Chapter 37

Level Up Heretic Judge – Chapter 37 (37/227)

Chapter 37: Ruins (6)

“Is this the Dungeon of 210 levels?”

Lisa exclaimed in shock, her voice tinged with disbelief.

If the level was indeed 210, it meant this was a high-level dungeon, almost top-tier, where even hardcore players and near-rankers competed fiercely to enter the official rankings.

It was practically at the level where only Rankers should dare tread.

Such dungeons were extremely rare in the world, and most were under strict control by massive guilds due to their strategic value. Either you paid an absurdly high toll or weren’t allowed entry at all. For regular users, just stepping inside for sightseeing was nearly impossible.

And yet, they had somehow entered this old ruin which turned out to be one such place. It was utterly mind-blowing.

But on the other hand, Ail was already nodding his head as if everything was starting to make sense.

“Hmm… That’s right.”

The more he thought about it, the stranger things seemed. Now pieces were finally falling into place.

Even the creatures outside the entrance, though not exactly 210 levels, must’ve been powerful high-level monsters in the past. The weakened state he faced back when he was merely level 20 made perfect sense now.

“Probably their levels dropped, but they retained some core traits like detection abilities from when they were high-level monsters.”

Like the giant statues that could sense intruders despite being low-level.

And then there was the unusually intelligent targeting of healers upon confrontation, plus the vicious patterns involving collapsing ceilings—everything fit together perfectly.

“This activation of the ruins? Probably your doing too, huh?” “I needed something sleeping at the top.”

Sebera shrugged nonchalantly.

It wasn’t hard to guess that her first steps into this hidden area triggered the statues’ movement.

“My goodness…” Lisa muttered softly.

The true value of this mission wasn’t the gold upfront payment or even the skill book—it was the dungeon itself. A completely hidden, high-level dungeon of 210 floors.

Among Warode players, excluding NPCs like Sebera, this information would remain known only to them.

With regional locks lifted, countless ways to utilize this dungeon presented themselves.

For ordinary users, they’d likely sell off the info for a pittance since they wouldn’t know how to properly use it due to level disparities. But for experienced rankers like them, the potential value was immense.

While monopolizing hunting or exploration here might be tough…

It was still a valuable asset gained.

“Truly surprising in so many ways…” Despite keeping calm outwardly, Ail couldn’t help but internally marvel repeatedly.

However, one question remained.

Why did she bring them here and share such crucial information?

Clearly, Sebera belonged to a powerful faction and possessed overwhelming strength herself. If she wished, she could’ve easily monopolized everything alone.

Yet given the limited time she had here and the reasons behind her choices, nothing was quite clear yet.

“This is your next quest’s advance payment. I’ve already secured what I needed most, so clean-up doesn’t matter to me.”

Before Ail could ask, Sebera spoke up.

“Next quest…?”

“I said once you accept a quest, there’s no backing out, right? Not asking you to do anything immediately, but remember this well. Once you step in fully, there’s no turning back. Things are already being set in motion as we speak.”

* * *

[Your persistent prayers have deepened your Faith!]

[Your Faith stat has increased! (Current: 22.9)]

As Ail sat quietly by the campfire with his hands folded and eyes closed, a system message appeared before him.

He hadn’t forgotten to pray regularly, earning small but steady bonuses to his stats.

After leaving cryptic messages, Sebera departed, leaving Ail and Lisa behind. They lit a campfire outside the pyramid’s entrance, safe from monsters, and shared a simple meal.

Clatter!

Lisa set down her empty bowl.

“Totally unexpected. Who would’ve thought a random quest would tie into a World Quest?”

Ail nodded in agreement.

Sebera’s words implied related quests or events were unfolding elsewhere, separate from them.

Most importantly, through her last statements, Ail realized…

This mission they undertook was part of a World Quest—a massive storyline affecting the entire game world. Though they were low-level and couldn’t play leading roles, gaining access to such an opportunity was still incredibly rewarding.

Thinking back to how trivial the initial quest seemed made it all the more astonishing.

“But can I really use the dungeon information without issue?” Ail asked cautiously.

