Chapter 146 - Chapter 148

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 148

Chapter Title: Minotaur

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Shwaaak—

The inside of the pit turned into a tunnel.

A slanted tunnel. The floor was coated in blood that someone had spilled and then packed down, making it incredibly slippery. It felt just like riding down a rock climbing wall turned slip 'n slide.

'…Climbing back up is impossible in this structure.'

Even worse, the tunnel didn't slide straight—it curved. If you were unlucky, you could bash your head on a curve and die, or break a limb.

I slid down that decline until the third curve, where I halted my body with psychokinesis.

'This spot looks good.'

I braced myself firmly against the wall with my hands and feet, then signaled upward. Soon, someone slid down and softly pressed against my back. Judging by the size of her chest, it was Han So-hee.

"Sorry. Does it hurt anywhere…?"

"I'm fine, so don't worry about it."

One by one, they came down after her. I confirmed everyone down to Isera at the end, then released my grip on the wall. Slowing my slide to a crawl with psychokinesis, I descended.

"This pit is ridiculously deep."

"Yeah, can't see a thing ahead."

The tunnel stretched on forever. At some point, the light from above no longer reached us, leaving only pitch-black darkness. It felt like we were being sucked straight into the maw of the abyss.

"Seo-yeon."

"Got it."

Light flared from behind, giving us a reddish glow to see by.

A chill brushed against my skin.

And the sound of water.

I planted my hands and feet hard, halting abruptly. The others followed suit, bracing against the walls to match my pace.

"Underground river?"

"Looks like it."

Before we knew it, a sheer drop yawned beneath our feet.

The pit's end led us to the ceiling of a massive cavern. A deep underground river flowed directly below, and beyond it lay a wide open space with seven branching passages.

Each passage was far too large for humans to navigate comfortably.

"Everyone, stay up here. Don't come down. Seo-yeon, give me a hand for a sec."

With Shin Seo-yeon's help, I carefully carved footholds into the slide floor. The women could wedge their heels in and brace stably without slipping.

"Absolutely do not come down."

"Oppa, me too?"

"You stay up top too."

"Okay!"

"Song Ha-na, keep continuous heals on me."

"Got it."

After drilling that into their heads, I leaped alone into the labyrinth, into the cavern where the underground river flowed wide. I crossed the water midair as if stepping on solid ground and landed on the floor.

'Made it down safely.'

I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it into the middle of the water.

Splash!

The deep underground river meant players could drop from high up without dying. But we couldn't just celebrate. The splash echoing through the cave signaled fresh food to whatever lived here.

'The hunt starts the moment I step out of the water.'

Staying in the water wasn't an option either. The biting chill in the air told us exactly how cold that water was—no need to test it. One hundred percent hypothermia death.

'Weird, though. Normally it'd show up right away at the splash.'

Too quiet. I threw stones several more times, but no reaction. I pressed my ear to the ground, focusing intensely for any signs of movement.

'Hm?'

Thump… Thump…

A faint vibration transmitted through.

But the presence was repeating far away, not approaching.

'Ah, got it.'

The monster was apparently starving mad and hammering at the door to the royal palace.

That sturdy ancient door could only be opened with the key held by this place's king.

Yet the beast was strong enough that after days of pounding, it would eventually break out.

If we'd been even a little later, it would've escaped to Harlan and massacred everyone.

'No luring it with stones in the water.'

It was busy smashing the door—no way it'd hear our little noises here.

I took the censer the royal sorcerer had used to control it and poured my blood inside.

Hiss—

A reddish smoke immediately billowed out. Oddly, it smelled like nothing to my nose, but the effect was perfect.

'…The vibrations stopped.'

Heavy but stealthy footsteps approached my position. Soon, a massive shadow slipped out from one of the seven passages.

Roooar—

A head bigger than a man's. Two horns thrusting skyward. Harsh snorts and bloodshot… maddened eyes craving human flesh.

Glassy blood coated its skin, and the foul stench wafting with every move instinctively triggered terror in prey.

Thud!

The savage monster, thirty meters tall, strode into my cavern.

It was the first large-scale monster since the [Lake Worm].

Even that Lake Worm had been just twenty meters long and two meters thick.

But this little guy was even bigger, with a head nearly five meters across.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Too massive to even stand on two legs in the labyrinth, the giant beast spotted me and grinned a grotesque smile.

-That monster isn't a boss meant for you to catch.

The first trial's boss, [Fallen High Priest Bardo], at least had a chance of being taken down. This one? No.

