Chapter 6: The Adaptive Warrior
Light.
Then darkness.
Then light again.
VwoosH h
Kelvin landed on solid ground, boots skidding across a field of cracked stone. The air was damp — heavy with the scent of moss and old blood. Overhead, crystalline lamps floated on each pillars and wall of the space dungeon, illuminating a vast underground expanse filled with people.
Dozens maybe hundreds of Awakened humans roamed the cavern. Some fought as soon as they came out of the save zone, others bartered near makeshift camps. Smoke from small fires curled upward toward the distant ceiling, vanishing into shadow.
Whispers followed as Kelvin walked past.
"Hey, isn't that…?"
"Wait— did he came from the lower gate alone."
"No one survives Level 2 alone…"
"He looks half-dead."
Kelvin ignored them all. His steps were silent, deliberate. His torn uniform fluttered in the cave's stale wind, streaked with dried blood. He didn't bother stopping — didn't even glance their way.
He just ran forward.
Straight toward the narrow path.
His breath came out in misty clouds, the cool air biting his lungs. As he sprinted through the field of ruins, he flicked his fingers — and the blue screen of his Status Window shimmered into view beside him, trailing as he ran.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ NAME: KELVIN {( LEVEL 3)} ]
500🌕 | 5💎 | 7🏆
[STATS]. [ABILITIES]. [ARTIFACT]
Strength : 10 | ( S.S) A rank. |
Agility : 189
Durability : 5
Stamina : 199
Perception : 8
Willpower : 394
Vitality : 50
Talent :(🔒)
He smirked faintly. "Still got it" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Guess that counts for something."
As his boots pounded the stony floor, monsters began to emerge from the cracks — shadowy lizards, fanghounds, and floating eyebats. He ducked under one, crushed another's skull with a knee strike, and kept moving.
While his body moved on instinct, his mind reflected.
The first title— Lone Wolf.
It had appeared when he cleared a dungeon alone for the first time.
[Effect: +20% power boost when fighting solo.]
Perfect, he thought. Because I work better without dead weight.
Next came Painless.
He'd earned it after surviving a 90% pain threshold without collapsing.
[Effect: Pain sensitivity reduced by 70%.]
He glanced at his knuckles, still raw from the last battle.
"The pains earlier are reducing making it easier to move."
Then Hardcore.
[Effect: 10% bonus dungeon rewards when Vitality < 25%.]
A grim smile tugged his lips.
The system literally rewards me for almost dying. Figures.
And then — Odds Breaker.
The one he bled for.
The one that almost killed him.
[Effect: 80% discount on all survival-based abilities.]
His eyes hardened. That title wasn't luck. That was necessity.
He leapt over a fissure, spinning midair to drive his heel into a horned beast's face. Its skull shattered, body collapsing before it could scream. He landed in a crouch, breathing steadily.
"I needed Odds Breaker, he thought, eyes narrowing as the dungeon stretched endlessly ahead. Because without it, I'd never have afforded Stat Swap for 1,200 Diamonds, something that takes S rankers years to afford but thanks to the Odds breaker I'm able to get it for 240 diamond"
He opened the Abilities tab mid-sprint.
[ABILITIES]
Stat Swap (A-Rank)
Allows the user to temporarily redistribute points among physical or mental stats.
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Limit: 7 Swaps per minute
Kelvin exhaled slowly.
"Yeah... Let's check it out"
A growl echoed. Five lizardmen rushed from both sides of the tunnel.
He grinned. "You can Right on time boys."
He put 100 points each into strength durability perseption and vitality then tapped the glowing button.
[Stat Swap Activated]
[Select Base Stat]
" Put 50% of All stats to agility"
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ NAME: KELVIN {( LEVEL 3)} ]
500🌕 | 5💎 | 7🏆
[STATS]. [ABILITIES]. [ARTIFACT]
Strength : 110(-55) | ( S.S) A rank. |
Agility : 189(+509)
Durability :105(-50)
Stamina : 199(-95)
Perception :108(-54)
Willpower : 394(-170)
Vitality : 150(-75)
Talent :(🔒)
[(50%)All Stats →Agility 189(+509)]
The world blurred. His muscles lightened; veins surged with kinetic energy. Every movement felt razor-sharp, weightless. He dashed vanishing from sight reappearing behind the nearest lizardman with a fist already buried in its spine.
[(80%)Agility→ Strength 110(+670)]
Crunch and.
BOOOMMMM
He spun, pivoted, elbowed another's jaw, kicked upward, and shattered its ribcage with a flick of his leg.
[Strength → Agility]
The speed was overwhelming — almost too much.
[Cooldown: 15 seconds remaining.]
Still got time, he thought, ducking under a spear thrust. Now—Strength.
[Stat Swap:( 80%)All Stats→ Strength:110(+720)]
His body grew heavy, grounded. Muscles bulged; the air vibrated with power. He slammed both fists down.
The ground exploded.
A shockwave rippled outward, sending the last three lizardmen flying. Rocks shattered, the cave trembling.
Kelvin straightened, shoulders rolling. "Perfect. One ability that rewrites combat itself.'
Minutes later, deeper inside the dungeon, he entered a vast open chamber. Four massive stone doors stood before him — each carved with a different symbol.
[Warning: Four Mini-Bosses Detected]
[All must be defeated to unlock the Final boss Gate.]
He clenched his fists. "Four, huh? Fine."
