"A Level 1 adventurer absolutely cannot defeat a Level 2 opponent."
That was what Eina had repeatedly warned Yoru. When he'd asked about the difference between Level 1 and Level 2, Eina had simply described it as "a world apart."
So in a normal situation, when a Level 1 encounters a Level 2 monster, the only viable choice is to run.
But clearly, Yoru was not a normal person—or rather, his way of thinking was far removed from that of ordinary people.
Even after realizing a Level 2 Minotaur was approaching, Yoru hesitated for quite some time, unsure whether he should just turn around and run.
Part of it was due to frustration. After going through so much trouble just to encounter a monster, now he was supposed to run away? That didn't sit right with him. Another part of him genuinely wanted to see for himself what a so-called Level 2 monster was capable of.
After all, wasn't it just Eina who said that a Level 1 couldn't beat a Level 2? Unless he tried for himself, how could he be sure?
But Yoru didn't have much time to think, because the roaring Minotaur had already climbed from the tenth floor to the ninth, its enormous body now blocking his path.
It was easily twice Yoru's height, with the body of a beast and the head of a bull, gripping a massive battle axe. The moment it saw Yoru, it launched a brutal assault.
The whooshing sound of the axe slicing through the air made Yoru squint instinctively. He could clearly see the trajectory of the attack, but dodging it was far from easy.
His body couldn't keep up with his mind.
That was Yoru's most immediate realization. He could see the strike and understand how to avoid it, but his body simply wasn't fast enough to execute the movements.
Is it because my stats are too low?
Even at a life-and-death moment like this, Yoru still had the mental capacity to analyze the situation. He didn't manage to fully evade the Minotaur's swing, but his reaction was enough to avoid being cleaved in half.
The axe grazed past him and smashed into the ground, sending up a gust of wind and a spray of stone shards. The force of the impact sent Yoru flying uncontrollably, his body crashing into the wall in a disheveled heap.
A bit messy, sure—but he was still alive.
Guess I was being a little naive… I don't stand a chance at all.
Strangely, the Minotaur didn't follow up its attack. The massive creature simply stood there, panting heavily, as if that last swing had used up most of its strength.
That wasn't normal. A monster like a Minotaur shouldn't be exhausted from such a crude attack.
Standing up and keeping a cautious distance, Yoru finally noticed the creature was covered in wounds. It looked like it had escaped from somewhere.
I see… This thing must've been chased by adventurers and fled here from the fifteenth floor.
Even if it was worn out and injured, Yoru still wasn't its match. The gap between Level 1 and Level 2 truly was insurmountable.
He didn't need any more proof. The facts were right in front of him. Without a second thought, Yoru turned and ran.
The Minotaur roared and gave chase. After being hunted to this point by humans, it wasn't about to let a weak little one like Yoru get away now.
It wasn't until he really started sprinting that Yoru realized just how terrible his physical condition was. Weak, sluggish—his body was on the verge of collapse after just a short burst of running.
Knowing he'd reached his limit, Yoru suddenly stopped, turned around, and faced the charging Minotaur head-on.
Death was close enough to taste, but Yoru felt strangely calm.
"Strange... why don't I feel afraid?"
Watching the bloodied, gasping Minotaur inch closer step by step, Yoru found the thought oddly curious. He was holding a dagger—a laughably small weapon compared to the creature before him. Based on his own calculations, his odds of winning were exactly zero.
In other words, he was going to die.
"And yet... why don't I feel scared at all?"
Muttering to himself in a daze, Yoru raised his dagger and aimed it at the approaching Minotaur.
Seeing this weak human still daring to resist, the intelligent beast's blood-red eyes filled with disdain. It stepped forward, each stomp cracking the ground beneath it, the shockwaves shaking Yoru's footing.
Yoru didn't flinch. In his pitch-black eyes, something ominous had begun to stir. In the cold corridor of the Dungeon, a sudden gust of wind blew, and fine frost spread along the walls of the tunnel.
The Minotaur raised its massive axe, swinging it down toward Yoru's outstretched hand holding the dagger.
A crisp shattering sound echoed. The two weapons didn't collide—but Yoru's dagger suddenly shattered in his hand. Like broken ice, the shards fell to the ground.
The axe never landed. A crimson line traced across the Minotaur's massive body.
"...Huh?"
A dull grunt escaped the beast's throat.
That red line didn't just cut across its torso—it passed through its muscular chest, hooves, upper arms, thighs, lower legs, shoulders, and finally, its neck. All in one fluid stroke.
A silver light bloomed before Yoru's eyes. His irises were now filled with a cold, icy blue. As if moving with the speed of lightning, he reached forward and seized the silver glow in his palm.
"Huh..."
A soft voice tinged with surprise echoed beyond the wall of flesh and bone.
The Minotaur, which should've burst apart in a shower of blood and gore, instead hung frozen in midair. Its body, torn into several pieces, had solidified mid-split—flesh and blood suspended unnaturally.
Pale white frost seeped into the blood, congealing into a sickeningly thick, sludgy substance.
What should've been an explosion of flesh was instead frozen in place, turned into a gruesome ice sculpture.