Chapter 32: The Treasure Room (I).
The silver elves stood around the dead Minotaur.
These were the warrior elves that lived their lives in hiding inside the dungeon.
"This human girl managed to conjure one of our spells and turned it into her own."
"Amazing, humans are fearful creatures."
One elf turned to me with fear in his eyes, "We should kill her. She's a monster! Don't forget what humans did to our kind! Does no one think logically around here?! If she grows up then she'll eventually kill us all! She'll tell the world of our remaining numbers and-!"
Wow, this elf is a lunatic!
"I will not do such a thing! I won't tell anyone that you're hiding here and even if they do get down I doubt they'll survive! No normal human can survive this dungeon, if it weren't for your help giving me mana and Elre's support I wouldn't have killed the thing." I defended myself against this lunatic because at the state of my power I refuse to be believed to be an overpowered character in an anime series or something.
I just want to go home back to Fenrir, Kc and John.
Nuo Lin would be worried about me too.
"No-! Chief Helbram must agree with me! If we let this human roam around it'll be the doom of us all!"
Chief Helbram meanwhile was calm and observing the dead corpse of the Minotaur. Its massive axes lay abandoned on the dungeon floor, their blades stained dark with blood. Chief Helbram stepped forward and crouched beside the corpse, studying the wounds my spell had torn through its body.
"You… killed it, well done. No harm shall come to this human, she has merely beaten this floor and she should take pride in doing it" He holds one the side of the bloody hole of the Minotaur before looking at his son. "It was good judgement to trust this human. My son, are you satisfied? You came here to kill it and now that you have…"
Elre stared at the corpse for a long moment.
Then, with a stunned smile, he answered.
"Brother should be… at peace now." His voice trembled, but there was relief in it. "I am happy and satisfied with the outcome of my choices today, Father."
"I am glad to hear that."
Chief Helbram straightened, his expression immediately hardening.
"But once we return home, you will be hearing an earful from me. I asked you to escort the human out of our village, not follow her into a dangerous expedition."
Elre lowered his head.
I almost felt bad for him.
Then the chief turned to me.
"How about you, human girl?"
If I was being honest, I didn't know how to answer.
The rush of adrenaline that had carried me through the fight was beginning to fade. My hands were shaking. My legs felt weak. The only thing I wanted now was to get out of this dungeon as fast as possible.
I didn't even know how much time had passed down here.
"If I can't return the way I came from, then I hope that by clearing this dungeon, I'll be able to go home." I glanced at the Minotaur's corpse. "With your help, I defeated the boss of the last floor. That should be enough, right?"
Chief Helbram looked at the Minotaur.
Then he shook his head.
"It is not over."
"What?!"
My voice echoed through the chamber. I mean I'm not overreacting! I was so damn ready to go home and then they tell me that what I thought was the final boss is actually the pre-boss?!
I couldn't help but be frustrated with my next reply. "Usually-! The generic boss of every beginner dungeon is a Minotaur, so I thought we were done! And besides, it had a multi-phase boss fight! T-That should've been the sign, right?"
I mean it should've been the sign!
Those multi-phase boss fights are reserved for the end game bosses! Oh god, now that I realized it, if the Minotaur had that and it's not the final boss then imagine what kind of beast is lurking and waiting beyond the wall.
The chief stared at me, looking a bit confused.
"…I did not understand several of the words you uttered, but allow me to explain." He pointed toward the ceiling. "The final floor lies beyond this chamber. The instructions are written above us. You must defeat one more monster before you can leave this dungeon."
I frowned and lifted my head.
At first, I only saw cracks and age-worn stone, but the longer I looked, the clearer the images became. Painted across the ceiling were ancient mural carvings, faded but still visible enough to understand. They told a story- or perhaps served as a warning.
The first mural showed the Minotaur, standing tall with its axes raised, as if marking the trial we had just overcome.
Beyond it, painted deeper into the sequence, was another beast. A monstrous hound with three heads. Its jaws were open in a silent roar, its tails curled like serpents, and behind it were piles of treasure painted in gold and red pigments.
My breath caught.
Chief Helbram's voice turned grim. "We both have keen eyes, I never thought this… this existed. We have never gone beyond this floor after all. We are quite fortunate that the maker of this dungeon left a mural for us to follow."
