Chapter 84: Paying with Life

"Why did you attack my turf?" Varthos asked, his voice echoing with a mixture of curiosity and quiet menace. The moment Malik's information was displayed, the butcher's eyes had narrowed. Whatever he had seen made his evaluation of Malik skyrocket.

Malik met his gaze, brow furrowed. Is that a good thing or bad? He wasn't sure.

"I came here for information," Malik replied plainly, his tone void of lies.

"I see..." Varthos muttered. His fingers gripped the handle of his Bloodcleaver tighter. Then his voice dropped cold. "But unfortunately, you'll have to pay with your life."

Crimson Domain!

A crimson magic array erupted into existence above Malik, humming ominously in the air like a storm about to burst.

> [System Alert: Varthos has unleashed an AOE attack, raining down flames for 10 seconds.]

"Starting with an AOE attack right off the bat, huh..." Malik arched his brow. With a single thought, he activated [Iron Mountain Stance] just as the flames descended from the array like a scarlet monsoon.

Fire engulfed the battlefield.

Waves upon waves of flame hammered down, turning the ground to molten rock and cloaking Malik in heat thick enough to cook flesh. Despite the searing onslaught, he stood firm. The Iron Mountain Stance took on half of the inferno's wrath.

Red damage numbers lit up over Malik's head:

-3000

-4000

-5000

-4000

-3000...

By the time the hellish deluge ended, 10 seconds had passed. Malik's HP had dropped by 25,000, leaving him with 150,000 remaining.

"To think my AOE would only shave off that much…" Varthos muttered, genuinely surprised. "Your defense is insane… even without your armor on."

A wry grin broke across Malik's face. "It's the result of hard work."

The moment those words left his lips, he kicked off the scorched ground. Skill boots ignited with energy beneath his feet as he charged forward like a missile. No hesitation.

Never underestimate an enemy, he reminded himself.

He slashed out with his dagger, but Varthos casually caught the strike with his free hand. Only -500 damage popped over his head.

Before Malik could blink, the butcher retaliated.

The Bloodcleaver howled through the air as it crashed into Malik's forearm with bone-cracking weight.

-3000

"Dammit… what rank is that weapon?" Malik winced. He had activated Iron Fist, yet still—his arm rang with pain. The two stared at each other as they stepped back.

"Nice counter," Varthos said, his voice laced with amusement. "But you made a mistake touching my weapon."

Malik's eyes twitched as a system notification flared up.

> [System Warning: You've been corroded by Varthos' Bloodcleaver. HP will reduce by 1% every 5 seconds. SE will be drained by 5 points every second.]

"Geez… This damn weapon is way too deadly," Malik muttered, watching in horror as his SE ticked down every second.

"Now stay and die!" Varthos roared.

He activated Charge, kicking off the ground with immense force. Malik didn't hesitate—Stealth was back off cooldown. He vanished in a blink, reappearing to Varthos' side and thrusting his dagger in again.

It barely scratched the surface.

Still, Malik didn't let up. Using stealth, he flickered in and out of the battlefield like a ghost, delivering rapid strikes from every angle. His blade danced across Varthos' body for almost a full minute—death by a thousand cuts.

But Varthos wasn't a fool.

Having studied Malik's rhythm, he swung his Bloodcleaver sideways—just as Malik was about to appear again.

But Malik defied his expectations.

He appeared not to the side—but directly above.

Vicious Trampling!

A violent surge of purple spiritual energy burst from Malik's foot. He brought it crashing down on Varthos' face like a meteor hammer.

BOOM!

The blow smashed the butcher to the ground.

-60,000

A single stomp and his HP plummeted to 75%.

That was worth the spiritual energy, Malik thought grimly.

He didn't give the boss a moment to breathe.

Corrosive Infernal Slash!

Dark energy coiled around his blade as he slashed down.

-10% HP.

Malik moved in for another Vicious Trampling, but this time Varthos caught his foot midair.

> [System Reminder: Vicious Trampling is on 3 minutes cooldown.]

"Argh!" Malik cried out, body dangling in the air before Varthos hurled him like a sack of flesh.

The world spun.

Varthos followed—leaping up, raising his cleaver high.

Blood Sword Strike!

A massive arc of blood-red energy exploded from the blade as it descended like the scythe of death. Malik barely managed to react.

Iron Mountain Stance!

It absorbed half the damage, but the impact was still devastating.

-80,000

Malik hit the ground, coughing blood, his HP now at 70,000.

"Without Iron Mountain…" he wheezed. "That would've split me in half…"

The next blow came fast—too fast. It disarmed him, sending his dagger flying.

Then the cleaver rose again.

"He's going for another Blood Sword Strike… and my stance is on cooldown!"

Panic flashed through Malik's eyes. The arc above Varthos grew bigger, redder, more bloodthirsty.

> [System Reminder: Feral Boots passive agility boost has ended.]

"No time."

Malik instantly reactivated the agility boost. But he knew it wouldn't be enough.

Think… THINK!

His hand dove into his inventory. In one breathless motion, he equipped the Drunken Master Title and pulled out a clay jar of wine.

The cleaver fell.

Malik gulped the wine down like a dying man, just as the blood arc screamed across the battlefield.

The ground split. The wave cleaved stone and steel. But Malik—his aura now chaotic, unchained—dodged it by a hair's breadth.

All his stats had just jumped by 50%.

"You're more resilient than I thought," Varthos said, genuinely impressed. "A Level 43 adventurer, giving me this much trouble?"

Malik wasn't listening. He was still drinking, letting the chaos within flow. His eyes burned with madness. The wine jar clattered to the ground.

"You…"

Varthos surged forward, weapon raised. But Malik just smirked, claws gleaming.

He swiped once.

Ten black arcs tore through the air. Varthos deflected them all.

"Is that all you've got?"

"That was just testing," Malik replied, voice sharp with humor.

He swiped again. This time, fiery black lines burst forth like snakes, too fast to track.

Only two were blocked.

The others struck Varthos from every direction.

-25% HP

Varthos screamed.

His aura exploded. Blood burst from his pores. The sheer pressure knocked dust into the air and caused Malik's body to tremble.

> [System Warning: Varthos is activating the special skill of the Crimson Set Equipment. Attack power increased by 40%.]

"What in the world…" Malik gasped.

The crimson armor turned darker—duller, like dried blood. Even the Bloodcleaver pulsed with a murderous glow.

"Blood Shackles!"

A circle of blood formed under Malik's feet.

Chains lashed up before he could move—tightening around his legs, arms, and waist. He was suspended mid-air, completely helpless.

Varthos approached with a calm smirk.

"Goodbye, adventurer."