-Bosses come in two types. Weak ones with minions or summons, and ones too strong to need company.

The Minotaur was a solo boss.

A dungeon mob, not field, and thirty meters put it in the huge weight class.

The labyrinth itself was cramped for large groups.

Hard to focus fire as a team.

In short, a terrible environment for raids.

And beyond that, it wasn't a mob you could take down as a group.

[Devour: Eats the target. Instantly heals all wounds.]

Heal on devour? In the early game with low firepower, impossible to kill.

'Conversely, if the firepower's solid enough, it can be done.'

Whoosh!

I summoned the strongest unique ability in selection process history—the red flames—and hurled it at the monster without hesitation.

Kaboom!

Pfft.

The Minotaur scoffed as the fireball hit its head, blowing it off its face like it was nothing.

Fwoosh!

But the small flame that had devoured my mana exploded in size, engulfing the beast that had dared ignore it.

Grrraaaah!

Startled into a scream, it thrashed wildly, finally realizing this wasn't ordinary fire.

Bang! Bang bang bang!

Not stopping there, it went berserk. Charging at me, swinging its forepaws furiously.

Krunch!

It gaped its jaws, teeth ripping flesh and hide, trying to chomp down.

'Not today.'

I dodged its attacks with swift speed.

Bang! Bang! Kaboom!

Dodging, running, wall-climbing, sometimes air-stepping, I raced madly around the cavern, evading the thirty-meter heavy but agile monster.

'No need to fight directly.'

The [Primordial Flame] burning its whole body was dealing damage way faster than anything I could do.

Just kiting was enough.

Of course, its sheer size sucked my mana dry fast, but with the Saintess's constant heals, I wouldn't run out.

'Good, just drag it out a bit longer…'

Then it whipped around.

'Did it notice our group?'

Thud thud thud thud thud!

The heavy body bounded toward them. Shit, it leaped into the air. But it wasn't aiming for the group.

Splash!

It dove into the cold underground river to douse the flames. But it didn't know about [Primordial Flame].

Splash splash!

Kreeee!

[Primordial Flame] couldn't be extinguished by water. Or lack of oxygen. As long as mana fed it, it burned eternally—an eons-old blaze that consumed all. The transcendent, ultimate flame.

Thud!

It finally clambered out of the water.

Sizzle! Boiling water and rising steam revealed its state.

Flesh charred black or melted away. Eyes burned out, blind. It could only sense my position via the [Blood Censer] I held.

Groooar!

It charged me madly, realizing the pain wouldn't end without killing me.

…But.

"It's already over."

?!

Rumble rumble.

Its legs collapsed, burned through. Muscles incinerated to the bone, unable to support the bulk, shattering.

Thud!

That was it.

An enemy that couldn't move.

Yet so tough it endured the full 10-minute duration of [Primordial Flame] without dying.

"Seo-yeon."

Finally, Shin Seo-yeon lobbed another fireball, burning it another ten minutes before granting death.

By the time the fight ended, the cold labyrinth had heated up like a sauna from the flames.

"You can come down now."

Splash!

"Whoa, this feels amazing! Thought I was gonna cook!"

"Yeah!"

"W-We actually survived."

"…No joke, that was rough."

Perched in this chimney-like spot, it must've been sweltering.

The women cooled their overheated bodies in the flowing river before emerging. They gawked at the thirty-meter charred corpse, faces pale.

"You took down something this huge alone?"

"Oppa, you're amazing."

"What do you mean? We all did it together."

The Saintess handled heals,

Shin Seo-yeon the firepower,

and Han So-hee braced up front on two legs to keep everyone from falling.

Everyone played their roles perfectly.

'Though Isera didn't do much.'

But we'd known the trial details and cleared it thanks to her, so she had my deepest gratitude.

Hardly just me soloing it.

"Min-jun always knows how to say the prettiest things."

"Tell me about it."

"Auntie, take notes. Stop with the trash talk."

"What? Flat-chest talking big?"

"Smaller than Rangi and acting superior?"

"Hey!"

Anyway, soloed a field boss, and with help, took down the Minotaur too.

'Next trial should be fine.'

Honestly worried about the next one's quirks, but with this firepower, we're good.

"But what the heck? It didn't drop anything?"

"Monsters like this never do."

Normally you'd loot meat, hide, heart, whatever—but incinerated like this? Just ash.

"No way! A giant like this is trash?"

