The Horns of the Minotaur

Thinking back on it, it was a matter of common sense. Rather than aiming for the horns that looked obviously tough, it made more sense to target the vital points that were clearly visible. The head or the heart. If that wasn't an option, going for the tendons in the arms and legs was the usual approach. Of course, if the Minotaur's horns turned out to be soft, that would be a different story. Unfortunately, the creature's horns were incredibly hard. Still, designating them as the highest priority target felt rather awkward.

It probably wasn't that they were simply picking on me because I'd pointed out the horns. 'It's the curses on my body, after all.'

My body really did have a lot of curses attached to it. Starting with the one that made others feel an instinctive revulsion for no apparent reason when they looked at me, the curse that destroyed any trust in all my actions, and even the one that caused my words and behavior to be misinterpreted.

The Curse of the Soul, the Curse of Distrust, and the Curse of Distortion. I didn't know exactly how they applied, but these three curses were working in perfect, nightmarish harmony. The Curse of the Soul would ruin my first impression, and then the curses of distrust and distortion would send my credibility plummeting to rock bottom. Thanks to them, I was currently being regarded as the party's potential traitor.

So the issue wasn't really whether attacking the horns was efficient or not. It was the problem that came before that. They were worried that there might be some kind of trap in my suggestion. What if attacking the horns inefficiently caused the party members' stamina to deplete more than expected? What if that created a situation where I could take on all of them by myself?

They were probably making these absurd assumptions. That's why I had to convince them no matter what.

"Instead, could you all please just follow what I say this once?"

I refused to give up and spoke to them again. If it goes berserk, you idiots will all die.

"It wouldn't hurt to listen to the Hero for once."

Fortunately, the Saintess intervened in the middle and sided with me, giving me another chance to persuade them.

"As I mentioned before, I have some knowledge about this creature."

I slowly began listing the information I had about it.

"Its official name is Minotaur. It's known for its tremendous strength and high endurance. They have a strong tendency to establish their own territories, which is why they're frequently used as gatekeepers in this manner."

It was a good thing I'd read up on strategy guides while searching for ways to defeat it.

"But if we're talking about its biggest issue, it's definitely the berserk state. It's a skill that amplifies all the mana within its body at once, boosting every stat except for its durability."

The fact that it used this when it was on the brink of death made the fight particularly difficult. Moreover, there was no clear sign before the skill activated, so it was best to stop it before it could trigger.

"So what you're saying, Hero, is that by cutting off those horns, we can prevent this berserk thing beforehand?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Hmm..."

She lowered her head for a moment, seeming to consider it. My argument must have been more convincing than she'd expected, and she needed time to process it.

Then Lily, the mage who'd been quietly listening beside her, asked me a question.

"Wait a second, where did you get that information? It wasn't in any of the bestiaries I have..."

As expected, they were questioning the source. Fortunately, I'd prepared an excuse in advance.

"I read about it in an old book I came across before I became the Hero."

It was a rather weak excuse, but they wouldn't be able to press further. After all, how could they know what happened before I became the Hero?

Only then did they seem to genuinely consider my suggestion, showing that they were thinking it over properly. They appeared to be weighing whether they could trust me and whether this plan was actually efficient.

Adel, the party's scout, seemed to have decided to leave the judgment to the others, taking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a step back.

I decided to push one step further.

"If you follow my plan, I'll take the lead in the upcoming battle."

After all, what they were worried about was me betraying them. By offering to fight at the front, I could eliminate that concern in advance. It would be a bit risky, but it was better than being suspected.

When I said this, their eyes widened. They clearly hadn't expected me to volunteer like this. Among them, only Yulise looked at me with an anxious expression.

"...Is there really no other way?"

"Yes, that's the only method I know of."

When I nodded, she finally nodded back with a look of resolution. Do I really seem that unreliable...? I knew it, but I couldn't suppress the bitterness.

Still, once one person agreed, the rest came easier.

"Alright. Since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yulise is in favor, I'll agree as well."

"It's a little unsettling... but there isn't any other option. I understand."

I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. If this hadn't worked, I'd been prepared to force the issue, but they had agreed before it came to that.

Even getting everyone to agree on a plan was this difficult. The road ahead seemed pitch black.

"Good. Then let's finalize our formation."

We quickly decided on our charge formation. Kamilla and I would be at the vanguard, Adel and Yulise in the middle, and Lily at the rear.

Kamilla and I would draw its attention from the front, Adel would distract it with her arrows, and Lily would target the horns with her magic. It was a simple but efficient setup.

As we finished our assault preparations, a system window appeared before my eyes.

I was inwardly impressed without thinking. I hadn't expected a quest to pop up in a place like this. Naturally, this was good news for me. Since we had to defeat it to proceed anyway, getting a reward on top of that was great. A small smile crept onto my lips for the first time in a while.

It was right when I was checking the status window by myself.

Tap.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand from behind. When I turned around, Yulise was looking at me with a worried face.

"Please be careful."

It wasn't her usual sarcastic tone, but one that seemed to contain genuine concern. Once again, I could only tilt my head in confusion.

'Hmm...'

Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? Normally, when I was in a dangerous situation, she'd be the one smiling and saying it was good. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I couldn't ignore her words of concern, so I lightly nodded.

"Yes, I understand."

And with that, the battle began.

"Charge—!"

Kamilla shouted concisely, and I shot forward quickly. With a metallic ring, the holy sword gleamed brilliantly, displaying its sharp form. From behind me, I could hear the Saintess reciting a prayer. At the same time, I felt vitality surging within my body.

I felt that vitality and immediately channeled mana into the blade.

The blue-glowing sword was threatening in itself. It couldn't quite be called aura yet... but it definitely possessed considerable destructive power.

By the time I had charged forward and infused it with mana, the creature finally noticed me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even so, it still looked flustered. This was the advantage of a surprise attack. A strike that slipped through the gap in one's thoughts was difficult to respond to immediately, even if noticed.

Therefore, the first blow was more effective than anything else.

So.

'As strong as possible.'

I poured in the mana. I increased the cutting power and packed in as much mass as I could. Even though it was a mid-boss, it was an opponent that required full power.

When I reached point-blank range, I immediately swung my sword.

Schukak!

The strike coming down from above sliced off the creature's forearm. Its tough hide was peeled away, and a deep wound formed in an instant. Through the gap where blood spurted, white bone was visible. With just one slash, I had damaged its bone.

-GUOOOOO!!!

The painful scream it let out was a bonus.

The first attack had landed solidly. However, I could only click my tongue.

"Tsk."

I'd originally intended to sever the entire arm, but it seemed I wasn't capable of that yet. Well, it was unfortunate but unavoidable. I was still just a novice Hero who hadn't even properly grown. I'd have to be satisfied with this much.

"Move aside!"

As I was smacking my lips by myself, Kamilla charged in beside me. In her right hand she held a silver arming sword, and in her left, a kite shield as big as her upper body—the classic knight's appearance.

As she came in from the side, the Minotaur raised its axe high. A massive axe that could easily split a person in half. The menacingly gleaming axe was threatening in its own right, but I wasn't particularly worried. After all, Kamilla was a character specialized in defense and counterattacks.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kang!

As soon as I thought that, the creature's axe came crashing down. Sparks flew fiercely from where the axe met the shield. The shield trembling in the middle as if in a contest of strength gave a sense of how close it was. But that only lasted a moment. Soon, Kamilla deflected the axe to the side and took a step back.

"Tsk."

She clicked her tongue briefly. Though slight, I could see her right arm—the one holding the shield—trembling a little.

"To have that much monstrous strength with just one left arm. It's a complete monster."

Of course. How many times had I died to that thing? It couldn't be compared to ordinary mobs. Still, it was manageable for now.

"Does the berserk only activate if we bring it to the brink of death?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Understood. Then focus your attacks on the legs. I'll draw its attention."

I nodded slightly. Even though she found me suspicious, once in battle, she did her best.

Even in the midst of that, the buffs were being applied steadily. My body felt slightly tougher, and the creature's speed seemed a bit slower. Even if it was just a little, in battle, even that little was incredibly valuable.

"Lily, how many minutes until your magic is ready?"

"Just wait five minutes!"

"Good. Then we'll proceed as planned."

And so, the battle started again.

-GUOOOOO!!

Boom! Boom!

We somehow dodged and blocked the axe swings of the enraged creature while waiting for the mage in the back row to complete her magic. It was obvious that our attacks alone wouldn't be able to cut off its horns. We had no choice but to hold out until the mage finished her incantation. The creature's attacks, fueled by rage reaching its peak, were extremely fierce, but...

Kang!

"Ugh."

We managed to endure for now. I predicted its movements, anticipated the axe's path to dodge the attacks. For attacks I couldn't avoid, I somehow raised my sword to deflect them at an angle. Of course, due to my disastrous combat experience, there were inevitably occasional openings in my fighting.

Whoosh!

Fortunately, each time, an arrow flying in from somewhere would distract the creature, allowing me to remain unscathed.

"Ah, thank you."

"......"

It was obviously Adel's doing. I lightly thanked her and turned my head. I couldn't avoid her displeased gaze, but it was better than getting my body sliced apart.

Continuing the battle like that, the five minutes passed by in no time.

"Done. Get back!"

After the considerably tough five minutes, Lily shouted from behind. At the same time, I felt an enormous amount of mana from that direction. The mana of someone recognized as the continent's greatest genius, who had steadily learned magic from the continent's top mages. Naturally, both its quality and quantity far surpassed the average.

Soon, the magic formed from that condensed mana was launched at the creature. A sharp wind that seemed like it could tear apart everything in the world.

'It's not Wind Cutter... probably.'

It seemed like a higher-tier magic, but since I was clueless about magic, I wasn't sure. Not like a system window had appeared or anything.

Anyway, the magic that flew out cleanly severed the creature's horn.

Sergeuk!

As expected of the party's highest attack power. Perhaps the nerves were connected to the horn, as the creature let out a pained scream.

-GUOOOOO!!!

Hearing that voice, I readjusted my grip on my sword.

'One down, at least.'

Now there was only one left.