Chapter 18: Level 10 – The Breakthrough
The air around the safe zone was tense and gave out a strong negative energy, a sign that the portal to Level 10 was ready. Everyone stood around looking unsure, like people waiting for an exam they didn't study for.
Kelvin crossed his arms, scanning their faces.
They looked tired… hesitant. He could see it clearly even though no one dared to say it out loud.
"I know exactly what's going on in their heads," he thought, shaking his head. "They're scared. Can't blame them though—Level 10 isn't your normal monster playground."
He finally sighed and spoke, "We're moving to Level 10."
Silence.
Nobody cheered. Nobody moved.
Even George, the loudmouth motivator, looked unsure for a second.
Kelvin frowned. "George, sort it out," he said flatly. "Or tell those who don't want to go to leave."
That line dropped like a hammer.
A few people started whispering, some glanced at the ground, pretending to adjust their weapons.
Then George exploded.
"ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS?!" he shouted so loud that a few people flinched. "Don't you see this is our chance?! Some of you have been stuck below Level 10 for over six months! Six damn months! You fight the same weak monsters every day and still call yourselves hunters?"
Nobody replied.
He jabbed his finger at the group. "This guy—" he pointed at Kelvin "—is the strongest person we've met so far. You think people like him show up every day? He's literally helping us break through! And you're all standing here acting like cowards?"
A few people grumbled.
George kept going, voice burning with frustration. "If you're scared, fine. Stay here. You'll keep fighting baby-level monsters and stay F-rank for the rest of your lives. But for me? I'm going through that portal and you're never seeing my ass again!"
He turned sharply toward Kelvin. "Lead the way."
Kelvin's lips twitched. "Guess I don't have to say anything anymore."
He walked to the glowing portal. Without another word, he stepped through.
George followed, and one by one, the others reluctantly entered after them.
[Player have entered the safe zone of level 10]
They landed in a wide, eerie landscape—a gray desert with strange glowing stones.
At the far distance, a thick mist covered the horizon like a wall.
Kelvin took a deep breath. The air here was heavy—like it carried the weight of danger itself.
System messages blinked in front of everyone's faces.
> [Welcome to Level 10 Safe Zone]
[Objective: Reach the other end of the Safe Zone]
[Distance: 600 km]
[Time Limit: 10 hours]
[Warning: Monster Waves Incoming]
Everyone read it at once, and collective shock filled the air.
"Six hundred kilometers?!" one of them yelled.
"That's insane!"
"We can't run that far, much less fight along the way!"
Kelvin smiled faintly. "Yeah, this part never gets old."
He looked around and explained, mostly in his head.
"Level 10 is designed to crush your spirit. The idea is simple—you either fight through every monster from Level 1 to 9, including all bosses and semi-bosses combined, or you survive long enough to cross to the other side....."
"
Six hundred kilometers... that's like walking from one end of a country to another. And the timer? Ten hours. Fail, and you get sent back to the start. Every. Single. Time."
He looked at his group, seeing the fear grow in their eyes.
"That's why most people give up here. This level isn't about teamwork anymore. It's about breaking limits."
George gritted his teeth. "Whatever it takes. We'll reach the end."
Kelvin chuckled. "He really does have a courage no wonder he became the leader of the Mafia Rankers."
The ground suddenly started shaking.
At first, it was a faint rumble—then it turned into chaos.
Dozens of portals ripped open in the distance, glowing red and black.
And from them came waves upon waves of monsters.
Slimes from level zero, wolves from level one, armored beasts, and flying horrors—everything from Level 1 to 9 poured out in a massive flood.
Then the bosses arrived—towering beasts with glowing eyes and energy radiating like suns.
The group backed up instinctively, forming a circle.
George yelled, "Everyone! Get ready! We fight to survive!"
Weapons lit up, energy flared—and chaos began.
Kelvin stood still for a moment, quietly observing. "This isn't a fight we can win normally," he thought. "But lucky for them, I have something special."
He closed his eyes, and a faint golden light shimmered around him.
[Skill Activated: Scale's Of The Weak]
The system beeped softly in his ears.
> [Balancing battlefield…]
[Equalizing stats between allied and enemy forces…]
[Adjustment complete.]
The monster horde suddenly froze for half a second, as if something hit them.
Their glow dimmed a little. The bosses roared in confusion.
Meanwhile, everyone on Kelvin's team felt a surge of power. Their weapons gleamed brighter, their muscles tightened, and their energy flared like never before.
