WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈
Chapter 73: Episode 73
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Reapers were public enemies.
There was bound to be someone who hated them.
Still, not a single race took Reapers lightly.
They had a crazy policy of deliberately descending to the lower floors to hunt Hunters.
Apparently, they did not even spare a glance for places like temples.
After all, hunting other Hunters was the best way to gather materials.
The problem was that their race had survived all this time despite acting like that.
They had to be insanely strong.
[Their weakness is the Soul Crystal embedded in their body. Aim for it if you can.]
Remembering Bellion's words, I stirred up my fighting spirit.
That prickling killing intent!
Taking in the Reaper's intense pressure made every cell in my body feel like it was waking up.
More accurately, it felt like they were screaming.
'Does it hate me that much?'
Good.
That meant Death Priests were just that much of a threat to them.
Reapers kneaded and defiled souls, while Death Priests stood against them.
There was no way they could get along.
They probably could not wait to kill each other.
'It's wary of my blade.'
The Death Priest’s Dagger killed instantly wherever it struck.
The Reaper was no exception.
That was why it would never let itself get hit.
It definitely had a way to deal with the dagger.
My opening move was simple.
[Shadow Walking skill transcended, Firmament Veil skill activated]
Sss...
"Hup!"
As I melted into thin air, the Reaper looked slightly flustered.
One of the shrunken heads scattered intangible energy.
Piiing!
A strange noise was followed by a ringing echo.
It seemed to be a search skill that used sound.
My position had been exposed.
It could use the Basic Skills of five people, so of course it would have at least one search-type skill.
Still, having to constantly worry about an invisible enemy would be exhausting.
Especially while fighting countless other enemies.
"Don't get close!"
"If we can just get the Reaper bounty, our lives will change!"
The other Hunters shouted noisily.
There was a bounty on it too?
Even Death Priests would envy them.
Whoosh!
The Hunters poured out their strongest firepower without hesitation.
If they did not settle things with the Reaper once and for all, there was no chance of collecting loot anyway.
Boom!
The Reaper shielded the Soul Crystal in its chest and took the attacks head-on.
Most of the attacks had no effect, but a few landed solidly.
Its arms and legs were reduced to rags in an instant.
"Ssshhup!"
With a single burst of effort, the wounds across its body healed immediately.
That was not a Basic Skill, but an innate ability of the Reaper race.
That was why we had to target the Soul Crystal precisely.
Of course, even that could not go on forever.
With Four Seasons activated, I pushed my concentration to its limit.
My breathing completely stopped, and the world slowed.
During the last expedition, I had felt the lack of firepower down to my bones.
There was a limit to making up for it with new weapons.
So I decided to fundamentally change my tactics.
No matter how tough it was, it had to have vital points.
Accurately targeting only weak points on a battlefield was normally impossible...
But I could do it now.
The remaining shadow was drawn into the lever-action rifle.
Bang!
I did not aim for the Soul Crystal from the start.
It was obvious that it would be the most heavily protected spot.
I targeted its joint instead.
Its shoulder, one of the most complex and vulnerable areas.
But then...
Ting!
"Kyaah...!"
All I did was shatter the Barrier used by one of its "companions."
Come to think of it, that thing had the Barrier skill.
It was a terrible matchup for precision shooting.
Click, bang!
The second bullet flew toward its shoulder as though it had been pulled in.
The Reaper twisted its body slightly and blocked it with its armor.
Even a bullet with Penetration Enhancement bounced off uselessly.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Han Juwon's Ghost Bullets battered the Reaper's entire body.
Unable to endure for long, it charged into the other Hunters.
I could not fire properly for fear of friendly fire.
Crunch!
"Gaaah..."
Once it entered close combat, it was a nightmare.
Its casually swung mace crushed Hunters and their defensive skills all at once.
The Reaper took only the Soul Crystal from a corpse.
Then it crushed it with its bare hands and poured it into its mouth.
"Such an inadequate soul. You are not even worthy of the mercy of reincarnation! Become my nourishment."
"Aaah..."
"Damn it, run!"
It was like a wolf charging into a flock of sheep.
The Hunters gathered here were not elites to begin with.
They were closer to a hastily assembled rabble that could not coordinate properly.
At this rate, they would fall apart in no time.
Left with no choice, I drew my dagger.
"Hoo... Gaaah...!"
I activated the Pain Seal.
Horrific pain struck my entire body.
I tried to hold back my screams every time, but I could not.
The strength that followed was violent beyond words.
Combined with the effect of Forced March, I became twice as fast as usual.
I immediately used Accelerated Physical Technique as well.