My eyes stayed fixed on the mural. A three-headed dog. There was only one creature from my old world that matched that image.
"…Cerberus."
Chief Helbram looked at me gravely.
"You are welcome to return with us. My son will no longer accompany you forward."
"No." I shook my head. "I'm not going back. I just need some rest and food. Then I'll continue."
Elre stepped toward me, panic crossing his face.
"You should stay with us, Francisca. Please. You've already beaten the Minotaur. T-That should count for something, shouldn't it?"
"I need to go home," I said. "To the surface. And I don't think coming all the way down here was a good idea anymore."
I took out my phone with trembling fingers, snapped a picture of the ceiling, then opened the [Map] app.
Before, there had only been one red circle.
The Minotaur.
Now, beyond the chamber walls, a new room appeared on the map.
Its name was labeled:
[???]
And inside it, an even bigger red dot pulsed.
I swallowed hard. Whatever was waiting in that room was stronger than the Minotaur. The smartest move would be to go back to the village, regroup, plan, and gather information. But that was the problem.
There was no information. Elre's older brother had never made it past the Minotaur. No one here knew what waited beyond this point.
That meant the monster ahead was unknown to everyone. But not to me. I looked up at the ceiling again, studying the image carved into the stone.
A beast with three heads. There was only one mythical creature from my old world that looked like that.
"So it's here too," I whispered.
My mouth felt dry.
"Cerberus."
The elves grew silent.
I lowered my gaze and forced myself to speak.
"I'm sorry. Please return to your village. I don't want to keep all of you here. You already gave me your mana, and there's still some of it left inside me." I tried to sound braver than I felt. "Do not worry."
"Human…" (Chief Helbram) narrowed his eyes.
"You truly do not wish to turn back?"
I clenched my hands, I don't have much of a choice on the matter. I can go back but I know inside me will grow a deep unrest, I can risk taking my time to replenish my mana and make sure to find a way to kill the boss even without the support of warrior elves.
I just need to get home.
"I will conquer this dungeon." With every ounce of confidence it took me, I managed to say it. I didn't want to think that this will be the place where I'll die. I just wanted to take back a few things to help the monks that sheltered us while mom and dad were busy.
My own curiosity got the best of me.
The chief looked at me as if he did not believe a word of it. But then his gaze shifted to the Minotaur's corpse. For a brief moment, something like hope flickered in his eyes.
"If you intend to continue, then I suggest you take what you can from the Minotaur and eat it. You will need to replenish your strength. It may be a monster, but it is still partly bull." He tossed something toward me.
I fumbled and barely caught it.
"Whoa!"
It was a knife. The moment I held it, I was surprised by how light it felt. The blade was smooth, sharp, and strangely cold in my palm.
"[Scan]."
A familiar window appeared.
Name: [Adamantium Knife]
Item Class: Weapon / Tool
Item Rank: Epic
Durability: Extremely High
Weight: Light
Owner: Chief Helbram
Item Effects:
Cutting Power +45
Durability +80
Precision +20
Crafting Efficiency +15
Special Effect:
[Monster Carver]
Allows the user to cut through thick monster hide, bone, and tough materials with less effort.
Note:
[Adamantium Knife], a finely crafted blade made from Adamantium, one of the strongest metals in this world. Despite its small size, it has enough sharpness and durability to pierce monster hide, cut through dense bone, and remain undamaged even after repeated use.
This knife is commonly used by skilled hunters, chiefs, and warriors for both survival and combat purposes. It can also be used for preparing monster materials, carving meat, cutting rope, and crafting basic items from gathered resources.
Warning:
This blade is extremely sharp. Inexperienced users may injure themselves if handled carelessly.
Recommended Use:
Harvesting monster meat, cutting monster parts, preparing food, emergency defense, and crafting survival tools.
My eyes widened.
Adamantium.
One of the strongest metals in this world.
The dagger that I plunged into the Minotaur's eye should still be there but… this is an awesome upgrade and somehow it feels wrong to just take it from the chief. "This is… I shouldn't take this from you. This is made from [Adamantium], this is a priceless weapon."
"Trust me," Chief Helbram said. "You will need it more than I do."
His voice became firm.
