CHAPTER 38: THE UNSTOPPABLE ASCENT
The ground was still trembling long after the battle ended. Steam and blood From the final boss monster covered the field like mist. The air smelled of smoke and burnt fur.
Kelvin stood in the middle of the destruction, his chest rising and falling steadily. Around him lay mountains of dead monsters, their corpses dissolving into glowing particles as the dungeon system absorbed them back into the void.
Kora collapsed to her knees, her sword sinking into the ground. "I… I can't move anymore," she muttered, sweat dripping down her face.
Mia fell beside her, leaning on her bow like a cane. "That was insane. I swear, I thought we were going to die a hundred times."
Lyra sat cross-legged nearby, panting, her purple flames flickering weakly around her. She looked up at Kelvin, who still stood tall, calm and composed, like he hadn't even been touched by fatigue.
She frowned. "Are you even human?"
Kelvin turned his head slightly, his faint smirk appearing again. "Of course I'm human," he said simply.
Lyra groaned, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Then you're not normal."
Kora looked around at the battlefield, still trembling slightly. "I've never fought this much… not even when I soloed some dungeons. This… this is beyond anything I've seen."
Kelvin finally turned to them. "Check your rewards. You've earned it."
The girls did as he said. Bright blue screens appeared in front of each of them, filled with notifications and new skill unlocks.
[Level Up: +5 Levels🔓]
[Reward: Rare Dungeon Gear – Tier B]
[Reward: +10,000🌕, +3,500💎]
Kora gasped softly, her eyes widening as she saw her new stats. "This… this is unbelievable."
Mia grinned, though she was barely able to lift her head. "Finally, something worth all that pain."
Lyra chuckled weakly. "I might actually sleep for a week."
Kelvin said nothing. He just stared ahead at the glowing portal that led to the next level.
Then he spoke. "I'm heading to level 21."
All three girls froze.
Kora blinked. "What did you just say?"
Kelvin turned around to face them. "You heard me. I'm going ahead."
Lyra's mouth fell open. "You just cleared a breakthrough level! Normal people would rest for days— weeks even!"
Mia stood up shakily. "Kelvin, come on. You've done enough. You can at least come back with us and celebrate. You deserve it."
But Kelvin only smiled faintly, his expression calm but unshakable. "I'm not going back to Earth until I reach level 30."
The girls went silent.
Kora looked at him like he was mad. "That's suicide. You've been fighting non-stop for hours. You can't just keep going without rest."
"I can," Kelvin replied. "And I will."
He glanced at them with eyes that carried both warmth and determination. "You three go home. You've done well today. Celebrate your victory."
Kora wanted to argue. She wanted to say that she'd follow him anywhere. But something stopped her.
Her mother's face flashed in her mind.
And then the memory of her father, the man who vanished years ago, only to find out he was being held by the government.
She clenched her fists. I have to tell her he's alive… I can't waste time here.
Kelvin noticed the hesitation in her eyes. "Go," he said softly. "There will be more time to grow stronger."
Kora nodded slowly, her heart heavy. "Fine. But when we come back, you better still be alive."
Kelvin smirked. "I plan to be."
With that, the girls stepped into the return portal, their figures fading into light.
And Kelvin was left alone.
The dungeon around him began to hum again as the portal to Level 21 opened ahead.
He took one long breath.
"Let's see what's next."
Then he walked forward.
[LEVEL 21 – The Crater of Steel]
The moment Kelvin entered, a burning wave of heat hit him. The entire floor was a wasteland of molten metal and glowing craters. The ground hissed under his feet.
Out from the glowing pits rose creatures of steel, metal golems, iron worms, and fire-breathing beasts made from molten ore.
Kelvin cracked his neck and smiled faintly.
"Perfect place to warm up."
The first golem swung its arm at him. The force cracked the air, but Kelvin vanished instantly.
[Skill: Space Walker]
He reappeared behind the creature, punching its chest with a burst of power. The golem exploded into molten fragments.
Another wave of beasts emerged, surrounding him. Kelvin activated Star Swap, switching his stats for maximum agility. His movements turned into blurs of light. Every punch landed with terrifying precision, melting through their metal bodies.
Explosions echoed through the dungeon.
Kelvin moved through the chaos like a phantom, every step controlled perfectly by Mind Action. He imagined a motion, and his body instantly performed it. No lag, no hesitation.
In less than five minutes, the entire level was silent.
The system chimed.
[Level 21 Cleared]
[Boss Defeated: Molten King Golem]
[Reward:4,200🌕, 1,990💎.]
Kelvin didn't even stop to rest.
He walked toward the next portal.
