The Labyrinth of the Minotaur (1)

[You have entered the 7th Floor.]
[Quest Generated: Subjugate the Gargoyle Lord]
[Objective: Defeat the Gargoyle Lord.]
[Reward: EXP 1,000, Coins 1,000]

The level of hunters who normally reached the 7th floor was barely around 10.

And that was the story for those who devoted themselves day and night to hunting on the outskirts of Thebes. Most gave up before even reaching this height.

But Kim Jun was different.

Current Level: 36.

After transplanting the Dragon Heart and acquiring his first complete equipment set, his growth had been explosive.

Even defense stats soaring past a thousand were nothing but thin paper to the current Kim Jun.

“Halt.”

Uttering the Draconic language in a low voice, as if time had frozen, the surrounding gargoyles stopped moving one by one.

Only Kim Jun’s footsteps echoed as he walked among them, now stiffened like stone statues.

Step- Step-

A faint smile formed at the corner of Kim Jun’s mouth as he entered the Lord’s domain.

“Long time no see.”

The Gargoyle Lord was a giant frame, easily three times the size of a normal gargoyle.

Skin like limestone weathered for a millennium, fangs sharp as spears, and the wind generated from its spread wings shook the entire 7th floor.

Kim Jun slowly drew the greatsword from his back. The blade, engraved with a pattern of red dragon scales, flashed as it caught the floor’s faint light.

“Keeeee!”

The Gargoyle Lord’s roar made the ground tremble. It charged towards Kim Jun, pulling its massive body along.

A moment that would terrify any hunter.

Kim Jun simply stood still and waited. With a composed expression.

Swoosh-

The moment the giant monster reached right before him.

Flare—!

A single slash cut through the void.

Following the arc drawn by the sword, flames like a dragon’s breath exploded forth.

The 「Dragon Claw」 glowed red as its unique skill 「Dragon Strike Enhancement」 activated.

The Gargoyle Lord’s ironclad exterior melted and split like butter.

The sound of melting stone echoed with a metallic screech, as if metal was twisting.

The time it took to break through 1000 defense: just 1 second.

「Dragon Strike Enhancement」 was an ability that ignored 10% of the target’s defense. For most hunters, it was a negligible figure, but for Kim Jun, it was different.

That 10% gap became a critical fissure for the lava to flow into, and the flames, seizing that opening, instantly melted away the remaining defense as well.

“Keeeeee!!!”

A scream filled with pain echoed as the Gargoyle Lord’s body was engulfed in red flames. Its massive form split in two and crashed to the ground.

The once-hardened flesh was now nothing more than a lump of stone melting in lava.

[Quest Complete: Subjugate the Gargoyle Lord]
[Reward Acquired: EXP 1,000, Coins 1,000]
[First Clear Reward: ‘Gargoyle Core’ Acquired]

8th Floor. The Ice Golem’s Temple.

An Ice Golem swung its fist at Kim Jun.

He ignored it.

A single swing of his greatsword spread flames, and the six-meter tall golem vanished into steam.

Kim Jun didn’t stop walking.

9th Floor. The wizard’s Library.

The wizard Belfast simultaneously cast ten elemental spells. Kim Jun simply swung his sword once.

The magician’s body turned to ash and scattered.

Ding!

[Hunter-Wide Notice]

• First Tower 7th Floor Clear Achieved!

• Clear Time: 04 minutes 12 seconds

• Exterminator: [Identity Withheld]

• First Clear Reward: ‘Gargoyle Core’ Acquired

“What? Already the 7th floor?”

A hunter group struggling in a mine on the outskirts of the 5th-floor Thebes checked the notice with surprised eyes. One hunter gulped from his water bottle.

“Must be one of the ‘Blue Dragon’ or ‘Black Tiger’ guilds. Only they could do it.”
“But that’s too fast? It’s only our second day on the 3rd floor…”

Before the words even finished, another notification sounded.

Ding!

[Hunter-Wide Notice]

• First Tower 8th Floor Clear Achieved!

• Clear Time: 01 minute 38 seconds

• Exterminator: [Identity Withheld]

• First Clear Reward: ‘Permanent Frost Core’ Acquired

“Wha, what. Already the 8th floor…”
“Does this make sense…”

The hunters’ faces turned pale. Then, another notification sounded.

Ding!

[Hunter-Wide Notice]

• First Tower 9th Floor Clear Achieved!

• Clear Time: 00 minutes 58 seconds

• Exterminator: [Identity Withheld]

• First Clear Reward: ‘Elemental Enhancement Rune’ Acquired

“An unbelievable speed…”
“This isn’t something a human did…”

The ‘Warrior’s Rest’ tavern in Thebes was packed with hunters, no room to stand. Everyone was drinking while waiting for the next notice.

“Hey, the 10th floor is the final boss of this section. Even at the fastest, it’ll take at least an hour,” said Hunter Kim Do-hoon, his face full of scars.

“What nonsense? Did you see the speed so far? I bet 100 coins he clears it within 10 minutes!” Park Jae-hyun shouted, slamming the table.

The owner, Black Joe, opened his eyes wide and looked at Park Jae-hyun.

“Here we go again. Last time you lost all your savings from betting too.”
“Black Joe, I’m sure this time! I’ll follow the rules!”

Black Joe sighed. The ‘Warrior’s Rest’ was originally the oldest tavern in Thebes village.

Black Joe was a former Tower conqueror who opened this tavern after retiring.

One of his unique specialties was fairly mediating bets between hunters, so it naturally became an unofficial betting ground.

“Yeah? I’ll bet 200 coins on 20 minutes!” Lee Min-woo shouted.

“I’ll bet 300 coins he clears it today!” Jeong Seok-ho joined in.

