Chit! Chit!
The Rabbit King let out a sharp cry—and then—
BAM!
Its hind legs slammed into the ground with explosive force, blasting dust and debris in all directions.
Despite its massive frame, the Rabbit King was anything but slow. It moved like a streak of white wind, lunging toward Rover in a blink. The ten meters between them vanished instantly.
In a single heartbeat, it was right in front of him. Its huge legs kicked forward, aiming straight for Rover's chest.
Rover barely had time to react—his arms crossed instinctively in front of him.
BAM!
"ACK!"
He grunted as the powerful kick crashed into him, like being hit by a car going over 60 kilometers per hour.
The blow sent him flying backward into a pile of dead leaves, sending them fluttering through the air like autumn in the middle of battle.
Chit! Chit! Chit!
The Rabbit King let out a few more cries—it almost sounded like it was mocking him. Its crimson eyes scanned the swirling leaves.
But there was no one there.
Chit?
Just as confusion flickered in its eyes, a shadow emerged from the side. A fist pulled back in perfect form—Rover's muscular frame coiled for the strike.
Whoosh!
The fist cut through the air with a sharp whistle, the sound of compressed wind trailing behind it.
The Rabbit King turned its gaze, and for a split second—it didn't just see the fist.
It saw him.
It saw the presence behind the fist—an overwhelming, monstrous aura that made Rover seem like a giant, cloaked in killing intent.
Chit…?!
In that instant, the Rabbit King flinched. That aura—it was massive, divine, crushing.
It trembled.
Then—
[Skill – Basic Abyssal Fist]
BAM!
Rover's fist collided squarely with the Rabbit King's face. A strange force burst from his strike, hurling the beast backward.
[-1,570]
A bright red number floated above the Rabbit King's head, and far off in the trees, Velvet's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the hell? Over fifteen hundred damage?! How did he—?!"
Her previous arrogance and boredom vanished in an instant, replaced by stunned silence and raw confusion.
Rover, on the other hand, was elated. The damage dealt to the Rabbit King matched exactly what [Blessing of the Abyss] had described, and it only fueled his excitement.
He looked toward the dazed Rabbit King, still reeling from the blow, struggling to stand.
'Factoring in its damage resistance, the hit should've done around 1,300,' Rover calculated. 'But… I struck its head. That must've multiplied the damage significantly.'
That realization lit something in him.
Critical zones. If he targeted vital points, the damage would spike even higher.
His grin widened—growing more unhinged, more thrilled.
Chit! Chit!
The Rabbit King was still stunned. Its eyes spun in circles as it staggered in place.
But Rover was already there.
He dashed forward, posture low, body tilting back just slightly—his fist pulled into a perfect arc, shoulder aligned with deadly precision.
Whoosh!
CHIT!!!
The Rabbit King saw the fist coming—but its body wouldn't respond. It was still dizzy, still dazed.
BAM!
[-2,170]
The punch landed squarely on its nose.
A new number flashed—this one even higher than the last.
Velvet's jaw dropped.
"What the hell?! Over two thousand damage?! What is going on?!" she gasped, wide-eyed.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
A man who just minutes ago couldn't deal any damage to a regular rabbit… was now punching the Rabbit King like it owed him money.
"There's no way! Even high-level Adventurers couldn't hit that hard. How… how is he doing this?" she muttered, so shocked she nearly fell off the tree branch.
On the ground, the Rabbit King lay trembling. Tears streamed from its bloodshot eyes. Blood poured from its twitching nose in two thick streams, and one of its front teeth had snapped clean off.
Rover walked forward slowly, his boots crunching against the forest floor—each step heavy, unshakable.
"No matter how strong you are… your nose is still one of your weakest points," he said coldly.
His eyes burned with killing intent.
Like a wolf closing in for the kill.
Yes—muscles meant nothing if your nerve clusters were exposed.
And the nose?
It was packed with sensitive nerves, tied directly to the central nervous system.
