Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 45: I have confirmed from the look in his eyes that he is someone you cannot afford to offend~

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The fifteenth floor of the dungeon.

The inside of the labyrinth was quiet, almost unnaturally so, with no sounds of nearby monsters. The moist air carried a faint smell of stone, drifting lazily through the vast gray cave.

The cavernous passage was shrouded in darkness, with only a few flickering light sources high on the ceiling to provide any illumination. These faint lights, reminiscent of dying campfires, cast uneven glows that broke the dim environment into irregular patches of shadow and faint visibility.

Two figures walked silently through the depths of this fragmented darkness.

"According to the details in the commission provided by the guild, and if I'm reading the map correctly, this area should be where the pterosaur strengthen species was last sighted," Izzy remarked, his silver-gray spear slung casually across his back. He held the map up to the faint light, carefully examining its markings with the aid of the ceiling's dim phosphorescence.

The map indicated this specific location as the creature's last confirmed appearance.

Although it had been over a day since the initial sighting, given the rarity of strengthen species, it was likely the pterosaur was still in the area—either hunting adventurers or preying on other monsters.

"That seems right," Ryuu's cold voice echoed softly, reaching Izzy's ears with ease.

Unlike her usual appearance, Ryuu had opted to conceal her identity. A scarf covered half her face, while her cloak's hood was pulled low, leaving only her piercing sky-blue eyes visible.

When the Adventurer's Guild had issued the subjugation commission, it had naturally caught the attention of many adventurers. Some were eager to claim merit or prove their strength, while others simply sought the glory of such a hunt.

As a result, this section of the fifteenth floor was now teeming with adventurers, a stark contrast to its usual desolate state.

To avoid any unnecessary trouble, Ryuu had decided to mask herself entirely.

"Tsk. So many people around here? These damn strengthen species are really starting to become more trouble than they're worth..."

A gruff, irritated voice echoed down a nearby passageway, cutting through the relative quiet.

The sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps grew louder as a group of adventurers approached. Izzy's gaze shifted toward the adjacent tunnel in response.

Moments later, four figures emerged from the darkness. Two men and two women, their expressions sour and irritable, strode into view.

Their faces were adorned with black tattoos, clearly meant to intimidate, and their rough demeanor suggested they weren't the kind of people anyone would want to cross.

The group grumbled to one another, their voices dripping with annoyance, as they stepped further into the flickering light. But as soon as they caught sight of Izzy and Ryuu standing silently ahead, they stopped in their tracks.

The leader of the group, a tall man named Akira, locked eyes with Izzy. His expression faltered as he took in the scene.

Izzy stood there without a weapon at the ready, casually holding a map. His relaxed stance seemed almost dismissive, and yet there was an unsettling air about him.

Then there was the masked figure beside him—Ryuu.

Even with her face mostly hidden, her sharp, icy eyes radiated an undeniable intensity, and her presence alone made it clear she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Akira hesitated, his instincts warning him against starting anything. He quickly abandoned any thoughts of conflict.

Pretending he hadn't seen them, he glanced at the nearby rock wall and motioned for his companions to follow. Without a word, the group disappeared into another tunnel, leaving the area behind them.

Izzy watched the four figures retreat into the darkness, a faint smirk forming as the corners of his mouth twitched.

"...No way," he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"What is it?" Ryuu asked, turning her gaze toward him. "What's wrong with those adventurers?"

Ryuu followed Izzy and looked at the four people, asking with some confusion.

Because they had not noticed the two men's presence before, the four men spoke without any concealment in their voices. Both Izzy and Ryuu heard the man's complaint.

But unlike Ryuu, who didn't know the inside story, when Izzy heard those words, he instantly thought of many things.

"No, nothing, just curious."

"See something new?"

"Yes, anyway, it's not something I can take care of right now. If we meet again in the future, we'll talk about it later..."

Unable to understand what Izzy meant, Ryuu tilted her head, her heart filled with confusion.

However, after realizing that he had no intention of continuing to talk, she gave up the intention of asking further questions.

Dong——Dong——

The two continued to explore the area for a while before loud "bang, bang" sounds began to echo in their ears.

A loud noise from the ground approached from the depths of darkness.

"The Minotaur?"

Izzy put away the map and held the spear in his hand, his eyes fixed on the monster that emerged from the depths of the darkness.

The fifteenth floor was the area where the monsters that brought nightmares to adventurers appeared most often. Since entering the fifteenth floor, this was the first time that Izzy encountered this long-famous bull monster.

The copper-red skin could be clearly seen in the phosphorescent light burning like a torch near the ceiling.

He breathed heavily, bulged his huge muscles, and stepped firmly on his rock-like hooves.

The bull monster had a bull's head and a human body, was over two meters tall, and held huge natural weapons like battle axes in both hands. It looked down at the two little men in front of it.

Unlike monsters like the Hellhound and Horned Rabbit, which are rated as Lv.2, their attack power and agility have actually reached the Lv.2 level.

The Minotaur far exceeds the above two monsters in terms of speed, strength, and endurance, and their potential abilities cannot be compared.

"Moooo ...

However, in a split second, without giving Izzy a chance to continue thinking, the Minotaur discovered its prey, crushed the ground, and ran toward him, holding a large stone axe high.

"As solid as a rock!"

Boom—!

The dark golden rock pillar suddenly appeared between Izzy and the bull monster. The huge stone axe hit the rock pillar, raising a piece of rubble, but it failed to defeat it with one blow.

Even because of this attack, the Minotaur's body froze for a moment.

After a moment, Izzy, holding a spear, broke through from the side like thunder and arrived in front of the Minotaur.

Behind him, Ryuu looked at Izzy's back as he rushed toward the Minotaur with an inexplicable mood.

As a Lv.1 adventurer, facing a monster with a potential ability value of Lv.2, should you charge so hard?

If you don't know, you might think the opponent is only Level 1.

However, before Ryuu could continue to express her thoughts, a swift silver light suddenly burst out.

"Moooooooooo!!!"

The sharp tip of the spear drew a long and deep bloody line on the monster's chest. The powerful impact shook the Minotaur's upper body apart, and the large stone axe was forced to fall from its hand.

The Minotaur, having lost its weapon, roared in pain.

Facing the monster that seemed to have been aroused by its ferocity, Izzy avoided its giant arms that were swung down with all its might, and the spear in his hand weaved a swift and fierce silver pattern.

Countless scars covered the body of the Minotaur.

Normally, Izzy's strength attribute is not comparable to that of this tall monster. If they fight head-on, he will definitely not be the one who has the upper hand.

But humans have never been a race accustomed to fighting to the death.

Relying on wisdom, relying on weapons, and hiding in strong armor are what they are proud of.

Izzy's attacks easily pierced through the Minotaur's defenses, thanks in no small part to the weapon in his hand.

This silver-gray spear, privately commissioned by the [Hero] Finn from a blacksmith, was second only to the weapons of first-level adventurers in terms of sharpness and durability.

Although it fell short compared to the Domination Lance that Finn currently wielded, it was undoubtedly an overpowered weapon for a new adventurer.

In fact, had there been other spearmen in the clan besides Finn, this weapon would have likely been claimed with great enthusiasm long ago.

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