Mistaken for a Masked Munchkin

Javert's Iron and Justice (1)

"It's been a while."

A long corridor stretched ahead.

Only faint rays of light brightened my view.

As I crossed through that darkness, I found myself sinking into a sudden wave of nostalgia.

"It's already been almost half a year since we stopped by Purgatory Floor 70."

[Looking back, time truly has passed quickly.]

Her Highness was sitting on my shoulder.

The silver bat looked around.

It had already been five months since we visited Purgatory Floor 70 and cut the Undead Dragon clean in half.

[Back then, I truly thought I would die. I opened the door and stepped inside, only to find some enormous form waiting there...]

"Haha, I did startle you quite badly."

[Impudent retainer. To think you took pleasure in teasing your own liege. It seems you developed a taste for it from then on.]

"Teasing? Never. You know how much I respect you, Your Highness..."

[Hmph. All you have done is grow better at flattery.]

"I have only become better at expressing my sincerity."

[Silence.]

As if displeased, Her Highness tapped my cheek with the tip of her wing.

Of course, even that was only a soft pat, so it did not hurt.

Our idle chatter drifted off for a moment.

[By the way... why did you not bring Lua? It did seem like you put her to bed early today.]

"Who knows."

[And your outfit seems more tightly wrapped than usual.]

"You saw correctly. I tried putting on the outerwear I obtained earlier."

Lumiera's Temple.

The item I had obtained as a quest reward after clearing that place.

Ding!

[Robe of Silence]

-Category: Clothing

-Grade: B+

-Condition: Clean

-Description: An outer shell peeled away from shadow. When worn, the user is granted the [Partial Stealth] effect. The user's appearance is perfectly concealed.

'It really is exactly the item I needed.'

I walked while humming to myself.

After another ten minutes, the long, long corridor finally reached its end.

A heavy gate blocked the way.

"We're here."

There was no reason to hesitate.

If my prediction was right, Purgatory Floor 80 could also be cleared easily.

It might even feel a little anticlimactic.

"Here I go."

Kuuuung.

When I lightly placed my hand on it, the gate opened on its own.

Holding only a single dagger, I stepped forward.

Right after that, my vision went white with light.

An empty space was waiting for us ahead.

As I looked around, the gate locked behind me, making sure it could not be opened again.

Click.

'It won't open until I clear this.'

Well, this was a pattern I had experienced on Floor 70 too.

I calmly fiddled with the tip of my dagger.

[Viktor.]

Her voice was tinged with confusion.

Her Highness was looking around every corner of the empty space.

She seemed to be wary of this place's master, but all that entered our sight was a small puddle.

[Hmm... does this place have no master? I was certain something terrifying would be waiting, just like on Floor 70.]

"It's fine. It will appear soon."

I had not even finished answering.

At the center of the space, the small puddle began to boil.

Bubble, bubble.

The transparent liquid silently wriggled.

Right after that, droplets rose into the air.

The clear liquid gathered together and took on a human shape.

<......>

It looked eerily similar to me.

The mask over its face, of course, but also its build, height, stride, and even its standing posture. Every part of it was identical.

Aside from the fact that its whole body was transparent like glass, I doubted it could be distinguished from me by appearance or features alone.

Half fascinated and half creeped out, I stared at it.

[Name: Mirror]

-Race: Not applicable

-Category: Boss Monster

-Description: An entity that transforms into the detected target. It copies the target's abilities, experience, habits, and techniques exactly. It does not tire. The master that governs the end of Floor 80.

'There it is.'

A boss that ranked among the top five in the story for sheer annoyance.

Just like me, it stared this way while holding only a single dagger.

Its transparent mask flashed.

I took a pocket watch from my clothes.

As if copying me, the Mirror also took a pocket watch from its clothes.

"Please do not use your power, Your Highness."

[Why?]

"The more people fight it, the more complicated it becomes. I think it would be better to clear this cleanly by myself."

[Hmm... Very well. If you say so, Viktor, then it must be so.]

If Carmilla stepped in here, an identical clone resembling Carmilla would only appear.

That would make the situation pointlessly complicated.

'It imitates everything about the intruder.'

The items I took out.

The skills I deployed.

It reproduced all of those elements in exactly the same way.

It copied them with the same output, the same form, and the same influence.

'That's why it's annoying.'

You could call it rock-paper-scissors against the Mirror.

The same moves kept repeating, and the match ran along parallel lines without ending.

If the intruder raised their output, it also raised its output. If an ally joined in, it created an identical ally too.

'On top of that, it doesn't get tired.'

The other side had infinite Stamina.

I had no idea if it was Purgatory's authority or what, but this was where the match became unfair.

The fight ran in parallel, the challenger's Stamina kept dropping, and the opponent showed no sign of fatigue at all.

Rock-paper-scissors.

When the challenger was exhausted and could no longer raise their arm, the other side would hold out its hand while chanting, [If you don't throw, you lose]. So the match was designed to inevitably tilt toward the Mirror.

'Because this was a floor you couldn't break through without some special item or authority.'

It was impossible to clear through normal methods.

Even if you brought the Head of the Imperial Knights, a tireless Head of the Imperial Knights would only appear here as an enemy.

'......But what about me?'

Shrrng.

I lightly raised my dagger.

Right after that, I rushed at the Mirror and cut sideways with a silver arc.

