CHAPTER 30: The Upper Floor Battle
The dungeon roared like a storm trapped in a mountain. Every beast and storm in the dungeon grew louder, darker, and more alive. The ancient destroyed pillars pulsed faintly with energy, veins of blue light running through them as if the dungeon itself was breathing.
Kelvin stood still at the edge of the battlefield on Level 17, his eyes calm, his hands folded behind him. Mia, Lyra, and Kora stood before him in battle stance, each waiting for his signal. The air shook as several four-legged shadow beasts emerged from the cracks of the floor, eyes glowing red and saliva dripping from their jagged teeth.
"Attack them all," Kelvin said in a calm tone.
Lyra grinned, stretching her hands as her palms radiated with violet waves. "I've been waiting for that."
Mia gulped and raised her bow, firing dozen of arrows instantly. Kora held her sword sideways, the silver blade gleaming faintly as bloody red energy swirled around it.
The beasts charged.
"Lyra, take the left flank. Stop them before they spread out," Kelvin ordered.
"Gladly." Lyra flicked her fingers, and several waves of purple energy burst from her palms, swallowing the beasts in violet light. The sound of their screeches echoed across the floor as they all cried out blood until they couldn't take the pain anymore.
Kelvin watched closely, analyzing everything. He didn't even move from his position.
"She's dangerous… much more dangerous than I remember." he thought. "But that's the problem. I don't even know if am mentally safe around her. Plus she's hard to control..... One of the reasons I put a lot of stat point in will power."
" In my first life, I never learned much about her. She was one of the government's hidden aces, always operating under direct command. Now that she's with me, I can't predict her not her fighting style, not her mind. She's a complete psycho."
He sighed quietly as he watched her twirl through the battlefield with manic joy, laughing while fire and blood filled the room.
"She's crazy… but powerful. I can't control her, and I can't remove her. I only keep her around because I pity her, and because the disaster that's coming… I'll need her power."
Lyra finished her barrage, landing beside Mia with a smirk. "You're too slow, sunshine. You almost got roasted along with them."
"I—I was setting up a spell for my arrows," Mia stammered, looking down at her arrow coated in magic rune's.
"Stop apologizing," Kelvin said from behind. "Focus, Mia."
"Yes, sir." She nodded quickly.
They moved up to Level 18 after clearing the last enemy. The transition gate opened in a blinding blue light, and when they stepped through, the scenery changed completely.
The air grew colder. The floor was covered in frost and mist. From the shadows, icy beasts with multiple tails appeared, their breath freezing the air around them.
"Stay alert," Kelvin said softly. "They use cold energy. One touch can freeze your blood."
He didn't move. He wanted to see how they would handle this level.
Kora was the first to move. She dashed ahead so quickly that the ground cracked beneath her feet. Her sword sliced through the air, creating arcs of pale blue light. Every swing she made was sharp, efficient, and unpredictable. The beasts tried to react, but her sword's presence seemed to vanish in between movements.
Kelvin's eyes widened slightly. "She really is a genius… her sword erases its own presence, even from beasts with enhanced senses."
Mia tried to support from behind, sending waves of magic arrows to protect Kora, but one of the beasts broke through it all and lunged at her.
"Mia!" Kelvin shouted.
She panicked and raised her bow too late. The beast's claws scraped the edge the stick, sending her flying back. She rolled on the ground, her hair covered in frost.
Before it could finish her, Lyra appeared in front of her and sliced the monster's head in half with a burst of violet flame. The heat instantly melted the frost around Mia.
Lyra smirked. "If you die, I'll take your spot as the first female in Kelvin's harem. So don't die yet."
Mia blinked in shock. "W-what? That's not funny!"
Kelvin covered his face with his palm. "Every time she opens her mouth, I lose brain cells."
Still, he couldn't deny that Lyra's combat sense was impeccable. Her flames countered the cold perfectly, and her agility made her the perfect chaos element in the group.
Mia got up, determined. Her face was red, partly from embarrassment, partly from anger. "I won't lose to a pervert like you!"
