Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 1159  Maxʼs Answer

He understood by now that nothing in this secret domain was without purpose. Every encounter, every beast, every inheritance was a trial meant to push one further. This was no different. If he wanted to take the Lotus of Clear Serenity, if he wanted to destroy his reflection once and for all, he would have to find a way to complete this trial.

But how?

He had killed the reflection a hundred times over. Each time he crushed it, it returned without a scratch, with that same mocking smile and those same infuriating eyes. No matter what power he used—his flames, his lightning, even his divine strength—it was useless. It always came back, whole and taunting, its words sharper than any blade.

Across the shimmering lake, the reflection appeared once again. Its form rose out of the glowing surface like a ghost of the mirror, slowly rebuilding itself until it looked exactly like him.

”You look thoughtful, Max,” it said quietly, its tone soft but laced with derision. ”You keep fighting, but you donʼt even know what youʼre fighting anymore, do you? Is it me you want to destroy, or the part of yourself you canʼt stand to face?”

Maxʼs eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked. ”I donʼt have time for this nonsense,” he said coldly. ”Youʼre nothing but a mistake, an aberrant created from the trial of the mirror lake.”

The reflection chuckled, the sound eerily similar to his own laughter. ”A mistake? No, Max. Iʼm whatʼs left of you—the part you buried. The part youʼve been running away from ever since you decided to stop caring about anything.”

”Stop talking.”

The reflection ignored him and took a step closer, its bare feet rippling the surface of the mirrored water. ”You know what this trial is, donʼt you?” it asked with a faint smile. ”It isnʼt about killing. It isnʼt about strength or power. Itʼs about acceptance. The trial will only end when you stop running away from yourself.”

Maxʼs expression darkened, but the reflection continued, relentless in its tone.

”Why did you change, Max?” it asked, its voice rising, echoing through the lake like a thousand overlapping whispers. ”You used to fight for something. You used to care. You used to burn with purpose, not just with rage. What happened? When did you decide to stop believing in people? When did you decide to stop believing in yourself?”

”I said stop talking!” Max roared, his voice echoing across the entire lake as black flames erupted around him. The water hissed and boiled under his feet, and the air distorted from the sheer intensity of his aura.

The reflection only smiled wider. ”You canʼt silence me, Max. You canʼt silence the truth. You keep calling me a cheap copy, a reflection, a fake, but deep down you know that Iʼm not lying. You hate me because I remind you of who you were.”

”Who I was doesnʼt matter anymore,” Max said coldly, his voice low but heavy with conviction. ”That person is gone.”

The reflection tilted its head slightly. ”Gone? No, heʼs still inside you. Thatʼs why youʼre stuck here. This trial is forcing you to face him. The only way out is to stop denying what youʼve become. Accept the truth. Accept me. Only then will the Mirror Lake release you.”

Max didnʼt answer. He just stared at his reflection, his breath slow and deliberate, though his heart was pounding in his chest.

The reflection took another step closer, its eyes glinting with cruel amusement. ”Youʼve become indifferent to everything,” it said, its voice dropping to a whisper that still managed to echo across the mirrored lake. ”You donʼt care about your friends. You donʼt care about your sister. You donʼt care about the world you once swore to protect. You threw them all away just so you could chase power. Tell me, was it worth it?”

”Enough!” Max shouted again, his flames rising higher, the ground around him cracking under the strain.

But the reflection wasnʼt finished. Its expression changed—it was no longer mocking but grim, almost sorrowful. ”You canʼt pass this trial until you answer,” it said. ”You can kill me a thousand times, you can burn the world around us to ashes, but until you admit why you became like this, youʼll never move forward. The Mirror Lake is a reflection of your soul, Max. You canʼt destroy it. You can only understand it.”

The air grew heavy.

The flames surrounding Max flickered, the intensity fading for just a moment as his fists loosened. His breathing became rough, uneven, as though something deep inside him was stirring—something he didnʼt want to face.

The reflection looked at him one last time, its voice low, calm, and final.

”So tell me, Max… why did you change? Why did you stop believing in everyone you swore to protect? Why did you stop caring?”

The words echoed endlessly through the Mirror Lake, sinking deep into Maxʼs mind. For the first time since entering this trial, he didnʼt respond with anger or violence.

He just stood there, silent, his reflection staring back at him—not as an enemy, but as the truth he had been avoiding all along.

”I didnʼt change,” Max said quietly after a long silence. His voice was calm, but there was a faint heaviness in it, the kind that came from someone finally confronting something they had buried deep for far too long. He looked at his reflection, and for the first time, he didnʼt look angry. He looked… tired. ”I didnʼt stop thinking about anyone,” he went on, his tone steady. ”Itʼs just that Iʼve started walking the path I think is right for me.”

He took a slow breath, and his gaze dropped slightly to the rippling surface of the Mirror Lake. ”My friends back in the world… my parents, whom I still havenʼt found… and my sister, who refuses to even meet me… I care for all of them. Truly, from the bottom of my heart.”

His voice softened for a moment, the faintest trace of emotion flickering through his eyes. ”And thereʼs Alice, the person I love the most right now… and Lenavira too. Iʼve never stopped caring about them. Not even once.”