BOSS Room.
Unlike the cramped corridors of the maze, the door to this room was large and towering, and when knocked, it sounded solid and thick.
According to the rules of the maze, only one team could challenge the boss at a time. Other teams wishing to enter would have to wait until the current round ended—though this end usually came with failure, as those inside would hastily flee.
A middle-aged man, a twig between his teeth, leaned against the wall. His team appeared to be under-equipped, and their names weren't found on the hiring market list.
As Romon and his group approached, they overheard their conversation.
"David, you guys are really going to challenge the boss? Aren't you afraid of losing your lives?"
"Heh, I've already analyzed it. The magic mirror is an embodiment of memory. It attacks the points in your memory that are the most terrifying or that you fear the most. Simply put, the stronger you are, the stronger it becomes. The weaker you are, the weaker it is."
"That's true, but the [Knight Commander] has already failed twice. I think his mind is starting to break down."
"Mind your own business. If you're ready, go ahead and enter. I'm still waiting for a teammate."
"I'm waiting for one too."
It was clear that these people weren't planning to enter immediately.
And now it was Romon's group's turn. Though many people entered the maze, only a few had the confidence and courage to challenge the boss. Most came for the livelihood, not for the fight.
Romon looked at the princess and noticed her expression shift slightly when she heard the word "memory."
It seemed...
He would have to plan the escape even sooner.
He looked at Talia, tugged at her cloak, and gave her a subtle look.
Seeing this, Talia hesitated for a moment, perhaps misunderstanding Romon's intent, before stepping forward and touching the door to the boss room.
The princess followed closely behind, and Romon reluctantly trailed after them.
After ten seconds, the door before them rippled like a water curtain, swallowing the three of them.
Inside the room.
It was vast and silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing.
Romon turned back to glance at the door, ensuring they could exit at any moment before feeling at ease.
He even began mentally rehearsing how he would quickly escape the room—what direction he should move in and what posture he should take, should things go wrong.
"Your Highness, Lord Romon. The object in the center of the room ahead is the magic mirror. Once we approach, it will activate instantly. To proceed, we have no choice but to move forward. Please be ready,"
Talia explained, acting as the experienced adventurer.
"I'm ready," Romon replied.
But the princess didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the distant magic mirror, and without another word, she began walking toward it.
"Uh!"
Talia had intended to take the lead, given her lower status, but to her surprise, the princess was already advancing. She quickly gripped her staff and followed.
"Your Highness, please be careful. The magic mirror boss is still quite a challenge," Talia called out as a reminder.
"I'm a swordswoman, and you two are mages. It should be fine for me to take the lead," the princess said, not even looking back.
That being said.
They couldn't just let the princess act as the tank.
The three of them quickly moved forward, side by side.
The BOSS room resembled a large circular plaza, the stone slabs underfoot feeling uneven, as if they were etched into rings.
As they reached a predetermined spot, the magic mirror in the center of the room suddenly flashed with red light.
"Yah!"
"Ugh!"
"Ugh…"
The magic mirror shone on all three of them at once, and each of them saw something different reflected back.
What they saw were terrifying memories, each a reflection of their own personal fears.
For Talia, it was a massive worm covered in sharp spines.
For Romon, it was the first time he had ever witnessed an execution, so the image that appeared was a headless corpse.
As for the princess, what she saw was very different from the others.
She stood in the center of the group, and the thing she feared the most also seemed to be at the heart of the fear. The figure, surrounded by black mist, was almost impossible to make out, but its hunched form and eyes glowing with blood-red light were unmistakable.
"That's…" Talia frowned. She could clearly sense that the princess's fear wasn't on the same level as theirs.
Just one glance, and it already felt overwhelmingly powerful!
"Hahahaha…" A laughter, like air escaping through a leaky windpipe, echoed from the mirror. "I know what you want to do, but you will never succeed."