"Oh? Then prove it," Lyra teased, summoning more flames and wave's of violet energy.
"Enough," Kelvin said sharply, his voice cutting through the argument. "Focus on the mission."
Both women straightened up, grumbling under their breath.
The next wave came faster. This time, Kora took the lead again. Her movements were a blur, her sword adapting instantly to each beast's defense. Every slash bent, curved, and redirected with impossible precision.
Kelvin narrowed his eyes. "That sword… it's like it's alive. It reads her opponent and adjusts in real time. An artifact like that shouldn't exist in this lower dungeon. Just how talented is she for her to wield an S+ rank sword in an E-rank dungeon?"
Mia launched her arrows again, her magic light growing stronger. For a moment, a faint shimmer appeared behind her, her inner spirit— a giant creature with wings and claws. It was only a flash, but Kelvin noticed it.
"That's it… her potential. She's meant to be a summoner, not an Archer. That hybrid energy inside her hasn't awakened yet. Once it does, she'll surpass even Lyra."
The battle dragged on for minutes, filled with flashes of light, icy blasts, and explosions. Kelvin only stepped in twice. once to redirect an incoming ice shard that nearly hit Lyra, and once to heal Mia when her bow broke.
When the last beast fell, the floor shook, and a gate opened again. The blue light of Level 19 awaited.
Kora sword absorbed the blood clean. Lyra stretched, yawning. Mia panted, holding her knees.
"Good," Kelvin said softly. "You're improving. But we're not done yet."
They stepped into Level 19 and the moment they entered, they were surrounded.
Dozens of glowing eyes appeared in the dark, belonging to massive muscular lizard-like creatures with scales that reflected the dungeon light. Their growls merged into a single low rumble that made the ground vibrate.
Kelvin's expression hardened. "Mia, stay back and focus on support. Lyra, create a perimeter with your flames. Kora…"
She was already gone.
Her speed blurred, leaving only a shimmer of light as she appeared above one of the beasts and brought her sword down in a perfect vertical arc. The impact was so strong that it split the creature in half.
"Damn," Lyra muttered, grinning. "She's good."
Kora moved like lightning, her sword dancing through the monsters as if she was conducting an invisible rhythm. Every slash landed perfectly, every motion precise.
Kelvin's eyes tried to follow her movements closely. "Her sword technique… it's evolving mid-battle. The blade is adapting, copying the beasts' defensive energy, absorbing and using it against them. That shouldn't be possible. Even with her auto cultivation, that's beyond human control."
One of the beasts turned toward Kelvin, sensing his presence. He didn't flinch.
"Lyra," he said simply.
"On it."
Violet waves exploded from her hand and engulfed the creature before it could even move.
The creature committed suicide by strangling itself due to the mental damages"
Mia trembled slightly but continued firing multiple arrows non-stop.
Kelvin smiled faintly. "Good. With time and training she'll awaken.
Then he looked back at Kora… and froze.
She was no longer fighting the beasts. She had slashing her own arms and legs, letting her blood drip onto her sword. The blade began to glow faintly red, absorbing every drop.
"Wait," Kelvin muttered. "What did she just do?"
The sword pulsed like a living thing, then unleashed a wave of invisible force that sliced through half the battlefield. Every monster froze mid-attack and fell apart silently.
Lyra stepped back, her eyes wide. "Cooolll…"
Kelvin's heart pounded. "That technique… she swore never to use it. In my past life, it was forbidden. She—she's feeding her life force to the sword! If she keeps going, it'll consume her!"
He ran forward, shouting, "Kora, stop!"
But it was too late. Her eyes glowed red as the sword hummed violently, her aura growing unstable. The ground around her began to crack, and the remaining beasts backed away, growling nervously.
Mia looked terrified. "What's happening to her?"
Lyra smirked nervously. "Our cute swordswoman just decided to become a bomb."
Kelvin's mind raced. "No… not again. Not like last time."
Kora turned slightly, her face pale but calm. "I'll end this quickly," she whispered.
The sword's glow expanded, swallowing her entire body in crimson light.
Kelvin shouted her name —
And...