"Does this seem different from before?"

Evan examined the door before them.

"Indeed, all the doors we saw earlier were black."

Bern nodded, his expression growing serious. "The demonic creature behind this door is likely much more dangerous!"

"Should we turn back and choose a different path?"

Cody, maintaining his assassin's caution, began suggesting retreat.

"Is that really necessary?"

Evan countered softly. "Even if we go back, we might just end up with another path just like this one, wasting time for nothing..."

"We don't need to consider that option anymore."

Lin Mo interrupted their debate. "Look behind you."

Everyone turned to look, and saw that their retreat path was now shrouded in a faint mist.

Lin Mo took out a copper coin from his person and tossed it toward the mist.

The coin was blocked by the mist, creating rippling patterns before falling to the ground with a clear ringing sound.

"Magic barrier!"

Bern's face showed shock—this had to be at least an Exceptional-grade spell!

"It seems the creator of this secret realm possesses profound magical knowledge."

This observation stirred something in Lin Mo. If this secret realm was truly built by a powerful mage, might there be powerful magic scrolls hidden within?

Everything he most wanted to know—including how to sense and use magical energy, methods for casting spells—might all be found here.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, calming his excited emotions. The dangers within the secret realm were unpredictable; he couldn't let greed cloud his judgment. For now, the most important thing was to safely clear each challenge and find a way out.

With their retreat cut off, opening the door remained their only choice.

Bern stepped forward slowly, his gaze fixed intently on the bluish-gray door.

Lin Mo stood not far behind him, ready to lend assistance at any moment.

Bern raised his shield forward and executed a "Shield Bash," slamming the door open before quickly retreating back to the group.

"Clang—"

A somewhat dull impact sound echoed through the narrow corridor.

This time, the interior wasn't pitch black. Many torches hung on the walls, and a burning fire pit stood in the center of the chamber. By the firelight, everyone clearly saw the massive creature standing over three meters tall.

Its muscles were coiled like ropes, with thick legs and arms, holding a giant axe whose handle was thicker than Miriam's thigh!

"Minotaur..."

Bern spoke the name of the creature before them.

During his free time earlier, Lin Mo had read through the entire demonic creature bestiary, so the name sounded familiar.

If he remembered correctly, minotaurs were elite-level monsters like the Mutated Goblins, but even more powerful and dangerous than Mutated Goblins!

Fortunately, there were no other monsters in the current room, meaning this would be a five-against-one battle.

But even so, could they truly win?

"Huff— Huff—"

The minotaur before them breathed heavily, its breath rasping. It swung its axe weighing several hundred pounds and began advancing toward the group.

"Tap... tap..."

At first its footsteps were slow, pounding like heavy hammers that shook their spirits, but then the steps grew faster and more intense, like stirring drumbeats.

Its massive body charged toward them like a small mountain, the black sharp axe carrying terrifying force as it whipped up fierce winds.

Miriam held an arrow between her fingers but couldn't draw her bowstring. Evan stood stupefied, his brain seemingly frozen. Cody's face turned pale, his pupils contracting sharply.

Even Bern's shield-hand trembled uncontrollably, sweat beading on his forehead.

He didn't dare take this blow head-on...

If he tried to block it directly, even with his robust knight's physique, he would likely suffer broken arm bones and internal bleeding!

But as the team leader, he couldn't retreat at such a moment.

If even he showed fear, the entire team would completely fall apart, losing any possibility of resistance.

With no retreat possible and little space to dodge to either side, Bern gritted his teeth, his expression hardening with determination.

However, just as he steeled himself to advance and fight the minotaur head-on, a figure suddenly rushed out from behind his flank.

The lean, wiry physique seemed minuscule compared to the monster before them, but that forward-charging momentum wasn't overwhelmed in the slightest by their formidable opponent.

"Slash!"

A silvery-white sword gleam flashed as Lin Mo shouted sharply. For the first time since becoming a professional, he used this move at full power, maximizing the 13 points of strength enhanced by the Wolf Bone Sword's effect, clashing directly with the massive black axe!

"Clang—!"

A sound louder than when Bern broke down the door rang out. The veins on Lin Mo's arms bulged, his face contorted fiercely, yet he stubbornly withstood this blow!

The tremendous recoil made his arms tingle and go numb, but fortunately his opponent wasn't completely unaffected either—the minotaur staggered back half a step from the same recoil force, its posture slightly unsteady.

Just as recorded in the demonic creature bestiary, minotaurs possessed extremely powerful strength.

Having gained the upper hand in that collision, even with the advantage of a heavier weapon, its strength had to be at least equal to Lin Mo's Wolf Bone Sword-enhanced 13 points!

This would be difficult...

Although this type of monster had weaknesses like relatively slow speed and low intelligence, these shortcomings were hard to exploit in the current environment. Meanwhile, its specialized strength and considerable physical resilience could be utilized to the fullest.

The minotaur recovered its composure, giving Lin Mo a somewhat surprised look before attacking again.

Lin Mo didn't dare be careless, executing another "Slash" move. Only with the Wolf Bone Sword's enhancement could he barely match his opponent.

"Attack!"

Bern's words snapped the remaining members out of their daze. Miriam finally drew her bowstring and shot an arrow toward the minotaur's upper body.

Cody took advantage of its stalemate with Lin Mo to throw a dagger from the side, aiming directly at the minotaur's eye.

Lin Mo blocking the minotaur's assault head-on instantly gave them reassurance, greatly diminishing their fear.

Seeing this, the minotaur tried to evade, but Lin Mo seized the moment to exert force again, keeping it occupied momentarily.

Miriam's arrow accurately hit its chest, but the arrowhead penetrated less than five centimeters before being stopped by the minotaur's tough hide and muscles.

Cody's dagger was dodged as it tilted its head, only leaving a blood streak on its face.

Bern and Evan's attacks did leave wounds on its body, but such minor injuries meant little to the minotaur's massive frame.

The injuries couldn't hinder the minotaur's combat effectiveness—instead, the pain only fueled its rage further. Blood vessels filled its bell-like eyes as it roared furiously, its movements growing even more frenzied.