The Minotaurs of Hwangwoo Valley were considered a mutation, but they didn’t have any special name attached to them.
Usually, it’s common for mutated monsters to receive unique names to highlight their peculiarities and dangers, but no remarkable features could be found in the Minotaurs of Hwangwoo Valley. Even after gathering opinions from monster analysts, it was concluded that they didn’t exhibit anything particularly unique compared to other Minotaurs apart from living in a group.
Sure, there were slight physical differences, such as being slightly larger or having a greater muscle distribution than regular Minotaurs, but that wasn’t enough to classify them as unique.
If one were to ponder why the data was so lacking, it turned out that exploring the dungeon housing over ten thousand Minotaurs was deemed impossible, leading to an observational survey relying solely on drones.
Sending a hunter party for an exploration mission ultimately comes down to money and human loss. In terms of danger, it’s obvious that being detected in a Minotaur colony would likely lead to death; thus, the association opted for unmanned exploration via drones instead of sending hunters.
As expected, the information acquired through drones was inevitably simplistic compared to what hunters could provide.
The association wasn’t foolish; they planned to form a dedicated exploration team if any distinctive physical traits were discovered. However, Hwangwoo Valley appeared to be just a typical natural dungeon, with no extraordinary problems arising.
But the actual Minotaurs of Hwangwoo Valley formed a collective that could be termed as a federation, and they all possessed a significant amount of magical power.
This magical power was not limited to merely defensive aspects against magic and curses. Over ninety percent of hunters operate on the foundation of mana, and magical power is optimized to disrupt all techniques, physical attacks, enhancements, and defenses utilizing mana, making Minotaurs possessing such magical power significantly threatening to hunters.
The attacks of A-grade hunters would be countered at the level of B to C grade. Moreover, the defenses that should reasonably hold under mana would be breached even more easily.
If they had entered Hwangwoo Valley under such critical misunderstandings with a pitifully scaled party, they would have suffered near-total annihilation without even attempting to escape.
Fortunately, since the association had organized the Hunter Train, gathering hundreds of A-grade hunters to initiate a dungeon invasion, humanity wasn’t in significant danger.
Anyway, those Minotaurs in Hwangwoo Valley, living in a massive collective, had unique rules and culture of their own.
And that rule and culture was…
– Muoooh!
– Today, lower body, perfect!
– Grrhh, ugh… ugh…!
– Brothers! Just one more, just one more…!
– Grrrgh!
Surprisingly enough, it was the culture of fitness training.
Or rather, calling it a fitness culture might sound a bit odd, but the Minotaurs’ culture of training their muscles and pushing themselves had its own peculiar reason.
Minotaurs were fundamentally fierce and the epitome of survival of the fittest.
In human mythology, Minotaurs are often referred to as the incarnations of violence and the embodiment of savagery, and indeed, the monsters in Hwangwoo Valley were no different.
Minotaurs reveled in overwhelming violence, killing anything that intruded into their territory, including their kin. The same went for Hwangwoo Valley.
However, in other massive dungeons, the number of Minotaurs isn’t particularly high. They were fundamentally vicious and brutal, strong though they might be; they became public enemies among other monsters and sometimes faced concentrated attacks from them.
Yet, just a decade ago, Hwangwoo Valley recorded an unbelievable number of Minotaurs, in the tens of thousands.
But the violent instincts of the Minotaurs led them to slaughter one another indiscriminately, whether kin or beasts. Not long after, the population dwindled to a mere fraction.
Eventually, a white female Minotaur, unable to watch the devastation, began to subdue other Minotaurs without killing her kin.
She feared that if the population of Minotaurs continued to dwindle, they would lose control of the dungeon to other monsters.
Considering that Minotaurs, despite having some intelligence, are dominated by their destructive instincts and rage, it wouldn’t be strange to call her a hero of Minotaurs rather than a mere mutant.
Anyway, this was the dawn of the first Minotaur collective.
Once a collective of Minotaurs was formed, they incorporated all solitary Minotaurs, and since the food supply within the Hwangwoo Valley was ample, they prohibited the slaughter of kin.
Once some order was established, Minotaurs that had dwindled down to the low thousands began to rise back into the ten thousands. However, the problem was that Minotaurs were inherently violent creatures unable to restrain their overflowing bloodlust.
Even after unifying to form a collective, considering the Minotaurs’ original nature, it was evident they would soon split and engage in infighting.