"Hey, at least grab the horns. Might sell big."

"Ooh!"

Dunno.

The two rushed to the Minotaur's head.

"No horns!"

"What the?!"

"[Primordial Flame] melted them all."

The two kids slumped their shoulders.

"Damn, wasted effort."

"Yeah…."

"Don't sweat it. Come here—something even better."

"?"

I shooed the group back, grabbed a stone, and chucked it hard at the sprawled corpse. Crunch! It pierced the gut, and the charred belly split wide.

'[Primordial Flame] is no joke. A bit longer and it'd have melted the organs too.'

But luckily, the key ones survived.

I sliced open the thick meat pouch with my sword. Hot steam and a foul stench poured out…

Crash.

"Huh?"

"W-What's that."

"J-Jackpot!"

Stat shards spilled out in droves, rolling across the floor.

[Strength Shard]

[Agility Shard]

.

.

"Whoa, tons of stat shards!"

"…Insane. Gotta be over forty at least?"

"Stay back, everyone. Smells bad."

I used psychokinesis to scoop them one by one, rinse in the water, and pile them aside.

One hundred seven total.

At one per thousand people killed, that meant over a hundred thousand fed to the beast here.

A glimpse of how many locals this island ground into fodder.

'Fitting for the [Island of Sacrifices].'

I divided the shards evenly, twenty-one per person.

Fair distribution built the most party trust as leader—no favoritism.

As I finished splitting, with two left for rock-paper-scissors, Han So-hee quietly pushed her twenty-one aside.

"I didn't do anything. Better if the active ones get more? Motivates everyone."

"Whoa, rich girl talking sense for once?"

Shin Seo-yeon, hyped from her big contributions.

Isera, deflated.

Valid point, and an issue we'd face eventually.

I spoke flatly.

"Say a whole family sits for dinner."

Truth is, I don't know the right answer.

Which side's correct.

"But the parents tell some to eat little, others a lot. Sound fun?"

"Well…"

"Families shouldn't discriminate. Especially not food."

The selection process was competitive.

We'd vie with hordes for scraps ahead.

But in my party, no overt competition.

'Compete to death in society, then eye each other at home too?'

Hell.

Recall why this crap process at least gave personal comfy rooms.

"Family… Min-jun, you're really different."

"You enlighten me every time."

"Hehe, I like Oppa best!"

Even greedy Shin Seo-yeon rubbed her nose bashfully and stuck to my side. She grabbed my hand, stuffing it into her panties to squeeze her pussy tight.

"Story time over. Rock-paper-scissors for the last two."

Beaming happily, they claimed, absorbed, and converted their shares to preferred stats.

"Dickhead, need intelligence? Trade with me!"

Shin Seo-yeon charged at me as usual.

"Trading with Sera."

"Tch, then sis!"

I had a deal with Isera.

All intelligence to her, rest to me.

"But skip it this time."

"?"

Simple reason.

Isera's stats lagged the healer Saintess's. Taking all would leave her a party weak link.

'Can't have that.'

Took too much before. I handed back her strength, agility, vitality shards.

"Swapping like this hurts you. Keep your full share this time."

"!!"

Isera's face lit with emotion.

"Hehe, Oppa really likes me best after all!"

Our whole group's stats rose by about twenty-one. I eyed my status window anew.

Monstrous numbers. Over seven hundred ahead of others.

[Binding] inflated them, but my stats were mid-selection process level already.

No slouches in the group either.

The women rose grinning ear to ear.

"Straight to the exit now?"

"Yep."

Perilous labyrinth, but with map and light? Just a stroll.

"Seriously no other mobs besides that monster?"

We just walked the winding maze. At forks, check the map, pick right…

How far did we go?

"Oh? Exit!"

We reached a small doorway. Stepping out, waves crashed, and a vast rocky shore greeted us.

"Yesss! Finally over! Going home!"

"Wanna roll around at home ASAP!"

Faces bloomed with joy.

Staying in a noble mansion, good beds, fresh fruit—no real hardship, but home was best.

"I'm out first!"

They vanished one by one, cheering.

Alone now, I turned back to the path we'd come.

Harlan's city was out of sight.

Probably on the island's far side.

Still, peering at the high peak, hoping for one last glimpse—nothing.

[End the trial and proceed to the next region?]

'No returning to passed regions.'

So I always look back before leaving. No regrets?

"Yes."

I closed my eyes, then opened them, answering softly.

A strange force enveloped me, and Harlan's waves faded away.

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