"Why are you following me? This isn't the direction of the Feral Dungeon," Angel Michael asked again, his voice laced with suspicion. A bitter smile twisted on Trust's face.
"You shouldn't do this to your homie, Angel. We were together just two days ago, and you were nowhere near dazzling like this. It's only natural I follow you," Trust replied, spreading his arms like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"How on earth is that natural?" Angel's brow twitched. "All of this happened because of a Brother, and I don't think he'd be pleased if I brought a companion out of the blue."
"A Brother?" Trust's eyes gleamed. "Aargh, Angel please, take me to him. I want to be as dazzling as you."
"That's impossible. You won't—"
"Aren't you heading there too? Then it's only natural you take me along," Trust cut him off, his tone firm. "Remember, we both log in with the same cabin. There's a limit to the distance we can share."
Angel Michael clenched his jaw. He hated to admit it, but Trust was right. It was either he dragged him along or risk him tailing all the way to the Feral Dungeon anyway.
"You win," Angel sighed. "But you're staying put until I ask Brother Isiaka if you can join the team."
With that, Angel turned around, resuming his stride while Trust tagged along like an overly enthusiastic fanboy.
'Brother Isiaka... Is there any other Isiaka apart from Abdulmalik?' Trust mused inwardly, suspicion crawling up his spine.
After some time trekking through the silent forest, they reached the coordinates Malik had sent. Coincidentally, White Emperor and Young Star arrived at the same moment, their appearances cloaked in faint glows from high-tiered gear.
"Trust," Malik called the moment his eyes fell on the Level 14 player walking behind Angel Michael. Trust's eyes widened like saucers.
"Man like Malik… You're—" His voice trailed off.
Malik nodded with a light smile and beckoned him forward. Trust walked over, glancing around. The faces gathered here—something about them tickled his memory. He had seen them before. Recently.
"You're the incognito party that cleared the hard mode of the Feral Dungeon," he said slowly, realization dawning.
"It seems we won't be able to hide our identity for long," White Emperor mused, his voice calm but proud.
"We only succeeded thanks to Boss," Young Star added, his gaze shifting to Malik.
Trust's eyes followed. Though it was nighttime, the system's adaptive visibility function painted everything clearly. Malik stood there like an unshakable pillar—no title over his head, yet the weight he carried was unmistakable.
"He's the one that rejected Void Reaper's offer... Brother Isiaka… Player Man like Malik," Trust muttered, turning toward Angel Michael with a bitter smirk.
"Don't look at me like that," Angel shrugged. "I couldn't just bring you here uninvited. It doesn't work that way."
"What doesn't work that way?" Trust huffed. "Do you know how many levels I lost because of Brother Isiaka's scuffle with the Shadow Guild? Brother, how do you intend to repay me?"
Malik chuckled lightly, a sound as crisp as cold steel drawn from a sheath.
"You don't have to worry anymore," he said. "I'll take you all to level up."
"But Boss, this isn't the Emerald Forest," Young Star interjected, looking around. "This is the ruins that separate Green Leaf Town from Redstone Town. All the monsters here are Level 20 and above."
"Boss, are we going to clear this ruin?" he asked again, his eyes gleaming like twin moons.
"Yes. We're going to carve a path to Redstone Town," Malik replied, his tone unwavering.
The team's eyes lit up like fireworks.
'Are these people crazy?' Trust could only gawk. They were really planning on cutting through an entire monster-infested ruin?
"Everyone, share your coordinates and DPS with me," Malik began, taking charge like a general before a war. "White Emperor and Young Star, you'll be our main vanguards. You'll rally the monsters. Angel Michael, you're responsible for AOE coverage. Trust—you're a Ranger. You'll guard their backs. If any monster slips through, take it down."
"What about you, Brother?" Trust asked, his expression twisted in disbelief.
"I'll take the other side of the ruins," Malik replied coolly. He turned away, eyes glinting with faint silver, the very air around him humming with suppressed force.
"Don't get too excited," he added. "If you encounter a Boss Monster, send a signal through the party chat. I'll be there instantly."
Everyone nodded.
"Now move out."
At once, they scattered like wolves into the forest, the brush parting before them like it feared their presence.
"This is the best choice," Malik murmured as he headed in the opposite direction. "If I went with them, I'd either hold them back or they'd slow me down. By accumulating points in separate regions, we'll all level faster. It won't be long before we touch Level 30."
---
[Dire Wolf – Lv17 – Common Monster]
HP: 7,000
Twenty Dire Wolves prowled the ravine before Malik, their eyes glowing faintly. A chorus of growls echoed into the night—but before the first one could even lunge—
Bang!
A blur flickered past them.
The forest went silent.
When the wind settled, Malik was already standing on the other side of the clearing.
The wolves? All twenty collapsed simultaneously—skulls crushed, spines twisted, throats torn open by nothing more than pure, unrelenting force.
Their corpses shimmered into pixels, dissolving into strings of light.
<
"That was way too easy," Malik muttered, cracking his knuckles. "At this speed, I might rival a Tier 2 player already. Let me clear out these weak mobs before morning."
What followed was a massacre.
Everywhere Malik passed, monsters died in silence. They didn't even see him. One second they were alive. The next, they were data and dust—shattered by kicks and punches too fast for the eye to track.
Their deaths became fuel—SQP rising like floodwaters, overwhelming the system alert box.
Ping!
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
Malik now stood atop a misty mountaintop. Below him, monster corpses littered the slope, dissolving one after the other.
But Malik's gaze wasn't on the loot. No. His focus was on the other end of the mountain, where a hulking Elite Boss began to stir.
"They're doing well too," he said softly. "With their kills, my leveling has accelerated. I've finally stepped into the 8th Stage."
He pulled up his status page, eager to witness his progress.
---
[Player Status]
Name: Man Like Malik
Class: Body Refinement Realm Cultivator
Stage: 8
Level: 16
HP: 55,000 / 55,000 (boosted by Feral Shirt)
QP: 10,000 / 10,000
SQP: 120,000 / 1,500,000
Attributes:
Strength: 520 (+10% from Feral Pants, +10 from Armguards)
Agility: 690 (+15% from Feral Shirt)
Endurance: 448 (+12% from Legguards, +10% from Feral Shirt)
Intelligence: 90
Free Stat Points: 120
[Skills]
Iron Fist: A foundational martial arts skill, increasing fist damage.
Infernal Slash: A powerful technique dealing massive damage.
Rending Claw Strike: A swift, deadly strike with a high crit rate.
Fist Master: +50% fist damage.
Kick Expert: +40% kick damage.
[Title]
Wolf Slayer: +10% damage to Wolf-type monsters, induces fear in Wolf enemies.
[Equipment]
Feral Shirt (Dark Gold Rank): +15% agility, +10% endurance
Feral Pants (Fine Gold Rank): +10% strength, +5% HP regeneration
Feral Boots (Secret - Silver Rank): +30% movement speed, +5% evasion chance
Legguards (Dark Gold Rank): +12% endurance, +8% defense
Armguards (Dark Gold Rank): +10% strength, +10% crit chance
Physique: Primordial Chaos Physique
---
"Having Level 50 stats at Level 16… is this a blessing or a curse?" Malik asked, a small grin tugging at his lips.
But the rumbling growl that echoed from the other side of the ridge snapped him back to the present.
The Elite Boss had risen.
And the real hunt was about to begin.