Strength in Progress

[[Location: D.M.U. Waiting Room]]

[[Elapsed Time Since the End of the Eighth Floor: 00:10]]

Mark reappeared in the waiting room, the adrenaline from battle still coursing through his veins. He observed his hands, feeling the lingering warmth of the physical enhancements he had gained during his fights. The eighth floor had been a formality, but he knew that as he advanced, the challenges would only become more complex.

He opened his interface and checked his credit balance. With the accumulated rewards, he had enough to invest in useful skills. He navigated to the Skill Shop and browsed the available options.

After careful consideration, he selected:

Advanced Muscle Reinforcement – Increases the raw power of his strikes.

Combat Instincts – Enhances perception of enemy attacks and reaction time.

Minor Regeneration – Slightly accelerates post-battle recovery.

Resistance to Mental Effects – Reduces the impact of illusions and psychological attacks.

Enhanced Agility – Boosts movement speed and fluidity of evasions.

A confirmation message appeared, and almost instantly, he felt a subtle adjustment in his body. His breathing became steadier, his stance more grounded. He needed to test these new abilities.

Moving to the training area, he activated an advanced combat simulation. A virtual opponent materialized, simulating an elite fighter. Mark struck first. His fist moved faster than before, colliding with his opponent with increased force. When he dodged the counterattack, he realized that his body reacted instinctively, without conscious thought.

Blows rained down, but he moved with newfound ease. He experimented with more complex movements, chaining feints and precise attacks. After several minutes, he ended the simulation, satisfied.

Next, he accessed the communication section and selected Video Call – Priority Contact: Mother.

His mother's face appeared on the screen, tired but determined.

— "Mark! You're safe! Where are you now?"

— "I just finished the eighth floor. And you, how's it going?"

— "It's getting tougher. I had to learn how to wield a spear to adapt to some fights. The dungeon doesn't just test our strength; it shapes how we fight."

Mark raised an eyebrow. His mother, someone who had always avoided violence, was adapting. The dungeon was transforming everyone.

— "That's a solid weapon. Are you handling it well?"

— "Not perfectly yet, but I'm improving. I also discovered a new ability—a sort of enhanced perception of attacks. Maybe it's an effect of my progression in the dungeon."

Mark mentally noted this information. It suggested that passive transformations could occur over time.

After some more conversation, he ended the call and contacted his father.

A deep voice resonated immediately.

— "Mark. Still alive."

— "I'm moving forward. And you?"

— "Seventh floor. I found a katana in a reward chest. Light, fast. A change from hand-to-hand combat."

Mark smirked. His father was always methodical.

— "Noticed any changes in your body or skills?"

— "Yes. My reaction speed has improved. I also unlocked a skill related to combat instincts. It seems the dungeon enhances our natural strengths."

Mark nodded before ending the call. He then placed another call.

[[Call in Progress: Kilian]]

His friend's face appeared, visibly exhausted.

— "Mark, tell me you're finally struggling."

— "Eighth floor completed."

— "You're a beast… I'm still stuck on the seventh. But I found a ground combat technique that might help."

Mark raised an eyebrow. Kilian wasn't usually one to experiment with new methods, which showed just how much the dungeon was pushing them to evolve.

— "What exactly is it?"

— "Something based on throws and joint control. I found a training manual in a reward chest. It describes how to use an opponent's force against them, especially against larger adversaries. And I unlocked a skill that improves my stability and resistance to impacts."

Mark thought for a moment. As they progressed, they weren't just discovering new abilities but also different combat styles.

Before ending the call, Kilian added:

— "Oh, by the way. I keep seeing a name pop up in the global chat. Lucian Blackthorne."

— "Who's that?"

— "A player supposedly on the ninth floor. Some say he's going to be the first to reach the tenth. Others think he's found an exploit in the system to progress so quickly."

Mark opened the global chat and browsed the latest discussions.

[[News Feed – DMU Europe]]

Lucian Blackthorne: The first player to reach the tenth floor?

New types of trials discovered from the eighth floor onward.

A hidden area reportedly found by some players on the sixth floor.

Theories about the dungeon's limits and its true rules.

Some players beginning to notice recurring patterns in floor difficulty.

He focused on the mention of the hidden area. The dungeon still held many secrets they didn't fully understand. Others speculated that physical and mental changes might be imposed by the system without them even realizing it.

He closed the interface and stretched. His next step was clear: he had to improve even more before facing the next floor.

The challenge was only just beginning.