"?" Romon and Talia exchanged a glance, feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Romon quickly opened his spellbook, his right hand hovering over the binding spell. With a single wave, he could cast it in an instant.
The next moment.
The black mist began to spread, and the first thing to appear was a headless corpse. Romon thought it was a trial for him, but to his surprise, the corpse was already split in two.
The next thing to emerge was the spiked worm, also dead.
Good news: Their heart demons were dead, so they wouldn't have to challenge them.
Bad news: They were killed by the princess's heart demon, and it was practically a one-hit kill.
"Hahahaha…"
The figure at the center of the black mist emerged from the mirror, and only then did Romon and Talia see its form.
The creature was draped in a black robe, with curved, strange horns piercing through its hood. Its face resembled that of a goat skull. As it moved, they could see that it had no solid body, just a mass of darkness swirling beneath its robes.
"A demon," Talia said, looking at Romon. "It's a demon, my lord!"
Romon wasn't sure about the demon's aggressiveness, but judging by Talia's expression, he knew they were in serious trouble.
However, the princess had already charged forward, sword in hand.
"Yah!"
The aura of battle energy that erupted from her sword pierced through the demon's form, slamming into the wall behind it.
With a deafening crash, the stone wall shattered.
According to the simulation, there shouldn't be any problems this time—the princess was supposed to return safely.
But from the current situation, it seemed it wasn't going to be that simple.
First of all, the demon in the mirror was completely unfamiliar.
Second, the princess's mental state was starting to resemble her behavior from the first simulation.
"I don't care anymore."
They were already here, and with those two heart demons dead without a fight, why not try to clear the level?
If they managed to clear this layer, they could also collect rewards from the maze.
Romon immediately cast a binding spell.
Talia's rapid-fire magic followed instantly, with a fierce beam of light illuminating the dark room.
Seeing this, the princess quickly drew her sword and changed her stance.
"Hahahaha... futile."
"You know I'm not real. Even if you kill me, the real me will never disappear. Angelia, you're deceiving yourself, Angelia."
The dark figure continued whispering with a voice full of temptation.
Romon, while casually observing, threw his second spell.
It was the explosive magic he had transcribed earlier. In an instant, the temperature in the BOSS room skyrocketed, and the area where the shadow stood began to twist and turn, glowing red.
Romon realized the spell's power was immense, so he quickly stepped back.
"Boom—whoooosh—"
The orange-yellow light quickly turned into a blinding white. In an instant, Romon felt a blast of air push him several meters away.
If it hadn't been for something soft protecting his body, he might have crashed into the wall and broken a few bones.
When the explosion finally settled, his vision cleared, and he saw that the princess had caught him.
"Not bad," the princess said.
Romon took a closer look, and indeed, it was impressive. The long train of her dress had been blown off, leaving only the shorter skirt, which was now held up by her curvaceous figure. She moved slightly, and it looked as though the skirt might slip off.
"I've got five more tricks like that,"
Romon said proudly.
As a small, remote lord from a tiny territory, daring to use such powerful magic on a princess was already enough to warrant execution.
"Lord Romon, that magic of yours is amazing!" Talia coughed up some black smoke, her eyes full of hope.
No incantation, quick release, powerful impact—this was exactly what Talia had been searching for and the kind of breakthrough she desired.
"Hahahaha… A tiny flame doesn't even come close to one part of me."
The dark figure wasn't dead, but it had lost half its body from the explosion. However, its voice still remained defiant.
"Angelia, do you dare release the true form of me within your body? That would be the real trial. What you're doing now is just avoiding it, playing at human games."
"?"
Upon hearing this, Romon realized that the intelligence of the figure in the mirror far exceeded what he had expected. Now, it was revealing shocking information.
The princess had another true form inside her?
Was this the source of her greatest fear in her memories?
Could this be why her personality in the two simulations had been so different?
The princess, facing the shadow, didn't speak a word. She simply raised her slender sword and charged forward again.