Entering the room, Achlys immediately noticed that the place was in a state of disrepair and ruin. There was no light in here so he had to take out a flashlight and start searqing for the necessary components.
Achlys's searqing speed was very fast, he removed all the dirt and rocks to reveal that this room was the room that contained the components needed for emergency repairs, but the problem was which components he needed...
Achlys opened the quest again to see, there was no specific information about the component but the system had a function called item scanner, which allowed scanning and detecting the necessary items for the quest.
When Achlys got close enough, the scanner automatically activated and he saw what he was looking for, it was under the other components. He quickly cleared everything and saw that it was a large screw.
Just as Achlys was about to pick it up, he suddenly felt danger from behind.
Achlys immediately turned around, using his sword to block, and the clang of metal clashing rang out.
"Oh, a reaction? Pretty good." A voice rang out.
Achlys quickly turned his flashlight towards the source of the voice, only to see a man dressed in a Victorian gothic aristocratic outfit, exuding a mysterious and dangerous aura. The black top hat added to the elegance but also filled with calculation, along with a pair of small round glasses that hid his eyes, making the character unpredictable.
The long cloak fell down, the red border running along it creating a sharp highlight, like a dark aristocrat stepping out of a strange story. Inside was a black vest with double buttons, combined with a red patterned scarf, both elegant and gloomy.
In his hand, he held a black cane, which was often seen on powerful figures or villains with noble demeanors. But the most noticeable feature was the cold dagger in his other hand, a sign of danger, as if he were a mysterious assassin wandering in the night, waiting for the moment to strike.
"Who are you?" Achlys asked calmly.
"Come on, come on. I can't believe you didn't recognize someone as elegant and handsome as me," the man said with great confidence.
"Don't talk too much!"
"Haizz, what a hot-tempered person, but if you want to know who I am, then I will respectfully introduce myself to you. I, the illusion in the dark, the ghost of the clock tower capital, the greatest murderer in history - Jack the Ripper!"
"An NPC…" Achlys thought to himself.
"Be afraid!" Jack the Ripper continued.
Achlys chuckled. "Just a murderer who has to hide all day, what is there to be proud of?" He sarcastically said.
Jack the Ripper narrowed his eyes, the smile on his lips still not disappearing but his voice had lowered, full of danger.
"Oh? A provocation? But… I like it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately rushed forward, the dagger in his hand drawing a cold line of light in the darkness. Achlys reacted quickly, leaning to avoid the attack while swinging his sword to counterattack. The metallic sound rang out again as the blade and dagger collided.
Jack did not stop, he glided through the darkness like a ghost, disappearing from Achlys's sight. He immediately backed away, looking around warily.
Swish!
A sharp blade passed right in front of him, almost cutting his cheek. Achlys jumped back, sweeping his flashlight around but could only see shadows swaying on the ruined wall.
"Illusion…?"
"Not bad, not bad. But how long can you keep this pace?" Jack's voice echoed in the darkness, seemingly coming from many different directions.
"How so? You want a fight to the death?" Achlys asked back.
Jack the Ripper paused, thought seriously about the matter, and then said: "Face-to-face combat is the most brutal method, and it is not suitable for a gentleman like me. Let us play a game instead!"
Jack the Ripper snapped his fingers and a system line appeared.
[NPC Jack the Ripper has proposed a mini-game. Accept?]
[Reward: 500 EXP, 5 Random Stat Points]
Achlys sneered and immediately clicked agree.
"The rules are very simple, both sides will use their strongest strengths to subdue the opponent, whoever admits defeat first is finished. Let me tell you, my strength is illusion!"
Jack the Ripper said that and disappeared, a second later he appeared on Achlys' left side, then on the right side, then behind, then in front. Sometimes even both directions at the same time.
"How is it? Do you admit defeat? With this ability to change, you can't beat me in a fight."
Achlys showed no expression and only said: "What a coincidence, my forte is also illusions."
Saying that, Achlys started to do the same thing as Jack the Ripper but at a much faster speed, five clones appeared at the same time and switched places continuously.
"Impossible!" Jack the Ripper's face showed anger.
Jack the Ripper gritted his teeth, trying to observe the clones before him. But unlike ordinary illusions, Achlys's clones were not mere images. They moved in a systematic yet chaotic manner, making it impossible for him to determine what was real and what was fake.
He took a step back, gently pushed his round glasses up his nose with his hand, his eyes flashing with alertness.
"What… the hell are you doing?"
"Oh? A gentleman like you is scared by a little game?" Achlys curled his lips, each of his clones speaking at the same time, causing the space to echo strangely.
Jack the Ripper clenched his dagger in his hand, deciding he couldn't let this game drag on any longer. He lunged at one of the clones, swinging his dagger through it—only to find it was just a shadow.
Immediately, a sharp pain shot through his side. He staggered and looked down—Achlys's blade had cut through his cloak, leaving a shallow but obvious wound.
"Impossible…" Jack the Ripper qiped, sweat starting to form on his forehead.
