Owen grinned as he hovered above the battlefield, his wings spread wide and his golden eyes gleaming with excitement.
Six Bull Men remained, their axes raised. They bellowed at the floating dragon, thinking him an easy target due to his small size.
Owen dove.
He activated [Piercing Dive], but not just as the watered-down version Tomas's Wyvern used. Owen channeled significantly more mana into it, amplifying the skill's output. His entire body became a black and gold missile speeding through the air.
The first Bull Man raised its axe to block.
Owen tore straight through the weapon, shattering the steel blade, then shot clean through the creature's chest. The Bull Man's eyes went wide with shock before it collapsed, a hole remained where its heart used to be.
Owen didn't stop. He twisted mid-flight, redirecting with [Momentum Shift] and shot toward the second Bull Man.
This time, he activated [Shockwave].
He flew into the ground with a devastating force that caused the ground to explode outward in a massive ripple of kinetic energy and debris. Three Bull Men were caught in the blast radius, their legs buckling as the ground beneath them shattered.
Owen landed on one's chest and unleashed [Dragon's Breath] at a point-blank range. Flames consumed the creature's head, reducing it to a charred skull in seconds.
The second fell when Owen's claws tore through its throat, severing its jugular. Blood sprayed across the rocky ground.
The third tried to scramble away, but Owen activated [Shockwave] again, this time smaller and more focused towards a direction. The Bull Man fell into a open hole beneath it and fell into spikes form from the earth.
Two Bull Men remained standing.
They backed away with fear in their eyes. One of them bellowed something in their language, probably a retreat order.
But Owen wasn't interested in letting them escape.
He activated [Compressed Water Stream], the skill he had dismissed earlier as "not fitting his aesthetics." But he had to admit, as a concentrated jet of water shot from his mouth with enough pressure to cut steel, it was effective.
The water stream sliced through the first Bull Man's torso like a blade, bisecting it cleanly. The creature fell in two separate pieces.
The last Bull Man turned to run.
Owen shot forward with another [Piercing Dive], catching it in the back. His claws punched through its spine, and the creature crashed face-first into the ground, dead before it stopped sliding.
Owen landed gracefully, shaking blood off his claws.
The battlefield fell silent.
The entire party stared.
Yuki's mouth hung open. "Owen... what the hell was that?"
Owen puffed out his chest proudly. "Efficient combat tactics, Yuki. You'll learn it soon enough"
Garrick's Giant Komodo Earth Dragon tilted its head, as if confused how something so small had just obliterated six B-Rank monsters in under thirty seconds.
Sera took a step back, her Three-Headed Basilisk hissing nervously. "That... that's not normal."
"holy shit...it replicated our Dragon kins skills?" Tomas's eyes widened.
Odessa's expression was unreadable. She stared at Owen with intense curiosity, her violet eyes narrowing. "Yuki. Your dragon. What exactly is he?"
Yuki forced a nervous laugh. "He's... uh... special?"
"Special doesn't cover it" Odessa said flatly. She walked toward Owen, crouching down to meet his gaze at eye level. "I've been around dragon-kin my entire life. I've seen dozens of them. I've never seen one learn skills just by watching. That's....."
Owen met her stare evenly, saying nothing.
Odessa's expression softened slightly. "Is this what a true dragon is capable of?."
Before Owen could respond or Yuki could deflect, Alfred cleared his throat.
"Madam, perhaps this conversation is best saved for after we clear the dungeon? We're exposed here."
Odessa hesitated, then nodded. "You're right." She stood, turning back to the party. "Everyone, regroup. We're moving to the boss layer."
---
The archway to the third layer was larger than the previous two, carved from black stone and radiating an oppressive aura. The temperature dropped even further as they approached, and the air grew heavy with the scent of blood in the air.
Odessa stopped just before the entrance. "The boss is an A-Rank Minotaur. It's going to be significantly stronger than anything we've faced so far. Alfred and I will tank. Garrick, Sera, Tomas, focus on supporting from range. Yuki, you and Owen...."
"We'll handle whatever breaks through" Yuki finished, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
Odessa smiled. "Good. Stay sharp. This thing hits like a runaway train."
They passed through the archway.
The boss chamber was a massive circular arena, carved entirely from black stone. Bones littered the ground, remnants of previous challengers, both monster and hunter. At the center stood a throne made of skulls and rusted weapons.
And sitting on that throne was the Minotaur.
It was enormous. Easily twelve feet tall, with a body covered in rippling muscles and dark fur. Its bull head bore massive curved horns that glowed like polished obsidian. In one hand, it gripped a war axe the size of a small car. In the other, a spiked chain that dragged across the ground.
Its red eyes locked onto the party.
The Minotaur rose from its throne, the ground shaking with each step.
Alfred raised his shield. "Positions!"
But before anyone could move...
Owen's head snapped to the left, His [Mana Sense] had picked up something.
"Shouldn't you reveal yourselves by now? You've been following us since the first layer. It's getting tiring to pretend." Owen growled as he turned and faced the direction.
The party froze.
Odessa spun around, her hand going to her weapon. "Huh? Yuki, what is he growling about?"
From the shadows at the edge of the arena, six hooded figures emerged. Their dark robes flapped as they stepped into the dim light, and their white skull-designed masks shone ominously.
Alfred cursed. "How did they get past my detection wards?"
Sera's face went pale. "Those masks..."
"What about them?" Garrick asked, his hand tightening on his weapon.
Sera's voice trembled. "I've seen them on the news. They're a criminal organization that's been operating in the shadows for months. Kidnappings and assassinations"
Tomas spat. "Criminals? In a dungeon?"
"There's more" Sera continued, her eyes wide with fear. "The news reports say they're rumored to be sponsored by the Dark Reapers Guild"
The words hung in the air as yuki's felt a shiver run down her spine.
Owen's eyes blazed with fury.
Vonn.
Rogers.
The realization hit them both at the same time.
This wasn't a coincidence. This wasn't random. The Dark Reapers had sent these assassins to capture or kill them inside the dungeon where no one could witness it.
Yuki's hands trembled. "They... they sent them after us."
One of the hooded figures stepped forward, tilting its skull mask slightly. When it spoke, the voice was distorted, and sounded mechanical.
"Yuki Goldberg. You've been quite the entertainment today" The figure gestured lazily toward the Minotaur, which was still watching from its throne, confused by the sudden appearance of more intruders. "We were going to wait until after you exhausted yourselves fighting the boss. But since you've detected us..."
The figure's hand moved to a weapon at its side. "We'll just have to take you now."
The other five hooded figures spread out, surrounding the party.
Odessa's Azure Sky Dragon coiled protectively around her. "You've made a mistake coming here."
The lead figure laughedz a cold, hollow sound. "Have we?"
Behind them, the Minotaur roared.
The chamber shook.
Yuki and Owen stood back-to-back, surrounded by enemies on all sides.