CHAPTER 39: THE SILENT ASCENT
Kelvin stood alone again. The light from the teleportation circle faded, and all that surrounded him was the deep humming sound of energy flowing through the cracked stones of Level 26.
He had already cleared levels twenty-one to twenty-four, each one harder than the last. His body had grown more powerful, his control sharper, but the dungeon didn't care about his growth. It kept throwing death at him in new forms.
Kelvin clenched his fists as his status window shimmered faintly beside him. His heartbeat was steady, his breathing slow. He didn't even need to open the window anymore; he could update everything mid-battle through Mind Action. Every thought was an order. Every intention became reality.
"This shouldn't take much time," he muttered.
The floor trembled as the first wave appeared creatures that looked like armored wolves with firery skin and glowing eyes. Infernal Hounds, level 26 monsters known for their agility and sharp coordination.
They surrounded him quickly, moving in sync like a trained army. But Kelvin didn't move.
He simply thought.
His body vanished from the spot. He appeared in mid-air, standing sideways, gravity meaning nothing as Space Walker carried him across the invisible fabric of the dungeon's dimension. He looked down and smiled faintly.
"Too slow."
He lifted a finger. The ground cracked open from the pressure of his mana, and then...Stat Swap.
The strength stat from endurance. The agility from intelligence. His mind rearranged his power like sliding pieces on a chessboard.
In a blink, Kelvin's body blurred. He punched once...no, not even punched...he thought of punching, and his body did it before the motion was visible. The hound exploded in a burst of molten dust.
One down.
The rest howled and charged. Flames spread around the dungeon floor, but Kelvin was already gone, walking calmly along the wall as if gravity had forgotten him. His Space Walker shimmered with faint silver ripples beneath his feet. He twisted midair, flicked his wrist, and the air bent violently, his strength stat had been swapped again.
"Mind Action. Reverse motion."
In that instant, every Infernal Hound lunged forward, only for their bodies to move backward instead, slamming into each other in confusion. Kelvin landed behind them and raised his palm. Ripping the head out of their bodies.
The silence that followed was heavy. Kelvin exhaled once and adjusted his energy flow. "Level 26 clear." He didn't even mind to check his reward and moved on to the next dungeon.
[Player has entered Level 27: The Abyssal Grove?]
The next floor looked like a dark forest with glowing blue roots. Strange whispers echoed around him. Monsters hung from the branches like fruit, their slim but hard, their faces hidden behind bark.
Kelvin didn't wait for them to drop. He took a step forward and walked upward into the air. His steps rippled space with each motion, forming transparent waves that kept him suspended in the air.
He moved upside down to the back of the hidden monkey-like beast. "Peekaboo mother fucker,"
he said. Upsidedown, in the ears of one.
The creature flinged then screamed, its bark-like skin splitting to reveal hundreds of eyes. Gloom Monkeys, known for draining mental energy and paralyzing the will of intruders.
Normal adventurers would lose focus here, trapped in illusions. But Kelvin had something stronger; High will power directly linked to his thoughts. No illusions could override him.
The monkeys reached out with their roots, trying to crush him. He raised one hand, thinking of the outcome he wanted. His mind projected the image of roots breaking apart.
They shattered instantly.
Kelvin blurred across the forest sky, appearing behind one treant and touching its back lightly. Folded his palm in a straight line, and cutting through its body like a blade.
The next one tried to attack from above, but Kelvin swapped his stats again. Intelligence into speed. Strength into perception. He became faster, sharper, able to predict every move.
He dashed, slicing through trees and monsters alike without even drawing a weapon. Just movement, thought, and force.
Minutes later, the entire grove was burning in blue fire from the energy backlash. Kelvin stood at the center, calm, his shirt torn but his eyes bright.
[💐 Congratulations Level 27 Cleared]
[Player has entered Level 28: The Cryo Cavern.]
Here, everything was frozen. The air itself looked foggy with frost. His breath turned white immediately. The monsters here were Frost Behemoths, huge and slow but incredibly durable. Their thick hides reflected light like glass.
Kelvin rubbed his fingers together, activating Stat Swap again. "Let's go heavy this time."
He pushed all points into Strength and Endurance, leaving his intelligence and agility nearly zero. His muscles expanded slightly, not from growth but from energy density. His fists glowed faintly as he cracked his knuckles.
The first Behemoth charged, shaking the ground.
Kelvin met it head-on.
He ducked low, his feet moving across the icy surface as if friction didn't exist. He spun his body and slammed his fist into the Behemoth's knee. The entire limb shattered. The monster screamed and fell backward, its massive head crashing into the frozen ground.
The others roared and came forward. Kelvin didn't back down. He activated Space Walker, leaping straight up and standing upside down on the cavern ceiling. The monsters below looked confused as he reappeared behind one and punched through its back.
He was using both Space Walker and Mind Action together now. Every thought. Every instant of strategy, played out in reality without delay. It was no longer fighting. It was choreography.
As the last Behemoth fell, the cavern cracked and began to collapse. Kelvin calmly stepped through a fold in space and appeared in front of the next gate.
"Level 28 clear."
[Player has entered Level 29: The Crimson Arena.]
He walked into what looked like a giant coliseum. Blood-colored sand, broken weapons, and a distant crowd of shadow figures that screamed endlessly.
At the center stood a massive creature with four arms and horns that reached the ceiling.
Crimson Gladiator, a boss monster
ranked A.
Kelvin smiled. "Perfect warm-up."
The gladiator rushed forward, its axe cutting through the air. Kelvin sidestepped using Space Walker, his body sliding sideways on an invisible plane. The monster turned too slow. Kelvin appeared behind it, grabbing its arm and twisting.
The limb broke with a loud snap.
The monster howled and swung with the other three arms, spinning like a storm. Kelvin activated Mind Action, and his body danced in perfect rhythm with the creature's motion, predicting its every strike.
[Stat Swap: Strength –> Speed.]
His body blurred. He appeared at the monster's chest, pressing his palm gently.
The next moment, space folded inward violently, like the world was being crushed into a single point. The Gladiator disintegrated into crimson dust, the arena shaking from the recoil.
Kelvin exhaled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Level 29 clear."
The gate to the next level appeared, glowing white and calm. He stood in front of it for a long moment.
He had done it, levels twenty- six through twenty-nine in just 20 minute. But before going forward, something inside him reminded him of the special dungeon on level 26. He hadn't claimed the rewards yet.
A faint smile crossed his face. "Right. I almost forgot about that."
He took a deep breath and activated Space Walker, stepping through moving through the portal and he vanished instantly.