"I will take my son back to the village. From here onward, you will have no support. Think of this as a trade. This room should be safe for now, so take your time. Rest. Eat. Prepare yourself." He looked toward the passage beyond the Minotaur. "For an even harsher battle awaits you."
The elves began to leave.
Before Elre followed his father, he stopped in front of me and pulled me into a hug.
"Omph."
"Thank you," he whispered.
I froze for a second, then slowly hugged him back.
"You're the first human who ever amazed me," he said. "I feared humans because they hurt my family. But you helped me avenge my brother. For that, I am in your debt."
Then he let go. One by one, the silver elves disappeared into the tunnel, leaving me alone in the chamber with the dead Minotaur.
…
The silence that followed felt heavier than the monster itself.
I looked at the corpse.
Then at the adamantium knife in my hand.
Then back at the corpse.
"It's time to start a fire," I muttered.
And eat the Minotaur.
A few seconds passed, and realization suddenly hit me.
"…How do I actually do that?"
I stared at the massive body.
"He gave me a knife, but nothing else." I looked around the chamber, searching for anything useful. "I can try cooking it on a stone… a clean one, preferably."
My stomach growled.
I sighed.
"Great. First, I kill a Minotaur. Now I have to figure out how to butcher one." It's time to start a fire and eat the Minotaur. "How do you actually um… he gave me a knife but other than that nothing else. I can try cooking this on a stone… a clean one."
I stared at the dead Minotaur.
Then I stared at the Adamantium knife in my hand.
Then I stared back at the Minotaur again.
"…Okay."
I took a deep breath. I should remember my roots and think of beef dishes that I can make with this monster meat. "I've cooked before. I can cook rice. I can fry eggs. I can make soup. I can even make decent fried chicken if I have seasoning."
My eyes slowly moved over the giant bull-man corpse lying on the dungeon floor.
"But I have never once looked at a monster and thought, yes, this will be dinner." My stomach growled.
Loudly.
I pressed a hand against it, thankful that no one was there to listen to its terrorizing sound. "Traitor."
There was no use complaining. Chief Helbram was right. If I wanted to fight whatever was waiting beyond those walls, I needed food. Mana was one thing, but my body still felt human. Painfully human.
I opened my [Inventory] and checked what I had gathered before entering the dungeon.
[Wild White Mushroom] x 18
[Red Pear Fruit] x 13
I stared at the painfully short list. This was all that I could gather before coming here.
"…That's it?"
No salt.
No oil.
No pan.
No spices.
No cooking tools.
Just mushrooms, strange red pears, and a dead monster. I slowly looked at the Minotaur.
"Well. I guess we're doing primitive cooking today." I raised my phone toward the corpse. "[Scan]."
A blue screen appeared above the Minotaur's corpse.
{Properties}
-|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|-
Name: [Dungeon Minotaur]
Condition: Deceased
Item Class: Monster Carcass / Food Source
Item Rank: Rare
Danger Level: B-Class
Edible: Yes, after proper preparation
Item Effects:
Stamina +35
Mana Recovery +10
Temporary Strength +3
Fatigue Resistance +15%
Note:
[Dungeon Minotaur], a labyrinth guardian-type monster with the strength of a warrior and the body of a giant bull. Its meat is dense, tough, and filled with dungeon mana. When properly cleaned and cooked, it can restore stamina and replenish a small amount of mana.
The flavor is close to beef, but heavier and richer. However, due to the monster's exposure to dungeon energy, some parts may contain corrupted mana residue. Remove blackened veins, damaged organs, and discolored flesh before cooking.
Harvestable Parts:
[Minotaur Meat][Minotaur Horn][Minotaur Hide][Minotaur Bone][Minotaur Heart]
Warning:
Eating raw or undercooked Minotaur meat may cause mana sickness, vomiting, fever, or temporary paralysis.
Recommended Preparation:
Cut thin slices from the thigh or shoulder.
Cook thoroughly over high heat.
Pair with mushrooms or fruit to reduce the heaviness of monster mana.
Recommended Tool:
[Adamantium Knife]
I stared at the last line.
"So basically… magical beef with side effects." My stomach growled. "Great. Dangerous or not, dinner is dinner."
I read the last line and slowly looked at my inventory. "Mushrooms and fruit. Great. At least I have the bare minimum."