Ancient Minotaur Habitat (1)

In ancient times, there was a kingdom.

It was a prosperous kingdom, yet it had one persistent headache.

A monster with thirteen legs was forever causing trouble.

One day, as the creature's tyranny grew worse by the hour, a wizard slew the monster.

His name was Nianbach.

The king was so deeply moved that he named the wizard a hero. Every soul in the kingdom sang Nianbach's praises—

until Prince Dalnerion, dazzled by that brilliant glory, began to burn with jealousy.

A low voice spoke, and my eyes opened.

The dungeon was, in broad strokes, a damp and lightless cave. True to a beastfolk habitat, crude totems and animal bones lay scattered across the ground.

The warning window was something we'd braced ourselves for long ago. So the party's reactions drifted somewhere else entirely.

"A story dungeon, huh. This is gonna rack up some serious views later."

"We're the first ones in, right?"

"If anyone got here before us, I'll just kill them."

"Ah……"

Story dungeons were one of the new continent's premier honey pots. The first clear was brutally hard, but the rewards promised were on a completely different tier from regular dungeons. Once cleared, a story dungeon was absorbed into the regular dungeon roster—so everyone except the original discoverers ended up playing a watered-down version.

There were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ways to challenge the high-difficulty version even after that, but those were pure challenge content. A realm for glory alone, so they didn't really count.

For streamers like Sulbbang and Elderin, this was a golden opportunity. Exclusive content always guaranteed a hit, and every story dungeon clear so far had delivered massive view counts.

As the party's scout, I took the lead. The first enemies we ran into were three minotaurs.

"Three hostiles. Two warriors, one archer. When we engage, I'll take the archer."

I reported the enemy composition in a low voice.

We couldn't treat these things like the trash mobs outside. It wasn't just their raw bulk or gear—their sheer stats. Story dungeon monsters ran on AI far more sophisticated than anything in a regular dungeon. In an age where science had pushed AI light-years beyond human capability, a monster deliberately tuned for difficulty was a genuine tactical thinker—a real threat.

While I circled to the side and climbed the ceiling, Sulbbang's greatsword crashed into a minotaur's axe for the first time. The metallic clang rang through the dungeon. The momentum looked good—the result was not. The minotaur's attack came in off-beat, and the parry failed.

For the moment, her guard gauge seemed to hold. But one detail bothered me. Right after the clash, Sulbbang's wrist flinched. That meant a significant gap in a pure contest of strength. Her low sensitivity settings probably kept her from feeling it herself, but it was a very bad sign. When a greatsword warrior got shoved around on raw power like that, the stat disparity with the monster was enormous.

Sure enough, Sulbbang's face twisted.

"Holy shit! My guard's breaking on the next hit!"

"Shield's ready!"

Just as predicted, the next attack shattered Sulbbang's defense. Wildbird threw up a barrier at once, and Uncle Dolgwol's berserker charged in as cover. The explosion that bloomed in a red flash had to be Elderin's magic.

It looked precarious, but every member of this party was a gamer with years of scars. Whether by raw instinct or hard-earned experience, none of them were going to die for free. At times like this, the right move was to stop thinking about anything else and just do my job.

I moved along the ceiling, careful to stay outside their awareness, and closed in on the archer's back as it drew its bowstring.

I could almost believe that thing was a spear.

Maybe it was built with a minotaur's bulk in mind. The projectile nocked on the string was far too large to call an arrow. If something that size hit a small body like mine, it would punch a one-way ticket straight to heaven. Wildbird and Elderin wouldn't fare much better.

I had to strike before the arrow flew. Fortunately, Elderin's flames were buying time.

I dropped the moment the blast smoke began to settle. The archer lined up on Wildbird—and in the same instant, I drove my blade into the back of the minotaur's neck. An arrow with a shaken aim can't hit its mark. The shot went wild and missed our allies completely.

I locked both legs around the minotaur's throat and settled in for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a delightful piggyback ride. No—this was closer to a bull, so maybe rodeo was the better word?

"Pfft. This is actually kind of thrilling."

