Derek stopped. What was she talking about? The boss maybe? By now he had enough time to think about what was happening. The whole reality now resembled a video game and the so-called trial he was currently in was no different. It was similar to a dungeon in a video game.

Though Derek had never been an avid video game player in his life, he had occasionally tried a few games. As per game logic, if these weaker crabs were mobs then there was probably a stronger dungeon boss. There was a chance for even multiple bosses.

While he was mulling it over, the merwoman continued talking, essentially confirming his doubts. ““…You have done well to overcome the initial obstacles, but the true test lies ahead,” the merwoman said, her gaze fixed on him with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine. “The lesser creatures were merely the gatekeepers. At the heart of this trial lies the nest guardian—a far more formidable opponent. One with strength and cunning beyond what you have faced so far.”

“Are you prepared to face it?”

Derek clenched his fists, processing her words. If the crabs were only the beginning, then the Guardian, or boss, was likely to be on a completely different level. He could feel his heartbeat quicken, anticipation mixing with anxiety. He took a steadying breath, gathering his focus. “Can you tell me more about this nest guardian?” He tried probing her but the merwoman quietly shook her head.

Derek was not surprised. He expected as much. He stopped walking and sat down on the cold cave floor, letting out a slow breath as he closed his eyes. If the merwoman wasn't going to give him more details, he'd have to make the best of what he did know.

This "nest guardian" was definitely going to be a tougher challenge than the crabs, which meant it would likely have some unique abilities or tactics. Or perhaps it just had a shit ton of more stats than he did. He needed to be ready for anything.

Derek mentally reviewed his options: Water Fist for close-range power, Mana Barrier for defense, and the new rapid-fire technique he had been practicing with his mana blobs for the long-range offense.

He needed to combine them all, switching between offense and defense as the situation required. He closed his eyes and meditated, going over each of the techniques dozens of times.

After a few minutes, Derek felt his mana fully restored. He opened his eyes, determination burning in them. It was time.

There was only so much he could prepare beforehand. There was no sense in overthinking it—he'd have to adapt on the fly. The important thing was to be ready for anything. With a final deep breath, he rose to his feet and stretched his limbs, shaking off the last of the fatigue.

“Let’s do this,” he whispered to himself. He cast one last glance at the merwoman, who watched him with the same cold, enigmatic expression. Without another word, he turned and made his way deeper into the cave.

As he continued forward, the tunnel gradually opened up into a larger chamber. Stalagmites and stalactites jutted out like the teeth of some ancient, long-dead beast, and the air was thick with the damp smell of the cave. The floor was uneven, covered in pools of water and scattered debris.

Derek’s gaze swept across the room, searching for any sign of movement. Then he heard it—a deep rumbling, followed by the unmistakable sound of scraping. Something massive was moving in the shadows at the far end of the chamber.

Derek squinted his eyes, trying to make out the creature's shape. The nest guardian emerged from the darkness, revealing itself in the dim light of the cave.

It was a monstrous crab, at least three times the size of the ones Derek had fought before. Its shell was dark and jagged, encrusted with barnacles and glowing moss. The creature’s pincers were larger than a man’s torso, snapping with an ominous click as it advanced.

But what truly set it apart were its eyes—six glowing red orbs that seemed to radiate an unsettling intelligence, far beyond that of the lesser crabs.

Derek’s breath hitched for a moment, but he quickly steeled himself. “Alright, big guy,” he muttered. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” He started preparing for a mana blob attack and as if sensing his mana gathering the car-sized crab shrieked with loud clicking noises and immediately scuttled forward.

The entire cavern echoed with the shrill noises. Its pincers snapped open and shut, producing sharp, metallic sounds that reverberated through the chamber.

Derek felt a surge of adrenaline as he realized just how fast it was closing the distance. He raised his hand and fired a mana blob at the guardian's eyes, hoping to slow it down or blind it.

The glowing projectile shot through the air, almost striking one of the glowing red orbs but missed its mark. Instead, it ricocheted off the crab’s tough shell with a bright flash, leaving nothing but a faint scorch mark.

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The guardian barely flinched, continuing its relentless charge toward Derek. Its speed was staggering for such a massive creature, and Derek felt a twinge of panic. One of the giant pincers came for him and he dodged while landing a punch to the side of the creature’s shell.

The impact made a dull thud and a wave of pain shot up Derek’s arm. The guardian's shell was like iron—hitting it felt like punching a wall. He stumbled back, trying to shake off the pain. The shell was far tougher than he anticipated, and it was clear that brute force wasn’t going to be enough.

He quickly retreated, shaking out his aching hand as he assessed his options. The guardian was already closing in again, its six glowing eyes fixed on him with a predatory intelligence.

