The entrance to the Abandoned Mine was hidden beneath a cliff on the western edge of Green Forest, half-veiled by tangled vines and weeds. From within, a faint bluish glow seeped out like the breath of something long forgotten.
Kiriya stood at the threshold, the tip of his Reinforced Bronze Sword brushing aside the thorny undergrowth. The air that wafted out carried the tang of rust and the damp, choking stench of mold, making him instinctively furrow his brow.
"They say this used to be a dwarven iron mine," Lina's voice drifted from behind him. She held a glowing lantern in one hand—a special item purchased from the general store that could emit steady blue light for two hours. "According to the guides, the first half of the traps here were designed to keep out beasts. The second half… is meant for players."
Kiriya gave a curt nod, summoning two clones. Pale-blue orbs of light flared at his side before taking shape, resolving into translucent figures gripping identical bronze swords. Their vigilant stances mirrored his own, scanning the shadowed entrance.
"I'll take point. You follow ten meters behind," he instructed, his tone clipped with unyielding caution.
This was a plan he had altered only last night. He had agreed to party with her, yes—but years of solitude did not loosen their grip overnight. The habit of letting his clones scout ahead remained his most trusted safeguard.
Lina offered no objection. She simply adjusted the lantern's angle so that its glow fell on both Kiriya and the path behind him. "Watch your step. The guide marks the first trap three meters past the entrance."
Kiriya advanced first, his clones slipping into the mine with him. Inside was wider than expected, the stone walls still scarred by pickaxes of years gone by.
Water dripped steadily from above, pattering into shallow puddles with a hollow rhythm. The lantern's light danced across jagged rock, shadows writhing as if countless unseen eyes lurked just beyond sight.
"The mana fluctuations here are strange," Kiriya muttered, halting mid-step. His fingertips prickled with the faint presence of dormant energy. "Feels like… a trigger-type array."
He crouched, brushing aside gravel until his hand paused over an inconspicuous slab of stone. A fine groove traced its edges artificially.
"There." Lina's voice rang from her safe distance behind. She raised the lantern, its glow spilling over the slab. "The guide calls this the Rockfall Trap. Anything heavier than fifty kilograms steps on it, the boulder above comes down."
Kiriya straightened, tilting his gaze skyward. Five meters overhead, a boulder nearly three meters across was wedged into the rock ceiling, its edges visibly loose, held in place by some mechanism.
"Fifty kilos… about the weight of an average player." His storm-grey eyes flicked to his clones. "The designer knew exactly who the prey would be."
Lina stepped up beside him, curiosity glinting in her ice-blue eyes. "So how do we get through? Use one of your clones to trigger it, wait out the cooldown, then rush past?"
That was the common solution most players used. But cooldowns often lasted a full minute—time enough to miss critical opportunities.
Kiriya only shook his head, the corner of his lips curling faintly. "No need to wait."
He gestured at his left clone. "Step onto the slab."
The clone obeyed instantly. The moment its feet pressed down, a grating mechanical whir echoed from deep within the walls. Dust rained from above as the massive boulder shuddered violently.
"It's triggered!" Lina reflexively stepped back, sword tightening in her grasp.
But Kiriya advanced instead. At the final heartbeat before the boulder dropped, he seized Lina's wrist and snapped a command to his other clone: "Switch!"
A flare of azure light engulfed them. In the blink of an eye, Kiriya's body and his right clone exchanged positions—his real self now standing three meters away, safely beyond the slab.
A thunderous boom split the cavern as the boulder slammed down, pulverizing the trigger stone into rubble. Shards exploded outward, sealing off the path they had just crossed.
Lina's breath caught, her pulse still hammering wildly. The sheer speed of his action had left her reeling—yet the firm grip on her wrist, unshakable and steady, carried a strange reassurance.
"You—" she turned toward him, eyes wide with astonishment. "How did you time that? The switch was flawless."
"Calculation," Kiriya replied evenly, as if it were nothing remarkable. "From trigger to collapse takes 2.3 seconds. With Blink Step and clone-switching, that's enough time to clear the zone."
He added, almost offhand: "And a clone weighs the same as I do. Triggers the trap but suffers no real harm."
Only then did Lina notice—the clone that had stood on the slab was gone, its form shattered under the falling boulder, leaving only a wisp of fading blue light.
She studied Kiriya's calm profile, realizing this Phantom Swordsman's understanding of his abilities was far deeper than she had imagined.
"Your clones… they're not just for fighting, are they?" she asked softly, wonder in her voice. "Aside from scouting and triggering traps, what else can they do?"
Kiriya didn't answer immediately. Instead, he summoned another clone and directed it to the rubble-strewn path. The duplicate bent, clearing away large stones with its blade.
"They can do many things," he said at last, a quiet pride threading his tone. "As long as you use them right, they're the most reliable allies you could ask for."
Lina fell silent, stepping beside him to watch as the clone methodically cleared the debris.
The lantern's glow wove between them, casting his features in sharp relief. His lashes threw faint shadows against his skin, and in his eyes—once so cold—she thought she glimpsed a faint, almost human warmth.
"Never thought to use clones like that," Lina murmured, her voice tinged with genuine admiration. "Whenever I ran into these traps, I'd either take the hit or wait out the cooldown. This… this is a whole different way of thinking."
"Every class has its strengths. The key is how you wield them," Kiriya said quietly, his gaze already fixed on the dark depths ahead. "Your Frost Shield, for example—it's not just for defense. You can use it for control, too. That's something I can't replicate."
The words caught Lina off guard. It was the first time she had ever heard Kiriya openly acknowledge another's ability. Though his tone was matter-of-fact, it carried the weight of recognition.
A smile curved her lips. "Sounds like we do complement each other. Your clones for scouting and opportunity, my shield for defense and control. We should handle most of what this mine throws at us between the two of us."
Kiriya didn't argue. He only gave a small nod, eyes sharpening once more. The rubble was cleared, opening a narrow passage deeper into the mine. From within came the steady drip of water… and a faint, unsettling skittering.
"Let's move." He summoned two more clones, positioning them ahead. "The traps further in will only get worse. Stay alert."
"Understood." Lina tightened her grip on her sword, raising the lantern to light their way.
Side by side, they stepped into the depths, their shadows stretching long against the cavern walls.
One clone took the lead, sweeping the ground for danger; Lina followed in the middle, ready to raise her shield at a moment's notice; Kiriya guarded the rear, storm-grey eyes vigilant in the gloom.
The mine's darkness yawned endlessly before them. Yet here, in this strange hush broken only by dripping water and shifting stone, a subtle thread of understanding began to weave between them.
Kiriya, watching the white-haired knight's back, found himself wondering if perhaps… having a teammate wasn't such a bad thing after all.
And Lina, lantern light flickering in her gaze, felt her curiosity deepen. This Phantom Swordsman—this man and his enigmatic clones—was far more than he appeared.