Red Bull Kung-Kung
Thud-thud. Every step sent a thunderous boom echoing through the air, the monster's massive bulk jiggling violently.
It was a beast more than twice the size of a regular Minotaur.
The monster took a few steps before coming to a halt.
Thoom—
The Minotaur variant plopped down on its haunches right there, panting heavily in place.
Huff huff— pant pant—
The Minotaur variant looked exactly like what I'd envisioned—extremely chonky. Its hefty body was packed with fat, and I could already imagine the beautiful marbling in its meat.
And watching this chonkytaur were two explorers.
"A Minotaur variant, huh? I was kinda tense, but... it looks like it can barely move. Just a super obese pig."
"...Think the two of us could take it?"
"The fat layer's so thick, even with aura, it might not take fatal damage..."
Aim for the neck? Not with that build. They'd have to target the lower body methodically.
"Stick to the plan—go for the ankles first."
"Sounds good. Once we strip its mobility, it's just a pile of meat."
Minotaur tactics were old hat for them. They were veterans who'd farmed nothing but Minotaurs in Shelter dungeons—mid-layer and up.
The open grassland offered no cover for ambushes, but they were far enough away to draw their bows and loose arrows at the Minotaur simultaneously.
Both aimed for the eyes with terrifying precision.
Thwuck—
But the variant casually swatted them away with its hand. The arrows barely sank in, stopped by the fat, but it was enough to enrage the beast.
"Too bad. Thought it'd be easy."
"Eh, we're not archers anyway. No big loss."
Mooooooo—!!!!
Thud—
Thud—
The furious Minotaur variant heaved its bulk upright and charged at them with terrifying momentum.
"Here it comes...!"
"Same as always—you take right, I'll take left!!"
But midway through its charge, the variant's speed began to drop...
Huff— huff—
It stopped in place, catching its breath deeply.
"......"
"......"
They froze in their stances, and once the Minotaur variant had somewhat recovered, it charged again.
Mooooooo—!!!!!!
Thud—
Thud—
"It's coming...!"
This time, the variant finally reached them, and battle was joined. The explorers split to either side, splitting its aggro. While one held aggro, the other slashed hard at its ankle.
Schwick—
The aura-wrapped blade sliced through the thick fat layer, but the ankle was so bulky—and padded with even more fat—that it didn't sever clean.
"...Shallow!! Once more!!"
Moooo—!!!
But the variant countered with surprising agility despite its size, forcing them to retreat without a follow-up.
"Faster than it looks...!"
Its thick fat layer dragged the fight out long. As veterans, they tag-teamed—one drawing retaliation while the other landed solid hits...
"Something's... off..."
"...You feel it too?"
The longer the battle wore on, the more unnatural steam poured from the Minotaur variant's body.
A phenomenon never seen on regular Minotaurs.
Early on, they'd chalked it up to variant weirdness, but now it was clear.
The more steam it vented, the more its fat melted away.
"Its size... it's way smaller than at the start..."
"And its speed and power are ramping up proportionally... We picked the wrong fight."
"Let's bail before it's too late."
Fwoosh—!
True to their veteran status, they quickly assessed and tossed smoke bombs before fleeing.
The Minotaur variant was a beast whose difficulty spiked if you didn't kill it fast.
*
Screeech—!!!
A similar scene was unfolding in the Cockatrice coop, much like the Minotaur ranch.
"Huff...!! That insane paper claiming Cockatrices diverged from dragons was actually true!!!"
"...Get a grip, old man... Yeah, the legs are thick, but it's just a Cockatrice variant... Probably some weird evolution."
The Cockatrice variant was impressively built, but what stood out were its abnormally thick chicken legs—like dinosaur limbs.
But those legs were so bulky its movements were sluggish and awkward.
"...Doesn't that make it way easier than a regular Cockatrice?"
"...Look closer. Three snake-headed tails on its rear... And way longer and sleeker than normal."
The variant's snake tails were exhaling venomous breath.
Its main body looked heavily armored, and with three snakes, close quarters would be a nightmare.
No eye contact meant no petrification, but some slow effect was likely, and prolonged fights risked poisoning from the snakes.
Sure, the old man's mage, so a preemptive blast could chunk it, but...
"Tch... Let's just hunt regular Cockatrices."
"Heh..."
Mid-layer explorers were more cautious than low-layer ones.
From mid-layer on, monsters were too strong for solos...
And those who misjudged and bull-rushed were mostly dead.
[Guys, what's the new dungeon like today??]
[Curious about the Minotaur and Cockatrice variants...]
[Mid-layer Jeonbung-i here, the cockatrice variant ain't easy... Too tough for my level, couldn't clear... Need strategy advice from the pros…]
[This Minotaur is a total fat fuck, but it gets stronger the longer you fight, shit... Time attack or bust—if you can't kill fast, don't try]
[Gets stronger over time? What?]
[This bastard's on a high-speed diet and powering up lol? Final form looks like it'd eat mid-upper monsters whoa]
[What the hell...]
[Guys... Cockatrices were dragonkin... Maybe... chickens' ancestors were dragons... Chickens are degenerate dragons reclaiming dignity...]
[What is this nonsense...]
[Y'all lost it?]
[...Anyway, beef and chicken prices dropping soon?]
I'm the type who hunts safe, so I was gonna wait for other reports before trying variants...
But the Minotaur variant looked so sluggish I figured with 15 mins left on my ticket, why not give it a shot.
(Minotaur variant pic)
Something like this. Figured if it went south, just run—easy peasy.
Sounded like huff huff~ pant pant~ total pushover, no way it'd catch me sprinting.
Anyway, had an escape plan, felt safe, engaged.
Initial impressions:
Way stronger raw power than regular Minotaur, but attacks feel sluggish—easier overall.
One hit would've wrecked me tho,
Body's huge and fat-protected, blades barely stick.
But its own weight throws it off-balance, tons of openings—more than regular.
Hunt felt smooth... but problem: fight drags, hidden gimmick kicks in.
Suddenly steam from body? Thought nothing, kept going...
That was prob last chance to bail.
10 mins in, realized I was fucked...
Fat melting off, turning ripped;;
Obviously speeds up as fat drops...
No openings for counters, I'm defense sword style, deflecting most attacks...
Which drags time, and boom—that moment hits...
(Pic of red-steamed fully ripped Minotaur variant roaring)
...See it? Prob final form, red steam everywhere, explosive accel.
No counter chance, lucky hits bounce off—bone density insane vs regular.
No firepower confidence? Never touch Minotaur variant...
How'd I survive? Ran like hell till ticket expired, emergency evac.
Divine luck... Never touching again.
Everyone, watch for red-steamed Minotaur... Beware the Red Bull...
*
"...The new dungeon variants are stronger than expected."
Great that the variants spawned as my chonkytaurs, but I hadn't anticipated that gimmick.
Red Bull mode, huh...
"But this is nothing..."
Compared to the raid dungeon they'd experience the day after tomorrow.