45 Beating the Carapace Armored Shield Minotaur into Submission

Kirou had just managed to return to his feet from that roll when he had to backflip to avoid the carapace shield minotaur from stomping on his lowered figure. It was only after doing so for a few times that he finally managed to stabilize himself, long enough to look at the stats of the creature trying to beat him to death.

Monster: Carapace Armored Shield Minotaur (Mutant)

Level: 15

HP: 80,000/80,000

Att: 250

Def: 200

Skills: Reckless Charge, Stone Skin, Shield Bash, Feral Roar, Berserk Transformation

Kirou could only adopt a wry smile on his face as he stared at the creature ahead of him. In front of him stood a creature with stats similar to that of a boss. Worst yet, this boss-like creature had its eyes dead set on him, screaming bloody murder.

Off to the side, Both Mistaken Fox and Shadow Arachne tried to rush over to help him, only to encounter what appeared to be a barrier, locking them out of the area of conflict. The barrier seems to make realtime adjustments to surround only Kirou and this minotaur, regardless of where they go.

Seeing his situation, Kirou could only blame himself for unintentionally copying Mistaken Fox and creating this monstrosity of his own. Having come to terms with this idea, Kirou took a deep breath before releasing it and emptying his mind, while taking out the gloves with metal knuckles once again with his wires wrapped around it. Along with this, Kirou also used his trait, changing his appearance from a human with tribal tattoos to a werewolf. Along with his change in appearance, so did his stats.

{Name: Kirou}

{Race: Werewolf(Lycan/Human)}

{Class: Weapon Master}

{Subclass: Crafting Master}

{Weapons: Gunblade Tonfas, Beginner Knife, Wolf Claws, Enchanted Steel Chain, Threaded Wires...}

{Armor: Swampland Leather Armor Set (vest, pants, gloves, boots, crocodile helmet), Mysterious Bead(???)}

{Level: 13}

{HP: 732/732 (432+100+200)}

{MP: 610/610 (360+100+150)}

{Str: 45 (25+10+10)} to {51.25 (31.25+10+10)}

{Int: 28 (23+5)} to {16.5 (11.5+5)}

{Def: 59 (24+10+10+5+5+5)}

{Const: 36 (26+10)}

{Dex: 26 (21+5)}

{Agi: 26 (21+5)} to {31.25 (26.25+5)}

{Luck: 55/100}

{Skill Points: 36}

With his now complete, Kirou wasted no time in engaging the carapace armored shield minotaur that's been trying to maim him since it showed up.

Outside of the barrier, Mistaken Fox naturally saw Kirou transform into a werewolf. At first, his jaw slackened a bit but he caught it in time as this change wasn't that bad. While it was a surprise to discover that Kirou was a Lycan Halfling instead of a normal human player, this wasn't much of a revelation to him as Kirou had the signs of it showing from the moment they met. He should have realized that those tribal tattoos on Kirou's torso weren't just there for cosmetic purposes.

As for Shadow Arachne, while it was worried about its master's safety and wanted to join in, even if it's only to sink its venomous fangs into that minotaur for offending its master, it knew that it had to sit this fight out so it sat down on its legs outside of the barrier while practicing with its threads. From time to time it would make sure to take a look within the barrier to see if its master was in trouble but for now, it would wait for its master to emerge victorious in this fight.

*************

The fight within the barrier has gone on for over half an hour now. Both werewolf and minotaur were covered in various injuries. The minotaur had its carapace armor broken in a lot of places all over its body. The helmet that it wore was now reduced to shards scattered on the forest floor being trampled by both minotaur and werewolf alike. As for its carapace plated shield, it was now broken and abandoned at the corner of the barrier after Kirou did a number on it with his heavy-handed attacks, along with taking advantage of his metal-knuckled glove's effect. As for the minotaur's body, in the areas that weren't protected by carapace armor or had the armor recently removed, various cut wounds were visible. In fact, the minotaur was currently attacking Kirou with just one arm as its other arm was removed by Kirou's wires before it was used to smack the minotaur's face a few times and then tossed over to the area with its broken shield.

