Staring at the massive Mad Dog Mistveil before him, Thoren did not rush to attack.
The two stood locked in place, predator and prey studying one another through the shifting fog.
The air grew heavy.
Oppressive.
With each passing second, the tension between them thickened, stretching time until it felt warped, drawn out into an endless moment where even breathing felt intrusive.
Then, the Mad Dog Mistveil Mini Boss took a single step forward.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The fog churned violently, its density rising at a visible speed.
What had once been passive mist now moved with purpose, coiling and surging like a living entity responding to its master’s will.
’This is bad...’
Thoren’s pupils constricted as his perception plummeted.
More than half of his sensory range vanished in an instant.
The fog no longer felt natural. It pressed against his skin, crawled into his lungs, seeped into his thoughts.
It twisted and shifted in deliberate patterns, responding to the Mini Boss’s presence as if the beast itself was the fog.
Thoren could barely see a meter ahead.
Without hesitation, he activated his second talent.
[Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt]
An illusory lantern manifested before him, its ghostly glow piercing through the fog.
The world transformed instantly.
Souls ignited.
Every living creature revealed itself as glowing orbs drifting through the mist.
Beasts, undead, and at the center of it all—one massive, blazing presence that dwarfed the rest.
The Mini Boss.
But even with the lantern’s aid, Thoren’s expression darkened.
The Mad Dog Mistveil Mini Boss had already crossed the battlefield.
It stood directly before his Level 9 skeletons.
Bang! Bang!
A massive claw swept through the air.
The Level 9 Scorpion Skeleton did not even have time to react.
Its reinforced exoskeleton shattered on impact, bones and fragments scattering like broken porcelain.
One strike.
Gone.
It moved again.
In less than three seconds, the Mini Boss tore through multiple Level 9 skeletons, its movements blurring as it surged through the fog with impossible momentum.
It was not merely fast.
It was untraceable.
The beast moved as if the fog itself carried it forward, its body merging seamlessly with the mist.
Every leap, every slash, every turn was concealed until the moment of impact.
Thoren reacted instantly.
"Retreat" he commanded coldly.
At the same time, he urged the undead Mad Dog Mistveils to surge forward.
More than twenty Level 9 undead Mad Dogs lunged simultaneously, attacking from all directions.
Howl!
The Mini Boss roared in fury.
The sound did not echo.
It lingered.
The howl vibrated through the fog, through bone, through flesh, burrowing into the skull and rattling the mind.
Thoren clenched his jaw and raised a hand to shield his ears, yet his gaze never left the beast.
Under the oppressive howl, several undead Mad Dogs froze momentarily, their movements stalling as the fog trembled violently.
Bang! Bang!
The Mini Boss seized the opening.
It pounced forward with savage force, claws shredding undead flesh, its massive jaws snapping shut around skulls and crushing them with terrifying ease.
It vanished.
Thoren’s eyes sharpened.
Through the Soul Lantern’s vision, he saw it.
The beast reappeared beneath the fog’s camouflage, closing the distance toward him in a heartbeat.
He understood its intent immediately.
Whoosh!
From behind Thoren, two arrows tore through the fog at blinding speed.
Bang! Bang!
They struck the Mini Boss squarely in the forehead.
The arrows plunged deep into its fur but failed to penetrate its skull.
Still, the impact halted its charge.
The beast recoiled, shock flickering across its bloodshot eyes.
Confused.
Before it could react.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more arrows followed, slicing through the fog, aimed directly at its eyes.
The Mini Boss howled and its fur bristled violently, muscles tensing as it swung one claw upward, deflecting the first arrow.
The second struck.
or almost.
At the last instant, the beast shut its eyes.
The arrow buried itself into thick flesh instead.
Thoren’s expression did not change.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bang! Bang!
Two Level 10 Assassin Skeletons materialized from opposite sides, their movements silent and lethal.
They struck simultaneously.
Howl!
The Mad Dog Mistveil Mini Boss screamed in agony as twin blades carved deep gashes across its neck. Blood sprayed violently, painting the fog crimson.
For the first time, fear flickered in the beast’s eyes.
But it lasted only a heartbeat.
Madness overwhelmed it once more.
The fog surged.
It wrapped around the Mini Boss’s wounds, pouring into them like liquid.
Flesh knit together before Thoren’s eyes, bones grinding softly as they realigned.
Regeneration.
Thoren sneered.
The howl’s effect on the undead Mad Dogs faded.
With renewed ferocity, they lunged again.
Claws tore.
Teeth sank deep.
The Mini Boss roared in fury, swinging wildly as it struggled to escape the relentless assault of its former kin.
Whoosh!
The assassin skeletons struck again, phasing in and out of the fog like specters.
Howl!
Blood gushed from fresh wounds, pouring like broken dams.
The beast staggered as countless injuries accumulated, each strike carving deeper into its massive body.
The combined assault was overwhelming.
Life-threatening.
Driven into desperation, the Mini Boss entered a frenzy.
It attempted to dissolve into fog, its form breaking apart as mist swallowed it.
Thoren narrowed his eyes.
’Escaping?’
The fog surged violently...
And then the beast reappeared five meters away.
It had entered a full berserk state.
Every swing of its claws sent skeletons flying, bones shattering upon impact. The ground trembled beneath its rampage.
"Futile," Thoren muttered calmly.
He raised his hand.
"Kill it."
The undead Mad Dog Mistveils closed in from all sides.
The Mini Boss howled desperately, thrashing and tearing, but it was no longer enough.
They overwhelmed it.
Claws ripped.
Teeth crushed.
Its massive body was torn apart piece by piece.
At last, the beast collapsed.
The fog around its corpse dissipated, revealing its full, monstrous form sprawled across the ground.
Silence fell.
Just then, he heard the notification he had been expecting.
[Level Up!]
Thoren exhaled slowly.
The battlefield lay drenched in blood and bone.