It's a battle against the Minotaur.

I wanted to finish writing it up to the conclusion, so it's about twice the usual length.

It's a bit long, but that means I was able to write an intense battle. I hope you enjoy it.

Before us stood the A-rank monster, the Minotaur.

Its two bloodshot red eyes locked onto me and Flare, as if to say, "I won't let you escape this time."

“Roooooaaaaaaarrr!!”

“Ugh!”

“Eek!”

With the Minotaur's roar, a violent gust of wind swept through the area. Simultaneously, iridescent particles emerged from the surrounding walls, flowing into the Minotaur's body.

I could feel its overwhelming presence intensifying at an alarming rate.

“No way—is it absorbing magic power from the Mana Stones?”

If that's true, then this Minotaur's strength is on a whole different level compared to the one we encountered on the third floor. There's no way we can rely on hit-and-run tactics like last time.

It makes sense. The Minotaur is originally the boss of the fifth floor. This is its home turf, where the environment is perfectly suited for it to unleash its full power.

“Ike, what should we do!?”

Flare looked to me for a decision. There's no time to hesitate. And we certainly don’t have the luxury of escaping.

We have no choice but to fight. Even if it means using every ounce of strength we have to defeat the Minotaur here, even if it means we can't make it back to the surface…

"Wait a minute."

At that moment, an idea crossed my mind. Keeping my eyes fixed on the Minotaur, I asked Flare:

“Flare, do you know how much time passed from the moment I lost consciousness until I woke up?”

“Huh? I think it was about four hours!”

“I see!”

Even including the time we spent exploring after that, it's been less than half a day since we encountered the Minotaur on the third floor. If so, then there's still a slim chance.

The trap of the teleportation magic that Hero Node got caught in—it should last about half a day after activation. If we can use it, we might be able to return directly to the third floor without having to explore the fourth and fifth floors.

My reasoning was sound. The Minotaur appeared the moment that trap was triggered. Therefore, the teleportation must have sent us to the boss room of the fifth floor. Now that the Minotaur is here again, it likely teleported back to the fifth floor after we escaped on the third.

That means… There should be a teleportation magic circle beyond the corridor where the Minotaur appeared, leading back to the third floor.

I wasn’t absolutely sure, but clinging to that possibility was our only option.

Steeling my resolve, I spoke to Flare.

“Flare, I’ve made up my mind—we’re going to defeat the Minotaur here and now.”

“Got it, Ike!”

There was no other option. If we don’t defeat the Minotaur blocking the corridor, we can't move forward. It’s not the kind of enemy that would let us just slip by.

The deathmatch with a foe more powerful than any we've faced before was about to begin.

“Here I go!”

Flare was the first to move, kicking off the ground and charging directly at the Minotaur.

Until now, most monsters hadn’t been able to keep up with Flare's lightning-fast attacks, but an A-rank monster was different.

“Vruaaagh!”

“Ah!”

Despite its massive size, the Minotaur moved with speed equal to Flare’s. It effortlessly swung its gigantic metal axe, which looked heavy enough to weigh over a hundred kilograms, as if it were a mere twig.

Destruction. Shattering. Explosions.

Each time the Minotaur swung its axe, the hard ground was torn apart, and ear-piercing booms echoed through the air.

Flare deftly dodged the onslaught of destruction, gradually closing the distance.

“I’m not done yet—I won't get hit by that!”

Not only was she dodging, but whenever she saw an opening, she would strike without hesitation, inflicting wounds with her swift sword strikes.

Though she was smaller in stature, her agility gave her the upper hand. Flare was making the most of her strengths, steadily turning the tide of the battle in our favor.

“She’s holding her own… against the Minotaur.”

Watching Flare fight stirred excitement deep within me. For a brief moment, I foolishly thought that maybe we could actually win.

But I knew—an A-rank monster wouldn't go down this easily.

“Grrrrroooooaaaaaaaarrrrr!!”

“Huh?!”

The Minotaur roared and raised its axe high. Its movements were more reckless than before. Was it frustrated that none of its attacks were landing on Flare?

Just as I wondered about its intentions, the Minotaur swung its axe down forcefully. Naturally, Flare dodged it with ease, but what happened next was unexpected.

As the axe struck the ground, the earth shattered, unleashing vibrations unlike anything we'd seen so far.

“What the—”

“The ground is shaking…?!”

The tremors were so intense that just standing became difficult for both Flare and me.