That being said, Kirou wasn't any better off. He was covered in bruises from head to toe. Parts of his Swampland Leather Armor Set was broken in a few places and falling apart in others. Along with that, Kirou's werewolf body was covered in various cuts and he was bleeding from a few of them. Many of these cuts were a result of Kirou being dodging a few headbutts from the minotaur, only to be grazed or impaled by its horns. Naturally, all of these dealt heavy damage to Kirou but he was managing to survive on health potions and other recovery items within his inventory.

As of now, both combatants could be seen engaging in a slow-paced melee. Due to their various injuries, both were now running low on steam. While Kirou was somewhat managing to dodge the minotaur's attacks with minimal movement, he wasn't in the best shape to take advantage of the many open areas on the minotaur's body. As for the minotaur, with an arm down, practically naked as Kirou destroyed its carapace armor and being restrained in a few areas with wires, the beast was doing much worse than Kirou at the moment.

Outside the barrier, Shadow Arachne was watching the fight with invested interest, completely disregarding the threads it was practicing with earlier. As for Mistaken Fox, he was watching the fight completely void of any emotion. Kirou has given him so many surprises for the day that right now the poor man had just turned off all emotion and is just watching the fight for all that it's worth. In fact, the moment Kirou had used his trait earlier, Mistaken Fox had started to record the fight and now he was thinking that it was a wise move to do so.

As the fight progressed, Mistaken Fox couldn't stop the thoughts flashing through his mind, "Brother Kirou is the kind of guy I have to become friends with. Just looking at his fight with this minotaur I can tell that he'll become someone very important in Immortal Era later on. That's a level 15 monster with stats similar to that of a level 20 boss and he's taking it on solo and with a handicap. I've got to make sure to stick with him as he's the kind of guy bound to find fun stuff in the future." As that final thought flashed in Mistaken Fox's mind, he realized just how true his earlier thought was as he saw Kirou do something he hasn't shown yet.

Back in the barrier, after exchanging attacks with the minotaur, Kirou was now down to just 20 HP while the minotaur was down to 2650 HP. Instead of reaching for a health potion from his inventory, Kirou had a feral smile on his face. As for the minotaur across from him, it too possessed a feral smile as it stared at Kirou with intense battle intent.

"It's time to end this, you blasted bull," said Kirou as two clones rose from his shadow. Seeing this, the minotaur let out a feral shout before charging at the three Kirous. As it did so, the minotaur's body began to glow red. Naturally, this was the minotaur using its skill once again but this time it was combined with the minotaur's .

Instead of dodging the charge, the two clones rushed towards the charging minotaur as well, as if planning to meet its charge head-on. As for Kirou, he swapped out his gloves for his gunblade tonfas and used the charged shots to blast his body into the air. With the minotaur blinded with rage, it never noticed Kirou's action as it had its eyes glued to the two clones rushing towards it.

Just as the two clones were less than two meters away from the charging minotaur, both sent a line of wire over to the other. Immediately after each clone grabbed the other ends of the wires, both changed from a run to a slide and went under the charging minotaur's horns that were about to impale them both. Along with this slide, both clones pulled on the wires, prompting the charging minotaur rushing past them to trip, resulting in it falling face-first and sliding across the forest floor. Mistaken Fox winced when he saw this as he knew that had to hurt. His thoughts were proven true when he saw the damage figure that appeared above the minotaur's head mid-slide.

[-100]

[-100]

[-100]

The minotaur was now left with 2350 HP when its body finally stopped sliding. As the minotaur stood up, it turned to face the two clones that tripped it, only to see them not looking at him. In fact, along with the two clones, both Shadow Arachne and Mistaken Fox were looking in the same direction, in the air above it. Even in his berserk state, the minotaur found this weird so it too looked above and when it did, it made a terrible sounding shrieking noise.

