The moment I opened the box and saw the camera, it became a problem. My face was briefly reflected in the small black lens, and my heart sank. I closed the box immediately.

I sat still for a long time, holding the firmly closed box on my lap. I never opened it again.

For me, Han Da-eun was a stain—like a smudge that couldn't be erased once it was there.

I couldn’t let someone like that cling to Ka-Wol. Han Da-eun was far too pathetic in comparison to her. She had nothing to return to after dedicating her life to kendo, learned nothing else, had a terrible personality, thought dark thoughts every day, and had a heart filled with jealousy.

She could put on a show in the streams Soolbbang opened in the game, but in reality, she was a mess who couldn’t even turn on a camera once. What else could I say? I was just too scared. It felt like all the ugly, jealous things I’d done would grab my ankles and mock me.

• How dare you step in here?
• Did you think anything would change just because you dreamed for a moment?
• You, who stole someone else’s light to wear it?
• Why didn’t you just die that day?

"Ah."

No. I couldn't go down that road; once I started, there was no way to stop. Just then, the fake Ka-Wol stabbed me in the shoulder. The dagger lodged in my shoulder burned like fire.

If it were me, I wouldn’t stop there. Without hesitation, the blade spun once inside my body.

As my flesh and muscle tore, blood gushed out, flowing hot down my white underarm, chest, and thigh. The pain suffocated me.

"It hurts."

It hurt so much, it was unbearable. Did it always hurt like this? I thought I’d managed to endure it pretty well in the arena. The pain was so intense, it made me hate the world—and I even despised the woman in front of me.

Flames of hatred roared in my belly, like my insides were being scorched. Or maybe it was just that I’d always hated her.

I wasn’t about to let someone who’d stabbed me just walk away. You should feel pain too. I struck the blade with the back of my hand, which barely grazed my skin. The glove tore, but no wound remained.

The dagger bounced somewhere unintended, creating an opening. I naturally targeted an artery, but since my opponent was a mere imitation, no blood flowed even as I cut open a vein.

At least I managed to damage her wrist slightly.

[You inflicted the ‘Enhanced Bleeding Poison’ effect on the enemy.] [For 30 seconds, up to… ]

The smell of blood filled my lungs. It was almost certainly my blood. I didn’t particularly like the scent of blood, but I didn’t mind the warmth it held.

The warmth was kind of nice, actually. Thanks to the burning pain, my head felt clearer.

How ridiculous. Feeling pain worked better than trying to pull myself together. Maybe that’s why people who are hurting turn to self-harm. Did they just want their bodies to hurt more than their hearts?

I'm... still okay.

I haven’t damaged my body in real life yet. And if things get really bad, I still have enough strength to hang on in the simulator. I may not be able to say my mind is completely healthy, but not all of my sanity from my professional days has been destroyed.

Enough with the minor stuff. Focus on the fight. Maybe clearing out the distractions will lessen these feelings too.

‘Using a dagger at this point is tricky. So what can I do now?’

I’ll obviously use my legs. I stopped a rising knee with my hand, dodging the dagger and attempting a ground grapple, holding onto her thigh.

It was a gamble. If her strength turned out to be overwhelmingly superior, this could backfire. I’m weaker physically, so I forced the situation out of desperation.

But… there’s no way it won’t work. This game doesn’t create unbeatable bosses.

"Heh..."

A good start. She won’t escape from this easily.

Martial arts are the Akashic records, built up over thousands of years by human weapons from around the world. Modern martial arts—ground techniques especially—are a concentrated essence. It’ll be analyzed in time, but it’s not something to be unlocked through mere instinct.

This time, you made a mistake. I’m the best in the world at one-on-one combat. You shouldn’t have copied my body so closely!

…Looks like I’ll need a hospital visit soon. My mood swings are getting worse.

[‘Vital Strike: Tendon Severing’ effect successfully activated.] [Enemy receives the ‘Strength Reduction’ effect.]

The back of the knee. I sliced through the tendon, and a satisfying system message rang out. Does it count breaking an actuator as severing a tendon? While I pinned her arms, I jabbed under her armpit several more times.

A gratifying hit, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as I’d like.

