"You still don't understand, do you? I'm the predator, and you're the prey."
In that instant, something shifted in the air.
The minotaur paused, eyes wide. It felt it—an emotion foreign to monsters of its kind.
Fear.
Denzel's hand clenched tighter around the beast's axe. With a sharp crack, he crushed the weapon into twisted metal.
"What a weak axe..." he said with a sinister grin. "Oops. Was that your only weapon?"
The taunt landed perfectly.
The minotaur roared and flailed, swinging its fists in wild, erratic patterns. It had lost its rhythm, its logic—cornered and confused.
Denzel read the change instantly.
Now.
He took a step back, gathering energy. Green wind spiraled around his limbs, mixing with the red hue of his Psycho Aura.
+ =
The air split with a sharp hum as Denzel launched himself skyward. The minotaur, mid-swing from a failed jab, left its back exposed.
"Gotcha."
Denzel twisted mid-air, his body spinning like a torpedo. His hand, glowing with swirling green and red energy, cocked back.
BOOM!
He slammed the minotaur's skull into the stone floor. The impact shattered the ground, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
But when the smoke cleared—
The beast moved.
Its head was cracked, blood dripping from its nose, but it stood again. A surge of dark aura erupted from its body.
"You're still moving?" Denzel blinked. "Impressive... but also stupid. I guess I have to stop holding back."
That wicked smile returned.
He stepped forward slowly and then closed his eyes.
This would be the last strike.
A big one.
The minotaur, finally recognizing a threat far beyond itself, took a step back. But Denzel's voice echoed through the ruins like a final sentence:
"You should've died earlier. It would've spared you from this."
Pitch black.
[Psycho Prison]
Everything around the minotaur faded into darkness.
No—this wasn't mere blindness.
It felt everything and nothing all at once. Sound, pain, breath, time—it all folded into a single terrifying void.
It lashed out, jabbing into the shadows.
But the shadows didn't fight back.
They watched.
[Minotaur Status Effects]
• Bleeding
• Fear
• Confusion
• Hallucinations (High)
It screamed. Pounded its fists into its own skull. Metallic gauntlets tore through flesh and bone. The beast was unraveling, spiraling into madness.
And Denzel just watched.
Like a puppeteer enjoying the final act.
The thudding stopped.
The minotaur collapsed in a pool of its own blood, its face crushed beyond recognition.
The shadows receded.
Denzel now sat calmly on the king's rotting throne. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were cold.
A true psychopath.
He stood, stepping onto the beast's broken corpse, and sighed.
"If you were at full power, I wouldn't have lasted ten seconds like this. You were unlucky... I tested something on you."
He clenched his fists, then smiled.
"I can't play it safe anymore. If I want to stay ahead—I have to embrace this power. All of it."
He laughed.
Uncontrollably.
[System Warning: You're beginning to go out of control. Deactivate Psycho Mode now!]
The laughter stopped.
Denzel gasped as clarity returned. He blinked hard, realizing the blood on his hands, the madness lingering at the edge of his mind.
He had gone too far.
And he liked it.
But before he could reflect further, the minotaur's chest began to glow.
"There it is."
He drove his hand into the beast's body and pulled something free—an obsidian ring with a blood-red gem embedded in it.
[Ping! Ping! Ping!]
[Psycho Mode Proficiency: 1% → 14%]
[You've cleared Psycho Trial II: +25,000 EXP]
[You've defeated a Great Minotaur: +50,000 EXP]
[New Artifact Acquired: Orisis Ring (SS-Rank)]
[Level Up: Level 50 Reached – Enlightenment Required to Progress Further]
[New Gift Unlocked: Monster Tamer (SS-Rank)]
[WARNING: Psycho Mode remains unstable. Limit its use to prevent loss of control.]
Denzel's emotions swirled—joy, awe, and the faint sting of disappointment.
He had hit Level 50. He had unlocked a new ability—Monster Tamer. Yet the warning loomed heavy.
He couldn't rely on Psycho Mode too often.
At least, not yet.
Still, his attention turned to the gleaming ring in his hand.
[Appraisal – Artifact: Orisis Ring]
• Rank: SS
• Origin: Unknown
• Effects:
– Stores Psycho Armor and all other pieces of Psycho Mode
– Houses a private subspace
– Boosts: +50% Attack, +50% Agility
– Trump Card: When the wearer is in danger, DEF is reduced by 90%, but ATK increases by 200%
Denzel chuckled. "What do you know? Not half bad."
[System Notice: The ruins are collapsing. Get out. Now.]
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Pillars cracked. Debris fell like rain.
[System Notice: Fatigue critical. MP near zero. Skill usage disabled.]
"Tch. Great timing," Denzel muttered, annoyed.
He moved fast—despite the aching pain in his limbs, the exhaustion biting at every joint. Dodging chunks of stone, weaving through falling beams, he dashed through the collapsing temple.
With a final leap, he rolled out of the dungeon just before the entire structure gave way.
The forest greeted him with cool air and the scent of freedom.
He staggered forward, feet dragging.
And there—near the glowing entrance to the extradimensional space—sat Ryan, perched on a rock.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Yikes... you look like you got stepped on by a demon. You okay?"
Denzel gave a crooked smile.
He was more than okay.
He was just getting started.
End of Chapter