The moment I opened the box and saw the camera was the problem.
My face faintly reflected in the small, black lens.
My heart sank, and I closed the box.
With the box firmly shut, I sat still for a long time with it on my knees.
I would never open the box again.
To me, Da-eun seemed like a stain.
A stain that, once made, would not wash away.
A person like this could not be buried beneath Gawol.
Compared to Gawol, Da-eun was an excessively insignificant girl.
She had devoted her life to kendo but couldn’t return to it now, hadn’t learned anything else, had a bad temper, spent her days consumed by dark thoughts, and her heart was filled with jealousy.
In the game, she flaunted herself on the stream Soobin had set up, but in reality, she was a useless person who couldn’t even turn on a camera!
What could she do? She was too scared.
It felt as though all the ugly acts driven by jealousy up until now were grabbing her ankle and mocking her.
– What face do you have to come here?
– Did dreaming briefly make you think something would change?
– You who used to wear others’ light?
– Why didn’t you die that day?
“Ahhh.”
No. If my thoughts go that far, there’s no fixing it.
Fortunately, fake Gawol stabbed my shoulder.
The shoulder pierced by the dagger felt as though it had been burned by fire.
If I were her, I wouldn’t stop here.
Without hesitation, the blade inside my body twirled around once.
The flesh and muscles tore open, spilling blood.
Through the white armpits and over the breasts, down the thighs, hot rivulets of blood flowed.
Breathing became difficult against the encroaching pain.
“It hurts.”
It was so painful that endurance was impossible.
Was it originally this painful? I remember tolerating it well enough in the Arena.
So agonizing it made me despise the entire world. And I also despised the woman before me.
A flame of hatred rose in my belly.
It felt like the organs inside my body were being burnt away.
Or was it? Maybe I had always hated you from the start.
Since putting this knife into my body, I don’t intend to let you go.
You should feel pain too. I knocked the blade that was withdrawing with the back of my hand.
The glove sliced open, revealing skin, though no wound remained.
The dagger had unexpectedly veered off course, creating an opening.
It naturally slashed the artery but… after all, the opponent was in my form and merely an inanimate object.
Even though veins were opened, no blood flowed.
At least, I could damage the wrist a little.
[The enemy receives the ‘Enhanced Bleed Poison’ effect.]
[For 30 seconds, maximum HP…]
My breath smelled of iron.
Most likely, the smell of my own blood.
While I don’t favor the scent of blood, I don’t detest the heat it carries.
This warmth isn’t unpleasant.
Thanks to the scorching pain, my head cleared.
It’s amusing. Straining to gather my strength doesn’t work as effectively as enduring pain.
This is why people who are wounded in the heart resort to self-harm, isn’t it?
Were they, too, wishing for the pain in their bodies rather than in their hearts?
I… am still fine.
So far, I haven’t hurt myself in reality.
There’s still enough leeway to log back into the system and endure.
I can’t claim my mind is healthy, but I haven’t lost all rationality honed during my competitive days.
Let’s leave the trivialities and focus on the battle.
If I clear away distractions, maybe this emotion will subside somewhat.
With daggers against each other, there’s too much ambiguity. What can I do in this situation?
Of course, utilize the legs.
I pressed down with my hands to stop my knee from rising.
I twisted my head to evade the dagger, grabbed the thigh, and attempted a ground tackle.
This was a kind of gamble.
If the other’s strength was overwhelmingly greater than mine, it would be a misstep.
Since I’m the weaker one following orthodox methods, I’m forcing it.
But…
There is no way it wouldn’t work.
This game doesn’t create unbeatable bosses.
“Hmm…”
A good start.
If it continues like this, it won’t be easy to escape immediately.
Martial arts are the accumulated Akashic records of countless human weapons over thousands of years.
Modern martial arts, especially ground techniques, are the very essence among essences, cherry-picked for effectiveness.
Sooner or later, it may be analyzed, but there’s no way it can be unraveled by raw instinct or intuition.
It was your mistake this time.
I may be the woman in this world who best handles one-on-one combat.
You shouldn’t have imitated my body movement!
…I probably need to visit the hospital before long.
My bipolar disorder seems to have worsened.
[‘Vital Spot Attack: Tendon Cutting’ effect successfully activated.]
[The enemy has been affected by the ‘Weakened Strength’ effect.]
Behind the knee. Cutting into the hamstrings triggered a welcome system notification.
Do they count breaking the drive units as tendon severance?
While suppressing the arms, I stabbed under the armpits two or three more times.
A pleasant score, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
The opponent was learning how to respond much faster than expected.
Breaking free of the tangled legs, the opponent started to shove me away with force.