For a very brief moment, I could move at roughly the same level as it.
Clang!
The Reaper barely blocked my dagger with its mace.
"Haha! You will make an excellent member of our kind! There can be no greater honor than turning a Death Priest into one of us!"
We exchanged several attacks in an instant.
There were few better ways to understand an opponent than this.
Far better than a hundred words.
Fighting it directly at close range, it truly was horrifyingly strong.
It monopolized the Item Level Restriction for five people, so all its equipment was top-grade.
It did not care about cost-effectiveness at all.
"Hup!"
Boom!
The silver mace barely grazed past me.
I deflected it with my dagger, then pulled out the Hand Cannon with my left hand.
There was almost no delay between aiming and firing.
Bang!
The shot was aimed directly at the Soul Crystal in its chest.
It must not have been familiar with a weapon like this, yet it instinctively crossed both arms to block it.
The price was brutal.
"Grrrk...!"
Both arms became rags in an instant.
The Reaper tried to heal them with the power of souls.
The damage was too severe, so it was slow.
Click!
I broke open the Hand Cannon's action, ejected the casing, and reloaded in an instant.
Was not the advantage of firearms the ability to keep putting round after round into the target?
"Roooar!"
The creature roared like a beast and closed the distance again.
I swiftly slashed with the dagger in my right hand.
But my motion was too broad, letting it read my attack.
Whoosh!
The dagger barely cut through empty air.
A shockwave erupted from its body and sent me flying.
If you were light, there was no way to avoid getting thrown around.
'It has every skill imaginable!'
Still, that forced out another one of its skills.
Its "companions" were not in perfect condition, so they probably could not use their skills often.
Honestly, spamming skills while nothing but shrunken heads and Soul Crystals remained was cheating.
Kim Yuna, who had kept a suitable distance, fired her submachine gun on full auto.
Rrrrrrt!
The bullets were small, but the result was not small at all.
The Shatter Enchantment worked perfectly.
Crack!
Its thick armor came apart in an instant.
That Enchantment was useful if you could land your shots.
It was almost meaningless without rapid fire, though.
"You bastard!"
Flash!
Kim Yuna evaded its counterattack with Spatial Movement.
She had been prepared, but she had almost been a moment too slow.
"Grrrgh!"
The Reaper pushed Regeneration to its limit to heal both arms, then charged sideways.
I instinctively tried to pursue it, but...
"Kyaah!"
The next moment, its body vanished with a terrible scream.
Every time the Reaper's companions used a skill, they screamed.
'What?!'
It appeared beside me without losing any speed.
I expected it to have a movement skill, of course.
But I had not expected one this high-performance.
Crunch!
I barely avoided its tackle, but it grabbed my right arm.
The Reaper tried to slam me into the ground.
Considering its monstrous strength, that would kill me instantly.
'Damn...'
I completely shut off the skill effects in my captured right arm.
Then, using the Hand Cannon in my left hand, I shot my own right arm.
Bang!
It was a desperate escape, like an animal severing its own tail.
Immense pain swept over me, but the Pain Seal included a forced awakening effect.
I could not escape the pain just by passing out.
Boom!
My arm tore off as I was being slammed into the ground, sending me flying before I crashed down.
I rolled several times, then finally stopped after hitting a tree in the forest.
I felt like I was going to vomit up every organ in my body.
A veteran Hunter's life did not end from something like this.
That was one reason Hunters preferred melee weapons.
Hunter battles inevitably became desperate fights where both sides tore and crushed each other apart.
"Grrrgh!"
Blood streamed from my entire body as I rose and activated Undying Blood.
Thanks to the Pain Seal and Forced March, I could still move.
My body felt like it was about to break apart, but I was faster than before.
"You stubborn bastard! You do not need to be so afraid! True life awaits you!"
It chewed on my arm and charged again.
It probably could not use that teleportation skill often.
It was too heavy and powerful to be teleported repeatedly.
Flash!
I could not reload the Hand Cannon with one arm, so I put it in the Subspace Backpack and resummoned the dagger.
My right arm was regenerating, but far too slowly.
Because of the Pain Seal, every moment was a chain of pain.
Why was I even fighting this hard?
The moment I saw the Reaper charging toward me, that trivial thought vanished completely.
Bang!
As my teammates fired like crazy from the side, its body tilted slightly.
But it was already looking at no one but me.
My popularity had been pretty good lately.
The gaze burning with religious fanaticism gave me chills.
"Gaaah...!"
Just before impact, it casually released a shockwave and pushed me back.
If it pinned me down like this, I was finished.
[Forced March skill transcended, Desperate Strength skill activated]
I really did not want to use this, but I had no choice.