As if it had sensed that, my opponent rushed at me as well.

Claaang!

Sparks scattered in the air.

The two daggers collided with the same strength and along the same path.

Not even the slightest tremor came from the masked Mirror.

"Hup...!"

I kept clashing without concern.

The sound of iron striking iron burst out.

Kagrk, clang...!

My opponent would copy everything about me anyway.

The stronger the moves I used and the more I racked my brain, the harder it would become.

'It's possible.'

So I had no intention of using fancy tricks.

Powerful items and flashy skills were sealed away.

I would face it with only one dagger.

If I came at it like this, it would also have to rely only on its dagger.

'Of course... this isn't the end.'

Dagger or not, if I just stalled for time like this, I would only be headed for defeat.

Rock-paper-scissors against the Mirror was always unfair, after all.

'I have to break it.'

Tap, tap.

I lightly stepped in place.

As I stepped to a steady rhythm, a faint haze formed around my shoe heels.

"Now, let's see if you can copy this too."

Crackle.

My vision flickered off and on like a blink.

The next moment, I had taken the Mirror's back.

"Got you."

<......!?>

Baaam!

A heavy middle kick slammed into its spine.

The Mirror flew off without even reacting and rolled several times in the distance.

"Ha."

So that was how it was.

That thing did not seem able to imitate bugs.

If it could do that, it would have used the Step Bug just like me and avoided the attack.

'A bug... No, in the language of the status window, was it called [Windfall]?'

It was still only an inference, but this power was not something like a game error.

The authority of an evil god.

In other words, a power left behind by a god.

In that case, could a mere Purgatory monster really interpret and imitate that power?

'Never.'

From what I had found out, I was the only one in this world who could implement [Windfall].

I had asked others to experiment too, but no one had succeeded.

There had already been hundreds of such attempts.

Even trivial, simple bugs would not react in another person's hands.

'I wanted to check.'

A power even Purgatory's Mirror could not copy.

If that premise held true, it would support my inference.

'So it was the answer after all.'

The bugs I used seemed to be remnants of the evil god.

With a chill running down my spine, I gripped my dagger.

The evil god, Delkirnos.

What was its goal?

For what purpose had it placed this authority on me?

<......>

In front of me, the Mirror forced itself back to its feet.

It had cracked slightly, but it did not seem damaged enough to stop moving yet.

I exhaled my distracting thoughts with a sigh.

'Focus.'

Knowing would not change anything.

For now, dealing with the immediate problem came first.

As for the matter related to the evil god, I had made my own arrangements too.

"......Come."

I beckoned with my dagger as I spoke.

Then I stepped again.

A haze formed, and my vision flashed several times.

After that, only the sound of breaking glass overlapped within the empty space.

Crackle.

Crackle.

Crackle.

Appearing everywhere as if I were teleporting, I thoroughly trampled the clumsy imitation that was the Mirror.

Before long, it broke apart in a miserable state.

Its remnants soon turned to dust and scattered.

Ding!

[Sub Quest Cleared!]

-Title: How to Greet the Self Who Looks Back

-Objective: Clear Purgatory Floor 80. Defeat the master of Purgatory Floor 80.

[You have completed the quest with minimal force!]

-A reward will be provided. Please check your inventory.

The status window shimmered in my sight.

I quietly took a deep breath.

As expected, the motion sickness was severe right after spamming the Step Bug.

While I steadied my churning stomach, Her Highness spoke from where she had been hiding inside the robe.

[It seems it is over.]

"Fortunately."

[How should I put this... did it not end too easily? It feels rather hollow.]

She was not wrong.

Purgatory Floor 80 was an easier field for me than Floor 10.

Of course, that was no reason to feel disappointed.

"It's fine."

[Hm?]

"Today's Purgatory schedule starts from now."

[Starts from now? We have already hunted the floor's master, so what do you mean...]

Kuuuung.

A heavy noise rang out behind me.

It was the sound of the floor being cleared and the closed gate opening again.

"......"

Without a word, I turned that way.

The gate slowly opened.

Beyond it stood a woman.

Her red hair flowed beautifully over a neat uniform.

"You there, stop."

A mechanical gaze stared this way.

On her chest was a mark proving she was the Chief Investigator.

'Javert.'

The woman's fist was clenched tight.

Following that grip, pure white light whipped around her surroundings.

Whoooosh!

The dark corridor brightened with a red presence.

Javert crossed the gate and approached this way one step at a time.

"I have confirmed that Purgatory Floor 80 was cleared without authorization. At the same time, I judge there is a high probability that the target before me is the same culprit behind the 'Purgatory Floor 70 Unauthorized Clear Incident' that occurred five months ago."

The air warped.

Inside the storm of light, domineering killing intent pressed down on the entire floor.

Kugugugu!

"Under the death-on-sight order issued by the headmaster. Regardless of the reason, the culprit in this case will be held responsible for disrupting order."

Fucking terrifying.

Feeling cold sweat run down my back, I adjusted my grip on the dagger.

Even in that moment, those green eyes held only me in their gaze.

"I will carry out the execution."

Her declaration rang out calmly.

Keeping the robe pulled tightly over me, I smiled tensely.

'Now.'

Let's give this a try.

Javert Droit.

It was time to shake that principled woman as much as possible.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!