The Minotaur (1)
The Theseus party finished their thorough preparations and headed toward the labyrinth. "This is the 5th-floor portal." "I've marked the path with an artifact, so there's no need to worry about getting lost." As Theseus opened the jewelry box, a faint white light shimmered from the floor. This was a path they had already cleared up to the 9th floor. By following it, they wouldn't suffer any unnecessary exhaustion from re-exploring the maze. "I'll have to thank the Princess later." Theseus set off with confidence. Since it was a route they had already cleared and they had returned just two days ago, the monsters hadn't had much time to congregate.
"Ahead, three skeleton archers. One suppressor." "That's a level we can handle easily. Let's save our mana." They easily dispatched the monsters that had respawned. The party quickly descended to the 6th and 7th floors. However, when they arrived at the 8th floor, the atmosphere changed.
"The path is broken." "What happened? Did the structure change?" The party members voiced their doubts. The bridge they had crossed last time was gone without a trace. "We have no choice but to turn back. Keep your guard up." Because it was a lower floor, the total area wasn't vast. The upper floors occupied the entire underground of the city, but this was not the case here. However, it was a labyrinth. True to the name, the path was twisted intricately, and they had to face monsters every time they took a wrong turn.
"Another dead end." "Damn it. We've already taken down five suppressors." The warrior let out a weary sigh. He could feel his stamina gradually draining. "Has it been about half a day?" It was difficult to tell the time because no light entered the underground. They had to rely on their bodily sensations to take breaks. Fatigue accumulated even more easily. "This fork in the road, I've definitely seen this before." It took a long time of wandering before the party finally found the route they had previously cleared. They reached the stairs to the 9th floor. A massive stone structure. Strangely, nothing could be seen below the dimly lit stairs.
"Should we rest after entering the 9th floor?" "Let's go down and take a quick look." Theseus began to descend the stairs. After a long descent, they finally reached the 9th floor. A long corridor stretched out uneasily. As they walked for a long time, a magnificent space finally greeted them.
"What is this place?" Bronze armor was scattered everywhere. In the center, a giant statue looked down unpleasantly. A square space in the center was painted with dried black blood. It was dug deep so that once you went down, you couldn't climb back up. Seeing the iron bars everywhere, the purpose of this space was easy to guess. "It's an arena." "Why would such a structure exist in the depths of the labyrinth?" The warrior looked around and discovered something. "There's something like a pulley here. If we push it, a different path might appear." He sheathed his sword and leaned his body against the handle. He applied force, but it didn't budge. "Whew, I guess it doesn't move by itself." "Let's go back to the corridor and rest for now. Since we don't see another path, let's make a contingency plan." "That sounds good." It was when the party was heading back the way they came.
The path back to the corridor is blocked by falling iron bars.
―Clang! Suddenly, iron bars fell from the ceiling, blocking the way back to the corridor. Pop! Grrr! Spikes were popping out from the walls and pushing forward. "It's a trap!" "Tsk." Theseus clicked her tongue. She should have thought twice before entering so recklessly. If they stayed still, they would be pierced by countless spikes. There was only one way to survive. They had to jump down into the arena on the floor. "This is vicious. Everyone, get ready. It's going to be a long fight." With no other choice, Theseus jumped into the arena. Her party members followed behind her.
Spinning, blue mana rotated in her pupils. She prepared herself to draw an arrow at any moment. Clang, clang! ―Kaaaaa! The iron bars opened, and undead creatures poured out. They were wearing bronze armor. They were elite soldiers. The skeleton soldiers opened their mouths, leaving only teeth, with their hollow eyes wide open. The blades of the swords they held up flashed eerily. "I'm sick of this. They always do the same thing." Water condensed above Theseus's head. From the rotating waves, in an instant, Fwip-fwip-fwip! A rain of arrows poured down at once.
―Kaaaak! The sharpened arrows even pierced through the armor, shattering the skeleton soldiers. "I'll block the front. Cut off the rear!" "There are quite a lot of them...!" "I'll use a blessing!" The supporting party members poured out their skills and magic spells without sparing their mana. A mountain of bones and corpses began to pile up. The undead rushed toward Theseus without knowing how to tire, surrounding her. Even the wave that seemed infinite began to lose its momentum. "As expected of Theseus, she doesn't lose in a war of attrition." "I can see the end...!" It was when hope began to appear for the party members.
―Boom, boom! A vibration shook the arena heavily. It didn't take long for them to realize the source. ―Kwooooong!! It appeared, breaking the outer wall with two giant horns, and exhaled hot steam. As if the undead rushing toward it were in the way, it stepped on them with its large feet and swatted them away with the back of its hand. "Oh, my god......" It was about 5 meters tall. The muscles clinging to its body were more rugged and solid than any hero of strength. The red mana symbolizing power not only erupted from its eyes, but it was so immense that it radiated from its entire body, covering the ceiling. ―Uuuuuu!! As the bull-headed creature roared, their ears felt like they were tearing. The Minotaur King. The master of the labyrinth, the Bull King, revealed himself before Theseus.
Bang! He lightly struck the ground with his fist, creating a massive crater. "This can't be. We're not even on the lowest floor." "To think we'd encounter it here." The warrior and the mage gulped in tension. "Theseus, what should we do?" "What do you mean, what?" Unlike the flustered party members, Theseus slightly raised the corners of her lips. "We came here to catch this guy anyway. It's a good thing we don't have to go far." Theseus wrapped her hands in giant fists of water, like gloves. Her gaze turned toward the Minotaur's red eyes. "You seem quite confident in using your body. I also learned a lesson recently."
