[Glowing eyes stare down at you from the shadows.]

During an [Introduction Phase], it wasn't uncommon for these panels to appear one after another, almost like the system itself wanted to set the tension.

In fact, compared to everything Karl had seen up to this point in [Gods Ascension], this one was honestly mild.

Simple even.

He remembered far worse, especially in some of the deeper areas of the game where the bosses were so powerful that their introduction alone could make a player panic before the fight even started.

Some of them appeared with storms, screams, collapsing terrain, or even soundless voids that felt like the world itself was being erased.

This one only gave him glowing eyes in the dark.

Tame, but still unsettling.

And as for why Karl wasn't attacking or throwing spells, it wasn't because he was frozen or scared.

It wasn't hesitation either.

He was fully alert, fully prepared, and fully aware of what he needed to do.

The simple truth was—

Frost Crystals!

Immune! Immune! Immune!

It was because during an [Introduction Phase], no matter what you threw, no matter how strong your spell was, no matter how much you wanted to take the first hit, the boss couldn't actually be harmed.

It was a fixed rule. A system limitation.

Only once the battle officially began would damage actually be applied.

Until then, it didn't matter if you threw legendary skills, mythical skills, or even something meant to one-shot an entire field.

All of it would simply pass through or be negated.

So Karl just kept his eyes forward, watching carefully, tracking every step, every shift in the darkness.

He didn't need to waste his focus. He only needed to be ready.

Slowly, the massive figure hiding in the shadows began to take shape.

It wasn't sudden; it was like watching a sculpture being carved out of the night itself.

First the outline, then the limbs, the fur, and then—

[A hulking beast appears before you.]

And right then, Karl finally saw it clearly.

'Holy hell.'

The creature before him wasn't small in any sense of the word.

It wasn't something a normal player could simply look at and remain calm.

It was a massive wolf-like beast, towering around four meters tall.

Its fur was silver, faintly glowing, giving off the impression of moonlight condensed into strands.

Each movement of its breathing made those silver strands ripple, as if it were alive with some kind of strange energy.

On top of that, its teeth were jagged and sharp, sticking out of its maw in a way that felt unnatural, almost exaggerated.

And its eyes, four of them, shone like cold silver flames, staring straight at Karl as though he was already dead.

ROOOOAR!

[Moonless reveals herself to you.]

That was it. The moment that panel appeared, Karl understood the fight had officially begun. No more waiting.

He felt the aura of the massive beast slam against him like a physical wave, pushing at his chest and forcing him to brace his stance.

---

[Moonless, The Lunar Beast (Level 25)]

[Rank: Legendary (Zone Boss)]

[HP: 300,000]

---

'Damn!'

Seeing that health bar made everything instantly clear.

No wonder nobody had beaten this thing yet.

Even if it stood still and let players attack nonstop, they still wouldn't be able to melt through 300,000 HP fast enough without losing lives.

Zone bosses were already strong, but this was on a whole other level.

And to make it worse, Moonless didn't look slow or sluggish.

She looked fast, violent, smart, and very much hungry.

Moonless tilted her massive head, studying him.

For a moment she didn't move, but Karl saw her legs tense and knew she was about to lunge.

But Karl hadn't stood idle either.

Lunar Beam!

BOOM!

The silver beam shot out immediately, slamming directly into Moonless' chest.

The hit connected, and normally, this should've dealt great damage.

But—

Immune! Immune! Immune!

"Huh."

If the attack hit cleanly but didn't do a single point of damage, then there was only one explanation: the boss was immune to that element.

Meaning [Moonless] was completely immune to moon-related damage.

'Well, I guess it was in the name,' Karl sighed internally, 'No matter.'

He wasn't about to stop there.

Fire Meteor!

Karl lifted his staff, and a massive sphere of fiery energy began to form above it.

The sphere grew, compressing into a fiery mass that soon hardened into the shape of an actual meteor.

When it reached its final form, Karl swung his staff downward.

BOOM!

-76,950!

"Damn!"

The damage was massive, far stronger than before, and seeing that number made Karl feel relief.