But to the massive Minotaur, who weighed several times more than us, the shaking was nothing more than a mild tremor. It remained perfectly balanced, its eyes locked on Flare.

The Minotaur raised its axe once more, and I knew instinctively that Flare wouldn’t be able to dodge this attack.

So, I—

I used that skill.

No matter how much Flare had grown to fight on her own, or how strong our opponent was, my conviction to protect her remained unshaken.

To uphold that conviction, I would face despair itself.

And so, I shouted:

“Decoy Doll!”

My puppeteer skill, Decoy Doll, typically casts a decoy onto one of my controlled puppets to draw the enemy’s hate and protect the party.

But this time, I cast it on myself.

The Minotaur’s sharp gaze locked onto me.

I felt its terrifying pressure, enough to make my knees buckle and give out beneath me, but I stood firm.

“Vruaaahhh!”

“Ike!”

The Minotaur charged toward me, shaking the ground with its every step. I quickly grabbed a Mana Stone from my materials pouch.

Among my skills, Low Magic is the best for long-range attacks, but even that couldn’t stop the twin-tailed beast. There was no way it would work on the Minotaur.

However, with the power of this Mana Stone, I could amplify the magic’s strength multiple times over.

Gripping the Mana Stone with both hands, I unleashed my spell at the charging Minotaur.

“Flame!”

A massive wall of flame, ten times the usual size, erupted from the Mana Stone, engulfing the Minotaur’s face.

“Rooaaargh!”

Caught off guard, the Minotaur stopped moving. I wanted to follow up with another attack, but my body collapsed to the ground.

“Ike, are you okay?!”

“I’m… fine. Ugh.”

Pain surged through my body. The strain from exceeding my magical limits using the Mana Stone’s power was overwhelming.

Still, I could move. We couldn’t rest until the Minotaur was defeated. I hoped I’d dealt enough damage…

“…No way.”

But reality was harsh. When the flames cleared, only a small scorch mark remained on the Minotaur’s face. It hadn’t taken any significant damage.

Even with the help of the Mana Stone, it wasn’t enough to injure an A-rank monster.

“I knew this from the start.”

I had never expected to win against the Minotaur alone. That wasn’t our goal.

Even if I couldn’t beat the Minotaur by myself, we could.

“No need to worry, Flare—let’s finish this.”

“Ike… got it!”

Flare charged in again, slashing at the Minotaur. As she inflicted damage, the hate it held for me began to diminish, and the decoy effect faded. The Minotaur turned its attention back to her.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“Decoy Doll!”

Once more, I used Decoy Doll, redirecting the Minotaur’s hate toward me.

“Now!”

“Ugh!”

Flare seized the opening, delivering a series of slashes. With each strike, the Minotaur’s focus shifted away from me.

I would do it again and again.

“Decoy Doll!”

Over and over, I pushed my battered body to its limits, circulating my magic to activate the skill, repeatedly pulling the Minotaur’s attention.

And on the fifth attempt—

“Haaah!”

At last, Flare’s sword cut deep into the Minotaur’s abdomen. Dark red blood gushed from the gaping wound.

I tried to cast Decoy Doll one more time—

“Decoy Doll—”

But this time, the Minotaur ignored the skill. Its eyes were fixed solely on Flare as it swung its axe in a wide arc, faster and stronger than ever.

“Ugh!”

Flare quickly raised her sword to block the strike. The impact sent a high-pitched metallic sound ringing through the air, and although her sword wasn’t destroyed, the force of the blow sent her flying.

Now!

The Minotaur was gravely wounded, focused entirely on Flare. Summoning the last of my strength, I ran forward and slipped into the Minotaur’s blind spot.

I’ll make this my final move. I bet everything on this attack.

I grabbed another Mana Stone from my pouch and prepared to cast Flame Fire. Using the Mana Stone again would push my body far beyond its limit, but there was no time to hesitate.

Just as the Minotaur raised its axe to deal the finishing blow to Flare, I unleashed my attack.

“Flame!”

“Rooooooaaaaarrrr!”

The massive wall of flame engulfed the Minotaur, and this time it couldn't withstand the magic's force. With a final, anguished roar, the beast collapsed.

The massive body of the Minotaur slowly slumped to the ground.

“We… did it.”

Unable to stay on my feet any longer, I collapsed beside Flare.

Looking at her, she smiled faintly, equally exhausted.

“We won.”