CHAPTER 27: UNTOUCHABLE BEAST

When the glow vanished, only two things remained on the dungeon floor: a glowing monster core, and the remnants of its flesh and hide being devoured—drawn into Raito’s body by the pull of Greed. The energy surged through him, faintly glimmering with mana as the skill absorbed its strength.

Raito’s lips curved into a faint grin. This strength... it’s overflowing. I feel different. Stronger.

A metallic chime echoed in his head.

[System Notification: SX Minotaur Strength acquired.]

[Strength attribute increased. Power of the Minotaur absorbed.]

The glowing text hovered briefly before fading, and Raito clenched his fists, veins surging with newfound energy.

"So I really did gain the Minotaur’s power... Does this mean I’m as strong as one now?" He flexed his hand, excitement burning in his eyes. "I’ll have to test it soon. But first..."

He bent down and picked up the shimmering monster core, tucking it into his inventory before pressing deeper into the dungeon.

The air grew colder. His steps echoed through the dim stone halls until a rattling noise made him stop. From the shadows ahead, twenty figures shambled into the torchlight—hollow sockets burning faintly red, decaying bones clattering with every step.

Raito’s breath hitched. "Undead...? Here? That doesn’t make sense. They’re supposed to appear in Mortuary grounds, not in roadside dungeons." His expression darkened as realization struck. "Unless... this dungeon has been opened before. Adventurers who died here... turned into this."

The skeletal horde let out distorted groans as they advanced.

Raito’s grip tightened on his daggers. In the blink of an eye, he sprinted forward, his body a blur. He leapt into the air, both blades flashing down in arcs—three undead collapsed instantly, bones scattering across the stone.

[System Notification: SX Minotaur Strength available. Would you like to activate?]

Raito smirked. "Alright... let’s try it."

[Strength Enhancement accepted.]

A surge of white light enveloped him. His body thrummed with raw might, muscles tightening with monstrous power. He dropped one dagger, extending his hand wide open.

With a roar, he charged straight into the skeletal horde. His fist slammed into the nearest undead—bones shattered instantly, exploding into fragments.

Another swing. Another skeleton reduced to dust.

Again and again, Raito punched through them, his blows cracking like thunder, each strike scattering bones across the floor. He became a storm of destruction, tearing through the twenty undead with nothing but raw Minotaur strength.

Moments later, silence fell. Broken bones lay scattered everywhere, the remains of the horde fading into dark mist.

Raito stood in the center, his chest heaving, his knuckles dripping faint traces of mana light. He raised his gaze forward, daggers gleaming once more.

Raito stood among the scattered bones, his chest rising and falling. His fists still pulsed with the strength of the Minotaur. For a moment, he let himself smirk in triumph—until a thought struck him.

Does this mean... Greed’s hunger is already fate?

The familiar chime echoed in his mind.

[System Voice: How may I help you?]

Raito swallowed. "Tell me... has Greed already become fate? I just defeated twenty undead. They’re monsters, right? Doesn’t that count?"

There was a pause before the reply came, calm and absolute.

[System Response: No. Undead do not count. They possess no true life. They are animated remains—lifeless shells. Your tally remains unchanged. Still 19 to go.]

Raito’s eyes widened. "Wait... what? Nineteen more? Then everything I just did was meaningless?"

[System Response: Correct. Greed only feeds on life. The taste of living blood may temporarily ease its hunger. Defeating the undead does not satisfy it.]

Raito clenched his jaw. The words sank in like iron.

[System Response: However, Greed holds great utility. It may absorb the skills of defeated monsters or opponents. It can also reshape their essence into weapons, magical artifacts, or even armor, according to your will.]

The voice faded into silence, leaving Raito alone with his thoughts.

He tightened his grip on his daggers, the faint glow of mana reflecting in his crimson eyes. "So... this is only the beginning. Nineteen lives left."

For nearly twenty minutes, Raito wandered deeper, his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone walls. Strange light particles drifted across the walls, glowing softly. They pulsed like fireflies trapped in crystal, just enough to illuminate the dungeon so that anyone entering could see without a torch.

Yet no monsters appeared.

"What’s going on...?" Raito muttered, his crimson eyes narrowing. "I haven’t seen a single creature. Is this place empty?"

The silence pressed against him, heavy and unnatural. The more he walked, the more it felt like the dungeon itself was holding its breath.

"This might be useless," he thought bitterly. "I left home without even telling Aiko where I was going. She’s probably already worried... she knows I’ve been acting strange lately."

His hand tightened around the dagger’s hilt. The Greed skill still pulsed faintly inside him, gnawing, whispering, and yet... no prey came.

"This skill..." His voice was a low growl. "It’s getting frustrating."

Just as his thoughts spiraled, a faint tremor ran through the floor.

As Raito moved forward, the air grew heavy. A sudden ripple of shadow twisted across the walls, and then he saw it—something emerging from the darkness itself.

A creature cloaked in pure void. Its form flickered in and out of existence, as if its body couldn’t fully remain in this dimension. Blades of shadow rippled along its limbs, and every time he blinked, parts of it vanished into thin air before sliding back again.

"A Void Stalker..." Raito whispered, his voice tight.

His pulse quickened. He had read about them before—in old dungeon records buried in the back of the guild library. Rank-B monsters, dangerous beyond reason, often mistaken for ghosts because no normal weapon could touch them. A single misstep against one meant death.

"What’s a Void Stalker doing here?" he muttered. "This dungeon... it shouldn’t even spawn something like that."

Fear clawed at the back of his throat, but he forced it down. He remembered the warnings clearly: Void Stalkers feed on fear. The more you let terror control you, the stronger they became.