The battle raged on.
Tobias adjusted his glasses, eyes sharp as he analyzed the battlefield.
The black-furred wolf — the dungeon boss — stood in the center of the chamber, its crimson eyes glowing with a murderous gleam.
It was fast. Powerful. Deadly. Every ti it moved, its massive claws tore through the stone floor, leaving deep gashes behind.
Yet Tobias wasn't worried.
"Now!" he called, voice cutting through the chaos.
Kara was already in motion.
The earth mage slamd her hands against the ground, and an array of glowing symbols materialized beneath her fingertips.
The dungeon trembled. Stone spikes erupted beneath the wolf's feet, forcing it to leap backward to evade the attack.
But Tobias had anticipated that.
He raised his hand, fingers moving in precise, practiced motions. A deep violet glow crackled around his palm before he thrust it forward.
"Suppress!"
The magic circle flared to life beneath the wolf.
Chains of light burst from the ground, wrapping around the beast's limbs, sinking into its fur.
The wolf snarled, thrashing against the restraints, but the spell held strong, locking it in place.
And that was all the opening Bran needed.
The axe-wielding warrior charged forward, his body glowing blue as his skill activated. His speed increased several folds, turning him into a blur of movent.
The mont he reached the immobilized wolf, he leapt into the air, his massive axe gleaming under the dungeon's dim lighting.
"Take this!"
The axe swung down.
The blade sank deep into the wolf's side, tearing through fur and flesh. A critical hit.
The wolf howled in agony, its entire body trembling from the devastating impact. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the ground beneath it.
Bran didn't stick around.
He kicked off the wolf's body, flipping backward just as jagged stones rained down from above, slamming into the beast with brutal force.
Kara's earth magic was relentless — each stone hit with enough force to tear apart and shatter bone.
And then, Tobias stepped forward.
His expression was calm and collected.
Raising his hand, he summoned a crackling sphere of lightning, energy arcing wildly around it. The light reflected off his glasses, casting a cold, almost eerie glow over his face.
"This ends now."
He threw the lightning spell.
The mont it touched the wolf, the world exploded into blinding white.
The beast scread.
Lightning ravaged its body, arcs of electricity dancing across its fur, searing deep into its flesh. The stench of burning fur and at filled the chamber.
For a second, ti seed to freeze.
Then — the wolf collapsed.
Its massive fra hit the ground with a resounding thud, smoke rising from its charred corpse. It didn't move again.
The boss battle was over.
#####
Zayn exhaled sharply, wiping blood off his cheek.
He hadn't been idle.
While Tobias, Kara, and Bran had focused on the boss, the rest of the monsters had been left to him.
And Elisse.
The problem? Elisse didn't fight.
The nun was a healer — a damn good one — but that ant she was completely vulnerable.
Zayn had learned that the hard way.
The mont Bran engaged the boss, monsters sward them.
Goblins. Oversized insects. Whatever those creatures that attacked them earlier were.
Zayn had barely had ti to react before the first one lunged at them, its jagged dagger aid straight for Elisse's throat.
But he moved.
He didn't even think — his body reacted instinctively.
One second, he was standing in front of her.
The next, he had slashed through a goblin's throat, blood spraying across his tunic.
Another one rushed forward.
Zayn twisted, his newfound agility allowing him to sidestep with ease. His sword followed the motion, cutting through the monster's chest in one clean motion.
But there were more.
Dozens.
He kept moving.
He moved like a machine — faster than he ever had before.
Each swing of his sword sent blood splattering against the stone.
He ducked beneath a goblin's swing, ramd his shoulder into another's gut, and sent it stumbling backward before cleaving its head from its body.
A system notification appeared —
[Would you like to Devour the 'Goblin'?]
"Yes."
Another rush of power flooded his veins.
More speed. More precision. More control.
More power!
A shadow flickered in the corner of his eye. Another monster — this ti one of those multi-limbed horrors from before — lunged at him from above.
But Zayn was already moving.
He slid beneath it, driving his sword upward —
Straight through its chest.
The creature let out a guttural screech, its body convulsing before going still.
[Would you like to Devour the '???'?]
Zayn didn't even hesitate.
"Yes."
A sickly red aura swirled around him this ti, his entire body shuddering as his muscles adjusted.
He didn't have ti to dwell on it.
More monsters charged.
Zayn t them head-on.
By the ti Tobias finished the boss fight, the battlefield was littered with corpses.
Zayn stood at the center of it all, breathing hard. Blood dripped from his sword, his once-clean clothes soaked in crimson.
Elisse, standing behind him, was untouched.
Tobias let out a slow breath, adjusting his glasses.
"It's done," he murmured.
Bran rolled his shoulders, flicking blood off his axe. "That was one hell of a fight."
Kara exhaled, lowering her hands. "I need a bath."
Elisse smiled faintly, stepping forward.
Without a word, she lifted her staff, golden light washing over them. Their wounds closed, the exhaustion easing.
Zayn let out a breath.
His arms still trembled from the adrenaline. He could still sll the blood in the air. But the battle was over.
For now.
He glanced at the notification still lingering in his vision.
[You have obtained C-Rank Skill: Predator's Instinct.]
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