"The Duel for the Hourglass"

Minotaurs were a species that had gone extinct many years ago. The stories about them were famous, and they possessed strength that rivaled dragons. Commonly, they had less magical talent but excelled in barrier magic. They could live up to 200 years, reaching full maturity in 75 years. After the age of 75, they awakened a unique ability.

Kariro: "Are you telling me this is a legendary Minotaur? Well, how about I chop off its head? Opportunities like this are rare."

Hosoki: The sweat of terror streamed down his face, his heart pounding rapidly. "Do you really think you can do it? This Minotaur is on another level. You'd be lucky to even scratch him. Just by looking at his horn, I can tell he's not fully grown yet. His horn tell me he's at least SSS rank."

Minotaur: "My name is Kenji Taurus. I'm surprised by your knowledge of Minotaurs, but that won't be enough to obtain the legendary hourglass. You must duel me and win. Only one of you can face me at a time. You can switch, but never engage me simultaneously. Breaking this rule will cause this hall to collapse and kill you. I'll be safe within my barrier. Only a diamond barrier can withstand the impact of this hall, and as you may know, we are the only ones capable of using high-level diamonds barrier ."

(Kenji stood at around 10 feet in length, with a massive muscular body.)

Kariro changed his hand into a pointed sword, his body hardening like iron.

Kenji punched the ground, uttering "Diamond Barrier," and an invisible barrier erupted from the earth.

(The Diamond Barrier was the most potent barrier in the world. The invisible variant was legendary-ranked, with barrier strength determined by its color. The weakest barriers were white, while the strongest were invisible.)

Kenji extended his hands, and a colossal axe fell from above.

The axe was an SS rank weapon that Hosoki had identified using his magical lens. It gleamed red along its edge, adorned with ancient runes. (Rune language, an ancient language, was used for drawing magic circles and crafting enchanted items. Properly ordered runes could amplify, multiply, seal, or even produce elements. However, it was a forgotten language, and only legendary smiths and master witches could create weapons with rune language, with very few reaching above A rank.)

"Let's begin," said Kenji.

Hosoki's three rings glowed as he activated his Weight Doubler (a magical ring that doubled the weight of each punch), Ring of Strength (increasing strength by 30%), and Armor Ring (providing substantial protection and absorbing 30% of damage from attacks). All of his rings were ranked A and could only be used for 30 minutes per day. (Hosoki was a weapon user type, capable of wielding up to 20 items simultaneously, but it is limited to 4 for common adventures. He was a Rank SS Level 4.)

Kariro transformed his body into iron, his hand into a sword, and readied himself for combat.

Kenji swung his axe vertically, generating a powerful gust of wind, dust, and fog that obscured Hosoki and Kariro's vision. In the midst of the dust, they glimpsed M's dazzling red eye glaring at them, but it suddenly disappeared. They darted their eyes around, and a red light materialized in the dusty air above them—Kenji, axe in hand, aimed at them. Both adventurers quickly evaded as the ground shattered from the axe's impact.

They began fighting to avoid the relentless axe strikes but found it challenging to retaliate.

Kariro: "He's incredibly strong. Can we even defeat him?"

Hosoki:"Never mind defeating him; he's in a league of his own. Let's attack him together; it's time. Use your invisibility skill," he said, blood trickling from his mouth.

Hosoki: "Don't end up as mincemeat."

Kariro: "It'll only last for a minute."

Kariro:"Activate all items!"

He ignited in his own aura, his level reaching Legend Rank Level 1. A golden aura radiated from him, disintegrating his shirt in the process, revealing tattoos on his body. The largest tattoo, a snow tiger, ignited in blue aura, overpowering the golden glow. His body emanated intense pressure as he charged toward Kenji with all his might, each step shattering the floor. He leaped above Kenji, aiming a meteoric punch at his face. Kenji attempted to block it with his axe, holding it with both hands. The punch struck the axe, forcing Kenji to step back, the floor beneath him crumbling under the force. Kenji unleashed the full power of his axe, causing it to glow red, and both of their hands began to bleed.

Kariro stealthily approached Kenji from behind while invisible, stabbing his sharp iron arm into M's heart. Kenji hastily summoned a diamond barrier, but it was too late. Kenji coughed up blood as Kariro pierced his heart from another angle and withdrew the weapon. He sprinted to seize the hourglass, while Kenji dropped his axe in agony.

The punch struck Kenji just as the entire hall began to crumble. Both Kenji and Hosoki were half-dead.

Kariro seized the hourglass and rushed to Hosoki, who was unable to move, his body burned. Kariro take out a piece of paper with a magic circle on it and added some blood. A magic circle appeared, teleporting them both away from danger.

Kenji lay on the ground as his barrier weakened.

Kenji whispered to himself, "I'm sorry, Dad. I couldn't keep my promise. I'm a failure, and it seems I'm going to die. I'll see you in another world."

An unfamiliar voice responded, "Hey, Kenji, you're not dying today on my watch."

Kenji see his face like a bluer image before he got unconscious