Chapter 27 – Time to Hunt the Minotaur!
Shin Akira stood still, his gaze locked on the towering figure of the Silverback in front of him.
Among the upper Dungeon floors, the Silverback was considered one of the strongest monsters—easily ranking near the top of Level 1 threats.
As a type of simian monster, the Silverback possessed incredible physical strength, terrifying speed, and surprisingly high intelligence for a beast.
In the original story, one such Silverback—enchanted by Freya's charm—had chased Bell Cranel through Orario during Monsterphilia. Despite being weakened before release, the beast had still pushed Bell to the edge. If it hadn't been for the Hestia Knife's divine properties, Bell might not have survived at all.
That incident alone spoke volumes about just how dangerous a Silverback could be.
ROOOOOAAAR!!
With a deafening roar that shook the air, the Silverback sprang into the sky.
For a creature its size, its aerial leap was nothing short of monstrous. The sheer power behind its legs launched its massive body effortlessly.
BOOM!!
It landed directly in the center of the battlefield where the Shadowkhan were clashing with other monsters.
And in that instant, everything beneath its landing zone was crushed—both monsters and shadow soldiers alike were flattened under its feet.
But while normal monsters remained dead, the Shadowkhan were different.
Seconds after being destroyed, they reemerged from nearby shadows, weapons in hand, ready to continue fighting as if nothing had happened.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the Silverback's instincts flared. Its head snapped to the side.
Something small and dark had been launched at it at incredible speed.
Reacting purely on primal reflex, the Silverback jerked its head away just in time—
Shhhk!
—a long spear sliced past its face, missing a vital spot by mere inches. Blood sprayed as the tip tore open its cheek, leaving a nasty gash.
"Tch… So close," Akira muttered, a trace of disappointment in his voice. "If that had hit the brain, it'd be over."
Even an elite monster wouldn't survive a direct hit to the head. No matter how strong, brains were still soft.
RAAARRGHH!!
Enraged, the Silverback let out a furious roar and charged straight toward Akira.
Every stomp crushed lesser monsters that failed to move aside in time.
"Oh? Angry already?" Akira smirked. "Still… compared to that Young Dragon, you're just a big moving target."
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Without a sound, eight Shadowkhan emerged on the Silverback's back.
Being born of darkness, the Shadowkhan could phase through walls, floors, and even cling to the shadows of living beings—including the Silverback itself.
Shk! Shk! Shk!
Eight weapons pierced the Silverback from different angles—buried deep into its flesh.
GRUUOOAAHHH!!
It thrashed violently, pained and enraged. Massive arms flailed, trying to tear the attackers off its back.
But it was futile.
Even if the Shadowkhan were destroyed, they would simply reappear and strike again. A relentless, immortal assault.
And in that chaos—
Slice!
Shin Akira had already closed the distance.
With one swift, clean motion, his blade carved across the Silverback's throat.
Blood gushed like a fountain, soaking the stone floor in deep crimson.
The beast stumbled back, howling in agony, its life draining fast.
Thud...
Moments later, the Silverback's massive body collapsed, then slowly dissolved into a cloud of black mist.
All that remained was a single glowing magic stone—proof of its defeat.
— — —
Compared to the Young Dragon, the Silverback was much easier to deal with.
Its massive size made it powerful, yes—but it also made it easier to hit.
Unlike the dragon, its hide wasn't thick enough to block standard weapons. Akira's blade had no trouble slashing through its neck.
Size didn't always mean superiority. Sometimes, it just made you an easier target.
Still, the battle wasn't over. Dozens of monsters still roamed nearby.
The Shadowkhan returned to their formation, weapons ready.
Akira followed suit.
— — —
Thirty minutes later, the last monster dropped to the ground. The Dungeon floor was littered with magic stones.
Gulp, gulp...
Akira grabbed a water bottle from his pack and drank deeply.
Without caring about the bloodstained floor, he sat down and took a well-earned break.
He let out a long sigh, his thoughts drifting.
"This is just the thirteenth floor... What kind of monsters are waiting below?"
He hadn't even reached the seventeenth yet—the floor ruled by the first true floor boss: Goliath. A terrifying, Level 4 monstrosity.
Only after clearing the seventeenth and reaching the eighteenth—the first safe zone—could one be said to have truly entered the Dungeon's lower levels, starting from floor nineteen.
Everything above floor eighteen was still considered the middle-upper area of the Orario Dungeon.
But below?
That was where the true danger began.
Starting from the eighteenth floor, even the weakest monsters were Level 2. Whereas above, only the strongest monsters ever reached that level.
This was the boundary.
And Akira was about to cross it.
After a brief rest, the Shadowkhan had finished collecting every magic stone on the floor.
Akira rose to his feet and continued his descent.
— — —
Floor Fourteen.
As soon as he arrived, a new wave of monsters emerged.
A pack of orcs—large, brutish, with greasy skin and savage faces—appeared from the shadows.
But there were only a dozen or so. Compared to floor thirteen, this was practically a break.
With precise coordination between Akira and the Shadowkhan, the entire group was eliminated within half an hour.
Any stray monsters that appeared were dealt with swiftly.
Akira noted the difference immediately.
That earlier Silverback encounter had been something special.
Not quite a Monster Parade. Not a Variant. But definitely an unusual incident.
With eight Shadowkhan as his vanguard, Shin Akira pressed onward.
Floor Fifteen.
Floor Sixteen.
He passed through them without much resistance. Even the hellhounds of floor sixteen were dealt with in record time.
And then, finally—
Floor Seventeen.
The walls shimmered with embedded crystals, casting a soft, surreal glow over everything.
The entire atmosphere shifted. Unlike the claustrophobic darkness of the upper floors, this place felt like a serene, alien world.
CRACK!
Without warning, the crystal walls fractured.
From the cracks, monstrous figures emerged—each one taller and broader than a man.
Minotaurs.
Towering, horned beasts infamous for slaughtering adventurers. Level 2 monsters with a terrifying reputation.
MOOOOHHH!!
Their guttural bellows echoed through the air.
Dozens of glowing red eyes fixated on Akira.
And then—they began to move.
Each step made the earth tremble.
Akira chuckled.
"Level 2? Heh… down here, levels don't mean a damn thing."
— — —
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Eight Shadowkhan charged forward, splitting into pairs. Each team targeted a single Minotaur to hold them off.
Only one beast was left without a target.
That one...
...was Akira's.
The same kind of monster that—according to the original tale—had pushed Bell Cranel to his limit and marked his ascension to Level 2.
That alone was enough to prove just how serious this fight was going to be.
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