Chapter 182

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 182

The Grim Reaper was an intangible monster.

Physical attacks had no effect on it.

Only magical skills could harm it, and those had to be powerful B-rank or higher spells.

This made it a particularly bad match-up for Zeon.

Zeon’s ability to control sand was useless against the Grim Reaper.

The Grim Reaper likely knew this when it appeared.

Black mist swirled from its scythe.

The scythe was a top-tier item, known as the Reaper’s Scythe.

Even a slight cut from it could cause severe damage to the soul.

Surviving an attack would still leave one’s soul damaged, ultimately leading to death.

The Grim Reaper advanced with its scythe ready.

“Let’s see if sand really can’t touch you.”

Zeon raised his hand. A spatial rift opened behind him, releasing a massive amount of sand.

The sand filled the passageway, rising and writhing like living creatures.

It looked like a swarm of snakes.

This was one of Zeon’s skills, Viper.

Hisssss!

Dozens of sand serpents launched themselves at the Grim Reaper.

Boom! Boom!

But the Vipers passed through the Grim Reaper harmlessly, hitting the wall behind.

Zeon tried Viper several more times. But none of the Vipers could harm the Grim Reaper.

Even his Sand Mixer skill had no effect.

The Grim Reaper’s eyes blazed with hellfire, growing more intense as it realized Zeon’s attacks were futile.

Hiss!

The Grim Reaper swung its scythe.

Zeon narrowly dodged the attack, stepping back.

Sensing victory, the Grim Reaper attacked more fiercely.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The scythe filled the passage with afterimages as it moved at blinding speed.

The Grim Reaper’s attacks were extremely fast.

Being intangible, it moved freely through space. Yet, even at that speed, it couldn’t fully catch Zeon.

Every attack missed by mere centimeters. This only made the Grim Reaper’s hellfire and black mist intensify.

The monster was enraged.

Hisss!

The Grim Reaper swung its scythe, sending a black energy slash at Zeon.

In the narrow passage, Zeon had little room to dodge.

Thud!

His back hit the wall.

He had nowhere left to go.

The black energy slashes rained down on him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The wall behind Zeon exploded with a thunderous noise, filling the air with dust.

The Grim Reaper lowered its scythe and approached the wreckage, confident that Zeon was dead.

As it neared, a crimson flash erupted from the dust.

Instinctively, the Grim Reaper shivered at the sight of the intense red light.

It felt a primal fear from the light.

The red light was the Dragon’s Eye embedded in the Inferno Gauntlet.

A dragon was an existence beyond categorization.

Comparing an A-rank monster like the Grim Reaper to a dragon was absurd.

Thus, even a mere dragon’s eye induced fear in the Grim Reaper.

Trying to shake off the fear, the Grim Reaper swung its scythe.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of black energy slashes shot towards Zeon.

Simultaneously, dozens of red energy blasts fired from the Inferno Gauntlet.

They were Fire Missiles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Fire Missiles intercepted and destroyed all the black energy slashes.

Then they continued on, striking the Grim Reaper.

The intense heat that had permeated the air vanished instantly.

The Grim Reaper was nowhere to be seen.

It was completely annihilated.

Zeon reached down and picked up the Reaper’s Scythe.

Just holding it sent pain shooting through his hand.

Simply grasping it caused a myriad of curses to invade his body.

The Reaper’s Scythe was a cursed item.

It was so cursed that only a curse-type Awakened could wield it without dying.

But Zeon endured.

He wanted to gauge the extent of the curse.

His strength drained rapidly, his vision dimmed. His heartbeat slowed, and his skin grew dry and brittle.

“Tsk, it’s cursed in every way.”

The Reaper’s Scythe was a vessel for all sorts of curses.

Just holding it allowed countless curses to infiltrate Zeon’s body.

An ordinary Awakened would have died instantly.

Zeon channeled energy from the Inferno Gauntlet. The curses invading his body burned away.

No matter how powerful the Reaper’s Scythe was, it couldn’t match the dragon’s eye embedded in the Inferno Gauntlet.

Thanks to this, Zeon returned to normal.

“So, it can both cast and break curses?”

No one had told him this.

Upon holding the Reaper’s Scythe, he instinctively knew how to use it.

The ability to break curses alone made the Reaper’s Scythe invaluable. But it wasn’t something Zeon needed at the moment.

Zeon opened his subspace and stored the Reaper’s Scythe. The lingering curse dissipated completely.

He also stored all the sand he had used.

In such a sand-poor environment, it was a necessary measure.

No more obstacles appeared to hinder Zeon.

It seemed the Grim Reaper had indeed been the final gatekeeper. Even so, Zeon remained on guard.

Then it happened.

Rumble!

The entire underground area shook as if struck by an earthquake.

The floor beneath him shifted horizontally, and the walls changed.

Some walls disappeared, while new ones emerged.

It was as if the entire underground space was rearranging like a puzzle.

Zeon watched the transformation closely, unperturbed.

It felt like the entire castle was a living entity.

With no more obstacles left, it seemed to be guiding Zeon to its core.

Thud!

After a considerable amount of movement, the floor beneath Zeon finally came to a stop.

Zeon’s eyes gleamed with interest.

He had encountered unexpected individuals in this new location.

“Hyung!”

“Zeon!”

The ones greeting him warmly were Levin, Brielle, and Eloy.

Zeon spoke.

“You’re all safe.”

“I knew you’d survive.”

“Sand can’t kill Zeon.”

“You look fine.”

They approached Zeon, who patted Levin and Brielle on the shoulders while looking at the others with them.

He saw Lee Ji-ryeong, Bronson, Gesling, and the entire Pegasus Raid Team along with the West District Awakeneds.

They couldn’t hide their surprise at Zeon’s sudden appearance.

Without looking at Zeon, Lee Ji-ryeong spoke.

“You’re late.”

“There were many obstacles.”

“You’ve had a hard journey. Now, just sit back and watch.”

“......”

“Watch how we capture the master of this castle.”

Lee Ji-ryeong was staring at the door ahead.

The massive, ominous door indicated that the master of the castle was behind it.

Lee Ji-ryeong shattered the door.

[Translator – Peptobismol]