He knew that he could not keep this up for much longer. If he continued to play around like this, he would definitely be the one to be defeated first. But his pride as a gentleman would not allow him to accept defeat so easily.
"Very well… if you want to fight with illusions, then I will show you what the true peak is!"
Jack the Ripper took a deep breath, his body suddenly began to fade as if melting into darkness. The shadows in the room suddenly shook, then separated into dozens of different Jack the Rippers.
The assassins wore identical noble robes, with sinister smiles and eyes hidden behind round glasses. They moved around Achlys, laughing evilly.
"Now, let's see if you can distinguish between real and fake?"
From all directions, Jack the Rippers rushed in!
Achlys did not show any signs of wavering. He stood still calmly, his hand gently gripping the hilt of his sword. In that moment, a cold light flashed in Achlys's eyes.
"You're asking me if I can tell the difference?" He curled his lips, then in a blink of an eye…
A sharp sword energy swept across the entire room!
The simulated images all vanished like mist blown away by the wind, leaving only a single figure—the real Jack the Ripper.
He opened his eyes wide, looking at Achlys in surprise.
"No… no way! How could you—"
Achlys did not let him finish his sentence. He appeared right in front of Jack in a flash, the blade already at his neck.
"You lose"
Jack the Ripper stiffened. For a moment, he seemed to want to resist, but Achlys's gaze made him realize—this was no longer a game. If he continued, he might actually lose his life.
"…Hmm, I lost." Jack the Ripper sighed, lowering his dagger. A system message appeared before Achlys' eyes.
[Congratulations! You have defeated NPC Jack the Ripper in the illusion game!]
[Reward: 500 EXP, 5 Random Stat Points]
Achlys glanced at the notice, but didn't care much about the reward. He sheathed his sword, turned his back and walked towards the large component that was still lying on the ground.
Jack the Ripper looked at Achlys's back, then chuckled.
"Remember, this time you won only because I let you win."
Achlys didn't reply, just picked up the parts and walked out of the dark room. Behind him, Jack the Ripper slowly faded into the darkness, as if he had never been there in the first place.
"See you again," Achlys said softly.
…
In another remote location, Jack the Ripper reappears, but he is not alone. There is also a woman with a veil and a woman holding an umbrella.
"I'm done," he said.
"Aren't you being too easy?" The veiled woman said.
"What's different about you?" he asked back.
"That is my principle," the woman said angrily.
"Pfft, just seeing a beautiful woman makes me soft-hearted," Jack the Ripper said, sitting down and taking out a cup of tea from nowhere.
"You—"
The woman in the cloth was about to object, but at this moment, the woman holding the umbrella chuckled softly.
"That's right, it's still your turn. Why don't you go?" The veiled woman said.
"Of course," replied the woman with the umbrella. "But I want that girl."
"Hey, we already made a clear division!" The veiled woman immediately stood up.
Jack the Ripper took a sip of his tea, his eyes narrowing in amusement as he watched the two women argue. He was in no hurry to intervene, simply observing as if this were some sort of entertaining play.
The masked woman crossed her arms, her tone annoyed: "You know very well that I don't like rules being broken, right? We've already divided the roles clearly, this crazy guy will deal with that brat, I'll deal with the lone girl, and you're the remaining two!"
The woman holding the umbrella gently tilted her head, revealing her crimson lips, which curved into a mysterious smile.
"But I'm more interested in her. Can't you be a little more flexible?"
Jack put down his teacup and shrugged. "Tsk. What a hassle. I told you, if you keep being so stubborn, you'll never get anywhere."
"Shut up," both women said in unison, making Jack laugh.
The veiled woman took a deep breath to control her anger. "If you want to trade, you should at least have something in return. You can't just take whatever you want." She said.
The woman holding the umbrella did not object immediately. She was silent for a moment, as if contemplating something. A light breeze blew by, ruffling the ribbons on the umbrella she was holding.
"Fine," she said. "Let's play a game. If I win, you help me challenge those two. I'll go play with that girl again."
Jack chuckled, glancing at the veiled woman.
"Well, what are you going to do? Refusing would be too cowardly, but accepting might mean losing your share. What a dilemma, huh?"
The veiled woman was silent for a long while, then finally nodded. "Okay, but don't even think about doing anything."
The woman holding the umbrella just smiled. She stepped forward, gently twirling the umbrella around. A sudden gust of wind blew, carrying dry leaves flying through the air.
Jack rested his qin on his hand, his eyes filled with interest.
"Then… let the game begin." He laughed, afraid that things couldn't get any more chaotic.
…
Finally, after a few games, the umbrella woman won. She smiled happily while the veiled woman kept an angry expression.
"Good bye," said the woman with the umbrella, then slowly disappeared.
"Tsk, suddenly I have to go to work again!" The masked woman grumbled and disappeared.
The only thing left at the scene was Jack the Ripper, still sitting there drinking his tea. "Ladies are always so confusing..."