Con left the Mirror Realm quietly.
The silver world dissolved around him as he stepped back through the surface. The academy hallway returned, dim and silent under moonlight.
The moment his feet touched the stone floor—
Darkness returned.
His vision vanished instantly.
Just like before.
Con exhaled slowly.
"…still blind."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
It was strange.
Inside the Mirror Realm, he could see perfectly. The world there was bright and clear, as if his eyes had always worked.
But in the real world—
Nothing.
Just darkness and sound.
He didn't mind it much anymore. He had lived blind his entire life, after all.
But the real problem was something else.
The system.
He could only see it inside the Mirror Realm.
Out here, it disappeared completely.
That made things difficult.
The system clearly knew things about him.
About his past.
About his abilities.
About the Mirror Realm itself.
And yet—
He had no way to communicate with it unless he entered that strange world again.
Which was not always convenient.
Or safe.
Con walked slowly back toward the dormitory, deep in thought.
There has to be a way.
Mirrors were the key.
The Mirror Realm responded to them.
The system appeared when he entered.
So maybe…
He didn't need to go all the way inside.
Maybe just touching the boundary would work.
But to test that—
He needed a mirror.
A real one.
And that was a problem.
Mirrors were expensive.
Ridiculously expensive.
Even the smallest hand mirrors cost more than most academy students could afford.
Con sighed quietly.
"Well… that's inconvenient."
But then he remembered something.
The academy allowed trainees to register as mercenary apprentice knights.
It was common practice.
Young knights took small commissions from the Mercenary Guild during their free time.
Monster hunting.
Escort jobs.
Guard duties.
Simple things that paid modestly.
Most trainees did it for experience.
Some did it for pocket money.
Con stopped walking.
"…that might work."
A small smile appeared on his face.
Over the next few weeks—
Con became extremely busy.
Classes during the day.
Training with his friends.
And every free hour outside the academy—
He spent working.
At the Mercenary Guild.
The guild staff were skeptical at first.
A blind knight trainee registering for commissions raised some eyebrows.
But the first job quickly erased their doubts.
A merchant caravan needed escort through a forest road.
Three hired mercenaries had backed out after hearing rumors of wolves nearby.
Con volunteered.
The guild reluctantly accepted.
Three days later—
The merchant returned happily.
The caravan had arrived without a single problem.
The wolves had apparently "run away."
The merchant praised the blind knight repeatedly.
Then came another job.
And another.
Monster clearing.
Bandit patrols.
Escort missions for traveling nobles.
Simple security work.
Con took them all.
And he excelled at nearly everything.
His hearing made him an incredible tracker.
His reflexes made him nearly untouchable in combat.
And his strange collection of skills allowed him to solve problems most mercenaries struggled with.
Cooking.
Repairing wagons.
Building temporary shelters.
Navigating wilderness.
Even treating minor injuries.
Before long—
The guild staff began recommending him personally.
"Ask for the blind knight."
"He gets the job done."
Money started accumulating quickly.
Con didn't spend much of it.
He only needed one thing.
Eventually—
He finally bought it.
A small hand mirror.
Simple.
Round.
With a silver frame.
Still expensive.
But affordable now.
He turned it carefully in his hands.
"…well."
"That should do."
The rest of the money—
He sent home.
To Harun.
Con wrote a simple letter with it.
Grandfather.
I'm doing well. Please use the money for the house. Don't work too hard.
He didn't mention the mercenary work.
Harun would probably worry.
A few nights later—
Con sat quietly in his dorm room.
His friends had already gone to sleep.
The small mirror rested in his hands.
"…let's try this."
He raised it carefully.
Then leaned forward.
Until his face touched the mirror's surface.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the world split strangely.
His body remained in the dormitory.
Still sitting on the bed.
But his face—
Had entered the mirror.
His vision suddenly returned.
But only partially.
The dorm room looked strange now.
Like he was viewing it through a window of glass.
His body remained outside.
But his head existed halfway inside the Mirror Realm.
Con blinked.
"…well that's weird."
But then—
The system appeared.
Bright glowing text floating directly in front of him.
[Host Detected]
[Partial Mirror Access Confirmed]
Con grinned.
"Yes!"
It worked.
He couldn't move.
His body was still in the real world.
So he couldn't walk through the endless mirrors or explore the realm.
But that didn't matter.
He could see.
And more importantly—
He could talk to the system.
Exactly what he needed.
Con leaned closer to the mirror.
"Alright, System."
His voice carried into the silver space.
"I've got a lot of questions."
The glowing text flickered gently in response.
The system was ready.
And for the first time—
Con finally had a way to ask.