Chapter 40: The Minotaur

The surroundings suddenly shattered and shifted, and after all the fragments reassembled, the scene around Ye Yu transformed drastically. It was as if he had stepped into an ancient tomb, grand and magnificent, resembling the imperial palace of an emperor.

Yet, the dimly lit palace held little light. Faintly, one could discern the corridor flanked by exquisitely crafted paintings—masterpieces featuring classical poetry and ancient art, all created by famed artists.

The name of this dungeon then appeared before Ye Yu and his companions: The Royal Tomb Palace.

However, this dungeon was somewhat different. From the very beginning, it presented considerable difficulty. The crossroads ahead unexpectedly offered four separate paths.

At this moment, Ye Yu was accompanied by eight people: Liang Ye, An Ye, Xin Ai, Cong Cong Cong Cong Cong Ge, Yi Xiu Da Da, Qu Xiao Zheng Dang A Dang, Cong Wen Jiu Shi, and Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong.

“It looks like we’ll have to form balanced teams of two and split up to enter the different passages,” Ye Yu shrugged and said.

“If it’s a dead end, just turn back to the entrance and wait for the others. If someone hasn’t returned, choose another path at the intersection. Of course, if only one path remains unexplored, no further discussion is needed,” he continued.

Everyone nodded in agreement, balancing their roles before choosing their respective paths.

“Old Third’s mind is always so sharp; his thinking is clear,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong said alongside Luo Feng and others, who had begun calling Ye Yu “Old Third,” though no one really knew why. Thankfully, he followed suit.

“Well then, let’s first decide how to balance our roles into groups,” Luo Feng smiled, finally paying attention to Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong, who was often somewhat scatterbrained.

“As for me, I’ll take that scatterbrained guy with me. It suits us better since our balance is comparatively good. Cong Shao can go with Huang Hong, our healer naturally pairs with Lao Hu, and the youngest should go with Wei Shao.”

“Alright then, it’s settled. We’ll meet at the final boss area. If you’re slow, I and Cong Shao might end up handling the boss ourselves,” Huang Hong said with a wave and a smile as he and Tan Cong headed toward the far left entrance.

Ye Yu shot a rather exasperated glance at the scatterbrained Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t expect you to be the one with the closest balance to me.”

“Well, it’s fate. Following you makes me a bit embarrassed,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong shrugged, showing neither joy nor displeasure. The two exchanged few words and proceeded.

As Ye Yu stepped into the tomb, his brows furrowed. He suspected the dungeon’s layout was likely a maze-like structure. He needed to stay alert for traps and hidden dangers, so he wasn’t in the mood to chat. Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong tacitly activated his Shadow Domain as a precaution, which was quite effective in such a dungeon environment.

Suddenly, Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong’s right elbow lightly bumped Ye Yu’s side. Ye Yu turned to him, asking, “What is it?”

“If I’m not mistaken, the eyes in that painting over there just moved!” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong said.

Ye Yu frowned and looked toward the direction Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong indicated. On the wall hung a masterpiece; its figure seemed to be staring intently at Ye Yu and Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong. The character’s expression gradually twisted into a grimace. Ye Yu knew Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong spoke the truth—he hadn’t imagined it. The eyes of the painted figure truly followed their movement!

“This is just a prank in the game ‘God’s Demise.’ There are many such mechanisms. I didn’t expect you to be afraid of these,” Ye Yu said, trying to reassure him, though he was momentarily taken aback that Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong was scared of such things.

“Actually, there are similar paintings hanging around Purple Void City, and they behave the same way. You just never noticed. It’s probably the atmosphere here that makes it feel scarier,” Ye Yu explained.

“These developers really like to make trouble. The game’s difficulty is already high, and now they throw in these pranks!” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong muttered under his breath, cursing the ‘God’s Demise’ game creators.

“Old Third, you came straight here after the arena fight. Are you sure you can handle it? It’s not easy. If I’d known, I would have taken the stage myself and not let you show off,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong smiled wryly, somewhat embarrassed.

“Actually, I’m not that tired. Besides, I rested a while after that battle,” Ye Yu chuckled. “Besides, with the two of us working together, the upcoming targets won’t be too hard. It’s a minor problem for us.”

Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong glanced at Ye Yu with surprise.

“By the way, shouldn’t monsters in this type of dungeon be… those kinds of monsters?” Ye Yu glanced around and pondered, then said with a hint of bitterness.

“What monsters are you referring to?” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong asked, momentarily confused.

