It has been ten days since I pulled a 5-star power and Eve disappeared.
Eve still hadn’t returned. But I couldn’t just sit around waiting, so I was busy doing what I needed to do.
This included commissioning the crafting of a crystal imbued with moonlight, negotiating compensation for damages at the Mage Tower with Benny, and signing up for the raid party upon hearing that the Guardian of the Second Floor had appeared.
Perhaps Morgana’s incident had left quite an impact, as I poked Lydia’s side, who seemed to be sticking to me everywhere I went lately, and asked, “Lydia! Lydia!”
“Hmm? Are you hungry? If you eat out now, Ellie will be upset.”
“I guess so. She always prepares something unless I say I’m eating out. But that’s not why I called you, I’m curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about the Guardian of the Second Floor.”
“Oh.”
Compared to me, Morgana was an immense powerhouse. The only reason I managed to take her down was sheer luck; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to touch a hair on her even if there were hundreds of me.
Still, I defeated Morgana, and the labyrinth recognized this achievement.
On top of that, with the growth acceleration effect of Basilieus, I made astounding progress. …I could already transition to the Third Floor anytime I wanted.
Hunting more monsters on the Second Floor would hardly increase my stats. Yet the reason I hadn’t moved to the Third Floor was simple.
I had to defeat the boss first.
The Guardian of the Second Floor was not marked as a confirmed power-gaining target, like the one on the First Floor, but…
At least it gives me a chance to roll for a power gacha. This is something given only to the adventurer who first defeats the guardian, so should it be called a single roll?
Swallowing that thought, I opened my mouth.
“I know the Guardian of the Second Floor is a Minotaur. But I’m not clear on what kind of monster it actually is. Lydia, you must have fought it. What was it like?”
“Minotaur? It’s a monster with a bull’s head and a human body. Strong.”
“I know how it looks. I’m curious about how strong it is and how it fights.”
“Hmm. What do you mean by how?”
After a moment of thought, Lydia slowly opened her mouth.
“First, you know that a monster was once an intelligent being or a regular plant or animal, right?”
“Of course. To eat at the Temple, that much is basic knowledge.”
“Yep. So what do you think happens when a non-ordinary being is devoured by madness?”
“…A strong monster?”
“Half right, half wrong. Being strong doesn’t make something special. What makes an existence special is its achievements.”
“Achievements….”
Now that I think about it, achievements are valued highly in the labyrinth. Perhaps for the gods, achievements aren’t just mere honors that are long remembered.
“War breeds heroes. And the Minotaur was one of them.”
“Uh… So it’s super strong, right? If gods die on the battlefield, it can’t possibly be a mere Second Floor level.”
“Maybe in its prime. The Minotaur was quite the famous hero, and there are still records of that. Jonah might be able to check it out at the guild library…”
“Ugh. When will I ever go back there? Just tell me, Lydia. I want to hear it in your voice.”
“…No being cute.”
Thwap!
After nuzzling my shoulder a bit too much, I got a light slap on the head. How unfair. She can stick to me, but I can’t do the same.
As I grumbled inwardly, Lydia shook her head and continued explaining.
“The War of Annihilation is a fierce and prolonged conflict. Many races were wiped out because of it.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
So, there were episodes where you could find traces of extinct races while traversing the labyrinth. The mysteries of ancient races are a given, right?
“Saying this another way, the races that survived until after the War of Annihilation had their own strategies. They either made the right connections, had inherent strengths, or a great hero was born… And the Bull Beastmen fit all three.”
The Bull Beastmen are typically large, with great strength and endurance. Excluding the beast-type animals, their natural fighting prowess ranks high.
They might be a bit lacking in magical talent, but that’s a common issue among all beastmen, so it’s not too glaring.
Still, they couldn’t evade the flames of the War of Annihilation… Instead of jumping into the war, they sought refuge in the domain of the Earth God, which was rumored to be safe.
Ultimately, this decision proved correct. The Earth God survived until the very end of the war.
Anyway, having arrived at the Earth God’s domain, they managed to live peacefully for a while…
However, the Earth God had survived, but he wasn’t out of the line of fire.
He needed to protect himself from constant external assaults, and thus various races dug tunnels and built underground shelters, fervently praying to the Earth God.
They begged him to protect them from the wicked invaders.
