Middle Boss

Akira's gaze didn't waver. He studied the creature standing before them, its seven-and-a-half-foot frame eerily still. Its blue eyes glowed with an unnatural light—intelligent, calculating. Different from the mindless brutality of the Lingols they had just fought.

Sylara exhaled sharply. "It's a Golion Tant."

"It's a Middle Boss."

Akira frowned. "A what?"

Sylara didn't take her eyes off the creature.

"Stronger creatures—like guardians that stand before the real boss. They started appearing in new dungeons about two years ago."

Akira processed the information quickly. "Only in B-rank dungeons and above, huh?"

Sylara gave a small nod. "But that's not the real problem."

Her grip on her sword tightened.

"The real problem is the boss of this outbreak dungeon."

Akira's brows furrowed. "What about it?"

Sylara's voice dropped lower.

A cold breeze swept through the battlefield, carrying the scent of burnt flesh and blood. The Middle Boss didn't move, its eerie gaze fixed on them. Watching.

Sylara continued,

"Not just instincts or battle awareness—actual intelligence, like a human. It can also communicate, strategize. And I guarantee—" her violet eyes darkened,

"You might think it's like the Troll King you fought before, but I guarantee—it's nothing like that."

"It's several levels above."

Akira went silent.

Sylara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I've fought one before," She admitted, voice laced with something Akira rarely heard from her.

Not fear.

Not hesitation.

Caution.

"And it was bad. Really bad."

Akira's jaw clenched. If Sylara—one of the strongest hunters he knew—was saying that.

It was a different kind of monster entirely.

"How strong is that thing?"

"Would it push me to my new limits?"

A slow smirk ghosted the edge of his lips.

Sylara exhaled. "I hope I'm wrong."

Akira tilted his head slightly.

"You don't sound convinced."

"I'm not," She admitted.

"So this monster called the MiddleBoss marks that the boss monster is super strong??" Akira asked

"Yes , anyway" Sylara replied Then, shaking her head, she refocused.

Their eyes turned to the Middle Boss.

The monsters blue eyes locked onto them, as if listening.

Then—

It grinned.

Sylara's eyes sharpened. "First, let's kill this one and think about the Boss Later."

Akira cracked his knuckles.

"Fine by me."

Lightning sparked around his fingertips. His lips curled into a smirk.

"Let's see if this one can last longer than the others."

"System scan him" - Akira thought to his system.

[User Request: Scanning Target...]

[Name: Golion Tant]

[Abilities:]

[Predator's Instinct: Predicts opponent's attacks based on movement patterns.]

[Regenerative Flesh: Rapidly heals minor wounds within seconds. Major injuries require time.]

[Weaknesses:]

[Silver Infused Weapons: Causes wounds that heal significantly slower than normal.]

[Mana Flow: If overwhelmed with excess mana at once, its regeneration shuts down briefly.]

[Akira narrowed his eyes.]

His gaze flickered to the Golion Tant.

The creature grinned wider, its blue eyes gleaming with something unsettling.

"Let's see how fast it learns when it's getting its skull caved in."

The moment Sylara and Akira moved, the ground cracked beneath them.

Sylara shot forward like a violet streak, the Pantho Sword igniting with purple mana. Akira was right beside her, his body flickering with white lightning.

The Golion Tant reacted instantly.

With a chilling snarl, it lunged—not recklessly, but calculated, its sharp claws gleaming as it slashed straight for Sylara's throat.

But she was faster.

—CLANG!

Her sword met its claws mid-air, violet sparks flying as she redirected its strike to the side.

In that same instant—

Akira was already in motion.

He dipped low, a blur beneath the Golion's guard, and slammed a lightning-infused fist into its exposed ribs.

—BOOM!

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the creature's body, forcing it to skid back across the ruined pavement.

But its regeneration kicked in immediately.

Flesh stitched itself together—as if his attack had never landed.

Sylara didn't hesitate.

With a sharp exhale, she leaped, spinning mid-air as the Pantho Sword carved downward.

The Golion reacted.

Too late.

—SHRRRKKK!

Her blade bit deep into its shoulder, sending a spray of blackened blood across the battlefield.

But the Golion didn't scream.

It grinned.

"Predictable."

Akira's eyes narrowed. "It's adapting."Akira's eyes narrowed. "It's adapting."

The Golion suddenly twisted, using the momentum of Sylara's strike to shift its weight—its knee rocketing straight toward her stomach.

Sylara barely had time to brace.

—But then Akira caught its leg mid-air.

Lightning crackled around his arms as he held the Golion's leg in place, veins bulging from the force.

"You learn fast," Akira muttered. His grip tightened.

"But I learn faster.."

"And just so you know, all my stats have skyrocket now."

With brutal force, he lifted the Golion into the air and slammed it headfirst into the ground.

—BOOOOM!

The street split apart from the sheer force of the impact.

Sylara didn't waste a second.

Before the Golion could recover, she landed right beside its downed body—her sword descending like an executioner's blade.

SLASH!

Its arm flew off, cut clean from the socket.

For the first time—the Golion screamed.

Its blue eyes flickered wildly. "No... I will not..."

Akira watched its regeneration slow. The system scan's weakness flashed in his mind.

Overloaded Mana Flow.

His eyes sharpened. That's it.

He met Sylara's gaze. "Hit it with everything you've got. We need to flood its body with mana."

Sylara understood immediately.

Without hesitation, she slammed her palm onto the Golion's chest, violet mana bursting from her hands, surging into the creature's body.

At the same time—

Akira placed his own palm against its forehead.

"Try regenerating from this."

—White Lighiting: FULL POWER.

A surge of pure white electricity erupted from his arm, pouring into the Golion's body like a tidal wave of mana.

It convulsed violently, veins bulging, stretching—

—then bursting.

Its regeneration failed.

Akira didn't hesitate.

He reared back his fist.

"End of the line."

And then—

—BOOOOM!

His fist caved in the Golin's skull.

The creature's body twitched, its blue eyes flickering—dim, unfocused. A garbled sound escaped its throat, more than just a dying growl.

A whisper.

"Sorry... i failed you..."

Akira's eyes narrowed.

"Failed who?"

But before he could question further, the Golion's body went limp. Its glowing eyes faded, the eerie light vanishing into the darkness.

Akira exhaled, watching the last flicker of life leave the creature's eyes.

"A monster... apologizing?"

Then— "Ding!"

[System Notification]

[Congratulations! You have defeated Golion Tant (Middle Boss).]

[You have leveled up.]

[+5 Stat Points awarded.]

[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes.]

[Since the user's level has increased, the body will be restored to peak condition.]

Akira exhaled, rolling his shoulders as the familiar surge of power coursed through him. His wounds faded, stamina restored.

Sylara stood beside him, catching her breath, before giving him a small smirk.

"You monster."

Akira smirked back. "You too."