For a long moment, the antique shop was completely silent.
A thief lay sprawled face-first on the wooden floor.
His dagger had rolled under a shelf.
And on the wall…
A perfectly ordinary-looking mirror hung quietly.
Except the mirror was currently having an existential crisis.
Inside the mirror, Lee Eunwoo was panicking.
"I knocked him out."
He stared at the unconscious thief.
"I actually knocked him out."
Several seconds passed.
Then Eunwoo came to a terrifying realization.
"Wait… what if he dies?"
"System!" Eunwoo shouted internally. "Did I just murder someone?!"
The mechanical voice answered calmly.
[Target is alive.]
Eunwoo relaxed slightly.
"Oh thank goodness."
Another message appeared.
[Reflection successful.]
[Skill permanently recorded: Shadow Dagger Technique.]
Eunwoo blinked.
"…Recorded?"
The system explained.
[All abilities observed through the mirror can be reflected, copied, or stored.]
Eunwoo slowly processed the words.
"…So if someone strong stands in front of me…"
[Host may acquire their abilities.]
"…That's actually insane."
Then he paused.
"…Wait."
His mood immediately darkened.
"I'm still a mirror."
Minutes passed.
The thief still hadn't woken up.
Eunwoo had nothing to do except stare at the same dusty room.
Shelves of strange artifacts filled the antique shop.
There were rusted swords.
Weird glowing crystals.
A helmet with horns that looked extremely uncomfortable.
And an ugly statue that looked like a frog trying to meditate.
"Who even buys this stuff?" Eunwoo muttered.
Then he noticed something.
The shop wasn't just dusty.
It was ancient.
Cobwebs clung to the corners.
Some shelves looked like they hadn't been touched in years.
Which meant something very important.
"…This shop barely gets customers."
A horrible thought formed in Eunwoo's mind.
"If no one stands in front of me…"
"…I'll never get stronger."
A chill ran through his thoughts.
"Does that mean I'm stuck as a level 2 mirror forever?!"
Suddenly—
The thief groaned.
Eunwoo immediately focused.
"Ah."
The man slowly pushed himself up.
"Oww… my head…"
He looked around in confusion.
"What the hell just happened?"
Then his eyes slowly drifted upward.
Right toward the mirror.
Eunwoo stared back.
The thief froze.
For a moment neither moved.
Then the man's face turned pale.
"…"
"…"
"…THE MIRROR ATTACKED ME!"
The thief scrambled backwards in pure terror.
Eunwoo blinked.
"Wait what?"
The man pointed a shaking finger at the mirror.
"I saw it! My own dagger technique came out of the reflection!"
Eunwoo tried to explain.
"Actually that's a misunderstanding—"
But the thief couldn't hear him.
Because Eunwoo was a mirror.
The man crawled toward the door like his life depended on it.
"I knew this shop had cursed artifacts!"
He ran out screaming.
"IT'S A DEMON MIRROR!"
The door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
Eunwoo stared at the empty shop.
"…Demon mirror?"
He sighed.
"This world is weird."
A moment later, another notification appeared.
[New Title Unlocked.]
Eunwoo squinted mentally.
"Title?"
[Title: First Reflection.]
Effect:
• Reflection power +10%
• Intimidation +5%
Eunwoo tilted his metaphorical head.
"…Why do I have intimidation?"
Morning arrived.
Golden sunlight slowly crept through the shop windows.
And for the first time since Eunwoo reincarnated…
The shop door opened normally.
A tired-looking old man stepped inside.
He had messy gray hair and wore thick glasses.
He looked like someone who had given up arguing with life.
Eunwoo watched him carefully.
"Who's this?"
The system responded.
[Shop Owner Identified.]
Name: Harun
Occupation: Antique Dealer
Strength Level: Extremely Low
Eunwoo blinked.
"…Even the system roasted him."
The old man yawned and walked toward the counter.
Then he suddenly stopped.
His eyes slowly moved toward the floor.
Right where the thief had collapsed earlier.
Harun frowned.
"…Huh."
He picked something up.
The dagger.
"Strange."
The old man scratched his head.
"I locked the door last night."
He glanced around the shop suspiciously.
Then his gaze slowly moved toward the mirror.
Toward Eunwoo.
Eunwoo froze.
"Oh."
Harun walked closer.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Until he was standing directly in front of the mirror.
Eunwoo prepared himself.
"Okay system… if he has any cool abilities… copy them."
The system remained silent.
Harun stared at his reflection.
Then he sighed.
"…I look older today."
Eunwoo was disappointed.
"That's it?"
But then something unexpected happened.
Harun leaned closer.
Very close.
And muttered quietly.
"…You're strange."
Eunwoo blinked.
"Excuse me?"
The old man adjusted his glasses.
"I've had this mirror for thirty years."
He tapped the frame.
"But it never looked this… alive before."
Eunwoo's internal alarm bells went off.
"WAIT HE CAN TELL?!"
Harun squinted at the reflection.
Then he suddenly laughed.
"Ah, I must be getting old."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Talking to mirrors now."
Eunwoo relaxed.
"That was close."
The old man stretched lazily and walked away.
But before leaving, he said something strange.
"If you really are a magical artifact…"
He glanced back once.
"…try not to destroy my shop, alright?"
Then he disappeared into the back room.
Eunwoo stared at the empty shop.
"…Did he just suspect me?"
The system chimed again.
[New Skill Available.]
Eunwoo perked up.
"Finally."
[Skill: Mirror Observation.]
Effect:
Allows the host to analyze abilities of anyone reflected in the mirror.
Eunwoo grinned mentally.
"Oh."
"Oh this is going to be fun."
Outside the shop…
The thief from last night was currently telling everyone in the nearby tavern:
"There's a demon mirror in that shop!"
No one believed him.
Yet.
But soon…
Rumors about the mysterious mirror would begin spreading through the town.
And Lee Eunwoo—
The completely confused, newly reincarnated mirror—
Was about to become the most terrifying artifact in the entire continent.