Chapter 69

Chapter 69

I Installed a Dating App and Girls from Another World Became Obsessed with Me.

Episode 69: Master Of The Maze (3)

Broken bones knit themselves, and burned flesh filled in.

Noel’s desperate strike, and my magic unleashed while enduring the pain of my mana circuits burning out.

All of it returned to nothing.

“…Reverse Summon.”

First, I reverse summoned the fainted Noel. I don’t know where, but she probably returned to the place she was before meeting me.

[You have reverse summoned Noel Lonidella]

[Summon Cooldown: 167:59:58]

Now, all that remained here were the Minotaur, looking as lively as if we had never fought, and me, my whole body tattered.

Honestly, with that absurd regeneration ability, I at least expected there to be a risk of consuming stamina.

But as if to mock my expectations, the Minotaur was burning with even more intense killing intent and fighting spirit than when we first met.

Like an excited bull about to charge at a matador.

On the other hand, I didn’t even have the strength to properly move a single arm.

My mana was depleted, and my mana circuits were in tatters. My vision kept darkening as if my brain was about to shut down any moment.

Thinking rationally, there was nothing more I could do with this body. I even reverse summoned Noel, so there was no tank to stand in the front line. What could I do?

I knew better than anyone that now was the time to retreat, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

It was just a matter of closing my eyes and saying “end matching,” so why was I being so stubborn?

“Hoo…”

Of course, I knew the reason.

It was a valid reason that any mage or swordsman would nod in agreement with.

The conviction that I could reach the next level right away.

That feeling of having the doorknob that had been teasing me for so long finally within my grasp was the sole reason that made me risk my life.

Retreating here wasn’t just taking one step back.

I took out two bottles each of health and mana potions, one vitality potion, and two holy waters, and chugged them down in one go.

I knew very well that this action could lead to potion addiction, but it was a hundred times better than dying here.

“Haven’t you seen someone doping before?”

The Minotaur, looking perfectly fine on the outside but probably still recovering internally, just stood there glaring at me, and for some reason, it looked cute.

If that bastard had charged straight at me like a mad bull, my body would have been split in half by that enormous axe before I even had time to prepare.

Was it being careless because it thought it already had its prey, or was it wariness towards the enemy who had driven it to the brink of death?

I opened the shop.

[Twilight Elixir]

[Grade: Rare]

[Instantly returns the body to its optimal condition for 10 seconds]

[※Caution! Immediately after the elixir’s effect ends, the user will lose consciousness.]

[※Caution! Immediately after the elixir’s effect ends, a rebound will occur. Physical impairment may occur.]

[Price: 700 coins]

—

[Mana Elixir]

[Grade: Rare]

[Temporarily amplifies mana.]

[Temporarily activates mana circuits.]

[※Caution! Immediately after the elixir’s effect ends, mana cannot be used for one week.]

[※Caution! Immediately after the elixir’s effect ends, mana circuits will be paralyzed for one week.]

[Price: 700 coins]

Elixirs were a type of doping agent that allowed one to achieve effects equivalent to elixirs with cheap materials.

Because they had excellent effects but short durations and often strong side effects, their use was prohibited by law in quite a few countries.

[Do you want to purchase the Twilight Elixir?]

[Y/N]

[Y]

[You have purchased the Twilight Elixir]

[Remaining coins: 1,450 coins]

[Do you want to purchase the Mana Elixir?]

[Y/N]

[Y]

[You have purchased the Mana Elixir]

[Remaining coins: 750 coins]

Of course, in my current situation, laws were not even worth discussing.

-!!!!

Finally, having completed its recovery, the Minotaur began to move its body, emitting an intense aura and fear, just like when we first met.

Thump! Thump!

The ground caved in every time its massive hooves stepped forward.

“Seriously, this is fucking terrifying.”

Watching the enormous bull-head, as large as a golem, rushing to tear me apart, I opened the cap of the elixir.

Just the smell made my stomach churn.

I had never drunk this much water at once, let alone two bottles of holy water, various potions, and now even an elixir.

“Figures my life would be like this.”

As if its acceleration was increasing, the speed of the Minotaur charging towards me became so fast that it was hard to follow with my eyes.

At that moment, its ferocious roar echoed and the massive axe swung down over my head.

Gulp-

The mixed elixirs went down my throat.

Kwaaaang!!!

The Minotaur, from the moment it was born, stood at the apex of the third floor’s food chain.

Due to the unique nature of the underground dungeon, hunting for it was not predation to fill its belly but merely a game to pass the time.

Giant golems, moving statues, swarms of spiders.

