After deflecting the dark minotaur's attack, I used wind magic to blast Ella and Ethan away.
My hand went numb just from the indirect strike of the minotaur's axe.
If Ethan had been hit by that, he'd be long dead.
The minotaur paused for a second and stared daggers at me. I could have sworn I saw the flash of hearts in its eyes in that brief halt or movement.
The minotaur attacked with an onslaught of attacks from it's axe. I was easily faster, so dodging wasn't a problem. It also helped to see that it had almost no technique.
I slipped past the minotaur and to it's side, I then promptly delivered a sweeping kick to it's left knee cap.
The minotaur fell to one knee. I took this as an opportunity to go for the kill.
I summoned a sword from inside my arm and aimed for it's neck. As I swung my sword, it unexpectedly collided with an invisible barrier.
The recoil from the barrier caused me some paralysis, but the minotaur saw this as a golden opportunity.
It roared before charging me with its horns and impaling me. It was effectively managed to slam me through one of the cave walls.
It kept this up for several more walls. How many has it been, 4? 5? I lost count. Damn, this hurts, what do I do?
Looking over the minotaur's shoulders, I could see Ella and Ethan chasing us in the distance. They're still so slow though, besides, this thing's just way too strong for them.
"You won't die from something like this, but if this keeps up, you'll be in a bad spot. It's strengthening it's body with mana, let's try to disturb that," Erythro informed me.
Disturb its mana? I get it. If I link mana with it, I can manipulate its own mana source. I can tell by using mana-sense that it's mana is weaker than mine.
I purposefully leaked my mana into the minotaur's mana source and began dispersing its mana.
The minotaur's movement slowed and it got slightly weaker. It's working.
With this, I pushed off of its horns using the next oncoming wall, forcing the beast to collapse.
I had the advantage now. However, there was a feint mana around the minotaur.
"A mana barrier...Milo, destroy it with your own mana," Erythro instructed.
I expanded my mana to the barrier and absorbed it.
Now, the Minotaur's vulnerable.
"NO! This can't be! It was supposed to be unstoppable."
A woman's voice suddenly yelled. She sounded like an adult throwing the fit of a child, yet there was no woman around.
It seems I tapped into someone's telepathic stream of communication. Guess I should confront them.
I yelled at the woman. "You...are you the one responsible for this?! Explain yourself!"
"So what if I am, I don't owe you anything? You ruined everything! You'll pay with your life for that! Damn you, damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU! AGRO! BESERKER MODE!"
I thought the minotaur's appearance and behavior was strange, so it was being controlled....
The minotaur began heaving as it's eyes became lost in rage. The minotaur dropped its axe and charged me. It threw a punch at me, which I dodged, but it followed up with another far too quickly.
The punch connected with my sternum, resulting in my ribcage shattering. The sound of thunder reverberated throughout the cave as I smashed into another cave wall.
This minotaur...where the hell did you come from?!
The controller opened her loudmouth again. "See what happens when you cross me! Hahahaha! I always get what I want!"
Its strength is nothing compared to what it was earlier. I coughed up some blood, and managed staggered to my feet.
I burst the rubble off of me with wind magic. I then combined my heal and regeneration to fully revitalize myself.
"Oh my! This was unprecedented. I absolutely must have you. If you grovel and swear your loyalty to me, I'll consider sparing you. Of course, this offer only stands now," The controller offered.
Tch. The nerve of this lady....
"I don't even know your name," I stated.
"Very well, I am Lilith Von Alanstein, a high ranking noble in Dsor's humble capital. Be honored to be within my presence." She professed proudly.
Lilith Von Alanstein...I'll remember that, so I can kick your ass later.
"Lilith, do me a favor and...SHUT UP!" I yelled internally.
She went silent for a moment.
"...Who are you to speak to me that way?! Filthy commoner! I'll have you know, I graduated top of-" I forcibly broke off the telepathic connection.
I need to check this thing's stats at?
Name: Argo
Race: Dark Minotaur
Rank: B+ Class Monster
(Status)
Lv.40-Exp(23,000/40,000)
HP: 24,272/30,000
MP: 300/800
Strength: 720 (2,332)
Agility: 380 (1,256)
Endurance: 680 (1,350)
Intelligence: 32 (10)
Sense: 230 (535)
Mana: 55
Spirit: 20 (???)
Attribute Points: 0
Passive Skills:
Weapon Mastery (Lv.6)- Understanding of weapon-based combat.
Ailment resistance (Lv.Max)- Increased resistance to ailments.
Pain Tolerance (Lv.5)-Heightened resistance to pain.
Hyper Resistance (Lv.1)- Heightens resistance to all attacks.
Activation Skills:
Intimidation (Lv.9)-By will of thought, you can send waves or terror and dread through your enemies.
Berserker (Lv.Max)- Lose your sense of self to rage. Feel no pain, feel no fear.
Body Enhancement (Lv.3)-Enhance the abilities of the body via mana.
These stats are insane, yet incredibly unbalanced. Its also taking constant damage and running out of mana pretty fast. The minotaur's going beyond it's physical limit. No healing means no constant buffing.
The minotaur was steaming now. I tried using intimidation because of its low spirit, but it seemed unphased. Right, berserker...
It charged again, but I used crimson web to zip out of the way. The whole cave rumbled as a result of it crashing through the wall.
It was up already, and delivered an endless onslaught of tactless attacks towards me. I can telegraph most of the attacks, but it's speed and strength are no joke.
"AUGH!!!"
A blow connected with my side. My pancreas and ribs shattered again. Shit! Even though I hardened my bones using metamorphisis?
Then another punch to my jaw. I feel like I'm going to pass out, but if I do, then it's all over!
