Dust and debris danced in the air like spirits disturbed from slumber. The floor was in ruins, chunks of stone and mangled wood scattered everywhere like confetti after a war parade. The Feral Crawler rose from the crater Malik's last kick had buried it in, its greenish-black carapace cracked down one side. Fluorescent blood oozed from the fracture like leaking battery acid.
"You… dare!" it snarled, voice echoing with venom, claws twitching with unstable energy.
Malik didn't reply. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. Not from exhaustion—but anticipation.
The Crawler's eyes gleamed. "You're not normal… What the hell are you?"
Malik answered with silence. His right leg slid backward, weight shifting into his heels. The stance of a striker. His eyes locked on the monster like a predator who had already envisioned the kill.
"Kill me, huh? A Level 4 player dares to threaten me?" The Mini Boss howled, then slammed both claws into the ground. The floor beneath them lit up in a crisscrossing pattern of green—a Berserker Zone. Vines of energy surged upward like wild weeds, cracking stone and shredding the wooden platform, each one extending the monster's rage into physical destruction.
"AoE alert!" Kenny screamed from the sidelines, yanking Angel Michael backward.
"Shit, what kind of Boss is this?!" White Emperor cursed, gripping his shield tighter.
The Crawler charged.
No stealth this time. No tricks.
It bulldozed forward like a rabid beast unshackled from logic, both claws forming an X in front of it. Malik, instead of dodging, stepped forward, weaving his body into the chaos like a thread through a needle's eye. One claw missed. The second grazed his ribs, tearing part of his shirt, but Malik twisted with it—turning pain into momentum—and slammed a rising knee into the Crawler's chin.
BAM!
The Crawler's head snapped back. For a brief moment, its limbs flailed like a puppet with its strings cut. Then it roared—right in Malik's face.
The roar sent a shockwave blasting outward. Cracks webbed across the ground. Malik slid backward, soles burning from the friction. But he didn't fall.
He grinned.
"You hit like a wet sponge."
The Feral Crawler's blood boiled. "You dare compare me to—"
CRACK!
Too late. Malik was already there. His fist buried into the monster's abdomen, the impact sending shock tremors through its exoskeleton. It stumbled backward, feet carving trenches in the ground. Before it could regain balance, Malik spun—an elegant, vicious spin—and sent a heel crashing into its temple.
-600!
[CRITICAL STRIKE]
The numbers flashed in red as the Crawler flew sideways like a tossed rag doll, crashing through a stone pillar and exploding out the other side. Dust mushroomed into the air.
"Did he just… combo a Mini Boss?" Tipa muttered, voice hollowed out by disbelief.
"He's not just fighting it," Kenny said, blinking rapidly. "He's... bullying it."
"No sword. No skills. No buffs," Slicer whispered. "Just hands and legs."
"Is he even human?" Angel Michael said, voice laced with awe and a tinge of fear.
"is Team Leader a Martial genius in real life?" Taiwo turned her gaze to Angel Michael who looked away. He didn't know how to answer such a question. Taiwo noticed this and decided not to privy again.
From inside the cloud of dust, the Feral Crawler's silhouette emerged—limping, staggering. Its right arm twitched unnaturally, dislocated. Its breathing was ragged, and sparks of mana dripped from its wounds like blood.
'This isn't a player… this is a monster wearing human skin.'
It lowered its stance, then roared again—triggering its Feral Rampage. Energy surged from its core, glowing green veins crisscrossing its body like tribal markings. It dashed forward, feet barely touching the ground.
Malik's eyes narrowed.
Then—
BOOM!
They collided.
The floor shattered. The ceiling cracked. A wave of raw kinetic force spread like an earthquake. Malik ducked under a swipe, stepped into the Crawler's guard, and slammed three punches into its chest. Each blow sounded like a battering ram against a bronze gong.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP!
The Crawler retaliated, claws slicing the air like guillotines. One grazed Malik's forearm, drawing blood. But before it could enjoy that small victory, Malik grabbed its arm mid-swing.
The Feral Crawler froze.
"What?"
Malik's muscles flexed. His fist blurred into a straight uppercut that launched the Mini Boss into the air. Not waiting, he leapt—right knee cocked, left foot tucked.
DOUBLE IMPACT!
He smashed his knee into the monster's sternum mid-air, then flipped mid-spin and axe-kicked the monster downwards like a hammer from the heavens.
BOOM!!
The floor split into a crater. The Crawler lay there twitching, parts of its carapace cracked wide open.
Malik landed with a single footstep, the dust slowly clearing around him.
"I've fought monsters stronger than you," he said, not out of arrogance—but truth. Comparing the Feral Crawler with the Alpha Feral Horned Wolf was a joke.. The Crawler pale in comparison and then Malik was still at the second stage of body refinement realm.
The Feral Crawler coughed blood—realizing it could no longer move its right arm.
'I can't win… this isn't a fight anymore… it's a nightmare.'
"You… you'll never clear the third floor," it hissed through broken fangs. "The Infernal Feral King… He'll feast on all of you and break through this damn Dungeon..."
Malik tilted his head, the word of the monster gaining his interest but then Malik didn't give it much thought. Unfortunately, you won't get to see it."
With that, he stomped forward. The Crawler made one last desperate swipe—but Malik sidestepped, pivoted, and drove his fist through its gut like a cannonball.
-800!
[FATAL BLOW]
The Feral Crawler spasmed once—then shattered into motes of light leaving behind its loots.
---
Ping!
<
<
Malik exhaled, blood dripping from his knuckles. He pulled his leg free from the fading carcass and stood tall amidst the carnage.
Behind him, the rest of the team finally emerged—silent, wide-eyed, and utterly humbled.
Not one of them could speak.
Because what they had just witnessed wasn't just victory.
It was domination.