Minotaur

At some point, the status screen floating in my mind had disappeared. Apparently, it vanished automatically whenever my attention shifted elsewhere. However, it hadn’t disappeared completely. Something resembling a switch remained deep inside my mind. I focused my attention on that switch.

Just as I’d expected, the status screen appeared again.

My Skill Points had decreased by one. Apparently, acquiring Throwing Technique had only cost one point.

“So that means I can choose two more skills…”

I selected Physical Resistance and Poison Resistance. My goal was to strengthen my defenses with these two skills. The reason I chose Poison Resistance over Mental Resistance was that there were probably venomous snakes, such as pit vipers, living in this forest.

“Ah, crap! I forgot I was supposed to be looking for Shimizu-san!”

I resumed my search for Shimizu-san. After searching for another five minutes, I discovered his corpse.

“Ugh… This is horrible.”

I felt a wave of nausea. There was a hole in his chest. That rabbit must have killed him. Poor guy. The thought that there might be more of those creatures nearby filled me with fear.

“This is rough. Maybe I chose the wrong skills.”

I regretted not selecting Mental Resistance. I staggered back toward the beach. Just as I emerged from the forest and approached the toilet, I heard a man’s deep, terrified scream.

“Don’t tell me…”

I broke into a run toward the beach. Five horned rabbits were attacking the passengers. A man in his thirties had been stabbed in the thigh by one of their horns and lay collapsed on the sand.

“Ah, the boat!”

The cruiser had returned.

“Everyone, run to the pier! The cruiser’s back!”

Hearing my shout, the passengers noticed the boat and began fleeing toward the pier.

“Hurry up and dock!”

“Quick! Hurry!”

The rabbits also headed toward the pier, chasing the passengers. The only people left on the beach were the injured man and me. I hurried over to the fallen man and called out to him.

“Hey, are you all right?”

“M-My leg…”

He seemed to be in considerable pain. I supported him with my shoulder, and we began making our way toward the pier. At the pier, Mika and the other passengers were screaming as Captain Fujioka and his crew helped them aboard.

When we reached the entrance to the pier, I realized that the rabbits rampaging along it were blocking our way. Apparently, all the other passengers had managed to board the cruiser.

“Maki, hurry up and get aboard!”

Captain Fujioka shouted. I wanted to do exactly that, but the rabbits in front of me didn’t look inclined to let us pass.

“You idiot! Look behind you!”

I heard the captain’s shout. When I turned around, something utterly unbelievable was approaching.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! A giant’s body with a bull’s head? That’s a freaking Minotaur!”

The creature stood approximately three meters tall, with a massive, muscular body topped by a bull’s head bearing two horns. It looked exactly like either Gozu, the ox-headed jailer of the underworld, or a Minotaur.

It held an enormous axe in one hand and swung it around effortlessly.

“Uwaaaah!”

The injured man shoved me toward the Minotaur with tremendous force, then began running toward the cruiser, dragging his injured leg behind him.

I tumbled onto the sand and looked up at the enormous Minotaur. It raised its gigantic axe and brought it crashing down toward my torso.

“Whoa!”

I rolled across the beach to avoid the blow. The axe buried itself in the sand, sending sand flying in every direction as though an explosion had occurred. I desperately scrambled to my feet and fled toward the forest.

Fortunately, the Minotaur seemed to have chosen the limping man as its next prey. It advanced along the pier toward the cruiser.

“Captain, get the boat moving! Hurry!”

Nagase shouted, his face twisted with terror. However, the captain hesitated.

“I’m a member of the Mitarai family, and that’s an order! Get away from the pier immediately!”

This time, Yodai shouted with a face like an enraged demon. The captain maneuvered the cruiser away from the pier. The injured man shouted something. Immediately afterward, the Minotaur’s axe sliced his torso cleanly in half.

Bright red blood splattered across the pier, and screams erupted from aboard the cruiser. The vessel sailed away toward the open sea. The Minotaur watched it for a while before turning around to search for the prey that had escaped.

However, its previous target had already fled.

When I saw the cruiser pulling away from the pier, I escaped into the forest. Then I turned back toward the beach and shouted bitterly.

“You bastards! …You abandoned me and ran away!”

Anxiety and anger swirled inside me so violently that I felt as though my body might explode. Something rustled in a nearby thicket. I flinched and looked toward it, but apparently, something had merely disturbed the bushes. I remembered the sight of the Minotaur slicing that man’s body cleanly in half.

What should I do? If that thing finds me, I’m dead. Isn’t there somewhere I can hide? I panicked and ran frantically through the forest. However, I encountered another horned rabbit.

“Goddammit!”

I searched for something I could use as a weapon. Finding nothing but stones, I picked up two small ones. I decided to stake my life on the Throwing Technique skill I’d acquired.

I threw one of the stones at the rabbit, which was about four meters away. It struck the rabbit’s torso. The rabbit let out a shrill scream and glared at my face.

Suddenly, the rabbit charged. I dodged as it leaped toward my chest. Then I threw my second stone. The stone struck the back of the rabbit’s head. I pounced on the staggering creature, wrapped my arm around its slender neck, and squeezed.

