Chapter 101.1
In the mirrored elevator, among the countless, ever-shrinking reflections of myself, only one anomaly stood out.
A figure of āmeā who had won the game of rock-paper-scissors, now turning its head unnaturally to look at me, grinning.
Clunk.
The sound of the elevator shook me back to my senses.
My hand had thrown ārockā.
While the figure in the mirror had thrownā¦ āpaperā.
āā¦I lost.ā
Losing meant I had to try again. I had to win.
The elevator continued ascending.
[5F]
Ā
[Going up.]
ā» Warning : Most accounts of this ritual report that the āmirror-selfā tends to have an unnaturally high win rate in rock-paper-scissors.
With trembling hands, I raised my fist again toward the mirror.
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
The reflection of my face, a twisted smirk upon its lips, turned its head to the side and changed its hand arbitrarily.
I chose scissors.
The reflection chose rock.
ā¦Another loss.
Clunk.
The elevator, momentarily jolting, resumed its steady ascent.
In reality, nothing had changed.
But in the mirrorās reflection of the elevatorā¦
The doors were slightly ajar.
Suddenly.
Through that gap, a pale hand emerged.
“ā¦ā¦”
[7F]
The elevator continued upward.
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
A tie.
[7F]
āJust once.ā
I only needed to win once before reaching the top floor of this buildingāthe 12th floor.
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
I chose scissors, but the ghost chose rock.
āI lostā¦ā
Rattle.
The elevator trembled slightly, but that was it.
In reality, there was no further change.
However, in the mirrorās reflectionā¦ the door was now more open.
Through the gap, an arm and leg became visible.
“ā¦ā¦”
Half of a body was now inside the elevator, almost close enough to touch me.
And yet, in reality, there was nothing there. Only the reflection in the mirror displayed this eerie scene, making it impossible to look away.
āPlease, just once!ā
If I could win once, it would all end.
3- Congratulations. Youāve advanced to the question phase.
This was the path forward, the least frightening and the quickest route. Please, just let me winā¦
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
A tie.
[10F]
“ā¦Rock, paper, scissors.”
ā¦ā¦
I slowly raised my head.
My hand was clenched into a fist.
And in the mirror, my reflectionās hand was outstretched, palm open, as its face grinned widely at me.
[12F]
I lost.
13- You failed to win even once.
You cannot disembark at the top floor. What a pity.
Clunk.
The elevator stopped.
The red lights on all the buttons extinguished, plunging the interior into darkness. I barely held back a scream.
āThis is insane, insaneā¦ā
I cautiously raised my head.
In the enormous mirror reflecting this dim elevatorā¦
“ā¦ā¦”
The elevator doors were fully open.
On the floor indicator, strange numbers were displayed: 1930819F. Beyond the open doors in the mirror, only a void stretched endlessly.
And thenā¦
The ghost was standing beside me.
“ā¦ā¦”
I exhaled sharply, trying to steady my breath.
The ghost that had been playing rock-paper-scissors with me from the distant depths of the mirrors had now entered through the open elevator doors in the reflection and was standing close, staring back at me from the glass.
I turned my eyes slightly to the side.
In reality, the decrepit, dark interior of the elevator was sealed shut.
But in the mirrorā¦
The wide-open elevator doors revealed only darkness, from which emerged another version of myself. It stood beside me, beaming with a smile so wide it seemed to split its face, gazing intently at meā¦
ā¦ā¦
You failed the ritual.
You should be cautious every time you take an elevator from now on. The thing in the mirror will continue to seek you out and try to meet you.
Fortunately, you still have a chance to ask a question.
Howeverā¦
: #6
That thing in the mirror smiled as it lowered its hand.
6- From this point onward, the entity in the mirror will proceed with the ritual.
The reflectionās mouth moved silently.
Rock, paper, scissors.
It showed rock.
“ā¦ā¦!”
I looked down at my hand, which instinctively responded with rock as well, and broke out in cold sweat.
If you fail to engage in rock-paper-scissors with the mirror-self, it will gladly claim victory by default.
In such a case : No further instructions are provided. May you find luck and happiness in the next life.
I had no choice but to respond.
Rock, paper, scissors.
Once more, I raised my trembling hand.
The reflection showed rock.
And Iā¦
Chose scissors.
“ā¦ā¦”
I lost.
Now, it was time to pay the price for defeat.
Sweat beaded on my forehead as I slowly lifted my gaze.
Not me.
The being in the mirror would now be the one asking questions.
The ghost in the mirror, shaped like me, moved its fingers to trace a question on the glass.
Whatās your name?
Fucking hell.
With trembling hands, I wrote on the mirror.
Kim Soleum
Smirk.
The ghost standing beside me in the reflection grinned.
ā¦I had to endure.
If you lie in your response: No further instructions are provided. May you find luck and happiness in the next life.
Iām seriously about to lose my mind here.
āWhy canāt I win even once?ā
No matter how hard I scoured the exploration records in my mental wiki, there were no answers.
The focus wasnāt on the rock-paper-scissors game itself but rather on what questions were asked afterward. There was no clear solution to winning the game.
After all, isnāt rock-paper-scissors supposed to be a game of luck? Thereās no surefire way to win. Butā¦
I forced myself to look directly at the ghost in the mirror beside me, its gaze fixed on me like a predator.
āā¦If thatās the case, why hasnāt it lost even once?ā
Was it purely luck?
A clichĆ© where the āmirror-selfā knows everything Iāll play because itās me?
āBut if that were true, why have others managed to win?ā
And why, in my case, has it even allowed ties?
If it knew everything, shouldnāt it have avoided ties entirely?
If winning is possible, whyā¦
Rock, paper, scissors.
Damn it.
I hastily threw my hand out.
I chose scissors.
The ghost choseā¦ rock.
“ā¦ā¦”
Whenās your birthday?
My hand trembled as I wrote my response.
September 13th
The ghost in the mirror jumped up and down, gleefully.
ā¦One question left.
“ā¦ā¦”
If the mirror entity continues leading the game until the elevator starts moving again:
Win at least once : Proceed to 3.
Answer more than three questions : Proceed to 99.
I had already answered twice.
My name.
My birthday.
I could only afford to lose one more time.
āItās over.ā
99-
By the time youāve reached this point after answering three questions, thereās a strong chance youāre no longer the same person who began reading this ritual guide.
We wish you a happy life outside the mirror! Please do not return to seek us out.
The mirror-self swaps places with you.
āNo. I canāt let that happen.ā
