Why Is There A Minotaur?!

The sounds of combat surrounded me as I dashed through the forest, the smell of blood masking my scent from the sensitive minotaur. Furthermore, the clanging of weapons and the screaming of other students also hid the sound of my reckless sprint.

I could see the reddish sunlight piercing through the forest canopy ahead-- the trees were thinning out, which told me that I was nearing the edge of the forest.

I picked up my speed. I only had one chance to do this right.

The sudden transition from shadowy tree cover to out in the open was blinding, but my mana-enhanced eyes adapted quickly.

The clearing that I had entered was clearly not natural, as the trees seemed to abruptly stop like someone had blocked them from growing past a certain distance. The forest seemed to encircle the area and created an unnaturally round circumference.

Right in the middle was the Castle. Grey stone walls that rose almost ten meters from the ground guarded the Castle on all sides, though the main gate had already been demolished-- only wooden scraps and loose nails remained.

I stepped over the splintered gate, my eyes flicking back and forth as I scanned the interior courtyard. The castle keep was the centermost building, made of stone like the walls and the home of medieval lords. It looked abandoned.

Battlements lined the inner edge of the towering walls, allowing the defenders to launch projectiles at the attackers outside. However, they were not very defensible against wyverns that could simply fly over the walls.

Auxiliary buildings were located around the central keep, such as the chapel, the kitchen, and other constructions. 

I didn't see anyone in the courtyard.

I only wrote a side dialogue between the Academy's teachers about them for foreshadowing… Although I know that they'll die in the Castle, I don't actually know where they are exactly.

That was frustrating. The Castle had two floors and covered at least one thousand square meters-- finding one person would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

Thankfully though, I knew that the person I was looking for was good at screaming.

Coincidentally, I heard a piercing shriek that rang out from within the castle keep.

"Well, that wasn't too hard."

Things are going pretty smoothly, I thought to myself as I ran over to the double doors that led inside the castle's inner keep.

And that was when I jinxed myself.

Inside the keep was an impressive dining table that stretched along the entirety of the hall. However, the table had been knocked aside and split in half, lying in pieces against the westerly left wall. Above the center of the hall, an elegant chandelier hung over where the table used to stand. Near the back of the hall was an elaborate and powerful throne carved from granite.

Standing in front of the dais, an enormous minotaur turned its head to the ceiling and roared. The deafening sound in such a confined space made my ears ring painfully.

My eyes scanned the scene and I noticed an out-of-place figure hiding behind the granite seat.

Cowering behind the throne was another student with purple hair and eyes.

I found him!

As several thoughts flashed through my mind, I realized the minotaur was wielding an axe. Monstrous muscles rippled as the half-bull, half-man raised the massive blade over its head. Steam erupted from its nostrils as it prepared to strike the cowering boy.

"Move!"

My shout jolted him into action, causing him to dive out of the way as the axe came crashing down on the throne. Chunks of stone were flung across the room and I narrowly deflected a piece the size of my head from turning my chest into a donut.

Why is there a minotaur here?!

Also, where did it get an axe?!

The destructive power of the large monster increased exponentially when using weapons that allowed them to exert even more strength through momentum. I was unsure whether I could fight the armed minotaur even under perfect circumstances.

Before I could think anymore, my eyes saw movement from within the dust cloud.

From the dust, the trembling student emerged. I could see that the purple-haired boy had been bruised by the flying rubble-- he nursed an injured leg and limped away from the crumbling dais.

Suddenly, my eyes caught another movement from behind the dust.

Before I realized what I was doing, I had already leaped into action.

The axe blade suddenly sliced through the dust. The deadly edge was aimed towards the limping boy, but I had anticipated the strike. My sword slammed into the axe head as soon as the weapon emerged.

During that split second, my mana-enhanced eyes examined the axe.

Upon closer inspection, the axe was crude and not very well made. The weapon seemed to be made from half-melted metal that had been hammered together haphazardly.

I analyzed that the weapon wouldn't be well-balanced.

I was right.

My strike had shifted the trajectory of the strike enough so that the axe narrowly missed the other student. He scrambled back as best as he could on his bad leg, while I raised my stance and stood between him and the minotaur.

"Perseus."

"H-huh?! How do y-you know my name?!"

"Use your enhancement magic on me."

"W-what?! Who are you?!"

"Your only chance for survival," I hissed with growing impatience. "Do you think you can face that minotaur on your own?!"

He indignantly replied, clutching his bleeding leg. "N-no, but c-can you?!"

"We're about to find out," I said as I refocused on the emerging minotaur. "Enhancement magic."

"Are y-you sure? My spells are d-different from other peoples' magic. I have to continuously chant and when the monster interrupts me, you might die…"

"I can protect you from the minotaur as long as you use your enhancement magic."

"You might get hurt by--"

"We're currently in the Academy simulation. This isn't real. There won't be any consequences."

The boy looked startled, before meekly agreeing.

"F-fine. But you're going to h-have to explain how y-you know me later."

Perseus' low chanting began to resonate within the hall, his high voice becoming deeper as he began focusing his mana into my body.

My body suddenly felt lighter and stronger. I could feel my abilities growing as I stood there.

This was why I had decided to chase after Perseus.

The purple-haired boy had been born with SSS++ ranked mana. 

However, he completely lacked any control over his vast reservoir of magical power.

In order to protect him and the people around him, he was sealed from birth.

Unlike other students, who could control their magic by circulating the energy through their bodies or casting spells with short incantations, Perseus had to constantly chant in order to control his ridiculous magic power.

This was despite having his mana partially sealed by one of the Seven Sages.

Therefore, no matter what magic he used, the effects were always tremendous. 

[Strength: F+ → D-]

[Endurance: F++ → D]

[Dexterity: G+ → F++]

[Agility: F+ → D-]

[Mana: E- → E+]

The effects were beyond what I had imagined.

"I think I'm going to be fine," I disbelievingly laughed as the minotaur fully emerged from the dust cloud.