Immediately following the shriek was a loud thud that generated a shockwave that filled the entire barrier with a dust cloud. As the dust cloud finally cleared, both Mistaken Fox and Shadow Arachne were greeted to the sight of the minotaur face-first into the forest floor with Kirou's right foot resting on top of its skull. As if delayed by the massive dust cloud, a bunch of red-colored damage figures finally appeared above the minotaur's downed body.

[-3450]

[-1200]

[-1200]

.....

When Mistaken Fox saw the damage figures along with the completely new modifier , he broke his emotionless mask and jumped back in shock. This was a first for Mistaken Fox and he had no idea what to make of it. As for Shadow Arachne, it displayed a human-like expression of understanding, as it retained the memories it had when Kirou fought it and knew how scary its master was.

As for the barrier surrounding the fighters, it disappeared at some point with the scene now clear to all the bystanders. Kirou was left with just 3 HP from the crazy stunt he just pulled off. Surprisingly, the minotaur was still alive with its health now on 1 HP with the 1 showing signs of fading out. Kirou noticed this and was intrigued, so he removed his foot from the minotaur's head and stepped back.

After the minotaur regained its freedom, when it rose to face Kirou, all the bystanders could see the look of terror currently stuck on the creature's face. It hastily went forwards and kneeled before Kirou, prompting a rune similar to the one that came out from the head of Mistaken Fox's own minotaur to escape from its brows and burrowed itself in Kirou's mind. Following this, the terrified and broken body of the carapace armored shield minotaur turned into a mass of light which gathered together before forming a medallion with a picture of the minotaur on it. It then flew over to Kirou and went into his inventory.

Following this, Kirou's entire body was bathed in a mass of light, healing(*) his many injuries from the fight along with him receiving a system message.

[System Message: You have leveled up!]

[You are now at level 15]

Seeing the message prompted Kirou to remove and check his stats.

{Name: Kirou}

{Race: Werewolf(Lycan/Human)}

{Class: Weapon Master}

{Subclass: Crafting Master}

{Traits: Lycan Transformation(Minor), Keen Senses(Minor), Adaptability(Minor), Information Analysis (Minor), Man-at-Arms(Class), Forge Your Own Path(Class), Fast Hands(Class), (Incomplete)}

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{Weapons: Gunblade Tonfas, Wolf Claws, Enchanted Steel Chain, Threaded Wires, Metal Knuckle Gloves, Metal Spike Boots...}

{Armor: Swampland Leather Armor Set (vest, pants, gloves, boots, crocodile helmet), Mysterious Bead(???)}

{Level: 15}

{HP: 780/780 (480+100+200)}

{MP: 650/650 (400+100+150)}

{Str: 49 (29+10+10)}

{Int: 32 (27+5)}

{Def: 63 (28+10+10+5+5+5)}

{Const: 40 (30+10)}

{Dex: 30 (25+5)}

{Agi: 30 (25+5)}

{Luck: 55/100}

{Skill Points: 42}

As Kirou gazed at his new stats, he couldn't stop the wry smile forming on his face as he saw Mistaken Fox's "expression" and Shadow Arachne's sad look of understanding. He couldn't help but think that 'maybe' he shouldn't have ended the fight like that but he can't change it now as the fight was already over.

If Kirou had to think of a silver lining to this whole ordeal, besides him obtaining his own minotaur pet, along with a new trait, incomplete as it is, he finally got to test out and confirm a combo he had been thinking about.

"I better make sure to make gear to deal with the rebound, otherwise this combo will be the death of me in this game," said Kirou to himself in a quiet voice. Unfortunately for him, with the area as quiet as it was from the stunt he just pulled, it was loud enough for both Shadow Arache and Mistaken Fox to hear. While Mistaken Fox was looking at Kirou as if he would a monster, Shadow Arachne went and de-summoned itself, going back to the pet space in order to hide, completely scared out of its wits.

