Chapter 101
Macal was taken aback. "What?"
"I mean... it's possible we're not in reality—haven't you noticed we haven't encountered anyone along the way?" Ogre walked towards a shadow, rolled up his sleeve, and shouted, "Night Crow!"
'Master... I'm here.' Night Crow's voice echoed in Ogre's mind.
"It seems so, wait! Who is Night Crow?"
Macal was very curious, but he soon got his answer—a pitch-black crow flew out from Ogre's shadow.
"Shadow demon!" Macal's eyes widened. "How could Miss Geling be a thief?"
"Is this the mirror space?" Ogre had no intention of explaining and straightforwardly asked Night Crow.
"My master, this is reality," Night Crow said from within the shadows.
'Being able to summon Night Crow... could it be a false illusion?'
"Then why can't I touch him?" Ogre pointed at Macal.
"My master... Night Crow isn't sure either." Night Crow was also a bit confused.
It didn't know how it ended up being summoned so suddenly.
'Wait, that man's attire... could he be a Paladin!' Hidden in the shadows, Night Crow finally took a closer look at Macal.
"I'll just grab him," Macal realized now wasn't the time to worry about Ogre's identity.
But he had to check this shadow demon!
"Macal," Ogre called softly, but couldn't stop Macal—both of their bodies passed through each other, unable to make contact.
Then, Macal reached out to grab Night Crow, but a bizarre scene unfolded; his hand passed through Night Crow, even through the surface of a tree.
"Is it my problem?!" Macal realized the cause.
"Macal, your calf..." Ogre noticed the anomaly on Macal's calf.
"When did this..."
Macal looked down at his calf, where a red needle was embedded.
'Why didn't I feel any pain?'
Realizing it might be the needle, Macal immediately bent down, reached for the needle, and pulled it out.
"Wait!" Ogre tried to stop him.
But Macal had already completed the action, and the moment he pulled it out.
His body began to flicker.
Then Macal vanished.
He disappeared right in front of Ogre.
'What is going on!' Ogre's mind was in turmoil.
"Master, that Paladin seems to have been removed from reality," Night Crow's voice echoed in Ogre's mind.
"I was just thinking, when did he fall for it..." Ogre muttered to himself.
He looked up at the sky—it was almost dark.
...
"Where is this?" Macal looked around with extreme caution.
But all around was nothingness.
"Paladin, do you feel fear too?" A female voice came from behind Macal.
Swish—
Macal didn't waste words, he turned and swung his sword, but it cut through empty air.
"Just as decisive as when you killed my 'brothers'." A white-haired girl slowly appeared in this void space. "So decisive that they lost their value in an instant..."
"You didn't save your demonized brothers, and now you come out to threaten me... Let me guess, your ability is just using illusions—you're afraid of me!"
Macal still held his sword, pointing at the white-haired girl in front of him.
"How would you know if you don't try?" The white-haired girl coldly smiled.
Then she instantly turned into a black mist, reappearing behind Macal, baring her fangs.
...
"I thought I was pulled into a dream back in the village." Ogre jumped down from the tree.
He had been standing at a high point, using his super vision to look towards the city and found other adventurers.
It seemed that not encountering anything before was purely due to luck.
Which meant he wasn't trapped in a dream with Macal...
After all, if all this could be a dream.
The power would be terrifying—Ogre thought, someone with such power wouldn't choose such a cowardly approach.
This wasn't a power a Professional could possess.
But the strange attacks and power afterward didn't seem like something a simple Professional could do either.
"This guy's target was only Macal... but why not act sooner? Was it to wait for a moment of lowered guard?"
Ogre felt the recent events were too bizarre.
He was now pondering the reason for the delayed action.
"Time... number of people?" Ogre felt like he was missing something.
'Should I leave here or continue waiting for Macal...' Ogre looked at Night Crow, which hadn't fully recovered.
"Night Crow, did you notice anything?"
Night Crow: "..."
Could it say no?
"What exactly is the reason?"
...
"What on earth are you..."
After unleashing his Battle Qi to repel several enemy attacks, Macal couldn't help but wonder—he could feel that each of the opponent's attacks was tangible.
The black mist, unable to succeed in its continuous attacks, transformed into bats, then into the white-haired girl, landing lightly in this void space. "Just a victim of a mad wizard's experiment."
"Vampire? Shadow demon? Neither seems right, what kind of creation is so grotesque..." Macal felt a headache, as his Battle Qi wasn't very effective against this creature.
But he could understand why he hadn't noticed this creature's attacks before—it simply wasn't in the real world.
"You call me grotesque!"
Seemingly hitting a sore spot, the white-haired girl's eyes turned red instantly.
"Hmph, no matter what your past is—it can't be an excuse to harm ordinary people!" Macal's whole body ignited with Battle Qi, swinging his sword forward.
"You can't hurt me."
As expected, the sword strike fell into emptiness again.
With a sharp, piercing sound, the white-haired girl reappeared behind Macal, mocking him mercilessly.
"Shouldn't you be the one angry? You didn't save anyone." Macal turned around calmly.
He was sure that this creature had been watching since they entered the village.
But the opponent probably didn't expect him to kill the snake-man with one strike and provoke the bulky man into a half-demon.
The bulky man, once a half-demon, was as good as dead whether or not he was killed afterward.
"Knight, your strength will eventually run out..."
"Your strength isn't infinite either, otherwise you wouldn't need to appear. Since you were so eager to act, it means you're the one who's afraid..." Macal said with clarity, holding his sword.
The final lesson in becoming a Paladin is to face fear and remain calm.
That way, one won't be exploited by mutants.
As for endurance?
The strongest trait of a Professional Knight is none other than the stamina to fight for three days and nights!
"Then let's drag it out!" The white-haired girl's figure vanished again.
Only appearing occasionally to provoke Macal's use of Battle Qi.
...
"Has it gotten dark?"
Ogre left the tree he was leaning against.
With the arrival of night, Night Crow also gained the freedom to move—its current form wasn't fully converted, making it useless during the day.
Only at night could it exert some power.
Two days of recovery time was still too short.
"Night Crow," Ogre called softly.
"Master..." Night Crow flew and landed in front of Ogre.
"You can enter the mirror world, right?" Ogre extended his hand and asked.