Malik stood at the edge of the battle, watching the chaos unfold. The fight had stretched into a relentless ten-minute grind, and everyone was giving it their all to bring down the damn Gnarl-Rats. Nasty creatures—high defense, freakish speed. Even with Taiwo and Angel Michael supporting, they had only managed to kill two so far.
"I'm out of mana!" Taiwo cried, desperation etched on her face as she launched one final [Flame Burst] at a Gnarl-Rat charging toward White Emperor.
-300
The damage number popped above its head, and before the creature could retaliate, Angel Michael roared, channeling the last vestiges of his mana into a [Lightning Spear] that pierced through the monster's core.
With a wail, the beast burst into glowing shards.
But both elementalist players collapsed instantly, chests heaving, their robes singed and stained with sweat. The Healer rushed to them, hands glowing as he desperately tried to stabilize their vitals—while also spamming heals on White Emperor, whose HP was dipping dangerously low.
White Emperor gritted his teeth, shield raised high. He was keeping three of the monsters at bay, but each blow from their jagged claws shook his stance. He was a rock in a river, but even rocks get worn down.
Kenny wasn't faring much better. She danced between two Gnarl-Rats, parrying with sharp precision, but her rhythm was starting to falter. Blood trailed down her left arm, and her HP bar hovered at barely half.
Young Star was locked in a desperate duel against a level 8 Gnarl-Rat, sword clashing against claw, his HP draining with every heartbeat. His boots skidded across the dirt as he tried to create distance, but the monster was relentless.
And Malik... Malik hadn't moved.
Then it happened.
Two more Gnarl-Rats leaped into the fray, and without warning, they lunged at White Emperor from his blind spot. The Healer's face turned pale.
"No—!"
But it was too late. The healing couldn't keep up. A split second later, White Emperor's HP hit zero, and his body shattered into fragments of light, fading into the air.
A stunned silence fell over the party.
Their tank was gone. And their DPS? Spent.
The Gnarl-Rats screeched in eerie delight—now free to hunt.
Four of them pounced toward Young Star, snarling as their claws tore at the earth. Three others charged at Kenny, who was visibly swaying now, exhaustion clear in her eyes.
"This is it... The moment I die..." Young Star gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand his ground. "I should've known I wasn't cut out for this. But I'm not going down without a damn fight!"
He planted his feet and raised his sword.
"Strike!" he roared, activating his weapon skill.
His blade glowed faintly and cleaved downward at the lead Gnarl-Rat.
To his utter disbelief, the beast exploded into shimmering particles the moment the blade connected.
"What the hell...?" His eyes widened. "My sword's only peak Common rank... It shouldn't be able to one-shot a monster like that—no way in hell!"
He turned slowly.
Standing behind him was a Level 4 player in black gear, fist still raised.
Malik.
"...How did he get behind me without me knowing?"
Before Young Star could even blink again, Malik shoved him aside and stepped forward.
Another Gnarl-Rat lunged—and Malik met it mid-air with a single punch.
Crack!
The impact blasted the beast backward into another one mid-leap. Both exploded instantly, their HP wiped clean from a single strike.
Then Malik vanished.
Not literally—but it felt like it. One second he was there, the next he was in front of Kenny, intercepting the trio of monsters bearing down on her.
Slaaaap!
Three dull thuds echoed, and all three Gnarl-Rats dropped dead like sacks of grain.
He hadn't even drawn a weapon.
Just slapped them.
Kenny froze in place, mouth parted. Young Star just stared, his sword limp in his hand. Taiwo, barely conscious, blinked in disbelief. Big Nurse's jaw hit the floor. Angel Michael's eyes gleamed with reverence.
'Brother Isiaka has gotten this strong...'
"He's... he's an expert. A top-tier expert," Taiwo muttered, voice trembling.
Big Nurse finally found his voice, but his words were brittle. "So you're this strong... and you just watched everyone—"
His sentence died as Malik turned toward him. His gaze was sharp—piercing.
Like standing at the edge of a bottomless pit.
"Were you talking to me?" Malik asked, but the voice that came out wasn't his usual calm tone. It was cold. Dreadful. Laced with something... primal.
Big Nurse's knees buckled instantly. Sweat streamed down his temples. His whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind. Whatever courage he had, it was gone.
'I didn't even feel this threatened against a Boss...'
Kenny's lips trembled as her eyes darted to Malik.
'No doubt. That overwhelming aura from before... it was him.'
Malik's gaze softened slightly as he turned to her.
"Team leader," he said calmly.
Kenny blinked. "Big Brother Man like Malik... you've been hiding your strength all this time?"
Malik burst out laughing. "You're the party leader. Your arrangement is what must be followed."
"You jest, Big Brother," Kenny said, grinning despite herself. "You don't even need us to clear this dungeon. I'm sure you only agreed because of the system criteria."
Malik chuckled, not denying it.
"Why don't I just pass the Party Leader role to you?" Kenny said as she opened the party interface and sent him a leadership request.
Malik looked at her, eyes gleaming.
'This girl... she really has good insights.'
He accepted the invite with a nod.
"First," he said, "let's exit the dungeon and regroup."
They all nodded.
With a flash of light, their silhouettes faded.
—
Outside the dungeon, Slicer, White Emperor, and Tipa were waiting.
When a white portal swirled open and six figures stepped out, Tipa's eyes locked onto Malik.
"You—!" he roared and stormed forward, but Taiwo and Kenny stepped in front of him.
Tipa halted, confused.
"I knew it. You've bewitched the ladies!" he shouted and raised his shield—
But when he caught the look on Big Nurse's face... he hesitated.
"He's the new party leader," Big Nurse whispered.
Tipa froze. "The what?"
Slicer looked between Kenny and Taiwo, then turned to Malik, stunned.
"That's right. I'm the new party leader," Malik said coolly. "You three—go prepare. We're going back in, ten minutes."
"Kenny, send me the full team coordinate data. Everyone else—try to get along," he added, already walking off.
The five who had survived the first run began recounting what had happened.
Ten minutes passed.
Malik returned.
They were ready, energized and focused.
He gave a small smile and raised a hand.
"Let's move."
Tipa's eyes glinted with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. "If what Kenny and Taiwo said is true... we might actually clear this."
They stopped at the entrance of the Feral Dungeon.
System: Select your mode
"Hard mode," Malik said firmly and shock flashed in the eyes of his team members as their countenance change.
Before they could even protest, A red portal opened with a pulse of ominous light and swallowed them whole.
Gasps echoed across the field as other teams turned toward the commotion.
"A red portal.. Is that the hard mode?"
"We haven't even cleared Normal Mode... or Easy... And a team is challenging the hard mode"
"And they really going to the hard mode?!"
"Who the hell are these guys?"
"They're people that don't know the immensity between the heaven and the earth. They're Frogs in a well..."