Chapter 195: Chapter 20. Go, Hero
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What kind of person is Cyd?
If you were to ask this question, Bell and Lili would answer without hesitation:
He is a gentle person...
"Hey! Give me some reaction! You're the real monster here!"
Cyd grabbed the Minotaur by the back of its head and slammed it into the rock wall.
He's very gentle...
Crack—
Cyd pressed the Minotaur's head against the rock wall, rubbing it harshly.
"This is humiliating!"
Bell and Lili huddled together in a corner, trembling.
Ryuu shook her head, holding her forehead.
"I want Bell to conquer his past!"
With these words, Cyd brought Bell to the fifteenth floor, specifically choosing an open space. Then, Cyd said to wait a moment and left. After a while, he returned, dragging a Minotaur foaming at the mouth in front of them.
At first, Bell thought he was supposed to fight this seemingly half-dead Minotaur, but then Cyd pulled out a bottle of healing potion and poured it over the Minotaur's head.
The Minotaur, who had been near death, suddenly sprang back to life.
Alright! I'll definitely defeat the Minotaur! I'll make my teacher proud!
But as Bell thought this, Cyd began a series of brutal actions.
Using the Minotaur's face to polish the dungeon walls was just the beginning.
Bang—
Cyd let go of the Minotaur, which slumped against the wall and knelt on the ground. The bloodstains on the wall silently testified to the cruel treatment it had endured.
It... must be dead...
Bell swallowed hard.
Then Cyd slowly poured more healing potion over the Minotaur's head.
It... is alive again...
Lili covered her eyes, unable to bear watching.
For the first time, she began to feel pity for the dungeon monsters.
Not only couldn't it die, but it had to keep getting beaten.
Is this really the same person who once made her question her understanding of adventurers?
When she first heard that Cyd was Bell's teacher, she was delighted. With such a teacher, Bell would surely grow into a gentle, mature, and reliable person. Though Bell was already such a person, she couldn't help but worry about him.
But now...
She was shaken!
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Ryuu asked, exasperated. "This Minotaur is nearly dead from your torment."
"That's why I brought so much healing potion," Cyd pointed to a box of potions beside Bell.
"I... thought that was for me," Bell shrank back.
After all, Cyd's words yesterday about possibly not making it through the day were terrifying, so he had seriously prepared supplies.
"Emmm... if you succeed, you might need them," Cyd said, continuing to drag the Minotaur's head across the ground.
Bell shivered.
For a test-taker, the hardest part is the wait before the exam. Once you're in the exam room, you can't escape, and the nerves settle. But now! Even though he was already in the "exam room," Bell was getting more and more anxious.
Because Cyd, the one giving the test, was creating the exam right in front of him. The problem was, Bell still couldn't figure out Cyd's intent!
"Seriously..." Cyd sighed and crouched down. "You're disappointing me a bit."
He patted the Minotaur's face.
"This could go on forever, you know."
The Minotaur shuddered, bowing its head in resignation, though its fingers were deeply embedded in the ground.
"Enough... let's switch," black scales began covering Cyd's right arm.
Bang—
A massive force easily shattered the ground, sending up a cloud of dust that obscured all vision.
Bang—
With a second explosion, a figure was sent flying from the dust cloud, crashing into the rock wall and getting buried under a pile of rubble.
"Teacher!" Bell's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible!"
Ryuu's expression turned icy.
Roar—
The scarred Minotaur stood in place, roaring furiously. Its body was covered in blood-red energy, and the horns on its head became even more menacing.
"Not bad at all," Cyd sat up from the rubble, dusting himself off.
When he threw his punch, the Minotaur dodged and countered by ramming him with its head, sending him flying.
"Teacher, are you okay!"
"Of course," Cyd said, pressing his finger against Bell's forehead.
"This was your plan?" Ryuu pointed to the Minotaur, which seemed to be announcing something to the world with its roars.
Its aura was no longer that of an ordinary Minotaur.
Normally, a Minotaur isn't something a Level 1 adventurer can handle, but now this Minotaur had been further strengthened by Cyd.
"You can do it, right?" Cyd looked at Bell. "Defeat it!"
"Cyd-sama, you must be joking!" Lili grabbed Bell's clothes. "Bell-sama can't do it! That's not something he can handle. Let's retreat and prepare..."
"Lili, the world doesn't give us much time to prepare," Bell sighed and gently placed his hand on Lili's head.
He remembered how he was unexpectedly attacked by a Minotaur back then and nearly lost his life.
"Bell-sama..." Lili lowered her head. She remembered that look, the same look Bell had when he stood in front of her with unwavering determination.
That was the look that no one could dissuade.
"You'll win, right?" Lili let go of Bell's clothes.
"Of course!" Bell gave a thumbs up.
"Go," Cyd crossed his arms. "I'll be here to witness it."
"Teacher... I'm going!" Bell patted Lili's head and resolutely walked toward the Minotaur, which glared at him viciously.
Ah~ it's still so terrifying...
Even now, he couldn't forget the feeling when he first encountered a Minotaur—fear, helplessness, the sense that nothing he did would matter, and the inevitable conclusion of death.
But then, he saw it—his hero, shining brilliantly yet not blindingly, with a reassuring smile...
So cool, like a hero straight out of a story.
I... want to be like him...
So this time... I won't run away.
Because my teacher is here!
The round shield on Bell's left arm began to glow, the patterns on it blossoming like petals in the center.
Because my god is here!
The sacred characters on the black short sword's blade started to shine.
I'm no longer alone!
There are people I need to protect behind me!
Cyd's mouth slowly curved into a smile.
"Go, hero."
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