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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Mooooooooo!”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
The Minotaur, which had just been staring blankly a moment ago, started groaning after I punched it in the gut.
As I calmed down, I started to regret what I said.
[Dear! Even when you’re angry, you should be mindful of your words!]
‘Damn it. I hope no one heard that.’
The training ground system was still malfunctioning because of the spilled tteokbokki.
Thankfully, my voice wasn’t amplified, so the spectators probably couldn’t hear me clearly.
Their faces showed only surprise, as if they were wondering how I had survived.
They didn’t seem to understand what I said.
However…
Hye-ji and Jung Ah-yeon, who were standing closer, had different expressions.
Their faces were a mixture of concern and suspicion.
‘They heard me, didn’t they?’
[They might have heard bits and pieces. But it seems Elsia didn’t hear anything.]
‘I hope so. First, I need to deal with this beef!’
Just then, the bald professor shouted at me,
“Hey, student! Do you know how much it cost to bring that thing here?! Don’t hurt it!”
“Professor, calm down! It’s just a student!”
“Hey! You don’t understand how valuable it is!”
The bald professor was yelling at me and pointing, just because I landed a single punch.
[He’s insane. It’s his lab’s fault, and he’s yelling at you for hitting the monster?]
‘Don’t worry. There’s plenty of meat on that thing. It’s a beef buffet today.’
[Oh! The Busan buffet is a lie, but the beef buffet is real!]
Of course, I couldn’t care less about his concerns.
My life was on the line.
The Minotaur stopped groaning.
It lowered its head and charged at me again, its horns aimed at my body.
It didn’t seem to regress this time; the number above its head remained unchanged.
[Are you going to block?]
‘I’m going for a Horn Grab… not a Horn Grab Feel… but a Horn Grab Knee Kick.’
But there was one thing I had forgotten.
This beast was intelligent enough to regress.
Just before it reached me…
It suddenly stopped and threw its axe into the air.
Because of its sudden stop, I couldn’t grab its horns.
Half a step. I was half a step short.
As my hand grasped at empty air, the Minotaur clenched its now empty fists and slammed them onto the ground.
‘Damn it, it’s using Alistar’s WQ combo.’
[At least it doesn’t have Flash.]
The ground shook, and I lost my balance.
The Minotaur’s fist came crashing down.
I hurriedly enhanced my right arm and swatted it away.
I managed to avoid a direct hit, but…
My posture was off.
And the physical enhancement was incomplete.
Blood gushed from my hand. It was worse than before.
And to make matters worse, I was now lying on the ground, completely vulnerable.
At that moment, the axe it threw earlier returned to its hand like a magnet.
It started swinging the axe at me.
Whoosh!
I rolled to the right just as the axe slammed into the ground where I had been a moment ago.
It was a powerful blow; the axe was deeply embedded in the ground.
I saw it trying to pull the axe out.
This was my chance.
I quickly got back on my feet, jumped, and stomped on the axe handle.
The Minotaur looked at me, confused.
“Moo?”
“You used up all your skills, you beef jerky!”
I stomped on its hand that was gripping the axe handle and jumped again.
I enhanced my right arm up to the elbow.
As I was about to bring it down on the Minotaur’s head…
The number above its head increased, and a shard appeared.
In the future I saw, the Minotaur lifted its head and impaled “me” with its horns.
‘Damn it, those horns are annoying.’
[If they’re not your lover, it’s best to break them off.]
‘They’re a charm point in romance fantasy, why are they a kill shot for me, damn it?!’
Back in the present.
I quickly deactivated the physical enhancement on my right arm.
The flow of mana, from my heart to my elbow and back, was abruptly cut off.
My body paid the price.
Blood splattered from my elbow.
But it wasn’t broken.
I could still fight.
I remembered the angle of the horns from the future vision.
I positioned my hands, ready to intercept them.
As the horns came hurtling towards me, I grabbed them tightly.
The red number above the Minotaur’s head increased again.
It looked surprised, as if it couldn’t believe this was happening.
I didn’t have time for that, I quickly enhanced my right knee.
I pulled the Minotaur’s head down and delivered a powerful knee strike to its face.
BAM!!!!!!!
“Mooooooooo!!!”
“No! My test subject!”
“Watcha gonna do?!”
This opportunity was too good to waste.
I enhanced both arms and my back.
Blood spurted from my right arm.
[Can you still use your right arm?]
‘No problem yet.’
Ignoring the bleeding, I continued my attack.
I kept my knee pressed against the Minotaur’s face and pulled its head back with all my might.
It let go of its axe, trying to break free.
It then started punching me in the sides.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
“Moooooooooooo!!!”
“Argh! Black Angus, motherfucker! Who the hell takes anabolic steroids before a duel?!”
[Hang in there! Almost there!]
Each punch sent shockwaves through my body.
My bones creaked, and my muscles screamed in protest.
My vision blurred as I struggled to breathe.
But I didn’t let go.
I couldn’t stop now.
And finally…
My efforts paid off.
Crack!
“Mooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!”
I had ripped off both its horns.
“Procuring ingredients for ox head soup is hard work.”
[Next time, just buy it. Don’t make it from scratch.]
