Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I was afraid I might end up wandering lost in this darkness forever. Luckily, ore veins in this section were glowing, giving off a faint light. I couldn’t tell what kind of ore it was, but it definitely wasn’t iron or copper. It emitted a dim blue glow that lighted the area a bit. 

My sense of direction was a complete mess down here. I knew I needed to go upward to find an exit, but somehow I felt like I had been going deeper and deeper.

As I kept moving, I still couldn’t shake off the thought of the fake sword in my hand. It felt nice to hold, but—

I swung it once toward the dungeon wall. Just as I expected, the Imprint on the sword broke apart. The bone reverted to its original form and split easily from the impact.

I guess this was the true limit of my Mimicry Sigil.

I let out a tired sigh and picked up another sturdy bone from the ones I had taken earlier. Focusing once again, I activated Imprint. The faint hazy glow returned, slowly reshaping the bone into the form of a sword.

I tested the new sword with a few practice swings. It still felt light. Why did I even bother trying to test it? I already knew it was still just an illusion. One solid hit and it would probably shatter again. But for now, I should focus on finding a way out, or else I would die in here.

The shallow water kept splashing under my feet as I walked onward. The wounds from earlier still hurt like hell, not to mention the hunger. All of it was clouding my thoughts, making it hard to think straight.

Then I heard it a rapid skittering sound nearby. The steps sounded like a lot of legs.

Were there multiple monsters around me? My heart beat wildly as the question flashed through my mind. There was no place to run, and the sound was getting closer.

I raised the fake sword. Soon, from within the shadows, the monster finally emerged. It wasn’t an Apostate Beast, but with my current equipment, everything felt terrifying.

It was a Cave Demon Spider. A spider-like creature the size of a wolf, its body covered in dark chitin. Its senses were sharp enough to pick up my presence even in this dim place. Its eight glowing red eyes locked completely onto me.

Its mandibles clicked as it moved toward me slowly, eager to devour me.

“…If only I had my real sword with me—I wouldn’t be this afraid to face such a monster!”

I quickly tried to create some distance, but no matter how much I tried, the Cave Demon Spider easily closed the gap.

It leaped from wall to wall as it shot toward me. I dodged desperately, not wanting to get caught in its web.

When all its attempts to catch me in its web failed, the demon spider changed its tactic. It suddenly lunged forward, tackling me to the ground. Its heavy body pinned me down as its dripping mandibles opened wide, ready to eat me alive.

With all my strength, I swung my fake sword and managed to repel the spider, forcing it to move backward from the impact.

Yet I saw no visible damage. Just as I suspected, this fake sword could only be used as a blunt weapon and definitely couldn’t cut anything. Since it was just an illusion.

The spider hissed angrily at what I had done and began attacking me relentlessly. All I could do was dodge while landing a few hits that didn’t do much.

But the spider seemed to realize I lacked damage output. It suddenly ignored my attacks and tore into my side with its sharp leg. Blood slowly flowed down my ribs.

I could feel my strength fading… I’m losing it all. Is this it?

Am I really going to die here? After everything—

“You’re worthless!”

My father’s words suddenly appeared in my mind. Those words kept replaying — worthless.

“I refuse it! I am not worthless and I will prove that I can survive this ordeal!” I grunted loudly, giving it my all.

I didn’t care if this sword was real or not. All I believed was that this weapon could kill it! All I needed was to believe—just like I always did.

Suddenly, something inside me shifted. I could feel energy flooding into the Imprint sword. The sword somehow became heavy, as if it were a real one.

With a desperate shout and my last attempt at survival, I ran toward the Cave Demon Spider, not caring if I got hit. All I needed was to deliver my final blow.

The fake sword pierced straight through the spider’s head and into its brain. The spider’s blood gushed out, spraying across my face and body. The spider was still twitching, so I didn’t hesitate—I twisted the sword harder. It convulsed wildly and let out a screeching sound before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.

I looked down at the fake sword that was still piercing through the spider’s head.

Isn’t this the sword that broke easily and couldn’t even penetrate the spider’s chitin before? Now it pierced through like it was nothing.

Could it be that at that moment?

I remembered how strongly I had believed it was fake. How certain I was that it was just an illusion. But the moment I desperately needed it to be real… it answered.

Was I wrong this entire time?

I sat down immediately on the dungeon ground, trying to steady my breathing. The wound on my side hurt badly, but a strange new feeling was growing in my chest.

There’s still some doubt in my mind whether it’s true… that the monster that I just killed was really dead. But looking at the dead carcass of the demon cave spider. The doubt is wavering.

For the first time… my sigil had actually saved my life and was useful.