Derek needed a new strategy—direct attacks on the shell were ineffective, and he didn’t have the time or mana to chip away at it little by little. If the damn monster even landed a single hit on him, then it was game over.

He needed to beat it to the punch, literally. He needed to target its vulnerabilities. Those glowing eyes seemed like a good choice, but they were small targets, and the crab moved too fast for him to reliably hit them. There had to be another weak point.

Not that the crab planned on letting him find it. It wasn’t giving him any time to plan. It lunged again, pincers snapping dangerously close to Derek's torso. He barely had time to dodge it and almost got ripped apart in the process.

This was not good. The next few seconds were hellish and he continued to dodge and duck in the same manner. Twice he couldn’t dodge it completely and the pincers managed to draw two long lines on his thigh, dripping blood.

Not to mention he was already panting and heaving, his stamina running out fast. This could not continue. He needed to calm down. He needed to figure out something.

As he dodged another sweeping strike from one of the giant pincers, Derek noticed something: the underside of the crab was exposed for a split second when it lunged forward.

The belly area wasn’t armored like the rest of its body—it was soft and unprotected. If he could time his attacks right, he might be able to strike it there and finally draw some blood from the damn thing.

Derek’s eyes widened with a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t much, but it was a chance, and he didn’t have many of those left. With renewed determination, he quickly formed a plan.

He needed to bait the guardian into another lunge, but this time, he would be ready to strike back. Gathering his mana, he prepared a Water Fist and infused it with as much power as he could muster. This would have to be his strongest attack yet.

The guardian's eyes tracked his movements, and as Derek circled to its side, it let out an angry shriek and scuttled forward, pincers snapping open wide. Now!

Derek planted his feet and feigned a stumble, purposefully making himself look like an easy target. The guardian lunged forward with a vicious snap of its pincers, and as it did, its underbelly was exposed for just an instant.

Seizing the opportunity, Derek dove to the side, narrowly dodging the incoming pincer, and launched his Water Fist directly at the soft flesh. The water-enhanced punch hit with a wet, sickening crunch, piercing through the crab’s unprotected underside. The landing was perfect.

The guardian screeched in agony, its body recoiling violently from the impact. Just as Derek summoned his mana once again and prepared to get another go at the weak point, suddenly the crab’s body trembled. The next second thin thorn-like spines erupted from the creature’s underbelly, shooting out in all directions like a deadly trap.

Derek’s eyes widened as he only halfway managed to dive out of the way. Several of the spines sunk into his flesh mercilessly and pain exploded through his side.

Derek grunted as he hit the ground hard, his vision blurring for a moment. The spines had pierced deep, one grazing his ribcage and another embedding itself in his left arm. Half of his body was skewered. He was definitely bleeding to death.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to roll away but the spines jabbed him even deeper. Not knowing what to do, he activated the Mana Barrier as a last resort. Derek did not know what he was doing. The pain was blinding him. He simply activated the only weapon left in his arsenal, hoping for a Hail Mary.

Crack. The next instant, the spines were sliced into halves. The sudden release of pressure as the Mana Barrier severed the embedded spines allowed Derek to gasp for air, but the relief was fleeting.

Blood poured from the open wounds, and his entire left side throbbed with a burning pain. Each breath sent a wave of agony through his chest, making him wonder how long he could keep going.

Still, he wasn’t out yet. He could move. Forcing himself to his feet, Derek staggered backward with the spines still sticking out of him like a porcupine, creating as much distance as he could between himself and the guardian.

The crab had already recovered from his last attack and was beginning to move again, though slower and more unsteady than before. The wound on its underbelly continued to ooze a thick, dark fluid, but it wasn’t enough to put the creature down for good.

Derek's vision swam, his body dangerously close to its limits. He was running on nothing but adrenaline and sheer willpower. He was worse off than the crab. The crab charged again and he stumbled as he tried to evade it.

He was almost sure he was going to be torn apart by the pincers when he actually managed to dodge the death grippers. Derek gasped as he finally noticed something. Unlike a normal crab, this car-sized one was slightly slower to move sideways. It also did not back walk as fast.

Its size and bulk made it quick in a straight charge, but less agile when it needed to change directions. If he could exploit that sluggishness, there was a chance he could buy himself some time.

Derek stumbled on his feet, the pain from his wounds overwhelming. His legs shook, and his vision blurred at the edges, but he forced himself to stay upright. Gritting his teeth, he started circling to the crab’s side, keeping just out of range of its snapping pincers.

The guardian clicked its mandibles in fury, its six eyes tracking him, and once again lunged forward. He once again circled it to evade the attack.

Derek knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer. His body was on the verge of collapse, and his mana reserves were practically empty. He needed to end this now, or he would bleed out before the crab went down. But what could he possibly do now?