I started cutting at the throat first, so it couldn't call the warriors ahead for help. A scream would make things awkward for me. The hide was definitely tough—the blade didn't want to go in. The feel was about the same as punching through a lancer's chainmail in the Arena. Even so, I kept stabbing at the neck without pause.

I braced against the thrashing with my legs, and the recoil sent my vision whipping every which way. My hips got yanked around especially hard, my waist rocking back and forth without rest. Clamping my thighs and pressing my lower stomach flush against it didn't help. No matter how I tried, a body like mine just couldn't fully absorb that kind of force.

In the end, the moment the archer dropped its bow and reached for me, I had to give up the high ground.

If it grabs me, I'm dead!

I raked my dagger down its spine as I dropped to the floor. A kick came flying with a massive rush of air; I threw myself flat and let it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pass. Sliding between those enormous legs put me naturally at its back again.

I'd hoped the earlier downward cut had gone deep enough. The hide was too tough—arm strength alone couldn't land a fatal wound. At best, I'd split the leather. I aimed for the heart from behind through the gap, but the dagger didn't sink far enough.

I left the weapon where it was and pulled back, bracing for the next attack.

Had I gotten too greedy?

Interlocked hands came down like a mace, aimed at my head. From this position and stance, dodging was impossible. Taking that hit clean would crush my body flat. In the end, I had no choice but to burn a precious survival skill.

My body vanished like a ghost and re-formed about three paces behind. Regret was regret—but if I was going to spend a valuable card, I had to turn it into a counter.

I pressed down on the hand that had just slammed toward me. The body was so solid I could use it like a vaulting horse. I sprang up, grabbed the minotaur's horns, and flipped myself over in a tumbling roll. In my inverted vision, I spotted the dagger I'd planted earlier. No time to linger—I focused every ounce of force into my heel and drove it into the dagger's hilt like hammering a nail.

Even a creature this tough couldn't keep living with a dagger where its heart should be.

"Archer's down. Rejoining now."

Elderin's flames kept surging, so I couldn't get a clear read on the other side. Through the black smoke, though, I caught the silhouette of a minotaur. I slipped in targeting its rear and went for the nape of its neck.

The problem was that just as I couldn't see my party, they couldn't see me either. The instant I finished off one nearly dead minotaur, something blocked my path as I tried to escape being crushed under the falling body.

It was the corpse of the other minotaur warrior—the one Sulbbang had just landed the finishing blow on. My entire field of view was blocked. Using a survival skill would be a waste…… wait. I'd already used it earlier, hadn't I?

"Uh? Uhhh……? Whoa—!"

In the end, the minotaur came down on top of me before I could move. My body hit the floor, unable to fight the weight. When I turned my head a little, I could see a bull's head streaming hot blood. The massive body covered me like a blanket; I couldn't move a single arm or leg.

The party members, wondering what had happened, came over and looked down at me.

"What are you doing down there?"

"Pfft……"

"Ahaha. That's adorable."

"Stop laughing and get me out already. It's heavy."

A banquet hall that looked as though a feast had just ended. The princess approached with unhurried steps and came to a quiet stop. At the sight of her, Nianbach swallowed the sigh that nearly escaped him.

Today, the king had declared he would give the princess to him.

"I'm sorry. Father really has gone too far, hasn't he? Handing a cursed girl like me over to a wizard of your standing."

"A cursed girl? What do you mean by that?"

"Have you not heard? I cannot see. Surely I must have committed some sin, for the gods to take the light from me."

"Do you believe that as well, Your Highness?"

"Yes."

Nianbach, too, had been full of worries at first. Had he stepped into a place he should never have entered? But the moment he met the princess, every one of those fears melted away like foam.

He knelt on one knee before her. When he gently offered his hand, a maidservant tapped the princess's arm. The princess laid her hand upon his.

"After meals, I enjoy a warm cup of tea. It seems to dissolve my troubles, and my heart grows quiet. What of you, Your Highness?"

"I like…… flower tea."

"Excellent taste. And music? For me, the resonance of stringed instruments touches me most deeply."

"I feel the same."

"Then I can find no reason not to love you."

Before long, the two of them held their wedding.