“Tch, you’re all crazy. Didn’t you see the guide when entering the Tower? The 10th-floor boss is on a different level from 7-9. I bet 500 coins he won’t clear it today!” Choi Seo-yun said in a confident voice.

As always, Black Joe started writing the betting records on the blackboard at the back of the tavern. All bets had rules.

-Prepayment, at least 2 witnesses, 10% commission, and no objections to Black Joe’s final judgment-

“I’ll only take money for 5 minutes!”

Hunters rushed to hand over their coins.

Among them were those who took out all their saved coins.

10 minutes passed.
20 minutes passed.
1 hour passed.

But the 10th-floor clear notice didn’t appear.

“Ha! I win!” Choi Seo-yun stood up and shouted.

“Hey, the day isn’t over yet,” Jeong Seok-ho retorted.

“Even so, at this speed, he should have cleared it already, right? Maybe he’s just resting today,” Yoon Ji-ah muttered from one corner of the table.

“Or maybe he died to the 10th-floor boss.”

At those words, the tavern fell silent for a moment, then became a sea of laughter.

“No way! A monster who cleared floors 7 to 9 in less than 4 minutes can’t possibly lose to the 10th-floor boss!”
“Just wait quietly! It’ll happen today!”

Midnight was approaching.

“Only 10 minutes left! In 10 minutes, Choi Seo-yun, who bet on ‘Cannot Clear Today’, wins!”

Choi Seo-yun’s face, excited at the thought of receiving the promised prize money, was filled with joy. But Park Jae-hyun’s expression, who had been counting down the 10 minutes, was dark.

The clock pointed to 11:59.

“10! 9! 8!”

The hunters started the countdown.

“7! 6! 5!”

Then,

Ding!

The tavern froze instantly.

[Hunter-Wide Notice]

• First Tower 10th Floor Clear Achieved!

• Clear Time: 11 hours 13 minutes 43 seconds

• Exterminator: [Identity Withheld]

• First Clear Reward: ‘Horn of the Minotaur’ Acquired

“Exactly 5 seconds before midnight. Barely made it ‘within today’.”

Slam!

Choi Seo-yun slammed the table. Her face turned pale white.

“500 coins… all my coins…”

The tavern became noisy again. Jeong Seok-ho let out a cheer. Other hunters who won their bets clinked glasses and celebrated.

“Minotaur…”
“So the 10th-floor boss was a Minotaur.”
“Seems the 10th floor is on a whole different level,” Lee Min-woo said, emptying his glass.

“Guys like us would definitely die. We should just stay put in Thebes.”

Just then, a hunter near the window by the tavern entrance shouted.

“Look over there!”

All eyes turned outside the window. A man was approaching with slow steps down the street.

His figure, drenched in red liquid, looked miserable at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t his blood.

Minotaur blood.

Surprisingly, his armor was perfectly intact.

His equipment had not a single scratch, unbelievable for someone who had fought the Minotaur for 12 hours.

Only the red blood and dust, evidence of a rough battle, covered him.

The most noticeable things were the massive greatsword slung on his back and the enormous horn held in his right hand.

“Ah, damn, I’m tired.”

The moment Kim Jun set foot on the 10th floor, he felt a familiar dizziness.

The Labyrinth of the Minotaur. The maze itself was the boss’s domain.

[You have entered the 10th Floor.]
[Quest Generated: Subjugate the Minotaur]
[Objective: Defeat the Minotaur.]
[Reward: EXP 5,000, Coins 5,000]

The high walls of the maze surrounded him. Black mist flowed, obscuring the ceiling.

Kim Jun frowned. Even in his previous life, this maze was one of the most troublesome obstacles.

“It’s a bit different this time.”

Kwaang-!

Kim Jun drew his flame-wreathed greatsword and struck the wall. With an explosive sound, the stone wall shattered into pieces.

But instantly, space warped, and an identical wall appeared behind the destroyed one, as if it had been there all along.

‘As expected, pointless.’

A magically created space where the moment a wall is destroyed, another appears.

Even with Kim Jun’s power, breaking through was impossible here.

‘The smell…’

The scent of a beast brushed past Kim Jun’s nostrils.

The stench of blood, the smell of a bull, and a foul odor mixed with moss and mold permeated the entire maze.

Throughout the labyrinth existed clones of the Minotaur. Monsters that could jump out anywhere, anytime.

Weaker than the main body, but fatal to encounter while trapped in the maze.

Mooooo-

A roar, like that of an ox, came from afar. The Minotaur was roaming the maze, searching for prey.

Due to the maze’s structure, it was hard to tell where the sound was coming from.

The true purpose of this maze was to stall time, exhausting the challenger, then making them face the Minotaur King in a completely fatigued state.

‘Last time, it took me a whole month.’

Kim Jun recalled his pre-regression memories.

That time he got lost in the Minotaur’s labyrinth and wandered for a month.

Even that was thanks to a relic he accidentally found while exploring the maze.

‘「Ariadne’s Thread」.’

That very thread from Greek mythology used by Theseus. The only way to escape the Minotaur’s labyrinth.

Kim Jun closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“「Detection C」 Activate.”

A skill obtained after defeating the 6th-floor hidden boss, the Goblin Shaman.

Instantly, Kim Jun’s pupils turned blue.

The maze walls became semi-transparent, and thin waves of mana began to flow throughout the labyrinth.

The strongest wave among them was touching a wall at the end of the left passage.

It looked like a normal wall, but seen with the Detection skill, it emitted a blue light, unlike the other walls.

“That’s the place.”

A smile spread across Kim Jun’s lips. The location of Ariadne’s Thread.

This time, a day would be enough, not a month.