Arkys Great Labyrinth (9)
Merddin's role is to hold the front line and keep the Minotaur in check. The most important thing is his job as a tank—parrying enemy attacks.
Parrying: A technique where you deflect an enemy's attack to the side using your body or weapon. Unlike blocking or dodging, parrying redirects the attack in another direction, temporarily interrupting the opponent's combo.
However, knowing this doesn't guarantee every parry will succeed.
Especially against a massive beast that swings its weapon with brute force—it's hard to even read the attack properly.
"Easier said than done..."
"The power gap is obvious, but I'm not telling you to parry a full-force attack. Aim for the timing when it transitions from preparation to strike. Watch the opponent's movements closely."
Before the full power loads into the swinging weapon, target the motion itself. Disrupt it so the attack never fully lands.
Merddin recalled Eunhyeon's advice and used his greatsword to smack aside the blade of the Minotaur's battle axe as it swung down from overhead.
Uwoh?!
The Minotaur panicked as the battle axe, loaded with all its power for the downward smash, bounced off and veered off course.
Merddin, the tallest in the party with the longest blade—a greatsword—could preemptively check high-angle overhead strikes.
The redirected axe crashed into the wrong spot on the floor, shattering stone. Realizing his check had worked by accident, Merddin shouted.
"Now!"
Alex, sword already drawn and timing watched, dashed in to exploit the opening.
He quickly flanked behind the Minotaur and slashed both calves.
"Too shallow."
The attack landed—blood flowed from both legs—but it hadn't dealt serious damage. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Uwoooooh!
The Minotaur, struck by Alex's sudden approach, raised its battle axe again and swung at him. But Alex, enhanced by Elenoa's blessing, dodged instantly and created distance.
Furious at being wounded, the Minotaur chased relentlessly, flailing wildly. Alex kept retreating, maintaining range outside its attack radius, his face utterly calm.
"Hyah!"
With the beast drawn away by Alex's kiting, Merddin charged full speed and thrust his greatsword into the Minotaur's waist with all his might.
U... Uwooooooh!
Writhing in agony as the massive blade pierced its side, the Minotaur went berserk.
Merddin, having let go of the sword, backed far away. Sweat beading on his brow, he muttered at the beast howling in pain.
"Crazy... It's still moving in that state?"
Even with a greatsword run through its side, the Minotaur—lost to pain and rage—swung its axe at the nearest target: Alex.
Alex, threading the needle on dodges, circled wide back to the party's original formation and rejoined the line.
Blood spewing from its mouth, eyes blazing with hatred for humans, heavy breaths snorting—the Minotaur charged with earth-shaking mass.
Chiiiik!
Suddenly, as it entered a certain zone, white smoke filled the area around the Minotaur, rapidly dropping the temperature.
It was the cooling magic trap artifact Eunhyeon and Aisha had dismantled earlier, reinstalled and triggered.
U... Uwoo...
Frost coated its body, freezing it solid and restricting movement.
The frozen Minotaur strained desperately to move, but its near-frostbitten flesh ignored its commands.
"Now. Aisha, Your Highness—prepare your chants immediately."
At Eunhyeon's signal, Aisha loosed her arrow, pouring every drop of mana into it. It streaked forward in a thin line toward the Minotaur's face.
Hitting dead center in its right eye, unsatisfied, it exploded through the beast's face.
With its face frozen and half its head gone, the Minotaur couldn't even scream.
Three-Digit Magic
Fire Arrow
Three flaming arrows materialized from the chant formula above Yuria's head and struck the frozen Minotaur dead on.
Unable to scream, its brain charred black, the beast met its end.
As the battle ended, everyone but Eunhyeon collapsed to the floor, heaving heavy sighs of relief.
"Ugh, I'm gonna die."
"Still, wasn't that more manageable than we thought?"
"Yeah, way better than the first time we met it... right?"
Aisha and Merddin grinned, tension melting away, proud they'd taken down the beast with their own power.
"Impressive as always."
"What is?"
"Your timing and orders were spot on. Good experience not just for me, but for those two as well. And..."
Alex glanced at Yuria's complicated expression before continuing.
"For her too. A taste of reality."
