was that creature.

Spin, spin— The Mimic, which had been circling me, suddenly began bouncing around like a rubber ball, as if it had gotten excited.

What on earth is it so happy about?

"I am the Golden Mimic, Tania. Welcome to my domain."

And before I even realized it, I had already been moved to another space.

Everything is gold...

An endless golden floor and an infinitely high golden ceiling. In that space, only the Mimic greeted me—now standing on two legs in the form of a werewolf.

You really like the color gold, don't you?

Even the werewolf's wildly splayed fur was golden. Even the fur covering its... important lower region. Looking at it like this, it actually looked pretty impressive. And quite well-endowed, at that.

"You seem to be quite lucky. Among the entities that could have appeared, you drew the lowest-ranked one. Though, in a way, that outcome was only natural."

"Clack clack!!"

A werewolf is the lowest rank...? You're joking, right?

The fact that a werewolf—the most vicious monster in a C-rank dungeon—was considered the weakest here made me wonder just what kind of lineup this place had.

"I am not joking."

...... Huh? Huhhh?!

"Normally, the opponent is chosen at random from a pool slightly weaker or stronger than the challenger. However, it has been a long time since a connection was made to such a low-grade dungeon... so the lowest entity, a werewolf, was selected."

Wait, hold on. Did you just read my mind?

"This is a perfect space granted solely to me by that being. So there is no need to be too surprised that I can hear your thoughts."

Whoa... really? You can hear my thoughts? If this space is under perfect control... then maybe something ridiculous like that is actually possible... Wait. Then can we actually have a conversation? I've been talking to myself for way too long. The summons just keep saying 'Oh Master, Master is the best' or whatever. Ran only sticks to Yeonhee, and basically acts like some old geezer so we can't communicate.

"...... Pardon? What is this all of a sudden... We are supposed to duel right now!"

Let's talk first. I'm going to lose anyway. Come on, sit down next to me.

I meant it. The weakest entity here was a werewolf? And not just any werewolf, either. Something several tiers above even the brown Mimic that rivaled a great mage. A werewolf that such a being had mimicked. Basically a boss-level werewolf. The aura I felt from it was even more intense than the one from 'Fang' back at the Guchang-ro dungeon break. Unfortunately, my chances of beating something like that were extremely slim. That kind of luck from back then wasn't going to repeat itself. But thinking that way somehow made me feel strangely relaxed. Of course, that was only possible because I had an extra life.

"......"

The Mimic, now in werewolf form, pondered for a long while before slowly shuffling over to sit beside me.

Thud— Thud—

A werewolf, one of the most powerful races among the lycanthropes. When it came close and looked down at me, the pressure was truly immense. As expected, it was much larger than a normal werewolf. Even Lizard No. 1 would look like an elementary school student standing next to it. But my curiosity far outweighed any fear, so I patted the spot next to me and told it to sit.

"...... You truly wish to converse? You may not realize it, but I cannot give you unlimited time. We must fight soon—"

I get it. So, whose story should we start with? I feel like there's something we can relate to. Let's just ask each other one question at a time.

"I do not particularly have any questions..."

"Fine. I'll go first."

"...... You are completely ignoring what I am saying."

"How long have you been in this space? I was also trapped in a space once, but I can't remember how long I was there."

"......"

Thus began the bizarre conversation between the Mimic and me. Even though I had started it, it was a rather absurd situation when I thought about it—having a leisurely chat with a monster that could tear me apart at any moment, in a space neither of us knew.

"... I do not remember. All I know is that I must please the one who created me. That is all."

So summoning people here to fight every once in a while is what pleases your master?

"That is correct."

What kind of being is the master you serve?

"I cannot speak of that. However, I will say that it is a great existence that one cannot even dare to look up at."

Oh... sounds cool. I'm jealous. I don't have that kind of backing.

"Haa... I fear what that being might think upon seeing this unprecedented sight of me conversing with a challenger."

Well... I don't really know, but wouldn't it be fine?

"... Why do you think so?"

If the one who made you didn't want you to just fight every day, wouldn't they be more excited by an event like this if watching you was their form of entertainment?