This—this was basic knowledge in the world of hand-to-hand combat. Knowledge that had been drilled into Rover since the day he became a fighter.
CHIT!!!
Suddenly, the Rabbit King let out a sharp, panicked cry.
It leapt back, dodging between thick trees—and vanished into the forest.
However, Rover didn't chase after it.
He simply stood there—still, unmoving—as if he were waiting for something.
Whoosh!
From above, a sharp gust of wind howled through the trees.
A white blur spun downward at blinding speed, drilling through the air like a missile.
It was the Rabbit King.
Its crimson horn rotated at extreme velocity, slicing the wind like a spiraling drill aimed straight at Rover's chest.
But Rover didn't move.
He stood rooted in place, not even flinching, as if he hadn't noticed the Rabbit King's reentry.
High above, Velvet's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth parted—ready to shout a warning.
But she hesitated.
'What the hell? Why am I… why do I even care what happens to that lowly human?'
'If he dies, it has nothing to do with me.'
'Ah—that's right. I'm just curious about how he managed to deal that kind of damage to the Rabbit King. That's all.'
'Yes. That's it. I'm not interested in him, just… in what happened earlier.'
But while Velvet battled her own confusion, the Rabbit King's spiraling horn had already closed the gap—it was less than a meter away from Rover.
In that instant, Rover shifted.
A subtle, precise sidestep.
The horn grazed his waist, shredding his shirt and cutting into his side. Blood sprayed into the air.
But he didn't even blink.
He reached out—and grabbed the Rabbit King's horn.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The momentum of the Rabbit King's attack was far from over, and it dragged Rover backward, tearing up the earth beneath his feet.
"GAHH!!!"
Rover roared—savage and primal—his feet digging into the ground like steel stakes as he resisted the force head-on.
His power surged.
The sheer resistance from his grip caused the Rabbit King's charge to come to a grinding halt.
"That idiot… is he insane?!" Velvet muttered, scowling. "He had the speed to dodge that. Why would he take the hit on purpose?!"
"Unless…"
She fell silent.
Because now, she understood.
Rover wanted to catch it.
The Rabbit King had noticed too—something was wrong.
It was stuck.
Chit! Chit! Chit!
It squealed and thrashed violently, but Rover's grip was like iron shackles—unbreakable. He wasn't letting go.
At that moment, the Rabbit King realized—
It was trapped.
Its eyes trembled as it glanced upward, locking with Rover's—now glowing blood-red.
It was afraid.
Truly afraid.
Its entire body quivered, because the madness in Rover's smile was more terrifying than anything it had ever faced.
Rover pulled his fist back—then—
BAM!
[-1,950]
The blow shattered the Rabbit King's nose and front teeth, distorting its entire face.
BAM!
[-2,010]
Another punch—merciless and brutal—caved in its skull.
Blood and fragments of flesh splattered across the ground, the trees… and Rover himself.
[Ding! Congratulations. You have slain the Rabbit King. Gained 200 EXP and…]
BAM!
[-0]
BAM!
[-0]
Rover didn't care.
The system notifications meant nothing to him.
His fists continued to fall—again and again—onto the Rabbit King's ruined corpse.
Even though it was already dead.
Even though the damage numbers had dropped to zero.
His strikes didn't stop.
His smile grew wider—bloodier. More unhinged. More monstrous.
"Kill him! Kill him, Rover!"
"That's right! Keep smiling, Rover—he's almost dead!"
"Hahahaha! That smile… it's insane. I love it!"
"Finish him! Your opponent's knocked out! Kill him!"
Rover froze.
The voices—echoing from the past—sent a cold shock through his spine.
He gasped.
And stopped.
His fists trembled.
Slowly, he pulled his bloodied hands away from the Rabbit King's lifeless body.
Thud.
The corpse slumped to the ground with a heavy, wet sound—blood, dirt, and fragments flung in all directions.
Rover stumbled backward, his chest heaving, his breath shaky.
He lowered his head and whispered, "I… I did it again…"