There was a hunch forming in my mind, but I wasn’t ready to act on it just yet.

Giving uncertain orders could lead to chaos within the party. It was best to focus on the opponent in front of me. This wasn’t the kind of enemy that allowed for idle thoughts.

I stepped deep into the guardian’s range.

The twin swords swept toward me in rapid succession. I dodged one, parrying the other, meeting its blade with my own. My technique was superior; I used the guard of my weapon as leverage, forcing it to open its defense.

With its upper guard reinforced, it was time to target the lower areas.

I quickly ducked and slashed at its ankle, then swept to the side, striking at its shin and hurling a concealed weapon at its eye. Thankfully, apart from its armored sections, the creature's defenses remained human-like.

[Due to the enemy’s racial traits, Paralysis Poison is ineffective.]

So, poison didn’t work. No surprise there. It would’ve been strange if paralysis affected something inanimate.

A giant sword swooped down at an angle, resembling one of a greatsword warrior’s skills. I barely managed to evade, pulling back right before the sword grazed my calf. Using shadow movement, I reappeared at the dagger I’d embedded in the floor.

The armor was too thick to penetrate where I’d struck before. But not every part of it was so tough.

I aimed below the darkened armor, near where the sternocleidomastoid muscle would be on a human.

A solid hit. I wanted to slash an X across its torso, but the armor blocked my attempt to inflict more damage. I evaded its counterattack and closed the distance again.

[Party member casting high-tier spell: ‘Inferno.’]
[Warning: Move out of the target area to avoid critical damage.]
[Caster: Elderen]

「Adaptation Rate: 36.45%」
「High-tier offensive magic detected. Deploying Dispelling Field.」

[The dungeon’s magical core is emitting strong interference.]
[Skill usage involving magic is disabled.]
[Remaining duration: 9.87 seconds]

Elderen’s spell was forcibly canceled, eliminating one of our trusted defenses. It seemed prudent to withdraw for now.

Of course, that would only be possible if this thing let me go. The twin swords targeted my feet, striking the ground as if to bind me. The precision of its low stance was disturbingly familiar.

Instead of drawing another sword, it pulled out a dagger.

The guardian transitioned seamlessly from an upward slice to a stabbing motion from below, then a sweeping low kick. It kept changing its attack angle and momentum, forcing me back several meters.

“This is bad. One slip and I’m done.”

Was it lucky? I saw a familiar shape behind the guardian. It was Turkel, ready to back me up.

Perfect. With his help, I could ascend to the ceiling, blur my presence, and then dive back in—no, that was wrong.

“No, Turkel! Don’t come closer!”
“...What?”

As the guardian prepared its next move, it vanished into the shadow left by the sword I had planted in the ground earlier.

It was shadow movement—a familiar assassin’s technique.

It reappeared at my embedded sword, directly behind Turkel, stabbing him in the sternocleidomastoid muscles.

The daggers crossed in an X across his broad back, leaving deep cuts and finishing with a stab to the side, exactly what I had tried earlier.

[Party member ‘Abujidulgoroya’ has died.]

Now it was clear: the guardian’s AI was mimicking me, with stats far superior to my own.

This was a twisted joke.

The guardian didn’t just copy my moves—it was starting to look like me. Its massive frame shrank, hair lengthening to mimic mine, while its gray body donned a mockery of my attire.

「Adaptation Rate: 50.00%」
「Second-rank guardian ‘Uncle’ deployment authorized.」
「Partitioning battlefield. Commencing elimination of highest threat.」

The expansive arena split in two, and I glimpsed a second figure as walls rose, isolating me in a solo field with the guardian.

The guardian twirled the dagger between its fingers, staring at me with a cold, mechanical gaze. Such an insolent copycat.

“Fine. Let’s see how much of me you really understand.”

How often does one get to fight themselves? But instead of being intriguing, it felt suffocating. I wanted to rip out my own throat.

The dagger flashed as the guardian targeted my upper body, trying to block my view with a hand maneuver. I countered, but its hand blocking my vision was genuinely annoying. It was using the same tactics I would have.

[You are affected by ‘Obsession.’]
[Damage received from the guardian increases with each stack.]

A debuff counter piled up at the bottom of the interface, practically urging me to play defensively. The setup was obvious: the gimmick was for me to occupy the guardian while my party worked on something outside.

There was no status update on the party, no chat, not even their voices. We were entirely cut off.

Isolation could be a disadvantage to some, but it was an advantage to me.

The guardian had copied me, after all. And assassins were naturally deadlier in chaotic, multi-target battles.

If I faced it here alone, I could end things cleanly.

...No, that wasn’t my real reason.

There was no one watching, so there was no need to lie to myself.

「Adaptation Rate: 67.54%」

As soon as the distance closed, we both struck identical stances. Our daggers crossed, and in an instant, we slashed each other’s hands, drawing thin lines of blood in the air as spikes shot up from the ground.

I dodged the spikes, contorting my body to slip between them with barely an inch to spare. We both kept our momentum, mirroring each other with uncanny precision.

Our daggers clashed, aiming for each other’s fingers. When it shifted its focus, I changed my target to its ankle. But it anticipated, and we ended up colliding shin-to-shin.

“Agh!”

The pain wasn’t trivial. This wasn’t fair—my body wasn’t that tough. Don’t act like you’re me.

It made me sick.

I could feel a burning anger, like molten metal rising in my chest.

The way it held its dagger was an exact replica of my stance. Its breath synced with mine, cold and calculated. Even its gaze was an imitation, laden with the same relentless obsession that defined my own fighting style.

The stench of its gray blade was offensive. It smelled of damp rot, like something festering in a dark, narrow space. Of course, it was born in such darkness.

This twisted thing should’ve died already.

It clung to life with desperation, like some pathetic insect. Repulsive.

“You’re disgusting.”

It was like looking at a cockroach that refused to die, or a snake leaking venom as it writhed in its death throes. Did it think it could become a dragon, that it could ever reach the heights of those who shone above?

How naive. Why did I ever believe in such things myself?

Nothing would change—I knew that already. Even after winning a tournament, I knew that eventually, everything would go back to the way it was. I had written off that sweet dream long ago.

「Adaptation Rate: 85.3... ? Anomaly detected. Recalculating.」
「Adaptation Rate: 42.6%」

My body moved instinctively, deflecting the dagger that aimed for my abdomen. Its grip adjusted to strike my wrist. Not yet. I brought my own blade forward.

On the day I won the arena, I used my savings to buy a webcam.

I splurged on a good one, hoping my face wouldn’t look terrible on camera. I spared no expense to ensure the quality was clear and vibrant.

I cleaned my room, tidied myself up. If I couldn’t make it in the game, maybe I could stream in real life.

People said I looked good, that I could make it. Elderen and Sanse’s constant compliments gave me confidence. My heart raced as I held the box containing the camera.

But in the end, I couldn’t even open it. I just didn’t have the courage.
_____________________________________________________________

TL note:

I see all your likes and comments, and they really motivate me to write even more chapters. That's why I've released 11 chapters today! I love hearing your thoughts on the storyline, so please share your reactions and feelings—let's keep the conversation going! Don't forget to like, comment, and if you’d like to support my work further, check out my donation link [❤️ ko-fi.com/satabog ❤️].

Thank you for reading!

-- [SataBog]