“Argh! What have you done to our test subject, you monster!!!”
I pushed the Minotaur away with my left foot and tossed the horns towards the electric field.
They might have been a source of pride and a life-long companion for the Minotaur, but…
To me, they were just trash.
It stood there, clutching the bloody stumps where its horns once were, tears streaming down its face.
As if hoping it was all a bad dream.
But the horns wouldn’t grow back.
And then, it saw me casually discarding them.
Consumed by rage, it charged at me, driven by pure instinct.
“Moo! Moo! Moooo!”
“Why are you entering rage mode now?”
[Their muscles weaken when they’re enraged!]
‘Really?’
It was much faster now.
But its movements had also become simpler and more predictable.
As it charged past me, I picked up its double-headed axe.
And when it turned to charge again…
I spun around and brought the axe down on it with all my might, using the momentum of the spin.
However…
Thud!
The Minotaur didn’t try to dodge.
It didn’t even regress, it just stood there and took the hit.
And it was the right call.
Its body, hardened by rage, was practically immune to the axe’s damage.
I hadn’t anticipated this.
Because it didn’t regress.
‘…’
[… ]
‘…You said it would get weaker.’
[…Sorry. This isn’t Monster Hunter.]
‘Fuck.’
I took a direct hit to the head.
It was a powerful blow, sending me flying further than I had thrown the Minotaur earlier.
I crashed into the ground.
[Dear! Are you alright?!]
‘Ugh, that CC was brutal. I feel dizzy.’
[At least your head’s hard enough that you didn’t take any damage.]
“Yes! That’s it, Calf my boy! Finish him off!”
“Moooo!”
“You son of a bitch! You named it ‘Calf’ even though it’s the King of Cows?!”
It was the professor who was cheering for my death earlier.
The Minotaur, responding to his cheer, pulled the axe out of its body.
Well, “pulled out” wasn’t accurate.
The axe wasn’t embedded very deeply in the first place.
It approached me slowly, axe in hand.
It aimed for my neck and raised the axe high above its head.
‘Stop, you US Prime bastard!’
[You need to move!]
But the axe came crashing down, ignoring my desperate plea.
I thrashed my head at the last moment, trying to move my neck out of the axe’s trajectory.
“Moooooooooooo!”
Whoosh!
The Minotaur swung the axe with all its might.
And as the blade struck my head…
Crack!
The axe shattered into pieces.
My head throbbed slightly from the impact.
‘Ow, that stings.’
[…How can you survive that with just a stinging sensation?]
It must have seemed impossible to those watching.
“…Jung Ah-yeon, did Shinwoo just shatter a steel axe with his head?”
“…Indeed.”
“……”
“……”
“…And the half-elf?”
“She fainted a while ago.”
The red numbers above Hye-ji and Jung Ah-yeon’s heads went up.
And so did the numbers above many others.
The most surprised one, however, was the Minotaur.
“Moo?… Moo?”
It just tilted its head, looking confused.
Seizing the opportunity, I picked up a shard of the axe and made a large X-shaped cut on my right palm.
Then, I charged towards the still-confused Minotaur.
“Moooo!”
It finally reacted and tried to swat me away with its hands.
But before its hands could reach me…
I lunged forward and punched it in the solar plexus, enhancing my left arm to its limit.
THUD!!!!
My fist pierced through its thick muscles.
The Minotaur couldn’t even scream, it just gasped for air.
The number above its head increased, and a shard appeared.
It seemed like its last resort, but I didn’t bother looking into it.
I was confident I could win without seeing its future.
I took a step forward and extended my right arm, enhancing it to its maximum.
“Tenderize the meat!”
“Stop!!!”
[Make it thick!]
“M…moo…”
Before my outstretched palm reached the Minotaur, I remembered the Heavenly Demon’s teaching.
Focus the leaked qi into a single point.
Something was emanating from the wounds on my arm.
A translucent, shimmering aura.
Its form was still unstable…
But it seemed to be opening up a new path.
Blood sprayed from my right arm.
Some of my fingers were bent at unnatural angles.
My arm trembled, as if about to break.
I could hear something snapping.
But I could still move it.
[Finish it!!!]
‘Die!’
My palm finally made contact.
I felt something condense and explode.
And a searing pain shot through my hand.
The cut on my palm ripped open.
The price was high, but…
The effect was undeniable.
The Minotaur’s upper body, where my palm had made contact, exploded.
Literally exploded into pieces.
Chunks of meat flew through the air before raining down on the ground.
The only part of its upper body that remained intact was its head.
“My… my experiment…”
The bald professor collapsed on the ground, his face a mask of despair.
I kicked the Minotaur’s remaining lower body towards the electric field.
The protein mass made contact with the pulsating electric field…
A sizzling sound filled the air… and the electric cage vanished.
What remained was the Minotaur’s lower half, nicely cooked and emitting a savory aroma.
The smell made my stomach growl.
And I couldn’t help but say,
“The brisket… so tender.”
[You should’ve buttered it before grilling the bottom half.]
‘It’s a shame there’s no skirt steak since the upper body exploded.’
It was a moment of victory, and the smell of beef made me crave some bulgogi.
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