John sat still on Black Dust's back, not daring to move a muscle.
The giant boss creature in front of them leaned down slowly, lowering its massive body closer. Its five thick tails shifted behind it, making a heavy, dragging sound across the rocky ground.
From the sides of its head, where normal creatures might have ears, two thick tentacles dangled — and now, those tentacles were reaching toward John.
They moved slowly, carefully, as if the creature was inspecting him.
John remembered Black Dust's warning earlier:
"Don't move. The boss is just checking if you are a danger."
So John stayed perfectly still,The tentacles brushed the air around him, vibrating softly, sending out waves he could almost feel on his skin. It was strange and ticklish, but he forced himself not to react.
'These Martian creatures are something else,' John thought, amazed.
Even Black Dust, who had just three tails, was already stronger than someone like Captain America.
And this towering monster, with five tails, thick tentacles, and a giant horn on its head, must be at least as powerful as the Hulk — if not even stronger.
The tentacles hovered around him for a long, tense moment. Then, slowly, they withdrew.
The massive creature straightened up, staring at John with a strange, almost confused expression on its broad, rough face.
Its tentacles began vibrating again, but this time, they were pointed toward Black Dust.
John watched as the tentacles pulsed and shook at different speeds — it was like some kind of silent language between them.
A moment later, Black Dust sent a message through their mind link.
"The boss is confused," Black Dust explained.
"Your body smells like one of us... but you don't look like us."
John blinked in surprise.
After contracting with Black Dust, it seemed his body had changed more than just on the inside.
Not only had his lungs adapted to the extreme conditions, but even his scent had changed to match these creatures.
No wonder the boss was so confused — John smelled like family, but looked like a stranger.
Gathering his thoughts, John decided to speak through Black Dust.
Carefully forming his words, he said, "Tell your boss that I'm not a threat. I come from the surface — and I want to change it. If your tribe helps me, I promise you all can come and live there, with me."
The message was sent.
John waited anxiously for a reply.
The boss didn't even hesitate.
The answer came back fast, sharp, and final: "No."
John felt a bit stunned.
He tried again, asking through Black Dust, offering promises of safety, a better life under the sun and stars... but it was no use.
The boss simply refused, standing tall and unmoving like a mountain.
Feeling helpless, John turned his thoughts toward Black Dust, asking desperately, "What do I do now?"
Black Dust responded calmly, as if he had already thought about this.
"Challenge him," Black Dust said.
"Challenge for the position of boss. If you win, everyone will listen to you."
John was startled for a moment.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
It was probably the quickest — maybe the only — way forward.
With a deep breath, John nodded.
Through Black Dust, he sent the challenge directly to the boss creature.
The reaction was instant.
The boss's five tails rose slightly, and its tentacles whipped the air sharply.
Black Dust went a step further.
He sent a wide-reaching pulse through the cavern, a call that echoed silently through the underground world.
Within minutes, the ground began to tremble lightly under Black Dust's paws.
From all directions, massive creatures started to arrive.
Some were small, with only one tail, their bodies a pale grey or off-white color.
Others were as big as Black Dust, carrying three tails behind them.
A few were even larger, their dark red bodies glowing faintly like hot coal under their rocky skin.
Hundreds of them gathered around the raised stone platform, forming a loose, quiet circle.
Their glowing eyes watched with silent curiosity, the air thick with tension.
The underground cavern stretched wide and empty around them.
There were no plants, no grass, no signs of life except these creatures.
The ground was bare and dusty, cracked in some places and smooth in others.
Only the crystals high above — glittering gently on the cavern's ceiling — brought any color to the lonely underground world.
They sparkled faintly in the light of the floating fireballs, casting a soft red glow over the gathering crowd.
John sat upright on Black Dust's back, feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes on him.
In front of him, the giant five-tailed boss shifted its massive body, lowering itself slightly into a fighting stance.
The challenge had been accepted.
*****
The cavern went silent.
Hundreds of creatures formed a wide circle, their glowing eyes watching the two figures at the center —
John, standing calm and steady, and the five-tailed boss, muscles tensed, ready to strike.
A deep growl rumbled from the boss's throat.
John cracked his knuckles casually, his gaze cold.
He didn't need magic. He didn't need tricks.
Raw strength alone was enough.
The ground trembled as the boss lunged.
BOOM!
It moved like a blur, an impossible speed for something so massive.
Its horn aimed at John's chest, tails whipping the air, body like a battering ram.
John didn't dodge.
He didn't flinch.
He stepped forward — and punched.
CRACK!
The collision sounded like a mountain breaking apart.
John's fist smashed against the charging horn, stopping the boss dead in its tracks.
The shockwave blasted outward, sending dust and smaller creatures sprawling.
The boss stumbled back, shaking its head in disbelief.
It had faced countless challengers before — but none who could stop its full charge like that.
John rolled his shoulders, face calm.
It felt like punching a thick stone wall — but it was still just stone.
He was the hammer.
"Is that all?" John muttered.
The boss roared in fury.
Its five tails lashed out like steel whips, aiming to crush John from all sides.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
John moved through them like a storm.
He grabbed one tail with a grunt and swung the massive creature off-balance, slamming it into the ground with a bone-shaking BOOM!
The ground cracked.
Dust exploded into the air.
The boss roared and struggled to rise — but John didn't give it the chance.
He blurred forward, fists flying.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Each punch sank deep into the boss's thick hide, sending ripples across its body.
The cavern echoed with the sound of flesh meeting unstoppable force.
The five-tailed boss tried to fight back, but the gap was clear now.
Even with its terrifying speed and monstrous size, it couldn't match John's raw power.
John dodged another desperate swipe of the tails with a slight step to the side, grabbed the boss's horn with both hands — and roared.
"SIT DOWN!"
Veins bulged along his arms as he lifted the creature's front half clean off the ground, muscles flexing like drawn cables.
The boss's tentacles writhed wildly, tails flailing —
But John twisted his body and slammed the beast headfirst into the cavern floor.
KABOOOOOOM!
The impact made a crater, dust swallowing everything.
The crowd of creatures fell utterly silent, watching with wide, stunned eyes.
The boss twitched weakly under John's grip.
Still breathing, still alive — but completely beaten.
Its five tails slumped to the ground like dead vines.
Its horn cracked slightly from the impacts.
Its massive body shivered with exhaustion and pain.
John straightened, breathing slow and steady.
Without magic, without abilities, without fancy moves —
He had crushed the strongest boss of the Underground Tribe with strength alone.
Slowly, painfully, the five-tailed boss turned its head, exposing the soft underside of its neck in complete surrender.
The fight was over.
John had dominated.
A deep voice sounded in his mind — Black Dust, full of awe.
"You are now the boss of the Underground Tribe."