[LEVEL 22 – The Valley of Echoes]
This level was dark and filled with fog. Sounds bounced from every direction, disorienting the senses.
Kelvin narrowed his eyes as shadowy figures crept from the mist, Echo Beasts, monsters that copied the appearance and abilities of their targets.
In seconds, five clones of Kelvin appeared before him, each with glowing red eyes.
He smirked. "Copy me? Bad idea."
The first clone rushed forward, mimicking Kelvin's Star Swap perfectly. But Kelvin used Space Walker to run above it and slammed down a mental shockwave using Mind Action, crushing it instantly.
The other clones surrounded him, each performing his fighting style perfectly. But Kelvin's true strength wasn't just his skills. it was his experience.
He began swapping his stats at irregular rhythms, confusing their calculations. Every time they adapted, he changed again.
Speed to power. Power to endurance. Endurance to focus.
The battlefield became chaos.
Each clone was outsmarted, dismantled, and destroyed one after another.
The last one lunged at him desperately. Kelvin caught its fist with one hand and whispered, "You're a copy, and am the original."
He twisted, sending a mental blast that shattered it into fragments of light.
[Level 22 Cleared]
[Boss Defeated: Echo Emperor]
[Reward: Mind Amplifier Crystal]
Kelvin looked at his reflection in the glowing crystal. "My mind's sharper already," he murmured.
Then, he moved on. Without resting.
[LEVEL 23 – The Sky Rift.]
The moment he arrived, Kelvin found himself standing on floating islands in the sky. Wind roared around him, and storm clouds glowed with lightning.
Flying monsters appeared Sky Drakes, Wind Harpies, and Storm Griffins.
He jumped from island to island effortlessly, his feet glowing with faint light.
[Skill: Space Walker ]
The drakes dived at him. Kelvin swung his fist, distorting space itself. The air around him exploded in a vacuum wave that tore through the monsters instantly.
A griffin charged with lightning, but Kelvin swapped his agility and perception to heighten his reactions. He grabbed its beak mid-dive, spun around, and threw it into another monster, causing both to burst into static.
The harpies tried to swarm him.
Kelvin closed his eyes, using Mind Action to sense every movement through the pressure in the air. Then, without looking, he threw three deadly punches. The air cracked and all three harpies exploded.
Thunder rolled across the sky as the Sky Sovereign appeared a massive, eagle-like beast with glowing white feathers.
Kelvin grinned. "Finally, a challenge."
The beast screeched, summoning hundreds of lightning bolts. Kelvin teleported between them using space walker, appearing above its head and punching downward.
The sky split in half.
The Sovereign tried to recover, but Kelvin chained attacks in perfect timing, swapping stats mid-motion, never giving it a chance to counter.
One final hit and the monster fell from the sky like a comet.
[Level 23 Cleared]
[Boss Defeated: Sky Sovereign]
[Reward: 4000🌕,3,000💎]
Kelvin landed softly on the floating island, surrounded by silence.
He took a deep breath. "Two more to go."
[LEVEL 24 – The Abyss of Shadows]
This floor was darker than night. The ground was invisible. it was like standing inside a void. The only light came from glowing red eyes peering from every direction.
Whispers filled the air.
Kelvin felt a strange pressure on his mind, but he steadied his focus.
"I see. A psychological dungeon."
Shadow beasts emerged, taking the forms of his past the faces of his childhood nightmare.
Kelvin didn't flinch.
The shadow of his green ugly looking troll walked forward. "You'll die here, just like before," it said coldly.
Kelvin smirked. "Not this time."
He activated Mind Action, isolating his thoughts from the dungeon's illusions. His mental focus spread like a wave, erasing the darkness around him.
The shadow lunged at him. Kelvin didn't dodge. He grabbed it and smashed it to the ground, the illusion shattering instantly.
But the dungeon fought back. Dozens more shadows rose.
Kelvin raised his hand, his body glowing white.
[Skill Combination: Space Walker + Stat Swap + Mind Action = Spatial Collapse Mode]
He punched the ground.
Reality around him folded in on itself shadows screamed as they were crushed into nothing by the collapsing space.
The entire dungeon trembled and began to break apart.
When the smoke cleared, Kelvin stood alone, surrounded by silence.
[Level 24 Cleared]
[Boss Defeated: Shadow Monarch]
[Reward: Abyssal Energy Core]
Kelvin took a long breath, his body still glowing faintly from the aftershock of power.
He stared at the portal to the next level.
"Level 25," he said quietly. "Halfway there."
He smiled faintly to himself, his determination unshaken.
"Nahh, level 25 can suck my ....."