"GRAAAR!"
Under the command of the Nightmaw Ravager, the hounds and three Duskmire Trackers surrounded Eren on all sides, giving him no time to react.
Eren had no choice but to ignore the attacks from other directions and focus on what was coming from the front.
With the maximum output of [Moonrend Claw], each time he swung his forelegs, a hound died immediately.
"Grrrraaaah—!"
"Rrrrhhh—!"
"Khrrr—rrr—!"
Arcs of blue slashes danced around the dark tunnel as he kept killing.
Many hounds from both his sides and back managed to bite all over his body whenever he killed one in front.
But the damage they dealt was almost negligible.
Whenever he felt itching all over his body, he immediately used [Minor Lunar Benediction] to purify all negative effects, including fatigue.
In the middle of the fierce battle, the three Duskmire Trackers also attempted sneak attacks, but each was instantly killed in instant.
"Rrrrhhh—!"
With one slap, one's lower jaw was completely torn off, killing it instantly.
The second tried to attack from behind.
Eren sensed it, jumped high, and smashed its head with a heavy blow.
The third died in the most brutal way.
It had luckily managed to escape when Eren first tried to bite off its throat, which angered him slightly.
He ended up grabbing its entire body with his sharp claws and biting all over it, tearing every piece of flesh apart.
Before it died, it saw its own internal organs spill out.
Despite creating such a gruesome scene, Eren felt no disgust toward his fighting style.
In fact, his heart throbbed even more with excitement.
Spit!
Eren's mouth was full of blood as he spat out the flesh of the last Duskmire Tracker.
That immediately caused the remaining hounds to hesitate.
"GRAAAR!"
The Nightmaw Ravager itself had no choice but to step forward.
Even it looked hesitant as Eren stood in front of it.
Eren smiled in understanding.
'So its skill makes its minions fearless… but it also has its weakness. The fear it feels can affect them as well…'
The monster, half a meter taller than Eren's wolf form, approached very carefully while Eren walked toward it with slow, deliberate steps.
All the hounds backed off for a moment, giving the impression of an audience watching a battle between two champions.
But that image shattered instantly.
The moment Eren pushed all his strength into his hind legs, he propelled himself forward with all his might, launching toward the Nightmaw Ravager with his claws aimed directly at its neck.
Like an arrow released from a bow, his body moved at astonishing speed.
He carved a deep gash into its shoulder as the Nightmaw Ravager barely managed to save its neck from being sliced.
"AWRRROOOO—GHAAAH!"
It let out a painful cry as its seemingly impenetrable shoulder revealed a deep scar.
Eren gave it no time to escape.
Moving at high speed once more, he grabbed both sides of its body, his claws sinking deep into its flesh, and began ferociously biting into its throat.
His jaw strength crushed every defense it had within its tough muscles.
"GRAAA—rrr…"
Another painful cry escaped as Eren spat out flesh and bit into its throat again.
It tried its best to shake him off, but that only gave him momentum to tear deeper into its flesh.
After one final, agonized cry,
"RRAAAU—gh…"
It died.
[You have slain Level 9 Nightmaw Ravager…]
[Gained 40 Life Essence, Hardened Shadow Hide ×2, Corrupted Essence Bead ×1…]
[Random Reward Multiplier triggered…]
[Random number 1674…]
[You gained 66960 Life Essence, Hardened Shadow Hide ×3348, Corrupted Essence Bead ×1674…]
"AWRRROOOO—GHHHAAAA—!"
Eren had no time to look at the rewards.
All remaining twenty-nine hounds surrounding him let out a unified howl that echoed throughout the cave.
A bad feeling arose in Eren's heart.
He immediately launched himself toward the remaining hounds and began slaughtering them all.
Without the Nightmaw Ravager and the Duskmire Trackers, there was no coordination in their attacks.
Some simply tried to run away when he charged at them.
Others tried their best to survive, only to have their necks snapped by a single bite.
After five minutes, he killed the last one standing with a claw strike.
His breathing became slightly disoriented as he inhaled and exhaled heavily.
Despite having ninety-six points in Constitution in this wolf form, he was beginning to feel tired.
"…!"
At the same time, Eren sensed more than a hundred monsters moving toward him.
[Minor Lunar Benediction]!
He immediately used two consecutive Minor Lunar Benedictions.
His fatigue vanished, and the bruises and itching all over his body disappeared instantly.
As Eren prepared himself for the next wave, more than a hundred hounds surrounded him, along with seven Duskmire Trackers and three Nightmaw Ravagers.
But his focus was entirely on the beast standing at the very end of the group.
More than two meters tall, with jagged horns on both sides of its head.
Its fur constantly emitted flickering dark smoke.
Its eyes glowed an even darker red than any other beast in the dungeon, fixed on Eren with visible fury.
[Gloomfang Alpha Lv.10
Strength: 23
Agility: 25
Spirit: 17
Constitution: 25
Beast Skills: [Abyssal Tyrant's Dirge Lv.1] [Devourer's Plague Maw Lv.1] [Cleaver Talons Lv.1]
[Sovereign of the Black Hunt Lv.1]
Abyssal Tyrant's Dirge Lv.1: A spirit-infused howl that induces terror, hesitation, and stat suppression while amplifying the morale and aggression of allied beasts.
Type: Active]
[Devourer's Plague Maw Lv.1: A bite that inflicts flesh decay, internal erosion, and vitality drain over time.
Type: Passive]
[Cleaver Talons Lv.1: Claws wrapped in condensed shadow energy that strike the target's defense and inflict a defense reduction debuff.
Type: Passive]
[Sovereign of the Black Hunt Lv.1: Establishes authority over lesser beasts within 1 km, greatly enhancing obedience and coordination. Grants complete fear immunity to its minions and increases their physical stats by 30%.
Type: Active]
With a single glance, Eren immediately recognized it.
'Boss of this dungeon…'
He was truly surprised to discover that the final howls of the beasts he had slain would summon the boss itself.
He was utterly amazed by its status and skills.
All of its abilities and attributes were at the stage of Tier 2.
There was no way an ordinary Tier 1 awakener could stand against such a beast.
With more than a hundred beasts surrounding him, common sense dictated that he should immediately use an escape talisman.
But Eren chose the opposite.
'I can still handle it…'
Taking a deep breath, Eren moved toward the wave of beasts instead of waiting for them to make the first move.
"AWRRROOOOOO—!"
The Alpha beast immediately released a massive howl infused with spiritual energy.
But the energy waves scattered the moment they made contact with Eren's body, startling the dungeon boss.
Eren used that moment to begin the slaughter once more.
***