Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Taurun
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In front of the stairs stretched a wide open space, dominated by a monster so massive it made the area look cramped.
It was slightly taller than a Minos, gripping a massive axe-spear in both hands, with thick shell-like armor plating over its heart and head.
The base form resembled a Minos, but this was a heavily reinforced variant with dramatically enhanced defenses on vital areas.
‘Is that a Taurun?’
Fortunately, the Taurun hadn’t spotted me yet. That meant I had the first strike.
I stared it down intently and whispered softly.
“Illusory Dream.”
A skill that could lull the target into a terrified slumber or a sweet dream.
With enough mastery, you could even attack within the dream to deal damage, but I wasn’t there yet.
Still, it was enough to put the Taurun to sleep for a moment.
“Muu. Nyam nyam.”
Its eyes slowly drooped shut, and it began nodding off.
It was probably dreaming right now of lounging in a sun-warmed meadow thick with grass.
I gathered mana at the spear tip and crept toward it.
Vrrr—!
This time, I didn’t hold back on the mana. My opponent was a 3.5-star monster—and clearly a defense-specialized variant at that.
Skimping on the Shockwave’s power could lead to unnecessary headaches.
‘Let’s finish this clean.’
I thrust the spear at the soundly sleeping Taurun’s head.
Even with the thick shell, a vital spot was still vital. A solid hit would do serious damage.
Thud!
“Huh?”
Something was off about the sound. It wasn’t a burst or a pierce—it was a dull, blocking thud.
At the same instant, the Taurun’s forehead split slightly, and it jolted awake.
“Muuu!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! A Shockwave does nothing but a scratch? How is that even possible?”
Its head was so tough that my spear blade was completely ruined instead.
Was this thing really just 3.5 stars?
Honestly, its defense alone put it on par with a 4-star monster.
“Muuu!”
The Taurun swung its axe-spear in irritation. It was clearly pissed about having its nap interrupted.
Boom!
The shockwave rippled out, shaking my entire body. I managed to stay on my feet thanks to my stance, but it rattled me hard.
I jammed the spear into the ground like a staff, regaining my balance just before the Taurun could charge.
“Mu!”
“Urk! Leap!”
Thankfully, the ceiling was high. Even at full jump, it didn’t touch, so it had to be over ten meters up.
‘Its strength and speed aren’t much different from a Minos. The problem is that insane defense…’
The Taurun was a tank among tanks. It swung its axe-spear wildly, ignoring defense entirely, and charged with its horns forward.
I dodged with bracing and leaps. But I was reaching my limit. Eventually, it cornered me.
Thud! Thud!
The Taurun planted its sharp horns forward and began stomping. To me, it was a death sentence.
‘Shockwave alone won’t kill it. I need a stronger attack.’
The first thing that came to mind was Power Strike. Combining it with Shockwave should create solid synergy.
Tail Bite crossed my mind briefly, but with shockwave aftershocks lingering on the ground, I couldn’t be sure it would trigger properly.
‘Let’s at least add Power Strike.’
[Shockwave and Power Strike create a synergy effect. Skill power increases by 20%.]
Twenty percent… It felt underwhelming. Would an extra centimeter of tear on a five-centimeter scratch really make a difference?
I needed a breakthrough—like when I’d reduced mana to boost efficiency.
‘Wait! If I can lower power by reducing mana, maybe I can boost attack power by increasing it?’
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Taurun charged. I drew a fresh spear from my inventory to meet it.
‘Pour in all my remaining mana.’
I dumped all six mana into Shockwave, then layered on Power Strike. The power more than doubled.
Vrrr!!
The steel spear glowed red-hot, unable to contain the skill’s force.
It felt ready to explode. And it wasn’t just the blade.
‘The mana flow feels sharper than ever. This is immense power. It could shatter anything.’
I wanted to unleash this overflowing energy.
“Muuu!!”
The Taurun was right in front of me. In that do-or-die moment, I hurled the spear forward as if throwing my whole body into it.
The result…
Crack!!
A thin line appeared on the struck Taurun’s head.
A straight vertical line from top to bottom.
The line split wide, cleaving its head in two.
Splurt!
The Taurun barreled into me, momentum carrying its bisected head forward.
At least I avoided the horns this time. Instead, I got a blood shower right in the face.
“Ha, haha.”