The knowledge of this vast underground dungeon wasn’t something divisible like an item. Naturally, if one person benefited, the other couldn’t.

However, Lisa readily handed over decision-making power to him, promising to keep the secret.

“After all, it started with an item you picked up, didn’t it? Besides, aiming for Ranker status means you’ll face many challenges ahead. This will definitely help you, whereas it’d be useless to me.”

Lisa said casually.

Unlike Ail who aimed for Ranker status, Lisa had no interest in that path.

Thus, naturally, the important card should go to Ail.

“Then, I guess this is where we part ways.”

“For now… yes.”

Their quest was concluded, and diving deeper into the 210-level dungeon was clearly beyond their current capabilities. Time to split up and pursue their own paths.

Their party, linked in the system, had already disbanded.

“But we’ll meet again when the time comes,” Ail said.

Given they’d already completed a pre-quest together, another meeting was inevitable unless something extraordinary happened.

“That’s right. Hmm, I’ll stay here a bit longer to explore. There’s much mystery here worth checking out.”

“Just don’t overdo it.”

“Hehe, would I willingly walk into danger?” Lisa laughed lightly.

They exchanged final pleasantries, then Ail stood up.

Truthfully, ending the quest so suddenly left a faint sense of regret.

But continuing hunts was necessary.

Her exceptional healing skills, capable of covering more than two people, had been invaluable during raids and quests.

Still, Lisa seemed uninterested in intensive character development, dragging her along for perilous adventures would only inconvenience her.

He couldn’t force someone to do unpleasant things out of personal greed.

To him, gaming was primarily for enjoyment.

Just then, however, an unexpected proposal came from her side.

[‘Lisa’ has sent a friend request. Accept? (Y/N)]

“What…?”

Confused by the sudden system message, Ail hesitated.

Seeing this, Lisa stood up and approached him.

“How about we add each other as friends?”

In online games, adding someone to your friend list was simple.

Even without being in the same party or guild, you could communicate via messenger and check each other’s statuses remotely.

Most importantly, it meant potentially meeting again anytime.

‘Friends… Networking…’

Ail pondered, alternating his gaze between Lisa and the system window.

It had been a while since receiving a friend request reminded him of past experiences.

Back when WooJin struggled socially due to poverty, online games offered a different world.

Shared gaming interests easily fostered close relationships free from materialistic concerns or conflicts.

Of course, problematic or clingy users were unwelcome, but someone compatible and skilled like her was welcome.

Her innate gaming sense and skills, plus high-ranked life skills like alchemy and cooking, would prove extremely useful whenever assistance was needed.

Above all, lacking guild connections, building a network was crucial for overcoming future difficulties alone.

Facing suppression from a few bad parties was one thing, but if entire guilds targeted him, even great skills wouldn’t suffice.

‘Restarting networking isn’t bad…’

Ail smiled faintly and extended his hand.

Making the decision didn’t take long.

“Looking forward to working with you again.”

“Hmph, me too.”

Lisa grinned broadly.

[Request accepted!]

* * *

After Ail left, Lisa remained seated by the campfire for a while.

The flames crackled softly as the remaining logs burned.

“Hmm, that was fun…” Lisa murmured nostalgically.

Matching strides with reliable comrades while exploring dungeons, brainstorming together for quests, traveling to find hidden places while sharing laughter…

It had been ages since experiencing such feelings.

Even before starting Warode, she consciously distanced herself from leveling or spec-building.

Despite possessing notable combat skills and talent, after starting the game, she focused solely on life content, rarely venturing into hunting grounds.

Hunting zombies in forbidden ruins was solely for obtaining alchemy-related quest items, not for leveling up.

But now, having met Ail and anticipated future encounters, her resolve wavered.

Living as a passive player focusing on life content was enjoyable…

But it wasn’t enough.

“Hunting, huh…” Lisa glanced down at her staff, fiddling with it absentmindedly.

“Maybe it’s okay to try this much…”

After much deliberation, Lisa pulled out two glowing purple skill books from her inventory without hesitation.

Her fingers rested on the pages, releasing a brilliant light.