"What were you doing when my beloved little brother was murdered?! Just standing there and watching?! I can't believe this..."
The voice of a tall man echoed through the room, more filled with frustration than rage. His dark purple hair was a tangled mess, mirroring the chaos inside him.
"I... I'm sorry. Please..."
A soft voice came from behind him, trembling with fear, barely audible.
The man slowly turned around. His eyes fell on two young men lying weakly on the floor, their bodies covered in fresh wounds. Iron chains were cruelly wrapped around their necks.
In the damp, rust-scented basement, the only sound breaking the silence was the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. Wet stone walls amplified the chill, while the single swinging lamp overhead cast moving shadows that danced like phantoms.
The air was heavy, thick with tension.
"Useless. Absolutely useless."
With that, the man stepped out of the dark, suffocating room. Just outside the door, a woman was waiting for him, leaning casually against the wall as if nothing had happened.
"So, what now?" she asked flatly.
"What else? We avenge our brother, of course," the man replied without hesitation.
The woman rolled her eyes.
"Since when do you care about family?"
The man chuckled, then smiled.
"Ouch. That makes me sound like some heartless bastard."
"You are," the woman muttered, shaking her head at the eerie smile on his face.
"What about the knight? Didn't you bribe him to kill that useless Prince Sinclair?"
"I did," the man nodded. "But he's not the type to be bought with money. I offered peace instead, if he kills the prince, that is."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And if he actually does it, will you keep your promise?"
"Of course not."
His smile returned, cold and calculating.
"Do you think I'd waste the opportunity born from our foolish brother's death?"
He stepped closer, voice dropping to a sharp whisper.
"Besides, if the knight fails or refuses, I've already hired a top-tier assassin from Shadow Secrets. Expensive, but reliable. Either way, that Prince Sinclair... he won't be leaving alive."
---
Darkness.
That was all there was at first—cold, silent, absolute. Then slowly… pain.
His head throbbed as if something were pounding from the inside. Breathing was difficult—his lungs had forgotten how to work. Lucas coughed softly, struggling to steady his breath, and opened his eyes with effort. The first thing he saw was dim darkness and the faint silhouette of stalactites hanging from the ceiling... a cave?
"Agh..." he groaned softly.
Even his voice felt foreign.
His throat burned—scars from being choked still seared like embers on his skin. Every small movement reminded him that he wasn't free. Something clung to his skin, binding his wrists and ankles.
He glanced downward as best he could—webbing. Thick and sticky, like coarse thread wrapped tightly around his body, cocooning him. The stench of rot and damp cave air invaded his nostrils.
Panic crept in.
Lucas weakly turned his head left and right. His vision was still blurry, but clear enough to see other cocoons hanging nearby—each one like his. Inside them were various captured beasts. But the most shocking sight was James. He was there too, hanging not far away… lifeless.
'So he died before he could kill me,' Lucas thought. A bitter, short laugh escaped him, followed by a wince from the pain in his throat.
"Fuck..."
Tears began to fall, slow and silent. Not from pain. But from the crushing truth that all his struggle to survive… had been for nothing. In the end, this was how he'd die.
'How did it come to this?' he thought in despair.
After his brutal fight with James, it seemed they were found by a giant spider-like monster. The creature must've dragged them into its nest, wrapped them in silk, and left them as food storage. Lucas had heard that some monsters did that—paralyzed prey and saved them for later.
He could no longer feel his limbs. His hands were numb, his thoughts sluggish. The poison was spreading. Consciousness faded, leaving behind only fatigue and helplessness.
His eyelids grew heavy. Every breath felt like dragging sand through his chest—slow, heavy, painful. Memories flickered—his family, the people who doubted him, even his life before arriving in this world.
"Look at yourself, Prince. Aren't you ashamed? Put aside that you were born weak and without mana. On top of that, you're reckless, careless, like to disobey orders, and act on a whim without thinking of the consequences. I wasn't even going to ask what happened to you out there, but looking at you now... a little of my doubts are gone." Whether it was a memory or a hallucination from the pain, James's voice echoed clearly in his mind, as if it had just been spoken.
"You're right, James," Lucas thought bitterly. "I was foolish… reckless and arrogant."
Ever since being reincarnated into this world, Lucas dreamed of being the protagonist—a hero. Even born in a weak body with no mana, he believed his fate could change. That belief only grew stronger when he received the system. From then on, he was certain: one day, he'd prove himself.
But that conviction blinded him. Made him careless. Overconfident in facing danger, thinking he was invincible. Time after time, he nearly died from his reckless choices. It wasn't strength or courage that had kept him alive—it was sheer luck.
And now, that luck had run out.
Deep in a silent cave, far in an uncharted forest, Lucas knew no one was coming to save him. Only a miracle could save him now.
'Is this really the end?' he wondered, staring blankly at the sticky ceiling above.
Then suddenly, a faint hissing echoed in the distance. Followed by slow, heavy footsteps reverberating against the stone walls. Lucas recognized the sound instantly. He didn't need to see to know: the spider monster was coming.
His heart raced—or at least it felt like it. From the edge of his vision, a large shadow appeared. Eight long, hairy legs crept forward, shaking the webbed ground as it approached.
'So this is it…' Lucas thought, resigned.
But before the monster reached him, something happened.
A thunderous crash came from outside the nest. The ground shook. Then came a shriek—something inhuman, yet not from the spider either. The sound ripped through the silence like a blade.
The monster froze. Its head snapped toward the noise. Then, with sudden urgency, it scuttled away, chasing the disturbance.
Lucas still hung there, barely conscious. But this time, something felt different. A flicker of hope stirred within him—so faint it was almost imaginary, but just enough to keep him holding on.
Maybe someone was coming.
Maybe his luck wasn't completely gone.
What he didn't know…
was that whatever had come into the cave... wasn't human.