The room is a colossal arena, a nightmare parody of a ruined Greek temple. The floor is onyx, veined with molten lava that pulses like feverish arteries. It’s hot. An oppressive heat that dries the throat instantly and makes clothes stick to the skin. I look up to analyze the environment. We’re standing in a colossal cavern where the ceiling disappears into the shadows, lit only by massive wrought-iron chandeliers filled with glowing embers hanging from rusted chains.
But the real danger is right in front of us. About ten meters away, in the exact center of this underground hall, stands a massive monument that has no business being there. It’s a Greek Temple built from black marble veined with red. Six enormous pillars, ten meters high, rise from the darkness, covered in ancient symbols. It’s an arena within the arena.
And over there, in the shadow of those infernal pillars, there is no army. No traps. Just Him.
A Minotaur.
It’s an abomination of muscle and pure hatred. Ten three meters tall. A tower of dark flesh covered in ritual scars glowing an unhealthy red. He has the head of an enraged bull, with blackened steel horns spreading out over a meter, sharp as spears. Steam shoots from his nostrils with every breath, a heavy exhale that literally makes the air vibrate.
He wears heavy black plate armor, engraved with runes of suffering. In his right hand, he grips a gigantic double-edged axe. The handle is a reinforced tree trunk, and the blade is as big as Chris himself.
He doesn’t move. He stares at us with pupil-less yellow eyes burning with murderous intelligence. The aura radiating from him is physical. It’s a crushing pressure, a gravity nailing us to the floor. I swallow hard.
[MONSTER ANALYSIS] Name: The Minotaur★ | Level: 15 | Type: Elite Guardian
[Statistics]
- HP: 6,000 / 6,000
- Attack: 300
- Defense: 300
- Magic Defense: 300
- Speed: 100
[Skills]
- [Seismic Stomp]: Hits the ground to generate an Area of Effect (AoE) shockwave. Stuns targets.
- [Chaos Whirlwind]: Spins with his axe. Massive 360-degree damage.
- [Unstoppable Charge]: Rushes in a straight line. Siege damage.
I take a step back. “Holy shit…”
Chris, who was so confident five minutes ago, is shaking in every limb. His shield, which felt indestructible, looks like a sheet of paper against this monstrosity.
“300 Attack…” he whispers. “Uncle Ben, I did the math. With my 149 Defense, I’m going to take about 180 damage per hit. I’ve got 1,600 HP. I can take eight hits, maybe nine. It’s not enough! Even if I slow him down with my totem, he hits too hard. He’s gonna turn me into mashed potatoes before you even have time to kill him!”
Kim shoulders her Viper, her face set by the cold logic of numbers. “And his Defense is 300. With my 125 Attack, I’m barely gonna do 36 damage a bullet.”
The Minotaur doesn’t move an inch. He doesn’t raise his axe. He doesn’t scream. He doesn’t grunt. He stays planted there, motionless as a statue of pure malevolence. He watches us, and he waits. It’s a duel to the death. And we brought toothpicks.
“Do we have a chance?” Chris asks, his voice breaking.
I grip my Excali-Spade so hard my hands shake. “Mathematically? No.”
I close my eyes for a second. Only one option left. I reopen my eyes and loosen my fingers. My spade falls heavily to the ground with a metallic clatter that echoes in the silence. I pull out my flask. I unscrew the cap with a slow, precise motion. I bring it to my lips and take a long swig, my eyes locked on the Minotaur. I recap it. I put it away.
I step forward. Slowly. Calmly.
I walk toward the monster with terrifying assurance. I don’t shake. I don’t blink. I keep my hands in my pockets, back straight, chin up. Every step of my boots on the onyx rings out in the cavern’s silence like a tolling bell.
The air seems to grow heavy around me. Chris and Kim go silent, captivated by this sudden transformation. I’m a force of nature moving forward inevitably. I cross the temple’s threshold, walking straight toward him.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Even the Minotaur seems to hesitate. He senses something is wrong. This tiny creature walking toward him without a weapon, without a drop of fear, radiates a pressure he doesn’t understand. The monster takes a half-step back, disturbed, his axe trembling slightly in his grip.
I’m cool. I’m death walking. I stop five meters from the beast, staring straight into his yellow eyes. Kim and Chris watch me, eyes bulging, jaws dropped.
I close my eyes, swallow my pride, and nuke my entire charisma in a single second.
“ACTIVATION! [LORD OF THE DANCEFLOOR]!”
My shout shatters the illusion. The Minotaur shakes his head, grunts, and tightens his grip on his axe. He sees an opening. He tenses up, ready to pounce.
“Ben?! What are you doing?” Kim yells, seeing the monster snap out of it. “He’s gonna strike!”
Time seems to freeze. An ethereal disco ball materializes on the ceiling, shooting neon lights everywhere. A single spotlight hits me, isolating me in the glow. A heavy, funky bassline drops out of nowhere, pumping through the air: Boom-Tchack-Boum-Tchack.
[System]: CHALLENGE LAUNCHED!
[Dance Required]: THE GANGNAM STYLE.
[Timing]: 3… 2… 1… DANCE!
I don’t look at my companions. I don’t look at the Deity Chat, where they’re probably choking with laughter. I lock eyes with the Boss. “I’m gonna show him my best dance moves,” I grind out, my teeth clenched so hard the enamel might crack.
