Chapter 3: The Dungeon of Reckoning
Kelvin moved fast — no breaks, no hesitation, no mercy. His boots splashed through shallow pools of black water, every footstep echoing against the walls that looked like dungeon. The deeper he went, the darker it became, but his Perception (8) let him sense movement in every shadow before it struck although it was low he already knew what will happen due to his experience.
He didn't waste breath. He didn't speak.
Only his heartbeat and the low hum of his Status Window pulsed beside his mind like a second rhythm.
[WARNING: Beast proximity detected — 12 meters]
[Threat Level: F+]
Another one.
The first creature leapt out — a Venomspine Lurker, a lizard-shaped monster with twin tails that hissed with acidic vapor. Its scales glimmered faintly green in the darkness, eyes glowing like molten emeralds.
The moment it lunged, Kelvin moved.
He didn't block. He didn't parry.
He slipped past its claws, a streak of motion slicing through its blind spot. The Lurker's tail lashed — but Kelvin had already pivoted behind it.
His dagger came down once. Clean. Surgical.
The beast's neck snapped sideways, its acid tail flailing as its body thudded lifelessly onto the stone.
[Venomspine Lurker defeated.]
[+37 Points]
The green mist faded. Kelvin exhaled sharply.
Still too slow. It saw me before it died. I need to move faster.
He pressed forward, his breath steady, his mind mechanical.
The tunnel opened into a larger chamber, ceiling lost in shadows. Bones littered the ground — old kills, human and beast alike. Then came the rumbling growl of the second monster.
A Stonehide Gorilla.
Massive, ten feet tall, muscles like carved granite. It slammed its fists together and the entire cavern shook.
Good... brute force type equals Predictable and slow pattern.
The gorilla charged. Kelvin sidestepped too close. The beast's arm crashed into the wall, cracking the stone. Debris rained down as Kelvin darted up its arm, using its own momentum as a ramp.
His blade dug into the soft spot under its armpit. The gorilla roared, swinging wildly, but Kelvin was already airborne — spinning, twisting — and drove his heel straight into the creature's skull.
Crack.
The gorilla staggered backward, roaring blood. Kelvin landed smoothly and rushed forward again, plunging his spear through its eye before it could react.
The body collapsed, stone muscles turning dull.
[Stonehide Gorilla defeated.]
[+52 Points]
That's 89 total. Not bad. But I can feel my stamina dropping...
His Stamina (16) had already taken a heavy hit. He could feel the sluggishness creeping into his limbs.
But there was no time to rest — another growl echoed ahead, sharper, faster.
From the ceiling, something uncoiled.
A Crimson Serpent, as thick as a tree trunk, its scales pulsing like molten lava beneath its skin. Its tongue flickered, tasting his presence.
Kelvin crouched low.
He could feel the vibration of its movement before it struck.
A blur of red light lashed toward him — fangs the size of daggers.
He ducked under the strike, but the serpent twisted faster than he expected, its body coiling midair. He could feel the gust of wind against his cheek as it whipped past.
Too fast for normal humans. Good thing I'm not normal.
Kelvin rolled backward, kicking off a rock. He sprinted along the wall, using the serpent's own coils as stepping stones.
As it lunged again, Kelvin met its strike head-on, using the reflection of its molten scales to predict its angle. He threw his blade — direct into its eye.
The beast screamed.
Its tail slammed him across the chest, launching him into the wall with bone-jarring force.
Blood trickled down his lip.
Kelvin gritted his teeth.
It's fine. I've felt worse.
He dashed forward again, bare-handed now, climbing the serpent's body as it thrashed. He pulled the blade from its eye socket and rammed it down through its skull.
The glow beneath its scales dimmed. The air smelled of burning flesh.
[Crimson Serpent defeated.]
[+68 Points]
Kelvin knelt for a moment, breathing hard.
Sweat ran down his temples.
This pace... it's unsustainable. But if I stop, the respawns will close in.
He glanced ahead. The dungeon path narrowed again — deeper darkness, faint red light pulsing from below. The boss chamber was near.
He moved forward — but froze when he saw movement ahead.
