Chapter 36

Level Up Heretic Judge – Episode 36 (36/227)

Episode 36: Ruins (5)

KABOOM!

At the end of the blocked passage, the densely rusted iron bars fell apart with a single kick from the man.

And from within, Eil crawled out, bending his waist as he emerged.

After entering the passage from the collapsed final chamber, it didn’t take long for him to escape outside.

But instead of landing on the floor, his feet first touched the top of a tall pillar.

The thick pillar, connected to the end of the passage, stood firm despite its worn-out appearance.

Though wide enough, it was at a height where a wrong step could mean death—but Eil’s mind was completely elsewhere.

“What is… this…”

With his mouth agape, Eil blankly stared ahead.

The interior of the ruin stretched out before them in an unbelievably vast space—not something you’d expect from an underground site.

Mysterious characters were densely inscribed on the walls all around, and at the center stood an enormous pyramid towering majestically before them.

Though there was no sun in the sky, a soft bluish glow emanating from the ground and walls illuminated everything clearly.

“Just what kind of place is this…?”

Lisa, who had followed behind, echoed his reaction, muttering under her breath.

A dungeon lurking with monsters, a ruin holding special items, or a location tied to quests…

It wasn’t immediately clear whether this place fit one of those categories—or perhaps all three. But one thing was certain: this was far beyond the ordinary.

Stunned by the grandeur, Eil snapped back to reality and spoke.

“Let’s go down and check it out.”

Standing still atop the pillar wouldn’t reveal much about the situation.

The massive pyramid dominated most of the space, creating blind spots that could only be investigated up close.

Carefully, they descended the uneven pillar.

There were plenty of grooves to grip and step on, making the climb manageable.

Before descending, they cautiously scanned below, but no monsters were in sight, nor were there any statues like the ones they’d encountered earlier that might suddenly come to life and attack.

THUD!

Eil landed first, kneeling to examine the dusty floor.

The thick layer of dust and scattered moss indicated this was an ancient space untouched by human footsteps.

“It seems like there were a few visitors after it was discovered, but there’s no trace of them here. Looks like we’re the first to truly uncover this place.”

Neither the original discoverer’s post nor the writings of others who visited later mentioned anything about this location.

It seemed likely that the giant statue-boss hadn’t activated, preventing them from finding the real entrance. Instead, they must’ve entered through a fake entrance in the last room, leading to some other area.

That space appeared to be a decoy, and judging by the sheer size of this current location, it made perfect sense.

“That’s good news, right?”

Lisa responded cheerfully to Eil’s statement.

Finding such a massive new spot was like hitting the jackpot for players—even if the risks were high.

Of course, given that this area only had monsters around level 20, it might not receive the recognition it deserves due to being discovered so late.

Still, for them, who were still low-level users, this could prove incredibly beneficial if things worked out well.

They began thoroughly investigating the surroundings.

While they intended to explore inside the mysterious pyramid eventually, they decided to inspect the exterior first.

There might be hidden items or clues related to secret locations, so it was a logical choice.

‘I’ve never seen this kind of writing system before…’

Eil examined the symbols carved into the wall.

In other games, such background details might not matter much, but in Warode, they often played a significant role in quest progression.

Naturally, Eil had familiarized himself with various scripts used by different races in the game world, including ancient ones no longer in use.

While fully deciphering their meanings was impossible, he could at least identify which script he was looking at.

But this style of writing was entirely new to him.

‘This pyramid-style ruin located in the central region… something doesn’t feel right.’

Square-horned pyramids weren’t common in Warode, but they weren’t unheard of either.

Until now, however, all known examples had been found in the western desert regions. This was the first time, according to his knowledge, that such a structure had been discovered elsewhere.

‘Could it be somehow connected to the west?’

In the vast continent of Warode, the northern, western, southern, and eastern regions were all harsh, unexplored territories.

Most players crowded around the central kingdom, where almost all cities and villages existed.

Only explorers or treasure hunters interested in undiscovered items ventured into these wilds. The majority of players preferred the well-developed infrastructure of the central region over the remote areas.

