Dangerous, can’t take it head-on.
Isaac sensed danger. His body reacted before his mind, abandoning the struggle. He kicked hard against the ground, launching himself backward at high speed.
A massive roar exploded as a fist smashed into the earth. Shattered stones flew everywhere, and Isaac, being the closest to the Minotaur, was struck by a hail of flying debris, sparks scattering on impact.
However, the armor he wore was clearly no ordinary item. Mere stones didn’t affect him at all.
The blow landed with no clear advantage. Isaac no longer felt the overwhelming strength he had when crushing regular Third-Tier magic beasts on the way here.
In fact, he even felt a faint sense of being suppressed.
On the other hand, Krexia showed no intention of unleashing high-tier magic to attempt a kill. According to current information, there should be another magic beast in the cave yet to appear.
Another reason was the lingering sensation of being watched, which made her uneasy.
The feeling of knowing someone was tailing you, unclear about their purpose and unable to pinpoint their position, was like having ants crawling all over your body.
It kept her constantly on guard, unable to relax for a moment.
“Ko-san, can you help me locate that guy?”
Krexia decided to seek Coutia’s help.
But at this moment, Coutia seemed busy with something else and showed no intention of responding.
“Tsk…”
After all, she was here as an invited guest. It wasn’t proper to slack off entirely, so she still occasionally cast a Third-Tier magic for some light damage.
Of course, she wouldn’t directly consume her own Magic Power.
Out of caution, she kept a [Substitute Straw Doll] in hand, just in case the hidden stalker decided to launch a surprise attack.
This prickling feeling on her back was very unpleasant.
Although she had two Magic Scrolls prepared, they were expensive, so she decided to save them for emergencies.
While she was pondering, Isaac had already clashed with the Bull-headed Monster again.
Anna had apparently cast some kind of buff on him, as Isaac was now starting to gain the upper hand against the Minotaur.
Relying on his smaller size and relative agility, every time Isaac traded blows with the Minotaur, he would quickly shift positions, striking from tricky angles and leaving fresh wounds on the creature’s thick hide with his Greatsword.
At the same time, the Mages poured their efforts into attacking the Minotaur. Though the damage was limited, they managed to hinder it from using its horns for magic attacks.
The Minotaur grew weaker as the battle wore on. Soon, its body was covered in wounds, and crimson bull blood flowed across the ground from deep and shallow gashes.
The Battle Axe in its hands became battered and worn from repeated clashes with the Greatsword, its inferior quality exposed.
“So, how should this be divided, equally?”
Krexia muttered, mentally calculating the possible share of rewards from the kill, all while continuously casting Third-Tier magic.
All sorts of offensive spells bombarded the Minotaur, her rapid chanting astonishing the surrounding Mages.
If this were a party-based game, her team damage contribution would probably be second-highest.
There was a strong frontliner carrying the fight up ahead.
As for the other frontline members?
Unable to take damage or deal enough themselves, they could only stand on the edges as lookouts, guarding against surprise attacks from other magic beasts.
It was still somewhat useful.
The Minotaur grew desperate, wanting to break through to the Mage formation and eliminate these annoying flies, but Isaac blocked its path with flawless defense.
Every time it tried to force its way through, the iron-clad Isaac stood in the way, and the Greatsword would slash down relentlessly.
And so the cycle repeated.
After several more rounds, the Minotaur finally lost its last sliver of strength. The gleaming sword flashed, a spray of blood followed, and the massive bull head was sliced off as easily as cutting tofu.
A pillar of blood erupted from the neck, and a rain of blood fell from above as the giant body collapsed.
The battle ended.
Isaac looked uncertainly at the blown-apart Mithril Mine.
The Mages’ earlier report mentioned two magic beasts, so he had kept an eye on the cave throughout the fight.
Yet, until the Minotaur died, the second beast never showed itself.
“That went smoothly.”
Anna approached the Minotaur’s corpse and, as before, touched it to extract a trace of Magic Power, gathering it at her fingertips.
She examined it briefly.
The nature of the Magic Power was different—it was not the same as that lingering on the corpses of the beasts they’d encountered earlier. There were other mutated creatures here.
However, she sensed the same energy fluctuation within the Magic Power, indicating that the source of their mutation was indeed the same.
“Good work, everyone.”
Anna dispelled the Magic Power from her hand, collected samples of the Minotaur’s blood, and took valuable magic materials like the Magic Crystal and Minotaur Horn from the body.
“Once we return, these magic materials will be sent to the Adventurer Association and Mage Guild, all converted to gold at the price of Fifth-tier Magic Materials and split evenly among everyone.”
“The same will apply to the elimination of other mutated magic beasts later.”
At Anna’s announcement, the Adventurers’ faces lit up with excitement.
Fifth-tier Magic Materials!
Even a single Fifth-tier Magic Crystal could sell for anywhere from 100 to 170 gold coins.
Add the 100 gold bounty for slaying a mutated magic beast, and even after splitting, each person would earn a hefty sum.
“Of course, if someone manages to slay a Fourth-tier mutated magic beast solo, as per the usual rules, they get to keep the entire reward for themselves.”
As she spoke, Anna glanced at Krexia with a smile.
Clearly, the message was meant for Krexia alone.
During the battle, she had witnessed Krexia’s masterful control over magic and her extensive spell repertoire.
However, Krexia had never used a Fourth-tier spell the entire time—possibly slacking off a bit.
With such power shown in the very first battle, what kind of combat ability would Krexia possess, as a Mage who had soloed two Fourth-tier mutated magic beasts?
Anna was very curious.
Isaac, meanwhile, remained vigilant toward the direction of the Mithril Mine, silent after the battle.
Even he could sense the faint, lingering magic fluctuations, but with the monsters inside refusing to appear, he couldn’t be sure of their motives.
Krexia, being singled out, felt a bit awkward.
It’s not like she was deliberately holding back—someone was watching her, after all.
But why did it feel like everyone knew to tempt her with money?
I, Krexia, proud child (daughter) of a noble house—could I really be that greedy?
(2/2)