“What do you mean? Of course they are real,” Matheus said with a nervous chuckle. “Stop playing around.”

  “Really? Do you think Tartaros is a real city, from a world that just so happens to be like a videogame for us? With levels, skills and spells?”

  “I…” he started, unsure on how to answer. When she put it all like that, it did in fact make everything look a little silly.

  “I know you can see it. You and I are the only champions here. All the others were just created for our training.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I thought you’d have figured it out by now. Do any of them seem real to you?”

  Matheus thought about all his interactions so far, with Dina, Dylan, Rick and all the other workers of Tartaros. Yes, there were a lot of odd things, things he couldn’t understand. But that didn’t mean they weren’t real people. They had feelings and emotions just like he did. They had dreams, they laughed and they suffered as anyone would when faced with the harshness of the world.

  “Yes. They seem real to me,” Matheus said, knowing he believed it completely.

  Sophie looked surprised by his answer, clearly not what she had been expecting. Sudden anger appeared on her face.

  “Then you are a fool. Don’t you want to win this contest? Do you have any idea how far behind we are?”

  “I know, I remember the glimpse. I know it’s probably almost impossible to catch up. We need to find a way to progress fast, and I’m willing to take every risk. This still doesn’t mean I'll be ok with killing innocent people.”

  “We wouldn’t be killing them, not exactly. Just letting them die.”

  “Sophie, we can’t do that. Not if we can avoid it.”

  “Why do you think that quest is there in the first place? Isn’t the contest a game among Gods? Do you really think they couldn’t stop this proliferation if they wished? It is all a way to make everything more exciting, the plot more interesting,” she said, staring at him unblinkingly,“ those people were created to die.”

  “You can’t know that for sure. Maybe it’s a test and we are supposed to save them.”

  “You have no idea what you are talking about,” she said with a scoff, and a mirror appeared on her hand from nowhere. “Take a look.”

  It was just a little bigger than his palm. The handle, slender and elegant, was crafted from wood and ornamented with ribbons of gold. Near its base, a small band of engraved silver wrapped around it, delicate and detailed. The glass itself was crystal clear and smooth, and Matheus watched his reflection in shock.

  Every detail was perfectly captured, from each strand of his messy hair to the faintest shadow beneath his eyes. It was still him, undoubtedly. However, there was something deeply different. Matheus couldn’t pinpoint on what exactly, it felt more like a mix of many things. But the person staring back at him wasn’t the same from the one he remembered.

  That wasn’t the Matheus he pictured in his mind when he thought about himself.

  “What are you waiting for? Analyze it,” Sophie said impatiently.

  Mirror of the worthy

  Every day you can glimpse someone from the top hundred for 30 seconds.

  “I got this as my first item, back when this all started. This is also how I found out about this ritual.”

  “That’s way better than what I got,” Matheus commented with a grunt. “I wish I had received something this useful.”

  For some reason, this comment seemed to annoy her even further.

  “I’ve been checking the mirror every day since, trying to learn by watching the other champions,” she started, an edge on her voice.

  “Believe me, if the Gods cared about honor or cruelty, they would have interfered a long time ago. There’s no test. This whole thing is a way for us to get stronger before the real contest. You know, like a witch would feed the kids before eating them? It’s the same idea. We are still not ready for them to play with,” she continued. “They don’t care how we do it. Hell, they are the ones giving the options.”

  “Even so, it’s just an option. It doesn’t mean we have to do it.”

  “For pity's sake, do you want to lose? You told me you were serious about it. You said you’d do whatever it took to win.”

  “I obviously didn’t mean I would leave innocent people to die, let alone murder them.”

  “They are just NPCs, nothing more. I’m telling you, this is the only way we can have a chance in this contest. You have no idea how far behind we are,” she said, visibly angry. “Any of the strongest champions could crush us in a second. We are so weak, they wouldn’t even notice we are on their way. Is that what you want? Lose and die the moment the real contest begins?”

  “No, of course not. I am not giving up. I just think we can find another solution. We can come up with another plan.

  “There is no other plan, only this will work! It’s the only way for us to advance fast enough. After we complete the ritual, we’ll get experience for every person those demibeasts kill. Usually the system doesn’t give experience for killing NPCs, but this is some type of loophole. We can exploit it.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked, retreating a step. “You can’t have learned all that from the mirror.”

  “C’mon, Matheus,” Sophie said, annoyed. “How are you still not understanding it? He isn’t real. None of them are. They are just part of the scenario, only a little more complex than the buildings.”

  “You can’t know that for sure,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Stop being stupid,” she yelled at him. “Isn’t it obvious? They said this was our training, our chance to work on our legend. Everything in this world is a tool placed for us to use.”

  “Even if you are right, it doesn’t give us the right to discard them like trash. I won’t do it.”

  “What, do you really think this is some kind of moral test? Are you expecting the system to reward you for not hurting the scenario of this world? Because every person here is as real as all those weird monsters we’ve been facing.”

  “I don’t care if I’m rewarded or not, there are lines we shouldn’t cross. Sophie, please. There’s no need for us to kill innocent people,” Matheus pleaded.

  “They are not real people!” She almost screamed at his face, “why can’t you understand it? I really thought you would understand.”

  “They are. If you had interacted with them more, you’d know.”

  “Or maybe you’ve interacted with them too much. The system has fooled you. And you’ll lose because of that.”

  Matheus felt the change immediately. There was nothing obvious to pinpoint it, but he knew how violence felt like. There was something in the air. It feels heavy, almost thick. Like it could drown you at any moment.