George gasped, looking at his hands. "What the—?! I feel… strong! Really strong!"
Kelvin smirked. "Good. Let's see what you can do with it."
The first wave hit.
Claws met steel. Fireballs exploded. Arrows rained.
The female archer leapt onto a rock and fired a glowing arrow that split into five mid-air, striking multiple monsters at once.
"This—This is amazing ?" she laughed, letting another arrow fly.
George, wielding his giant sword, slammed into the ground—sending a shockwave of electricity that tore through a line of beasts.
"Come on, you ugly bastards! I'm just getting warmed up!"
Another fighter, with Claws, transformed his hands into beast-like talons and ripped through a semi-boss's chest.
"Been waiting for this kind of fun!" he shouted, covered in monster blood.
Even Lee, usually scared and quiet, was blasting thought the boss monsters like a maniac .
Kelvin moved through the chaos like a shadow, deflecting attacks and one punching monsters effortlessly.
His expression stayed calm, but his eyes glowed faintly blue.
"This power balance should last long enough for them to gain experience. I just need to make sure they don't die doing something stupid."
A huge Level 9 boss—a horned beast with molten eyes—charged straight at Kelvin.
He sighed. "You again."
He walked through the air and....
[(40%)All stat→ Strength]
BOOM!
The explosion threw dust everywhere. When it cleared, the monster was gone—vaporized.
The others stared at him.
George laughed, "Okay, yeah, Now am totally convinced—you're a monster too!"
Kelvin shrugged. "Focus on yours before you lose your head."
The Final Push
The battle dragged on for hours. Waves upon waves came, but they didn't stop fighting.
Everyone was bleeding, panting, and covered in monster guts.
But no one fell. Not one.
When the last boss roared and collapsed, the ground went quiet for the first time in ten hours.
A giant notification appeared before them.
> [Level 10 Cleared]
[All Monsters Eliminated]
[Extra Reward Granted: +9,000🌕 +3,000💎 Each + Title: "Breaker of Limits"]
Everyone froze.
Then chaos again—but this time, from joy.
"What?! 3,000 diamonds?!"
"I got a title!"
"Never seen this many rewards before!"
George dropped to the ground laughing. "We actually did it!"
Kelvin smiled faintly. "Good work, everyone."
After the excitement calmed down, Kelvin spoke again.
"There's something all of you should buy now," he said. "It's called Astral Link."
The group looked at him curiously.
"What's that?"
They checked their status window imidiately to purchase it but we're shocked.
[ASTRA LINK]
[ S rank :- 10,000,000💎]
[A rank :- 900,000💎. ]
[C rank :- 60, 000💎 ]
[E rank :- 7,000💎. ]
[ Frank :- 2,500💎. ]
Kelvin saw their disappointment and explained. "It lets you link with someone else. If that person's ever in serious trouble, they can summon the other person's astral form to help."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"So… like summoning you?" the archer asked hopefully.
Kelvin nodded. "Yeah. If you're in danger, you can summon my astral form to fight beside you."
They all gasped in relief—then checked the priceses again.
Their faces immediately fell.
"Wait—this thing costs how much?!"
"Even the F-rank version costs more than half my diamond stash!"
George stared at his screen. "The A-rank one costs more than my entire savings!"
Kelvin chuckled. "That's why you save diamonds, George."
After a long moment of groaning and bargaining with themselves, everyone started buying the ability—each at the level they could afford.
George managed a B-rank one. The archer got a D-rank. Lee hesitated but bought the S-rank version.
Kelvin bought the S-rank Astral Link himself—quietly.
As everyone linked up, Kelvin's thoughts drifted again.
"Astral Link isn't just about helping them… It's about monitoring them. Through the link, I can see their stats—if they allow it—and sense their danger levels and the evil mission given by the admins. My astral form can fight for them, but only if they summon me. The higher their link rank, the stronger the connection."
He glanced at them, all smiling and chatting about their new titles.
"But there's a catch. My astral form can't use full power if their link is low-ranked. Only those with S-rank or higher will get real help. Still… it's better than nothing. I can't help everybody ."
He smiled slightly. "At least this time, I won't lose them like before."
The group started preparing for the next level, full of energy and hope.
George clapped Kelvin on the back. "You know… you might actually be the best boss we've ever had."
Kelvin smirked. "I'll pretend that was a compliment."
They laughed. For the first time in a long while, there was no fear or hatred in their voices.