Chapter 34: Dungeon (8)
Given the minotaur's level and health points, its mechanics likely weren't too complex. Blake noted its mana bar, concluding it could only use its powerful dash up to three times. If they forced it to use more skills, it couldn't spam that move repeatedly. But for now, everyone had to watch its patterns carefully.
So far, the minotaur hadn't taken its eyes off Silver Dash. The hulking blue mass of muscle lumbered toward him. Fortunately, Blake and the tank stepped in to intercept. The tank slammed his shield into the monster, then tried a taunt skill, but the minotaur treated him like a whining puppy rather than a threat.
"I can't stop this bastard!" the tank grunted, pushing with all his might while the minotaur simply shoved him aside.
Cutting in, Blake slashed at the creature's slender legs—a strategy that had worked against the Stone Troll, but not this time. The minotaur's leg muscles were its strongest, so Blake's attacks barely registered.
He backed off and joined the tank's side. With his katana weighed down by an enchantment, he clutched the handle in both hands and slammed the blade down on the minotaur, managing to stall it for a moment.
"Healer and mage, keep your distance! Ax girl, get Silver Dash out of here!" Blake shouted, pressing his katana deeper against the minotaur.
"You don't even remember my nickname?!" the woman yelled while sprinting to Silver Dash, hooking her arms under him and pulling him to safety. He was still stunned, but at least he could be moved.
Blake thought, 'Why would I bother remembering the names of trash players?' Then he said aloud, "It's just a mini-boss. We can beat it if we work together."
"It's a mini-boss?!" the tank groaned.
"Cut in again, and you're on your own," Blake fired back reflexively, slipping into his old habit of commanding from scratch. "Healer, don't just heal the tank like he's your private project. Keep track of everyone's HP. Mage, cast your spells and dodge if the minotaur shifts its aggro to you."
"Dodge?!" the mage cried.
"Tumble, roll—whatever you can manage," Blake said. "Ax girl will rescue anyone who gets stunned, and the tank and I will occupy the minotaur until we figure out how it picks its targets."
Right on cue, the minotaur let out a roar. Its aura intensified, and both Blake and the tank suddenly felt tiny in its presence. The monster barreled right past them and crashed into Silver Dash again, sending him sailing. He lost a few more teeth in midair before landing face-first in the snow. Luckily, the healer managed to keep him alive.
The same sequence played out again. The difference was that the minotaur grew more enraged at Blake—he was the one most effectively blocking its path, not the tank.
Noticing every nuance in its stance, Blake realized the minotaur was about to try something else. When it braced its legs, lowered its horns to Blake's level, and shuffled back, Blake casually stepped behind the tank, baiting the beast into goring his ally instead.
Unable to keep up with Blake's movements, the tank responded too slowly and took the minotaur's horns head-on. They tore into his armor, drawing blood—then sent him flying for a short distance.
Now the tank, lying on the ground, found himself face-to-face with the minotaur's hate-filled stare, an image straight out of a horror movie.
"MOMMY!" he shrieked.
'So it's the blood, like I suspected,' Blake concluded, eyeing the minotaur's horns dripping with fresh blood. That new blood seemed to guide it, and it didn't require cleaning off the old blood at all—any fresh source was enough to provoke it.
"Ax girl, you have a new job," Blake snapped.
"What is it? And call me Scarlet Tornado—or just Scarlet if we're friends!" she said, glaring at the man who'd taken charge with rapid-fire orders.
Blake ignored her correction. "We're in an open area. Lure some Ice Zombies over, hack off their arms, then we'll toss them at the minotaur's horns to redirect its aggro."
"…I don't get it," Scarlet Tornado replied. "And it's dangerous to face Ice Zombies alone!"
Blake's eyes narrowed. He felt a surge of disgust in his throat but held it down with a few calming breaths.
"…then come fight the minotaur yourself, ax girl," he muttered.