**Chapter 6: The Logic of Blood**
The Minotaur roared—a sound of pure, ragged fury mixed with pain. It struggled to rise, its chest caved in where the "gravity-gravel" had struck.
Zayne didn't give it a second to breathe.
He was already moving. Without mana for *Shadow Step*, he relied on his raw stats. 30 Agility made him a blur. He didn't run; he flowed, closing the twenty-meter gap in two heartbeats.
He didn't aim for the head. The skull was too thick.
He didn't aim for the legs. Too risky if it kicked.
He aimed for the wound.
The shattered ribs had torn open the beast's metallic skin, exposing the wet, red muscle underneath.
*Shk. Shk. Shk.*
Zayne stabbed three times in less than a second.
[Effect Triggered: Bleed.]
[Effect Triggered: Bleed.]
[Effect Triggered: Bleed.]
[-15 HP]
[-15 HP]
[-15 HP]
The damage numbers were small, but the status icon above the Boss's head changed.
[Status: Hemorrhage (Stack x3)]
[HP Loss: 15 per second.]
The Minotaur screamed and swatted at its chest. Zayne ducked under the massive hand, sliding through the mud between the beast's legs. As he slid, he dragged the *Fang of the Alpha* across the inner thigh—another weak point.
*Rip.*
[Effect Triggered: Bleed (Stack x4).]
"Get away from it!" Zayne shouted, not out of concern, but command.
A few survivors, emboldened by the Boss being down, had started to charge in with their wooden clubs and rusty swords. They wanted the XP. They wanted the glory.
The Minotaur, blind with rage, spun around. It couldn't catch the flea biting it, so it targeted the ants approaching it.
It swung its axe in a massive 360-degree arc.
*SPLAT.*
Three survivors were instantly turned into red mist. The others froze, terror seizing their legs.
"Idiots," Zayne muttered.
He used their distraction. While the Minotaur was recovering from the swing, Zayne jumped onto its back. He dug his fingers into the coarse fur, climbing like a spider.
The Minotaur thrashed, bucking wildy like a rodeo bull.
[Stamina: 45%]
It was hard to hold on. Zayne's muscles burned.
"Just a little more," he hissed.
He reached the nape of the neck. The skin here was thick, steel-like. But Zayne knew anatomy. The spine connected to the skull *somewhere*.
He reversed his grip on the dagger.
[Void Sovereign: Analysis.]
[Target Point identified: C2 Vertebrae gap.]
[Precision required: 100%.]
The Minotaur threw its head back, trying to crush Zayne against its own spine.
Zayne didn't dodge. He let the impact happen, using the force to drive his body downward. He jammed the sword into the tiny gap between the helmet-like skull and the shoulder plates.
*Crunch.*
The blade sank in to the hilt.
The Minotaur went rigid. Its eyes bulged.
[Critical Hit!]
[-300 HP]
It wasn't enough to kill it instantly. The Boss still had 800 HP left. But the blade was stuck in its nervous system.
[Status: Paralyzed (3 seconds).]
Zayne let go of the hilt and backflipped off the beast, landing safely on the ground.
"Bleed out," he whispered.
The Minotaur stood frozen, a statue of rage. Its health bar began to tick down rapidly as the bleed stacks compounded with the critical injury.
700...
650...
600...
Suddenly, the paralysis broke. The Minotaur let out a gurgling roar. Its skin turned red.
[Warning: Boss has entered "Berserk" State.]
[Attack +50%. Speed +50%. Defense -100%.]
It abandoned its axe. It dropped to all fours, charging at Zayne like a rabid dog. It was fast. Faster than Zayne.
"He's going to die!" Kang shouted from the sidelines.
Zayne stood still. He had no weapon (it was stuck in the beast's neck). He had 0 Mana.
He watched the monster rushing him.
*30 meters.*
*20 meters.*
*10 meters.*
Zayne reached into his pocket. He pulled out the only other item he had bought from the shop. A small, glass vial filled with a green liquid.
[Item: Low-Grade Acid Flask]
[Cost: 10 Coins.]
He didn't throw it. He held it in his hand.
When the Minotaur was two meters away, jaws wide open to bite his head off, Zayne stepped *forward*.
He thrust his hand—and the flask—directly into the monster's open mouth.
*Crunch.*
The beast bit down on Zayne's arm.
[-80 HP]
[Warning: Right Arm fractured.]
But it also crushed the glass vial.
The acid exploded inside the Minotaur's throat, burning through the soft tissue, the esophagus, and the lungs instantly.
*GAAHHHH!*
The beast recoiled, gagging, smoke pouring from its mouth. It collapsed, thrashing in agony as its insides melted.
Zayne fell to his knees, clutching his broken arm. His face was pale, but his eyes were victorious.
[HP: 20/140]
The Minotaur convulsed one last time, and then... went still.
[You have slain the Floor 1 Boss: Steel-Skin Minotaur.]
[Calculating Rewards...]
*Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!*
A pillar of golden light shot into the sky, blinding everyone.
[Achievement Unlocked: The First Slayer.]
[Achievement Unlocked: The Soloist (Boss Grade).]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Zayne ignored the pain in his arm. He ignored the cheers that were starting to erupt from the survivors who realized they were alive.
He stared at the golden chest that materialized over the Boss's corpse.
It wasn't a normal chest. It was pulsing with a rainbow light.
"S-Rank," Zayne breathed.
He walked over, his right arm hanging limp, and kicked the chest open with his left hand.
[You have obtained: 5,000 Coins.]
[You have obtained: Minotaur's Horn (Crafting Material).]
[You have obtained: Skill Book - "Titan's Strength" (Passive).]
[You have obtained: The Key to the Inner Tower.]
Zayne grabbed the skill book instantly.
[Skill: Titan's Strength (Passive)]
[Effect: Increases Strength by 20%. Grants resistance to knockback effects.]
"Learn."
The book dissolved. Strength flooded his body. His broken arm throbbed, the bones knitting together slightly faster due to the vitality boost from leveling up.
[Current Level: 12]
"Well, well, well!"
Ticket the Pixie descended from the sky, clapping its tiny hands.
"I expected a massacre, but you monkeys actually killed it! And *you*..." Ticket flew right up to Zayne's face, grinning. "You're a scary one, aren't you?"
Zayne stared at the Admin. "My reward for the hidden objective?"
Ticket's smile faltered. "Tch. You know about that too? Fine."
Ticket snapped its fingers.
A black card materialized in Zayne's hand.
[Item: Black Market Vip Card]
[Description: Grants access to the underground shop in the City of Beginnings.]
"Now!" Ticket shouted to the crowd. "The Tutorial is over! A portal will open in 10 seconds to transport you to the City of Beginnings. Try not to die on the first day!"
A massive blue swirl opened behind the dead Minotaur.
The survivors hesitated, looking at Zayne. They wanted to thank him. They wanted to follow him.
"Hey!" Kang stepped forward, limping. "What's your name? We should stick toge—"
Zayne didn't answer. He didn't look back.
He stepped into the portal and vanished.
He had a head start. And he intended to keep it.