Chapter 25

The Marquess Family's Magic Genius - Chapter 25 (25/324)

25

As the iron gate opened, the scene inside began to reveal itself.

The interior was quite spacious.

Unlike the dim mine tunnel, it was filled with torches.

Immediately, my companions and I began to look around, searching for the owner of this place.

It didn't take long to find him.

'There he is.'

A massive steel throne in the center of the square.

The Minotaur was seated there.

Soon, the creature on the throne turned to look at us.

'Human... human...'

A giant halberd lay beside the throne.

Holding the halberd in one hand, the Minotaur slowly began to rise.

The creature was incredibly large.

'About 4 meters tall, I guess?'

Indeed, as a boss monster in the dungeon, it was much larger than the average ones, which were usually around 2.7 meters tall.

"Ersiel."

"Yes, young master."

"Support Leonhardt."

"I will."

Seeing Leonhardt, I cast a support spell without hesitation.

Haste.

Mental Cleansing.

Though they were 1st Circle spells, their effects were significant, wrapping around his body.

With the light of Ashiris touching his body, his gaze became even more resolute, as if even the slightest waver in his heart had completely disappeared.

Soon, an aura began to rise from his sword. Perhaps due to the power of the spirits, it gained a light attribute.

The Minotaur's aura was mixed with a white light.

Light attributes are quite effective against monsters, so it would be a great help in hunting this bull-headed creature.

'Kill... kill...'

Lifting the 3-meter-long halberd, the bull-headed monster began to charge towards us.

Boom!

Boom!

Wow.

Even at a glance, the creature, which looked to weigh over a ton, was quite threatening.

It was like a massive truck charging at us.

"I'm going."

With those words, Leonhardt quickly rushed forward.

'I need to help if there's an opening.'

I couldn't keep up with the movements of the bull-headed monster and Leonhardt, but I had accumulated a lot of practical experience over many years.

Just like the viscount I sent to the afterlife last time, it's not difficult to interfere at crucial moments.

Whoosh!

Soon, the giant halberd swung towards my bodyguard. Though it didn't carry mana, the attack was incredibly threatening due to its speed and power.

A mid-level knight would have found it difficult to dodge such a fierce attack.

But Leonhardt was different.

He deftly deflected the halberd with his sword and immediately moved to slash at the creature's legs.

It was a perfect strike.

Roar!

Was it because of the bleeding ankle?

A furious roar echoed.

The two monsters began to clash.

'So tough.'

Even with my enhanced magic, it was impossible to pierce the creature's hide.

Of course, if I used the real game's mechanics, I could penetrate the hide, but...

'Then dizziness would be the problem.'

The dizzying sensation that comes with mana exhaustion.

If the bull-headed creature charged at me in that situation, it would be a surefire way to die.

The solution was simple.

Instead of the hide, I needed to target the creature's vulnerable spots.

The best spell for this situation would be...

'Magic Missile.'

Soon, three magic missiles appeared in my hand.

The pure mana in the circle filled the blue missiles.

The three missiles raced towards the creature's eyes.

Enraged by the pain from the severed ankle, the bull-headed monster fiercely swung its halberd at Leonhardt.

And my bodyguard skillfully dodged the attack.

If I could create an opening, he would attack on his own.

As the missiles secretly flew, they aimed for the Minotaur's eyes.

Moo!

The creature hastily closed its eyes.

The magic missiles couldn't penetrate the skin around its eyes, but that didn't matter. The important thing was that the creature closed its eyes.

Leonhardt, a skilled knight even among experts, wouldn't miss this opportunity.

He moved rapidly, leaving only a faint afterimage, and then...

Swish!

He left a large gash on the creature's muscular chest.

The chest, now bleeding profusely, looked seriously injured.

'Human...!'

The creature, clutching its chest, turned its gaze towards me. It seemed the aggro had shifted to me.

'He's thinking clearly.'

The knight, heavily buffed by Ersiel and me, judged that he couldn't catch me with his speed. So, he decided to tear me apart first.

I smiled when our eyes met.

Come on, then.

After all, as a mage, I couldn't always just cast spells from a distance.

Sometimes, enemies would stick to me.

Did my smile irritate him?

The red-eyed bull-headed human began to charge towards me.

"Y-Young master?"

"Move to the side. It's an order."

I pointed the direction for the maid behind me to move, then immediately charged at the creature.

"Y-Young master! Watch out!"

The knight, who had stabbed the creature from behind, urgently shouted.

Despite the deep wound in one of its legs from the mana-infused sword, the bull-headed human ignored it and continued to charge at me, like a bull seeing a red cloth.

Is it because it's a monster?

It was a truly mindless creature.

Of course, I had no intention of taking that charge head-on.

However, dodging such a mindless charge requires skill.

I quickly began to cast spells as the creature charged.

The first spell was Magic Missile.

I shot three missiles at the creature's eyes and immediately prepared the second spell.

'Faster.'

Dodging the creature's charge wasn't something I could do easily.

If I ran, it would naturally chase me in the direction I fled.

