Chapter 86: I Decline (1)


    What? I decline, Ryu Min asserted firmly.


    The response caught the other party off guard, and their expression shifted from anticipation to puzzlement.


    Heh, ck Scythe, you might not be aware, but the boss isnt a pushover. Do you see that thing over there; the muscr minotaur?


    Everyones attention shifted to a minotaur that exuded an aura of strength, even from a distance.


    That creature is the boss we must confront, and I assure you, hes no walk in the park.


    How can you be so sure? Have you faced him before?


    Yes, not personally, but we witnessed another party attempt a solo challenge and end up in utter defeat. It was a sobering sight that made us realize the importance of cooperation among parties.


    Take care of it yourselves; were not interested, Ryu Min responded curtly.


    Still, wouldnt it be better if we helped each other out? Well even allow you to deliver the finishing blow first, so consider it


    Before he could finish, he was interrupted.


    This is the third time. Dont make me repeat myself, Ryu Min retorted sharply.


    Alright, my apologies Subdued by Ryu Mins aura, they reluctantly retreated.


    As they reached the gathering of parties, discussions, and deliberationsmenced.


    It seems we wont be able to recruit ck Scythe.


    Did you try to recruit them?


    We did, but they declined and said we can defeat it on our own.


    Whys that? ck Scythe should be part of this or we wont be able to take it down.


    Im not sure. Maybe theyre intimidated by the boss, or perhaps one yer sighed, trailing off.


    Well, it looks like well have to face the challenge alone.


    Since ck Scythe declined, we had nned to tackle it independently anyway.


    With nods of agreement, the group finally prepared to hunt the minotaur.


    With each heavy step, the massive creature, standing at a towering 6 meters tall, emitted a resounding thud that reverberated through the air. It walked with a human-like gait, shouldering a colossal axe.


    Five parties cautiously approached the minotaur.


    Slurp


    From a distance, the creature didnt appear as intimidating, but up close, its immense size was even more apparent.


    Do you think we can defeat it?


    Well, our group consists of about twenty members.


    Despite their words, uncertainty still clouded their expressions.


    Hmm?


    Suddenly, the minotaur sensed something and turned its head.


    The yers, who had been quietly advancing, froze in their tracks as if caught in a game of tag.


    Kwaaah!


    Excitement surged through the minotaur as it spotted the humans, and it charged forward.


    Fire! Attack!


    Waaah!


    Twenty yers rushed in to engage, fighting for their lives against the towering beast.


    Ryu Min observed the situation calmly, contemting, How long will it take them to bring it down?


    He had no doubt about the oue. The minotaur wasnt as formidable as it appeared. Its attackscked finesse, and it was far from swift. Its somewhat sluggish movements made it predictable and easy to evade.


    If all twenty of them attacked, that creature wont stand a chance, Ryu Min thought.


    However, the minotaurs strengthy in its extraordinary endurance, surpassing even that of a jewel. From its perspective, humans were nothing more than buzzing flies.


    Twenty flies buzzing around wont pose much of a threat


    At least, thats what it believed.


    As the battle raged on for over three minutes with no end in sight, he continued to watch, as the demise of the boss would provide them with the motivation to focus on the hunt.


    Finally, after more than seven minutes had passed, the minotaur let out a pitiful cry and copsed to the ground.


    Boom!


    We got it!


    We finally killed it!


    The party members rejoiced, but there were casualties.


    Three out of twenty yers didnt make it.


    There were no injuries, though. After all, even a mere brush against the creature meant certain death.


    Nevertheless, defeating the boss with minimal losses was amendable achievement.


    Whonded the final blow? It doesnt seem like our team did.


    It was our team! Were the ones who brought it down! Hahaha!


    Amidst the victorious cheers, a radiant pir of light descended from the sky.


    One of the four teams that had been battling the minotaur found themselves enveloped by a translucent pir.


    It looks like our team has survived!


    I checked the quest progress window, and it proudly disys Sess!


    Thats great news!


    Ah, well, were just making others look good.


    As the people trapped within the pir celebrated, a few who hadnt managed to defeat the boss grumbled, but it was short-lived.


    But do we really have to stay here until the time runs out?


    Is it true that we need to be trapped here for over 5 hours?


    It seems so.


    Its nice to rest early, but it feels like were missing out on something


    Although defeating the boss first was a triumph, the idea of being stuck within the pir, having to while away the remaining time, felt somewhat uneasy.


    Well, then, lets go and find other parties. We need some reinforcements.


    Agreed.


    The remaining parties briefly cast nces at ck Scythe but soon shook their heads and departed.


    They knew that talking wouldnt change their minds about cooperation.


    Whether they did or didnt, Ryu Min quietly reflected on the battle he had witnessed.


    Its fortunate. If we had defeated the boss too early, we would have squandered the remaining time


    Yes, just as ck Scythe predicted.


    Hunting slowly and defeating it aste as possible was the right approach.


    Without altering his expression, Ryu Min addressed hispanions, Weve rested enough; now lets move on.


    Follow me.


    Once again, the party members exmations began.


    ***


    While Ryu Min hunted the Centaur,


    Other teams joined forces and concentrated on the boss hunt.


    Are we the fiftieth party?


    I dont know, the rankings arent disyed.


    Who cares! Weve defeated the boss, so weve survived, right?


    Lets just lie down and rest for the remaining time.


    The yers within the pir of light dropped to the ground. Even though they were trapped, they were safe from monsters. The Minotaur didnt seem to acknowledge their presence; they were like invisible entities.


    Hey, look at that! Look!


    Suddenly, a yer holding a scythe appeared, followed closely by four teammates.


    Swish  Thud! Swish  Thud!


    With each pass of the scythe, the Centaur heads rolled to the ground.


    Isnt that ck Scythe?


    They defeated it in one shot?


    Heh, thats what youd expect from a level 40 yer.


    While it was impressive that they had taken down the Centaur with a single blow, the victorious yers didnt envy them. They were already winners, having defeated the boss and now resting.


    What puzzled them was why ck Scythe was only targeting the Centaur and not the boss.


    Why are they not going for the boss and resting early?


    Isnt it better to defeat the boss quickly and take a break?


    No, theyre below the top 50 now. Theyve missed the top ranks, so theyre probably focused on leveling up.


    I see! That makes sense.


    Its a shame. I thought he might aim for first ce again.


    Even though theyre ck Scythe, they cant stay at the top forever.


    But they still have good judgment. Theyre clearly trying to gain experience points.


    While the group that had already defeated the boss believed they were superior to ck Scythe, they were unaware of one thingtheir record of 11 minutes and 30 seconds in the boss hunt was the longest and rankedst.


    I''m currently Tranting the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level yer. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!<ul><li></li></ul>