The Mirrored Corridor and a Disturbing Revelation

Near-black, dark red hair cascaded with a luminous, almost pearlescent sheen. Yet, it fell as soft as silk over her shoulders, reaching down to her waist, and a natural, rich rose fragrance wafted from her tresses, captivating anyone who caught a whiff.

Her moist eyes were a rare rose-red hue, soft rather than vivid. They combined subtlety and grandeur in a captivating paradox, creating an ineffable beauty.

Daphne reached out, attempting to touch the girl reflected in the mirror. Her fingers met only the cold, ethereal blue surface, as a thin film of condensation spread outwards from her fingertips, blurring the image.

If only she could, she truly wished to confess her feelings to the girl in the reflection.

Compared to her slumber in the icy iron coffin, the half-blood maiden’s face no longer held an almost eternal, serene peacefulness. Instead, unease and confusion lingered beneath her slightly lowered eyelids, a faint cloud of worry drifting between her brows.

Her stunning, luxurious beauty was enough to ignite anyone’s desire for protection and possession; even she herself found it hard to resist its allure.

This was her now.

A half-blood maiden named Daphne.

Until she could reclaim the body of Pope Bertram, she had to accept this reality and operate temporarily under the identity of Daphne.

After reawakening from her unconsciousness, Daphne briefly surveyed her surroundings.

She found herself in a vast, boundless corridor. Above, the ceiling was paved with polished, translucent cerulean sea crystal.

The walls on either side were made of sea crystal glass, a blend of sea crystal ore and sand, while the floor beneath her feet was black porcelain, intricately veined with marble patterns.

The previous blood crystal corridor, the platform, and the abyss filled with the ‘Mist of Death’ had all vanished. Although the structure and style were vastly different, Daphne instinctively felt she was still within the original ruins.

She used ‘Lightfire’, one of the half-blood racial innate spells, to quickly dry her hair and dress. The sensation of being covered in her own bodily fluids was deeply unpleasant, and a faint, cloying sweetness still permeated the air.

Innate racial spells required no mana or other resources to cast. Otherwise, a half-blood like Daphne, currently devoid of any magical energy, would struggle even to disguise herself and blend into a crowd.

After all, her adorable, silvery-white fangs were visible the moment she opened her mouth, making her far too easy to identify without the aid of a disguise spell.

Besides ‘Lightfire’ and ‘Blood Disguise’, the half-blood racial innate spells also included the common and versatile ‘Mage Hand’.

Daphne was already well-versed in the innate spells of every race. However, to confirm her current abilities, she had to resort to using the power of a ‘Developer Item’.

[Daphne – Female – Half-Blood (Succubus Physique)]

[No Profession]

[No Faith]

[Health 100%]

[No Mana]

[Spells: Lightfire (Half-Blood Innate), Blood Disguise (Half-Blood Innate), Mage Hand (Half-Blood Innate)]

[Mage Hand (Half-Blood Innate)]

[Summon – Arcane]

[Source: Half-Blood]

[Cost: None, usable once per day]

[Target: A space within line of sight]

[A simple construct. Skilled mages manipulate it to retrieve items out of reach.]

[Shapes a construct in the form of a human right hand within line of sight. This construct can fly over obstacles and mimic human hand movements, lasting 5 minutes, and vanishes upon taking fatal damage.]

As her thoughts flickered, the familiar cerulean screen materialized in Daphne’s vision. It displayed her character attribute panel, where she could also examine the effects of spells or traits.

The interface was similar, almost identical, to that of ‘COG’. Daphne quickly accustomed herself to its use.

She was certain she had never encountered such a thing before arriving at these ruins.

As Bertram, she had always treated this world as a truly authentic one, with utmost seriousness and dedication. Every step was part of a meticulous, long-term plan, leaving no room for error.

Now, however, circumstances had changed.

She opened the inventory section of the panel.

[Ortheriel’s Piercing Pearl]

[Accessory – Special – Divine Artifact]

[Bound – Daphne]

[A translucent orb embedded with circular thorns.

When the Mother of All Things still walked the earth, did she pierce her own delicate petals to adorn herself with this item?

This remains an eternal mystery, its truth unknown to anyone.

For she long ago departed from the lands she shaped, and from the children she bore.

She left only this behind, perhaps housing a fraction of the Mother of All Things’ power, or perhaps it was the sole wellspring of the Creator Deity’s entire might.]

[Mother Goddess’s Blessing: The wearer can perceive the essence of the world.]

Daphne truly loathed accepting that such a vulgar trinket was, in fact, a genuine divine artifact, a tier above even orange-colored legendary items. Her ability to view the attribute panel was entirely thanks to this pearl.

On the translucent screen, apart from the regular viewable sections, an ‘improper’ section with a red exclamation mark stood out conspicuously.

Gazing at the resounding words ‘Love Lab’, Daphne hesitated for a long moment before finally choosing to open and inspect it.

[Love Lab]

[Teaches ignorant girls about love]

[Loaded Module Sections: Sensitivity Enhancement, Defeat Penalty, Horrific Harassment, Seductive Attire, Succubus System, Sweet Dairy, Bearing Life]

Reading these vulgar words, Daphne couldn’t help but furrow her brow. They were all ‘filthy things’ whose meaning was obvious at a glance; if she could, she truly wouldn’t want to touch them.

‘She regretted it.’

‘She shouldn’t have been so greedy for a moment of titillation back then, installing this wretched R18 MOD. Not only did it cause her transmigration, but now it had all fallen upon her, a complete retribution.’

Among the various sections, only ‘Seductive Attire’ bore a striking red exclamation mark beside it.

[Module Section · Seductive Attire Lv1]

[Beautiful and elegant women’s garments imbued with mysterious power are scattered across every corner of the Nocatia continent. Collecting them may yield unexpected surprises. This section will fully activate upon acquiring the first piece of seductive attire.]

[Teleport to target location?]

It seemed highly suspicious.

Daphne certainly couldn’t trust such a cursed item that would practically turn her entire body into an erogenous zone. Without a second thought, she waved her hand, dismissing the screen.

First, she had to figure out how to get out.

Though this mirrored corridor was long, its end was visible.

In the distance, a faint, orange-white glow was barely discernible, which Daphne surmised was an exit leading outside.

If this truly remained within the original ruins, then waiting beyond the door would be the Papal Guard of the Blazing Sun Holy Church Knights, personally brought by His Holiness Pope Bertram from the Salentz Religious Territory. These fourteen elite Templar Knights, personally consecrated by the Pope, were tasked with protecting his person and eliminating heretics and chaos.

Also present would be their Vice-Captain, Vatitaya, the Divine Chosen Iceheart Saintess Gwynevere. Due to the psychological trauma and deep-seated hatred from her childhood, this particular individual would relentlessly pursue any blood kin to the ends of the earth.

However, the blood kin’s disguise spell, ‘Blood Disguise’, required a subject to imitate in order to acquire some or all of their facial features. Evidently, there were no living creatures here besides herself.

In other words, if she were to brazenly walk out as she was now, her fate would be nothing short of death.