"Okay... here are the loots I've accumulated so far. We have a total of 15 items and 5 materials," Malik said, and the interest of his team members instantly piqued.
He bent down and picked up one of the items, appraising it carefully.
> [Feral Strider Leg-guards]
(Bronze Rank)
Requirements: Lv. 10–20
+40 Agility, +10% Movement Speed, +5% Evasion
"This will be good for a Swordsman. Unfortunately, Young Star, you're not up to level 10 yet, so this automatically goes to Slicer," Malik said, handing the equipment to Slicer, who simply stared at him, unmoving. He didn't take it—not because he didn't want to, but because he felt he didn't deserve to.
They'd only made it this far because of Malik, and yet he had once insulted this peak expert.
"I'm not worthy of this equipment," Slicer said, shaking his head. Everyone could see through his thoughts, but Malik just laughed out loud, confusing the group.
"I'm not giving this to you because you're worthy or not. I'm giving it to you because I want to raise the overall strength of the team. So if you want it, take it. If you don't, I'll just return it to my storage space."
Malik's speech was too tyrannical. Slicer's eyes widened. Here he was, still dwelling on past mistakes, yet Malik wasn't even sparing that a thought. He was focused solely on the team as a whole.
"Since the Party Leader wants you to have it... why don't you take it?" Kenny patted his shoulder. Slicer nodded and finally took the leg piece.
The moment he equipped it, he felt a shift in his body—an agility boost—and couldn't help but feel joy rise in his chest.
"I promise I won't let you down, Party Leader," Slicer said.
Malik laughed again, then turned to the two Elementalists.
"There are two skill books here. You guys should decide who takes which." He brought out two skill books for them to see.
> [Arcane Surge] — Skill Book (Mage Class)
Temporarily boosts casting speed and spell power by 30% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
> [Inferno Burst] — Skill Book (Mage Class)
Unleashes a concentrated burst of fire damage to all enemies in a 5-meter radius.
Both skill books were heaven-defying. One was a massive AoE spell; the other, a terrifying spell boost.
"Although the Inferno Burst is powerful, it's more suitable for a Fire Mage. And as a gentleman, I'll leave that to you, Taiwo," Angel Michael said with a smirk as he picked Arcane Surge.
Taiwo's eyes lit up at his kindness. She gave him a grateful look and took the other book.
"Why don't we go learn the skill together?" Angel Michael proposed. Taiwo nodded, and the two of them walked a short distance from the group.
To the team, it looked normal. After all, they were both Elementalists. Only Malik knew what was going on.
That bastard... he's courting one of my team members.
Malik gritted his teeth before picking up five potions from the ground.
> [Feral Rage Potion]
Grants +10% Movement and Attack Speed for 30 seconds.
"This is very useful against agility-based monsters. Kenny, Young Star, Slicer, White Emperor, and Tipa—you guys take one each. You're the main vanguards, so it's important. I'll also keep one for myself," Malik said, storing the last bottle after distributing the others.
"And you, Big Nurse... this is for you," he added, handing over a bottle to Big Nurse, who received it with trembling hands. Upon using his Appraisal skill, Big Nurse discovered that the potion could permanently increase his mana pool and casting speed.
He immediately fell to his knees, staring at Malik. "This is too heaven-defying, Team Leader. I didn't even do anything..."
"You shouldn't say that, Big Nurse. Without you, we wouldn't have made it this far. If there's something to boost your support role, I'm sure no one would mind giving it to you," Malik said, looking around at the rest of the team. They all nodded in agreement.
Big Nurse sniffled and accepted the potion with a grateful nod.
This potion is worth 1000 gold and could even ignite war... and he gave it away so casually. What sort of character is our Party Leader? Kenny couldn't help but think.
"That's all. You guys should relax—we still have ten minutes left," Malik said, returning the remaining materials to his storage space.
He noticed another leg-guard and arm-guard among the loot, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were part of a set. Without at least four parts of the set, they were essentially useless. So, he stuffed them back into his inventory.
Ten minutes passed quickly.
The twenty-minute countdown finally ended, and the team was transported to the second floor of the Feral Dungeon.
Unlike the first floor, the second wasn't dark or cramped. It was bright—like daylight—and stretched into an open field with hundreds of monsters patrolling in the distance.
There were small hills at different corners of the field, each surrounded by a group of monsters.
> Name: Crawler [Level 15]
Rank: Uncommon
HP: 4000
Description:
The Crawler is a hulking creature that emerges from the darkest depths of the dungeon. Its body is covered in thick, mottled fur, and its eight eyes glow with an eerie green light. The Crawler's massive pincers snap with deadly precision, capable of crushing steel and bone alike.
The monsters on the second floor weren't wolf-type creatures, so Malik's title was no longer in effect. Still, he remained calm—he had plenty of trump cards left in his arsenal.
"Don't panic, team. Although they're three times larger and taller than us, their movement speed is very slow. All we need to do is avoid their pincers and land decisive blows. Set the formation—we move out to the nearest hill."
The team quickly organized into formation and moved toward the closest hill—a small one guarded by six Crawlers, all Level 15.
Once they entered the monsters' perception range, two Crawlers charged forward.
The two MTs—White Emperor and Tipa—rushed to meet them head-on.
Bang!
With a swipe of their pincers, White Emperor and Tipa were sent flying, their HP dropping by 80%.
The rest of the team started to feel the immense threat of death as the Crawlers closed in.
Malik's expression darkened. He darted forward with a clenched jaw, witnessing the raw power of the enemy.
"Retreat... retreat!" he roared, just as one of the Crawlers lunged at Slicer.
Malik threw a punch straight at the monster's face sending it flying backward.