🧱 Mini-Boss One: Ironhide Golem
The first door opened with a groan, revealing a towering metal giant, its arms the size of trucks. Its fists slammed down, crushing the floor.
Kelvin didn't dodge. Instead, he whispered:
"Stat Swap. Agility → Durability."
His body glowed faintly. The blow landed—
BOOM!
Dust erupted. When it cleared, Kelvin stood unmoved, palm pressed against the golem's knuckles. His eyes gleamed.
"My turn."
He pivoted, switched stats again.
"Durability → Strength."
One punch.
The golem's head exploded into molten shards.
[Ironhide Golem Defeated]
[+200🌕, +70💎]
[ALERT]
🐆 [Mini-Boss Two: Windfang Panther]
The next chamber howled with wind. A massive, furred beast darted in circles, invisible to the eye.
Kelvin grinned. "Fast, huh?"
He tapped the air. "Strength → Agility."
His body shimmered — and then he vanished.
Sonic booms echoed across the cavern as both blurred shapes collided again and again. Claw met fist, fang met knee, until Kelvin ducked low, pivoted, and slammed an uppercut into the panther's jaw. It hit the ceiling and disintegrated into light.
[: Windfang Panther Defeated]
[+280🌕, +85💎]
🐉 [Mini-Boss Three: Mirror Drake Detected]
A serpentine dragon hovered above a reflective lake, every movement copied perfectly by its mirror image. Kelvin's spear was gone — so he relied on pure instinct.
The drake's illusion struck first.
He blocked with his forearm, frowning. "A thinking beast."
He exhaled. "Stat Swap. (30%)Willpower strength Agility→Intelligence and perception."
Instantly, his mind expanded. Every reflection's delay, every motion sync — he calculated it all.
If the mirror follows the real one with a 0.3-second lag…
He feinted left, jumped right, spun, and struck the real drake's heart before the mirror could adapt. The creature froze, stunned — then shattered like glass.
[Mirror Drake Defeated]
[+350🌕, 100💎]
🐻 Mini-Boss Four: Hellbear
The last door trembled open. Fire spilled out, heat slamming into his face. The Hellbear towered over him, fur burning like embers, claws melting stone.
Kelvin's breath steadied.
"Stat Swap. Intelligence → Vitality."
His aura turned gold. Wounds closed instantly, flames licking his skin harmlessly. He stepped forward, caught the beast's claw with his bare hand — and threw it to the ground.
One punch to the jaw.
One kick to the ribs.
The monster's skull caved in with the third blow.
The final gate rumbled open.
[Boss Room Unlocked.]
Kelvin wiped blood from his knuckles, exhaling. His body trembled from exertion — stat swapping took its toll, but the efficiency was unmatched.
[10%All Stats →Stamina]
"Let's finish this."
🔥 Boss: The Core Devourer
The boss chamber glowed like a volcano's heart.
Molten rivers ran through the floor, and at the center stood a monstrous creature made of obsidian and flame — humanoid in shape, chest glowing with a molten core.
It roared, shaking the chamber.
"SCREEEEEEEEECHHH!"
The temperature spiked instantly.
Kelvin's skin seared — but he didn't retreat.
He smiled faintly.
"Perfect test."
He began whispering commands under his breath.
"Stat Swap — Agility → Strength."
"(S.s) — Strength → Durability."
"(S.s)— Durability → Stamina."
Each word echoed like a spell. His body morphed with every swap — speed, power, endurance flowing like shifting currents. The Core Devourer lunged, arms blazing. Kelvin met it head-on, fists clashing with molten claws.
It's strong, he thought, blocking blow after blow. But strength alone doesn't win battles.
He ducked under a swing, sliding across magma, then switched again.
"Stat Swap — Stamina → Intelligence."
He analyzed the boss's rhythm — found the weak point. The chest core pulsed erratically before each heavy strike.
"There."
He charged, swapping once more.
"(S.s)—Intelligence → Strength."
His arm blurred. He struck directly into the glowing heart.
The explosion that followed lit up the entire dungeon. Magma erupted skyward, and the creature's roar was drowned out by the shattering of its own armor.
Kelvin stood amid the inferno, one arm buried in the monster's chest.
He pulled it free, molten energy dripping from his fingertips.
The Devourer collapsed — its body dissolving into blue dust.
> [Boss Defeated: Core Devourer]
[+600🌕 | +200💎 | +2🏆]
[Dungeon Level 3 Cleared]
[Level Up → 4]
He collapsed to one knee, breathing hard. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"Still… not enough," he muttered.
His Status Window flickered open again.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ NAME: KELVIN {( LEVEL 4)} ]
3500🌕 | 550💎 | 7🏆
[STATS]. [ABILITIES]. [ARTIFACT]
Strength : 210 | ( S.S) A rank. |
Agility : 289
Durability : 105
Stamina : 299
Perception :18 8
Willpower : 494
Vitality : 250
Talent :(🔒)
He stared at the glowing lock symbol beside "Talent."
It pulsed faintly — like a heartbeat.
Something's coming, he thought, standing slowly. Something the System doesn't want me to see yet.
The portal to the next level shimmered ahead. The cavern rumbled as the air shifted — new monsters waking, deeper terrors stirring.
Kelvin adjusted his torn sleeve, cracked his knuckles, and walked forward.
"Level Four," he said quietly, eyes glowing bright blue.
"Let's see if you can keep up with me."
The light portal swallowed him whole.