The bull-headed creature slowly emerged from the pink fog, gripping a massive axe in one hand. Wounds covered its body, and several shards of glass still protruded from its flesh. Its glowing red eyes locked onto the three of them, burning with unmistakable rage.

"I have to distract this creature for as long as possible."

Nalira burst forward without hesitation and fired a barrage of fireballs at the creature. One after another, the blazing projectiles streaked through the air until they finally drew its attention.

The bull-headed creature turned toward her and swung its axe with frightening speed. Nalira immediately rolled to the side and narrowly avoided the attack.

’THOOM!’

"That was close." Nalira wiped the sweat from her forehead. She kept her eyes fixed on the creature’s every movement. "I need to learn how this thing moves and figure out the best way to bring it down."

With renewed determination, Nalira charged forward again, this time with a different strategy in mind. Instead of attacking recklessly, she allowed the creature to keep launching strikes at her while she focused on dodging each attack.

Every step, every swing, every movement revealed something new. She studied the creature carefully, searching for patterns and weaknesses she could exploit.

After relentlessly attacking Nalira for several minutes, the creature’s movements finally slowed. Nalira immediately noticed the change and refused to let the opportunity slip away. When the creature launched another attack, she sprang into the air and thrust her sword straight toward one of its eyes.

’SPLASH!’

"ARRRRGGHHH!"

Black fluid sprayed across Nalira’s blade. The creature let out a deafening scream and collapsed to the ground in agony. The roar pierced the air, but Nalira paid it no attention.

She now stood directly above the creature.

Without wasting a second, she prepared to finish it off.

’This is my chance to kill it.’

Nalira raised her sword high above her head and swung it down toward the creature’s neck. However, the creature refused to die so easily. At the last possible moment, it raised its massive axe and intercepted her strike before the blade could reach its throat.

’D-damn it!.’

Nalira’s arms trembled from the impact. The creature’s strength far exceeded her expectations. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn’t force her blade any closer to its neck.

Then the creature suddenly surged upward and shoved her away with tremendous force. Nalira lost her balance instantly. Before she could recover, the creature swung its axe with all its might.

’FWOOOSH’

"Oh my God, Lira!" Chelsie screamed in panic.

Chelsie’s scream rang clearly in Nalira’s ears, but she was completely unable to respond. The creature’s attack had hurled her straight into a large wooden barrel.

’CRASH!’

Water burst from the shattered barrel and drenched both Nalira and the ground around her, leaving her in an even worse situation.

"...Damn it." Nalira slowly pushed herself back to her feet and gritted her teeth against the pain. "I never expected this thing to be so strong..."

Then, in the middle of her desperation, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind. It was a rather extreme idea—one that could very well endanger her. However, she had no other choice. She had to try it, or the creature would kill them all.

"Theo." Nalira turned toward him. "Can you still use your lightning?"

"Of course." Theo nodded confidently. "My leg feels a lot better now." He frowned. "Why?"

Nalira pointed toward the remaining barrels nearby. "...I’m going to break those barrels and drench that creature with the water inside them," she explained. "Once it’s soaked, I need you to hit it with your lightning and paralyze it."

A grin immediately spread across Theo’s face. "Now that sounds like a plan."

"L-Lira..." Worry filled Chelsie’s expression. "What about you?" She glanced at the water soaking Nalira’s clothes. "Uhm... you’ll probably get caught in the lightning too if Theo does that."

"...Don’t worry." Nalira tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes filled with unwavering focus. "I won’t get electrocuted. Trust me." She shifted into a fighting stance and locked her gaze on the bull-headed creature. "Now let’s move before it’s too late."

The moment the creature charged toward her, Nalira immediately lured it closer to the remaining stack of wooden barrels. Swiftly, she smashed all the barrels. A powerful surge of water burst across the courtyard and drenched the creature from head to toe.

"...Perfect." A faint smile appeared on Nalira’s face as water rapidly pooled around the monster’s feet. "Everything is going according to plan." She glanced toward Theo. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Theo, now!"

Hearing her signal, Theo thrust his hand forward.

A bolt of lightning exploded from his palm and struck the water-covered ground. It instantly spread like wildfire across the creature’s body. In the blink of an eye, the electricity paralyzed the creature, leaving it completely immobilized.

"This is my chance."

She channeled every remaining drop of mana into her legs and instantly dashed forward at high speed. Without hesitation, she swung her sword and, in the blink of an eye, slashed the creature’s neck just before the electric shock could strike its body.

’Slash!’

[You have slain an Infected Minotaur.]

[Reward Obtained: Minotaur Horn ×1]

ond Increased: +10]

[Congratulations! Bond has reached 100.]

[System Insameter has been disabled.]

[New Skill Unlocked: Inferno Execution*]

[The user can wield flames so hot that they can melt anything they touch. The skill can also compress all of its heat into a single slash. (Using this skill immediately increases the user’s Insanity Level by 20–30%).]

’A new skill?’ Nalira froze for a moment. ’I don’t even—’

Suddenly, her Insameter emitted a neon-green glow. A second later, the device slipped off her wrist on its own and dropped into her hand. Nalira stared at it in silence. She finally understood how the Insameter worked.

’...Ah. So that’s the condition.’ She slowly rubbed her chin. ’Not bad. It’s actually a pretty clever system for beginner Daemonists.’

A few moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the fog. Chelsie and Theo emerged from the pink mist and ran straight toward her.

"Hmm... not bad for a woman." Theo nodded in approval. "I have to admit, you’re one of the strongest women I’ve met since coming here."

"...Glad to hear it."

"Lira, stay still for a moment." Chelsie immediately began chanting a healing spell. "Let me heal your injuries first."

Nalira smiled when she heard that. "I understand."

"So..." Theo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. His expression turned serious. "We killed that thing. What now?"

"Uhm... I think we should keep looking for a safe place to hide and—" Her grip tightened around her staff.

"Elsie, what’s wrong?" Nalira frowned when she noticed the tension on Chelsie’s face. "What did you see?"

"My father." Chelsie slowly rose to her feet, her expression growing increasingly tense. "I just saw him."

Nalira and Theo immediately exchanged glances.

"Are you sure?" Nalira asked.

Chelsie nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I’m sure it was him." Her hands trembled. "We have to follow him before we lose him again."