Alex must have been seriously worried when the princess, treated like a delicate greenhouse flower her whole life, suddenly declared she'd run away and conquer the labyrinth.
He couldn't refuse, and expeditions always carried risks of the unexpected.
Alex was convinced his preemptive decision to ask Eunhyeon for backup—preparing for contingencies via Elenoa—had saved him, the guards, and the princess.
"Keep it up."
"Just don't collapse from exhaustion."
Eunhyeon and Alex traded jokes, chuckling.
Afterward, their path out of the labyrinth proceeded smoothly.
Post-Minotaur, the guards gained know-how and confidence against beasts; Eunhyeon handled the front, leaving the rear idle with excess leisure.
Yuria kept staring at Eunhyeon's back, unable to look away.
"Your Highness. Is something bothering you?"
Elenoa asked, noticing Yuria's rigid gaze fixed on Eunhyeon.
"Lady Elenoa, that man you brought. Who the hell is he?"
"Well..."
Elenoa hesitated on how to explain Eunhyeon.
She recalled her promise to Helena the consort: never reveal his existence to anyone.
Not her fault, but with trust already lost once, breaking it now—before rebuilding—could harm future ties between Eunhyeon and House Armitas.
"I don't know the details. He's acquainted with my father, so my brother and I just knew him by face."
Elenoa bullshitted off the top of her head.
"His name... Eunhyeon, right?"
"Yes."
"Is he perhaps a descendant of the Ancients?"
"That's what I heard."
"Eunhyeon... Eunhyeon..."
Yuria murmured the silver-haired man's name, chewing on Elenoa's answers.
Her face screamed dissatisfaction, deep in thought—but Elenoa pretended not to notice, figuring prying further would complicate things.
Thanks to the vanguard's efforts, Yuria's party escaped the labyrinth unscathed.
"Ha, haha..."
"We're alive..."
Aisha and Merddin knelt, gulping the chilly pre-dawn air, finally feeling their escape from that hellhole. Eunhyeon and Alex chuckled at their dramatic relief.
The party set up camp in nearby brush with Eunhyeon's camping gear. While Alex and Merddin pitched tents, Eunhyeon built a fire and summoned a huge pot to simmer stew.
Using pre-prepped veggies and kobold meat from the day's hunt, spiced and slow-cooked—it was high-protein field rations.
Elenoa took her bowl, face stiffening suspiciously at Eunhyeon.
"Th-this meat isn't...?"
"Eat up. No other food anyway."
Yuria's party had been trapped nearly three or four days. Rationing scraps to survive—no way they had leftovers.
"M-monster meat...?"
Yuria grimaced at the revelation, stomach turning. But the three guards calmly spooned their stew.
"Been a while."
"Yeah! Only had it on my first expedition training after enlistment."
"A bit salty, but you need this in the field. No gamey smell either. You must expedition a lot?"
"Still, feeding this to Your Highness is inexcusable... We have preserved rations we brought separately. You should—"
"No, it's fine. Let's eat together."
Yuria's stomach wasn't weak like Elenoa's; face sour, but seeing everyone else dig in, she didn't want to whine. She steeled herself.
Alex, Aisha, and Merddin savored Eunhyeon's stew, each reflecting.
Kingdom knight orders like Artia or Gracia included expedition training among many drills.
Hunting beasts, butchering, purifying, then filling bellies with monster meat—it built survival skills essential for missions.
Elenoa and Yuria, never having eaten it, struggled but hunger from days of starvation won out.
Dinner sated them; escaping the beast-filled labyrinth melted tension. Fatigue and drowsiness hit suddenly.
Confirming all five in the gender-split tents, Eunhyeon stood solo watch, feeding the fire.
Party leader Alex initially objected to Eunhyeon soloing watch, but Eunhyeon insisted he was fine. Succumbing to exhaustion, Alex accepted and retreated to rest.
About two hours later.
"You have something to say."
"......"
The owner of the gaze peeking from the women's tent trembled.
"Impressive endurance, waiting till everyone's deep asleep despite your fatigue."
"It's been swirling in my head. What are you, really?"
Yuria emerged from the tent, staring hard at Eunhyeon, voicing her suspicions.
"Are you... an 'Earthling'?"