Chapter 76

With a resounding moo, the Minotaur charged towards Vasileios, its powerful horns aimed to strike him with all its might. The creature's howl had the ability to paralyze weaker level one adventurers, but I and the Astraea familia, stood from a distance, ready to protect and support them if they needed it.

Dimitra swiftly finished her spell chant and unleashed a lightning arrow towards the Minotaur. The arrow seemed more like a blinding flash of light as it went towards the charging Minotaur, slowing it down significantly. I noticed that Lili had also finished casting her gravity magic on the Minotaur, hindering its movements before Dimitra released her arrow.

As the lightning arrow struck the Minotaur's head, bathing it in crackling energy and further hindering its movement.

Haaaaa!!!

Vasileios dramatically yelled, standing strong and easily absorbed the impact with his shield. Vasiliki then completed her chant, creating a localized domain and using ice magic to immobilize the Minotaur's joints. It was a well-planned move, but the Minotaur's level two strength proved to be a challenge. The others closed in, attacking fiercely with their melee weapons, but with the Minotaur's tough hide only left superficial cuts were made.

I noticed Michalis, however, was not engaging in the physical combat. Instead, he chanted his spell with a mischievous grin on his face. Intrigued, I awaited his spell's effect, knowing it would complement his skill. Dimitra's magic was the same but would be more effective against hordes of weaker monsters at her current level.

"Back off!" Michalis shouted, commanding the others to cease their attacks. The Minotaur had regained some strength and broke free from Vasiliki's ice joint locks. Michalis's spell took effect as ethereal daggers materialized around him, emanating a sinister aura. He directed the daggers towards the Minotaur's weak points - its joints, eyes, and mouth. It was a gruesome sight, but in the dungeon, brutality was commonplace.

"Now, Lili!" Nikolaos commanded. Lili once again used her magic on the weakened Minotaur. With the added weight and injuries to its joints, the Minotaur's exhausted body gave out, collapsing to the ground. Vasiliki swiftly locked the Minotaur's joints once more, while the others resumed their relentless assault. Though they couldn't penetrate the Minotaur's hide easily, they continued to beat it with all their might. The Minotaur howled in agony before disintegrating into dust, leaving behind its hide and valuable crystal drop.

"Great job," I praised my familia, acknowledging their efforts. They had approached the fight strategically, identifying weak spots and utilizing their skills effectively. With each battle, their training would only make them stronger. Improvements could be made with time.

"That was insane, Draco!" Lyra exclaimed, a mix of excitement and exhilaration in her voice.

I wondered what had gotten her so riled up. Although I wanted them to fight again, I realized that we had expended too much time. We needed to move and make a base in the 18th floor before continuing.

We were basically speed running there at this point.

After the battle, my familia wasn't really too exhausted, so we grabbed our supplies and resumed our journey towards the 18th floor.

As we walked, I turned to ask Kaguya about the next spawn of the Goliath. I knew that a group set out to kill it yesterday but wasn't sure if they completed it yet.

"When does the Goliath spawn next?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued.

"Hmm, It was killed yesterday, so in less than two weeks," Kaguya replied, her voice thoughtful.

"Do you have any plans on fighting it?" I asked, eager to know their plans for it. Kaguya didn't answer right away, but instead, Lyra chimed in.

"Yes," Lyra replied confidently, taking over the conversation. Kaguya nodded in agreement.

"Great, I will join you then," I replied, seizing the opportunity to push my limits. Though I would have loved to solo the Goliath, I knew deep down that it might not go as smoothly as I imagined.

"Are you crazy?" Celty finally spoke up, her voice filled with disbelief. She had been silent since the expedition started.

"No, just pushing my limits," I replied to the shocked elf. Ryuu interjected, adding, "He did kill Vito, so it's not really shocking to hear."

Celty remained silent for a while, seemingly processing our words before finally speaking. "Hmmf, do whatever you want," she huffed, clearly not approving but recognizing that it was my decision.

Time passed as we delved deeper into the dungeon, slaying any monsters that crossed our path, until we finally arrived at the 18th floor. The view was truly breathtaking, and Eleni couldn't help but exclaim in awe. The rest of my familia shared her sentiments.

We soon found a nice spot to set up camp. The 18th floor had fewer adventurers around due to the tragedy caused by the evilus, but I believed things would soon return to normal.

While the others busied themselves with setting up camp, I decided to go and explore the floor, eager to take in its wonders. The last time I had been here, the floor looked like hell. But now, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

As I walked around, I noticed that I was being followed by some adventurers. Annoyed by their presence, I decided to confront them. "Hey there, lizard boy. Did you get lost here?" one of the men taunted, trying to get under my skin.

Crunch! The sound of bone breaking echoed through the air. Without even realizing it, my tail had attacked the man the moment he insulted me with the "lizard boy" comment. The others yelled in rage, and they all attacked me unarmed.

Swish! Thud! Slam! I slammed one of the men to the ground, but there were five of them, all probably at level 2 and two were down. The remaining three drew their weapons while I turned my hands to claws.

"If you attack me with your weapons, you should be prepared to die," I said, a sinister grin spreading across my face. The men hesitated for a moment before sheathing their weapons. Silence hung in the air as I asked them, "Why did you attack me?" Unfortunately, I received no response. It wasn't strange for adventurers to hate me simply because of my race. I had endured that since I was a child. I could make a few guesses as to why they attacked but there was nothing concrete.

They left, carrying their injured allies with them, not forgetting to cast disapproving glances my way. "When did I become so sensitive?" I muttered to myself, contemplating my sudden reaction. A mere insult to my race had stirred something within me that I couldn't quite understand. I wasn't like this before. What was going on?

Lost in my thoughts, I eventually returned to the campsite, where everything had already been set up. Eleni, clearly upset, confronted me, "Draco nii, where have you been? You didn't help at all."

"Sorry, I was just curious about the place and decided to explore a bit," I replied, hoping to appease her anger.

"You could have taken me with you Draco nii" Lili chimes in.

"Sigh, you can all go exploring tomorrow after training. It's already late" I replied, indicating at the dimming crystal above us.

They reluctantly agreed, soon we had a campfire going. Enjoying our meals while engaging in cheerful banters.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to read ahead on my Pa3on and donate. See ya all Monday. Have a great weekend.