She was adapting faster than I expected. Unraveling our tangled legs, she began to push me off with brute strength. I lost grip on my waist as I tried to pin her forearm and chest.

This exchange wasn’t favorable. If she were human, I could have pressed on, but this was a dungeon boss. A slight advantage wasn’t enough to guarantee victory.

Going down a path of mutual destruction wasn’t an option. I gripped her arms tight, pressing thigh against thigh.

"Ngh..."

Strength alone wasn’t enough. I’d be overwhelmed if I didn’t have a positional advantage. And she had already learned how to use her elbows.

The sharp bone pressed against me, causing another spike of pain. I needed an answer before my ribs cracked. Normally, I’d choke her to cut off her air, but would that even work?

Even if she looked exactly like me, she was still just a machine. Choking a machine—it’s a dumb move. Even old Hollywood movies don’t try that.

‘Let’s try a different approach.’

I slipped my leg further inside, applying opposing forces by pushing my thigh forward and pulling my calf back. I twisted her knee to the side, exploiting the joint’s vulnerability.

It’s a technique banned in martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu due to the high risk of injury—it’s too dangerous for sport. But that also means it’s excellent for breaking bones.

As I twisted my body with all my strength, I heard a sickening crack as her leg snapped. While she struggled to recover, I released the hold and stepped back.

One leg wasn’t enough. This stubborn bitch wasn’t going to give up until she was dead. Her restless eyes were already searching for a solution.

"Stop being so pathetic. Just die already; it’ll be easier for both of us."

Since she was the boss, she might recover soon. I moved closer and aimed for her right eye. She didn’t go down easily; my missed dagger cut through the air.

Her gaze dropped briefly to the ground. I’d better watch out for shadows. I dodged as a spike-like shadow burst up. At that moment, the fake Ka-Wol charged at me.

I planned to sidestep, but... was she reading me too? I missed my chance as a shadow blade came in a beat too late.

[Obsession: Damage received from the Guardian increases with stack.]

The amplified damage was too much. Despite perfectly parrying, my wrist twisted, and the dagger flew far off. A blade lodged in my side, but I grabbed onto one of her arms in return.

I’m not dead yet. She’s filled with malice, just like I am, so I won’t end it here.

Using the back of my hand as leverage, I twisted her arm. Her body was much tougher than a human’s, but with all my strength and weight behind it, I could manage to break it. Blood gushed from a fresh wound where I overexerted myself.

"Ugh...!"

Is it because there’s no one around? I couldn’t hold back a scream.

But I started to feel exhilarated. I had won. The bleeding was heavy, but she had a broken arm and leg. There was no way she could continue the fight.

I could control the distance however I liked, but she couldn’t. I drove two hidden daggers into her ankle. A grating sound echoed from her Achilles tendon, like rusted metal.

「Critical damage to actuator confirmed.」 「Initiating repair...」

Her ashen body collapsed. I didn’t miss my chance.

I pinned her arms under my knees, sitting atop her stomach. I needed to stab her… but I couldn’t see.

My left hand was slashed, rendered useless. There should’ve been a dagger left somewhere on my body, but I couldn’t recall where. That face, the damn face that looked just like mine, made it hard to think.

"If there’s no weapon, fists will do."

I silently drove my fist into her expressionless face. Thankfully, her face wasn’t protected by a hard shell. Though it was sturdier than my own, breaking her face along with my fist meant I’d gain the upper hand.

Thud. Crack. Wham.

My hand was pulverized, but her face was damaged too. She didn’t bleed, but I bled in her stead.

Blood dripped from my fists, and from my mouth and body. Red stains covered us both. It made it look as though we were both bleeding.

I didn’t stop. I kept hitting. Over and over.

With each punch, I felt a little lighter. Something inside me started to melt away, so I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Eventually, I saw the dagger lodged inside my inner thigh.

So that’s where it was. Looks like my mind really was hazy. Once this is over, I should take a rest.

I pulled out the throwing dagger and embedded it into her temple. The fake Ka-Wol’s body went limp.

「331,352nd communication. Requesting permission to end protection mission.」 「Guardian ‘Father’ central processing unit destruction rate at 89.44%, unable to continue mission.」 「Shutting down.」 「Thank you.」