I slipped out from beneath it at a speed that felt like I had used an acceleration skill.
It used its fifth and final skill.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Crackle!
Paralyzing electricity burst from its body.
Why were all of its skills area-of-effect attacks?
Were they designed purely to hunt weaker Hunters?
Barrier, shockwave, ultrasonic detection, teleportation, and paralyzing electricity.
I had figured out all of its skills.
'It does not seem to have anything else hidden.'
The mace it swung came toward me in slow motion.
Only then did I activate my acceleration skill.
Flash!
"What?"
The paralysis wore off much faster because of Desperate Strength and the Pain Seal.
At this moment, I was not inferior to it physically.
Slash!
The short, simple swing of my dagger shattered its Barrier.
The next strike plunged into its heart.
Crunch!
Its huge body collapsed, and the Soul Crystal fell from its chest.
Had I only killed the physical body for now?
Swoosh.
Quickly grabbing it was a Hunter's instinct.
I wanted to praise myself for it.
But its companions would not go into the Subspace Backpack.
'Ah, because they're considered Hunters...'
Living beings could not normally be put into subspace.
They were a miserable sight, with only shrunken skulls and Soul Crystals remaining.
Could things like this really be called living beings?
They seemed to have some powerful life-sustaining magic on them...
But I did not understand the Tower's sense of judgment.
"Ugh, it hurts..."
"Please free us from here now, Death Priest..."
I hesitated for a moment, then did as they wished.
Crunch!
The moment I drove my dagger into the Soul Crystals, it was over.
I could feel the power remaining in their souls being drawn into the dagger.
"Kang Hyun!"
"Juwon, please carry me."
The recoil from the Transcendence skill, Desperate Strength, was extreme.
As its name suggested, it drew out the strength of someone at death's door.
I would soon be unable to move properly at all.
"O-okay! I'll carry you..."
Han Juwon moved to lift me onto their back, then looked at my right arm with a troubled expression.
Still, it had regenerated about halfway.
The Hunters who had scattered like a pitiful herd of animals earlier stared at the fallen Reaper.
"He killed a Reaper almost by himself."
"Did you hear what that guy said earlier? He must be a Death Priest!"
"Damn, lucky bastard. But if he's a Death Priest, he can't get the Reaper bounty, right? Maybe he'll give it to us?"
"Forget it. They inspect Reaper bounty claims really strictly. They'll find out right away that a Death Priest was involved."
"Death Priest! Kill our king too!"
When Han Juwon carried me on their back, the Hunters nearby cheered.
Kim Yuna and Yuki quickly gathered the loot.
Still, we were not in a position to relax.
Because of their nature, Reapers almost never descended alone.
Sang Hajun rolled his glass-bead eyes and spoke.
"Another Reaper is approaching from that direction. It's pretty fast."
"To the nearest exit or Mini Dungeon!"
The team members moved the instant I spoke.
A short while later, the Reaper that arrived where we had been saw its fallen kin and clasped its hands in a brief prayer.
"Thank you for your sacrifice for the greater cause. It would have been better if you had performed more admirably."
Crunch!
The moment it finished praying, it stomped on the dead Reaper's head and crushed it.
"Grrk..."
I activated the Pain Seal more strongly and increased the regeneration speed of my arm.
The duration of Desperate Strength had ended, and I felt as though I was slowly dying.
The feeling of my consciousness fading away with it was so awful that pain was preferable.
Sang Hajun sighed.
"Enemies are at the exit."
"Reapers?"
"No, another Hunter team is lying in ambush over there."
As expected, everyone except us was an enemy.
In the end, we had no choice but to head for the nearest Mini Dungeon entrance.
Surely there would not be idiots camping there too.
"Here. The mural beneath the temple."
After entering the Underground Labyrinth, we soon found a large mural.
The Mini Dungeon we could enter changed depending on the image here...
"What came up?"
"What? Kang Hyun, you can't see properly right now?"
"Yeah. It's a miracle I'm alive..."
"... We got the absolute worst. The Collapsing Spiral Tower appeared."
I had heard a rough explanation of the Mini Dungeons...
We got the worst one.
Still, everything above the Tower's eleventh floor was nothing but pushovers, so it would be fine.
Besides, the pursuer behind us was not falling back at all.
"Enemy detected at the Underground Labyrinth entrance. It's a Reaper."
"Go in."
The team members threw themselves into the mural without a word.
Flash!
[You have entered the Collapsing Spiral Tower Mini Dungeon]
We ended up tackling a Mini Dungeon in the worst possible situation.
Footnotes:
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