Little smart Lion!

Chckkk

Eli barely had time to react, his instincts kicking in at the last possible second. He moved to block the attack with the trident, the metal clanging loudly against the lion's claws.

The force of the blow sent him skidding backward, his feet digging into the ground as he tried to steady himself. The arena floor tore up beneath him, dirt and debris scattering around from the impact.

"Ugh!" he grunted, looking down at his chest where a slight piece of flesh had been gouged out.

The lion's eyes bore into him, a mix of predatory focus and almost human-like intelligence.

"I cannot believe an animal was able to trick me... Haha," Eli laughed awkwardly, noticing the lion smirking for some reason.

Eli shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

He took a deep breath, feeling the sting of his wound, and then clenched his lungs, a hissing sound escaping as he prepared for his next move. He stomped on the ground with force, propelling himself forward and appearing in front of the lion in an instant. The lion's eyes widened in surprise, but it still managed to maintain that infuriating smirk. It ruffled its wavy mane and stepped back, effortlessly dodging Eli's frontal attack.

Eli didn't relent, following up with a series of aggressive strikes, each one aimed to corner and kill the beast.

And just like before, the lion didn't attack or even defend, merely dodging with an almost playful ease.

Eli frowned, Its eyes glinted with intelligence, and then it did something unexpected.... it glanced at the sky.

"Hmm... I don't think I would fall for the same trick—" Eli's eyes suddenly widened as his instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, he stepped back from the lion, and something fell from the sky where Eli had stood moments before.

THUD!!

It was none other than the lion's yellow mane, which had suddenly transformed into thick, solid hair, almost as tall as Eli himself. The situation worsened as Eli looked up to see more of the same thick, solid hair falling from the sky.

"Tsk!" Eli clicked his tongue, managing to avoid the falling hair. He moved with agility,

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

.....

...

Now the entire arena was covered in solid hair pillars. They loomed around Eli like a forest of golden monoliths.

TING

Eli tried to cut through the pillars with his trident, but they were incredibly strong, so strong that his weapon slightly cracked upon impact.

Eli frowned, looking at the lion, which was still smirking. It stepped behind one of the solid hair pillars and disappeared, causing Eli's eyes to widen in surprise. The lion was using the pillars to its advantage, blending into the maze it had created.

Ana watched with bated breath, her hands gripping the edge of her seat. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in the scene, "That monster is clearly clever, using this to blind Eli's view... I suppose the dungeon is really pushing him since Eli didn't even fight for the past two tests...." She couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and curiosity for Eli.

Lily's anxiety grew with each passing second. Her heart ached with worry, her mind racing with thoughts of what could happen. She felt a deep sense of helplessness, knowing she couldn't interfere and that Eli had to face this challenge on his own.

Meanwhile,

Eli was on high alert, his eyes scanning the area around the pillars of solid hair. He knew the lion was not like a normal monster.

Ting

Eli blocked an attack from behind just in time, the lion's paw almost hitting his back..... Still, The force of the blow was immense, and he was pushed back despite his efforts.

"You want to play like this, huh?" Eli smiled. An animal with a clever mind meant he had to change his strategy. He couldn't just rely on brute strength....

Eli immediately moved in between the solid pillars, knowing the lion was tracking his movements. The lion, with its fast agility, followed him closely, weaving through the pillars with ease.

Eli smiled, seeing it was following him. He suddenly grabbed one of the pillars and used it to pivot, giving himself a full rotation. As he spun, he poised his trident toward the pursuing lion.

Though the lion was slightly taken aback, it still managed to smirk. Just as Eli's trident was about to pierce its eyes, the lion instantly kneeled down, skidding away with a swift and agile movement, leaving Eli bewildered and gasping for breath.

"What the..." Eli was flabbergasted, 'What the hell is this?' he screamed inwardly before quickly running away, 'When in the hell Lion knew how to skid?'

The lion, still smirking, turned and saw Eli sprinting. With a light growl, it began to follow again. But then, Eli suddenly disappeared from its viewpoint, leaving the lion momentarily confused.

The lion frowned, scanning the area, and noticed Eli trying to hide behind the solid hair pillars.

Its smirk widened as it quietly and slowly moved towards him, its predatory instincts kicking in. As it got closer, it saw that Eli was still not moving. The lion smirked even more, and just as it was about to reach him, it used its tail to wrap around the pillar. In an instant, it turned around with a victorious smile, confident it had outsmarted Eli.

Using an old technique as bait, the lion was sure it wouldn't fall for it. It instantly caught the trident in its mouth.

However, it was only a trident that Eli threw in the air.

"You are too smart for your own good... Kitty cat!" Eli smiled before grabbing its tail. The lion's eyes widened, and before it could react, Eli clenched his lungs as veins around his hand bulged. With a surge of raw power and anger, he slammed the lion like a ragdoll.

BOOOMM!!

But he didn't stop there. Knowing this was his chance, he continued his relentless assault, his eyes blazing with fury and resolve. The lion's body crashed into the ground repeatedly, each impact shaking the arena and sending dust and debris flying.

BOOMM!

BOOOMMM!

...

...

Lily and Ana sighed in relief, seeing that Eli was able to handle the situation without a problem. Even Ana was impressed by his clever thinking in baiting the lion.

BOOMMM!

The lion finally lay still, its eyes closed and its body motionless. Eli, panting heavily, then stabbed its jaw, looking closely at the stone ball it was still holding even in death.

"Damn!" Eli tried to pry open the jaw, but it held tightly as if the stone was more important than its own life.

"MOVE YOU IDIOT!" Ana shouted, her eyes widened sensing the lion's body suddenly releasing an aura of Domain Rank Level.

The lion, who had been playing dead, suddenly opened its yellow eyes, now glimmering with an intense energy.

TING

Chukkkk

It broke the trident with its tight jaw and bit down on Eli's hand. Eli's eyes widened as he felt a searing pain shoot through his arm. He immediately grabbed its underfur, the lion winced in pain, but its jaw never released Eli's hand.

"Don't touch it!!" Ana grabbed Lily, who was ready to interfere, which might cause the dungeon to go berserk.

Lily bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she saw Eli's hand bleeding profusely. The sight filled her with rage and helplessness, but she knew Ana was right; intervening now could be catastrophic.