Chapter 5:

Ch. 1.5 - The Minotaur Norjin

The Era of World Breakers


At the Inside of the Thermite Cave...


"Haugghh... Haugghh... how long have I been running?" I stopped running and caught my breath.

My night vision is starting to disappear. I glanced at my back and I can hear the rumbling sounds of the horde of monsters.

"It seems I am already exhausted before I even fight them. Haha..." I chuckled. Sweats dripping from my temple and clearly I was running at full speed; however, I have yet to see any light source.

I continued running for a little while until I finally saw a brink of light.

"Just in the nick of time...!" I yelled. I was clearly relieved but I still have to fight off the monsters. I quickly shrugged any sense of relief and watched the surroundings.

What awaits me was a large box-area where there were three pathways: the right corner pathway; was all pitch-black, the middle corner pathway; had a guiding torch along the way, and the left corner pathway; had faint light coming from it.

I halted and quickly grabbed the two magic bottles I had. I drank a crimson-colored bottle.

"They should be here any minute now," I utter. Gazing at the dark pathway.

As soon as I heard footsteps I immediately started chanting.

"O, by my command, let the scorching flames, strike down my foes, as I pour down all my mana to this fiery attack. Fire Storm!"

The scorching flames showered the incoming horde of monsters causing a small tremor.

The crimson-colored bottle I just drank had an enhancement and able to cast a one-time fire spell even if you're low on mana and gives me a temporary affinity to fire. Causing the spell to be equivalent to a wizard's spell of, "Fire Storm," and having the temporary affinity made it a lot stronger.

However, as expected it didn't kill them all.

"That was all my remaining mana and it only took out a portion of the monsters. Haha..." I was in a pinch. I was about to use the last magic bottle when...

"Graaahhh..." It didn't take me long enough to realize — I had awakened a true monster...

The hordes of monsters in my front stopped and I slowly stretched my head to look at my back.

It was a gigantic minotaur... "Oh, crap"— I uttered as he swept his right hand directly at me.

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Back at the outside gates of Baullheart Kingdom...

"Sir, are you really sure about this? Isn't it dangerous to go alone?" The soldier who reported earlier at the General's office pestered Dulles.

"What do you mean by that? Besides arranging the reinforcements would take a lot of time. If it was me simply, I could go there in five minutes." Dulles retorted the disrespectful remark of the soldier.

"Say, why don't you gather five soldiers near the gate and order them to go to the Thermite Cave. That way, if something unexpected happens someone can immediately report the situation." Dulles looked at the young soldier and advised.

"Yes, Sir!" The soldier hastily ran towards the gates.

"If I go at full speed I might get there in three minutes. I should hurry considering that adventurer can last for a while against a monster raid. Don't die kid." Dulles quickly chanted speed empowerment and head to the Thermite Cave.

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A few minutes passed and Dulles was near the Thermite Cave.

He looked at the entrance and saw in a distance the piled corpses of his men.

"I can't believe what the message in the letter was true. Then, the 5th and 6th Crownless Hero was behind all of this?" Dulles inspected the corpses and continued looking for shreds of evidence.

He stood up and paid his respects for his fallen comrades and saw a part of the floor cracked.

"A fight happened here?" Dulles got closer and used 'keen sight' and he saw more cracks, not just on the floor but also the walls, and he saw a hole in the middle of the pathway.

"The adventurer did all this? Then is he somewhere further inside?" Dulles continued investigating the aftermaths of the fight.

"O, let there be light!" Dulles chanted. An orb of light was cast and followed Dulles.

A tremor abruptly stopped Dulles's walking.

"What the hell's happening in there? I need to hurry...!" Dulles yelled.

He ran and ran as fast he could; however, there were still small tremors that shooks the cave.

                           

When he saw a light the tremor's stopped and he hastily ran.

A burnt floor covered the large box-area, the floor is all crushed and corpses of monsters were everywhere. What surprised him was when he looked to the gigantic minotaur called 'Norjin' and the mentioned adventurer in the letter was fighting with blood splattered all over his face and his bloodied sword, he was clearly going to be killed.

"What the heck is happening here?" He was dumbfounded...

He rushed towards the adventurer gripping his sword tightly.

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A few minutes before Dulles came...


I got blown away from the rough walls; that was now shattered. I immediately opened the other bottle and drank it.

Power quickly surges within me as I stood up. I readied my sword and assume a stance. The temporary fire affinity was still intact. I chanted, "Ablaze!" My sword was enveloped by fiery flames.

I first need to deal with the hordes of monster while somehow avoiding that gigantic minotaur.

"Aaaarggh...!" I charged at the hordes of monsters and swung my sword horizontally.

I then jumped while chanting a spell. "Burn brighter! Burn fiercer! Create the flames to incinerate my foes. The fire that encompasses hell! Hell-Fire Blast!"

It sparked another tremor within the cave and the floor was all burnt as a few orcs were left and the undead skeleton with the broadsword.

I thrusted my sword at the nearby orc and swung my sword diagonally as I pounced to another orc.

The undead skeleton lunged at me and he swung his sword vertically. I deflected his attack and pierced my sword to his open body. His armor was slowly falling apart from the backlash of my Hell-Fire Blast.

I kicked him with my right leg and kill the remaining orcs...

"Finally, I can start focusing on you now, Minotaur." I wiped the splattered blood on my face. I glared at the gigantic minotaur. He was using a giant axe.

"Aaaarghhh...!" I let out a war cry.

However...

The undead skeleton stopped me from charging to the minotaur. "You never stop do you, Undead Skeleton!"

I clashed with the undead skeleton for a few seconds until I find an opening.

"Ablaze!" I pierced the head armor of the skeleton. It ignited the head of the skeleton.

"Gaaah...! You really are a tough one..." His sword pierced my lower stomach. The cut wasn't that deep but I clearly coughed up some blood. "If I didn't drink the Paria bottle I would have died by the attack of the minotaur and I wouldn't last this long and killing you also would just be a silly attempt."

The minotaur swung his axe vertically towards me.

I aimed for his left leg and circled around his back and stab my sword with ablaze. "I cannot keep this up longer. The effects of the bottle would only last for 5 minutes."

He stomped his left feet blowing me away. "Ablaze," I chanted. The minotaur swung his axe diagonally. I jumped and slashed vertically aiming at his right hand. "Aaarghh...!" He then swung his right arm. I used my sword as a shield and I stabbed his right arm and climbed to his right arm running all the way towards his neck.

I tried circling towards the back of his neck but his left arm punched me so hard even with the sword as my shield I got pushed away from the floor. I struggled standing up when I realized his axe was about to hit me.

Clank... I opened my eyes and I saw the back of man. He parried the axe that was about to hit me and the minotaur got pushed back. He glanced back at me. "Hey, are you the Rank-B adventurer, Astralish Zeckonia?" He asked.

"Who are you?" I asked while standing up.

"Reinforcements..." He remarked.