"? I was created for this purpose... What you are saying does not make sense."

I'm just saying it feels that way to me.

The Mimic in werewolf form clasped its massive hands together with difficulty and fell into thought for a moment. It seemed to be mulling over my words, and seeing that made me oddly cheerful, drawing a laugh out of me.

After that, the conversation mostly consisted of a recap of my slightly-over-a-month-long life as a skeleton. I explained the major events, leaving out only the fact that I had originally been human and that I had regressed. Surprisingly, the Mimic did not interrupt me at all while I spoke, and occasionally even nodded along.

That red-haired elf is the one bothering me the most right now. Have you ever captured orcs in this space before?

"That is a strange question. Far more orcs appear here than humans. Their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠performance in the challenges is also far superior to that of humans."

What? Really?

"That is correct. There are races that outperform orcs as well, however."

"... Like elves?"

"That is correct. Elves are truly an excellent race."

This was something I had never even considered. So they were operating under exactly the same system as us? Hmm...

I don't get it... So that's why the orc commander was so strong?

"Do you have no more questions? You were the one urging me to fight quickly at first, yet now you are the one continuing the conversation."

Ah! You said the werewolf was the weakest entity, so what are the strongest ones?

"I shall make that your final question."

The Mimic extended its right hand and pointed toward the empty space on the opposite side.

"I will show you just one. If it becomes too difficult, please raise your hand."

"Huh? Got it."

With those words, a massive portal the size of a mountain opened in the direction it pointed, revealing another world within. A desolate, ashen world. Standing tall there, staring straight at me, was a single giant. It had the head and wings of a bird, yet its hands were as large as its face, and its feet split into spider-like thin legs—clearly different from any being I knew.

I can't even gauge its size. Just looking at it, it doesn't seem like much...

The moment I thought that, it reached me. Those burning red eyes, devoid of any emotion, pierced straight through me. The moment our gazes met, I understood. That was an existence so far above me that I could never reach even a fingertip of it, no matter how hard I tried in my entire life.

"S-stop... stop...!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At my desperate scream, the Mimic instantly extinguished the portal. Even as the portal closed, that being's gaze remained fixed on me. Those eyes seemed to say that one day, it would come to meet me.

Clackclackclackclackclack— My teeth chattered madly against each other.

"Haaah... haa... shit... shit..."

"...... I should have warned you. Allow me to assist."

"Huu..."

The Mimic seemed to have done something. My fraying mind finally settled.

Th-that was the highest tier...... insane... that's not just some monster, is it?

"Correct. Among the highest-ranking entities I can mimic, I summoned one that you might be able to endure. In truth, it is the most insignificant existence among the 'Lost Titans.'"

"Puhuhuhu... that thing is insignificant... Then is the 'Necrosquall' that appeared ten years ago also one of those 'Lost Titans'?"

"What are you saying... It is not something that can be compared to such dust. Even if it has strayed from its path, a Titan is still a race that inherited the blood of a great being. They possess a status close to what you call divine entities."

"...... So Necrosquall is just dust..."

The fact that an existence that had only been put to sleep through the combined efforts of China's greatest powerhouses was considered nothing more than dust left me breathless at the sheer scale of it all.

I really was lucky...

"...... Yes. It is truly time now. Prepare yourself."

The golden werewolf rose to its full height and spoke firmly. Yes, even if such a world existed somewhere, it was still a distant tale from another realm, far removed from me right now.

Alright. Let's give it a shot.

Even though we had talked for what felt like a long time, there was a strange sensation that no time had passed at all. I stretched my arms behind me for a moment, then drew Arhen's dagger.

"There are several steps between you and the werewolf that will be difficult to overcome."

The Mimic, having stepped far back, spoke while standing still.

"I had forgotten as well. When the gap in rank between the challenger and myself is large, a temporary privilege is granted. The privilege will present options based on the path you have walked so far. Even I do not know what they will be, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠choose carefully."

It was an excessively kind thing for an opponent to say right before a fight, but I naturally nodded and began reading the message that appeared before my eyes.