Crunch. The water fists surrounding Theseus changed their structure and crystallized firmly. "The fact that a strong body is more efficient than any technique." The party members were secretly surprised to see that. 'I've never seen that form before.' 'Has Theseus reached a new level?' The form of mana Theseus handled had changed. It was originally Poseidon's mana, which handled water. To increase her destructive power, she had been increasing the speed and sharpness of her rain of arrows. But now, wearing armor of moisture, she chose to change the molecular formula, crystallizing the water to handle it as if it were her own body. It was a completely different way of using it than before. "Let's compare it with your fists for once."
―Kwooooong! The Minotaur began to kick off the ground and charge.
"How is it, sir? The shortcut is comfortable, isn't it?" We were reaching the deepest part of the labyrinth. Daedalus rubbed his hands together and bowed his waist. What a spineless guy. He must have intended to lead me to the Minotaur King and trap me again, but that was exactly what I wanted. He's a guy I can't trust, but the oath of the River Styx cannot be broken. I can use him until I reach the 10th floor. "Lead the way." "Oh, of course, sir. It's a path I designed for maintenance purposes. There are no traps."
A circular staircase appeared through a hidden door. We descended for a long time. I opened the door on the opposite side. "Sisyphus, the smell is thick. Be careful." "Hmm." It was soaked in the smell of alcohol that had been in the city. The fog felt even thicker. "Go first." "Of course, sir. I swear on my name, there are no traps!" Daedalus hopped out the door. A massive space appeared. In a spot high above our heads, geometric bars were full. Rooms moved like a maze, and pulleys connected by chains operated incessantly. I had to admit he created a structure of this scale. "This is the deepest part of the Labyrinth, the prison for heinous criminals! Haha, how is it? It's my life's masterpiece!"
Daedalus cackled and hopped around. In an instant, he rode a chain and climbed up to the room above. "Arrogant Sisyphus! No creature has ever entered this labyrinth and made it out alive. Perish in despair, hahahahaha!" "Ugh, I knew he would do that." "What about the covenant?" Cassandra and Clea, who had covered their mouths with cloth, asked. "His oath was to guide us here. It's already over." "I see. Are we trapped again?" "I don't want to stay here. The smell is so strong that even the artifact can't block it, and I'm getting dizzy." Cassandra complained. It was certainly an unpleasant smell of alcohol. I don't get drunk. Perhaps I've become immune after being exposed to poison on the mountain for ten thousand years.
"Dionysus's blessing is with you! Sisyphus, there's no way a Spartan like you could unravel the structure of this maze while your mind is clouded. Farewell then!" Daedalus's voice grew distant. I looked around. Hundreds of iron chains hung down. When I pulled one, rumble, the prison cells hanging from the ceiling rotated. "It's geometric. My head is spinning, and I don't know what's what." It didn't look that difficult to me. To use an analogy, it felt like having three Rubik's cubes hanging. I played with them a lot when I was young. In my past life.
"Hup." I pulled the iron chain with force. Rumble! The prison cells rotated, and one descended to where we were. "I'll go get it, wait here." When I pulled another chain, the cell I was standing on rose again. "No?! How did you know the answer!" Daedalus's eyes widened. "Hmm!" I grabbed the next chain and jumped between the cells. Clatter! In an instant, I soared into the air and was able to reach where Daedalus was. "W, was it luck?! There's no way you could have grasped my design!" "Hey, shut up. Where's the bull-head?" "Huh? Now that you mention it." Daedalus looked around the cells here and there. They were all empty, filled only with thick fog. "Gasp. Did he escape? No way! Dionysus, please. Subdue the prisoner!"
I jumped toward the guy who was trying to run away in a panic. I grabbed him by the collar and asked. "Eek, please spare my life. I kept my promise!" "Was it Dionysus's order that you've been trapping heroes in traps until now?" "Y, yes. I have served Dionysus for a long time. He told me to provide more food to the Minotaur." "Didn't Dionysus appear in the city after the labyrinth was created? Why is his influence spread even here?" "It's because he's trying to make the Bull King the ultimate monster. If his fog hadn't been here in the deepest part, it might have been subjugated long ago. The Bull King has been eating heroes and growing stronger. To the point where even my labyrinth can't contain him anymore...." "Why does he need that?" "I asked him too. Dionysus answered." Daedalus answered, trembling.
"That flesh imbued with mana to the limit is the best meal...." "Hmm." Is Dionysus a gym rat too? To think the purpose of this crazy city and labyrinth was only to make protein supplements. Even so, beef raised on human flesh. It made me want to vomit. "So where did the bull-head go?" Daedalus turned his head back and forth and answered. "There is only one regular entrance here. He probably went up to the arena." "That place, huh." Having to go back the way I came was a hassle. Thud. I threw Daedalus into a cell and closed the door. I bent the bars as much as I could so he couldn't get out and kindly welded them shut. "Gasp. Mr. Sisyphus? Mr. Sisyphus! Open it! If you do this, I can't get out either!"
I ignored his shouting, jumped down, and returned to Clea and Cassandra. "Are you both ready?" The two nodded. "Let's go catch a mad cow."