The Minotaur stops, axe suspended in the air, confused by this tiny human shining under a magical spotlight while death approaches. I don’t have a choice. I cross my wrists in front of my crotch. I bend my knees. And I begin.
I hop in place. I’m riding an invisible horse. I’m a horseman of the apocalypse. My heavy boots hit the ground in perfect cadence. Left, right, left, right.
“OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!” the System blares in a horrible autotuned voice that echoes across the entire floor.
I kick my legs to the side. I raise my right arm. I spin the imaginary lasso above my head. My face is carved from stone. I don’t smile. I don’t blink. I channel all my rage, all the hatred for my messed-up life, all my loathing for this rotten dungeon into this ridiculous hip movement. I whip the air with my ghost lasso like I’m trying to strangle destiny itself. I’m a warrior. I’m a Korean horseback rider. I’m death doing a jig.
“Eeeeeh, sexy lady! Hope, Hope, Hope, Hope!”
I sing at the top of my lungs, my voice cracking from the effort, turning this stupid chorus into a survival mantra. Hope. It’s all I’ve got left.
The Minotaur lowers his axe, mouth hanging open, drooling in sheer stupefaction. He has never witnessed such a downfall. He’s paralyzed by the absurdity of the scene. His primitive monster brain just can’t process the data. Why is the prey dancing? Is it a summoning ritual? A seizure? Why can’t I look away from his legs spreading in rhythm?
I keep going, bouncing from one foot to the other, my heavy boots drumming the floor in perfect sync. I give it everything. It’s the performance of a lifetime. I hit the final pose, breathless, arm in the air, leg raised, my gaze piercing the monster’s soul.
Nothing moves. No one breathes. It’s as if the sheer cringe of the moment froze time itself. Only the fading echo of the synthesizer breaks the silence.
[System]: EVALUATION…
[System]: PERFECT!!! LEGENDARY COMBO!!
A multicolored shockwave explodes from my body, tears across the room, and hits the Minotaur head-on.
[Effect Applied]: MAGIC EPILEPTIC FIT.
[Duration]: 60 Seconds.
The monster freezes. His eyes roll back, foam bubbles from his nostrils, and he collapses to the ground convulsing. He’s totally paralyzed, his axe slipping from his massive grip. The spotlight clicks off. The disco ball vanishes. I straighten my yellow vest with a sharp tug. My face is marble.
Chris looks at the convulsing monster on the floor, then at me, eyes shining. “That was… magnificent, Uncle Ben,” he whispers in pure awe. “You’ve got rhythm in your soul.”
“Shut up!” I yell, shattering the magic. “The show is over! Toss me my spade! We’ve got sixty seconds to smoke him before he gets back up!”
Chris jumps, scoops the Excali-Spade off the floor, and lobs it to me. I catch it mid-air. The metal handle feels cold and reassuring. K-Pop is over. Time for some heavy construction work.
The Minotaur is twitching on the ground, drooling. He’s completely defenseless. I don’t aim for the heart; his rib cage is way too thick. I aim for a permanent handicap. I jump onto his massive chest with both feet, breathless. I raise my spade high, point angled down.
“Goodbye, 4K!”
I drive the point into his right eye with a sickeningly wet squelch, then instantly repeat the motion on the left. He might have 300 Defense, but eyeballs are still jelly. It’s the golden rule of weak points. The monster stiffens violently under the paralysis, unable to even scream. A spray of black blood splatters across my face.
“Blinded!” I shout, jumping backward. “Kim! Chris! Hit him with everything you’ve got! We have sixty seconds!”
Kim is already in position. She triggers her rifle’s skill.
BRRRRT. A five-round burst shreds the monster’s neck where the armor is thinnest.
[Effect Applied]: Severe Hemorrhage.
Chris slams down his [Worg Frenzy Totem] and dives into the fray, hacking at the monster’s legs with his sword like an enraged lumberjack.
We strike. We hammer away with everything we have. It’s an absolute unleashing of violence. But it’s like trying to break a reinforced concrete wall with a teaspoon.
My spade strikes ring out with a loud BONG, but with my 82 Attack, I’m barely doing 17 damage a hit. Chris, with his 45 Attack, makes pretty sparks for practically nothing: 6 damage. He’s barely scratching the paint. Only Kim, with her 125 Attack, manages to punch through a little. 36 damage per bullet.
The seconds tick away. 20… 40… 55… 60.
The Minotaur stops convulsing. His health bar pops up.
[Boss HP]: 4,220 / 6,000
I back up, breathless. “Dammit…” I wheeze. “A minute of free beating with three of us, plus the hemorrhage… and we took barely a quarter of his life?”
? Overpowers: Magical Girl Crossover [Grimlight Progression Urban Fantasy/Genre based Power System] ?
by Moawar
He, Life, had a simple job.
His responsibility as an Overpower was to make sure that fiction stories and the characters in them follow their dictated path. He always did his job well enough, not more or less than was needed.
His latest assignment, however, would, in retrospect, prove to be his most challenging one of all.
He would find himself in a unfamiliar world. There he'll have to quickly adapt to guide Nozomi.
The strongest magical girl with the potential to accidentally destroy those she seeks to protect in her fight against evil.
What to Expect:
-If you like the psychological aspects of Madoka Magica and the mixing of different genres a crossover story brings then this story is for you