Seeker 182

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Chapter 182. Minotaur

After leaving the third city, Randelburg, Eslyn-san, and our group continued north on the road. 

However, calling it a road at this point wouldn't do it justice. 

The path that cut through the forest had, at best, minimal clearance from the trees. 

The ground was nothing more than bare earth, recently packed down by foot traffic.

"This route isn't for inexperienced adventurers, and it's a rural path leading to the frontier. It's tough, but hang in there."

""""Ooooouuuuu""" 

The 3 burly attendants, who were pulling a cart loaded with ore, responded enthusiastically to Eslyn-san's words.

I had suggested using Griffin to carry the load at one point, but the burly attendants insisted, "This is our job!" and "We won't burden our big brother's precious pet!" So, I decided to leave it alone. 

Eslyn-san also mentioned, "That's beyond our contract.".

A few hours after leaving Randelburg and taking a lunch break, we encountered the monster we had been warned about.

 In the mid-afternoon, we found ourselves face to face with a massive monster up ahead. Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I readied our weapons and began focusing on casting spells. 

Griffin was ready for battle, having been brought along at its natural size this time.

"Grraaah!"

The monster roared and charged at us like a raging bull. 

With that momentum, inexperienced adventurers would be skewered by its thick horns in a single strike. 

The monster was 2 my height with a muscular humanoid body. 

It had a head resembling a bull and wielded a massive axe.

This monster was known as a Minotaur, and without the strength to defeat it, we wouldn't be able to proceed on this path.

"Kazane-san, Yuzuki! Follow the plan we discussed earlier! [Rock Bazooka]!"

"Understood! Here we go, [Wind Slash]!"

"Got it! Shoot through, Ice Flower Arrow—Fenrir Arrow!"

In response to my instructions, Kazane-san and Yumitsuki unleashed their long-range attacks. 

Magic rock projectiles, wind blades, and enchanted arrows pierced the charging Minotaur. 

These attacks damaged the Minotaur's robust body, causing black mist to pour out from the wounded areas. 

Yuzuki's strike with her Fenrir Bow had clearly dealt a significant blow.

However, Minotaur continued charging without losing momentum. 

The distance between us and the monster was rapidly shrinking.

"Griffin, stop it!"

"Squaa!"

I gave quick instructions, and the massive Griffin next to me moved forward to meet the charging Minotaur.

"Grraaah!"

"Squaaa!"

Minotaur and Griffin collided with tremendous force. 

In this clash of heavyweight monsters, Minotaur had a slight advantage, pushing Griffin back slightly. 

Black mist emanated from both monsters' bodies.

Minotaur's horn attacks pierced Griffin, while Griffin's continuous beak strikes penetrated Minotaur.

"You're not getting away with that! Haah!"

"Take this, [Three Strikes]!"

Kazane-san and I rushed in to launch a series of attacks. 

Kazane-an dual daggers delivered rapid strikes, while my spear unleashed a rapid Three Strikes. 

Our attacks pierced through the Minotaur's torso, and then, Minotaur's body disappeared.

A large magic stone remained on the ground after the black mist vanished.

The battle was over.

I high-fived Kazane-san, and Yuzuki joined in, clasping her hands with ours.

"We handled that with ease, Daichi-kun."

"Yes, we can easily defeat opponents like this."

"Well, with our skills, it's a piece of cake."

"But we should stay alert; it could have been painful if we let our guard down. Griffin did a great job, too. Did it hurt?"

"Squa, squaa!"

I cast [Ground Heal] on the injured Griffin and then patted its head, causing it to nuzzle against me with evident delight. 

It's funny how I can develop a strong bond with a creature. And Griffin affectionately embraced me with its large, furry body.

"But, making Griffin stop the enemy's attacks feels a bit pitiful."

Kazane-san commented while petting Griffin.

"But if we don't let Griffin handle it, we'd just take the damage ourselves as replacements. Plus, Griffin has the highest HP among us."

I could view Griffin's stats as my contracted monster by manipulating my status screen. 

When I checked its HP, I found it had a maximum of 350. 

Since Kazane-san and my max HP were around 200, Griffin was currently the toughest member of our group.

