25. The thinking beast

Guild Headquarters – Morning

Orcbolg walked into the guild, his usual pace steady, his armor freshly maintained.

Eina Tulle spotted him immediately.

"You're early," she noted, adjusting her glasses.

He nodded.

"Information."

Eina sighed, already flipping through some reports.

"You really don't take breaks, do you?"

He didn't respond. Because she was right.

New Reports

Eina slid a document toward him.

"Strange monster activity continues. Some adventurers reported packs acting… organized."

Orcbolg scanned the report.

Monsters shouldn't be coordinating attacks.

But they were.

He tapped the paper.

"Which floor?"

Eina frowned.

"Mostly from the lower tenth to fifteenth floors. But one party saw something strange on the seventeenth."

That was deep.

Too deep for weaker monsters to be causing problems.

Something else was going on.

A Familiar Voice

As he studied the reports, a voice called out behind him.

"So you really are always working."

Orcbolg turned.

Ais Wallenstein.

Behind her, her teammates—Bete, Lefiya, Tiona, and Tione—stood watching.

Orcbolg nodded slightly.

"Ais."

Bete scoffed. "Tch. You really don't talk much, huh?"

Orcbolg ignored him.

Ais glanced at the papers in his hands.

"Strange monsters?"

Orcbolg handed her the report.

She skimmed through it quickly, her golden eyes narrowing.

Dungeon – Seventeenth Floor

The air was heavy with tension.

Orcbolg moved quietly, his sword drawn, following behind Ais Wallenstein and her team.

Their pace was faster than usual adventurers.

But he adapted.

He always did.

Bete glanced back, smirking.

"Still with us, helmet guy?"

Orcbolg didn't respond.

He was too focused on the surroundings.

Something felt wrong.

Unnatural Silence

The deeper they went, the quieter it became.

No ambushes.

No wandering monsters.

That wasn't normal.

Lefiya shivered.

"It feels… empty."

Orcbolg stopped.

His eyes scanned the darkness ahead.

"Not empty," he muttered.

"Waiting."

Ais's grip on her sword tightened.

They weren't alone.

The Attack Begins

The first shadow moved.

Then—

A wave of monsters erupted from the darkness.

Orcbolg reacted immediately—cutting down the first creature before it could fully emerge.

The battle began instantly.

Ais rushed forward, her sword flashing in the dim light.

Tiona and Tione fought back-to-back, cutting down enemies with ease.

Bete howled, kicking a monster into a wall so hard it left a crater.

Orcbolg moved differently.

Precise. Efficient. Lethal.

Every strike was measured.

Every dodge was intentional.

He wasn't just fighting—he was hunting.

A New Threat

Then—

A loud growl echoed through the chamber.

The ground shook.

A shadow loomed over them.

Orcbolg looked up.

A monster unlike anything he had ever seen.

A distorted Minotaur.

Bigger.

Stronger.

And watching them with intelligence.

Orcbolg's grip tightened on his sword.

The distorted Minotaur stood tall, its blood-red eyes scanning them.

It didn't attack immediately.

It was watching.

Studying them.

That wasn't normal.

Orcbolg noticed it first.

"This one is different."

Ais nodded slightly.

"It's… waiting for an opening."

Tiona grinned.

"Then let's not give it one!"

She charged forward.

An Unnatural Fight

Tiona's massive blade swung down—

But the Minotaur dodged.

It dodged.

Like it understood the attack.

It countered immediately—punching the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked Tiona back.

Lefiya gasped.

"That's not normal!"

Bete snarled.

"Then we break it like normal!"

He blurred forward, aiming for its side—

But the Minotaur twisted out of the way, grabbing his leg mid-motion.

And slammed him into the ground.

Hard.

Bete coughed blood.

Orcbolg moved instantly.

His sword cut into the Minotaur's arm.

The monster growled, releasing Bete, but its wounds were shallow.

It had tough skin.

They needed a new strategy.

Orcbolg's Plan

Orcbolg stepped back, analyzing.

A normal Minotaur fought with rage.

This one? It was controlled.

That meant—they could trick it.

His mind raced.

"Force it to overcommit," he said.

Ais glanced at him.

"How?"

Orcbolg sheathed his sword.

"I'll be the bait."

Tione frowned.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"I've fought things like this before."

Not exactly like this.

But close enough.

"This thing is watching us," Orcbolg said. "Which means we can make it react."

Tione cracked her knuckles.

"And once it reacts, we strike?"

He nodded.

"We force it into a mistake."

Ais listened intently.

"What do you need us to do?"

Orcbolg thought fast.

"I'll bait it."

That part hadn't changed.

But now—the others would have roles, too.

"Lefiya, support with magic. Tione and Tiona, attack from the sides. Bete—"

The werewolf scoffed.

"You don't need to tell me. I'll hit it hard."

Orcbolg simply nodded.

"Then let's begin."

The Trap is Set

Orcbolg stepped forward.

He lowered his sword—just slightly.

The Minotaur's muscles tensed.

It saw an opening.

And took the bait.

With a thunderous roar, it charged.

Orcbolg dodged at the last second—but instead of attacking, he just moved.

Making the Minotaur chase him.

It swung a massive fist—he barely ducked under it.

It kicked at him—he twisted away.

Each time, it missed by inches.

And each miss made it more reckless.

That's when the others struck.

Coordinated Assault

Tiona leapt in first, bringing her massive weapon down—

The Minotaur raised an arm, blocking it—

But that left its side open.

Tione rushed in, slashing deep into its ribs.

The Minotaur snarled, twisting toward her—

Bete slammed into its leg with a powerful kick.

Its stance shook.

It tried to recover—

"Arcs ray!"

Lefiya's spell struck next, blasting its back.

The Minotaur stumbled.

Ais saw the opening.

And so did Orcbolg.

The Final Strike

Ais vanished in a burst of wind.

Orcbolg moved at the same time.

The Minotaur tried to recover—

Too late.

Ais's sword flashed.

A deep slash across its chest.

Orcbolg followed through.

A clean stab through the heart.

The Minotaur's eyes widened—

It let out a final, guttural growl—

Then collapsed.

The battle was over.

Aftermath

The air settled.

Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.

Tiona wiped sweat from her forehead.

"That thing was a damn menace."

Bete clicked his tongue.

"At least it's dead."

Ais turned to Orcbolg.

"Your plan worked."

He nodded.

"Experience."

Tione smirked.

"Yeah? You fight Minotaurs like this often?"

Orcbolg shook his head.

"Not Minotaurs."

Something worse.

But he didn't say that part.

Instead, he stared at the Minotaur's cooling corpse.

This thing had thought.

That wasn't normal.

And he needed to find out why.