25-260

EP.260. [Eugene and Charlotte Annihilate the Top-Tier Monster Minotaur.] 

“Oh my goodness...! Oh Lord...!!!” 

The earth shook. Something massive was approaching. The lower-ranked nuns who witnessed it stared wide-eyed, invoking the Lord’s name. 

“Whoa, what the...!!!” 

Eugene Schneider, initially unable to see the source of the tremor due to the mutant golems’ bodies, finally looked up at the looming shadow above and his jaw dropped in shock. 

“Mi-Minotaur!!!” 

Charlotte was the first to shout the monster’s name. Indeed, it was a Minotaur-a monster at the very top tier of high-level monsters, alongside the Drake. 

“-Kwooooooo!!!!” 

As Charlotte called out its name, the Minotaur let out a tremendous, pressure-filled roar toward Eugene’s party. Its upper body, shaped like a bull, stood nearly 15 meters tall-truly mountain-like in scale. 

‘I figured there might be at least one top-tier monster if an Owlbear crossed over, but for it to be a Minotaur?! What the hell is this?!’ 

Eugene’s stunned expression quickly snapped back to focus. He had anticipated the possibility of a top-tier monster crossing over due to the dimensional rift, but according to what he’d heard from Priscilla, the more monsters that crossed, the more the rift’s energy would be depleted, making it less likely for high-energy monsters to appear. He’d monitored the monster increase for days and thought that, at most, a lower-tier top monster might show up. But this Minotaur was far beyond his expectations. 

“Eugene! That thing isn’t wearing the Demon God’s shackles!” 

From about 20 meters behind, Charlotte pointed out a key feature of the Minotaur. 

‘Ah! That’s right! The Minotaur is supposed to wear shackles on both ankles!’ 

Eugene looked at the Minotaur’s thick ankles and, just as Charlotte said, there were no shackles. Normally, Minotaurs empowered by the Demon God wear shackles, which allow them to summon their signature weapon-the Minotaur Axe. 

‘That means it can’t summon its axe!’ 

Apparently, the energy-starved dimensional rift couldn’t transfer the Minotaur’s axe and shackles, so only the monster itself crossed over. 

‘Okay, then-even if it’s tough, I might be able to handle this Minotaur alone. I’m stronger than I was when I fought the Drake, and this one is weaker without its weapon.’ 

With his analysis complete, Eugene’s eyes filled with confidence. If the Minotaur were at full power, even the nuns would have to help, risking casualties. But since its main weapon was missing, Eugene was sure he could take it on himself. 

“Bishop-Nun Charlotte! Please keep the other monsters from interfering! I’ll handle the Minotaur alone!” 

Eugene issued his orders to Charlotte. 

“Understood, Greatsword Eugene! We’ll do our best to keep the monsters from interfering with your fight! Please be careful!” 

Normally, Charlotte would be worried sick about Eugene, but now things were different. Not only was this a public battle situation, but her perception of Eugene had changed. After their night together, she no longer saw him as her gentle little brother, but as a strong, reliable alpha male. She now looked at him with admiration and trust. 

‘I’ll live up to her trust! I’ll prove that I’m not the old Eugene Schneider anymore!’ 

With Charlotte’s trust filling him with motivation, Eugene’s Sword Seeker aura blazed fiercely around his greatsword. 

“-Kwooooooo!!!” 

The Minotaur, not the brightest but with razor-sharp battle instincts, locked eyes with Eugene and roared. 

-Bwaaaaaaah!!!! 

The Minotaur swung its massive right hand. 

-KWAANG!!! 

Its palm, nearly 1.5 meters wide, crashed down with a deafening boom. 

-Sploosh! Splat! Sploosh! 

Between its fingers, dark red blood spurted like a fountain. 

“Grrrrrr...!” 

But the Minotaur looked puzzled. 

“I’m over here, you bastard!” 

Eugene’s presence wasn’t in the Minotaur’s palm. The blood belonged to mutant golem corpses. Eugene had used the wide gaps between the Minotaur’s fingers to leap upward, dodging the attack. 

-THWACK! 

“Definitely dumb! Let’s see just how tough you are!!!” 

Eugene jumped nearly 10 meters high-a feat he couldn’t have managed before. Thanks to his night with Charlotte, his Sword Seeker mana control was at its peak. He began a vertical descent toward the Minotaur, greatsword raised. 

-Bwaaaaaah!!! 

His sword, trailing afterimages, swung down. 

-Slaaaash!!! 

He aimed for the Minotaur’s head, but it dodged by leaning back, so his first strike landed on its forearm. 

“Whoa, shit...” 

The impact was intense. Unlike the Drake, whose skin was toughened by a mana barrier, the Minotaur’s hide itself was incredibly hard. Only Eugene’s mana sparked on impact, showing the Minotaur had no mana shield-just raw, monstrous durability. 

“-Kwoooooo!!!” 

-Vwooooom!!! 

The Minotaur swung its right hand upward to shake Eugene off. 

-THWACK! 

Eugene landed on the ground with perfect balance. 

‘If its skin is that tough, I can’t beat it the same way I did with the Drake...’ 

He eyed the Minotaur, thinking through his options. But instead of looking troubled, he seemed confident. 

‘But I remember what I read in the encyclopedia with Charlotte.’ 

He knew the traits of monsters with armor-like bodies. Mana can make bones and skin as hard as steel, but not every part can be equally tough. There’s always a weak spot where the mana is less concentrated. 

-Bwaaaah! Vwoooom! Bwaaaah! 

-Slaaash! Slash! Fwoosh!! 

“Bishop-Nun Charlotte!” 

The Minotaur swung both hands at Eugene, who dodged using mana footwork and called out to Charlotte. 

“From my attacks, it looks like this Minotaur has armor-type skin! Can you use your scan magic to find its weak spot?” 

While mages are best at finding mana sources, high-level nuns can use holy scan magic for healing, which can also reveal weak points. Eugene asked Charlotte for help. 

“Understood, Greatsword Eugene! I’ll use scan magic right away! Please hold on a little longer!” 

Fwoooooosh...!!!! 

Charlotte activated her holy power. 

Soon after- 

“I found it, Greatsword Eugene!” 

Flash! 

With eyes glowing with holy power, Charlotte announced she had found the Minotaur’s weak point.