The raging beast grabbed me by the shoulders and kneed me in my stomach as hard as it could, sending me crashing to an upper floor of the biome.
The dust cleared around me. Onlooking adventurers were shocked to find a person critically injured still getting back up.
HP: 3,234/15,000
MP: 2,567/3,300
Heal! Max-Charge!
HP: 15,000/15,000
MP: 3,300/3,300
"Regeneration has been Upgraded to Lv.16"
The minotaur jumped up to the second floor and roared. Shoot, its using intimidation!
Some adventurers around me fled while others passed out.
Damn! I can protect myself, but I can't fully account for others in this type of situation.
Ella and Ethan jumped up from the lower floor and began getting fallen adventurers to safety. These two already knew what to do.
I'll seriously have to thank them later.
I stored tension in my legs and launched myself at the minotaur, performing a jumping knee strike to the minotaur's jaw, hooking its neck with my right leg, and spiking it back down into the hole it made with my fists.
I jumped down after it, attaching crimson webs to its chest and drop-kicking it, accelerating our downward momentum. I immobilized it's arms with a consecutive web blast attack.
We crashed through several floors; I was afraid this whole biome would come crashing down too.
The minotaur made several futile attempts to grab at me, eyes still clouded with rage.
I increased the elastic tension in my arms, coated my fists in Erythro's biomass, and hardening it. Sorry Straw-Hat, but I'm borrowing this technique.
I then threw each fist, interchanging blows, using the recoil of each punch to keep the assault going.
Eventually, the minotaur went limp in the air, encouraging me to stop. After a few moments, we collided with another floor, this time not breaking through, and I hopped off the minotaur's chest.
I cracked a piece of it's horn off and ripped off a piece of fur. The minotaur dispersed into mist which I absorbed into my vessel.
I...I did it. I defeated an B+ class monster. Although, I'm probably lucky that it couldn't heal.
"I've assimlated the genetic material of the minotaur from its horn, check your status," Erythro informed me.
Status.
Name: Milo Foster
Race: Human/Crimson Slime
Rank: C
(Status)
Lv.32-Exp(1,234/32,000)
HP: 16,000/16,000
MP: 3,500/3,500
Strength: 90
Agility: 100
Endurance: 90
Intelligence: 72
Sense: 75
Mana: 92
Spirit: 127
Attribute Points: 50
Passive skills:
G.P.S. (Lv.Max)-Mapping and positioning of areas.
Regeneration (Lv.16)- The rate at which the body heals.
Calculator (Lv.Max)-
Understanding of numbers.
Electro-Magnetic Perception (Lv.4) The ability to feel and sense Electro-Magnetic Fields.
Mana-Sense (Lv.11)-The abilty to sense mana within people or the environment. Currently works within a 125 meter radius.
Fashion-Sense (Lv.3)-One's understanding of clothing and fashion.
Martial Arts (Lv.13)- Understanding of physical and combat prowess.
Stealth (Lv.3)-The ability to conceal one's presence.
Acting (Lv.1)- The art of social deception.
Weapon Mastery (Lv.10)- Understanding of weapon-based combat.
Mana-Recovery (Lv.8)-Increases the natural speed at which mana recovers.
Teacher (Lv.1)- Those who learn under you will experience accelerated results.
Pain Tolerance (Lv.5)-Heightened resistance to pain.
Hyper Resistance (Lv.1)- Heightens resistance to all attacks.
Activation Skills:
Combat Mode (Lv.Max)- Boosts all stats in response to danger. Boosts depends on the danger posed.
Crimson Web (Lv.10)-Eject adhesive spindle fibers from your body. Detachable.
Metamorphis/Shapeshifting(Lv.Max)- The body can shift anyway the user imagines. Harden, soften, sharpen, etc.
Transmutation (Lv.6)-Change the properties of a material manually.
Absorbtion (Lv.9)-Take in material and assimilate it with your being.
Appraisal (Lv.Max)- Observe someone's status. May even be possible to see skills with heightened proficiency. Works within 50 meter radius.
Meditation (Lv.Max)-Focus youself with a calm mind and guided breathing.
Intimidation (Lv.7)-By will of thought, you can send waves or terror and dread through your enemies.
Clean (Lv.2)-make something/ someone free of dirt, marks, or mess, especially by washing, wiping, brushing, or using mana.
Healing (Lv.5)-Restores health and mends the wounds of targets via mana.
Potential Unlock (Lv.Max)- You can distribute the attribute points of those you've established a bond with accordingly.
Wind Magic (Lv.13)-Wind can be manipulated by the user via mana.
Mana Link (Lv.Max)- You can link your mana with those around you if they're in range of mana sense.
Telepathy (Lv.3)- Establish a psychic link for telepathic communication.
Max-Charge (Lv.Max)- Absorb Mana from the environment to refill your supply.
Berserker (Lv.Max)- Lose your sense of self to rage. Feel no pain, feel no fear.
Body Enhancement (Lv.3)-Enhance the abilities of the body via mana.
I gained two levels from one opponent? I have a lot of attribute points. I should only use them when I need a certain parameter the most. I gained berserker; I'd hate to see the day where I'd have to use that. Body enhancement's really going to be useful. Pain tolerance and hyper resistance... if combined with my regeneration, I'll be unstoppable.
This is incredible, but it's definitely not S-rank material.
"The minotaur's collar is still there. Examine it," Erythro instructed.
I shot a web at it and pulled it to me. It seemed to be made of some kind of titanium alloy, it had a heart ingraved in the front and back of it. This must be Lilith's mark. Ominous energy poured from it, causing me to feel uneasy.
I'll bring this back to Rachel and Lucian. Now then, I need to get out of this hole. Only way out is up.
Using Wind-Magic, I propelled myself the same distance I had falllen and met up with Ella and Ethan.