Chapter 548: Deceptive Trials
Max looked at the distorted figure in the mirror and felt a subtle, creeping sensation climb up his spine—an unease that burrowed into the pit of his stomach.
The figure twisted, its silhouette twitching with flickers of chaotic flames, unstable waves of energy rippling off its form in sharp pulses. It wasn’t monstrous, but it was certainly... wrong. Familiar yet distant. Like looking at a version of himself that had forgotten what it meant to be him.
"Now that’s disturbing," Max muttered under his breath, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he shifted his gaze to the side where a stone tablet stood, half-shrouded in mist. The words engraved on its dark surface glowed faintly with a soft white light, pulsing as if responding to his presence.
He stepped forward and read the message aloud, voice steady.
"The reflection is your true reflection of the inheritance you showed in the last floor. Control your inheritance in such a way that the reflection would begin to resemble the challenger. You can initiate this test by touching the mirror. And if even 30% of the reflection resembles the challenger, they shall pass. Or else... be kicked out from the second floor."
Max fell silent for a moment, absorbing the meaning behind those words. Understanding gradually settled in like a puzzle piece snapping into place.
’So this is a test of control... not strength or destruction—but precision,’ he mused internally, his expression turning contemplative. ’If I merely blaze with power, the reflection remains wild. But if I command my inheritance, if I master its essence, the flame itself will obey and mold me into shape.’
A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips, half-amused. "I like this," he whispered. "It’s like sculpting fire into form."
Without another word, he extended his hand forward and pressed his palm against the cold, unmoving surface of the mirror. The glass rippled like water under his touch. The reflection flinched. And then—light flared behind the surface.