"Ha!!!"
Raul gripped his greatsword tightly and charged at the approaching Minotaur with a sweeping slash.
The razor-sharp blade tore through the creature's muscle, cleaving it cleanly in two.
Another Minotaur raised its axe and lunged at Raul. He quickly stepped forward, reversed his grip on the sword, and swung it in a wide arc.
It sliced through the Minotaur's body like tofu—its dense muscles offering no resistance as the blade cut straight through.
'This really is a damn good weapon.'
To be able to slice through a Minotaur's muscle so effortlessly—something that most Adventurer weapons struggled with—this blade was terrifyingly sharp.
"Hah!"
Just as another Minotaur rushed forward, a female voice shouted and sprang into action.
Daphne, gripping her longsword, charged at full speed.
Speed was her greatest strength. Even though she was only Lv. 2, she had accumulated enough Excelia at that level, and now she surged forward like a gust of wind.
"Moo!!"
The Minotaur raised its massive axe and brought it down toward the incoming Daphne.
Clang!
Just before the axe hit her, a shield composed of dozens of interlocked hexagonal plates appeared, blocking the blow.
Daphne didn't pause for even a second. Without breaking stride, she slashed at the Minotaur's arm that held the axe.
Her blade swept clean through. Blood sprayed into the air as the creature's severed hand hit the ground.
"Moo!!"
Howling in pain, the Minotaur shifted tactics, lowering its horns to charge headfirst at her.
But Daphne wasn't some rookie. She had already anticipated the move.
She ducked low, dodging the horns, then drove her sword straight through the Minotaur's chest.
"Haah!"
The Minotaur froze for a moment—then instantly turned to white ash. She'd pierced its Magic Stone directly.
"Daphne, duck!"
At the shout, Daphne instinctively sensed the shadow falling over her and crouched.
A powerful gust followed as an arrow whipped past, grazing just above her head.
Splurt!
The sound of bursting flesh made Daphne snap her head up—just in time to see a Minotaur standing upright, its head gone, but still not collapsed.
'Damn!'
Daphne's knees bent slightly and she leapt backward.
Boom!
A second later, the headless Minotaur crashed to the ground, its blood soaking the dirt around it.
In just a matter of seconds, all four Minotaurs had been taken down.
Raul had slain two. Daphne and Cassandra each took one.
No other team of their level could've matched that kind of efficiency.
"Phew... That was even easier than I expected."
Daphne wiped the blood from her face. She hadn't needed to think too hard during the fight—just focus on the Minotaur in front of her.
She let out a breath, straightened up, and looked down at the wooden sword in her hand.
"This weapon is far sharper than I expected."
Daphne had thought she'd already estimated these weapons generously, but after actually using one, she realized even her highest expectations had underestimated them.
She could now clearly tell the weapon in her hand was at least second-rate.
Its performance was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Even so, Daphne didn't feel any regret about not choosing a different weapon. For her, one that she was proficient with was enough. What truly mattered more was the space pouch.
The versatility of a space pouch far outweighed a single powerful weapon. Plus, she would need to prepare some Rune Stones inside it. Just from the shield earlier, she could already tell how useful Rune Stones could be—they were a huge asset in frontline combat.
She glanced over at Cassandra, who still held her bow in her trembling right hand. Was the force from that shot really that intense?
Well, the power of that last arrow had certainly been impressive.
Cassandra specialized in healing and support—archery wasn't her strength. Yet that one arrow had completely blown off the Minotaur's head.
Daphne walked over.
"Ah..."
Cassandra's hand had gone numb from the bow's recoil right after releasing the shot.
"How's your hand?"
The sudden question startled Cassandra, but once she saw it was Bell, she relaxed.
"...A bit numb."
"The side effect of adding wind to the arrow is still too much."
Bell was pleased with the arrow's power, but not with its aftermath.
With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the process of adding wind to the arrow. While this method could compress a fifteen-minute attribute enchantment into a single burst for massive power, it also significantly raised the physical demands on the user.
Cassandra's Status was on the lower end—even though she was Lv. 2, she had reached that level through magic proficiency rather than finely honed stats like most adventurers.
Still, her being Lv. 2 meant she had an advantage in base stats. She might now be comparable to a Lv. 1 adventurer with 600 or even 700 points in Endurance and Strength.
Yet even with that, the recoil from one shot had numbed her hand. For a typical Lv. 1 adventurer, such a technique would probably only be usable once—and afterward, their bow arm would be completely out of commission.
That made it dangerous to use in the Dungeon. It might be useful in rare situations, but otherwise, it simply wasn't worth it.
Not to mention, attribute enchantments cost 1 million Valis each. Using one on a basic attack was just a waste of money.
"Raul, Daphne, Cassandra, take five minutes to rest. We'll continue the next test after that."
During this break, Bell needed to make a few adjustments and use the recent battle to find better moments to offer support.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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