Before Ye Yu could reply, a deafening roar erupted from right before them, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Soon, a terrifying creature appeared before Ye Yu and Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong—a monstrous minotaur wielding a massive ornate battle axe, standing at least five meters tall. Its body shimmered with an eerie translucence, cloaked in a swirling black aura. Its eyes gleamed with a fierce, icy red glow.

“A minotaur!” Ye Yu drew his ancient zither, holding it horizontally in front of him as purple light burst forth. Two aura-enhancing effects radiated from his crown, enveloping them both.

The minotaur charged, swinging its battle axe down toward Ye Yu’s position. Ye Yu lightly brushed his left hand across the zither.

“Wind and Cloud Return!” A gust of wind surged forth, forcefully striking the minotaur’s massive frame, knocking it back into the shadows.

“I didn’t expect to encounter an elite monster right away. Though it’s level 55, it’s still tough. Starting with a level 55 elite monster isn’t a good sign,” Ye Yu’s expression turned solemn, clearly troubled by this sudden challenge.

He wondered if the others had met such formidable foes—if so, it could spell trouble.

“The minotaur can resist magic damage; its spell defense is quite high. Let me handle this fight. After all, I’m a pure offensive witch-type; my physical damage rivals that of pure sword users,” Ye Yu frowned, hesitant. “But it’s not easy to deal with!”

Just then, the minotaur burst from the shadows again, charging wildly toward Ye Yu and Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong. Ye Yu deftly dodged, stepping back and unleashing “Snow Moon Intertwined Radiance.”

However, the minotaur was not only strong but surprisingly agile. This caught Ye Yu off guard. After dodging the first attack, the minotaur immediately followed up with a sweeping strike that nearly caught Ye Yu off guard.

If it weren’t for the “Overtime Mode,” Ye Yu would have taken significant damage. The axe grazed his hood lightly, embedding itself in a crack on the wall. It didn’t immediately pull free.

Ye Yu leapt forward, sprinting toward the axe’s position. His movements were so swift they seemed like illusions to the minotaur. Landing on its face, he vaulted backward, flipping behind it. The moment he touched the ground, he struck the minotaur’s head. The beast roared in pain, clutching its face with one hand while wildly swinging its axe with the other, sending sharp gusts slicing through the air.

“Damn it, only this little damage? Although it’s a level 55 elite, I’m level 60, yet my damage is still minimal. It must have some resistance,” Ye Yu frowned, watching the minotaur’s health drop only to 95%. Frustrated, he muttered under his breath.

“I didn’t expect you to be so agile. You’re a magic-type, yet your rapid close-range attacks are unusually fluid—rare to see,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong remarked, recalling Ye Yu’s earlier moves. He wondered if he’d stand a chance against such a nimble magic user.

“Just luck, and some spare time practicing,” Ye Yu replied humbly.

“This minotaur is mine to handle. Let’s see what I can do,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong said, his expression hardening. Cold killing intent flickered in his eyes. He stretched out his hands as black flames erupted from within him. Slowly, his right hand clenched into a fist and delivered a powerful punch toward the minotaur.

The black flame fist slammed into the beast, exploding on impact. Black flames engulfed the minotaur, followed by a relentless barrage of fiery punches from Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong. Though the minotaur’s health didn’t drop much, it was pushed steadily backward.

Surprise flashed across Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong’s face before he surged forward, manifesting a black spear in his hand. He unleashed a furious assault, the spear’s deadly gleam striking repeatedly beside the minotaur.

“Witch Spear Death Grip!”

Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong hurled the black spear, which transformed into a streak of dark light, striking the minotaur’s brow. A black wind swept past its side, instantly reducing its health to 40%.

Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong landed smoothly, black flames flickering in his palm.

Black flames danced around the minotaur, inflicting continuous damage. The burning effect’s stack count climbed near fifty layers.

Advancing steadily, Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong was engulfed by black flames suffused with icy chill, which incessantly seared the minotaur.

“Black Flame Burial!”

His right hand shot up, fingers snapping shut. The black flames exploded outward like petals scattering in the air, slashing the minotaur’s health to 20%, leaving it on the brink of death. The creature’s pained roar was tinged with fear—a sign of the advanced AI’s emotional response in ‘God’s Demise.’

“Don’t think I’ll go easy just because you’re scared,” Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong said, clenching his fist and striking the minotaur’s chest. Leaping forward like a streak of black flame, he pierced through the monster’s body, which shattered into pieces.

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