My adrenaline was pumping, heart beating out of my chest. Blood flowed down my teeth as a sadistic grin sat on my face, enjoying the rush.
Hey Magic Guide, since Shadow Step and Swift Step merged, can I still use Swift Step or is it gone?
Shadow Step is gone, and has been replaced with Shadow Movement. However, Swift Step is still able to be used.
Fantastic
I stood there, waiting for the minotaur's next move while it did the same thing. Because of the rush of adrenaline, I could feel my aura growing. A purple glow began to emit from all over my body, and flicked upward as if it were a raging fire on my skin. I felt my power surge in response to my aura growing around me. I gripped the dagger tight in my left hand, and thought up a plan using the skills I had gathered up until this point. Swift Step, Flame Production, Flame Manipulation, and Flesh Change. Those four abilities were the cornerstones of this plan, and I needed them to work perfectly.
"Your strength is crazy... but unfortunately...
I AM YOUR OPPONENT TODAY, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO DIE YOU MINDLESS BEAST!!!!!!"
The blood sprayed off my teeth as I yelled at the minotaur, attempting to provoke it into attacking. As I had hoped, it charged towards me with full killing intent.
"FLAME PRODUCTION! FLAME MANIPULATION!"
I produced a purple flame in my left hand, and grabbed the blade of the dagger with it. The fire moved from my hand to the blade, fully coating it as I pulled my hand away. The minotaur took another step towards me, and I was now within its striking range. It wound back and began to swing the giant cleaver at me once again.
"You might be able to swing that blade fast, but other than that... you're too slow!"
Swift Step
In an instant, I was behind the minotaur as its blade smashed into the ground where I had been standing. The entire throne room shook from the impact, and small boulders fell from the ceiling as the room shattered apart.
Flesh Change
Wings from the Magic Bat I had eaten sprouted from my back, and I leapt into the air above the minotaur. Flesh Change allows me to combine different aspects from creatures I had eaten, and use them as I saw fit. In a sense, it functioned the same as Body Armor, but for all aspects of the consumed being.
I flew up high into the air, close to the ceiling and out of the minotaur's reach. It whipped around and it's beady red eyes stared up at me with rage. It swung hopelessly into the air as I stared down at it, grin still plastered on my face.
"You're outmatched here, you monster. prepare to die!"
Wait I'm a monster too technically. Eh, whatever. Doesn't really matter.
However, the minotaur had no plans of going down that easily. It wound back its arm and hurled the giant cleaver right at me. With barely enough time, I used my wings to move myself out of the way as the blade. It smashed into the ceiling with a loud crashing sound and became stuck, sending cracks out across the entirety of the ceiling. At that moment, a large portion of the ceiling crumbled and fell down towards the ongoing fight. I flew between falling boulders as they smashed into the minotaur one after the next. The miniature rock slide eventually ended, and as the minotaur recovered from the last boulder, I made my move. As it began to look back up at me, I tucked my wings in and went into a dive right towards its head. As its eyes locked back onto me, my feet landed on its face and my flaming dagger plunged into its right eye.
"NOW YOU DIE!!!!!!"
I shoved the blade deeper into the minotaur's eye and the flames bursted out everywhere, fully engulfing its head in the purple blaze. The beast made one last roar in pain as it fell backwards, limp as it fell to the ground. Before the minotaur impacted the ground, I jumped back away and landed safely on the ground, extinguishing the flames on my dagger as I did so. The minotaur's body fell with a loud thud, and flames engulfing its head kept burning. The scent of charred flesh and hair filled the air, and I covered my mouth and nose. I sheathed my dagger and approached the now dead beast. Its aura had completely disappeared, and I couldn't detect a single sign of life out of it. Still wounded, I raised my hand up and prepared to consume the minotaur as the visual aura faded back into my body.
"Skill... Vacuum."
I was out of breath and heavily injured from the fight, but still my power responded, and the familiar purple-and-black vortex sprouted from my hand once more. I absorbed the entirety of the beast, excluding one horn which I took as a trophy. It was at that moment that Magic Guide spoke to me once more.
You have gained the skill Rage through the consumption of the minotaur. Rage is a passive skill that reacts in turn with your emotions.
Additionally, minotaurs are typically the subject of B+ Rank quests for the adventurers of this world. However, as this one had been granted strength, it is more on-par with an A- ranked monster. This would place you as an A rank adventurer if you were to register with the guild using this trophy.
Damn, am I really that strong? Also Rage sounds like it could be useful, I've never been great at holding back my emotions. No reason to start holding them back now that there's a benefit.
With my new skill and strength, I picked up my discarded cloak and turned back to the throne, climbing the steps until I stood before the corpse of the Labyrith Overlord. Because there was only a skeleton left, it was clear to see how they had been killed. The sword used was lodged through the ribcage and stuck in the back of the throne, discarded after its mission had bedn achieved. I grabbed the hilt and pulled it free, observing the masterful craftmanship. A large blue-tinted blade protruded from a dusty silver guard, and the grip was worn yet comfortable. The leather wrapped handle was similar to the dagger I possessed, yet different. The dagger had brown leather, and this sword had black dyed leather. As I held the sword, I couldn't help but feel a dark presence eminating from it.
Magic Guide, what kind of sword is this?
NOTICE: This blade is constructed from dragon scales, one of the hardest materials in existence. Dragon Scale swords are very expensive as no dragons have been seen in over 25 years.
DRAGONS?!?!? This world is more dangerous than I thought.
I sheathed my new sword where the other one had sat on my back, and it fit perfectly.
Now... time to get out of here
I equipped my cloak and walked to the slit in the wall. It seemed like a perfect size to fit the dagger, like the dying man had said before. I drew the blade from its sheath and inserted it into the hole. The blood-red crystal at the base of the hilt began to glow, and the wall began to morph until it formed a large oak door. I pulled the knife back and opened the door, ready for whatever happened to be on the other side. But it was quiet. No lurking creatures, no monsters ready to rip my head off. I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me as magical lanterns ignited around the room. It was mostly empty, with a pedestal in the center and wooden crates and cabinets strewn about. Atop the pedestal sat a black mask with blue and white swirls across it. Notably, there were no eye holes in the mask.
Good thing I have Magic Sight then I guess.
I lifted the mask up and flipped it over, examining it thoroughly.
This must be the artifact those theives were after, but what does it do?
NOTICE: This mask is an SS+ Rank artifact known as the Mask of Shadows. It completely hides the aura of its user, rendering them completely invisible to magic detecting abilities and individuals.
Well damn, that sounds pretty useful. Especially to those theives, they probably would've used it to rob more powerful people. But hey, we'll never know what they would've done with it, theyre dead now.
I put the mask on the side of my head and turned to the crates and cabinets strewn about the room, and began searching. The crates didn't have anything useful, just empty potion bottles and various ingredients that I had no clue what to do with. The cabinets all had various clothing items, ranging from skirts to full suits. Eventually I found something that suited my tastes and changed into it. A white collared shirt with a black suit vest and pants, both of which were adorned with golden buttons. In addition, I equipped my dagger on the back of my hip and sword across my back, and kept the mask to the side of my head. I grabbed a new cloak as well, completely black with gold trim along the seams. A notable difference between this cloak and the last one is that this one had a hood and was made of a much nicer, almost silky matierial. As I stood there, looking around for the exit, my gaze drifted upward to something unexpected. A cocoon, hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. And it had begun to crack, something was coming out of it!