Conquering The Novel

As I walked down the dimly lit, narrow passageway, I suddenly found myself in a circular arena-like stage.

The entrance behind me had vanished into thin air, leaving me stranded on the circular platform with no way to escape.

!?

The platform was made of metal grating that offered a glimpse of the fiery lava below. The pillars supporting the platform disappeared into the lava, giving the arena an ominous and dangerous feel.

The heat from the lava was intense, and I could feel sweat beginning to bead on my forehead.

"...Haha, this is the most unpleasant arena I have ever been in," I muttered as I wiped the sweat from my forehead due to the intense heat.

I now stood at the center of the arena, ready for whatever was about to come my way.

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke materialized, and from it emerged a huge minotaur, armed with a spiked maul.

"A minotaur huh?" I muttered as I quickly unsheathed my two katanas, taking them out of my inventory, and prepared for the fight.

The minotaur was a large, hulking beast with horns protruding from its head. It wielded a massive spiked maul that looked capable of delivering a fatal blow.

RAAAWWRRRRR!—

The Minotaur roared and charged towards me, I sprang into action, my two katanas glinting menacingly in the dim light.

I dodged its massive, spiked maul with a quick sidestep and retaliated with a swift upward strike, my blade cutting deep into its side.

"You are too slow!" I said with a grin.

It roared in anger, its hot, green blood spilling out onto the ground. I circled around the Minatour, searching for an opening.

It swung its maul wildly, but I was too quick, deftly darting in and out of its range, my blades made a swishing sound as they sliced through the air.

Suddenly, the Minatour lunged forward, aiming a powerful blow at my head. I leaped into the air, somersaulting over its attack, and as I descended I drove both of my katanas down into its back with all my might.

SHINK—

The Minotaur staggered, its legs giving out beneath it, and with a final burst of energy, I plunged my blades into its heart.

ROAAWRRR!—

It let out a final, pitiful roar before collapsing to the ground, its massive body quivering as it slowly turned still, indicating that it is finally dead.

—You Have Killed A Minotaur!

An alert from my wristwatch can be heard.

I stood there for a moment, catching my breath, my katanas still embedded in Minatour's body.

And then, as the adrenaline faded and the fight left me, I yanked my katanas free and was about to sheath them.

However, I suddenly noticed, black smoke appearing again and this time there were two Minotaurs that arose from it, holding their massive spiked maul.

"...."

"...I knew things wouldn't be that easy," I said with a smirk.

'I was trying to conserve as much mana as possible by not utilizing any of my skills because I didn't know what additional deadly monsters awaited me,' As I was pondering, the Minotaur's roar jolted me out of my thoughts.

ROAWRRRR!—

I unsheathed my both katanas again and prepared myself.

ROAWRRRRR—

Both Minotaurs roared at the same time, their deep voices echoing off the metal walls. I stood in a fighting stance, ready for their attack.

The first Minotaur charged at me, swinging its maul down in a powerful arc.

THUNGG—

I sidestepped, avoiding the strike, and counterattacked with a swift slice.

SWISHH—

The katana sliced through the Minotaur's thick hide, green liquid oozing out of the wound.

The second Minotaur swung its maul from the side, trying to take me off guard. I backflipped to avoid the strike, and as I landed, I sliced through the Minotaur's legs, making it stumble.

I quickly finished it off with a swift slice to its neck.

SWISHH—

—You Have Killed A Minotaur!

I spun around, ready to face the first Minotaur as it recovered from my counterattack.

It let out a roar, its eyes filled with rage, and charged at me once again. I stood my ground, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Minotaur swung its maul down, and I leaped forward, dodging the strike and plunging my katana deep into its chest.

SHINK—

ROAWRRR—

The Minotaur let out a final roar as it fell to the ground, dead.

—You Have Killed A Minotaur!

I could hear the alert from my wristwatch again.

The arena was now quiet once again, the only sounds being the crackling of the lava below and my own breathing.

And after a moment that I killed the minotaurs, a small, circular opening appeared in the center of the stage. And a pedestal rose from the ground, on which a shiny, crystal ball was placed.

"...Do I have to place my hand on it or something?" I spoke as I sheathed my katanas and approached the pedestal, placing my right hand on the crystal ball.

It was similar to the crystal devices used to check a person's mana level.

The crystal ball started to radiate with a bright light and a holographic image of an eagle appeared above it.

The eagle was so life-like that it seemed as if it was about to take flight at any moment.

The crystal ball continued to shine, casting an eerie light on the surrounding arena for a moment before the holographic eagle let out a screech and began to speak:

"Listen to me carefully Mortal, for I have a test for you. If you wish to move forward and meet the Demon Lord Pazuzu, you must first prove your worth by solving this riddle. Fail, and that will be your demise.

The eagle took a deep breath and began:

"I am a power that can be both a curse and a blessing. I bring destruction and chaos, but also have the power to create and bring new life. What am I?"

The eagle looked down at me, its eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light.

"You only have 10 seconds to answer—" He began to speak again but I interrupted him.

"The answer to that riddle is Fire," I answered as I yawned.

!?

The eagle let out a triumphant screech.

"Correct. Fire is indeed a double-edged sword, capable of both destruction and creation.

The only one who truly understands the nature of the demon lords and their powers could have answered correctly.

You may proceed deeper into the lair. But be warned, the challenges ahead will be even greater and only the most loyal followers of Lord Pazuzu can pass them."

With that, the holographic eagle disappeared, and the crystal ball faded back to its normal state.

"...."

"Ha! The only one who truly understands the nature of the demon lord's power can answer that, he says.

Does he truly believe that only demon lords can wield the power of fire? How conceited," I scoffed.

"Well, what did I expect from that birdbrain demon lord?" I said with a shake of my head.

However, as I was muttering to myself, my body was enveloped in a blue glow, and in the next moment, I found myself teleported to another location from the arena.