Mark took a deep breath before reopening his interface. He knew that the time he spent in the waiting room was valuable and had to be used wisely. His body had already undergone notable transformations, but he could still improve before facing the next floor.

He knew he couldn't afford to enter a new floor without being at his peak. Without hesitation, he made his way to the advanced training area. The air was denser, a sign that gravity had been increased, testing every fiber of his body.

He began with a series of endurance exercises, sprinting in a straight line under a pressure that made each step more laborious. His breathing became shorter, but he could feel his muscles gradually strengthening. He followed up with muscle reinforcement exercises, deep squats under increased gravity, and powerful punches delivered to reinforced targets. Each impact resonated through the air, a testament to his progress.

The challenge escalated when he activated the moving targets. They danced around him, simulating elusive enemies. He dodged with increased precision, his reflexes adapting to every movement. His body responded more fluidly, and his strikes became sharper, more destructive.

After an hour of intense training, he moved on to endurance drills. He activated a program simulating a long-duration fight, where he had to face a series of virtual enemies without pause. His muscles burned, his breathing grew heavier, but he did not falter. Each dodge was more natural, each counterattack swifter. His punches landed with the force of a hammer, and his stamina seemed endless.

Minutes passed, turning the training into a true battle against himself. He pushed his limits again and again, feeling the pain of exertion, but also the satisfaction of a body growing stronger with every second.

After one final series of movements, he stopped, his body trembling from the exertion but filled with newfound energy. Every muscle vibrated with renewed strength, his breathing was steady, his mind sharp. He opened his interface and checked his status, eager to see the results of this grueling training.

Strength: +7

Agility: +5

Constitution: +8

He rolled his shoulders, expelling the excess tension accumulated. His heart was still pounding, but there was no hesitation left. The time had come.

A notification appeared before him.

[[Teleportation to the Ninth Floor Available]]

Taking a deep breath, he took one last look at his surroundings before stepping forward. His body was ready, his mind sharpened. There was no turning back.

The portal's light enveloped him entirely, and in an instant, he was propelled into a new environment.

The change was brutal. A biting wind lashed against him, whipping through the air with an intensity that seemed to cut through his flesh.

The cold immediately seeped into his clothes, and he felt his breathing slow under the effect of the extreme temperatures. He stood atop an immense snowy plain, surrounded by ice-covered mountains whose peaks disappeared into a thick mist. The air was so frigid it burned his skin.

He clenched his fists and tensed his muscles to conserve body heat. He could not afford to falter here, not now.

A deep, resonant noise drew his attention. He turned his head and saw massive silhouettes emerging from the mist.

Ice Giants.

Their skin looked as if it had been carved from pure ice, their eyes glowing with an eerie blue light. They wore immense frost-forged armor and carried colossal weapons of the same material. Some were taller than the others, and one in particular stood several heads above the rest, exuding an aura of dominance.

They spoke among themselves, but their language was incomprehensible to Mark. A guttural, powerful dialect reverberated through the frozen air like an omen.

A notification appeared on his interface.

[[Objective of the Ninth Floor: Eliminate the Boss]]

Mark narrowed his eyes. These creatures were undoubtedly the floor's guardians, and among them, he had to find the largest, the strongest… the true challenge.

He advanced cautiously, testing the grip of his boots on the ice. Every step had to be precise. The giants had not yet noticed him…

But that wouldn't last.

One of them slowly turned its head towards him. Its frozen gaze locked onto Mark, and immediately, the giant raised its massive axe, sculpted from ice. Without warning, it charged, kicking up a storm of snow with its immense strides.

Mark braced himself, assuming a defensive stance. When the enormous blade came crashing down toward him, he leapt aside, barely avoiding the impact. The sheer force of the strike made the ground tremble, sending shards of ice flying around him.

He retaliated instantly. Propelling himself forward, he delivered a direct punch to the giant's torso, but his fist struck a surface as hard as steel. The impact sent a numbing shockwave up his arm. These creatures weren't just large and powerful… they were intelligent.

The giant smirked, then swung its arm with surprising speed. Mark barely had time to raise his forearm to block the attack. The sheer force sent him skidding backward, his feet struggling to find traction on the ice.

He quickly regained his stance, realizing that this battle would be unlike any other. This wasn't a fight against a mindless beast. The giant was evaluating him, testing his reactions.

Mark tightened his fists. He had to adapt his strategy. He dodged another attack, observing his opponent closely, searching for an opening. Every movement had to be calculated, every strike optimized to break through this impenetrable defense.

The battle had only just begun, and the entire floor still lay ahead of him. He couldn't afford to lose here.

The trial of ice had only just begun.