"That's true, but it doesn't sit right with me to use Griffin as if we can just give it orders."

"Well, even if you say that..."

"Oh, sorry, it's not like I'm criticizing you, Daichi-kun. I just had that thought. Well, I guess it can't be helped."

"We can only thank Griff-chan then. Thanks for protecting us, Griff-chan!"

"Kwaah, Kwaah!"

Griffin was also petted by Yuzuki and seemed to be in high spirits.

Delving too deeply into this matter might lead to a dead-end, so let's not think about it too much.

"Great job, everyone. You guys are as strong as ever. Minotaurs shouldn't be this easy to defeat."

"With your power, Daichi-aniki and others might even be able to take on 8 Heroes."

"Wait, wait. Isn't that going a bit too far?"

"Well, even so, if it's those guys..."

Eslyn-san and her burly attendants joined in, getting all excited.

However, there was one word that caught my attention.

"8 Heroes? If there were one more person, it would sound like the name of a final boss fusion."

When Yuzuki mentioned that, Eslyn-san and the others tilted their heads.

"Huh? Hotaru, you don't know about 8 Heroes, do you?"

"Well, Ane-san, it's hard to believe, but—"

"I can't imagine Hotaru-neesan not knowing about it."

"That's what I thought... right?"

"I really don't know. Are they famous? Does their name sound like a train station on a circular line or something?"

For now, Yuzuki, you should stay away from certain 7 Heroes.

Setting that aside, it's an unfamiliar name, so let's delve into it a bit.

"We're not very knowledgeable about common social norms due to some circumstances. Would you mind explaining about these '8 Heroes' while we walk?"

"Oh, Daichi too? So, Kazane as well?"

"Yeah, all three of us."

"Well, there are various reasons, I'm sure. Even though it's a story you'd hear in elementary education, let's chat about it for fun while we walk."

As we resumed our journey, Eslyn-san began to talk about 8 Heroes.

As expected, the content was about a major event in this world.

About 30 years ago, a Demon Lord suddenly appeared in this world, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. 

The Demon Lord, accompanied by numerous powerful monsters, was formidable, even a group of several hundred knights and adventurers couldn't stand against its overwhelming power. They got defeated and forced to retreat.

During that time, the hope of humanity arose in the form of a select group of adventurers known as the 8 Heroes, literally the 'Eight Heroes'."

There were indeed 8 individuals. e

Each possesses incredible power. They challenged the demon lord with just their eight members and finally defeated the Demon Lord.

By the way, the 8 heroes who defeated the demon lord received honors and became nobles, while some received rewards and disappeared from the world of humans. 

Elves, dwarves, and other long-lived beings were among them, and some still lived in this world.

"By the way, the dwarf hero, Balzamunt, lives in the Dwarf City we're heading to, Dagmahar. He's still there unless he passed away without us knowing."

"Really? So, Eslyn-san, have you been to Dagmahar?"

"Of course. If not, I wouldn't go through the trouble of carrying such heavy stuff and traveling so far. I have some good connections for big profits."

Now that you mention it, that makes sense.

While chatting, we crossed Minotaur territory and headed toward the next town.

Also, we had completed one mission by defeating the Minotaur.

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Special Mission: Defeat 1 Minotaur completed!

All party members gain 8,000 experience points!

New Mission: Defeat 5 Hellhounds (Reward: 8,000 experience points)

New Mission: Defeat 5 Frostwolves (Reward: 10,000 experience points)

New Mission: Defeat 1 Chimera (Reward: 15,000 experience points)

Musou Daichi reached level 36!

Yuzuki Hotaru reached level 36!

Current Experience Points:

Musou Daichi: 30,4924/34,4368 (Next Level: 39,444)

Kodachi Kazane: 29,7296/30,3707 (Next Level: 6,411)

Yuzuki Hotaru: 30,5041/34,4368 (Next Level: 39,327)

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So, now I was at level 36, Yuzuki was at level 36, while Kazane-san was at level 35. 

I wonder what level those people known as the 8 Heroes were. 

They must have broken the normal limits to defeat an opponent that even several hundred knights and adventurers couldn't handle.

One was said to live in the Dwarf City Dagmahar, so I might ask about it if I get the chance.