CHAPTER 122: CH 122: ONE STEP CLOSER- PART 3

The moment Fenrir and Hawk stepped onto the fourth floor, they were greeted by a gust of dry, bitter wind.

The air here smelled like ash and rot, and the cracked, dusty ground stretched endlessly in all directions, dotted only by jagged rock formations and the occasional corpse of a beast or traveler.

Hawk didn’t linger long.

"Well... this is where I leave you."

He said quickly, already stepping back.

But before he could vanish, Fenrir reached out and grabbed the edge of his tattered cape.

Hawk froze in place, groaning softly.

"Again?"

"You know the drill. Sign it."

Fenrir said flatly.

Another glowing contract appeared between them, binding Hawk to silence about anything he’d seen or heard. Hawk sighed, grabbed the pen, and signed without protest.

"Happy?"

He muttered.

Fenrir let go.

"Ecstatic."

Without another word, Hawk sprinted off, disappearing into the jagged terrain, and Fenrir was left alone once again. He exhaled softly, watching the dust blow across his boots.

"Cowards."

He muttered, shaking his head.

Now that distractions were gone, Fenrir turned his full attention to the new floor.

The fourth floor was nothing like the third.

There were no vibrant markets, no buildings, no semblance of civilization. It was a wasteland.

The only things thriving here were the monsters.

According to the system’s basic briefing, this floor was a brutal training ground, a place where power was earned through bloodshed and survival, not gold or lies.

But Fenrir had no interest in grinding levels or picking through beast corpses for scraps. His goal was the boss. The guardian of the floor.

And soon, he found it.

The massive worm-like creature towered over the battlefield, its segmented body coiling and twisting with violent hunger.

Its body was made of dark, glistening plates, and it crushed bones and weapons under its weight as it lunged and thrashed, mindlessly devouring anything it could reach.

Its maw was a swirling abyss of jagged teeth and acidic spit, and it shrieked with every lunge.

Surrounding the creature was a group of brightly dressed individuals.

Each of them wielded ornate weapons that sparkled with enchantments and polish—but Fenrir could tell at a glance that none of them had the aura of true warriors.

Their stances were stiff, their teamwork uncoordinated. They were playing adventurer, not living it.

"Idiots."

Fenrir said, watching from a nearby ridge.

One of the young men barked orders while brandishing a sword too large for him.

Another tried to cast a flashy spell, only for it to fizzle out when the worm’s body slammed into him, shattering both his bones and his ego in one go.

One by one, they fell—trampled, bitten, or flung aside like broken toys.

Their expensive gear clattered uselessly to the ground, half-melted by the worm’s acidic body or crushed beyond recognition.

Fenrir didn’t even flinch.

"They came here with money, not skill. They thought this place would bend to their wealth."

His eyes narrowed as he watched the last of the group get devoured in a single gulp.

"The tower doesn’t care how rich you are. Only strength matters."

He descended slowly toward the battlefield, unbothered by the carnage.

The worm was distracted, still thrashing around for more prey, its blind instincts pushing it forward endlessly. It was not intelligent. Just powerful and ravenous.

Perfect prey for him.

Fenrir clenched his fist and activated his Master of Earth ability.

The cracked ground responded to his will, rising in jagged formations to form a barricade behind the beast. It didn’t even notice.

He walked calmly, step by step, toward the worm. The heat of the wasteland was intense, but Fenrir’s presence was colder than ice.

The beast finally sensed something, a shift in the air, and turned toward him.

"Finally noticed me?"

Fenrir muttered.

The cracked earth trembled beneath Fenrir’s boots as he approached the battlefield.

The heat rising from the ground warped the air, and the only sound was the distant shriek of a massive beast—low, guttural, and hungry.

Ahead, the worm boss reared into the sky, its massive segmented body towering over ruined corpses and shattered weapons.

Blood and acid stained the wasteland, marking the fates of those who had come before.

The beast, larger than any creature Fenrir had seen on this floor, twisted its grotesque form, antennae twitching as it sniffed the air.

Then, it turned toward him.

Fenrir stopped walking and cracked his neck.

The worm let out an earth-shaking roar and lunged.

The ground split beneath its enormous weight as it rushed forward like a train with no brakes.

Its massive jaws opened wide, revealing layer upon layer of jagged, yellowed teeth, dripping with acidic saliva.

But Fenrir stood his ground. His crimson eyes locked onto the beast with no fear.

[Master of Earth.]

The terrain responded instantly.

A wall of stone erupted in front of him, angled to deflect the worm’s charge.

The monster slammed into it, causing a shockwave that sent dust and broken rocks flying in all directions.

But it didn’t stop. With blind rage, it twisted its body around the wall and came again.

This time, Fenrir moved.

In a blur, he leapt to the side and slammed his palm into the earth.

Massive stone spears shot up in a circular formation, surrounding the beast and pinning several parts of its body to the ground. It screamed in pain, writhing and snapping, but Fenrir wasn’t done yet.

He raised both arms, and the ground beneath the worm’s midsection collapsed—an engineered sinkhole that swallowed the beast’s lower half.

Dust and gravel churned like quicksand as it thrashed harder, trying to lift itself out.

"Struggling already? I expected more."

Fenrir said, his voice cold.

The worm raised its upper body, towering high again despite the trap.

It bent its massive form like a spring and launched a barrage of acidic projectiles from its maw. Globs of sizzling green liquid flew through the air.

Fenrir raised a curved wall of earth to shield himself, but the acid ate through it quickly.

"Tch—persistent."

He dashed sideways, barely dodging another volley, and slammed his foot into the ground again.

This time, jagged spires shot up beneath the worm, piercing its underside.

The creature let out a shriek of agony, flailing so violently that it tore through some of its own impaled flesh just to move.

That was when it finally shifted tactics.

Instead of chasing him directly, the worm burrowed into the ground.

Fenrir narrowed his eyes.

"You want to play that game?"

The tremors beneath his feet warned him a second too late.

The worm erupted from beneath, jaws open. Fenrir barely rolled to the side, but a chunk of his sleeve disintegrated from the splash of acid.

His expression darkened.

"Fine."

The earth responded to his anger.

Two enormous jaws made of stone erupted from opposite sides of the worm’s body, clamping down hard.

The monster screamed, its body spasming as the earthen fangs crushed its midsection.

But still, it didn’t die.

In desperation, the worm lashed its tail, slamming it against the walls Fenrir had created. The tremors knocked him back a step.

"Stubborn."

Then he smirked.

With a wave of his hand, he gathered the surrounding energy into his palm. Stones rose from the ground and spiraled into a jagged spear above his head.

He pointed it at the thrashing worm.

"Break."

The spear launched forward, faster than sound. It pierced the worm’s exposed eye and exploded in a burst of compressed stone shards.

The creature let out a final, deafening shriek, then slumped—its massive form collapsing in a cloud of dust and acid.

Silence fell over the wasteland.

Fenrir exhaled slowly, stepping toward the still-smoking corpse.

The system chimed in his mind:

[You have defeated the Floor 4 Boss.]

[Path to Floor 5 unlocked.]

He looked up toward the dim sky of the tower and gave a cold smirk.

"One step closer."