Expedition to Slay the Minotaur

We woke up and prepared for a deep forest expedition lasting several days. I also planned to observe the battle at the ambush site, located quite far to the north.

Today would be the day adventurers from various cities arrived at the gathering point near the village that had been attacked and occupied by the Minotaurs. Furthermore, with reinforcements from the Kingdom, the strength of the expeditionary force was incredibly formidable.

Leaving the campsite, the three of us headed north.

After walking for about an hour, we encountered a colossal crater. It looked as though this place had collapsed into the earth, with shattered soil and stones, and a desolate, ruined landscape.

It was quite similar to the crater Asp had created upon landing, but this one was deeper, wider, and far more treacherous.

"Should we go down and investigate?" I asked both Yui and Asp.

"I think we should go down and take a look," Yui said.

"Very well then."

Asp also nodded upon hearing Yui's words. Therefore, we immediately searched for a way down to explore, yet we could find no path.

Thus, I asked Asp to carry us down into the crater.

*I have a multi-purpose transport with many uses, but it consumes too much energy,* I thought.

Stepping into the crater, amidst the ruins, I found a fairly large cave. Entering, the interior was pitch black, so Yui had to use fire magic to illuminate our surroundings.

The interior was not ruined like the outside, but resembled an ancient ruin.

Continuing deeper inside, we hit a dead end. However, I sensed a highly powerful seal here, preventing others from finding the path.

This was also an opportunity to use my Holy Eyes.

Subsequently, I discovered a barrier of illusion covering the area, preventing others from seeing the path even though it was very close. The illusion barrier cracked and shattered under the effect of the Holy Eyes.

Revealing another passage behind it. As we continued forward, countless arrows suddenly shot out from the walls at very close range. They flew continuously toward me, but I dodged them all in the nick of time.

All the arrows were coated with a highly toxic hallucinogen and a powerful paralyzing agent. Furthermore, they were crafted from Mystic and Tungsten alloys, giving them extreme speed, high durability, and immense hardness.

A high-level ice magic from Yui—Ice Seal—was unleashed against the walls, preventing any more arrows from firing.

"Thank you, Yui."

Naturally, those arrows would not affect me greatly, but they would make movement difficult.

Stepping out of the narrow passage, we entered a vast chamber adorned with countless ancient carvings on the walls.

Remaining highly alert as we entered, we disarmed several other traps as we proceeded deeper.

Suddenly, the chamber shook violently, and the ancient carvings began to shift. No, it was an invisible entity moving across the ancient carvings.

Subsequently, dozens of Rock Dragons—a dragon species capable of turning invisible and residing underground—gradually revealed themselves. Yui, Asp, and I immediately entered a combat stance.

I drew the Dark Night Sword, Yui prepared to cast magic, and Asp bared his fangs in preparation to strike, despite his small form.

Then, one lunged to bite me, followed by several others flying toward us at extreme speed. We dodged almost every attack, but their defensive capabilities were highly resilient.

The Dark Night Sword could not easily pierce their scales, so I continuously cast spells alongside Yui and Asp. Yui used pure offensive magic, continuously unleashing high-level elemental spells, but since her magic power was immense, it was not an issue.

"Ultimate Magic: Bursting Flame!"

I unleashed an Ultimate Magic to repel their continuous attacks.

The chamber was heated to the extreme as a fire vortex appeared in the center, sweeping them all into the whirlpool. The surface of the walls began to melt. As more flames engulfed the entire chamber, we remained within Yui's protective barrier, as this was an enclosed space.

The skin of the Rock Dragons began to crack, and their scales melted, causing them to shriek in despair.

The firestorm subsided, and approximately six Rock Dragons had perished from the magic. The ground was heated to the point of cracking into several large fissures. The immense heat generated caused the ceiling of the chamber to crack as well, allowing sunlight to filter down despite us being deep underground.

"Ultimate Magic: Glacial Sky Dust Movement!"

Another Ultimate Magic was unleashed by Yui.

