In the Primordial Land,
Countless monsters had perished amid the chaotic aftermath of the battle between the [Stoneback Colossus] and Daniel.
Thanks to this, Daniel managed to harvest yet another wave of HP recovery.
But as the [Stoneback Colossus]'s health dwindled, something odd occurred—the frequency of its attacks started to rise sharply!
Daniel ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding its increasingly frantic strikes, while retaliating with relentless casts of [Great Fireball].
The two clashed blow for blow, their confrontation growing more intense with each passing second.
Perhaps luck was still smiling on him today.
In less than thirty seconds, Daniel managed to trigger two special-effect hits, landing critical damage that pushed the colossus's HP below 40%!
Daniel's eyes lit up instantly—he didn't hesitate. It was time to go all out.
He hurled [Great Fireball] spells like there was no tomorrow, bombarding the colossus's massive body with explosions of fiery magic.
To maintain his defenses, he occasionally layered in [Thunderfall Shield], keeping both his shield and fortified state active.
Through sheer force of magic, Daniel staggered the enormous boss into a moment of rigidity—a hard stun!
His MP, however, had already dipped below 20%.
Luckily, he had come prepared.
He had packed no fewer than 20 full stacks of MP potions.
And with 99 bottles per stack, he basically had a bottomless mana reserve.
He wasn't shy about using them either—this was a buffet of potion-chugging madness!
Of course, these potions hadn't been bought with gold coins.
He'd painstakingly accumulated them while grinding the [Underground Labyrinth].
According to Daniel's estimates, defeating the [Stoneback Colossus] would take—at most—one full stack of MP potions.
With MP abundant and no cooldowns on his skills, what was there to hesitate for?
Attack!
With Daniel pouring out attacks at a blistering pace, the colossus's HP dropped to under 30% in no time.
Victory was within reach!
And then, it happened.
The [Stoneback Colossus] suddenly began radiating a faint gray aura.
At the same time, its HP bar above its head turned completely gray!
Daniel fired off several more [Great Fireball]s, but the result chilled his spine—
—0
—0
—0
What the hell?!
Was he seriously encountering an HP lock on a World Rank boss?
From everything Daniel had learned over the years, most World Rank bosses didn't have any HP-lock mechanic.
The few that did were always among the most infuriating and dangerous variants—absolutely not something a solo player wanted to face.
"Damn it!" Daniel cursed. "This is completely unfair!"
But his complaints would soon be cut short.
As the gray light on the [Stoneback Colossus] faded, the layers of granite that covered its body crumbled away, revealing a sinewy, dark-brown hide beneath.
Daniel's jaw dropped.
"…What the hell? Can't beat me with armor on, so now you're stripping?"
But there was no time for humor.
Once it shed the granite, the colossus's movements became at least ten times faster!
No matter how Daniel tried to circle around it or flank from behind, the colossus gave him no opening.
Its attack rate skyrocketed.
Its spells were hurled like confetti—most of them wide-area AOE skills.
Daniel had no choice but to fall back on [Ode to Life]'s passive regeneration and take the hits head-on.
He couldn't find a window to counterattack.
As his MP bar plummeted at an alarming rate, Daniel's expression grew uneasy.
If this kept up, there'd be no way he could defeat the boss.
Desperate, he chugged a bunch of HP potions as well.
Though their effect was meager compared to the damage he was taking, a mosquito's leg was still meat, as the saying went.
Anything to reduce MP usage, even a little.
He gritted his teeth and thought, Just a bit longer. I don't believe this [Stoneback Colossus] can stay in berserk form forever!
But his MP was down to 10%.
If he burned the rest and the colossus didn't revert from berserk mode…
Then he would have no choice but to admit: he was still not strong enough to solo a World Rank boss.
And if that were the case, then his Star Upgrade Quest would be in jeopardy.
As he stumbled back, nearly cornered,
the clear skies above suddenly darkened—as if day turned to dusk in an instant.
The scent of blood invaded his nostrils, thick and pungent.
It clung to the air around him.
The colossus, who had just been about to unleash another devastating move, suddenly froze in place.
What was happening?
Daniel narrowed his eyes and glanced around—but what he saw made his scalp go numb.
The previously scattered monsters that had hidden from the battle's chaos…
had gathered together, forming a complete encirclement around Daniel and the boss.
They growled in unison—deep, guttural snarls that rolled across the field like thunder.
If it were a few dozen—or even a few hundred—Daniel wouldn't have flinched.
But here?
He was surrounded by over ten thousand blood-eyed monsters, every single one staring right at him.
That crawling, skin-prickling sense of being hunted surged up his spine.
Why are they all looking at me?
Should he use [Thunderfall Shield] to blow open a path and run for it?
But that would mean forfeiting the boss kill—and the Star Upgrade Quest along with it.
Unwilling to give up, Daniel turned to glance at the [Stoneback Colossus]—and froze again.
The boss's HP bar had turned red again.
The HP lock was gone!
So do I fight or flee?
Just as he wavered, the monsters around him suddenly raised their heads and let out a wild, sky-splitting chorus of howls—
"ROOOAR!!"
"AWOOOO!!"
And the once-dark sky…
was gradually stained blood-red.
Daniel instinctively looked up.
Beyond the thick black clouds, a sinister crimson radiance began to bleed across the heavens—
The Blood Moon.
Daniel's breath hitched. His body turned cold as icy sweat trickled down his back.
He remembered.
He remembered that day from years ago.
This cursed light, this omen of disaster.
It was the Blood Moon—and it had returned.
At that moment, the frenzied [Stoneback Colossus] looked up toward the glowing sky as if called by some distant master.
And then, from the surface of the Blood Moon, faint threads of crimson light began to drift downward, curling around the colossus's body like living smoke.
Suddenly, deep crimson cracks tore open across its dark flesh—
and on its rocky face…
Daniel saw something he never imagined possible:
Pain.
A human expression of pain, etched across the face of a World Rank boss.
Daniel's heart trembled.
Could it be… do World Rank bosses have higher intelligence? Real emotions?
But there was no time for wonder—because now the colossus's status panel had changed:
[World Rank Boss: Stoneback Colossus (Corrupted)]
Level: 30 (World Rank)
HP: 99,999,999 / 99,999,999
MP: 99,999,999 / 99,999,999
Skills: Roar of Moon, Madness of Moon, Breath of Moon
Traits: Heavy, Hardened, Unyielding, Deranged
Description: World Rank bosses possess unique powers and are extremely difficult to defeat. Cooperation between adventurers is strongly recommended.
Additional Info: A subterranean monster with unimaginably high defense and resistance. Its corruption by the Blood Moon has made it even more dangerous.
Warning: Due to unknown reasons, death here is permanent. Resurrection is no longer possible.
Daniel felt his mind blank out.
What?!
Wasn't this world supposed to have safeguards? How could the system's rules be altered like this?
He instinctively looked up at the sky—
At the looming red moon, pulsing with unnatural light.
Then, something even more horrifying occurred.
The Blood Moon's own status panel appeared before his eyes:
[???]
Level: Unknown
HP: ???
MP: ???
Skills: ???
Traits: ???
Description 1: At some unknown point, the moon in the sky changed color…
Description 2: ???
Description 3: ???
Description 4: ???
Wait—wait, wait, wait!
The Blood Moon has a status panel?!
That means…
It's alive?!
Daniel felt as though an icy hand gripped his spine.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through his mind—
Back then, when I first came to this land… was it really just coincidence?
What exactly is the Blood Moon…?!