A girl.
She was a few meters away, her sword flashing silver under the dim dungeon glow.
Her strikes were desperate but precise. She fought a Hornclaw Beast, a wolf-like monster with spiked antlers jutting from its shoulders.
Kelvin recognized her immediately.
Kora... the future 12th S-Ranker.
He watched quietly from the shadows. Her breathing was uneven, her blade trembling slightly. But there was determination in every swing — not blind rage, but purpose.
She ducked a claw strike and slashed across the creature's throat, then spun with a cry and drove her blade upward through its chest.
The beast fell, twitching, black blood pooling around its claws.
Kora staggered back, panting, sword still in hand.
She knelt, resting on one knee. Her chest heaved. Sweat dripped down her cheek, smearing dirt and blood.
Inside her, pain and memory tangled like fire and ash.
Her father's voice echoed in her mind calm, strong, the way he'd been before everything went wrong.
He had taught her how to hold a sword, how to breathe before striking.
He had taught her that every motion must have intent.
Then came the day other dojo masters turned on him — jealousy, greed, betrayal due to his suddenly progress and Increasing student.
He'd died defending the honor of his name.
And the dojo that once rang with trainees now sat in silence.
Her mother had given up on the dojo.
But Kora hadn't.
She looked down at her trembling hands.
"I'll get stronger... I have to... I'll make them pay... I'll protect our name."
She opened her Status Window, her face illuminated by its glow.
> [Points Available: 114]
Strength: 7 → 17
Agility: 25 → 37
Stamina: 9 (-3) → 30
Intelligence:12 →20
Durability : 5 → 25
Perseption: 19 → 30
Will power : 25 → 35
Talent : Auto Cultivator
The moment she put her points in each stats, warmth surged through her body. Her breathing steadied, exhaustion fading as strength returned to her limbs.
But just as she sighed in relief — a gust of wind rushed past her.
Someone blurred through the air, so fast she barely saw his face.
Only a shadow, passing through the dim red glow like lightning.
Her eyes widened.
"Wha—?"
She turned — and saw Kelvin, his black coat fluttering behind him, blades flashing as he tore through a new group of beasts that had respawned ahead.
Every movement was surgical.
Every strike, fatal.
He didn't even look back.
Kora's jaw tightened. "Wait—!" she shouted, sprinting after him.
But the dungeon shifted — walls pulsing, monsters reappearing in her path.
She swung her sword, cutting through them, but the delay was enough.
By the time she cleared them, Kelvin was gone . Far far away swallowed by the darkness ahead.
Kelvin didn't look back.
He could hear her faintly but he knew better.
Kora... you'll reach S-rank without me. I've seen it once already. You'll become the youngest S ranker and one of the the strongest of your generation. I wish I had enough time to make you an SSS ranker but right now... I have something else to do.
He pressed on.
The corridor ahead opened into an immense gate. The carvings on its surface twisted like veins, glowing faintly red.
[Boss Chamber Detected]
[Warning: Stamina critically low.]
Kelvin glanced at his Status Window.
Status Window
[Stat:Level 0.] [Abilities: 🔒] [Artifacts: 🔒]
Strength: 10
Agility: 6
Durability: 5
Stamina: 16 (-11)
Perception: 8
Willpower: 28
Talent: — 🔒
Points: 366
He exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of fatigue sink into his muscles.
Three hundred sixty-six points. That should be enough.
He didn't hesitate.
He allocated instantly.
[+183 points → Agility]
[Agility: 6 → 189]
[Remaining: 183]
[Stamina: 16 → 199]
A sudden rush of power surged through his veins. His heartbeat quickened, muscles tightening with new vitality.
The exhaustion bled away — replaced by sharp, electric focus.
Kelvin smirked slightly. Others waste points on brute strength or tries to balance their stats... . They don't understand the system's flaws.
He rolled his shoulders.
Perception heightens senses too much which can cause overload of sensation. Durability slows down mobility all are not needed except for will power which makes you focus and determined but I already have enough points. Stamina with Agility, are what define survival
He faced the massive boss door.
