That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 35.1
Hyeon Hee-ro noticed Jae-gyeong’s thoughts and gave a sly smile.
“Jae-gyeong, you’ll do well. All our team members trust you. Just looking at this proposal gives me confidence. Once this shield is added, you’ll be invincible.”
Hee-ro was playful and teasing at times, but at his core, he was a kind person. Jae-gyeong awkwardly tried to return his smile.
After that, time flew by. During this period, Jae-gyeong did not have any notable interactions with Da-sol. They never ate together or had long conversations. Still, when they met, they exchanged greetings.
The team entrusted production orders to Nam Geum-son, the hunter specializing in crafting, and while those items were being made, Team 1 devoted themselves entirely to practicing for the Mirror Dungeon that they predicted would appear soon.
To summarize the S-rank Mirror Dungeon: it was a dungeon entirely made of mirrors, prone to optical illusions, and easily separated team members from each other.
Even if the mirrors were broken, all materials in the dungeon were mirrors, so breaking one mirror did not matter. Moreover, breaking a mirror only harmed anyone nearby.
Hyeon Hee-ro suggested that leaving marks or lines on the mirrors would be the most practical approach.
The monsters in the Mirror Dungeon were reflections of oneself or team members. Facing one’s own reflection was manageable because the real identity was known and could be dealt with. Skills affected the reflected opponents as if they were real, and the opponents could use the same skills in return, potentially harming the user.
The problem arose when other team members were reflected. A nearby or distant teammate could appear in front of someone due to the mirror angles. It was difficult to tell if the reflection was a real person or just a mirrored image, making attacks challenging, according to Hee-ro’s explanation.
“That means we need secret signals that only we can recognize. Hand gestures, blinking, something like that.”
There had been a C-rank Mirror Dungeon before, and the team had done multiple mock exercises based on that dungeon. The difficulty was much lower, but it helped them get a feel for it.
Through those mock exercises, Team 1 was able to decide on signals. They also received a strategy guide summarizing all known information about the Mirror Dungeon. Unlike before, when they joked around constantly, everyone now prepared seriously.
Jae-gyeong was equally serious. Especially after being the first to fail silently in the previous real training while watching Da-sol’s cues, he was determined to perform well this time.
He made a promise with Da-sol. This happened as usual after mock training, when everyone was sweaty and about to part ways. Suddenly, Da-sol called out to Jae-gyeong.
“Jeong Jae-gyeong.”
“Yes, yes?”
Jae-gyeong turned around in surprise. Da-sol said,
“Don’t use that skill in the dungeon we’re going into this time.”
“That skill…?”
“The one where you feel pain instead of someone else. It’s really annoying.”
“Ah… okay… but if the guild master or Jeong Jeong-eon, who are core members, take critical damage, wouldn’t it be better for me to use that skill?”
“They are fine, I can heal them. I’m just telling you not to take the healer’s role away.”
Da-sol’s voice sharpened. Jae-gyeong’s shoulders slumped immediately. He lowered his head like a poor dog standing in the rain.
“Yes.”
“No, I’m not telling you to take risks. I just don’t want you hurt. Why do you have that expression?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not asking for an apology… anyway, do you understand?”
Da-sol left after saying that. Jae-gyeong returned home in a sullen mood.
Da-sol probably did not make that request to protect Jae-gyeong but rather to preserve his own pride as a healer. Jae-gyeong sighed deeply, realizing how upset Da-sol must have been during the last dungeon run.
Being a tank, he thought, if Yi-hyeon had attacked instead of him and failed his protection role, he would be angry too. Understanding the perspective, Jae-gyeong nodded in agreement.
“This time, I won’t use the Guardian Spear.”
Jae-gyeong made this resolution, took a shower, and reopened the dungeon strategy guide.
Before he knew it, the calendar turned to the day before the Mirror Dungeon gate would open. That day, an enormous box was delivered to the Training Guild via quick shipping. It contained the new weapon crafted by Nam Geum-son.
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