Nox figured the simple approach was worth a shot. It had worked on everything else so far, so why not this thing too? He tightened his grip on the pipe and just charged straight at the boss monster.
'Just hit it really hard,' he thought. 'Can't be that complicated.'
The creature watched him come, that same amused look on its face. When he swung the pipe at its head, the monster just snatched the pipe out of the air with one hand like it was a toothpick. Then, it casually backhanded him across the face.
The force of it snapped his head to the side, and the world tilted crazily for a moment before his back slammed into the concrete wall. The impact sent a jolt through his entire body, and he crumpled to the floor, the pipe clattering away from him.
"Damn," he muttered, pushing himself up. His jaw throbbed already, a dull ache spreading across the side of his face where the thing had clocked him.
'Okay, so it's actually strong,' he conceded internally. 'Good to know.'
The boss monster let out a low chuckle. "Is that all, little insect? I expected more from someone who could resist my command."
He wiped a smear of blood from his lip with the back of his hand and picked up the pipe again. "Yeah, well, I'm just getting started."
This time he went low, trying to slide under the creature's guard, and swung the pipe hard at its knee. The metal connected with a solid, meaty thud, and the monster actually stumbled back a couple of steps.
"There we go," he said, quickly rolling away as the creature swiped at the air where he'd just been, its claws making whooshing sounds.
It looked down at its leg, then back at him. The amusement in its expression was gone, replaced by something that looked a lot more like actual interest.
"Impressive. You actually managed to hurt me." It flexed its claws, the movement slow and deliberate. "I think I underestimated you, little insect. Let me correct that mistake."
Then, the creature just vanished.
'What the hell?' He spun around, his eyes scanning the trashed gym. 'Did it teleport?'
A hand clamped around his throat from behind, yanking him backward. The boss monster had reappeared right behind him and was now lifting him off the ground, his feet dangling.
"Much better," it rumbled, its hot, foul breath washing over the back of his neck. "Now you will learn the difference between us."
It slammed him face-first onto the gymnasium floor. The impact drove all the air out of his lungs in a whoosh and made his vision swim with dark spots for a second. The rough concrete scraped his cheek.
'Fuck, that hurt.'
But as soon as he felt the grip on his throat loosen even a tiny bit, he twisted his body, a desperate, flailing move, and managed to kick out, his heel connecting solidly with the creature's furry stomach.
It grunted and let go completely, stumbling backward a step, looking genuinely surprised.
"Not bad," he rasped, scrambling back to his feet. "But you talk too much."
Before the creature could fully recover, he lunged forward and swung the pipe with everything he had at its head. He put all his weight into it, aiming for the side of its skull.
The pipe connected with a sickening, loud crack. The creature's head snapped violently to the side, and it staggered back several steps, shaking its head as if trying to clear it.
"You little shit," it snarled, its voice now laced with a definite edge of pain, not nearly as calm as before. "That actually stings."
'Nice' he thought. 'Maybe now we're getting somewhere.'
Behind them, he could hear Kendra yelling, "Come on, you ugly bastard! Is that the best you got?"
Vasa was quieter, but he caught a glimpse of ice spreading rapidly across the floor where she was fighting the alpha gobdog. They seemed to be holding their own for now, which was a relief.
The boss monster wiped some dark, thick blood from the corner of its mouth and grinned at him again, but this time there was real anger in its eyes, not just amusement.
"Alright, little insect. No more playing around. Time to show you what real power looks like."
"Do all boss monsters have the same cringe lines as you?" He shot back, buying himself a second.
The boss monster's eyes seemed to flash with something darker than just anger. Its muscles rippled and bulged beneath its dark fur. Nox felt the air around them grow heavy, like the pressure right before a big thunderstorm.
'Oh shit,' he thought. 'I think I actually pissed it off.'
"Cringe lines?" The creature's voice dropped to a low growl that seemed to vibrate through the floor itself. "Let me show you something that will make you beg for mercy, little insect."
It moved, and it was fast—not teleporting this time, just pure, terrifying speed. Nox barely managed to get the pipe up in time to block a claw swipe that would have taken his head clean off. The impact shuddered up his arms and made his teeth rattle in his skull.
'Fast. Way too fast.'
Before he could even think about recovering, the creature spun and drove its elbow hard into his ribs. The blow lifted him completely off his feet and sent him tumbling across the gym floor. He rolled to a stop near the far wall, gasping for breath, a sharp, stabbing pain in his side.
'Okay, that definitely broke something.'
He pushed himself up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His ribs screamed in protest with every movement, but nothing felt completely shattered. Yet.
The boss monster was already closing the distance again, not giving him a moment to think or plan. It grabbed him by the shoulders, lifted him up with ease, and then slammed him down onto the floor so hard that he heard the concrete crack beneath him.
'This is not going well.'
He instinctively rolled sideways just as the creature's claws came down where his head had been a split second before, gouging deep scratches into the floor. He swept his leg out, trying to trip the monster, but it just stepped over his attack like he was moving in slow motion.
'Come on, think. There has to be something.'