Evolving the spell to mythical-rank had truly paid off.

"Grrr…" Moonless growled, baring her teeth before lunging forward in retaliation.

Jagged Bite!

The speed at which she moved was terrifying.

If she caught him, he would die instantly.

It wouldn't be a long, drawn-out fight.

It would be one bite, one second, and everything would be over.

Karl tried to step back but knew it wouldn't be enough.

Invincible Magic Barrier!

The spell formed just in time.

Moonless crashed into the barrier, teeth digging, claws scraping.

-1,350! -1,350!

Even her graze attacks were monstrous.

But the barrier held just long enough for Karl to sidestep out of her direct path.

Storm of Lightning! Frost Crystals!

Zap! Bam!

-41,040! -11,250! -11,250! -11,250!

[Boss HP: 125,760/300,000]

Karl blinked.

Had he really cut the boss down by more than half that quickly?

'Is this really the boss that everyone feared?' he wondered, 'No… that can't be it.'

He wasn't stupid. He wasn't arrogant either.

Karl was confident when the situation called for it, but he never underestimated anything.

Bosses like these always had phases.

Moonless attacked again and again, claws slashing, teeth snapping.

Karl dodged when he could, tanked with his barrier when he had to, and blasted back whenever he had an opening.

She grew more enraged with each exchange.

After a few seconds—

Fire Meteor!

BOOM!

-76,950!

Moonless now had less than 50,000 HP.

One or two more spells and the fight would be over.

Karl exhaled sharply.

Moonless trembled in raw fury. The ground shook beneath her. Her eyes burned brighter.

"Let's end this," Karl muttered, lifting his staff once more, "I'll be the first to kill you."

Storm of Lightning! Frost Crystals—

Ding!

["Moonless" has entered her second phase.]

"Huh?"

Fwish!

A massive silver crystal burst from Moonless' forehead, shining so brightly that Karl instinctively shielded his eyes.

Her four silver eyes sharpened, glowing dangerously.

Her entire aura multiplied, tripled, and the temperature in the air seemed to drop and rise at once.

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted from the crystal, instantly disrupting both of Karl's spells.

His eyes narrowed.

That crystal…

'There are almost no [Moon Crystals] left since they're extremely rare,' he thought, 'And Oliver told me the only one available is at the top of the [Moon Tower].'

It didn't take much to put the pieces together.

ROOOOOOAR!

Lunar Buff! Lunar Defense! Moonless Night!

Multiple buffs activated around her, one after another, stacking speed, strength, and defense all at once.

Now Karl understood perfectly why nobody had beaten her.

Fwish!

Moonless vanished for a moment and then reappeared close enough that her claws sliced the air right beside him.

BAM!

-2,000!

That was enough to kill almost anyone else instantly.

Even with buffs, gear, and barriers, most awakeners would crumble.

Karl had to keep moving. She had less than 50,000 HP left.

He only needed a few spells. Just a few.

He raised his staff again—

"ROOOOOARRR!"

The roar this time wasn't just noise.

It struck his mind like a hammer, breaking his concentration and forcing the spell to fail.

'Damn it,' Karl thought, 'First time this happens. That thing is smart.'

The intelligence in her eyes confirmed it. This wasn't a dumb beast swinging wildly.

It wasn't brute force. It was calculated.

And then—

Crystal Beam!

The crystal on her forehead lit up, power converging into it before firing a massive beam straight toward him.

'Shit.'

Karl couldn't dodge it. He didn't have the distance or timing.

His only option: Invincible Magic Barrier!

Crack… CRACK!

The beam finished, and Karl's barrier shattered, fragments of mana scattering before evaporating.

Now he had no barrier, no defense, and Moonless was walking toward him slowly, confidently.

One hit would kill him.

'Not working out in my favor,' Karl admitted as calmly as he could, watching Moonless bare her teeth and advance.

'But… I just need to focus.'

ROOOOAR!

Moonless lunged forward, fangs wide, ready to finish him in a single bite.

But Karl was ready to end it too.

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