When I tightened my grip with all my strength, its neck snapped. The dead rabbit dispersed into particles, which then condensed where its heart had been, forming a black stone that fell to the ground with a soft plop. I picked up the black stone and slipped it into my pocket, thinking it might prove useful later.

“What the hell is happening? I don’t understand any of this.”

A rabbit with a horn was strange enough, but a Minotaur was something that absolutely shouldn’t exist anywhere on Earth. Had this island somehow become an island of monsters?

And then there was the status screen that appeared inside my head. Had the real world somehow turned into a video game?

“If thinking won’t get me anywhere, I need to act. Let’s find somewhere to hide.”

I headed toward the mountain and eventually reached its foot. After searching around the mountain, I discovered what appeared to be an air-raid shelter. Air-raid shelters were underground refuges or bunkers dug during World War II to protect people from bombing raids.

Apparently, people had once lived on this island. The narrow shelter was approximately one and a half meters high and extended about five meters into the hillside.

“If I conceal the entrance with rocks and branches, I should be able to use this place as a hideout.”

There were some suitable rocks nearby. Moving them would be difficult, but I figured I could manage somehow.

I entered the shelter and inspected its interior. It felt rather dusty, but it seemed usable.

“Even if I hide here, I’ll still need my tent, flashlight, cooking utensils, and food.”

I would have to return to the beach at least once. How long would it take for a police boat or a Japan Coast Guard vessel to come and rescue me?

I figured that if the captain called for help over the radio, they would probably arrive fairly quickly. The problem was whether that thing was still on the beach. The sandy beach was the only place on the island where a boat could dock. Elsewhere, jagged reefs lay beneath the surface, making it impossible for vessels to approach.

“For now, I’d better conceal the entrance to secure my hideout.”

I piled rocks in front of the entrance to conceal it. Afterward, I headed back toward the beach.

The Minotaur that had been on the beach was gone. The tent I’d pitched had been mercilessly slashed apart and destroyed. When I checked inside, I found my sleeping bag, cooking utensils, and portable radio.

“Thank goodness. I can contact the captain by radio.”

I switched it on and tried to establish contact with the captain. However, there was no response. I inspected the portable radio, but it didn’t appear to be broken.

Why wasn’t anyone answering the radio? Were the captain and the others away from the boat? I sighed and began carrying my sleeping bag and cooking utensils.

The passengers’ tents had also been destroyed. There, I discovered a small machete. It was inside a sheath that could be attached to a belt. I picked it up and fastened it to my waist. If I remembered correctly, this type of machete was called a belt hatchet.

“At least it looks like I can use this as a weapon.”

I also had a kitchen knife that could serve as a weapon, but I wanted to keep that for cooking.

I also discovered a sack of flour. I collected that as well and carried it away. After making several trips between the shelter and the beach, I managed to transport everything that seemed useful into the shelter.

Three days passed, and I began worrying that help might never come.

“Sigh… I wonder if something happened on the mainland too?”

I was worried about my parents and my childhood friend. However, I still believed that a Japan Coast Guard vessel would arrive by the following day at the latest, so I hadn’t fallen into despair.

“Let’s go fishing.”

Since fish were my only source of food, I’d been fishing every day. As for water, I’d discovered a spring and secured a sufficient supply.

I headed to the beach, checked to make sure that thing wasn’t around, and began fishing. Then I sensed something behind me. It was one of those rabbits. I drew the machete hanging from my waist and readied myself.

I brought the machete down on the attacking rabbit. The fight ended with a single blow. The rabbit turned into a black stone and fell onto the sand.

A voice echoed inside my head.

Immediately afterward, my entire body grew hot, and pain surged through it. Unlike the first time, it wasn’t quite as intense. Even so, it felt as though every cell in my body was being remade, leaving me unable to breathe.

“Phew… It’s finally over.”

I looked at my status screen and confirmed that my level had increased to 02. My Skill Points had also increased to 03.

“Hmm, so leveling up gives me three more Skill Points. What about the skills I can choose?”

When I opened the Skill Selection screen, I found that, in addition to Mental Resistance and Lesser Heavenly Circuit, three new options had appeared: “Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge,” “Heartstone Processing Technique,” and “Axe Technique.”

What the hell were Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge and Heartstone Processing Technique supposed to be? And Axe Technique? Had using the machete unlocked Axe Technique as an available skill? Was it because the way you used a machete was similar to using an axe?

I was particularly interested in Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge. Did “aberrant beasts” refer to those horned rabbits and the Minotaur? If so, Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge was definitely something I wanted. I was also curious about what a Heartstone was.

However, with my current Skill Points, I could only acquire up to three of them.

I selected Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge, Axe Technique, and Heartstone Processing Technique. When I selected Heartstone Processing Technique, I was struck by an intense headache, but I somehow managed to endure it.

When I checked my status screen, Basic Aberrant Beast Knowledge wasn’t displayed. Apparently, it had been information rather than an actual skill.