At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot. His entire eyeballs, including his pupils, had turned completely crimson.
Yet despite the fury burning in his crimson eyes, his vision remained perfectly clear. There was no trace of confusion or loss of rationality.
A crimson glow swirled around his body.
"System, what's happening to me? Why do I feel a little angry even though my mind is completely clear?"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on your explosive luck! You've unlocked the Crimson Orb's hidden effect: a 0.5% chance of obtaining the Berserk Mode ability.]
"That's incredible! What are its specific effects? Explain them clearly to me."
[Berserk Mode: Temporarily increases all attributes by 10% for two minutes. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
"My current attributes are already above 30 points. After activating Berserk Mode, I can directly increase all of them by another three points."
"Wouldn't that mean I could easily defeat the Wolf Spirit Lord? Hahaha!"
[Ding! The Wolf Spirit Lord's Strength attribute is in the 40–45 range.]
"Uh…"
"It's fine. As long as my other attributes can crush him, I'll fight him all the same. Besides, I still have my Sprout Team."
Vikram didn't mind being teased by the system. His mind was already focused on how he would toy with the Wolf Spirit Lord before eventually killing it.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Wolf Spirit Lord had witnessed Vikram killing the Giant Rhino and consuming the Crimson Orb.
Although it was curious about the strange item he had consumed, it had also sensed the oppressive aura emanating from Vikram's body just moments ago.
It had seen that crimson power many times before and wasn't afraid of it. What puzzled it was why Vikram's rationality didn't seem to be affected by the power.
As the Wolf Spirit Lord pondered this, the figure suddenly jumped down from the slope.
Bang!
Vikram landed steadily on the ground.
Facing the Wolf Spirit Lord standing inside the ruins, his heart was completely calm.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something interesting, his mouth spread into a wide grin, revealing a row of white teeth.
The sight left the Wolf Spirit Lord somewhat bewildered.
Then, Vikram made his move.
He picked up a piece of rubble and threw it toward the ruins. The stone passed through the entrance and flew directly toward the Wolf Spirit Lord's forehead.
As a Purple Epic-grade Wolf Spirit Lord, it naturally wouldn't care about such a tiny stone.
It didn't dodge or evade, simply allowing the stone to strike its head.
It wanted to see what Vikram was planning.
The stone accurately struck its wolf-like head, yet the Wolf Spirit Lord remained completely unmoved.
Seeing this, Vikram's smile grew wider. "Sure enough… it can't come out. Or rather… it doesn't dare to come out?"
Vikram's smile slowly deepened as the thought became clearer in his mind.
The snow-covered wind swept across the ruins' entrance, carrying loose frost and dust into the silent confrontation between man and beast.
Just as the Wolf Spirit Lord's golden pupils narrowed slightly, a small figure suddenly stepped forward beside Vikram.
The Warrior Sprout emerged from behind his leg, its tiny blade already drawn.
It tilted its leaf-covered head upward, glaring fearlessly at the towering monster inside the ruins. Then, it stamped its foot once against the frozen ground, a childish yet resolute gesture of challenge.
Seeing its companion step forward, the Guardian Sprout followed without hesitation.
Its vine-bound shield was raised high, its cracked surface faintly glowing with residual energy from previous battles. It positioned itself half a step in front of Vikram, instinctively assuming a defensive stance.
Behind them, the Healer Sprout swayed gently, releasing soft green motes that drifted through the air like fireflies in the falling snow.
The lingering fatigue from the earlier battle quietly faded from Vikram's muscles.
For a brief moment, the scene became strangely absurd.
On one side stood a colossal Purple-grade overlord of the ruins, a creature radiating ancient savagery and overwhelming strength.
On the other side, just beyond its territorial boundary, stood a calm human… accompanied by three knee-high plant warriors staring it down with unwavering hostility.
The Wolf Spirit Lord let out a low, rumbling growl.
Its claws flexed against the stone floor, gouging deep marks into the ground as suppressed rage built within its massive body.
Yet its feet never crossed the invisible boundary at the ruins' gate.
Vikram laughed softly.
"Look at that… even you have rules you can't break."
"Jie jie jie!" The Wolf Spirit Lord's eyes narrowed into slits as it cackled foolishly, baring its teeth.
Vikram's guess had been confirmed, and now it was time to annoy the Wolf Spirit Lord.
He bent down, scooped up another stone, and hurled it toward the ruins. Almost immediately, his Sprout Team followed his lead.
The Warrior Sprout lifted both hands, struggling to carry a pebble nearly the size of its own head before flinging it forward with all its might.
The Guardian Sprout, unwilling to fall behind, crouched down and flicked stones forward using a whip-like vine, its cracked shield clutched proudly against its chest.
Even the Healer Sprout, normally gentle, shook its leaves vigorously, causing small glowing seed pellets to scatter like harmless projectiles.
Inside the ruins, the Wolf Spirit Lord looked momentarily speechless at the childish spectacle.
With an impatient swipe of its massive claw, the first stone shattered into dust before reaching it.
But this time, four stones came at once. Before the beast could properly react, one struck its right eye, another smacked squarely into its snout, and one more bounced awkwardly across its face.
"Grrrr… Ow!"
The Wolf Spirit Lord cried out in pain, covering its eye. Its other eye glared fiercely at Vikram, as if it wanted nothing more than to tear him to shreds.
Seeing the effect, Vikram grinned even wider.
He slowly turned around, lifted his coat, and patted his raised backside with exaggerated provocation.
"Come bite me."
Although the Wolf Spirit Lord didn't understand his words, it clearly understood the meaning behind Vikram's gesture.
