The scent of blood and sweat had soaked into the stone floor. Steam still rose from the rubble as Sefa walked heavily toward the center. He stopped beside the statue. The cracks had deepened. Its right arm was nearly torn off.

> "Structural damage at 43%. Critical threshold exceeded."

"If it takes one more hit, the protection system will collapse…"

Sefa slightly raised his head. His eyes scanned the five doors. The entire area had sunk into a deadly silence.

> "Everything so far… was just the beginning, wasn't it?"

"There's no one left alive… It's just me now."

He dropped the small leather pouch from his back to the ground. Pulled out a health potion. His fingers didn't tremble. The fear was gone. There was only determination. He downed the crimson liquid in a single gulp.

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One…"

Click… click… click…

The locks on all the doors turned in unison. This time, the wait was shorter.

> "What will I face now?"

"Random creatures again? Or… something organized?"

All five doors opened simultaneously.

But nothing came out.

Sefa narrowed his eyes. This… was different.

> "They're not charging in… An ambush?"

"No… Worse. Intelligence."

Suddenly, the ground trembled. As if the entire area was breathing. And then—

Whispers.

As if five different mouths were speaking at once. Unintelligible, yet chilling. The first silhouettes emerging from the doors… resembled humans. But they had no faces. Their skin was glassy and semi-transparent. A dark purple liquid swirled inside them.

> "Poison types… And intelligent ones."

One creature knelt down. Placed its hand on the ground. Moments later, a stone spike shot up from the floor, just to Sefa's left.

VSHHT!

He dodged at the last moment.

> "Trap abilities… It's not just brute strength anymore."

His eyes shifted to the system window appearing in the upper left:

> [Poison Type: Tactical Unit – Battle Coordinator]

[Stat View: Inaccessible]

He narrowed his gaze.

> "Can they see my stat screen? Or… are they analyzing my tactics?"

The creatures began emerging one by one. But they didn't scatter. Each took a designated formation. Two on the right advanced to corner Sefa.

He held his breath.

> "They're acting like trained soldiers. But monsters don't form armies. Someone taught them."

BOOM!

Suddenly, one creature leapt at him. Sefa fell, but immediately drew his sword. With his other hand, he smashed a poison resistance potion into his mouth.

> "You won't kill me that easily!"

He slashed upward. The creature's left arm flew off. Purple liquid gushed out, but it didn't retreat. Instead, the other creatures surrounded it and used its body as a shield.

Only one thought flashed through Sefa's mind:

> "Sacrifice… They don't feel emotion. But they die with purpose."

The ground shook again. From the rear-left door emerged a larger creature. Hornless, but covered in stone armor.

> [Poison Type: Stone-Flesh War Leader]

"It's here."

"The main unit commanding the wave."

Sefa leapt backward. His hands touched the ground—he noticed the scattered stone fragments around him.

> "Fighting won't be enough. I have to split them up."

He sprinted. As he passed through a narrow gap to the right, a smaller creature shot an arrow into the wall behind him. The tip glowed blue. Poisonous.

Sefa fell, then scrambled back up. His left shoulder had gone numb.

> "Poison's already taking hold…"

His vision blurred.

> "If I slow down, it's over."

Suddenly, he collapsed. In that instant, the creatures lunged.

But—

BANG!

A burst of light exploded near the statue. Sefa squinted. As he tried to understand what happened, a system voice echoed:

> "Defense Line at 20% – Critical threshold reached."

"User: Authorized for Final Defensive Protocol."

His eyes widened.

> "This… is an opportunity."

With the creatures momentarily distracted, he sprang up. Threw the remaining potion bottle to the ground. The shattered glass released a thick gas, clouding the creatures' vision. With his right hand, he slashed and decapitated one of them.

> "One mistake now… means death."

The stone-flesh war leader stepped in front of him. Sefa hesitated.

> "The power gap… is huge. But I have to try."

He lunged forward. Aimed for the creature's kneecap with his sword. It roared. The two collided.

BOOM!

Dust billowed up. Sefa was thrown several meters back.

Bloody lips curved into a grin.

> "You don't know me… but you will."