Each and every one of them was just a powerless bug that fell before its swinging axe.

No creature here could defeat it.

It had no doubt that it would continue to be that way in the future.

‘…It should definitely be like that.’

Its conviction was shattered by small prey it had never seen before.

Moreover, they were just small prey that barely reached its knees. Judging by the scent, one male and one female.

At first, it was annoyed by their small size, but thought they would be decent enough to play with.

‘T-This is unbelievable…!!’

Even in the moment it was being beaten by the female charging at it, and even when it felt the pain of its whole body burning from the magic the male unleashed.

It couldn’t understand the current situation at all.

How could it, a being like itself, be defeated by such small and insignificant prey?

Faced with the crisis of death it was experiencing for the first time since birth, the Minotaur felt intense rage.

Even as it quickly recovered from its wounds and watched the vanished female and the battered male, its anger did not subside.

As all the wounds healed, it charged towards the battered male, certain of its victory.

It felt as though only by splitting that prey in half and killing it could it wash away even a fraction of the humiliation it had suffered.

Kwaaaang!!!

At the same time as the massive axe fell above Kang Hyeon-u’s head, a tremendous explosion occurred.

At the sight, the Minotaur wore a smile full of elation.

It was a little disappointing that it had killed it without leaving a single piece of flesh, but so what!

In the end, it had proven itself once again.

That it was the king of this place, the one standing at the apex of all living things.

The swirling dust settled, and a huge crater was created where the axe had fallen, but the corpse of the prey it had aimed for was nowhere to be seen.

Of course, it had thought that no piece of flesh would be left after a full-power strike.

But the fact that there wasn’t even a trace of blood was strange.

All that remained were shattered debris.

Just as an ominous premonition flashed through its mind.

“What are you splitting?”

At the sound of the prey’s voice from behind, the Minotaur’s head turned quickly.

Not a single trace of injury could be found on the prey standing there, no matter how hard one looked.

On the contrary, it looked excessively unharmed, and even strange sparks were flying around its body.

[Extreme Speed]

Extreme Speed, an auxiliary magic of the lightning element, allowed the caster to move at lightning-like speed for 10 seconds.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to run at the actual speed of light.

If it were, the body would be torn to pieces.

Moreover, it was difficult to control, and if one made even a slight mistake, their body would immediately fly forward and crash into a wall.

But I didn’t care and immediately ran towards the Minotaur, surrounded by all the auxiliary magic I could currently use, layered upon each other.

I didn’t think about what would happen afterward.

[Twilight Elixir]

The Minotaur swung its axe towards the prey charging at it like a flash of light, but the attack didn’t land.

Instead, a deep gash appeared across its flank from the sword swung by Kang Hyeon-u.

Blood spurted like a fountain, but the Minotaur did not back down.

The axe blade, filled with killing intent, passed before my eyes.

My spine chilled, but I didn’t stop.

Kicking off the dungeon wall, I cut through the Minotaur’s hide.

The Minotaur’s movements changed with the steadily accumulating wounds and the amount of blood loss.

[Berserker]

Its entire body turned red, and hot steam rose from its hide.

Clearly, the Minotaur, which hadn’t even been able to react properly to my attacks before, was gradually starting to catch up.

Clang!!

The massive axe blade collided with the sword.

If it hadn’t been Gillenium, it would have broken long ago from the tremendous impact, and I increased the output of the ‘Strength Enhancement’ magic by another level.

It felt like my mana circuits were burning out, but for now, this was the only way.

As the exchange of blows continued, a tremendous air pressure swirled around.

My arms and legs trembled as if they would fall off at any moment, following the mana circuits, so I had to clench my teeth until they felt like they would break.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.

As the atmosphere changed and the Minotaur spat out fear once more, one of my eardrums burst with a tremendous shock.

On top of that, even though it was a fleeting moment, my body stiffened.

As the flow of battle broke, the Minotaur did not miss the opportunity.

Bang!

I was hit squarely by the axe that was swung through the air and flew away at tremendous speed, crashing into the wall.

I hurriedly put up a barrier, but it couldn’t completely block the attack.

“Ugh!”

Amidst the shock that felt like my insides were being turned upside down, I barely managed to raise myself, but except for my left arm, my limbs wouldn’t listen to me properly.

Having no choice, I channeled mana into the tip of my left index finger and pierced my mana circle.

At the cost of pain that felt like my heart was being torn out, I forcibly circulated my mana to aid my body’s recovery.

Only 1.6 seconds remained.

Moreover, the effect of Extreme Speed had disappeared due to the previous impact.