The violence inherent in Minotaurs was so intense that even with intelligence, the Hunter Association couldn’t categorize them as ‘freaks’ and still labeled them as ‘monsters.’
As expected, Minotaurs living in a collective were prone to conflict among their kin, which was addressed by a unique aspect of their culture – the culture of strength training.
Despite being called strength training, it involved lifting heavy objects like wood or rocks, or any other heavy mineral to diligently train their muscles.
This culture of strength training originated from an accidental dispute.
A conflict arose between two Minotaurs, and at that time, the white female Minotaur, having united the tribe, forbade slaughter among kin. Thus, the Minotaurs decided to prove their strength without killing each other.
However, aside from slaughter and fighting, there weren’t many ways to demonstrate their strength.
Once blood was drawn, they were likely to continue fighting until the end. And given the Minotaur’s primal instincts, admitting defeat was terribly difficult.
The two Minotaurs resolved the situation by seeing who could lift a heavier log, and this trivial dispute evolved into a major source of entertainment for the Minotaurs, ultimately leading to the cultural establishment of what they called strength training.
The turmoil of conflicts, duels, and the urge for slaughter were all channeled into the competitive elements of strength training.
With Minotaurs often struggling with impulses towards destruction and overflowing vitality, the culture of strength training noticeably reduced conflicts and clashes. Consequently, the ruling class of Minotaurs started to actively encourage this training.
“Can’t control overflowing bloodlust and strength? Work out to drain the energy! Sweat through training all day, bathe in the valley, and sleep; any excess will be gone!”
“Annoyed by a coworker’s annoying comments? Work out to build muscle! A strong physique makes his words sound like the serenade of the weak.”
“Frustrated because of someone bigger than you? Work out and surpass them! Who gets angry over a whimpering baby? You’d just ignore it, right?”
“Don’t feel like working out today? Today is lower body day, so it’s okay to rest the upper body. What’s the problem?”
“Get up. Work out. Every Minotaur must train their muscles.”
Training muscles is a hieroglyph for enhancing health and a realm where past, present, and future coexist in strength.
Those with lesser muscles are wrong; those with strong muscles are powerful and right.
In the Minotaurs of Hwangwoo Valley, strength training became a law, a culture, a principle unto itself.
So, today too, the Minotaurs were training hard.
With heavy boulders lifted with both hands, uprooting trees deeply rooted in the ground, or a Minotaur standing on one hand while curling its arms in training might have appeared grotesque to human eyes.
– Grrrh!
– Good job! Brother! Just one more until thirty…!
– Grr, ggrr…!
– Well done…! Just one more to thirty…!
– Grr… Urgh…!
– Alright. Just one more…!
– Krooooh!!! This little bastard! Can’t you count, you moron!!!
Despite tempering their violence through strength training, they still remained savage.
In reality, Minotaurs didn’t completely eliminate their brutality and violent instincts through strength training; it was more like they honed their sharpness quietly like a refined blade.
They would swiftly revert to their combative instincts if they hunted massive creatures for food or if humans invaded their dungeon.
Anyway, the Minotaur collectives were not gathered in one location but were dispersed across significant spots in the dungeon, such as forests, valleys, wastelands, and mountains, to establish overall dominion over the dungeon.
This was to prevent other monsters from forming alliances away from the ruling Minotaurs’ eyes.
And today, at a Minotaur collective in a forest, they were diligently engaged in strength training.
Their lives were simple.
Sleep. Eat. Train. Train again. Wash. Sleep.
If they faced a shortage of food, the appointed hunter would catch helpful beasts for muscle growth or gather fruit. Once food was secured, they’d train again since there was little else to do in the forest.
This was unavoidable, as Hunters would approach from the entrances of the dungeon due to the nature of the gate, making it a quiet forest far from Hwangwoo Valley.
Thus, there was nothing to enjoy here but strength training, so the Minotaurs of the forest devoted themselves even more to it.
Indeed, training was truth, peace, and strength.
As the Minotaurs in the forest continued to train, they approached their endeavors with solemn hearts.
– Crash!!!
– Muooooh!?
– Kroooh!!!
At that moment, the earth roared.
With the sounds of air being ruptured, the Minotaurs paused their strength training, looking up with startled eyes in the direction of the noise.
“Wahahahaha! Then I’ll be on my way first!!!”
The voice came from the sky.
The voice of the Earth-shaking individual was far more lively and innocent than they had imagined.