At that moment, its hostility intensified.
But faced with Vikram, who was smiling broadly outside the ruins, it could do nothing but bare its teeth and growl threateningly.
Just as Vikram turned back, ready to launch another attack, he noticed the Wolf Spirit Lord beginning to threaten him with muffled "woo-howls."
How could he tolerate that?
His Sprout Team immediately imitated his chaotic assault.
The Warrior Sprout began tossing stones in rapid succession like a miniature catapult.
The Guardian Sprout swung its vine in circles, sending pebbles spinning unpredictably toward the beast.
The Healer Sprout's glowing motes flickered faster, and tiny light-seeds pelted the Lord's fur harmlessly but persistently.
The attacks barely caused any pain, but they were deeply humiliating. It felt as though Vikram were treating it like a monkey.
Gradually, the ferocity in the Wolf Spirit Lord's gaze intensified. Veins bulged beneath its thick fur as rage swelled within its massive frame.
It crossed its arms defensively, its muscles expanding grotesquely as it began swatting away the endless barrage.
Finally, it threw its arms wide and released a thunderous roar that shook the ancient ruins.
"ROOOAAARRR—!"
Vikram didn't even flinch.
"Oh? Roaring so loudly? Then have some more."
The flying stones were indeed blocked by its two arms, but Vikram's hands hadn't stopped moving.
In the next instant, seven or eight pebbles flew in erratic arcs…
Several of them shot straight into the Wolf Spirit Lord's wide-open, snarling mouth.
"One unit of stone can be broken down into thirty small stones. I can fight you all day!"
Vikram boasted loudly, his hands moving nonstop as pebble after pebble flew toward the furious beast.
Beside him, his Sprout Team enthusiastically joined in.
The Warrior Sprout tossed stones with exaggerated effort, sometimes even stumbling from the recoil.
The Guardian Sprout used its vine like a sling, sending sharp pebbles spinning through the air.
The Healer Sprout drifted closer, scattering faint green motes that shimmered like harmless sparks, more of a teasing distraction than an actual attack.
"Ugh!"
The Wolf Spirit Lord turned its back and clawed the stones out of its mouth, its black wolf face flushed red with rage and humiliation.
Finally, after a long stalemate, its cunning eyes flickered with calculation.
Without warning, it retreated deeper into the ruins, disappearing around a corner.
"Hm? Why did it leave? I haven't even had enough fun yet…"
Vikram's playful expression slowly faded into caution.
"No… this bastard is extremely cunning. Last time, I almost died because of its tricks."
He immediately activated the biological detector. The blinking signal confirmed the truth: the Wolf Spirit Lord hadn't gone far at all.
"Hiding around the corner?"
Vikram crouched low and signaled to his Sprout Team. Warrior Sprout tightened its grip on its tiny blade. Guardian Sprout raised its shield defensively. Healer Sprout's glow intensified slightly, preparing to sustain them.
Inside the ruins, the Wolf Spirit Lord crouched silently behind the stone corner, its lips curling into a sinister grin.
Its plan was simple: pretend to withdraw, lure the human inside, and then strike with a killing ambush.
A strange, low chuckle escaped its throat.
"Heh heh heh…"
"What are you laughing at?"
A familiar human voice suddenly echoed from directly behind it.
"Tell me, too. I'd like to laugh."
The Wolf Spirit Lord stiffened.
Turning its head sharply, it saw Vikram already standing inside the ruins, directly behind it. A newly hollowed gap in the ruin wall marked his unexpected entry point.
Behind Vikram, the Sprout Team had also slipped in quietly. Guardian Sprout guarded his flank like a tiny sentinel. Warrior Sprout pointed its blade straight at the beast, its eyes blazing with fighting spirit. Healer Sprout hovered between them, radiating a steady healing aura.
The Lord scratched its head in visible irritation. Vikram's strange ability to make walls "disappear" was becoming increasingly troublesome.
Realizing that its trap had been exposed, the beast abandoned subtlety.
With a ferocious snarl, it lunged forward, a giant claw sweeping down like a falling boulder.
At that exact moment, Guardian Sprout slammed its shield upward, slightly deflecting the trajectory.
Warrior Sprout leapt in from the side, striking the claw joint to disrupt its momentum.
Using that split-second opening, Vikram calmly stepped backward and slipped out of the ruin boundary again.
The massive wolf claw tore through empty air.
The Wolf Spirit Lord froze at the invisible limit. Though rage burned in its eyes, its feet still refused to cross that unseen threshold.
But Vikram wasn't bound by the same restriction.
With a mere thought, the Iron sword flashed back into his hand.
Seizing the moment of confusion created by his Sprout Team's interference, he thrust forward like lightning, the blade shooting through the ruin's boundary and straight toward the stunned Wolf Spirit Lord.
"Ow!"
A short but bone-deep wound appeared on its fur-covered hand.
The blade's bleeding effect was remarkably effective. Blood trickled from the wound, and even the Wolf Spirit Lord couldn't ignore the injury.
It rapidly retreated out of Vikram's attack range, licking its wound as it disappeared into the depths of the ruins.
This kid only knows how to cheat!
The Wolf Spirit Lord wasn't stupid. It would simply hide inside the ruins and refuse to play with him anymore.
If I can't beat him, can't I at least run away?
Vikram, seeing through the biological detector that the Wolf Spirit Lord had truly retreated far into the ruins, was a little surprised.
But he felt no pity.
Since the Wolf Spirit Lord was ignoring him, he would simply enter the ruins and take whatever he could find. Surely, he would eventually find a way to lure the beast out.
With that thought, Vikram rushed straight into the ruins and began searching every corner.