A Minotaur!

The Minotaur that had spawned on the 17th Floor appeared on the 5th Floor, and it had a very clear target: him.

At the same time, the walls on either side of them cracked open, spitting out three Hellhounds that immediately cut off their retreat.

In that instant, Thor felt the dungeon's malice keenly.

Bell saw the Hellhounds spawn behind Thor and immediately shouted, "Lord God, watch your back!"

Thor didn't even turn around. "Don't worry about me. I've just condensed Stardust, so I can fight to some extent. Focus on the Minotaur."

"Yes!" Bell knew he had to concentrate.

The Minotaur's massive shadow almost completely engulfed him. His right hand, gripping his dagger, trembled uncontrollably.

Sweat rolled down from his temple, his heart pounded wildly, and every heavy step the monster took seemed to stomp right on his nerves.

Was this what a monster on the fifth floor was like?

Instinctive fear began to consume him.

But when he thought of Thor standing right behind him, and how Thor would be in danger if he retreated, Bell forced down the fear surging in his throat. To his own surprise, he charged straight at the bull-headed monster!

He turned into a streak of white. Having just completed his status update, he felt so light on his feet it was almost unbelievable!

I can do this!

Confidence welled up in him. He cut in from an astonishing angle, trying to circle into the Minotaur's blind spot and attack the back of its thick neck.

I've got it!

A flicker of hope flashed through Bell's mind. Gathering all his strength, he drove his dagger forward with a sharp whistle, aiming precisely at the Minotaur's relatively vulnerable carotid artery!

Clang—!!!

The dull sound of a blade sinking into flesh never came.

The dagger's tip struck the Minotaur's black skin, covered in thick fat and short, coarse bristles, but it was like hitting a wall cast from steel!

Sparks flew, accompanied by a harsh scraping sound like metal clashing against metal.

The dagger had left nothing but a faint white mark!

The force of the rebound split the skin on Bell's palm. His entire arm went numb in an instant, and he could barely keep hold of the dagger!

"What...?!" Bell's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his mind went blank.

How was this possible?!

This monster... its hide was harder than rock!

In the fraction of a second that Bell stood stunned, the Minotaur moved.

It didn't even turn around.

Its left arm casually swept backward, moving faster than Bell could react.

It was like shooing away an annoying fly.

Whoosh—!

The terrifying sound of compressed air rang out.

"Ugh!"

Bell barely managed to cross his empty left hand and numb right arm in front of his chest, forming an extremely crude defensive stance.

Thud!!!

The blow landed with a solid, muffled impact!

Bell felt as if he'd been struck head-on by a battering ram!

The pain shooting through his arms nearly knocked him unconscious on the spot. His body lifted uncontrollably into the air, sending him flying backward.

"Crash!"

He slammed into the hard dungeon wall behind him. The immense impact even left web-like cracks in the stone, and rubble rained down.

The bones in his back let out a bone-chilling creak. His insides felt as though they'd been knocked out of place. His vision spun, and darkness flickered at the edges. He could only slide slowly down the wall, barely managing to drop to one knee.

S-so strong!

Was this the gap between me and a monster from the fifth floor?!

Bell felt the enormous disparity in that instant.

His updated stats were a joke compared to its strength.

His dagger, which could pierce monster carapaces, couldn't even break its skin.

A casual counterattack that wasn't even a proper move had nearly crushed him.

"Ugh!"

Pain surged through Bell's arms and back, and the coppery taste of blood rose in his throat.

His vision darkened. The Minotaur's mountain-like shadow, pressing down on him, filled his entire field of vision.

Cold despair seized his heart.

Am I going to die here?

No! I can't give up!

The thought burst through Bell's chaotic consciousness like a star breaking through the darkness!

I still have magic! I still have the miracle bestowed upon me by Lord God!

The Minotaur roared deafeningly and brought its enormous fist crashing down! The icy chill of death enveloped Bell in an instant.

"Star Burst!" Bell practically screamed.

Boom!

Blinding starlight exploded at point-blank range! A violent gust of wind mixed with fragments of stardust blasted outward!

The close-range explosion forcibly checked the falling fist for an instant. Its powerful shock wave also hurled Bell off his knee, sending him tumbling across the ground several times. But he narrowly avoided the fatal blow.

Amid the choking dust, the Minotaur's massive body swayed. A small hole had been blasted into its right hand, and several obvious scorch marks marred its fur.

The damage was nothing much to its enormous body, but the burning pain only made it more furious. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Bell as he struggled to his feet.

"Useless?!" Bell coughed up a mouthful of blood-tinged spit, his suppressed fear growing stronger.

But when the blood from the Minotaur's wound splattered onto his cheek, Bell froze for a moment.

It wasn't useless at all! The damage was just too low!

His fear was eased somewhat by a strange, almost fervent determination.

Once wasn't enough?

Then I'll do it again!

If two times don't work, then three! Ten! A hundred!

He saw an opening! His magic wasn't completely useless! Those scorch marks proved it!

Ignoring the pain that made his bones feel as though they were about to fall apart, Bell suddenly pushed off the ground. Like a young beast trapped in a corner but unleashing one last burst of ferocity, he charged the Minotaur again!

He didn't try to meet it head-on. Instead, he used the agility of his newly enhanced stats to weave and dodge beneath the massive bull-headed monster.

"Star Burst!"

"Blast apart!"

"One more time!"

With every desperate dodge, every near miss at the last possible moment, Bell forced his aching arms to rise and gathered the Stardust Power he'd only just learned to control, still clumsily.

He hurled it at the Minotaur's torso, waist, legs—anywhere he could see that wasn't guarded by its fists!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out without pause through the narrow dungeon passage!

Fragments of starlight burst across the Minotaur's skin like fireworks of death!

Each explosion left only patches of scorch marks on its hide, tough as iron leather. The flying stardust and shock waves couldn't even truly tear its skin. It looked both ridiculous and futile.

The explosions' recoil made Bell's arms throb with searing pain, while the dizziness of magical exhaustion kept washing over him.

But things were getting even worse!

He hadn't even taken down one Minotaur, and another roar sounded from the passage behind him.

A second one! No—more Minotaurs were coming toward them!