Chapter 4

"Yatta! I'm alive! I survived! Hahaha!"

When I returned to the Elixir room, I immediately jumped into the spring.

Feeling the reality of being alive, I laughed with tears streaming down my face.

The situation hasn't really improved, and it might have even gotten worse, but I savored the joy of having survived.

I don't want to leave this place, but literally, I have nothing. Drinking the Elixir can quench my thirst, but I need to find food somehow or I'll starve to death soon.

I washed the dirt off my body in the spring and then got out. Determined, I opened the door opposite the one I had used earlier.

Just like before, the candles on the walls lit up automatically. The difference was that the passage was narrower this time. I was soon blocked by a door at the end of the passage. Without hesitation, I opened the door. It was another large room, but this time I could see walls in the distance on both the left and right sides. In front of me, a faint bonfire was visible in the distance. The room was quite dim, with stone pillars standing at regular intervals and a stone floor. It looked like an ancient temple.

I decided not to go straight ahead and instead followed the left wall.

"Whoosh... Whoosh..."

I might be hearing things, but I felt like I could hear something breathing. I tried to make as little noise as possible, placing my left hand on the wall and keeping an eye on the bonfire to my right as I moved forward.

There is definitely something here.

I could tell because the small light in the distance would sometimes disappear. Even when I strained my eyes, I couldn't make out what it was.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud."

By the time I realized something was running towards me, I was already flying through the air. Warm liquid spilled from my mouth. I couldn't stand up. It felt like several bones had been broken in one hit.

It's okay; as long as I don't die from one hit, I have the Elixir. I took out the Elixir from my storage and applied it to my body. The pain immediately subsided. I quickly stood up and looked at what had attacked me.

A massive shadow was approaching...

A human body covered in bulging muscles, with a bull's head on top.

It's a Minotaur...

This is the worst. It's a monster that wasn't in the level where the Golden Wind members were. I've heard of it. The Minotaur is said to inhabit the deepest level of this dungeon. It's a creature that even high-level adventurers might not be able to defeat. I was enveloped in despair. If that's the case, did I fall to the deepest level?

The Minotaur slowly approached, holding a massive hammer in its hand.

It's over...

No matter how many times I use the Elixir to recover, I don't think I can defeat it. My only skill is Storage. I can't put living things into Storage. I tried with insects before, but it didn't work. The only things I have now are the Elixir and Dragon Breath in Storage.

The Minotaur raised its hammer and charged. If that thing comes down, I'll probably die instantly. As a last resort, I took out the Dragon Breath from Storage. I imagined it facing the opposite direction from where I put it...

"Roar!!"

Flames shot out from my outstretched right hand, aiming as far as possible.

In an instant, the Minotaur was consumed by fire.

All that remained was the hammer in its hand, now just smoking.

Thank you for reading. I managed to escape the dire situation, and now a long journey begins. If you enjoyed it even a little, it would be very helpful if you could log in to "Shousetsuka ni Narou" and bookmark this story.