Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent

The corridors of light had pulled each of them apart like strands unraveling, and one by one, Kyle's companions vanished into their chosen paths.

Silvy felt her heart tighten as the brilliance swallowed her whole, replacing the warmth of her comrades with the sterile chill of an endless white tunnel.

Her boots echoed against the smooth floor, each step swallowed by silence. The system's gentle pulse blinked in her vision, guiding her onward.

But then—without warning—the light stuttered.

The guiding glow froze mid-blink, then flickered into nothingness.

Silvy stopped. A cold prickle ran down her spine.

"…System?"

She asked aloud, but there was no answer.

Her fingers curled tighter around her bow. The silence pressed in on her, thick and heavy, and though instinct screamed at her to retreat, she shook her head.

'No. If Kyle can walk forward into danger without hesitation, then so can I.'

She forced herself forward, step after step, until she reached a wide chamber. It was empty—too empty. The whiteness stretched out infinitely, so pristine it felt suffocating.

That was when she felt it.

An itch. A burning sense crawling at the back of her neck. Eyes. Watching her.

"Show yourself!"

She snapped, drawing an arrow.

The reply came not in words, but in action.

Threads—thin, glimmering, nearly invisible—shot from the walls like hungry snakes.

Silvy reacted instinctively, rolling sideways, her boots sliding against the glassy floor as the first volley missed.

The threads smacked against the ground where she had stood a moment ago, embedding themselves like steel wires.

"Tch—"

The second wave came faster. This time, they wrapped around her ankles.

The fibers tightened with a whip-like snap, yanking her feet together. She crashed to one knee, biting back a cry of pain.

Before she could react, a single thread lashed past her face. The sting was sharp and immediate—a shallow line of blood traced her cheek.

Her irritation flared.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?"

She gathered mana, golden light sparking at her fingertips, and blasted the threads at her feet.

They snapped with a metallic twang, curling back like burnt hair. Silvy stood, raising her bow in one smooth motion.

The air shivered—her unseen opponent striking again. Threads surged from the void, weaving together into a jagged net.

Instead of retreating, Silvy narrowed her eyes.

'Now.'

She loosed her arrow.

It sliced through the white chamber, fast as lightning, glowing with her mana.

The shot pierced the web of threads, tearing a hole wide enough for her to see the faint outline of a figure at the far end of the chamber.

The arrow hadn't hit, but it startled her enemy. The tension on the threads slackened, and the bindings dropped from her body.

"Got you."

She muttered, a fierce grin spreading across her face.

The enemy finally revealed themselves—a tall figure draped in robes made of string itself, their body hidden beneath layers of shifting, living threads.

Dozens of tendrils writhed like snakes, whipping outward with every step they took.

"You dare resist?"

The voice was distorted, cold, as though spoken through hundreds of whispering mouths at once.

Silvy's only answer was another arrow.

The figure moved, threads snapping up like shields. Her arrow embedded into the barrier and exploded with a burst of light, sending strands scattering.

The recoil rocked the chamber, but her opponent didn't falter. Instead, more threads lashed toward her, this time moving like vipers striking at her head, her arms, her legs.

Silvy ducked under one, rolled past another, then twisted her body into a half-spin to let a whip of thread fly just inches from her back. Her movements were sharp, precise—a dancer weaving between blades.

But the opponent was relentless.

One thread grazed her arm, slicing a shallow cut into her sleeve. Another whipped across her bow, nearly knocking it from her hands.

Silvy hissed, sweat beading at her brow.

"Persistent bastard…"

Her mana surged again. She leapt backward, drawing three arrows at once. The air around her hummed, light crackling along the shafts.

"Try blocking this."

She fired.

The arrows split midair, fragmenting into a dozen glowing projectiles. The chamber lit up as the barrage rained toward her foe like a meteor shower.

Threads snapped upward to intercept, weaving a dense dome.

The explosions shook the floor as mana-clad arrows detonated against the shield. Shards of light and broken fibers scattered like sparks.

For the first time, Silvy heard her opponent grunt.

The dome cracked.

Silvy smirked, seizing her chance. She sprinted forward, loosing another arrow, then another, keeping the pressure relentless.

Each shot struck true, forcing the thread-weaver to defend.

But her foe wasn't beaten yet.

With a sharp gesture, all the loose fibers in the chamber writhed to life. The floor, the walls, even the ceiling erupted in wriggling cords, hundreds of threads converging on her at once.

Her breath caught.

"Oh, come on—"

She rolled aside as a cluster of threads smashed into the ground, shattering the pristine floor like glass.

Another volley closed in, weaving together midair into a massive, barbed spear.

Silvy dove and loosed an arrow upward at the same time. The shot struck the spear, detonating in a burst of force that split it in two before it could impale her.

The explosion hurled her backward, but she landed on one knee, panting, eyes blazing.

The cut on her cheek stung, the wound on her arm throbbed, but her spirit burned hotter than ever.

"You want me trapped? Then you'll have to do better than that!"

She shouted.

Her bow shimmered, responding to her determination. Mana pooled at her core, golden light radiating outward until her very body glowed against the white chamber.

The enemy tensed, threads whipping in agitation.

Silvy drew a single arrow, the tip burning with concentrated mana, brighter than any before. She steadied her aim, ignoring the tremor in her arms.

The figure hurled every thread they had, a tidal wave of writhing cords rushing forward to drown her.

But Silvy didn't flinch.

"Break!"

She released.

The arrow tore through the air like a sunbeam, its brilliance slicing apart the incoming storm. Threads disintegrated on contact, unraveling into nothingness.

The radiant projectile slammed into her opponent's chest, detonating in a blinding eruption.

The chamber shook. Light swallowed everything.

The figure stepped out of the threads at last, the strands peeling back like a curtain to reveal a tall woman clad in half-armor, her body marked with scars of countless battles.

Her eyes burned like molten iron, sharp and unyielding.

She dragged a long chain of woven threads behind her like a weapon, the steel glinting faintly in the white chamber's light.

"You're quick. But quickness alone won't save you."

The woman said, voice rough, edged with battle-hardened pride.

She raised her hand and the threads coiled up like serpents, ready to strike again.

"I am Gladiator Kora, chosen by the Chief God himself. My wish is to return to the arena that was stolen from me… and for that, your life will be the price."

Silvy's eyes narrowed, her bow shimmering faintly with mana as she drew another arrow.

"If you think I'll be that price, you're wrong."

Kora smirked, lips curling into a feral grin.

"Then prove me wrong, archer. Let's see if you have the strength to keep your life."

The threads surged again, faster and sharper than before, and Silvy leapt back, her arrows gleaming as another clash began.