The administrator observed the large crater Kai’s strike had left in the floor in front of it, and the smoke and dust rising from the impact.

And it couldn’t help but smile and look at Kai with the same enthusiasm and analysis as always.

"Whoa. Phew, wow."

"That was close," the administrator said.

"If that had hit me directly, it would have been a real problem."

Kai raised his fist again.

"Still not wanting to talk?"

Nothing.

"Prolonged silence during combat suggests one of three states: extreme concentration, active emotional suppression, or the tactical decision to give no information to the opponent." The points of light flickered.

"Which one is yours?"

Kai launched his left elbow at the side of its neck.

The administrator blocked it with its arm — the transmitting energy reached the elbow.

The elbow went numb for two seconds.

Kai used those two seconds for the heel to the administrator’s knee tendon.

The administrator raised its knee.

"Or maybe you’re just upset because I touched your girls?"

The administrator struck a pose to show tenderness.

"Aww, how sweet. But well, that’s what a man does."

It looked at the girls and simply told them.

"How lucky you girls are, he’s a gentleman, take care of him... There aren’t many of those left."

Serah looked at Kai with a serious expression, already knowing he was doing it for them, and a blush could be seen on her face all the same.

While Lira simply cleared her throat.

"Ugh, do you really think a high-class Vampire like me, of the best possible lineage, would go out with someone like that human piece of trash?"

She looked at Kai with her serious face and his shirt slightly torn at the abdomen, and she observed him intently, then her gaze went up to his face again and a blush formed on her face as she imagined some perverted things.

"No way..."

Kai switched the heel for the knee to the thigh.

It connected.

The administrator stepped back.

"You’re not going to respond," it said. "Fine." Its arms rose. "Then let’s generate more creatures."

---

[System — update]

[External Qi — continuous accelerated progression]

[New application detected: energy deflection with Penetrating Strike]

[The system notes that Kai deflected five columns in sequence]

[The system notes that the administrator’s core was exposed]

[The system notes that the administrator is generating more creatures]

[The system notes that Kai has said nothing since the start of the Chapter]

[The system considers that significant]

[Locked abilities remaining: 13]

Twenty new creatures emerged from the floor.

The same upgraded variants — six arms, two-meter tentacles, triple layer of plates.

Kai looked at them with Field Priority active.

Twenty-six total threats — twenty creatures plus the administrator plus the traps covering the whole chamber. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Serah at eight percent markings.

Lira with shoulder and arm.

The distortion in the administrator’s chest visible — the core one strike of the right kind away.

Kai calculated.

’The administrator generates creatures because it knows they divide my attention.’

’Every time I go for the creatures, I can’t go for the core.’

’Every time I go for the core, the creatures pressure Serah and Lira.’

’I can’t do both at the same time.’

’Unless I don’t need to do them at the same time.’

He looked at Serah.

Markings at eight percent. Standing. Looking at him.

He looked at Lira.

Zero magic. Shoulder and arm. Standing. Looking at him.

Both looking at him.

’I don’t need to do it alone.’

---

[DraconicLegacy: (ಠ_ಠ) TWENTY NEW CREATURES (ಠ_ಠ)]

[Dr_Snow: the admin read the pattern. generates creatures to divide Kai’s attention. that’s the real trap.]

[Drakeking: "I don’t need to do it alone" — Kai looking at Serah and Lira. they’re standing. they’re looking at him.]

[Jack_Moore: the admin generates more every time Kai neutralizes the previous ones. it’s a cycle designed to exhaust.]

[Brandon_Haddan: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[RagingMutant: ┗(°0°)┛ ┗(°0°)┛ THE THREE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER ┗(°0°)┛ ┗(°0°)┛]

[Jesse_Williams: the admin has twenty more creatures and Kai still isn’t speaking. but he just calculated something.]

---

The administrator watched Kai calculate.

Then it looked at its own panel.

[User Kai Reno — current status]

[Right forearm: functionality 70%]

[Torso: functionality 75% — partially recovered]

[Left knee: functionality 65%]

[Active Qi: Level 1 → in continuous progression]

[Adaptation speed: increasing]

[Capability projection in 10 minutes: not calculable]

The administrator looked at the numbers.

Read them again.

"Your adaptation speed is increasing," it said.

Kai didn’t respond.

"It shouldn’t be. Combat adaptation has a logarithmic curve — fast at the start, slower afterward. Yours is going in the opposite direction."

Nothing.

"You’ve spent this entire fight improving with every exchange." A pause. "That’s statistically—"

"Impossible," Lira said, from the edge, without being asked.

The administrator looked at her.

Lira shrugged with the shoulder that worked.

"We already said that before. I know you’ll tell me welcome to the club."

The administrator processed this.

Then it returned to Kai.

The blue points of light flickered at a frequency different from all the previous ones — not the one from damage, not the one from analysis. Something Kai hadn’t seen in the entire fight.

"Fine," the administrator said.

Not the fine from before — not the one with the kind :D or the interested analysis.

The fine of something that has discarded the option it preferred and is assessing what remains.

The twenty new creatures lunged.

And the administrator launched seven simultaneous columns directly at Kai.

---

[DraconicLegacy: (ಠ_ಠ) SEVEN COLUMNS AND TWENTY CREATURES AT THE SAME TIME (ಠ_ಠ)]

[Dr_Snow: the light points flickered differently. first time. the admin is processing something it didn’t calculate.]

[Drakeking: "welcome to the club" from Lira at the exact moment. perfect.]

[Jack_Moore: Kai calculated that he doesn’t need to do it alone. the seven columns arrive before he can communicate it.]

[Brandon_Haddan: (°ロ°) (°ロ°) SEVEN COLUMNS (°ロ°) (°ロ°)]

[RagingMutant: (╬ Ò﹏Ó) (╬ Ò﹏Ó) (╬ Ò﹏Ó) (╬ Ò﹏Ó)]

[Jesse_Williams: viewers: 27,100,000. the number hasn’t dropped all Chapter. not a single viewer left.]

[System — notification]

[Current viewers: 27,100,000]

[The system notes that Kai said nothing all Chapter]

[The system notes that the administrator spoke enough for both]

[The system notes that the administrator’s light points flickered in a previously unrecorded way]