Chapter 54 - Captain Orsted
The first wave of Minotaurs that the group faced today was not large—only seven.
Orsted took down five of them single-handedly.
He left the remaining two for Tifa, Lili, and Naaza to handle.
Along the way, Orsted had already gauged Tifa's strength.
Although dealing with a single Minotaur was somewhat challenging for her, it was still manageable.
With caution, killing a Minotaur shouldn't pose a problem.
The other Minotaur was handled by Lili and Naaza together.
Lili wasn't a match for a Minotaur on her own, but with Naaza supporting her, it wasn't an issue.
Even with this arrangement, Orsted kept an eye on both battles.
As for the Minotaurs Orsted took on?
Before his rank up, he could kill several Minotaurs at once with Sun Breathing alone.
Now, having ranked up and gained Eternal Arms Mastery, it was even easier.
Compared to before, Orsted had essentially swapped muskets for cannons, and killing five Minotaurs in seconds was child's play.
Tifa had little experience fighting dungeon monsters like these.
The weaker monsters they'd encountered earlier were easy for her to defeat, so her inexperience hadn't been apparent.
But now, facing a Minotaur that matched her strength, Tifa's weakness became clear.
Lacking experience with these monsters, she was very passive during the fight.
However, Orsted could see that Tifa was adapting quickly.
She went from being chased and battered by the Minotaur to fighting back and landing hits on it.
Lili and Naaza, on the other hand, didn't share this flaw.
Though neither was as strong as a Minotaur, they had plenty of experience fighting monsters.
Plus, Naaza was clever.
Together, they had no trouble dealing with their Minotaur.
When the Minotaur targeted Lili, Naaza shot an arrow at it, dealing damage and drawing its attention.
Then it was Lili's turn.
As soon as the Minotaur shifted toward Naaza, Lili used sun breathing, pulling its aggression back to her.
Once its focus returned, Lili avoided direct confrontation, instead darting around to provoke its attacks while occasionally striking it herself.
The Minotaur, caught between the two, was completely outmaneuvered.
Orsted was pleased with this and felt reassured.
Though all three performed well, Orsted planned to give them special training once they reached the eighteenth floor, teaching them more skills and techniques for fighting monsters.
As the first and strongest member of the Hestia Familia, Orsted had naturally become its captain.
Guiding the familia to grow stronger was his responsibility.
While Naaza wasn't officially part of the Hestia Familia, she would be traveling with them moving forward, and Orsted had no intention of leaving her out.
Soon, the three finished off their opponents.
"Phew, I'm exhausted, but it feels so rewarding," Lili said, picking up the magic stone that dropped from the Minotaur's remains with a bright smile.
Though she and Naaza had taken it down together, her involvement gave her a strong sense of accomplishment.
This was a Minotaur—something she'd never dared imagine defeating in the past.
"Here." Naaza handed Lili a potion.
"Thanks!" Lili accepted it without hesitation, offering her gratitude before drinking it down.
Orsted had invited Naaza to join the team because of her skill in crafting potions.
Since she handled the group's supply, there was no reason to refuse her offer.
Naaza nodded slightly, then took the remaining potions and approached Tifa, handing her a bottle.
"Thank you, Naaza," Tifa said, accepting it with a smile.
Unlike Lili, she didn't drink it right away. Instead, she examined it curiously.
"Is something wrong?" Naaza asked gently, noticing Tifa's reaction.
"No, it's just my first time seeing a potion like this. I'm curious about it," Tifa explained before opening the bottle and drinking it all.
"If you're interested in potions, we can talk about it sometime," Naaza offered, slightly surprised by Tifa's curiosity.
"Really?" Tifa's eyes lit up.
"Yes," Naaza confirmed with a nod.
"Thank you so much, Naaza!" Tifa exclaimed, overjoyed, and hugged Naaza excitedly. Naaza patted her back gently, and Tifa quickly released her.
Naaza then walked over to Orsted.
"Here, Orsted."
Despite having just seen him dispatch five Minotaurs effortlessly without expending much energy or taking damage, she still offered him a potion.
She'd prepared it beforehand to restore stamina and heal injuries.
Orsted didn't refuse. He took it but didn't drink it, slipping it into his pocket instead.
"I'll have it later," he said.
The group rested briefly, and then resumed their journey.
Along the way, they defeated more Minotaurs and collected various materials, eventually reaching the safe zone on the eighteenth floor.
"I'm all sweaty. Tifa, Naaza, let's go take a bath!"
As soon as they arrived, Lili tossed her backpack to Orsted, grabbed Tifa and Naaza by the hands, and dashed into the forest.
Orsted watched their retreating figures with a faint smile before picking up the backpack and following behind.
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