[Infernal Feral King]
[Special Elite Boss Monster]
[Level 20]
[HP: 15000]
They were Seven health bars floating above his head. Each one thicker than the last. Each one a silent declaration of despair.
The team of nine stood frozen in the burning field of the third floor. A scorched land twisted by flames and violence. The very air shimmered, warped by searing heat that turned breath into pain. Beneath their boots, the obsidian-black ground was cracked with glowing veins of molten lava, bubbling like the pits of hell had split open.
And there he sat—like a sovereign god of fire and destruction—on a blackened throne of bones and scorched metal.
The Infernal Feral King. The Final Boss of the Feral Dungeon. He was all alone, no subordinates.. No Mini Bosses.
He didn't roar. He didn't rage. He simply sat, unmoving, head bent down and eyes closed as if in a deep state of sleep.
"...No wonder no one cleared the Feral Dungeon yet," White Emperor's voice cracked, barely above a whisper. Cold sweat streamed down his spine, sticking his robe to his skin. "How the hell are we supposed to beat that?"
"A Level 20 monster," Slicer muttered grimly. "That's not a step up... That's a whole different game. Only Tier 1 players can even trade blows with something like this. We're Tier 0—just cannon fodder pretending to be heroes."
Angel Michael's jaw clenched. His staff shook slightly in his grip. "And it's not just Level 20—it's a Special Elite Boss. The system might have chained it to Tier 0 for balance, but that thing is Tier 1 through and through. One wrong move, and we'll be wiped."
They all knew the difference. Level 19 monsters were savage. Level 20 monsters were awakened.
"The Mini Boss was a warm-up compared to this," Tipa muttered, his voice hollow. "And that one already nearly killed us. No one's meant to clear this version of the Dungeon…"
"Maybe we should've tried normal mode instead..." Taiwo finally said. "With our strength—and with Big Brother Man like Malik—we could've cleared it. But now… this?"
That's when their eyes turned to him.
Malik.
He hadn't said a word ever since they stepped into this lair.
He stood behind them, still as a statue. His body drenched in sweat as if the heat of this floor clung to him more fiercely than the others. His fists were clenched, his eyes half-lidded, breathing low and ragged. This latest developments caused tension to spark up amidst the team.
'Man Like Malik. He's...'
"...Is something wrong with him?" Young Star asked, tension leaking into his tone. "He looks like he's... suffering."
Was he afraid?
Was their fearless leader—who had soloed a Mini Boss with his bare hands—finally cracking?
Big Nurse let out a nervous chuckle, but it didn't land. "Don't tell me our Team Leader is chickening out because of the Boss…"
The words hit like a whip crack.
Kenny's aura flared instantly. Frost laced her breath as her killing intent surged. Her long black hair fluttered wildly behind her as she stepped forward.
"Big Nurse," she said, voice sharp like a blade. "How dare you say that."
The healer took a step back, eyes wide. "Wait—I didn't mean it like that, I swear—"
He hadn't expected such a reaction from Kenny. He didn't expect she would directly send her killing intent to him. He was just trying to ease the tension. At least, that was what he thought but what he didn't know is that his words has intensified the fear surging up in the heart of the team.
"When you slandered him in the normal Dungeon, he still spared you. He gave you a rare item most guilds would kill for. He covered for you. Believed in you. And this—this is how you repay him?"
Her voice thundered across the scorched field as she recalled the scene that happened earlier before the role of Party leader was passed towards Malik.
"You're not fit to follow him."
Kenny declared when her Aura pressed down like an avalanche. The beast carver ring in her finger glowed softly intensifying her rage. The rest of the team instinctively backed off, breath stolen by the sheer weight of her rage.
Big Nurse was trembling. The look in Kenny's eyes—it wasn't just anger. It was disappointment. Pain.
He dropped to his knees. "S-Sister Kenny… I'm sorry—I was stupid, I shouldn't have—"
His plea was cut off by her outstretched hand. Frost gathered at her fingertips, and she was ready to drag his face into the ground.
But then—
A hand caught hers.
Firm. Calm. Commanding.
Malik.
He was beside her before she even sensed his movement.
"I told you to restrain your aura," Malik said, his voice quiet—but heavy. "Now you've made quite the mess." Malik eyes averted to the direction of the Infernal Feral King and everyone traced his eyes.
A shiver ran down everyone's spines.
They turned.
And saw it.
The Infernal Feral King was no longer in a state of deep sleep.
His head was raised up and his eyes were wide open. Though, he wasn't staring at their direction.
Smoke curled around its molten limbs, fire bleeding from every crack in its jagged obsidian skin. Its eyes burned like twin furnaces, as he breathe out fire from its nose at every passing moment.
It had noticed.
Because of Kenny's flare, the boss had locked onto them. Its perception covered the entire field now—judging, analyzing, waiting.
And yet, it still did not attack.
Because it didn't need to rush.
It knew it could erase them at any moment.
Malik released Kenny's hand. She flinched. Just from the light squeeze, pain throbbed through her bones. The power in his hand wasn't normal.
"All I needed was time," Malik muttered. "But now that it's aware of us, it'll test us with ranged pressure. One mistake… and we will all die. Not just die—lose everything we've gained so far."
His gaze swept over them all, sharp as a blade. "We'll lose our gear. our dignity, our very chance to clear this Dungeon."
Kenny stepped forward. Her knees slightly bent, heart pounding.
"This is my fault, Man like Malik. I'll take responsibility. Tell me what to do... I promise I won't fail you."
Malik arched a brow, it was the first time Kenny was calling him directly and the look on her face was filled with resolution.
Big Nurse crawled forward. "Punish me instead, Boss! I insulted you—I deserve it!"
Malik's brows furrowed. 'Dammit… I don't have time for this.'
He looked at the Infernal Feral King again. The heat. The pressure. The suffocating aura.
'It's stronger than me… Its aura dwarfs mine. Even if I rush in now, I'll be crushed. I need to master this Cultivation Technique in order to increase my overall prowess.'
"...Form up!" Malik barked.
The air shifted.
All hesitation vanished.
"Stall it for five minutes. That's all I need. Hold it off. After five, you retreat. No hesitation."
He vanished from their midst after giving the command, a blur of shadow as he darted to the far side of the burning field—where he could comprehend the cultivation technique he acquired from the loots of the Mini Boss.
His voice echoed behind him, sharp and cold. A leader's command.
They moved.
White Emperor and Tipa took point. The two sword users flanked their rear. Big Nurse sprinted to the middle, flanked by the two elementalists, both pale but resolved.
This team had walked through hell to reach here.
And now—at the edge of annihilation—they remembered.
Malik had carried them through everything.
He'd shielded them. Taught them. Made them believe.
And now it was their turn.
"I'll take the lead," Kenny growled, hoisting her Frost Greatsword. Her boots stomped into the burning ground. "This beast is going down."
She rushed forward, eyes glowing, frost trailing her weapon as steam hissed around her.
The others followed and a smirk appeared on the face of the Infernal Feral King.
"Foolish Humans."
And that was how the five-minute war began.