While I tried to press on their arms and breasts, I couldn’t guard the left side of my waist.
This kind of exchange isn’t favorable.
If the opponent were just an ordinary human, I might’ve pressed forward, but this is a dungeon boss.
A slight advantage isn’t enough to guarantee victory.
It would be unwise to continue the mutual mutilation direction.
With both arms gripping, my thighs pressed against the other’s.
“Kuueeeet…”
Indeed, brute strength alone won’t suffice; I’d be swallowed instantly.
Had it not been for the advantage of position, I’d already be pinned.
Moreover, this thing has already mastered the use of elbows.
The sharp edges pressured my body, causing pain.
I needed to come up with an answer before my ribs shattered.
Ordinarily, I could press the neck to cut off their breathing, but would that even be meaningful here?
Though she looks just like me, this is ultimately a machine.
Who in their right mind would strangle a machine? Even old Hollywood wouldn’t do that.
‘Instead, there’s another approach I can try.’
I pushed my legs further inward.
The force pushing the thighs inward and the pull of the calves worked against one another.
Aiming for the weak point in the knee joint, I twisted the leg sideways.
In martial arts like jiu-jitsu, this technique is classified as a foul due to its high risk of injury.
It’s too dangerous for sports, but conversely, it’s exceptionally effective at breaking the body.
Twisting my whole body with strength, I eventually heard the crackling sound of a broken leg.
While the fake was regaining their stance, I disengaged and stepped back a bit.
One leg isn’t enough.
That stubborn woman wouldn’t give up before death.
Her constantly moving eyes were probably still searching for my next move.
“Stop squirming around. We’d both be better off if you just died quickly.”
As the opponent is the boss, they might recover quickly.
I immediately approached, aiming for the right eye.
As expected, they didn’t make it easy for me; the dagger missed, cutting through the air.
The enemy’s gaze briefly dropped. Thus, I must beware of the shadow.
I stopped one step to evade, and then sharp, spike-like projections shot up.
Between them, the fake Gawol lunged towards me.
I had intended to evade to the side.
Can the other side read me as well?
One timing too late, the shadow blade intruded, and I missed my perfect moment.
[System Alert: Stacking increases damage taken from the Guardian.]
Additionally, the amplified damage was too great.
Even though I succeeded in a precise parry, my wrist bent, and the dagger flew far away.
A blade pierced my side. In response, I grabbed one of the fake’s arms.
Still alive.
Both filled with venomous intent, neither of us intends to end things here.
Using my raised arm as leverage, I bent the fake’s arm.
Though much tougher than a human, applying all my strength and weight eventually broke it.
From exerting too much force, the new wound erupted with blood.
“Khuuuuuk…”
Is it because no one is around?
An uncontrollable scream burst forth.
Nevertheless, an exhilaration began to grow inside my mind.
I won. Although I’m bleeding heavily, the opponent has one broken arm and leg.
Further engagements are inconceivable.
Whereas I can freely adjust the distance, the fake cannot.
As the battle continued, I gradually added more injuries, driving two daggers into the ankle.
From the pierced Achilles tendon came a screeching sound, like rusted iron rubbing together.
「Critical damage confirmed to actuators.」
「Repair will take…」
The silver body collapsed.
I didn’t miss the opportunity.
I pinned the fake’s arms with my knees, straddling their abdomen.
The dagger needs to be thrust… but it wasn’t visible.
The left hand is already cut across the wrist, out of commission.
Though there should probably be a throwing dagger somewhere on my body, it wasn’t coming to mind.
The face opposite mine, cursed for looking so much like me, disrupted my thoughts.
“I don’t have a weapon, so I’ll use my fists.”
I struck the expressionless face with a resolute fist.
It seemed the face wasn’t protected by a tough outer shell like the rest of the fake.
Though still tougher than my body, the mutual damage was obviously in my favor.
Punch. Smash. Crunch.
My hands began to mash.
Simultaneously, the fake’s face was damaged.
The fake didn’t bleed, but I did.
The blood gushing from my fists, from my body, from my mouth.
The crimson stains covered both our bodies.
So it seemed like we were both bleeding.
I continued the punches, again and again.
Each punch made my heart feel slightly relieved.
It felt like some kind of resentment was melting, numbing the pain.
At some point, I noticed a throwing dagger inside my thigh.
It was here all along.
My head wasn’t clear, huh?
I need to take a proper rest once this is in order.
I drove the throwing dagger into the temple.
The fake Gawol’s body went limp.
「331,352nd transmission. Requesting termination of the Guardian duty.」
「Guardian ‘Father’ CPU deterioration rate 89.44%. Mission can’t proceed.」
「Shutting down the system.」
「Thank you.」
