Ch.17Thump-Thump☆ Minotaur’s First Trip Together (2)

*Whoosh—*

In the dark space. The blackout curtains surrounding the room, like a child of darkness, blocked all light, making it so dark that an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to see anything in front of them.

The only visible things in this space were the grayish smoke coming from the pipe in the woman’s mouth and the faint glow of tobacco when she drew on it.

Removing the pipe from her lips, she questioned the person prostrating before her.

“So, what did you say—? A Minotaur?”

“Yes. Currently, a single Minotaur from the Demon Forest in the east of Count Cayenne’s territory is cutting straight through the Count’s domain and heading west.”

“To think Count Cayenne would be defeated by a mere Minotaur. I suppose he’s grown old. Wasn’t he once called… ‘Cayenne the Mighty’? I heard he’s become a fat pig, far removed from the battlefield…”

She lamented. Surely he once had his own glorious past, so how did he end up like that? Watching those who had lived in the same era as her gradually decline left her with a strange bitterness.

However, the man who had been listening to her words shook his head and refuted her statement.

“No, the Count handled the situation very rationally. When a Gold-class party went missing, and the Titanium adventurer sent to find them also disappeared, he suspected a variant had appeared and dispatched three Titanium-class adventurers, twelve Gold-class adventurers, and five knights. But… they all died, and even when he sent fifteen more Titanium-class adventurers, they failed.”

At those words, she dropped the pipe she had been holding in her mouth. With that many personnel, they should have been able to challenge not just a Minotaur but even a Drake, yet they failed?

“Ha… I can’t believe it. Spread this news throughout the kingdom and warn everyone not to approach it carelessly. I’ll report this to His Majesty the King.”

The man bowed his head and left, leaving only the small light glowing from the woman’s pipe.

* * * * *

Finally, leaving the human city behind, I could see an open space and the stifling feeling disappeared. Even in densely forested areas, I hadn’t felt confined, but the human city was somehow suffocating.

There weren’t any structures larger than me except for the city walls, but I’m not sure if it was the walls blocking my view that made me feel confined, or just being in a human city.

After exiting the city, I released Mary, whom I had been protecting in my hand…

*Slap!*

Mary struck my skin hard. It didn’t hurt me at all—in fact, she seemed to hurt herself more—but she was still not satisfied and continued to tickle my skin with her fists.

“Eeeek——!! Your hand smells! I could have just used my invisibility magic and walked behind you! Do you know how hot it was?! Next time, listen to me too instead of just talking and trapping me!”

I don’t think I held her for that long, but apparently it was quite uncomfortable for her. I apologized, but she turned her head away sharply, refusing to accept my apology, making me sigh.

“Mmmm— (So, which direction should we go now?)”

“Ah! For that, go that way! Just keep going straight until I tell you to turn!”

Fortunately, she seemed able to separate personal feelings from duty, as she gave clear directions, which was a relief.

As Mary and I moved forward in silence, with each step shaking the ground, she eventually couldn’t bear the boredom and spoke to me first.

“By the way… what’s your name? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it…”

Name… A name. Something that was so important when I was human, but as a monster, I had no one to call me by it, so I hadn’t given it much thought.

Certainly, when you have a companion, names become important.

“Mmmmm— (I never created a name since I didn’t really need one. Would you like to give me a good name?)”

“Hmm—! Then… how about Khan!? There was a beastman who made a name for himself during the ancient Great War! You seem like you’ll become like him, so I’ll name you after that beastman—Khan! What do you think!?”

Khan, huh. I think Mongolian leaders were called Khan, and it’s a single syllable so it would be easy to call me by. I nodded, thinking it was a good choice. She seemed delighted, stretching her hands above my head as if something wonderful had happened.

Just then, my status window suddenly opened, filling my vision.

『 Name: Khan ⇦ New!!

Race: Minotaur

Status: Healthy

Abilities: Strength – S

Agility – A

Endurance – A

Intelligence – C

Wisdom – B

Unique Trait: Predator Ratel

Traits: Beast Senses

Elements[Thunder]

Monstrous Strength

Indomitable

Sloth (Weakened)

Basic Elements Manipulation ⇦ New!!

Magic Resistance (Minor) ⇦ New!!』

Huh, I guess there wasn’t even a name field because I hadn’t given myself a name. I did think it was a bit strange that a status window didn’t show a name…

Learning this new fact, I gained a new name: Khan.

* * * * *

“So, it’s coming this way, right?”

Plate armor, an enormous hammer, and a shield. The hammer looked like a miniaturized version of a siege ram used to break down castle gates—so large that an ordinary person couldn’t even lift it—and the shield was big enough to cover his entire body.

Beside him stood a group that appeared to be a well-balanced party consisting of a mage, an archer, a cleric, and a rogue.

“Yeah, according to kingdom intelligence. It’s said to be cutting straight across Cayenne’s territory and heading right this way.”

The party’s rogue, whose job was to confuse enemies with traps and poisons, spoke up, and the mage also nodded, apparently having heard the same rumor.

“Yes, I heard it’s coming straight here too. It’s noon now, so it should pass through here around evening.”

“Then let’s set up traps first. We need to get ahead of anyone else trying to catch it. Just think—our Golden Dawn party capturing the Minotaur that turned Cayenne’s territory into a wasteland and gaining fame! Isn’t that a perfect plan!?”

The party leader and vanguard warrior commanded them efficiently, encouraging his team.

