Chapter 99

Lucas and I were heading towards the Tower of Illusory Beasts, which we had heard about from Celt.

On the way, we passed through a village that served as a relay point and continued into the depths of the forest.

A large rainbow vortex spread out before the cliff face.

"It's still here..."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Is it really something that can be cleared so quickly? This 'Hole of Illusions'... I haven't really heard much about such classifications..."

"It took longer to travel than I expected."

It took us a whole day to prepare and travel.

In the game, it was common for the top players to rush in within five minutes of the start and be wiped out in a few more.

Well, this case should be different in our world... but there's no harm in hurrying.

We had heard that the Adventurer's Guild was keeping the discovery a secret.

The Guild probably wanted to send in adventurers they had organized to monopolize the profits.

It's highly likely that the monsters have already been overhunted.

If the Guild is doing such things, it would be wise not to get involved.

Celt not coming might also be due to such considerations.

However, they only kept the discovery secret; they didn't prohibit entry.

Even if we were discovered, we wouldn't have anything to hide.

Being noticed isn't ideal, but this is a rare chance to obtain the 'Reaper's Blade.'

We can't afford to miss this opportunity.

Immediately, I entered the rainbow vortex with Lucie, moving into the interior of the 'Hole of Dreams.'

[<Tower of Illusory Beasts>: Recommended Level: 80]

The floor and walls were a simple, earthy color.

There was a statue of a monster.

It had a lion's face and large wings.

It was a Chimera.

"Level 80... I had heard, but it's quite high."

Lucie swallowed hard.

"Yeah, as I mentioned before... we won't go deep. We'll run from dangerous monsters, avoid suspicious places, and won't push too far."

That said, the recommended level is for the 'Dream Lords.'

The monsters that generally appear are one level lower.

We've already defeated a Level 85 Skull Lord, so we're not in a particularly dangerous situation.

We could dive into a full-scale strategy, but there's no real reason to clear the 'Hole of Illusions.'

Even without defeating the dangerous 'Dream Lords,' we can hunt monsters with good drops, and they will eventually disappear.

There's a reason to defeat them, but there are far more reasons not to.

"There's a window... inside the 'Hole of Dreams'...?"

There was a large hole in the wall, serving as a window.

The edges were carved with beasts.

Looking outside, you could see a beautiful blue sky.

Lucie walked up to the window and looked out.

"I can't see the bottom... it's incredibly high... What's going on here? Does this mean a tower has appeared somewhere in the world?"

I walked up behind Lucie.

"Ultimately, it's all part of Alzaros' dream. This sky, these clouds, everything is like the 'Hole of Dreams.'"

"I see..."

"It's best not to look outside. We don't know what would happen if you fell."

"Y-Yes, you're right."

Lucie shivered and slowly moved away from the window.

"Well... let's start the reaper hunt."

I clapped my hands.

Our goal this time is the Grim Reaper, which holds the 'Skill Book' for the 'Reaper's Blade.' We aim for it specifically.

We will ignore other monsters and only engage in combat if escape is difficult.

It didn't take long to find the first Grim Reaper.

About an hour, perhaps?

After using 'Shield Bash' to knock away a Gargoyle, a stone monster, we successfully found the Grim Reaper.

There was a possibility that Grim Reapers wouldn't appear in this 'Tower of Illusory Beasts,' so I was relieved to confirm their presence.

It had a translucent blue spirit body and a mask with a creepy smile.

The white-gloved hand was firmly gripping a large scythe.

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Monster: Grim Reaper

Lv: 66

HP: 166/166

MP: 66/66

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"Keke... Kekeke...!"

The Grim Reaper...

A troublesome monster with high evasion and attack power.

It can use 'Dragon Slayer,' which has a high critical hit rate, making it a dangerous opponent even if you're at a higher level.

It also has 'Spirit Transcendence,' which allows it to pass through physical attacks, and various debuffing magic skills.

While it's a rare monster with good drops, many parties might avoid it due to the risks and class compatibility.

However, I, of course, know the Grim Reaper's weaknesses and movements.

"There it is! The 'Skill Book'! Don't let it escape!"

"Got it! Elma!"

"Ge...!?"

The Grim Reaper seemed a bit confused by our sudden and aggressive approach.

But it quickly readied its scythe and pulled it back.

This was the prelude to the Grim Reaper's skill, 'Funeral Dance.'

A skill where it rapidly rotates while swinging its scythe, with a wide area of effect and activation range.

Additionally, during the skill's prelude, it becomes incredibly resilient to attacks, allowing it to continue the scythe swing without staggering or flinching, known as 'Super Armor.'

If we attack recklessly, we'll be hit by 'Funeral Dance' at close range after it withstands the attack.

"Use 'Shield Bash' to interrupt the start of 'Funeral Dance'!"

I raised my large shield and knocked the Grim Reaper's body.

"Ko...!"

The Grim Reaper was slammed into the wall.

It flew further than I expected.

"The 'Shield of the Necromancer' is indeed powerful."

'Funeral Dance' is a powerful skill, but it's also one of the Grim Reaper's few weaknesses.

During the 'Super Armor' phase of 'Funeral Dance,' it can't use 'Spirit Transcendence' to pass through physical attacks.

Before the Grim Reaper could recover, Lucie quickly stood vertically on the wall next to it and performed a side flip.

"Acrobatic Combo!"

"Ke... Ke...!"

The Grim Reaper took a hit but quickly recovered and countered with its scythe, blocking Lucie's knives.

However, I had already moved behind the Grim Reaper, taking advantage of the opening.

I struck the Grim Reaper's back with my Mithril Sword from a blind spot.

"Ge...!"

The Grim Reaper's spirit body split and disappeared.

The mask cracked and fell to the ground along with the gloves and scythe.

[You have gained 2899 experience points.]

With the experience message, I sheathed my sword.

"Great job, Elma!"

"To prevent the use of 'Spirit Transcendence,' it's best to exploit the openings in other skills or take blind spots."

It was good that we were able to interrupt the 'Super Armor' of the Grim Reaper's 'Funeral Dance' and quickly follow up.

If the battle had dragged on with the Grim Reaper using 'Spirit Transcendence' as its main strategy, we would have had to constantly be on guard against critical hits, making the fight quite difficult.

"Please... let the 'Skill Book' drop..."

Lucie clasped her hands in prayer.

"...No, it didn't drop."

I shook my head and approached the Grim Reaper's remains.

The mask was already reduced to dust, but the scythe remained.

I picked up the scythe.

"It's better than nothing... but it's not what we wanted."

The drop rate for 'Skill Books' is much lower than for weapons, so this was to be expected.

I never thought we would finish the reaper hunt with just one.

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'Soul Reaping Scythe' [Recommended Level: 60]

[Attack Power: +18]

[Market Value: 15 million gold]

A scythe used by a reaper to harvest the living.

It has a slightly higher critical hit rate and reduces the MP of the target it attacks.

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It's a fairly strong scythe.

The attack power is modest, but the two additional effects are quite powerful.

...Well, I have no plans to use a scythe, so I'll just sell it on the market.

"Ugh... a bad drop..."

Lucie looked at the 'Soul Reaping Scythe' with a sad expression.

"But 15 million gold is a huge amount!?"

Lucie's sense of value is a bit numb.

The Grim Reaper is a rare monster with a good drop rate, but it's more common for it not to drop any weapons at all.