Gaming Alone

III: The First Step

The doors of Westover Hall opened very easily as I made my way inside, clutching my Xiphos tightly as I glanced around. Inside it looked like Westover Hall, but the huge entrance hall appeared to be rundown and ruined, as if it had been abandoned for hundreds of thousands of years. I even saw cobwebs everywhere.

"What kind of thing would live in a wreck like this..." I murmured, thinking about how inconvenient it would be to live here. If you didn't know your way around, Westover Hall could be like a labyrinth after all.

I felt a chill to the side and quickly jumped backwards, barely making it out of the way as I saw a battle-axe shaped like a Greek Omega slam down where I'd just been standing.

Then I saw the hand holding onto that battle-axe, then the body... And then the orange name that hung over its head.

[Steel-Horned Minotaur]

A Minotaur!? Like that thing Theseus killed a bajillion years ago!? That Minotaur!? And there was no way this thing was the boss, it was just a normal mob from the looks of things!

"I guess Minotaur do love Labyrinths..." I murmured, absentmindedly wondering if I was using the plural of Minotaur right. Did it have an s on the end, or was the plural the same as the singular?

'Questions for later!' I snapped at myself, holding up my Xiphos. 'Don't lose focus!'

The Minotaur let out another roar as it charged me... I felt like the world was slowing down around me as my mind moved at rapid fire.

'It's big...' I thought to myself. 'And strong. But that weapon is heavy, and that means it can't swing accurately... If I move only a bit, I can go for a swing at its neck...!'

And so, I waited... Waited... The Minotaur grew near and swung its axe at me.

'Now!'

I side stepped the swing, the axe crashing into the ground next to me, and I gave a mighty yell and swing with my Xiphos, aiming for the Minotaur's neck!

Shink! Fwoosh! Squelch! Pft- Psshhh!

I breathed heavily as the Minotaur's head went sailing through the air, landing with a wet sound on the ground nearby, a geyser of blood shooting from its neck as it fell back and died. Luckily, none of the blood got on me.

[You have defeated the 'Steel-Horned Minotaur!']

[You Levelled Up!]

"Eh?" I blinked in shock as I stepped back from the now deceased Minotaur. "That was... So easy..." I looked at the sword in my hands. "Was it because I improved my strength stat so much? I should see what levelling up did, quickly... Status!"

[Status]

[Name: Perseus (Percy) Jackson] [Level: 2]

[Job: None] [Fatigue: 2]

[Title: None]

[HP: 200] [MP: 22]

[Strength: 20] [Vitality: 11]

[Agility: 11] [Intelligence: 11]

[Sense: 11]

[Remaining Points: 0]

"My stats all went up by one, my HP by one-hundred, and my MP by twelve," I noted. "I can keep doing the daily quest for more stat points, but levelling up definitely seems to be the best way to get stronger quickly..."