Drenched in blood, I collapsed in place.
The sudden mana drain tanked my stamina.
“Ugh, dizzy.”
I sat resting, taking in the scene I’d created. The Taurun lay dead, split in half—at least its head.
‘The power was insane.’
It felt like two or three times a basic Shockwave.
But the backlash wrecked the spear. The blade shattered and lodged in the Taurun’s head, while the shaft exploded from the strain.
One attack had zeroed out the weapon’s durability. It was a finisher move in every sense.
I munched on a chocolate bar from home while resting. The sugar rush restored my energy.
“Phew. Feeling alive again.”
Checking my status, I saw mana ticking from 0 to 1. Full recovery would take another hour and a half.
‘Still, great EXP.’
One Taurun gave more than twenty Minos.
No way was this just 3.5 stars. The EXP put it squarely at 4-star level.
“Grades really ramp up exponentially. If Taurun’s this tough, how strong is a Minotaurus?”
Soloing the labyrinth felt impossible.
Struggling against a mere Taurun like this? I’d be lucky not to die trying.
Especially the boss, Minotaurus—a full 4-star. I’d need to match that to take it down.
‘Otherwise, I’ll end up in another pinch like with Lee Chun-bae.’
For now, I’d focus on leveling.
I stowed the Taurun’s corpse after grabbing a new spear. No doubt it’d be more useful than Minos hides.
‘About twenty spears left.’
One Taurun wrecked one, so roughly twenty before I’d have to bail.
“Alright. Since I’m here, let’s make it a tomato festival and burst ‘em all!”
* * *
From the second floor, passages widened. Minos came in threes, or Tauruns singly.
Honestly, one Taurun was harder than three Minos.
To kill a Taurun, I had to Illusory Dream it asleep, then split its head with a mana-charged spear.
That drained all my mana, so rests dragged on.
Minos, meanwhile, fell to Illusion plus a mini Shockwave—quick kills, minimal mana.
EXP favored Taurun overwhelmingly. After three more, my stalled level finally rose.
[Level Up!]
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 29. (10.3%)] [Mana 12/57]
[Strength 90, Agility 76, Vitality 90, Intelligence 88]
I dumped the new points into Intelligence. Higher INT sped mana recovery.
At 75 INT, it was 1 mana every ten minutes. At 88, every eight and a half.
Rests shortened, speeding my labyrinth run.
‘Phew. Finally, the stairs to the third floor.’
The issue? Enemies guarding the way down.
“Muuu.”
“Mu.”
Two Tauruns blocked the third-floor stairs.
Breaking through needed double my current mana. Spears were running low too. Time to call it.
‘Head back.’
Plenty of time before Black Bear’s muster, but prep work awaited.
‘Check how Demon King’s Castle is running too…’
Lately, training and hunting had sidelined castle duties.
No mid-dungeon exits, so I’d issued orders ahead.
‘And see if the uncles finished that gear I commissioned.’
I’d given them Minos corpses, but untested materials—unsure if they could craft anything.
Minos-horn weapons or leather armor would boost this labyrinth run hugely.
‘Alright. Castle first.’
* * *
“Mama!”
“Yeah. Dad’s home.”
The baby Naga hopped up. I gave the now-kindergarten-sized Naga a piggyback ride into the throne room.
Gobling, Pork, and the newly recruited Minos ringed the room.
“You’ve returned, Master.”
“Gah! You scared me! What? Why’d you come down?”
Moemoe-chan descended headfirst from the ceiling. Her long hair dangling nearly stopped my heart.
“I was brainstorming dreams for Illusory Dream. How was it? Scary enough?”
“P-Please appear normally from now on.”
“Hmm. Pretty effective.”
“Jeez. Anyway, what’s with everyone gathered? Knew I was coming?”
“The executives assembled for a policy meeting.”
“You held a meeting without me? That allowed?”
I squinted at Pork, Minos, and the others with single-digit Intelligence.
Probably the succubi leading, with Gobling chiming in occasionally.
“Yan wanted to lead an expedition to the plains. Cool opposed, saying to defend the castle until your return.”
“Hoo. Yan’s the aggressive one. Where’d you stand? Offense? Defense?”
“I sided with Cool. Couldn’t act without your orders, so we’d wait here. But now you’re back—my mind’s changed.”
“Time to attack?”