Chapter 6: Holy Crap! It's a Bull!
"Minotaur."
Normally, this kind of monster would only exist in the middle levels of the Dungeon, yet now, it had extremely rarely appeared on the 5th floor.
Seeing the powerfully built monster in the distance ahead.
"Holy crap!"
"It's a bull!"
Liam's pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but voice his innermost complaint. He carefully recalled the plot points of the DanMachi world.
He quickly found a clue. When the Loki Familia completed their expedition and was preparing to return to Orario, they encountered a large number of Minotaurs on the 17th floor.
The number of monsters was too vast, and unable to withstand the Loki Familia's powerful offensive, it was inevitable that some Minotaurs would escape.
He wasn't clear about the exact timing of the plot in the original story.
Crucially, he had never expected that on his very first Dungeon exploration, he would cleverly run into this extremely critical plot point.
If he didn't want to confront the Minotaur before him.
He just needed to hold out until the "Sword Princess," Ais Wallenstein, arrived as support. But looking at the Minotaur walking towards him from the distance.
"Give it a try?"
Liam didn't choose to retreat. He gripped the hilt of his broadsword tightly, and such a bold idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.
Like the Sword Souls in the game, to regard swordsmanship as the love of one's life.
He probably couldn't reach that level, but he knew that to become a true powerhouse, one absolutely couldn't flee when facing danger!
The Minotaur was strong.
At the very least, an ordinary Lv2 adventurer couldn't easily deal with it. Now that he had thoroughly mastered Secret Sword Art, he really wanted to test his mettle.
As for the result…
"Can I win?"
He inexplicably recalled a scene from a famous anime in his previous life. Liam's rarely serious attitude almost broke.
Only he himself could provide the answer.
"I will win!"
Striking first could seize the initiative in battle. Liam never thought of passive defense. He carefully sized up the approaching monster.
Its physique was larger than a normal adult man's.
Its muscles were exceptionally prominent, and its crimson eyes were filled with brutality. Its gaze caught Liam, who was holding a weapon not far ahead.
The Minotaur clenched its fists and beat its chest fiercely, letting out a deafening roar.
"HUUUUNGH!!"
Then, it quickened its pace, running rapidly towards Liam, wanting to tear the human before it to shreds.
The Minotaur's movements were fast.
For Liam, it was also a mutual rush. The Minotaur's fighting style was relatively brutal; its fists were its weapons.
This also meant its attacks would be relatively slow.
As long as his sword aura could break through the monster's defense, there was a possibility of defeating it. Stepping forward, he rushed towards the Minotaur.
Liam tightened his grip on his broadsword.
The rich sword intent didn't surface on the weapon; instead, a restrained and pure sword intent flowed through his body, his aura naturally formed.
Compared to the full-speed sprint of the Minotaur.
Liam still held an advantage in terms of speed. Noticing the Minotaur had already swung its arm, charging up an attack, he forcefully slashed horizontally.
Sharp sword aura burst forth.
It instantly struck the Minotaur's abdomen. Even with the level difference, the powerful cutting ability was like an irresistible force.
It directly broke through the monster's defense!
A shocking gash was left on its abdomen, blood gushing out.
The pained Minotaur finished charging its attack and hammered its fists heavily towards Liam. The functionality of Secret Sword Art.
Was fully displayed at this moment.
Extending the attack range when using a short sword, as the Minotaur's fists hammered towards him, Liam directly retreated to dodge.
After the attack missed, it slammed heavily onto the dry ground.
Fine cracks even appeared on the ground, and thick dust rose, obscuring the Minotaur's vision.
"This thing is indeed pretty fierce."
Even Liam couldn't help but click his tongue. If he hadn't dodged the Minotaur's previous attack, he estimated he would have had to /remake (restart/respawn).
But that was all.
The dust lingering on the ground obscured the Minotaur's vision but couldn't cover its massive figure. Liam seized the opportunity. Using the opening stance of Secret Sword Art.
He once again launched a fierce offensive against the Minotaur. This time, the target was the monster's relatively vulnerable shoulder and neck area, breaking through its skin's defense.
He pushed the blade with all his might, slashing towards its neck.
When it collided with the Minotaur's spine, the recoil made the web between Liam's thumb and forefinger ache. Even with the negated force.
He still managed to sever the Minotaur's head.
Blood sprayed onto the wall and his grayish-brown cloak. After losing a vital part, the Minotaur still tried to struggle futilely.
As its massive body fell to the ground, it dissolved into ashes.
「Exp +327」
"."
"Minotaurs are really hard to kill."
The effect of adrenaline gradually dissipated. The magic stone from the kill dropped to the ground, accompanied by a feeling of exhaustion sweeping through his entire body.
As a "pure love battle god", Liam's smile at this moment was exceptionally pure.
Also on the 5th floor, a young woman wearing a silver breastplate was similarly strolling here, looking left and right with a blank expression.
She seemed to be searching for something.
The girl's long golden hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders. She possessed looks that were not inferior to a goddess, and her aura was like that of a spirit from an epic tale.
Ais Wallenstein.
Having completed her Familia's expedition and preparing to return to Orario, she encountered an extremely large number of Minotaurs on the 17th floor.
Her other companions were all doing their best to clear them out.
Even so, quite a few stragglers escaped, and they were heading towards the upper levels of the Dungeon.
Receiving the captain's orders, and knowing this was a consequence of the Familia's mistake, Ais Wallenstein headed out to hunt them down.
Monsters of this strength would definitely pose a great threat to ordinary adventurers.
Therefore, her search process was exceptionally meticulous, not even missing the dead corners of the passages. Unfortunately, the tunnel environment in this area was complex.
She had found nothing so far.
"HUUUUNGH!!"
"."
With the Minotaur's roar, the adventurer who had joined the Loki Familia since childhood and reached Lv5 with a frail human body faster than anyone else.
Ais's combat experience was extremely rich.
Even though the roar became muffled in the complex tunnel environment, she still easily identified the location where the battle was taking place.
An adventurer had encountered a monster.
Her agile figure darted through the complex, overlapping tunnels, her smooth golden hair flowing exceptionally. At this moment, Ais's thoughts were very simple.
Prevent the Minotaur from causing trouble for other adventurers.
"Need to be faster..."
Her seemingly ice-cold face showed no change, but the girl's soft murmur revealed the deep worry in her heart.
Passing through another corner, she arrived at a straight passage.
The figure of a Minotaur appeared at the other end. And what also entered Ais's vision was the figure of a young man.
He should be an adventurer active in the upper levels.
She drew her weapon, "Desperate," from her waist, preparing to quickly wrap up the trouble her Familia hadn't handled properly.
However, the ensuing battle was beyond Ais's expectations.
The figure nimbly dodging the Minotaur's attacks, the sword momentum flowing from him, was like an unpolished treasure.
An extremely unfamiliar sword style, every swing of the blade carrying a sword aura slash...
"Hmm?"
"This is..."
Witnessing this battle firsthand.
The coldness on the girl's exquisite face seemed like a frozen photograph, but within her dazzling golden eyes, a hint of curiosity was revealed.
(End of this chapter)