The Minotaur, a textbook LV.2 elite monster, wasn't living off a reputation built on empty air.
Its body, like a moving hill, granted it crushing strength that dwarfed anything a LV.1 monster could muster.
It looked bulky, but its charge and axe swings were shockingly fast, and its agility was not a weakness at all.
On top of that, its thick hide and dense muscle formed an aggravatingly solid defense.
Genichi had forced his five basic parameters up to S-rank, brushing close to SS, through [Greed], [Devour], and a lunatic pace of grinding. Among LV.1s, he was an unprecedented freak.
But the gap between levels still existed.
A S-rank LV.1 trading blows head-on with a true LV.2 elite, especially in a raw contest of strength and physique, was still at a disadvantage.
Genichi understood that.
Any carelessness in this life-and-death slaughterhouse called the Dungeon was the same as being irresponsible with his own life.
When the Minotaur saw that this tiny human not only failed to flee in panic under its terrifying presence, but actually stepped forward and assumed a fighting stance, it flew into a rage.
The savage fire in its blood-red eyes nearly burst out. It let out an earthshaking bellow packed with fury, its thick hind legs slamming the ground as the mountain-sized body launched forward with a suffocating reek of blood and beast-stink, charging straight at Genichi.
The massive stone axe in its hands, its edge chipped and brutal, rose high, cleaving through the dim air with a power that could split mountains and shatter rock, then came down in a murderous chop.
No tricks.
Just the most primal, most violent kind of force.
Genichi didn't retreat. At the instant the axe was about to take his head, his footwork snapped into a sharp change. He slipped to the side, and at the same time, his longsword, flooded with magic and amplified power, met the descending axe along its side trajectory. He wasn't trying to stop it. He was trying to deflect it, to break power with technique.
"CLANG—!!!"
The shriek of metal on stone detonated through the underground passage, sparks spraying.
An irresistible weight slammed through the blade into Genichi's arms. His forearms shuddered violently, his grip went numb, and he staggered back two full steps before he managed to bleed off the impact.
The difference in strength was obvious.
Even with amplification, in a direct clash he still lost to the raging bull-headed monster.
If he hadn't unloaded the force, that single exchange would have been enough to rip the sword from his hands, maybe even break his arm.
Can't trade head-on.
The conclusion formed instantly.
Genichi wasn't the type to get his brain cooked by adrenaline and insist on proving himself with brute-force collisions.
His goal was victory and survival, not "showing off."
If raw power wasn't enough, then he'd fight sideways. He'd win with skill. With brains.
His steps turned lighter, stranger, no longer trying to wrestle the Minotaur on its terms. He moved like a slick fish, circling the giant.
He used his relatively higher agility to evade the Minotaur's heavy chops and shoulder-check charges, which were massive and violent, but still carried a hint of stiffness. He hunted for openings between swings, for timing gaps.
At the same time, his mind raced for a killing method.
Over these past days, he'd been testing the ability of [Spell Compendium].
He'd discovered that while the "Compendium" claimed it could catalog and allow him to use all magic, there seemed to be an invisible restriction or compatibility barrier.
For spells from other worlds, like the Harry Potter system, he could only pull basic, low-tier, daily-life or utility categories for now. Light spells. Cleaning charms.
But truly lethal magic, curses like "Avada Kedavra," or monstrous fire like "Fiendfyre," felt as if a wall blocked them. He couldn't call them successfully.
Yet for the Dungeon's native magic system, [Spell Compendium] adapted with eerie smoothness.
Now was the time to test that.
After dodging another horizontal sweep of the stone axe, Genichi used the momentum to hop backward several meters, opening a safe distance.
Two crisp, cold syllables left his mouth.
"Gospel."
No long chant.
No complicated formation.
The air in front of him twisted and compressed. A formless, invisible shockwave, packed with violent destructive force, launched like an unseen boulder hurled from a siege engine. It screamed forward and hit the Minotaur's chest dead-on as it prepared to charge again.
This was one of the offensive spells he'd cataloged from Alfia: Demon King Valion.
"BOOM!"
With a dull, heavy detonation, the Minotaur's forward momentum died on the spot.
Its huge body was hammered by an invisible war-mallet, both feet leaving the ground as it flew backward and slammed into the rock wall behind it, shaking loose rubble and a cloud of dust.
With Genichi's S996 Magic as the base, plus the reduced mana consumption from [Demon] and amplified power layered on top, Demon King Valion's output had climbed to a truly threatening level.
At a distance, Lunoire's brown eyes flickered.
But what surprised both Genichi and Lunoire was this: the Minotaur, after crashing into the wall, shook its massive head, roared in fury, and forced itself back to its feet.
Its chest was slightly dented, but it didn't look fatally injured. It was more stunned and pained from the impact, its movements slowed for a beat.
The durability and vitality of a LV.2 elite really were monstrous.
Genichi wasn't discouraged. He caught the details.
When the Minotaur stood up, its body moved with a stiff, unnatural hitch. Its breathing grew heavier. The white breath pouring from its nostrils carried the faintest trace of blood.
If its outer defense was tough… what about the inside?
A thought flashed.
The Minotaur bellowed again, fully enraged by the magic. Its red eyes locked onto Genichi with murderous fixation. It lowered its head and charged, stone axe raised high, determined to split this hateful human in two.
This time, Genichi didn't dodge.
He stood his ground, gaze cold, tracking the incoming monster. His left hand lifted again, magic gathering at his fingertips, compressing tighter than before, denser, more restrained.
Right as the Minotaur hit the optimal range and the axe was about to fall—
"Gospel."
The same syllables.
Again.
"GHHK—!!!"
The Minotaur's charge stopped as if it had hit a wall.
Its massive body convulsed violently.
The stone axe clattered from its hands and crashed to the floor.
It grabbed its own chest with both hands, red eyes bulging wide, full of pain and disbelief.
Then—
"SPURT!"
A thick gush of dark blood, mixed with shredded organ fragments, erupted from its mouth like a fountain.
The stench of blood and rot exploded outward in a red mist.
It worked.
Genichi's eyes flared with heat.
Don't give it time. Finish it.
He moved without hesitation. His foot slammed down, his body turning into a streak of lightning. Sword in hand, he surged straight toward the Minotaur as it locked up in agony, its defense collapsing under the internal damage.
In that moment, the scales finally began to tip toward the calm, intelligent hunter.
And from where she watched, Lunoire's eyes flashed with real surprise, and a sharp edge of approval.
This kid wasn't just growing inhumanly fast. His combat sense and adaptability were just as frightening.
Demeter… might have really picked up something monstrous this time.
(End of Chapter)
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