Chapter 58: Chapter 54: Minotaur
"This looks different from the ones before, doesn’t it?"
Evan scrutinized the door before him.
"You’re right. The last few doors we saw were all black."
Bain nodded, his expression solemn. "The Demon behind this door will likely be even more dangerous!"
"Why don’t we go back and pick another one?"
True to his caution as an Assassin, Cody started to advocate for retreat.
"Is that really necessary?"
Evan countered in a low voice, "Even if we go back, what if we pick another path and end up in the same situation? We’d just be wasting time..."
"There’s no need to consider that anymore."
Lin Mo cut their argument short. "Look behind you."
The group looked back. The path they had come from was now shrouded in a faint mist.
Lin Mo took out a Copper Coin and tossed it toward the mist.
The Copper Coin was stopped just outside the mist, creating a series of ripples before falling to the ground with a sharp clink.
"A Magic Barrier!"
Bain looked shocked. ’This has to be at least an Excellent Level Magic!’
"It seems the creator of this Secret Realm was highly skilled in Magic."
The comment piqued Lin Mo’s interest. ’If this Secret Realm was truly built by a powerful Mage, could there be powerful Magic Scrolls left inside?’
’He might even find answers to what he most wanted to learn right now: how to perceive and use Magic Power, and the methods for casting Magic.’
Lin Mo took a deep breath, calming his excitement. ’The dangers in the Secret Realm are unpredictable. I can’t let greed cloud my judgment. The most important thing right now is to clear each challenge safely and find the way out.’
Their path of retreat was sealed, leaving them with only one option: open the door.
Bain stepped forward slowly, his gaze locked on the large, grayish-green door.
Lin Mo stood a short distance behind him, ready to lend a hand at a moment’s notice.
Bain raised his shield and surged forward, smashing the door open with a Shield Strike before hastily retreating to the group’s side.
CLANG—
A heavy, muffled impact rang out, the echo reverberating through the narrow corridor.
This time, the room beyond wasn’t pitch black. Torches hung on the walls, and a fire pit blazed in the center of the chamber. Aided by the firelight, the group clearly saw a behemoth standing over three meters tall.
It had a body of knotted muscle, with powerful arms and legs. It wielded a massive axe, the handle of which was thicker than Millian’s thigh!
"A Minotaur..."
Bain breathed the name of the monster before them.
Lin Mo had read the entire Monster Atlas in his spare time, so he had some impression of the name.
’If I remember correctly,’ he thought, ’the Minotaur is an Elite Level Demon just like the Mutated Goblin, only stronger and more dangerous!’
Fortunately, there were no other Demons in the room, meaning it would be a five-on-one fight.
’But even so, could they really win?’
HUFF... HUFF...
The Minotaur before them was panting heavily. It hefted its axe, which must have weighed hundreds of pounds, and advanced on the group.
THUD... THUD...
At first, the steps were slow, each one a heart-stopping thud like a heavy hammer. Then the pace quickened, the footfalls growing faster and more frequent, like a frantic drumbeat.
Its massive body charged toward them like a small mountain. The black axe swung with terrifying force, kicking up fierce gusts of wind.
Millian had a Feathered Arrow nocked but seemed unable to draw her bow. Evan’s expression was vacant, his mind completely blank. Cody’s face was pale, his pupils constricted.
Bain’s shield hand trembled uncontrollably, his forehead slick with sweat.
’He couldn’t take this hit...’
’If he tried to block it head-on, even as a Knight with high Constitution, his arm would likely shatter and his organs would rupture!’
’But as the team captain, he couldn’t back down now.’
’If even he showed fear, the team would fall apart completely, with no hope of fighting back.’
With no way to retreat and no room to dodge, Bain gritted his teeth and steeled his expression.
However, just as he steeled himself to charge forward and risk it all against the Minotaur, a figure suddenly shot out from behind and to his side.
The lean, capable figure seemed tiny compared to the monster, but his dauntless aura was in no way diminished by the overwhelming opponent before him.
"Slashing!"
A flash of silver sword light shone. With a sharp cry from Lin Mo, he unleashed the move with all his might for the first time since becoming a Professional. Empowered by the Wolf Bone Sword, his 13 points of Strength were pushed to the limit as he met the massive black axe head-on!
CLANG—!
A sound even louder than Bain’s door-breaking strike echoed out. Veins popped on Lin Mo’s arm and his face contorted into a snarl, but he had managed to block the attack!
The immense recoil sent a numbing jolt through his arm. Fortunately, his opponent wasn’t entirely unaffected; it, too, staggered back half a step from the force, its posture momentarily unsteady.
’Just as the Monster Atlas described,’ he thought. ’Minotaurs possess immense Strength.’
’To get the upper hand in that Collision, even with the advantage of a heavier weapon, its Strength must be at least 13—the same as mine with the buff from the Wolf Bone Sword!’
’This is going to be tough...’
’This type of Demon has weaknesses, such as slow speed and low intelligence, but in this arena, those flaws are hard to exploit. Instead, its strengths—its incredible power and formidable Constitution—are on full display.’
The Minotaur recovered, shot Lin Mo a somewhat surprised glance, and then attacked again.
Lin Mo dared not be careless. He unleashed another "Slashing," and only with the aid of the Wolf Bone Sword was he able to barely hold his ground.
"Attack!"
Bain’s shout snapped the others from their daze. Millian finally drew her bowstring and loosed an arrow at the Minotaur’s torso.
Cody took advantage of the stalemate with Lin Mo, hurling a Flying Knife from the side straight for the Minotaur’s eye.
As Bain shouted, he and Evan were already moving, attacking the Minotaur from both flanks.
With Lin Mo blocking the Minotaur’s frontal assault, the others instantly found their courage, and the fear in their hearts subsided.
The Minotaur tried to dodge, but Lin Mo seized the opportunity to press forward again, preventing it from freeing itself.
Millian’s Arrow struck it squarely in the chest, but the shaft only penetrated less than five centimeters before being stopped by the Minotaur’s tough hide.
It dodged Cody’s knife with a tilt of its head, the blade leaving only a bloody gash across its face.
Bain and Evan’s attacks also left wounds, but for a creature of the Minotaur’s sheer size, such minor injuries were completely insignificant.
The injuries didn’t affect the Minotaur’s Combat Power. In fact, the pain only seemed to fuel its rage. Its large, round eyes filled with bloodshot veins. With a furious roar, its movements became even more frenzied.
