Chapter 100: Distorted Labyrinth III

The party was making great progress and now there was only an hour and forty minutes left before the shroud buff ends. The labyrinth was more or less difficult if you did not have a soulbound like Sirius who could detect traps and actually try to activate them even if you detected it. Due to Sirius, the traps that would instantly kill or damage others was avoided beforehand.

Adrian was really thankful for Sirius this time and he praised it every time that he manages to disarm a trap. He would also warn others that enemies were approaching. The enemies they faced were the same as the previous corrupted elementals but only more powerful. The corrupted earth and fire elementals became level 70 so they got status buffs but they only showed one at a time which made it easy for the group to dispose of them.

The corrupted earth elementals now explode spores whenever they are defeated and poisons whoever was in the vicinity. Luckily, each party member has potions to cure simple status effects but are short in supply because they are more difficult to brew compared to regular potions that restore health or mana. The corrupted fire elementals was the most difficult to deal with as when they die, they leave a fire apparition that would charge towards them and inflict the target with a burn status.

The upcoming enemies were not much of a threat because they come one at a time but they chip off the party's health points and status recovery potion because of the damage-over-time. Due to that reason, they were now running low on status recovery potions. If the dungeon boss was a monster that mainly dealt with damage-over-time status skills then they would be doomed with a prolonged battle.

The good news is that Adrian leveled up ten times with his soulbounds about the same. Vayu and Soleil leveled up two times due to the experience points multiplier but they still pale in comparison to Adrian who has a six times experience point multiplier. They might not have broken a sweat due to the unique character of the labyrinth as it was not meant to be traversed like they did.

Usually when an entity enters the labyrinth, it would be charmed and be forever trapped into it but the 'Free Wraith-kun' party just waltz right in like it was a vacation spot. The only downside is that they have to quickly finish the dungeon in the remaining time they have left which is one hour. With an hour left, they reached the middle of the labyrinth and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

If someone were to actually describe the middle of the labyrinth, it would be ordinary. There was a fountain with that did not work as there was no water flowing from it. There was also a gazebo made of marble but it was stained with dirt due to not being properly maintained. If it were to be described it would be like an abandoned backyard of a house but in a place filled with flesh walls and corrupted elementals then this part of the labyrinth would be out of place.

"This would be the last part of the labyrinth but my seal is not located here as it is located under this place" the wraith said.

The wraith then walked towards the gazebo and disappeared. When the wraith disappeared, the three of them thought that they were deceived. The party then hurriedly went close to the gazebo and discovered that there were stairs leading down.

Adrian was the first one to take the lead and because his soulbound Kanlaon could not fit, he polymorphed him into becoming smaller. Adrian led the way down the stairway and it felt like they were descending to another place as it felt like they passed by a barrier or something. When they reached the end of the stairs, they saw that it was a vast area where the floor was made of muscle.

The floor even vibrated to maximize its creepiness factor. Adrian looked at Soleil to see if she was ok with this but then remembered that for kids under the age of twelve, traumatic dungeon layouts change depending on their age. The blood splatters are also non-existent for them. This made the game popular for underage people and not ruin the fun for older gamers. The fact that the game could distinguish age was in fact mind boggling and amazing.

The wraith was there to welcome them and said, "This is the heart of the labyrinth and my soul is sealed in a relic here. The relic is guarded by an abomination that was created by Cristobal so be wary because it is powerful."

Adrian the disseminated the information that the wraith told him as he was the only one that could understand them. They looked around but there was no boss monster around until they heard chains rattling. The party then heard a bellow in front of them. Steps that came from hooves then came next and then a giant entity that was three meters tall and held a giant axe. It was a minotaur.

Monster: Asterion (Supreme Minotaur) (Dungeon Boss)

Level: 80

HP: 500,000 / 500,000

MP: 50,000 / 50,000

Description: A minotaur is a monster that is a hybrid between a man and a bull. It is unknown as to how their kind came to be as they are vastly different from bull demi-humans as minotaurs have the whole face of a bull with having the body of an adult male. Asterion was abducted by the Mad Warlock Cristobal from his previous dwelling and was brainwashed using torture to protect the seal that keeps his labyrinth from functioning.

The party then immediately attacked as they did not want the boss monster to gain the upper ground. Adrian immediately used the third ability of his bow Psyche Armament. He shot three shooting stars towards the minotaur but was surprised by the damage he dealt.

[You have dealt 9,128 damage to the boss monster Asterion.]

[You have dealt 10,579 damage to the boss monster Asterion.]

[You have dealt 9,873 damage to the boss monster Asterion.]

He was surprised that an attack with a piercing effect that negated defense only dealt damage in the ten thousands which means normal damage would only deal about a quarter if they hit it. The minotaur then raged when it was unable to block the attacks that was sent to it and charged towards them. Adrian instructed Kanlaon to ram it with equal force.

Kanlaon returned to his original form and met Asterion' charge a few seconds later. Adrian thought that Kanlaon would at least halt its charge by a little bit and he would slow it down using Chrono Lag. Kanlaon was straight up dragged by the unrelenting charge of the minotaur so Adrian had to cast Chrono Lag for Kanlaon to escape.

[Kanlaon has received 6,457 damage.]

The charge alone decreased Kanlaon's health by half. Fortunately, the minotaur did not stop its charge and did not attack Kanlaon when it flew away from it. The minotaur crashed towards the stairway thereby destroying their only way to retreat. Adrian immediately ordered Saena to heal Kanlaon as he instructed the others to bombard the minotaur while it was still dazed from crashing.

Soleil immediately formed a fire tornado and launched it towards the minotaur. The flaming tornado hit the minotaur but it was not even fazed or had the burned status. Fortunately, Adrian already applied three stacks of Netheros Bane on the minotaur and only needs seven more for it to become permanent.

Adrian immediately casted seven Quantum Spacemines simultaneously since it was now possible to do so. The minotaur was immediately hit with the weakened status before it could recover from its slight daze. The minotaur recovered from its daze and it made a charging motion once again. The party was ready to avoid the charge but the minotaur suddenly raised its head and right hoof simultaneously and activated a skill.

The minotaur stomped its right hoof and produced a tremor that shook the entire floor.

[Player Equinox has received 1,287 damage.]

[Party member Vayu has received 1,869 damage]

Both Vayu and Equinox received but Soleil managed to avoid it because she used the fire element to levitate herself to dodge like what she did earlier. Adrian was about to stand up when he saw a giant axe descending towards him. Adrian immediately used Chrono Shift to increase his overall speed and dodge the attack.

The minotaur blew its nose as if it was not satisfied with the result. It still charged towards Adrian despite the occasional bite and claw attacks that Sirius made towards it. Adrian did not know why it was so hell bent on attacking him. Adrian enlarged his demi-gauntlets and used both Soul essences and Nether energy to empower his punch. The minotaur also used a skill as its axe suddenly had a red glow.

The gauntlet and the axe met and a serious shockwave erupted when both weapons clashed but Adrian was still knocked back until he hit a wall. The minotaur still charged towards him even though it was receiving attacks from his party members and soulbounds. At this point there was only one thought that passed through Adrian's mind.

"Do not tell me that it is a unique boss equipped with its own special AI."