Even the northern region, currently being developed by one of the top guilds, paled in comparison to the western region, which was largely a lawless zone frequented by notorious criminals evading guilds and players alike.

“Did you find anything, Eil?”

“Nope, nothing.”

“Same here. Guess we’ll have to go inside.”

After circling the pyramid, they found no new items or definitive clues.

Now they needed to head inside. The only entrance connecting to the pyramid’s interior was a single opening at the front.

“Dungeons like these usually have something interesting at the top…”

“Haha, with this size, it’ll probably take us days just to break through!”

Eil chuckled.

Assuming they progressed floor by floor in a spiral pattern, calculating the time required would be nearly impossible.

Plus, they’d likely face monsters along the way, meaning finishing in just a day or two would be a stroke of luck.

Fortunately, they had enough food prepared, so starvation wasn’t a concern.

CRUNCH!

As they approached the entrance, the already half-open stone gate lowered completely.

Unlike the outer ruins, the newly revealed interior showed signs of age but little damage, which felt slightly off given the already open gate.

Still, they entered cautiously—and were met with an unexpected sight.

“What is… this?”

As soon as they stepped inside, a massive head filled their vision.

For a moment, they thought it was a monster emerging, but it wasn’t.

Two fallen statues lay sprawled on the ground, their heads raised as if bowing, both bearing enormous wounds across their bodies.

Their size dwarfed even the boss monster they’d faced earlier.

Despite the shock, there was no worry that these would suddenly revive or attack.

A familiar voice reached their ears.

“To think you two actually made it this far alive—good job. Honestly, I didn’t expect much, but here we are again.”

Perched atop the broken head of one of the statues was Sebera Logia, the red-haired woman from Bloody Hands who had sent them here.

“Didn’t expect to find you waiting at the entrance…”

Eil looked up at her, his tone somewhat disgruntled.

“Well, I couldn’t let you wander in there and die. You’d have been goners if you took another step further.”

“What’s in there that would kill us?” Lisa asked.

Sebera simply smiled enigmatically without answering, leaving Lisa puzzled.

“The bandits in the cave are dealt with, but Casano isn’t around. Was the intel wrong? Did you trick us?”

Eil confronted her sharply.

Incorrect pre-mission information was practically fraud, especially when it came to something as crucial as the mission target.

If players let such issues slide, NPCs would inevitably look down on them.

Warode was full of mischievous NPCs eager to exploit unsuspecting players.

“Calm down. I didn’t intentionally deceive you. Like I said before, how could I trust you guys when you were basically nobodies?”

Sebera shrugged casually before continuing with a change in tone.

“But things are different now. Check out these statues first. There’s something left for you.”

She pointed toward the two fallen statues.

A faint light surrounded the statues, indicating lootable items.

Clearly, she had deliberately left the spoils after defeating them.

Though suspicious, the duo couldn’t help but approach the statues to claim their rewards.

[Quest Completed!]

[Level Up!]

– Item Acquired!

[Mysterious Purple Skill Book x 2]

Eyes widening simultaneously, Eil and Lisa exchanged glances.

Skill books glowing with purple hues sat on each statue—two per statue.

A total of four skill books ended up in their hands, and the sheer value of the items made them doubt their own eyes.

These were even better than the red skill book they’d obtained after defeating the Tregawl—a truly extraordinary find.

“This is your reward for the mission. Not what I originally planned, but since these skill books turned out useless to me, I figured why waste them?”

Sebera hopped down from her perch, swinging her legs casually.

“It took me quite a while to deal with these two gatekeepers. Stealth didn’t work, so it cost me a lot of time…”

Upon hearing this, Eil froze mid-step, processing her words.

Recalling the statues he fought earlier, a theory began forming in his mind.

If these statues weren’t originally low-level monsters, but rather weakened significantly due to damage and age…

Then the story could be entirely different.

Noticing his expression, Sebera smirked and turned her head.

Beyond the entrance Eil had entered, a darker passage loomed, radiating a chilling aura.

“Sharp as ever, aren’t you? Yeah, this isn’t your average dungeon. It’s an ancient dungeon from the 210s level range—the Tomb of the King.”