The wolf's jaws snapped shut inches from my face. My instincts screamed, and before I could think, I yelled, "Beginner's Evasion, activate!"
My body moved faster than my brain could process, twisting and ducking out of the way as the wolf hit the ground beside me, snarling in frustration. My heart was pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.
"Damn," I muttered, stepping back toward the others. I wasn't ready for this.
John's voice cut through the chaos. "How the hell did he do that?!"
Before I could respond, Alice's shout snapped all of our attention upward. "John! Up above!"
I followed her gaze and saw them—massive, writhing plants with vines as thick as my arms, snapping downward toward John. He swung his axe up to meet them.
"Axe Skill: Heavy Swing!" he shouted, cleaving through two of them, but more vines lashed back, tangling his arm.
"Hold on!" Sarah yelled. Her voice rang with authority as she began chanting. "Ice Skill: Ice Blades!"
She was fast. The air around her shimmered with frost as jagged shards of ice materialized, flying toward the plants. They shattered on impact, freezing and breaking the vines.
I didn't have time to process what I'd just seen. Wolves were closing in from all sides.
"Everyone, form a circle!" Alice commanded.
I didn't need to be told twice. I scrambled back toward them, nearly tripping over my own feet.
Abby's hands were already moving, the air around her twisting violently. "Wind Skill: Arrow Blades!" she shouted, sending razor-sharp wind arrows straight at the advancing wolves. The impact was brutal, forcing the creatures to retreat, at least for now.
Sarah's voice wavered as she called out, "Big Sis! What do we do?"
I glanced at Alice, hoping she had an answer. Her face was pale but determined as she tightened her grip on her spear.
"I don't understand," she muttered. "We're level 20 hunters, and this is a level 10 floor. It should be easy!"
"What the hell are you saying?" I snapped, swinging my sword wildly to keep a wolf at bay. "Are these floors evolving or something?"
Her expression darkened as if the thought scared her. "Maybe… but I've never heard of anything like this happening before."
Suddenly, the wolves stopped their attack. They backed away slowly, their growls fading into uneasy whines. My pulse quickened. This wasn't over.
"What the hell are they doing now?" John growled, wrenching his axe free from a plant's remains.
The answer came in the form of a low, guttural howl that rattled my bones. The ground beneath us trembled, and the air grew heavy, thick with dread.
"It's the boss," John muttered, gripping his axe tighter.
My throat went dry. "The boss?"
Alice shot me a glance, her expression deadly serious. "Each floor has a boss. To clear the floor, we have to defeat it. And judging by that howl… this one's not going to be easy."
I wanted to argue, but I couldn't. My stomach twisted as the glowing trees ahead began to shake violently.
It stepped out of the shadows like a nightmare come to life. A wolf—no, the wolf—towered above the others. Its jet-black fur shimmered like oil under the glowing light, and its glowing red eyes burned like they were pulled straight out of Hell. Flames flickered at the corners of its mouth with every breath.
I froze. My legs wouldn't move, no matter how much I wanted to run.
"You've got to be kidding me…" I whispered.
Alice stepped forward, positioning herself between the wolf and the rest of us. "Stay focused, everyone," she said firmly. "This is going to be a fight for survival."
The wolf let out a deafening roar, its fiery breath igniting the ground in its path as it charged straight at us.
"Move!" Alice yelled.
I tightened my grip on my sword and bolted, adrenaline surging through my veins.
The boss wasn't just big; it was fast. Too fast. I barely had time to react as it lunged, flames exploding from its mouth.
I dodged to the side, my heart racing. "Ava, any ideas here?!"
"Suggestion: Stay alive," Ava replied, her tone calm as ever.
"Thanks for nothing!" I shouted, ducking behind a rock as the boss's claws scraped across the ground where I'd just been standing.
My breath came in ragged gasps. This thing was on a whole different level.
And then, just as I peeked around the rock, it locked its blazing eyes on me.
"Oh, shit…"
The wolf charged again, and this time, there was nowhere to run.