At first, the Earth God was indifferent, but perhaps unable to ignore their desperation, he bestowed his blessing upon the one with the most outstanding qualities and made him his apostle.
“That person was the hero Asterios from the Bull Beastmen.”
With his feet firmly planted on the ground, Asterios had endless stamina, a rock-solid body, tremendous strength that could overturn mountains, and he came equipped with high-quality steel armor.
He was formidable.
Whenever he blocked a narrow tunnel alone, even an army could be crushed in return.
Thanks to his defense, the tunnel gradually widened to a level worthy of being called a labyrinth.
Yet, no matter how strong a hero is, they cannot escape the effects of time.
Eventually, the limit of lifespan came for Asterios, who had long been maintained in youthful vigor by powerful blessings.
His waist bent, muscles shrank, and his proud horns dulled and cracked.
Just as Asterios was beginning to step down from his role as protector and take a rest… sadly, he was out of luck.
On the last day he patrolled the labyrinth as a guardian, the God of Madness was annihilated, scattering his last curse across the world.
Though he was in a secure part protected by the Earth God’s power, he couldn’t avoid the curse as he routinely patrolled the outer areas to fend off intruders.
His weary soul from years of battle and aging body were helpless against it. Eventually, he was consumed by madness and turned into a monster.
Asterios, who had the typical appearance of a bull beastman with human features—bull horns, ears, and tail—transformed into the visage of a bipedal bull.
His reason blurred, losing the power of speech he had spent his life honing.
Yet, he regained the strength of his youth… and never forgot the duty of guarding the labyrinth.
The problem was that he couldn’t distinguish between intruders and those he had to protect.
Having been steeped in madness, Asterios began to destroy everything he had spent his life protecting.
The half-completed underground city, the neighbors he had lived with for over a hundred years, even his kin.
All of these must have appeared to Asterios as loathsome invaders.
By the time the Earth God, who had been fending off other monsters consumed by madness, belatedly realized the anomaly, it was already too late.
Close to half of the worshippers were dead, the carefully constructed city had collapsed, and his most cherished champion had turned into a monster.
Sorrowfully, the Earth God rushed to isolate Asterios.
According to the will of the god, the land crumbled and stitched itself back together, reshaping the terrain.
The half-destroyed city and survivors were evacuated to the surface, while Asterios was sealed deep underground along with the labyrinth leading to the city.
However, unable to bring himself to kill the champion with his own hands, the Earth God recalled all of his blessings and made the labyrinth completely inaccessible.
Survivors, who could no longer call him by the brilliant name of the fallen hero, named him Minotaur after his originating tribe and respected the Earth God’s choice.
Well, in the end, the Earth God couldn’t find a way to lift the curse of madness and was buried alongside Asterios in… the Pangrave.
“That’s the Minotaur. A bull-headed monster with immense toughness and strength.”
“…What a sad story.”
This was something I didn’t know either. Naturally, who would establish detailed backstories for a monster that may or may not appear in a novel that hasn’t even had its first chapter written yet?
All I knew was that the god buried on the Second Floor was the Earth God and how they happened to create labyrinth-like tunnels.
So, seeing it all the more vividly felt significant. There’s always something sweet about stories that are fleshed out in ways I’ve never known.
However, I had to ask the right questions.
“So, what’s its weakness?”
“…That’s the first question you ask after hearing this story?”
“Well, the Second Floor’s Minotaur isn’t the real Asterios, and even if it were, it remains an enemy to be fought and defeated, right? I want to make it as easy as possible.”
“Haah.”
With a deep sigh, Lydia shook her head.
“Since it’s Jonah asking… Well, its weakness should be pretty straightforward. Asterios fought throughout his life in narrow tunnels. In other words, he’s weak in open-field battles.”
“Are you saying I should gang up on him in a cave?”
“Yeah. Once the raid party is set, the Guild will provide more details. As for other weaknesses… probably magic.”
Since he can’t wield weapons, he’s vulnerable to long-range attacks. But due to his sturdy nature, physical attacks are less effective, she said.
“Got it. Just not getting too close or directly in his line of sight should be fine. As I mentioned, he mainly fought in tunnels, so his ability to break through in open spaces is incredible.”
“Wait, if the weakness is long-range magic, how do we handle close combat?”
“Body protection?”
“……”
The world of adventurers seems rather unforgiving.
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