CHAPTER 28: The Desperate Duel
Kelvin stood alone in the silent hall of the Level 14 special dungeon.
The air around him was thick, heavier than usual. The blue energy along the cracks flickered like they were breathing. He stared at the ground for a moment, then looked around slowly.
Something was wrong.
This place was too quiet.
No monsters, no traps, not even the faint hum of dungeon energy.
He had cleared this dungeon before, in another life. It wasn't supposed to feel this strange.
Kelvin took a step forward and placed his hand on the cracked stone floor. The markings on the ground pulsed faintly, showing movement in the distance. A human figure.
He narrowed his eyes.
"That explains everything."
"It wasn't a dungeon anomaly, it was still those bastards interference."
The alien admins couldn't directly manipulate the 14th floor. Their control only began from Level 15 upward.
15, 25, 35, and so on. But this… this was their clever trick.
He stood up and looked ahead at the faint shadow moving between the pillars.
If they can't influence the floor directly, then they must have found another way. Probably through a mission, a special quest given to someone strong enough to enter this place.
He sighed softly. "I should have known."
Kelvin respected the alien admins for one reason.
They were smart. Too smart. The fifth civilization didn't play fair, but they played efficiently and followed the rules.
He finally saw him a man standing about twenty meters away, wearing a half-broken armor and holding a glowing spear. His face looked pale, tired, but his eyes were fierce. His aura burned like a dying flame.
A human.
Kelvin slowly approached. "You're not supposed to be here."
The man pointed the spear forward. "And you must be the one called Mr. Hood."
Kelvin stopped. "So they sent you."
The man didn't answer. His aura grew brighter, and his body trembled like it was holding too much power. Kelvin could feel it, this energy was borrowed. Artificial. And too intense.
Kelvin adjusted his arms. "You're using your life force, aren't you?"
The man smirked. "They said it's the only way to break through Level 20. I can't stop now."
Kelvin understood immediately. The admins must have made him an offer, defeat Kelvin, and they would grant him the strength to advance. A desperate bargain for those who couldn't breakthrough.
He looked at the man closely. His aura was burning away, consuming his lifespan every second.
"You're insane," Kelvin said calmly.
The man charged forward before he could say another word. The spear whistled through the air. Kelvin dodged, sliding sideways, and the ground split open where he had stood.
The fight began.
[(20%) Will power –> speed]
The dungeon floor exploded with each clash. Kelvin's body flickered; his space-walk ability activated, allowing him to step on air like invisible platforms.
[(30%)All stats –>Strength]
He struck from above, his fist flashing with condensed power. The man parried and swung back, releasing waves of light that tore through the ice walls.
Kelvin moved again, fast enough that the afterimages of his body scattered in all directions. He switched places with one of them a technique he called Body Swap, confusing his opponent's aim.
But the man adapted quickly, slamming his spear into the ground. A pulse of red light burst outward. Kelvin jumped away just in time as the explosion shredded the floor causing shards of Ice everywhere.
"This guy's dangerous,"Kelvin thought. "Every attack burns his own life, but it makes him stronger each time."
The man roared, his eyes glowing bright burn red. His muscles tore, then healed again under the burning aura. The alien admins had truly turned him into a weapon.
Kelvin blocked another strike with his forearm and kicked him back, sending him crashing into a wall.
"You don't have to do this," Kelvin said.
The man spat blood but smiled. "You think I have a choice? I've been stuck at Level 20 for months. My teammates… they've already surpassed me. I can't be the weakling anymore."
"I can't be abandoned again."
Kelvin paused. He didn't expect him to talk. Usually, opponents like this fought until they died.
"You're doing this for them?"
The man nodded weakly. "If I don't break through this week, they'll replace me. I can't let that happen. I'd rather die fighting than be left behind."
Kelvin lowered his fist slightly. "Today just isn't your lucky day. You're fighting the wrong person."
The man's body shuddered again. "If I fail, they'll kill me anyway. The alien admins promised me a way forward… but only if I win."
Kelvin felt a strange weight inside him. But he didn't care, he has been fighting this battle long before you were even born.
He wanted to end the battle quickly, he really did but....
He remembered what his comrade once told him in his past life: Not feeling anything when you kill is fine. But when you stop feeling anything when killing humans, that's when you've lost what makes you human.
Kelvin had ignored that once. He didn't want to ignore it again.
The man stumbled forward, raising his spear for another desperate strike. Kelvin countered easily, disarming him and slamming him to the ground. The man's weapon flew across the floor.
"Why don't you stop here, you've lost more than half your life-force?" Kelvin asked.
"I can't," the man whispered. "If I stop, I die either way."
Kelvin looked down at him, breathing slowly. He could kill him right now. It would be easy. But what then? Another human would die because of the alien admins' twisted experiments.
He tightened his fist. "What happens if you lose?"
The man coughed. "They'll take my soul."
Kelvin closed his eyes for a moment.
Was it tears or was it pain...we may never know but you could sense him holding back something.
Then the answer came to him.
He did something that shocked both the man and the watching alien admins.
He stepped back, opened his status window, and pressed the command to forfeit.
[Special Dungeon: Forfeit Confirmed]
[Winner: Opponent Registered]
[All Progress in Level 14 Reset]
The man's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
Kelvin looked at him calmly. "You win."
The man froze, confused and shaking. "You… you're letting me live?"
Kelvin turned away. "You deserve to have another chance. I've already had too many."
Far above them, unseen to both, the Alien Admins' monitors flashed in red warnings. They didn't expect this outcome. Kelvin had defied their system.
He smiled faintly. "If you really want to test me, then try again next time. But today you've lost and have to fulfill your promise to that player."
With that, the dungeon began to dissolve. The walls faded into dust, and the light around him grew white and weightless.
Kelvin walked into the exit portal, his expression calm but thoughtful. He wasn't doing it out of pity, nor to remind himself that he was still human but because he knew what that player would go through if they had his soul.
He selected his next destination manually and skipped the 15th floor completely.
"Level 16," he said quietly.
The system confirmed it.
[Transferring Player: Kelvin]
[Destination: Level 16 Dungeon]
The world around him shifted again. The white light stretched into shadows, and the smell of burning filled the air. When his vision cleared, the scene before him made him stop.
Broken ground. Explosions in the distance. Screams.
Mia and Lyra were fighting desperately against a figure dressed in black and red armor, wielding a long sword that crackled with blood energy.
Mia's arrows burst into flames midair, but the figure sliced through them effortlessly. Lyra charged in from the side, blades spinning, her eyes wild and bright with her usual madness.
The armored figure _ Kora _moved faster, blocking her strike and sending her flying back into a stone wall.
Kelvin's eyes narrowed.
Kora raised his sword above Lyra's neck. She was bleeding, half-conscious, trying to lift her weapon.
[(60%) All stats –> Speed].
Kelvin took a step forward. The light around him shifted again, but before he could stop her, his arms were already cut off.
Then blood everywhere , leaving the outcome unknown.