The scorching ground and chamber were suddenly frozen, and ice spikes began to protrude from the ice, thrusting in all directions. The chamber was increasingly sealed in ice, the freezing cold solidifying the very air.

Subsequently, an unusual amount of vapor began to rise. Naturally, Yui and I knew what happened when two opposing magics clashed. An explosion of extremely high pressure would occur, and since these were Ultimate Magics, the explosion would not be small.

The Rock Dragons were frozen, the chamber was frozen, and the protective barriers of all three of us were raised to the highest level to withstand the opposing pressure of the explosion.

Then it began. Small ice crystals began to shimmer with fiery light, and more of them gathered, creating an incredibly beautiful, ethereal, and wondrous scene.

Immediately after, a massive explosion erupted, blowing open the ceiling of the chamber despite being deep underground. A terrifying pressure was generated, sweeping away all obstacles. It expanded the chamber several times over.

The explosion shook heaven and earth, sending a massive wave of fire and tens of thousands of ice shards flying across the Tianmu Forest and into the cave, devastating everything they touched.

The corpses of the Rock Dragons were shattered into pieces, and their scales crumbled. Even the protective shields of pure magic power sustained several cracks.

Now, two colossal craters existed side by side.

At this moment, before us, at the center of what was once the chamber, a stone pillar emerged from deep underground, below the floor of this chamber. It slowly rose. The stone pillar was heavily sealed, so it sustained little damage in the recent explosion.

Once it had fully emerged, the seal broke automatically, leaving behind a piece of paper resembling a treasure map.

Curious, Yui and I stepped closer to examine it. It was a torn piece of paper; perhaps the remaining pieces were scattered in various other places.

The paper had an ancient script printed on it, so I tried to access the dragon race's knowledge repository to understand what was written, hoping for some clues.

Surprisingly, even the dragon race's knowledge repository could not fully decipher the language. It was the ancient language of the Supreme Gods, which only they could fully comprehend. However, due to relations with other gods, they knew a little.

Specifically, it was an ancient note written by a Supreme God—Yui's father, the Elemental God.

The paper recorded a passage as follows:

"To protect the worlds, we must destroy 'it' and the other Supreme Gods. They will seek to destroy the worlds once more. When that time comes, we must find where they hide and destroy them. They are in this world on..."

The paper only recorded a fragment as it had been cut into several pieces. Since it was the language of the Gods, its accuracy was absolute.

After I translated that passage, both Yui and Asp were stunned by every word on the paper. Yui was deeply moved to see her father's handwriting, which she had not seen in a very long time.

I had no desire to save the worlds, but if they were erased, all my joy, happiness, and desires would vanish with them. Therefore, it seemed I now had a very grand purpose.

**Herme Guild Master's Perspective:**

We set out early in the morning along with other cities to reach the gathering point near the forest.

Fortunately, we did not encounter many difficulties along the way. All members arrived safely at the gathering point.

Countless carriages from various places gathered here, and guards were constantly on duty to patrol and gather information.

Upon entering the gathering point, I received a rather shocking and important piece of news. Her Highness Aina, the 'Warrior Princess', was also participating in the battle after conquering a large army. Currently, she, along with several attendants and other Guild Masters, was in the camp discussing the battle plan.

I also requested to enter to discuss the strategy. Stepping inside, I saw an extremely beautiful girl with crimson hair like blood, and pale gold eyes that shone with both gentleness and a cold, majestic aura.

She was Princess Aina, the only princess of this Kingdom and the younger sister of the First Prince. From a young age, she had mastered military strategy and possessed highly powerful magic. Her military achievements were illustrious, including quelling rebellions and repelling invasions. Enemies trembled at her name, and her strength was on par with legendary heroes. She was known to the world as the 'Warrior Princess'.

Her attendants were all powerhouses, fiercely loyal to her. With her present, victory this time was assured.

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from the direction of the Tianmu Forest, startling everyone. The Princess stepped out, looking toward the sound of the explosion in the forest, deep in thought.