"Minotaur."
Normally, this kind of monster only existed in the middle floors of the Dungeon, yet here it was—extremely rare—on the 5th floor.
The moment Liang Yue spotted the massive figure of the monster in the distance—
"Holy crap!"
"A bull!"
His pupils shrank sharply, and he couldn't help but blurt out from the depths of his heart. Quickly, he ran through the story beats of the DanMachi world in his head.
It didn't take long for him to recall—when the Loki Familia completed their expedition and were returning to Orario, they had encountered a large number of Minotaurs on the 17th floor.
The herd was enormous, but unable to withstand the Loki Familia's overwhelming might. Naturally, a few Minotaurs had managed to escape.
The exact timing of the original story's events was unclear…
But he had never imagined that on his very first Dungeon dive, he'd stumble right into such a pivotal plot point.
If he didn't want to fight the Minotaur in front of him…
…he would just have to hold out until "Sword Princess" Ais Wallenstein arrived for backup. But watching the beast stride toward him—
"…Should I try it?"
Liang Yue didn't retreat. Instead, both hands tightened around the hilt of his single‑edged sword, a bold idea sprouting in his mind.
Like the Sword Soul in the game, who saw swordsmanship as his life's love—
Liang Yue probably couldn't go that far, but he knew this: if he wanted to become truly strong, he could not run from danger.
A Minotaur was powerful.
At the very least, an ordinary Lv2 adventurer couldn't take it down easily. But now that he had fully mastered Inner Swordsmanship, maybe… just maybe… he could test himself.
As for the result—
"Can I win?"
For some reason, a certain famous anime scene from his past life popped into his mind. His rare serious demeanor almost cracked into a grin.
There was only one way to find out.
"I will win!"
Striking first could seize the initiative. Liang Yue had no intention of playing defense. He studied the oncoming beast carefully.
Its body was even larger than an average adult's, every muscle standing out in sharp relief.
Blood‑red eyes glinted with brutality, and when they locked onto the armed human ahead, the Minotaur pounded its fists against its chest, unleashing a deafening roar.
"MOOO!!"
Then it charged, pounding across the cavern floor, intent on ripping the human before it to shreds.
The beast was fast—
—but for Liang Yue, this was a two‑way charge. The Minotaur's combat style was brutal, its fists its primary weapons.
That made its attacks slower.
If his sword qi could pierce the monster's defense, then victory was possible. Stepping forward, he rushed to meet the charging Minotaur head‑on.
Gripping his sword tight, he let his dense sword intent flow—not visible on the blade, but coursing purely through his body, his aura naturally formed.
Compared to the full‑speed Minotaur—
—Liang Yue still held the advantage in speed. Seeing the beast raise its arms for a massive blow, he swung in a sharp horizontal slash.
A burst of razor‑edged sword qi erupted forth.
It shot straight at the Minotaur's abdomen, and despite the gap in their levels, its overwhelming cutting power shredded through its defense—
—leaving a deep, ghastly wound across its belly. Blood sprayed in an arc.
Roaring in pain, the Minotaur abandoned its charge and brought both fists down toward Liang Yue.
But here, Inner Swordsmanship's versatility shone.
With the extended attack range granted by sword qi, Liang Yue simply stepped back out of reach.
The Minotaur's strike slammed into the dry cavern floor, sending cracks spider‑webbing outward and clouds of dust billowing up, obscuring its vision.
"…Yeah, this thing's no joke."
Even Liang Yue had to click his tongue. If he'd taken that blow head‑on, he'd probably be getting a /remake right now.
But that was all.
Though the dust cloud hid its eyes, the Minotaur's massive frame was impossible to miss. Liang Yue seized the moment.
Launching into Inner Swordsmanship's opening stance, he struck again—this time at the monster's comparatively fragile shoulder‑neck area, cutting past its hide.
He drove his blade with full force toward its neck.
The moment it hit the Minotaur's spine, the jarring recoil sent pain shooting through his grip, but even so—
—the beast's head flew free.
Blood splattered across the walls and his gray‑brown cloak. Even headless, the Minotaur tried to struggle, but its massive body soon collapsed and dissolved into ash.
「Exp +327」
"…Tch."
"These things are tough to kill."
As the adrenaline drained from his system, a magic stone dropped to the ground. He felt the exhaustion wash over him—but as a true battle fanatic, Liang Yue's smile was pure.
Elsewhere on the 5th floor, a girl in a silver breastplate walked the tunnels, glancing left and right as if searching for something.
Her golden hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders, her beauty rivaling that of a goddess, her presence like a fairy out of an epic.
Ais Wallenstein.
After the Familia's expedition, they had encountered a massive herd of Minotaurs on the 17th floor.
Her companions were busy clearing them out—
—but several monsters had still escaped, heading upward toward the Dungeon's upper floors.
Following the captain's orders, and knowing it was the Familia's mistake, Ais had set out to hunt them down.
A monster of that strength could pose a huge threat to ordinary adventurers.
So she searched with utmost care, not even skipping dead‑end passages. Unfortunately, the winding layout made progress slow, and she had yet to find anything.
"MOOO!!"
"…!"
The Minotaur's roar reached her ears. Having joined the Loki Familia from childhood and risen to Lv5 with unmatched speed for a human, Ais's combat experience was second to none.
Even distorted by the twisting tunnels, she instantly pinpointed the location of the battle.
An adventurer had engaged the monster.
Her lithe figure darted through the maze, her golden hair fluttering behind her. Her sole thought was to prevent the Minotaur from harming anyone else.
"I need to move faster."
Her face, cold as an iceberg, didn't change—but her soft murmur carried a note of worry.
Turning a final corner into a long, straight passage, she saw it—
The Minotaur. And… a boy.
An adventurer, likely one who normally operated in the upper floors.
Drawing the weapon at her waist—the Desperate—she prepared to swiftly end this mess her Familia had left behind.
But the battle that unfolded next caught her completely off guard.
The boy moved with agility, slipping past the Minotaur's blows. The sword aura flowing from him was raw yet unpolished, like a treasure blade still unsharpened.
An utterly unfamiliar sword style—every swing carrying a slash of sword qi.
"…Hm?"
"This is…"
Witnessing it firsthand, the icy stillness on her beautiful face seemed frozen in place, but in her dazzling golden eyes… a hint of curiosity appeared.
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