Reaper's Resurgence - Book 3 - Chapter 51 - The Endless Grind (Patreon)

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Don't mind this fluff. It's so that free readers can't read half the chapter.

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Alexia

As expected, when I get within a couple dozen meters of any of the creepers, they notice me. Without hesitation. But they also lose me again when I get out of that distance. Which is interesting.

Never really tested their senses before. And these ones seem different from those in the maze. Even says a different name when they’re identified.

So I go ahead and mess around testing their senses, eventually leading to my realization that they have very short senses. Their senses don’t extend for very far, but when I enter the range of their senses, it’s accurate to a fault. Pretty much perfect in every way.

Impossible to sneak by.

Which ends up with me rather awkwardly just standing at the edge of the cavern and playing a game of… uh… not sure what the word for it is so I’ll just call it playing a game. One where I teleport to some of them, kill a few at the edge, then teleport back out of the range of their senses. Then I repeat that process over and over again, gradually whittling down at their numbers.

A process that… takes longer than I expected. Particularly due to soul restraints. Since I don’t exactly have an infinite amount of soul to use. And I don’t want to use it all since it’s kind of my life that I’m draining away too.

My health.

So a new process builds itself up where I teleport forwards, kill creepy creepers, teleport back, rinse and repeat for several hours, then leave to go to a Safe Zone nearby to rest in the hot spring there. Then come back a few hours later after recovering all my soul again before repeating that process.

In a seemingly endless loop.

Because there are a lot of fucking creepers in this boss area.

Which also ends up with me taking a lot of baths. Probably too many.

Hope I don’t get used to the hot spring inside of a Safe Zone and end up bored of any other sort of bath. That would be… actually it wouldn’t really be a problem.

That aside, I can’t help but wonder just how someone could possibly beat this place on their own. Because people can’t leave boss areas until they’ve finished the area. The only reason I’m able to do it is because I can literally cut open the damned place and leave with my quantum magic.

Others can’t do that.

They’d be stuck fighting in there against all of the monsters non-stop.

I blink my eyes open as a thought comes to mind, making me sit up a bit in the hot spring.

Huh. Okay, didn’t think about that.

I’m doing this place solo.

Other people?

Not so much.

It’s kind of sad how I’m forgetting about the fact that people can technically work as a team to fight dungeons…

Actually, maybe I can work with Astrid in a dungeon in the future? By the time a Tier 4 or Tier 5 dungeon actually shows up somewhere, Astrid will probably be at the same ish level as me. Considering that Astrid is also in the dungeon.

I think she actually joined with Elara too. Something about the other people giving her a slot because she’s the leader of one of the biggest trade powers in the Dimensional Block.

Although Astrid thinks it’s to curry favor with me and Astrid.

Honestly, I don’t particularly care. Other than the fact that it would be nice to have another person capable of protecting the Retreat.

My thoughts come to a brief halt when a System Message flashes in my vision and echoes in my head.

{Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 740! Your Species has awarded you +2 VIT, +2 DEX, +2 STR, +2 MAG, and +2 MEN. Your Class has awarded you +1 VIT, +2 DEX, +1 STR, +2 MAG, and +2 MEN.}

Hmm. Guess Luna is still going at it herself.

On the bright side, killing all of these monsters has given me a nice boost in levels. To the point that I surpassed Lucas again.

So yay.

I have not, however, passed Isabella.

Not so yay.

That aside, I’ve been gradually able to kill more and more with every level up I get during each trip. So eventually I shouldn’t have to even come back here. And that’s despite the fact that these creatures seem to specialize in magic rather than the physical side of things. Even if they used to go with a physical attack first.

Not anymore though, considering their odd hive mind thing. Like they know how I fight without knowing that I am fighting one of them.

What I am rather confused about most though is the fact that I haven’t so much as spotted hide nor hair of the boss of the boss area. Which is odd.

Very odd.

I glance at my status, and more importantly, my soul, then I get out of the hot spring, put on my gear, then head back out to the boss area again. At which point I stand at the entrance with my arms folded and my lips pursed.

How is it even possible that I haven’t even spotted a boss amongst them yet? Could it just be hiding?

From my spot at the entrance, the only difference I can see from when I first arrived is that there are far fewer creepers here. Making for a lot of empty space amongst their fleshy web nest.

A rather disgusting place both to walk on and look at.

I teleport up into the air before looking out over the nest as a whole. But nothing I see implies a boss anywhere within the massive cavern.

So…

Wait a second.

My eyes narrow on a small, compacted area full of webbing somewhere deeper inside. Where some of the creepers seem to be digging under the webbing and then coming back out.

Tunnels?

Does that mean… the boss is underground?

Would certainly explain why I haven’t seen it yet.

I stare down at the compact area for a few minutes before sighing.

Well, one way or another, time to get back at it again.