CHAPTER 597: HONOR? FAIRNESS?

Just as Ataneya and Namyanna rushed off to support the other Emerald Castle heroes, Ethan’s battle with the minotaur hero had already reached a boiling point.

It was brutal.

Boom!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

As a minotaur hero, the guy fought exactly how you’d expect a frontline brawler to fight—up close and personal. His body was built like a tank, and every move he made packed a ridiculous amount of force. When he threw a punch, even the air around him seemed to ripple from the impact.

"Hah—!"

Ethan took a deep breath, channeling all his strength into his palms before launching a strike of his own. His fist collided with the minotaur’s in a thunderous crash.

The moment their fists met, the minotaur’s muscles bulged grotesquely, swelling with raw power. The sheer force he unleashed was insane—almost inhuman.

Even though Ethan had already reached Tier 16, the clash made it painfully clear: he was struggling to keep up. It felt like the minotaur could flick a finger and still knock the wind out of him.

And that said a lot.

It meant that, despite being Tier 16, Ethan was probably still scraping the bottom of the S-rank barrel. That’s why, when facing an opponent of the same tier, he felt like he was constantly on the back foot.

He was at a disadvantage.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The two of them kept trading blows, neither giving an inch. Time seemed to blur as the fight dragged on. The minotaur only grew more savage, his aura swelling with every passing second. Ethan could feel it—if this kept up, he was going to lose.

But then—something changed.

Out of nowhere, a voice cut through the chaos.

"My Lord, let’s finish this together! Kill him!"

BOOM!

"Foxfire Burst!"

"Shadowfang Strike!"

Ataneya came flying in like a bolt of lightning. Before the minotaur even had time to react, she unleashed a devastating combo—two ultimate skills back-to-back, slamming into him with explosive force.

The minotaur staggered, badly wounded.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

With a sharp whoosh, he shot forward like a streak of light, driving his fist straight into the minotaur’s gut. The impact detonated with a violent burst of energy.

The minotaur hadn’t seen it coming. Still reeling from Ataneya’s ambush, he was wide open—completely vulnerable.

"AAARGH!"

The scream tore from his throat as his abdomen exploded with a sickening bang, blood and gore spraying out.

And just like that, the mighty minotaur hero collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"We finally won..." Ethan stood there, chest heaving, gasping for air. He was drenched in sweat, his body aching all over. Thank god Ataneya had shown up when she did—if she hadn’t, he honestly had no idea how he would’ve handled that minotaur.

"Still too weak..." he muttered under his breath, frustration flickering in his eyes.

But just then, something strange happened.

A glowing Primordial Core slowly floated up from the minotaur’s corpse, hovering in the air for a moment before merging directly into Ethan’s body.

Ding!

The system’s voice chimed in his mind:

"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You’ve acquired the minotaur’s enhanced physique!"

As the message echoed, Ethan’s body began to change—dramatically. His once lean frame bulked up with thick, powerful muscle. His strength surged, radiating off him in waves. He could feel it—raw, terrifying power coursing through every fiber of his being.

But before he could even enjoy the upgrade—

A new threat leapt out from the shadows.

It looked like a Cave Fiend—twisted, monstrous, and wielding two massive scythes that shimmered with blinding silver light. The blades hummed with deadly energy.

Cave Fiends were a native dungeon species. Normally weak, cannon fodder at best. But they bred like rats, and with enough numbers, sometimes... anomalies emerged. Freaks of nature. Monsters among monsters.

Like this one.

"My Lord, let me handle it!" Ataneya shouted, already charging forward.

"No," Ethan said, shaking his head. "Go help the others. I’ll take care of this one."

"But—!"

"No buts. Go. Now."

"...Alright."

Ataneya bit her lip, clearly reluctant, but she turned and sprinted off. She could sense it too—this Cave Fiend, while dangerous, didn’t seem quite as overwhelming as the minotaur had been. Ethan should be able to handle it.

Hopefully.

The Cave Fiend didn’t wait. It lunged at Ethan with a guttural roar.

"Die, intruder!"

ROAR!

BOOM!

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He quickly leapt back as the twin scythes slashed through the air, their edges so sharp they literally tore through space itself.

Worse, the bastard was wielding wind magic.

Violent gusts exploded from the creature’s body, sending razor-sharp wind blades flying in every direction. They sliced into the rocks around Ethan, carving deep gouges into the stone.

Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk...

Even with his newly enhanced body, Ethan couldn’t shrug it off. The wind blades tore into his skin, leaving bloody gashes across his arms and chest.

He winced. This wasn’t good.

He couldn’t just stand there and take it. Gritting his teeth, he steadied his breathing and unleashed a surge of energy. A thick barrier of power formed around him, wrapping his body in a glowing shield.

But the Cave Fiend’s attacks were relentless.

The wind-charged blades slammed into the barrier with a constant clang-clang-clang, and cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.

Ethan didn’t wait for it to shatter.

He formed an energy sphere between his hands and hurled it at the Cave Fiend. But the creature barely flinched—one swing of its scythe, and the orb shattered like glass.

"Tch..."

Ethan’s eyes flashed. Lightning erupted from his body, crackling wildly. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

The Cave Fiend froze, startled. It spun around, slashing wildly at the air with both scythes, trying to hit something—anything.

Its aura flared, flooding the area with pressure, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen.

Then—bam!

Ethan reappeared right in front of it, slamming a fist into its chest. The Cave Fiend staggered back, its scythes vibrating from the impact.

Before it could recover, Ethan vanished again.

"Coward!" the Cave Fiend roared, spinning in circles, eyes darting around in panic. "You filthy rat! Fight me like a warrior! Stop hiding and face me, you spineless bastard! I’ll tear you apart!"

But Ethan didn’t care.

This wasn’t a duel. This was war. And in war, the only thing that mattered was winning. Honor? Fairness? That was for fools.

He kept blinking in and out of space, teleporting around the battlefield like a ghost. Every time he reappeared, he landed another brutal punch.

One after another.

Crack!

Thud!

Boom!

The Cave Fiend was getting wrecked—its body battered, bleeding, and bruised all over. It couldn’t keep up. It couldn’t even see where the next hit was coming from.

And Ethan wasn’t letting up.

...