The new door opened with a hiss, shadows curling into the chamber. The air grew heavy, humming with arcane power.

  From the gloom, a figure stepped forward.

  Her robes shimmered violet, runes glowing like firebrands. Her staff crackled with raw magic, arcs of lightning dancing across the stone. Her eyes burned with ruthless intelligence.

  Harlada blinked. “Oh no. Oh no no no.”

  Bert squinted. “…Is that… you?”

  Leo adjusted his glasses. “Correction: Mirror Variant. Mage specialization. Unlike our Harlada… this one appears competent.”

  The crystal pulsed smugly:

  Boss Encounter: Mirror Mage – Harlada Houdini. Attempt: 6.

  Mirror-Harlada raised her staff high. Fire roared at the tip. “Prepare to burn.”

  ***

  The chamber exploded in chaos. Fireballs, lightning bolts, and ice storms cascaded across the floor in rapid succession.

  But the real Harlada darted and weaved with wild, frantic speed, her pink HELL KITTY robe flapping like a battle banner.

  “Too slow!” she shouted, rolling under a streak of flame.

  Mirror-Harlada snarled, unleashing another spell. Crash. Miss.

  Another. Boom. Miss.

  Another. Fzzzap. Still a miss.

  Leo scribbled furiously, ducking behind rubble. “Observation: accuracy rate zero percent. Probability of self-exhaustion… one hundred percent.”

  Bert leaned on his new sword, chuckling. “So we just… let her miss until she’s tired?”

  “Precisely,” Leo said.

  The crystal pulsed reluctantly:

  Warning: Fight may be boring. Viewer retention dropping.

  ***

  Minutes passed. The chamber looked like a war zone — walls scorched, tiles cracked, air still sizzling with residual magic.

  Mirror-Harlada stood panting, staff trembling in her hands. Her spells sputtered uselessly, the glow fading. She sagged, eyes burning with frustration.

  “…This is pointless,” she hissed.

  Bert stepped forward, hefting his massive sword. With one clean swing, he cleaved straight through the exhausted doppelg?nger.

  She dissolved into mist with a sigh, her staff clattering into nothing.

  ***

  The crystal pulsed, sounding almost… disappointed:

  Boss Defeated. Reward Generated. Attempt: 6.

  Bert grinned. “Easiest boss fight ever.”

  Leo scribbled one last note. “Correction: statistically the most humiliating boss fight… for her.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Harlada brushed soot from her robe, smirking. “Hell Kitty wins again.”

  The mist cleared, leaving behind the pedestal. Upon it lay a pouch of coins, a faintly glowing gem, and the staff Mirror-Harlada had wielded. Its wood still crackled with fading arcs of lightning.

  Harlada snatched it up before anyone else could move. The staff thrummed in her hands, warmth spreading up her arms. Her HUD blinked:

  Mana Regeneration Speed Increased.

  She grinned, twirling it. “Finally. Something useful.”

  Bert muttered, “Better not be pink.”

  She pointed it at him threateningly. Sparks snapped across the air. He backed off.

  Leo collected the pouch, counting. “Ten coins. Minimal but acceptable.”

  The gem pulsed next.

  Reward: Stat Choice Granted.

  Without hesitation, they called their picks.

  Bert: “Strength.”

  Harlada: “Dexterity.”

  Leo: “Intelligence.”

  The gem dissolved into three motes of light, each darting into their chests. Their HUDs flickered with updates.

  Bert flexed, grinning. “Stronger.”

  Harlada stretched, her movements unnervingly quick. “Faster.”

  Leo adjusted his glasses, eyes gleaming. “Smarter. Statistically inevitable.”

  The crystal pulsed smugly:

  Achievement Unlocked: Predictable maggots. Reward: None.

  ***

  Bert slung his sword over his shoulder, gazing at the sealed second miniboss door. Its hostile red glow hadn’t dimmed.

  “…So,” he said slowly. “What are the odds the other one’s… me?”

  Leo tapped his quill against his notebook. “Correction: extremely high. Statistically, Mirror Bert is contained within the other miniboss chamber.”

  Harlada groaned. “Great. A smart Bert. Just what the world needs.”

  The dungeon rumbled, almost laughing.

  ***

  Before moving on, they crept toward the second miniboss door. Its frame pulsed a deep red, the air around it humming with menace.

  Bert swallowed. “Alright. Quick look. Just… to know what we’re up against.”

  Harlada rolled her eyes but shoved the door open anyway.

  The chamber beyond stretched wide — but it was empty. No pedestal, no mist, no mirror-double waiting with a smug grin. Just shadows and silence.

  The crystal pulsed, text jittering across the air:

  Boss Encounter: Active.

  They froze.

  “…Where is he?” Harlada whispered.

  Leo’s quill shook in his hand. “Observation: absence is more dangerous than presence.”

  Bert slammed the door shut. “Nope. Not dealing with that.”

  The HUD flickered once more, almost laughing:

  Good luck finding him.

  Panic shot through the three of them. Without another word, they bolted for the bronze door.

  “Maybe if we go fast,” Harlada hissed, “he can’t follow!”

  “Statistically doubtful,” Leo muttered, sprinting anyway.

  “Shut up and run!” Bert barked.

  The bronze door groaned open, and together they vanished inside — hoping the shadows stayed behind.

  For a moment, silence reclaimed the chamber. The red glow of the second miniboss door dimmed, the crystal flickering faintly.

  Then came the sound.

  Step. Step. Step. Step.

  Four pairs of footsteps echoed across the tiles, slow and deliberate.

  The HUD flickered weakly, as if struggling to process:

  Party Count: …Error.

  The crystal pulsed once more, this time almost nervous:

  Boss Encounter: Active.

  But the chamber was empty.

  (I just completed volume 1.)

  The Maze of the Many.

  I need it. Lazy.