Yet, despite its innocence, the outcome was far from peaceful.
[Enchant – Cannon Mode Activated]
[Enchant – Concentration Enhanced]
[Enchant – Healing Impossible]
[Enchant – Explosion Enhanced]
“Fire~!”
– Kiiiiiiiiing!
Green streaks like meteors poured down upon the Minotaurs’ villages and forests.
The disaster striking the peaceful residents of the forest came suddenly, without warning.
Caught off guard by the onslaught of destructive light, the Minotaurs hurriedly tried to summon their magical power.
Training their muscles naturally brought strength of heart and mind, consequently enhancing their magical abilities as well. Even an A-grade hunter would struggle to land a valid attack against the forest Minotaurs.
– Phwack!
– Puff!
– Uooohhh!?!?
– Br-Brother!
– Don’t flee! Face…Uooohhh!!!
– Brother! My-My arm…!
– I never had an arm to begin with.
– Ah, oh, I see…!
As the disastrous, blinding flash poured over them, the Minotaurs barely managed to stand.
Whether it was intentional or unfortunate, the downpour of green light was powerful enough to completely disregard the Minotaurs’ magical defenses, but its accuracy wasn’t that high, allowing a considerable number of Minotaurs to survive.
Since Lilybet hadn’t applied precise targeting enchantments, the dozens of mana beams circling her merely became chaotic violence, raining down onto the ground.
While Minotaurs possessed exceptional physical capabilities, it still forced them into evasive actions, leaving their home utterly devastated.
– Muoooh!
– My home…!
– Uoooh! I won’t let this go…!
Upon confirming the destruction of their home, the Minotaurs’ rage erupted, and they picked up their weapons.
While weapons consisted merely of massive logs or stones, and clubs constructed from metal minerals like amateur weapons, wielding them against humans could flatten a target in one hit.
The Minotaurs readied to leap at Lilybet in the air, preparing to throw their weapons.
With their home destroyed and besieged, their anger was no ordinary rage.
– Screeeech!
However, before the Minotaurs could assume their attack position, a golden flash glimmered from the edge of the forest.
[Great Cleave…]
The symbol of gold was Menelapie.
Yet, Menelapie didn’t rush toward the Minotaurs nor approach them.
In this moment, she needed none of that.
For now, as a hero, she was unleashing her utmost power and concentration.
– Crack!
From across the forest.
With Menelapie gripping her sword, cracks radiated from the ground where she stood, and as if amplifying into a disaster, the earth began to collapse.
It felt akin to an earthquake, as the hero Menelapie prepared her rose-like sword strike, causing the atmosphere itself to shudder.
And time froze.
A line of light cutting through the warmth.
Not violent, yet simultaneously tearing through everything, the overwhelming golden sword aura cleaved everything in the surroundings, including all the trees standing before Menelapie.
[Great Cleave – Blooming of the Golden Rose]
The flowers bloomed.
Golden roses formed from Menelapie’s aura scattered all around, engulfing the Minotaur group that had rushed toward Lilybet in flames.
Golden aura.
Burn!
– Bam bam bam!!!
For the ones wanting to protect, petals of guardianship.
For the fearful, petals of annihilation.
Over a hundred Minotaurs, which had narrowly escaped Lilybet’s beam attack, met their demise simultaneously with Menelapie’s sword strike, scattered across the forest.
And upon witnessing the rose petals, Shia could only manage an awkward smile.
‘…Me, Menelapie… Why are you using your ultimate technique here…?’
Indeed, it was understandable.
That technique—
The ultimate move she unleashed as a hero, aimed right at Lirisia Alpenheim upon her arrival to Earth.
In her current state, even a complete form of the Demon King would perish with just a single misstep.
Thus, it was only natural that the Minotaurs would disappear entirely without leaving any trace at all.
And upon hearing that all Minotaurs had been completely eliminated, Shia’s expression hardened.
“Shia, I will find new beef for you…”
“…Menelapie.”
The calmness in Shia’s voice felt oddly cold.
Menelapie didn’t miss the look on Shia’s face.
No, it was clear that it wasn’t something to ignore, considering Shia, who always lived positively and brightly, showing that chilly expression towards her and her companions, including Menelapie and Teresa.
“Shia, I will fetch new beef…”
“I’m disappointed.”
“Eh…?”
—Boom!
In that instant, Menelapie’s world crumbled.
