Level Up

The same room, but this time, instead of flames, sunlight streamed in from the ceiling.

"What is it this time?" Livio prepared his katana.

Suddenly, the beautiful sunlight was covered.

"Is that an eclipse?" Livio raised his hand to shield his eyes as he looked up.

The black sun slowly began to release rays of light, and darkness crept toward Livio.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered as a flock of birds with triangular faces and a single eye advanced toward him.

Livio activated his PBV and lunged at them, slicing through their ranks. His shining red katana, illuminated by the golden sunlight, painted an ephemeral masterpiece in the air.

After slaughtering all of them, he exhaled sharply. "So, I guess these two levels were just a warm-up."

His health bar remained unchanged. "My health isn't recovering at all..... Should I move ahead or abandon this?" His eyes were blank, uncertain.

A screen popped up, offering a choice. Livio pressed "Yes."

The scent of soil and grass filled his nostrils as he stepped onto an open grassland.

Behind him, a patch of grass rustled, but he didn't notice.

Up ahead, something moved in the sky, getting bigger by the second. Livio braced himself.

Just as he prepared for the incoming threat, a rabbit leaped at his neck from behind.

Livio twisted right. "Again? What's going on?"

He ducked immediately as a bird—identical to those from the previous level—swooped down to strike him from above.

"I see. This level contains both rabbits and birds. This is getting fun." He activated his PBV again.

Bodies of birds and rabbits littered the grassland, severed limbs scattered like broken dolls. In the midst of them, Livio lay panting heavily.

"The sword..... It's taking too much out of me. I should use my hands in the next level." He pressed "Yes" and moved forward.

A floating disc, 50 meters in radius, with four roads extending infinitely in each direction. Fire torches decorated both the platform and the roads, their flickering light casting eerie shadows in the emptiness surrounding them.

Livio put his sword back in his inventory.

His eyes widened as he saw the birds and rabbits again. "What? Didn't I already defeat them? Is this dungeon an idiot?"

But something was different. Their sizes had increased—they were now larger than him. Only five birds and five rabbits stood before him.

Livio activated his PBV and stood with his guard up.

The creatures surrounded him from all sides. Livio lunged forward, dodging their initial attacks, and ran down one of the roads. Now, all his enemies were in front of him.

"Fine. I'll take them one at a time." He advanced with enhanced speed.

He aimed a punch at a rabbit, but before he could land the blow, a red beam struck him, sending him crashing onto the road.

A screen popped up: Paralyzed for 10 seconds.

"I can't move. This is bad." The moment he realized his predicament, a rabbit grabbed him and slammed him into the ground like a ragdoll.

Livio coughed, spitting out in pain.

The paralysis wore off, and he bolted away down the road.

"What was that? Fuck. My health is down to 55. Should I abandon this level and come back later?" He leaned against the road's edge, panting.

"The rays.... They hurt like hell. On top of that, they paralyze. I have nothing to block them." His exhaustion caught up with him, and he collapsed onto the road.

"I have to use it.... I've come too far. I will clear this. Entering the game was a gamble in itself—why stop now?" Livio unsheathed his sword and turned to face the approaching beasts.

He channeled his PBV, thickening it around his sword and eyes, leaving only a minimal layer on his body.

The leading bird fired another blast straight at Livio's head.

"Here it comes. And this... is my answer." He charged forward, slicing through the beam.

The force pushed him back. "Damn, that hurts."

His blade remained intact. "Thanks to Athena, I made it this far. More importantly, I should dodge the beams rather than block them." He weaved through the incoming attacks, closing the distance.

Before the bird could adjust, Livio cut it in half. The remaining beasts stood directly in front of him.

"Shit! I fucked up big time." But instead of hesitating, he moved ahead with a grin.

Two birds and three rabbits charged at him simultaneously. The birds fired relentless rays.

Livio shifted his PBV to his legs and eyes, leaving the rest of his body and katana unprotected.

Dodging with surgical precision, he closed in.

The leading rabbit swiped at him. Livio leaped over its attack.

The birds had no time to adjust. Livio slashed through both in a single motion. He landed on the lead rabbit's shoulder, but one of the two rabbits behind it lunged, aiming to bite his head off. Livio flipped over the rabbit, causing it to bite the leader's head instead.

The remaining rabbit attempted to crush Livio with its body. He slid under its legs, emerging behind it, and cleaved it in half. The leader, now headless, crumpled to the ground.

The last rabbit turned to attack again, but before it could strike, a barrage of rays rained down from above.

Livio sidestepped. The rabbit took the full blast, getting paralyzed.

The final two birds and two rabbits rushed toward him.

The birds, being faster, reached him first and fired their beams.

Livio grabbed the paralyzed rabbit, using it as a shield. The birds hesitated for a split second.

A blur to their left caught their attention. They instinctively fired at it—only to realize it was a severed rabbit's arm.

Before they could react, Livio cut them down.

He dashed toward the remaining two rabbits as the one-armed rabbit pursued him from behind.

As they closed in, Livio suddenly turned and sprinted toward the one-armed rabbit. It opened its mouth, ready to crush him.

At the last moment, Livio slid beneath it, striking its leg with a PBV-enhanced kick. The rabbit toppled over, landing directly in the jaws of the rabbit behind it.

Livio leaped and drove his sword through both their skulls.

The final rabbit lunged from above. Livio remained on the ground, waiting.

Using its own momentum, he kicked it off the road into the void below.

A screen popped up: Are you ready to move on?

Livio lay on the ground, panting. "Yes. I will complete this dungeon no matter what."

For the final level, the surroundings transformed into a rocky landscape with towering trees bearing deep yellow leaves and black, round fruits.

The fruits varied in size—from that of a small testicle to a massive pumpkin.

"This place is beautiful," Livio murmured, placing his sword back into his inventory. He spun in a slow circle, taking in the mesmerizing scenery.

His awe was cut short by a deep growl.

He turned—to find a bear twice his size, its back covered in deadly spikes, like a porcupine.