A clawed hand wrapped around his ankle and dragged him roughly across the concrete. His shirt tore, and his back scraped raw against the unforgiving surface, leaving a burning trail.
"You know what the difference is between us?" it said, lifting him up by his leg so he was dangling upside down. "You're still thinking like a human. Fighting like a human."
It swung him around in a wide arc and then released him. He flew through the air and crashed hard into a pile of gym equipment. Metal weights and barbells scattered everywhere with a loud clang and thud as he hit.
'Everything hurts. Everything hurts so much.'
But as he lay there among the scattered weights, dazed and aching, something clicked in his brain. His hand closed around a heavy dumbbell, maybe forty pounds or so.
'Wait. I've been fighting this thing wrong.'
He wasn't human anymore. Not really. The system, the levels, the stats—he was stronger than he used to be. A lot stronger. He'd been holding back, fighting like he was still the same weak kid who got pushed around by guys like Mark.
The boss monster was walking toward him slowly, clearly savoring what it thought was its victory. "Ready to beg yet, little insect?"
Nox pushed himself up, the dumbbell heavy in his right hand, his left still somehow gripping the bent metal pipe. His back felt like it was on fire, and his ribs throbbed with every breath, but his grip on the dumbbell was steady.
"You know what?" he said, rolling his shoulders, trying to ignore the pain. "I think I was going too easy on you."
The creature laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Easy? You call that easy? You're bleeding all over my floor."
"Yeah, well." He hefted the dumbbell, testing its weight. "I'm a slow learner."
He threw the dumbbell with all his might. Not at the creature's head or body, but aimed directly at its knee—the same one he'd hit with the pipe earlier.
The forty-pound weight slammed into the joint with a sickening, wet thwack. The boss monster's leg buckled instantly, and it dropped to one knee with a howl that was a mix of pain and pure rage.
'There we go.'
He didn't waste the opening. He charged forward and brought the metal pipe down on the creature's skull with every ounce of strength he had left. The impact rang out like a struck bell, and this time the monster actually staggered, its whole body lurching.
"You little shit!" it snarled, swiping at him wildly with its claws.
He ducked under the clumsy swing and drove his fist into its ribs. The punch connected with a satisfying thud, and the creature grunted, a clear sound of pain.
'Holy shit, that actually hurt it.'
But the monster recovered faster than he expected. It grabbed his wrist in a crushing grip and twisted, forcing him to drop the pipe with a cry of pain. Then, it headbutted him right in the face.
His nose felt like it just imploded, a sudden hot wetness flooding his face, and for a second, the only thing he registered was a blinding white flash behind his eyes. The creature used his momentary blindness to wrap its arms around his waist and lift him high over its head.
'Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck—'
It threw him straight down, like some kind of pro wrestling powerbomb. He hit the floor so hard he actually bounced, his head cracking against the concrete. Stars didn't explode in his vision—instead, everything went fuzzy and distant, the sounds of the gym receding as if he were suddenly underwater.
'Can't pass out.'
The boss stood over him, breathing heavily, its chest heaving. Dark blood was running freely from a cut on its head where the pipe had connected, and it was clearly favoring its injured leg.
"Still think you're going easy on me?" it panted, its voice rough.
Nox wiped blood from his eyes with a shaky hand and tried to focus. His head was pounding, and everything in his body felt loose and wrong, but he could still move.
'It's hurt too,' he thought, a sort of satisfaction cutting through the pain. 'That means I can hurt it more.'
Behind them, he could hear Kendra shouting, "Vasa! Ice wall, now!" There was a sharp sound like a sheet of glass shattering, followed by the alpha gobdog's frustrated howl. At least they were still alive and fighting.
The boss reached down and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up again. His feet scraped uselessly against the floor. "Time to finish this, little insect. You fought well, but—"
He drove his knee up into the creature's stomach as hard as he possibly could. The monster doubled over with a strangled gasp, its grip on his throat loosening just enough for him to wrench himself free.
He stumbled backward, putting some much-needed distance between them. His throat felt raw and scraped, and his legs were shaky, but he was still standing.
'Come on. One more round. Just one more.'
The creature straightened up slowly, its eyes burning with a furious, murderous hatred. "You... persistent little shit."
"Yeah," he gasped, wiping more blood from his mouth. "I get that a lot." Not really, but it sounded good.
The boss cracked its neck, then its knuckles, each sound sharp and ominous. "No more games. I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," he managed, trying to sound braver than he felt.
The creature's muscles tensed, and he could see it was about to move again, to launch another attack. He needed a plan, and he needed it fast.
That's when he noticed something. Every time the monster had hit him really hard, it had used its right hand. The left was always supporting its weight, or blocking, but never striking with the same devastating force.
'Is its left arm hurt? Or maybe it's just weaker on that side?'
There was only one way to find out.
"Hey, furry," he called out, forcing his voice to sound steadier than he felt, injecting a bit of a taunt into it. "Your left arm broken or something? You keep babying it like it's made of glass."
The creature's eyes flashed with a fresh wave of anger. "Shut that filthy mouth of yours!"
It lunged forward, leading with its left hand this time—probably to prove him wrong.
'Idiot.'