The spider moved first.
It didn't hesitate, didn't observe, didn't test.
It attacked.
A sharp hiss split the air as another strand of web shot toward Nullen, faster than before, cutting through space with lethal precision. He barely reacted in time, twisting his body mid-step as the acidic thread grazed past his shoulder. The moment it struck the ground, the stone hissed and melted, releasing a thick, suffocating vapor.
Nullen's eyes narrowed.
Faster than before.
His breathing steadied, but his body felt heavier than it should. Not from exhaustion—but from something deeper. Hesitation. Instinct fighting against conditioning.
The spider advanced.
Each step it took caused the ground to tremble slightly, its massive legs piercing and lifting with unnatural force. Its many eyes locked onto him, unblinking, calculating.
Another web.
This time, it wasn't one.
Three.
They spread outward, cutting off his movement paths entirely. Left, right, above—every direction sealed in an instant.
Nullen reacted.
He jumped forward.
The only open path.
The webs collided behind him, splashing against the ground and walls, melting everything they touched. The heat brushed against his back, close enough to sting.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Closing the distance was his only option.
He drove himself forward, muscles tightening as he launched toward the spider's body, aiming for its underside—
A leg swung.
Fast.
Too fast.
It slammed into his side mid-air.
A sickening crack echoed through the chamber as his body was sent flying, crashing violently into the wall. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs instantly, his vision flickering as pain exploded across his ribs.
"…!"
He couldn't breathe.
His body slid down slowly, leaving a faint smear of blood against the stone.
Before he could recover—
The spider was already there.
Another leg came down.
He rolled.
Barely.
The leg pierced straight through the ground where he had been, embedding itself deep into the stone.
Nullen forced himself up, staggering slightly as his body protested every movement.
Ribs… probably broken.
He exhaled slowly.
Then forced himself forward again.
There was no time to think.
Only move.
The spider retracted its leg and immediately followed with another strike, this time aiming horizontally. Nullen ducked under it, feeling the rush of air as it passed over his head, and stepped in close.
His fist clenched.
He aimed again for the same spot—between its eyes.
This time, he didn't hold back.
He punched.
Hard.
The impact traveled up his arm instantly.
Pain.
Sharp. Immediate. Punishing.
It felt like punching solid iron.
The spider didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Nullen's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
Not even… a dent?
A web shot point-blank.
He tried to move—
Too slow.
It struck his left arm.
The moment it made contact, the burning sensation erupted.
"…AGH—!"
His skin began to sizzle, the acid eating through fabric and flesh alike. He instinctively tore his arm back, forcing himself to rip away the melting strands before they could spread further.
His breathing became uneven.
His body trembled.
The spider didn't pause.
It pressed forward relentlessly.
Another web.
Another dodge.
Another near miss.
Each movement became harder than the last. His injured ribs screamed with every twist, every jump, every forced motion. His left arm hung slightly lower now, weakened, damaged.
And still—
He didn't fight back effectively.
Only survive.
"WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT BACK?!"
The voice echoed again.
Loud.
Clear.
Nullen's expression tightened.
He leapt backward as another strike tore through the ground in front of him, barely creating distance.
Fight back…?
His body shifted instinctively into defense again.
Another web grazed his leg.
Burning.
He stumbled slightly on landing.
The spider closed in.
Fast.
Too fast.
A leg pierced through his shoulder this time—not completely through, but enough. Enough to tear flesh, enough to send a surge of pain so intense it blurred his vision completely.
He screamed.
A raw, uncontrolled sound.
His body collapsed forward as the leg retracted, blood dripping steadily from the wound.
He hit the ground hard.
And for a moment—
He didn't get up.
"…Pathetic."
A different voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Nullen's fingers twitched.
The spider loomed over him now, its shadow swallowing what little light existed in the chamber.
Another web formed.
This one aimed directly at his head.
A finishing blow.
His body refused to move.
Not because it couldn't.
But because it didn't.
That same, familiar stillness.
That same acceptance.
Then—
His gaze shifted.
The sword.
Still embedded in the rock.
Untouched.
Unwanted.
Unnecessary.
"…Yeah," he muttered weakly.
"Still don't want to touch it."
The web launched.
And in that instant—
Something broke.
His body moved.
Explosively.
He rolled, forcing himself up despite the pain screaming through him, and sprinted—not away from the spider—
But toward the sword.
The web missed.
Barely.
He reached it in seconds, his vision narrowing as he grabbed the hilt with both hands.
"…Please don't be cursed."
He pulled—
And the blade resisted.
Hard.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
The spider attacked again.
He twisted, dodging, pulling again—
Dust cracked.
Rust shifted.
Then—
It came loose.
He stumbled back, barely steadying himself.
The sword was… terrible.
Rusty.
Worn.
Dead.
"…Seriously?"
No time.
The spider lunged again.
He dodged.
Again.
And again.
Then—
He stepped forward.
Jumped—
And swung.
Downward.
Everything.
All at once.
The world split.
The spider—gone.
The walls—gone.
The river below—split cleanly for two kilometers.
Silence.
Nullen landed.
Staggered.
"…What…?"
The sword cracked.
Then—
Disintegrated.
Gone.
"I… did that…?"
His body collapsed.
Darkness.
—
When he woke—
Everything was restored.
"…HUH?!"
The wall.
Untouched.
The sword—gone.
He reenacted it.
Swung—
A slash appeared.
"…Huh?!"
He fainted.
—
He woke again.
Repeated it.
Smaller.
But real.
Then—
He trained.
Endlessly.
Until he understood.
The sword…
Was invisible.
Bound to him.
—
After another powerful swing—
The wall shattered again.
The river split again.
He stood.
Barely.
"…I'm… still alive…"
He turned to leave—
Then paused.
Something above.
The ceiling.
Drawings.
Faint.
Ancient.
A man.
Holding a sword.
Moving.
Flowing.
A sequence.
A dance.
Nullen stared.
"…So that's it…"
He stepped back.
Formed the invisible hilt.
And began.
At first—rough.
Then smoother.
Then precise.
Each movement aligning.
Each step refining.
Time passed.
Or didn't.
Until—
He finished.
Perfectly.
He exhaled.
"…That should be enough."
One last glance upward.
Then—
He turned.
Climbed.
Reached the cliff.
"…Same place…"
And walked home.
Silence waiting.
As always.
He lay down.
Closed his eyes.
And slept.
Thinner.
Weaker.
But undeniably—
Different.