Chapter 59: Chapter 55: Bronze Treasure Chest
"Shit!"
Feeling the ever-increasing pressure on his hands, Lin Mo couldn’t help but curse as he was forced to retreat.
He didn’t have time to use Slashing. Without the one-point Strength bonus from the Wolf Bone Sword, and with his opponent having the advantage in weapon weight, it was difficult for him to face it head-on in a sustained test of strength.
BOOM—!
The Giant Axe crashed into the ground, shattering a large section of the flagstone floor.
Lin Mo felt like his hands weren’t his own anymore; they were about to go numb.
If his Warrior Profession hadn’t provided a two-point Constitution boost, his hands would have been crushed just now.
"Be careful..."
He didn’t need to remind them. Seeing the pulverized flagstones, everyone knew that if they took a solid hit from that thing, not even a hundred Life Potions could save them.
The Minotaur swung its Giant Axe, charging at Lin Mo once more.
Lin Mo’s temper flared, and he grew annoyed.
"Cross Slash!"
Meeting the heavy Giant Axe, two intersecting glints of his Sword flashed out simultaneously. The first strike deflected some of the opponent’s force, and the second followed through, actually knocking the Minotaur back several steps.
Lin Mo seized the opportunity, pushing off the ground with his feet. His body shot forward like an arrow as he unleashed another "Slashing" attack.
His speed was so immense that the Minotaur had no time to block. It had just started to raise its Giant Axe when the Sword’s blade sank into its abdomen, slicing the right side of its torso clean in two!
Although the Demon before him was strong, Lin Mo, now an official Professional, was no pushover. There was no reason to be afraid of it.
The Minotaur roared in pain and threw a punch at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo remained perfectly calm. Using the momentum from his Slashing attack, he rushed into the secret room. The Minotaur’s thick arm slammed into the gray-blue doorframe, producing a loud BUZZING sound, as if a great copper bell had been struck.
The next moment, two daggers flew out, aimed straight for its eyes.
Lin Mo, who had thrown the daggers, followed close behind, gripping his Long Sword and taking the offensive.
The Minotaur twisted its head to dodge and tried to raise its Giant Axe to meet the attack, but Bain and Evan saw their chance. They launched a surprise attack from behind, both striking the arm holding the axe.
The Minotaur’s movements froze for an instant, then it flung both of them away with immense force, sending them crashing heavily into the wall.
But that was enough!
A half-second pause was all it took to decide the outcome of this battle.
"Cross Slash!"
Following two vicious slashes, two cross-shaped gashes appeared on the Minotaur’s body, and blood immediately sprayed forth.
Lin Mo’s Sword Techniques were nothing like Bain and Evan’s timid strikes. This attack sliced through not only flesh and muscle but also cracked the spinal bone, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
[Cross Slash] Skill Level +8
Compared to the immature elite monster, this adult one provided 3 more points to the Skill Level.
Lin Mo panted heavily. That battle was far from easy.
It was mainly due to the restrictive terrain, which made it difficult for him to use his speed advantage to kite his opponent.
If Bain and the others hadn’t helped, a pure one-on-one fight would have been even tougher as his Physical Strength drained. He still would have won in the end, but he might have gotten injured.
"Are you okay?"
He walked over to Bain, who was struggling to his feet, and gave him a hand.
As for Evan... that kid had someone else to look after him.
Bain shook his head. He had the Knight Profession, after all, and was a Quasi-Professional at that. Aside from a sore back, he wasn’t injured.
Evan was less fortunate. Unlike the sturdy Bain with his high Constitution, he had clearly suffered some internal injuries and coughed up a fair bit of blood.
Fortunately, there was still a little less than half a bottle of Life Potion left. He drank a little and felt much better.
Bain walked over to the Minotaur’s corpse and clicked his tongue in amazement at the gruesome wound on its chest.
’As expected of a Professional,’ he thought. ’He’s a real beast!’
Even an Ordinary Professional wouldn’t have such incredible power. He seemed to have used that move before against the Cat Demons, but the opponent wasn’t strong then, so the display was nowhere near as stunning as it was now.
Bain was fairly certain that was no Ordinary Level Skill.
He used his sword to cut off the Minotaur’s horns—the most valuable parts of this type of Demon.
Without any hesitation, Bain handed the pair of horns directly to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo didn’t stand on ceremony and stuffed them into his bag. But because they were so big, forcing them in ripped a hole in his pack.
Then there was the Giant Axe. Although crudely made, the material seemed decent. If he brought it back to Edgar, he would probably be happy to buy it.
But the thing was too big and heavy to carry easily. Lin Mo decided to take it for now, but if it became too inconvenient later, he would have to abandon it.
After several consecutive battles, especially the last one which had been incredibly dangerous, they obviously couldn’t press on. They needed to rest for a while.
The group entered the secret room and sat down to rest by the fire pit in the center.
Cody hadn’t exerted much energy, so after a short while, he got up on his own to search the room.
Soon, he found a Bronze Treasure Chest and brought it back before the group.
Just like before, there was a red, beast-shaped mark at the chest’s opening.
"Hm?"
Looking at the Treasure Chest before him, Lin Mo suddenly frowned.
Unlike the Treasure Chest in the last secret room, the mark on this one showed no signs of disappearing.
He got up and looked around. There were no other Demons in the room.
’What’s going on?’
’Could it be that my previous guess was wrong? Maybe the condition for opening the Treasure Chest isn’t killing the Demons in the secret room, but something else?’
He tried to open the Treasure Chest, but sure enough, it didn’t budge. It was impossible to force open.
Lin Mo had a bad feeling.
Having recovered some Physical Strength, Evan’s condition had more or less stabilized. Still, they decided to continue resting for a while longer until they had recovered most of their energy before moving on.
Lin Mo, however, kept staring at the Treasure Chest.
The red mark on it hadn’t changed in the slightest from beginning to end.
However, nothing happened in the time that followed; it seemed he had been worrying for nothing. After resting in the secret room for about half an hour, the group had recovered most of their Physical Strength. They finally stood up, ready to press on.
The Treasure Chest still wouldn’t open, so for the time being, Millian was responsible for carrying it.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, shouldered the Giant Axe, thinking that even if he didn’t take it out to sell, it might come in handy in future battles.
Bain slowly approached the other end of the secret room and, just as before, opened the gray-blue door.
Outside was the familiar corridor, only it seemed a bit wider than before. Before them were four diverging paths.
Without a word, they decided the same way as before: with a game of rock-paper-scissors. This time, Millian joined in, and she was the one who won, choosing the rightmost path.
They had thought this time would be just like the last, a smooth journey to the next secret room. However, halfway there, they suddenly ran into a pack of Cat Demons...