  Right now, he could barely breathe.

  “Sophie…” he said, hesitantly, “there’s no need for all that. We can find another way to progress. We can still help each other.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “How?” she asked, face impassive. “We can’t be in a party together, remember? And you won’t help me with my plan. Will you try to stop me?”

  She didn’t move to take her bow nor picked any visible weapon, and yet, Matheus felt she could kill him at any second. He certainly wasn’t confident in his ability to stab her before she reacted.

  Should he do an echo clap and run? But even if he managed to get Captain, he had no way of taking Rick with him. Would she kill him?

  “No,” he finally said, defeatedly. “I won’t try to stop you. I promise I won’t be on your way.”

  Coward, Matheus said to himself. You are a fucking coward.

  Better a live coward than a dead hero.

  “It’s because deep down you know I’m right. But you are still not ready to face it. You got too attached.”

  Matheus didn’t answer, unsure on what to say. It was dangerous to agree, even more dangerous to deny it.

  “Look, I understand. Just because I want to win it doesn’t mean I want to hurt innocent people. I get it. I saved you, did I not? And I helped you complete the gold deer quest. I want us to work together,” she said, almost pleading, “Don’t you think I could find a way to do it alone? I could have let you die, and that would be one less champion for me to worry about. I didn’t. Because I’m not a bad person.”

  “I know, and I really appreciate it. Truly. But you are wrong on this,” Matheus said carefully.

  “Is it because of them, isn’t it? There’s nothing wrong in gathering allies and using the resources we are given. But you need to use them to the best of your advantage. Really, why are you still in a party with Rick? I understand you are limited because of your curse and all that, but do you really think sharing your experience and slowing your own progress is the way to get stronger? He is worthless.”

  “He is not worthless,” Matheus answered. “He has helped a few times.”

  Sophie shook her head. “Even Captain is more useful, and even he isn’t worth it. You’d be better off with them dead, you know.” she said nonchalantly.

  “Stay the fuck away from my cat,” Matheus warned, and for his surprise he realized his knife was already on his hand.

  Her expression lost all humor. “Or what? Are you going to stab me?”

  Matheus didn’t answer. Would he?

  “C’mon, do it. Throw some water into my face, do your clap thing. I’m sure at least one of your tricks will work.”

  “I don’t want to fight you,” he said, putting his knife away. “And I don’t think you want to fight me, either. We don’t need to do this,” Matheus pleaded again. “Please. We can find another way, I’m sure we can. Let’s work together.”

  “I’m doing this because I want us to work together. I know this isn’t easy to hear, but it is the truth. You shouldn’t let your attachments get in the way of your progress. Why are you even in this contest? Are you trying to win, or to make friends?”

  “I…” he started, but she didn’t let him finish it.

  “I know you want to win. I can see it in you. We can do it together, but first you need to understand. You’ll have to let those attachments go.”

  Matheus wasn’t sure what alerted him. Maybe it was the resolution in her words, or the way her eyes turned cold. Sophie spun and in a fluid motion, took one arrow from her quiver, aimed and shot it straight into Rick’s head.

  Matheus reacted instantly, clapping his hands the moment the arrow released. The sound wave was enough to disperse the arrow’s flight, making it strike the cave’s ceiling.

  Echo clap has reached level 5!

  “Well done. Now what?” she asked, getting another arrow.

  Matheus put himself in front of his companions, one hand holding his knife and the other pointing at her.

  She aimed at his head.

  “Get out of the way,” Sophie growled at him.

  “No,” he said, unsure of what to do.

  A charged bubble ball could possibly block another arrow, but then what? He would have to get close to have any chance to win against her. Matheus wasn’t sure he could be fast enough.

  “Last warning,” she said with coldness, and then fired again.

  Matheus shot the coming arrow with a bubble ball, hitting it as it came to him. It pierced the water and passed through it with ease, landing on his left shoulder.

  He fell on his knees, growling in pain.

  “Stay down. I know it hurts, but I’m doing this for your own good. You’ll understand eventually,” she said, calmly walking by her.

  He lunged at her, trying to get a luck cut. She easily parried his strike, and with a twist of her bow launched his knife away.

  Matheus grabbed her shirt, trying to pull her down, but Sophie held her balance and punched his face. The blow was strong enough to send him staggering back, and Matheus fell again, his body screaming in pain. He felt warm blood running down his mouth.

  “Don’t worry, I have an elixir I can share,” she said, voice surprisingly kind, “once it’s all done, you’ll see I was right.”

  “Sophie, please… don’t do it,” Matheus pleaded, sputtering blood.

  She stopped in front of Rick, bow ready.

  He needed to do something, anything. He couldn’t just watch as she killed him.

  But he was out of ideas, and the pain was consuming his every thought.

  She aimed, and Matheus knew it was over.

  At the last second, she turned and released the arrow in the opposite direction, hitting and splatting into something.

  With shock, Matheus realized she’d hit another arrow coming in her direction. Someone had attacked her. And she had reacted in time to counter it.

  How?

  How did she notice and manage to hit an arrow coming from dozens of meters away? If it was him, he would only notice it once the arrow shaft was stuck on his head.

  “I think that’s quite enough,” said a familiar voice.

  With relief, Matheus saw Dylan walking to their direction, Nikolas and Derek coming along.

  He was saved. Sophie couldn’t fight so many at once.

  He looked at her, and his blood froze. Her face was even more frightening than before.

  “I’ll make you understand,” she whispered again.