Musou Slime 63

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63. The 25th Floor Minotaur

With our preparations complete, we descended the stairs towards the 25th floor.

Perhaps due to heightened concentration, the sensation of stepping on each stair felt stronger than on other floors. Simultaneously, my heartbeat quickened.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, a door stood before us. A solid black gate, imposingly awaiting our arrival.

I steeled myself and slowly pushed open the gate.

And what lay beyond left me astonished, breathless.

Ahead of the gate was a vast chamber, unlike the maze-like layout of the other levels.

But what caught my eye the most was the entity standing at the center of the room.

Taller than a golem by at least a head, easily surpassing five meters in height.

Its bipedal form is adorned with blood-red fur, and its muscular physique resembles a rock.

Sharp horns protruded from its head, its yellow eyes gleaming fiercely as they fixated on us.

But the most striking feature was the colossal axe it wielded, easily twice my height.

There stood the Minotaur, the monstrous figure with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

"That's... the Minotaur!"

"BUUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

A thunderous roar. Buffeted by the gust of wind that followed, Raize and I instinctively braced ourselves.

The 25th floor wasn't meant for exploration. It was an immediate battle against the floor boss.

And it was overwhelmingly massive! It was easy to imagine its strength as formidable.

"<Appraisal>!"

Without flinching at the roar, I swiftly gathered information about our opponent.

――

Target: Minotaur Level 1

Floor boss of the 25th level of the Ash Dungeon. Its strikes unleashed from its massive frame are formidable.

――

Several areas of the Minotaur's body were flashing red, indicating weaknesses.

However, its head was completely out of our reach due to its immense size. Its torso was covered in muscles, seemingly impenetrable.

There's no helping it. We'll have to steadily chip away at its health until an opportunity to exploit its weakness arises!

"<El Freeze>!!"

As Raize swung her staff, a straight line of ice surged from her feet toward the Minotaur.

The magic swiftly reached the Minotaur, encasing its feet in ice.

"Now's our chance!"

"Got it!"

Even with its massive body, immobilizing its legs would restrict its movement. When facing head-on, restricting the opponent's mobility was a common tactic.

Gripping my sword tightly, I charged towards the Minotaur, aiming for its shins.

The Minotaur's axe was still held high. I should have plenty of time to evade after landing a blow.

Alright. Let's start by chipping away here and creating a larger opening――.

At that moment, I heard a sharp sound in front of me.

Feeling a sense of dread, I looked down and noticed cracks in the ice Raize had cast.

That's bad! Did it break through the ice!?

"Iron Wall Slime!"

I quickly summoned two slimes, turning one into an Iron Wall Slime.

I had the slime I summoned in front of me step on the other, using it as a wall. My body got pushed backward.

The Iron Wall Slime positioned itself between me and the Minotaur.

In that instant, the Minotaur's foot burst through the ice and delivered a powerful kick to me.

The Iron Wall Slime could deflect the attack, but the Minotaur's strength was overwhelming.

The Iron Wall Slime was overwhelmed, and I got hit directly, sent flying towards where Raize was.

"BUUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

In the next moment, a giant axe swung down before me. A thunderous impact and tremor shook the ground.

If I had been even 0.1 seconds slower in my judgment, I would have been at the mercy of that axe. I felt goosebumps all over as I hung in the air.

"<Wind>!"

A gust of wind blew against my back. Softening the impact, it prevented me from crashing into the wall. It was Raize's magic.

"That was close!"

"More importantly, just how strong is that thing!? To break through such thick ice on its own...!"

Despite having its feet encased in ice just moments ago, the Minotaur was now stomping as if nothing had happened.

An extraordinary level of power. That was the true strength of the 25th floor boss.

"It's not going to be easy to take down!"

Continuing to fight like this would only lead to a stalemate. If we exhaust our strength before defeating it, it's game over.

Furthermore, the gap between us is clear. I don't have the confidence to contend with that attack on equal terms.

"In that case, it's an all-out battle!"

I summoned all the slimes I had, except for the convenient skill holders like the Warp Slime.

I summoned a total of 48 slimes, including Chia and Shino.

Together, we'll defeat that giant boss! We'll definitely win and return victorious!