CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105 CORRUPTED HYBRID HORSE

"Luminous Steps," Zane muttered as he activated his movement skill. His figure blurred, leaving behind trails of white light.

A barrage of icicle darts struck the spot where he had just been, exploding with sharp, cracking bursts.

High above, a swarm of large dragonflies screeched upon spotting him alive. They continued to spit magic-infused icicles, relentless in their assault.

Zane kept flashing across the field, his movement technique seamless, dodging every projectile.

This deadly game of chase continued for the next two minutes—yet none of their attacks landed.

Meanwhile, Zane was calmly working out a strategy.

Damn it. Why won’t they just come down? Fighting flying beasts is a hassle without an aerial skill. I need to keep this in mind.

Still moving, he began taunting them aloud.

"Hey, come on, you oversized mosquitoes! Afraid of a ground-walker?"

His mocking voice echoed through the air, finally getting a reaction.

The strongest among them—a larger, slightly glowing dragonfly—screeched in fury and gave a signal. Seven of them broke formation, diving straight for Zane with murderous intent.

"Oh? A change in plan, huh? Let’s see how that works for you," Zane sneered.

The leader kept chirping, clearly directing the others. The beasts descended rapidly, their wings slicing through the air like blades.

The first three reached him, aiming to decapitate him with a single pass.

"Perfect," Zane whispered, raising his hand. "Come to daddy."

Flick! Flick! Flick!

Three sharp flicks of his fingers—and the attackers dropped mid-flight, lifeless.

The next wave followed, even more of them swooping in with the same tactic.

Zane was ready. He maintained his rhythm, flicking them down one by one.

Within moments, fifty of them lay dead.

Only one remained.

The intelligent one.

It hovered in the air, unmoved even after witnessing the massacre of its entire flock.

Zane looked up, eyes narrowed. "So, you either don’t give a damn about your comrades, or you’re that confident in your strength. Either way, I don’t care."

He pointed at it, challenging. "Come down and prove yourself!"

The creature chirped angrily, then darted toward him.

A barrage of icicles rained down—fast and sudden.

"Luminous Steps!" Zane vanished again.

But the dragonfly was already upon him, slicing through the air with blistering speed. Zane leapt, narrowly avoiding the slash, but landed on ground riddled with icicles.

BOOM!

The shards exploded the moment he touched down, sending debris everywhere.

Before the smoke settled, the dragonfly charged again for a sneak attack.

But this time, Zane was prepared. He sidestepped and flicked his hand across its back.

Blood splattered. The beast’s tail was shredded, reddish mucus dripping and flailing behind it.

It shrieked in agony and turned to flee.

But Zane was already in front of it.

Flick!

A blow to its head ended the fight. The beast collapsed with a thud.

"Not so fast," Zane said coldly.

He knelt down and pulled out its mana core.

Then he walked around the battlefield, harvesting the cores from every fallen creature.

Fifty-one one-star mana cores.

Suddenly, the green card in his pocket vibrated and sucked all the cores into it.

Zane pulled it out, checked it briefly, then tucked it back in.

"Nice. Up by a thousand ranks again."

With a faint grin, Zane turned and ventured deeper into the dungeon.

Along the way, he encountered packs of beasts—some familiar, others completely alien to him. They came in all shapes and sizes, corrupted beyond recognition. But each hunt ended the same way.

With a flick.

As he went deeper, one thing became increasingly clear: the strength and intelligence of the corrupted creatures were rising. Not that it worried him—he had no intention of slowing down.

His only goal was to climb the ranks as far as possible on the first day. And so far, it was working perfectly. The Eye Technique, combined with his hunting pattern and knowledge of dungeon terrain, had proven invaluable.

Four hours later, Zane finally took a break.

He pulled out the carcass of a bull-like beast from his storage and began dressing it. His knife moved with precision as he butchered the meat into manageable cuts.

Next, he summoned a large iron cauldron, stacked some dried wood, and got a fire going. Soon, chunks of meat sizzled as he added salt, seasoning, and spices.

"Thanks, Shelby," he muttered with a smile. "You were right to pack everything inside my silk pouch."

Two and a half hours passed.

Zane lifted the lid of the cauldron. An aromatic wave of rich spices and tender meat drifted out, stirring his appetite.

He dug in.

For the next fifteen minutes, he savored his well-earned meal, gnawing through juicy ribs and tender chunks of meat.

Just as he reached for the last leg piece—

Ding!

[Beast presence detected in the vicinity.]

[Threat level: High.]

[Caution advised.]

Zane, who was still using his Eye Technique, turned his gaze outward. In the shimmering haze of mana, he spotted something strange lurking nearby.

He raised the leg piece and took a large bite.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "It’s got the body of a horse... but the head of a toad?"

[Yes. This is the boss of this Dungeon.]

[Species: Corrupted Hybrid Horse]

[Strength: 1459]

[Agility: 1399]

[Intelligence: 1423]

[Health: 3490 / 3490]

[Mana: 3670 / 3670]

Unlike the other beasts he had faced, this one didn’t charge at him immediately. It stood still, its amber eyes locked on him with eerie intelligence.

Ding!

[Mana Scan Detected over Host’s Body.]

[Permission to block scan? Y/N]

"Block it," Zane said instantly.

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "So this thing is actually smart enough to gauge my power... That’s new. Almost human-like."

The silence grew awkward.

Zane exhaled and muttered, "Should I call it out? Just staring at each other is getting weird."

He stood up and took a step forward. "If you’re too scared to come to me—then I’ll come to you."

The corrupted beast croaked, deep and guttural.

[Translating...]

"This is not your place, alien. Leave my home."

Zane smirked, unmoved. He kept walking forward.

The beast let out a sharp neigh and opened its grotesque mouth. Mana flared violently around its body as its threat level escalated.

"Since you’re so arrogant... then I’ll make you today’s meal, dumb alien."

Suddenly, a torrent of black, greasy oil sprayed from its mouth.

The moment the oil touched air—it ignited.

FWOOM!

Flames erupted midair as the oil combusted from air friction. Zane blinked out of the way, activating his movement technique just in time.

Luminous Steps!

He reappeared a few meters away and looked back.

The ground behind him was scorched, a small crater still burning with hellish flames.

He narrowed his eyes. "So, that’s how you want to play it... Fine by me."