A flickering light danced in the corner of his vision—the status screen, blinking faintly. His chest rose and fell heavily, and the metallic taste in his mouth grew more distinct with each breath. Sefa was kneeling before the statue. After a long, steady gaze, he drank his last health potion.

Then one more.

And another...

And another...

He drank every potion in his bag without holding anything back. His body, covered in blood, sweat, and dust, trembled slightly. But his mind was clear. His eyes were unwavering.

> "This is the end. It's either me... or them."

The statue was now at the verge of collapsing. Its right leg was almost severed, and the chest was cracked. The system notification appeared once again:

> "Defense Statue Damage Report: 78%"

"Critical threshold approaching."

Sefa stood up. He took a deep breath. He cracked his fingers and gripped his sword tightly. Then, he looked toward the five doors.

> "Five doors… could mean five deaths. But I'm someone who knows how to come back from death."

And at that moment—

BOOM!

All five doors shook violently. This time, not slowly—but with a burst of fury, they swung open in a deafening explosion. Behind each door stood a single creature.

But these creatures...

Each one was different. Each one was terrifying. Each one... was a boss.

From Door 1: Bloodclaw Cerberon

A monstrous beast with three heads, soaked in blood and clad in armor. Each head represented a different emotion: Rage, Hunger, and Fear.

Cerberon's eyes glowed. Every time it looked at Sefa, whispers filled his mind:

> "Surrender… You're weak…"

"Don't fight… The darkness will consume you…"

"Join the dead…"

But Sefa locked his mind shut. The whispers no longer had any effect on his focused will.

From Door 2: The Armored Shadowknight

A humanoid warrior fully encased in black armor, completely silent. The sword it held was wrapped in dark smoke, and wherever it stepped, the ground cracked. It had no eyes—yet it could still see Sefa.

From Door 3: Lord of the Flame Spirit – Volkran

A gigantic being made of pure fire. Lava dripped from its hands, and every step melted the earth beneath. It did not speak—it burned.

From Door 4: The Poison Queen Nethria

Female in form, but with the face and body of a half-snake. Her emerald eyes glimmered, but her tongue dripped venom. The mist she exhaled was filled with toxic gas.

From Door 5: The Ice King Tharn

A frozen figure that stood still like a statue encased in armor. But every breath he exhaled froze the surroundings. The spear in his hand was made of crystal, and its tip gleamed ominously.

Sefa looked at the five bosses. His body was exhausted, but his mind was sharper than ever. He recalled the strategically placed stones, the broken ground, and the traps he had set earlier.

> "I know my own battlefield... I don't lose here."

He moved carefully. His first target was the Poison Queen Nethria. But Volkran blocked his path. Sefa realized: the bosses were cooperating.

> "Can they communicate? Or is it instinctual?"

The Shadowknight approached from behind. Sefa dodged it with a quick spin. At the same time, an icy spear grazed his right shoulder. Fire and ice were coming at him from both sides. His body went into shock.

> "Not just speed… I have to fight smart."

He stepped back. Then dived to the ground, narrowly avoiding a slash from Cerberon's bloody claws. The whispers returned, trying to invade his mind again—but this time, his inner voice rose louder:

> "I… am Sefa Yücel. Remember that."

His eyes lit up. He made a decision to lure them into a trap. He ran behind the statue. Volkran and Cerberon chased him.

He remembered the flammable oil he had left there. Just a spark would be enough. As Cerberon charged through the fire, it screamed—each head trying to flee in a different direction. Volkran didn't care about flames, but his steps melted the ground.

Meanwhile, Sefa found himself right in front of the Ice King.

Tharn raised his spear...

Sefa closed his eyes… but it wasn't surrender. With his right hand, he pulled out his last flash bomb and hurled it at the ground.

BOOM!

A blinding light exploded. All bosses froze for a moment.

> "Now that they're all grouped up… they've made a strategic mistake."

Sefa summoned all his strength and climbed the tall rock in the back. From there, he leapt straight toward the Poison Queen. His target was clear: eliminate their leader.

He drove his sword deep. Straight into her heart.

Nethria screamed.

The poisonous mist shook him, but he didn't blink.

One enemy was down.

> "Four left…"

But his body was trembling. His right hand had gone numb. The poison had started to take hold.