The air around it felt alive, breathing.
Then — he pushed it open.
The chamber beyond was vast — a cathedral of stone and shadow.
At its center stood the Throne Beast.
A creature that could barely be called beast or monster.
It sat hunched upon a black throne fused into the earth, its body made of fused bones and molten sinew.
Four arms ended in clawed gauntlets of obsidian. Its head was a crown of horns that pulsed with dim cosmic light.
The moment Kelvin stepped in, its eyes opened — golden fire burning within them.
The Throne Beast roared. The sound alone split the air like a shockwave, shattering the outer tiles.
Kelvin darted aside instantly, his body a blur.
The monster's first strike — a ground slam — carved a crater where he had been standing.
Kelvin countered, dashing behind it. His blade flashed against the creature's shoulder — a shallow cut, but a clean hit.
Sparks flew.
The monster's hide was tougher than stone.
So it's a brute with armor. High attack, low reaction speed. Perfect.
He weaved between its attacks, slicing tendons and soft spots with surgical precision. Each strike left a glowing mark of energy on the beast's body.
But the creature was adapting. Its swings grew faster, more violent.
A claw slammed into Kelvin's arm, sending him flying into a wall. Dust exploded.
His vision blurred for a second.
Blood dripped down his fingers.
Damn... if it connected to my body cleanly, I'm dead.
He tightened his grip.
His breathing slowed.
Then he moved again — faster.
Faster than before.
The Throne Beast turned, confused by the afterimages now flickering around it. Kelvin's movements became ghostlike — every slash precise, every dodge perfect.
He cut through tendons, hamstrings, eyes, throat — every weak spot in motion.
The Throne Beast screamed, its roar filling the chamber. In desperation, it slammed all four fists into the ground, summoning a wave of dark flame.
Kelvin jumped.
Midair, his blade caught the dim light of the dungeon, reflecting it like a flash of lightning.
He dove straight down — slicing through the monster's skull in one final, perfect strike.
Silence followed.
Then the creature's body exploded into shards of dark light.
Kelvin stood panting.
His spear dripped molten blood from each sides.
The throne crumbled into ash behind him.
Then the familiar sound chimed in his head:
[Boss Monster Defeated — Throne Beast]
[+412 Points]
[+20 Diamond]
[ Title Earned: For Soloing a boss room alone "Lone Slayer"]
[Title Earned: Achievements for the fastest record in completing a level"Speed Raider"]
His Status Window opened again, glowing brightly.
Titles Gained:
Lone Slayer (Rare) → "Grants 20% discount on all close combat-type abilities and weapon artifacts."
Speed Raider (Uncommon) → "Grants 50% discount on mobility or agility-related artifacts."
Reward:
20 Diamond (Can be exchanged for Abilities or Artifacts)
[Congratulations🎉 Abilities and Artifact 🔓]
Kelvin exhaled slowly, a faint smirk crossing his face.
Solo clear and fastest dungeon raid. Not bad for Level 0.
He sat on a broken fragment of stone, wiping the blood from his face.
His mind wandered briefly.
This system... it's not designed for fairness. It's designed to tempt. They'll all rush to boost Strength and Durability — chasing raw power. They'll cripple themselves without realizing it.
He lifted his hand and watched his fingers tremble slightly. But Willpower... that's the true key. The bridge between fear and control.
He opened the Window again and poured the remaining points into Willpower.
> [Willpower: 28 → 394]
The surge was different this time — not physical, but mental.
He felt clarity, cold and absolute.
His heartbeat slowed. The noise of the dungeon faded.
He could feel... everything.
Perfect.
He left the diamond without using it.
There was something else he wanted — a rare ability that cost more than most S-rankers could afford.
And this was only the beginning.
Kelvin turned toward the next gate at the far end of the chamber — a faint blue portal humming with power.
A line of text shimmered above it.
> [Proceed to Level 2 Dungeon?]
[Recommended Rank: E+]
Kelvin smiled faintly.
"Recommended, huh?" he muttered.
Then I'll ignore it.
He stepped forward.
The light swallowed him whole.