No matter how I looked at it, there was nothing more I could do.

Anyone who saw it would surely think so.

Nevertheless, I moved.

It wasn’t like I had been mindlessly exchanging blows head-on with the Minotaur until now.

“Keueuk…?!”

As a massive amount of lightning and mana surged once more along my mana circuits, it felt as if my entire body was burning.

The deployment, construction, and activation of the magic.

Until now, a certain amount of my brain’s resources had been allocated to calculating a single magic spell.

It was different from ‘Conflagrant Lightning,’ which swept away enemies over a wide area.

Lightning descended from the thunderclouds and transformed into a single spear.

[Lightning Spear]

The Minotaur tried to evade the unusual mana and lightning energy, but the speed at which the single bolt of lightning flashed and flew was even faster.

──────The tip of the Lightning Spear, which was so fast that the eye couldn’t follow, finally succeeded in hitting its target.

However.

“Kroaaaaaaaar!!!!”

The Minotaur, having judged that it couldn’t evade the Lightning Spear, sacrificed its left arm to block the attack.

Of course, it suffered a severe injury, with its arm flying off at the shoulder, but with the regeneration ability I had seen earlier, it clearly wouldn’t take long to recover.

It was over now.

There was nothing more I could do.

My mana was depleted, and my mana circuits were a mess.

Even wiggling a finger was burdensome, and soon I would lose consciousness as the price for taking the elixir, and a rebound would come.

In the end, I failed to reach the 3rd circle and failed to deal with the Minotaur.

Without achieving anything properly, my eyelids grew heavy.

All that was left was to run away pathetically from here.

“…Matching end—”

“But World Tree.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“That, well, I’m supposed to be a hero. Don’t you have a divine blessing or a holy sword or something like that?”

The World Tree replied with its usual expressionless face.

“Impossible.”

I wasn’t really expecting much, but it was still disappointing.

“Instead.”

The World Tree embraced my dispirited self.

As her soft breasts touched me, I felt my mood improve considerably.

“I will bestow something else upon you soon.”

Unlike the divine protection bestowed directly by a god, the blessing given by a priest of the rank of archbishop or higher varied in its effect depending on the depth of faith and the sincerity towards the recipient.

Even if the person was far away, if one believed deeply in their heart, there was nothing that could not be achieved.

Ting-

[World Tree’s Blessing]

[Grade: ???]

[Buff]

[Duration: ???]

[The holy maiden’s prayer reaches the heavens and dwells within you]

[Your body recovers]

[Your mana recovers]

[The curse is dispelled]

[Divinity dwells within you]

Since ancient times, the queen of Pelledia had also served as the holy maiden chosen by the World Tree.

As such a holy maiden prayed for only one person for several days without sleeping or stopping for a moment, the World Tree, which had lost most of its authority to intervene on the ground, gained some leeway.

My body, which had been breaking down due to the rebound from the elixir, was restored to its original state, and life returned to my half-burnt mana circuits.

Changes occurred in my body, which had recovered to better than usual condition as if we had never fought.

The feeling of the mana circuits spread throughout my body and the circle located in my heart became one.

Along with the sound of the doorknob in my hand turning, I plunged into the Minotaur’s chest as it raised its axe to finish me off.

The mana dwelling in my entire body surged, and I swung my sword without using any auxiliary magic.

The Minotaur’s tough hide, which I wouldn’t have been able to scratch normally, was cut through like tofu.

The tip of the sword, shimmering with a faint aura, crossed the Minotaur’s abdomen and reached its end.

Thwack-

The Minotaur stared at the ceiling.

The stuffy ceiling, which it had always thought was narrow and low, felt particularly distant today.

Perhaps its goal wasn’t to reign as the king of this place, but to escape this prison.

Born in a prison, dying in a prison.

It was the most terrible end it could imagine, but if it died at the hands of a predator stronger than itself, it wouldn’t be such a bad death.

“M, ale…”

It looked at the predator looking down at it.

“…You could talk?”

It was still too small no matter how it looked.

To think it would die to something like this.

“A hunter… doesn’t speak to… its prey…”

But its gaze was worth acknowledging.

It liked the gaze that hadn’t died even though its whole body was tattered and covered in blood.

Only then could the Minotaur close its eyes as if satisfied.

Ting-

[You have defeated the Minotaur]

[First Clear Reward: 1,000 coins]

[??? has been detected]

[Abnormal strengthening of a magical beast has been confirmed]

[Additional rewards will be provided]

“…That’s Lady World Tree’s hero.”