Kirou could only release a dry chuckle in response to Shadow Arachne's move. He never thought he would have scared his spider so spectacularly, nor did he expect the spider to understand his words so clearly. It seems he should be careful in the future.

Mustering up all the courage he had left in him, Mistaken Fox went forward and asked, "While I am indeed terrified of knowing this, Brother Kirou, I must ask, what was that last attack of yours?"

Kirou gave Mistaken Fox a peculiar gaze for a few seconds before responding, "You can think of that as the combination of equipment, science, and game mechanics." When Kirou said this, Mistaken Fox gave Kirou a look that suggested he had no idea what Kirou was talking about. Kirou decided to lead him to a tree to rest before he started explaining.

******************

"So let me get this straight. You used that gunblade tonfa of yours to blast yourself as high up as you possibly could, swallowed a health potion that recovered a portion of your health, allowed yourself to fall for a bit before using that same gunblade tonfa to blast you forward once again and finally when you got close enough to the minotaur's head you activated the two skills and , which resulted in that?" asked Mistaken Fox as he pointed to the twenty-meter pit that had formed as a result of Kirou's drop on the minotaur's head.

Kirou looked at Mistaken Fox with a cheeky grin before nodding to his words. Having gotten confirmation from the horse's mouth himself, Mistaken Fox could only collapse against the tree in defeat. This "monster" in front of him by the name of Kirou obviously wasn't a player like the rest of the people in this game. Hell, at this point he wasn't sure Kirou was even human.

"Brother Kirou, you are, by far, the weirdest person I have ever met, both in-game and reality." As Mistaken Fox said this, the look of defeat on his face became even more pronounced. Seeing this caused Kirou's grin to get even wider. Without a change in expression, Mistaken Fox then opened his menu and sent a friend request to Kirou. Receiving the request, Kirou only raised an eyebrow before silently accepting it.

Upon seeing that Kirou accepted his friend request, Mistaken Fox took a deep breath before he rose to his feet. Kirou, seeing this action, followed suit and both started walking in the direction of the village they found earlier. Along the way, Kirou was the one who spoke up first.

"Give me a couple of days. I'll do a bit of research on medallions and see if I can make you one as a proper weapon. So until then, make use of those daggers I gave you earlier." As Kirou said this, Mistaken Fox turned to face him. The look on Mistaken Fox's face was one of immense gratitude and just as he was about to speak, Kirou stopped him before speaking himself, "You don't need to thank me. I'm a craftsman. It's within my nature to make stuff. Not to mention, I'm sort of interested in seeing if I'll be able to make use of them myself, later on, now that's I've got my own arcane beast as well."

Listening to his words, Mistaken Fox could tell that Kirou was being serious, but nevertheless, he still opened his mouth and spoke, "No matter what happens, Brother Kirou. I will always remember this favor. As long as you need my help in the future, no matter what it is, I'll always come running." As Mistaken Fox said this, he gave Kirou a full 90-degree bow, prompting Kirou to help him up.

The duo then continued their walk to the village in silence. As soon as they got in, Kirou turned to Mistaken Fox and spoke, "I appreciate those words. I hope such a day doesn't come as it will be one where you find yourself sharing all troubles."

In response to Kirou's words, Mistaken Fox chuckled before speaking, "I wouldn't mind. If such a day comes where I have to share your troubles, it also means that I'll be sharing in your glory as well. And knowing you, that's a glory I'd want to be apart of."

Both men were silent for a few moments before they started laughing. This laughter went on for a few minutes before Kirou spoke up once again, "Indeed it would be. Such a day would be fun to see, won't it Brother Fox?"

"While it would be fun, please keep it in the far future. I want to make sure I'm strong enough to actually help when the time comes," replied Mistaken Fox in jest.

"I'll do my best." Following those words, both men went their separate ways. Mistaken Fox went to secure items for another trip while Kirou went offline, to get some rightly earned rest. That boxing match with the minotaur a form of practice that he took too far and now his mind needs to cool off.