Under his confident leadership that seemed to know no failure, they acted decisively, setting up traps while the mage memorized spells and sent familiars to scout the surroundings.

The archer and cleric also prepared for the Minotaur hunt, each doing their part. After some time, as the sun set and dusk fell, they heard a distant sound—boom… boom…—and the creature appeared.

Its enormous body stood 8 meters tall, with two horns that resembled those of demons rather than a bull’s, and muscles visible even from a distance, supporting its massive frame.

As soon as it appeared, the Golden Dawn party members returned to their positions and waited.

If they could capture this creature, their party would become even more famous, and individual requests would pour in. The Minotaur’s carcass would also fetch a good price, so they prepared to face it with dreams of success.

*Boom—! Boom—!*

The vibrations and footsteps that resonated when it walked grew louder, and when the distance was less than 100 meters, they properly witnessed its overwhelming size and ground-shaking steps.

*BOOM—!!! BOOM—!!!*

If one could hear the footsteps of a giant, it might sound like this.

If giants from the mythical age had existed, they might have felt like this. While everyone was stunned by its imposing presence, only the leader kept his wits and signaled the mage.

As the mage prepared to cast his stored spell after reading the signal…

The Minotaur stopped walking.

They broke into a cold sweat at this unexpected development, wondering if it had noticed them, but after pausing briefly, it began moving again. Breathing a sigh of relief, the leader signaled once more, and the mage cast his spell.

“Dig!!”

A very basic 1st-circle spell that digs the ground, Dig. When cast by a 6th-circle mage, it created a hole large enough to trap the Minotaur.

As it suddenly fell into the ground, the archer prepared to snipe it with his massive bow while the cleric strengthened him with the divine spell Bless.

The rogue tore open three scrolls containing Weaken, a spell that causes overall physical deterioration, casting debuffs on the creature.

An arrow the size of a ballista bolt flew toward the Minotaur, and the stacked Weaken spells activated, reducing its strength, agility, and endurance.

*Shiiiiik——!!!*

The mana-infused arrow from the strengthened archer struck the Minotaur’s hand, but only embedded itself rather than piercing through.

“What!? Leader!! Something’s wrong!! My arrow, enhanced with Bless and hitting a target weakened by triple Weaken, only stuck in its hand instead of piercing through! This variant seems to have enhanced durability!”

The archer immediately reported the anomaly. His arrows, enhanced with Weaken, Bless, and his own mana, could shatter even drake scales and tear through flesh.

Yet this Minotaur, variant or not, had so easily stopped his arrow? Sensing this was no ordinary situation, the archer advised retreat, but the leader shook his head.

“No! The creature is properly trapped in that hole and won’t escape for a while! I’ll disable its arms, so aim for its head!”

With those words, the warrior charged forward with shield and hammer drawn. The cleric’s divine magic Bless strengthened him too, but… there was no way the warrior could pierce the Minotaur’s skin when the archer with the strongest penetration power in the group couldn’t.

*Thoom——!!*

“What!?”

Feeling a strange sensation like hitting a water-filled ball, he tried to back away. But… he should have listened to the archer.

In an instant, the Minotaur emerged from the ground and swung its long arm to grab the warrior.

“Urrrgh-!!!”

The warrior tried to escape its grasp, but… for a human to be stronger than a Minotaur would require master-level strength.

Eventually, he was brought to the Minotaur’s mouth and cut in half by its teeth.

*Crunch— Crunch—*

The sudden death of their leader. Though he had been arrogant and boastful, his skills were undeniable, and with his instant death, the party lost its center and fractured.

The rogue and archer burned with vengeance, while the mage and cleric shouted for retreat and jumped backward. The rogue and archer cursed them as cowards, but there was no need.

*CRASH——!!!*

With a thunderous sound, the Minotaur caught the fleeing cleric and mage, crushed them, and drank their juices before the others’ eyes.

“AAAAAAHHHHH——!!!!”

Having lost two more companions in an instant, the archer went berserk and rapidly fired multiple arrows from his massive bow, but…

The Minotaur spread its arms wide as if inviting the shots. The flying arrows struck the Minotaur’s body. However… they merely stuck without properly penetrating, then fell to the ground.

“Ha… hahaha.”

He despaired at this impossible reality. Hearing the rogue shouting for him to come quickly, he turned toward him, but…

The Minotaur approached the archer and swatted him away like a mosquito.

*SPLAT——!!!*

The archer disappeared upon impact with the Minotaur’s hand, leaving only a small amount of blood. Believing him completely shattered, the rogue held back tears and taunted the creature.

“Hey, you cow bastard whose mother died! Are you going to eat me too!? Come if you dare! Do you think you can break through this field of traps?!”

The Minotaur reacted to the rogue’s words, which seemed to claim it couldn’t pass through.

*Grin—*

For a moment, the rogue saw the Minotaur smile, and as he wondered what that grotesque sight was…

*CRASH——!!!!*

The Minotaur charged forward, leading with its horns. Ignoring the traps and simply running forward, it looked like a massive wall rushing toward him.

“Ha-!! You stupid cow! To reach me, you’ll have to get through all sorts of poisons and magic traps! Let’s see if you can… survive…”

The rogue’s words gradually trailed off. Before him, the Minotaur continued to push forward.

*BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOOOOM———!!!*

Tremendous explosions. If this creature had been an ordinary Minotaur, it would have died before reaching halfway.

However, it broke through all those traps and stopped in front of the rogue.

*Puff—!!!*

The sight of the creature snorting with satisfaction was the last memory the rogue had in this life.