Dodging by running was impossible.

So, I needed to seal the creature's movements with magic.

Perhaps due to the mana channels, double casting wasn't difficult.

I could cast Lightning while controlling the Magic Missiles.

As soon as the lightning formed in my right hand, I threw it without hesitation.

Crack!

The white lightning aimed directly at the creature's ankle, where Leonhardt had inflicted a wound.

With the thick hide already pierced, the creature would feel the full force of the electric shock.

'One more.'

Adding one more spell would be perfect.

Triple casting.

It seemed possible.

Focusing my mind, I drew mana from the circle and cast another spell.

Because I had cast three spells simultaneously, my head was quite dizzy.

'Phew.'

If I hadn't prepared my upper body in advance, triple casting would have been impossible.

The flow of mana in my body would have been much slower. But now, with my body's characteristics somewhat overcome, it was possible.

The third spell I cast was Grease.

A spell that reduces friction on the ground, making it slippery.

Using a hybrid activation method, the slipperiness would be doubled.

'Let's see.'

The Minotaur's charge.

It can generate immense power and speed in an instant, but once it's dodged, the creature becomes equally powerless.

The charge isn't a technique that can be stopped just because the creature wants to.

The distance between us closed in an instant.

I could clearly see the imposing figure of the giant bull-headed human.

But I felt no fear.

The confidence that I could dodge.

That confidence dominated my mind.

The lightning, which had moved to the creature's ankle, pierced its Achilles tendon.

Crack!

Moo!

With a painful roar, the creature's center of balance began to waver.

It was natural, having taken a direct hit on the deeply wounded ankle.

While the creature's balance was off, the three Magic Missiles raced towards its eyes.

The creature hastily raised its hands to protect its face, but it was futile.

The blue missiles passed through the creature's massive forearms.

The small opening created by the loss of balance.

The small missiles precisely exploited this gap.

Boom!

The sound of three explosions echoed.

The missiles struck the creature's eyelids.

The Minotaur, now right in front of me.

But my final spell had already activated in front of it.

The slippery ground.

The creature's center of balance was violently shaken.

'Now.'

Seeing this, I immediately leaped to the side with all my might.

It would have continued to chase me.

But now, it was impossible.

The creature's body was violently shaking.

Whoosh!

With a sharp sound, the Minotaur's body narrowly missed me.

Next.

Thud!

Like someone stepping on a slippery banana peel, the creature fell backward violently.

'Good.'

With the ankle zapped, the eyes closed, and the slippery ground, even a large, medium-sized monster would lose its balance.

Moo!

Perhaps because it had hit the ground hard on its back, the creature roared loudly.

Before it could get up.

Leonhardt, who had instantly stuck to the creature, began to display his flashy swordsmanship.

My spells continuously probed the creature's wounds, preventing it from getting up easily.

The bull-headed monster, unable to stand.

Its health began to drop rapidly.

* * * * *

A white aura.

The sword, infused with the aura, pierced the creature's heart.

Roar!

The creature, emitting its final scream, stopped moving.

I might as well check.

Even after poking the creature's wounds with simple spells, it didn't move at all.

'I got it.'

It was clear that the creature was defeated.

The knight began to look at me.

"…Young master."

"Why?"

"Your actions just now were quite reckless. Charging directly at the Minotaur's charge is something even most knights wouldn't do."

"Anyway, dodging wouldn't have worked. It would have chased me anyway."

"Even so…"

"Since I entered here, I was prepared to take such risks. And the result is perfect, isn't it?"

"…Still, you should take better care of yourself. You're not alone anymore, young master."

Damn.

Lectures.

Not like he's my guardian or anything.

Or is he?

Anyway, since he's doing it for me, I'm not too annoyed.

"Alright. I'll be more careful in the future."

Smiling, I answered, and he sighed reluctantly. They say a smile can disarm anyone.

"Ersiel. Come over here."

"Yes."

Soon, Leonhardt began to gather the creature's remains.

From the hooves, nose, claws, and nails, various magical materials, to the head, he meticulously collected everything valuable.

"Are you done?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, there was no inner core."

"Well, it doesn't always appear. Let's go get the reward."

Inside the iron gate, in the deepest part of the square, we found a treasure room.

A sweet room where precious artifacts were hidden.

Opening the door to what looked like a treasure room, we saw chests.

'…Three?'

Usually, treasure rooms would have one or two chests at most. Each chest contained one artifact, so it meant we could get one or two items.

But now.

There were three chests.

It meant we would get three rewards.

Is the goddess of fortune with me?

From the sweet talents to the dungeon rewards.

Living a fantasy life in the body of a rambunctious person seemed quite good.

If only the villains threatening the continent would disappear.

'There should be rewards inside.'

Without any hesitation, I opened the chests.

Shiny items began to appear.

A sword, a staff, and finally, a necklace.

My eyes widened.

The Minotaur's secret hideout.

Inside the three chests from this place.

They contained the best artifacts from this dungeon, the highest-grade items.

The results were better than expected.

It was a huge success.