Chapter 50

Level Up Heresy Judge – Episode 50 (50/227)

Episode 50: Silence and Together (6)

“Kirlrrrk!”

The black figure that wriggled and approached revealed its form.

It was a monster called a Corrupted Spirit at level 25, stretching out its long black arms and legs before closing the distance in an instant.

Whoosh!

Eil slightly twisted his body to dodge the attack and stepped back to create a proper distance.

Just the right range to keep the opponent in check while swinging his longsword.

Having deflected all of the Corrupted Spirit’s attacks as it repeatedly lunged, Eil accurately found an opening and thrust his sword in.

As the longsword deeply pierced into the spirit’s chest, burns began to rise from its body.

With continuous damage and holy attribute damage added, the Corrupted Spirit couldn’t regain its senses and allowed Eil’s next swing, collapsing helplessly on the ground.

The Corrupted Spirits appearing in the Spirit Forest were monsters around level 25 as indicated by the recommended level in the initial quest item, but thanks to the buffs from the goddess’s favor and his madness stat, Eil’s combat abilities had skyrocketed enough to handle them easily.

Swish!

After swinging his sword once in the air, the sacred flame attached to the blade went out and Eil gently sheathed his weapon.

“Shall we call it a day here?”

Around Eil, who had been fully engrossed in battle for quite some time, the floor was covered with monster corpses.

Among those he fought here, they were all Corrupted Spirits, but each one had a different appearance.

Just like how spirits born and raised in the same place all have different looks, the Corrupted Spirits also didn’t have a uniform appearance.

In the past, this would’ve led to all sorts of antics with these bodies, but for the mental health of the Rotum people, he refrained from judging the dead again.

Besides, this was none other than the Spirit Forest.

Considering there might be spirits living in this land or elves who could hear tales, it was best to act cautiously.

[The goddess yawns unable to bear the boredom.]

‘…’

A sudden system message appeared before his eyes.

[‘Light Judge Lu’ yearns for the purifying flames.]

Lu, who was very pleased with his actions in the Ingol Forest last time, seemed unenthusiastic about such a mild punishment.

But even she understood the situation well.

Eil was her sole apostle, and if things went terribly wrong, it could impact the Light Church itself.

Compared to other believers whose favor and contribution points would drastically drop if they did something displeasing, the goddess showed quite a bit of patience towards him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was always in a favorable position.

Being the sole apostle meant receiving much attention, which also meant the goddess was always watching his actions.

If he blatantly disobeyed and ignored her wishes, not only would his stats be severely cut, but there might be even harsher penalties.

Just from the strong urging she showed in the Ingol Forest, it was hard to imagine what would’ve happened if he had simply surrendered and retreated to Becken.

‘Hmm, though honestly, it’s not really something to worry about too much…’

Due to its strict doctrines and concepts, the Light Church received much criticism among users compared to other churches, but honestly, it felt like a surprisingly good fit.

Lu’s standards were certainly strict, but she didn’t demand anything overly complicated.

Simply burning away those who constantly engaged in heretical behavior against the doctrines was enough.

In online games where you inevitably meet many people and need to coordinate with various users, this requirement posed significant social challenges, but Eil wasn’t planning to join any guilds nor was he particularly inclined towards party play.

He’d rarely have to team up with problematic users marked as heretics, and situations where he’d have to fight against specific users while being affiliated with them wouldn’t likely occur.

There was the disadvantage of inevitably getting involved in PVP regardless of opponents’ specs and affiliations, but considering the substantial stat bonuses and special privileges granted as an apostle, he could readily accept that level of demand.

In Warode, the relationship between gods and believers wasn’t about blindly giving or following, but rather a transactional relationship based on mutual agreement.

“I’ll show you properly when we get out, so please bear with it for a little longer.”

Eil spoke while casually gazing at the sky.

[The goddess watches you with anticipation.]

[Contribution to the Light Church +25]

“…Seems like your management has improved recently.”

Lately, the frequency of messages sent to him had noticeably increased, and whenever he performed impressive battles, she often rewarded him with contributions and support.

This was clearly different from the past when even sending a single message made her struggle.

Once again, the goddess replied with a simple message.

[‘Light Judge Lu’ flashes a confident smile.]

* * *

After finishing hunting, Eil trudged back to the village.

Having spent a long time locked away in the hunting grounds, his legs felt slightly weak as if he had done an intense workout.

First, Eil headed to the communal mailbox located in a corner of the village.

Mailboxes were representative convenience facilities for users, existing in most villages and key areas, but seeing one here still surprised him somewhat.

[A total of 2 mails have arrived.]

As expected, there were mails waiting for him.

Both letters were sent by Lisa, whom he had parted ways with in the underground ruins.

Apart from light greetings, there wasn’t much content, but the attachments in the mail were the main point.

Regular recovery potions, doping potions that temporarily boost stats, and antidotes and paralysis treatments that remove abnormal statuses were included.

‘This is better than expected.’

Eil checked through the potions received in his inventory.

He had sent Lisa the material items obtained from dissecting Batola’s corpse and the special herbs only available in the Spirit Forest via mail, and she had crafted the doping potions based on those materials and sent them back to him.

She gained high alchemy proficiency using rare materials that are hard to obtain, while Eil got top-tier potions at low prices.

Though he did include some labor costs along with the materials, even accounting for that, they were cheaper and performed better than the potions sold at the auction house.

She reportedly had a 2-rank alchemy proficiency, but the quality was excellent enough to make someone unfamiliar think it was higher.

“Hmm? She sent a poison too.”

At the end of the potions Lisa sent, there was a vial of poison mixed in.

Apparently, the byproducts of incorporeal beings suited making status ailment potions or poisons more than regular healing potions, hence why she sent them.

Though weapon-applied poisons have short durations and aren’t cheap, making their use burdensome, they can significantly aid in faster hunting if used appropriately.

However, it was a useless gift for Eil.

Squeak!

‘As expected…’

When he sprinkled the poison on his longsword, it immediately dissolved and disappeared.

Another penalty for the powerful Heresy Judge who stays faithful without straying from faith during combat.

The sacred flame, the Sacred Flame, residing in weapons makes it impossible to use such types of poisons.

“Over there!”

“Eil! You’re back already? Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Two voices filled with joy reached him from behind.

Familiar faces now, Peren and Piko were coming briskly.

They seemed genuinely worried as they welcomed him warmly after spending the whole day locked away in the forest completing requests.

“I finished the request I mentioned last time.”

“Really…?”

Piko, who had requested the job regarding the Corrupted Spirits, was surprised.

She probably thought it would take much longer.

In fact, the task she asked for was the largest among the requests available here.

While the Rotum people swarmed in groups and handled other requests concurrently, it took two full days to completely clean up until the third zone.

During this time, Eil’s level reached 23, and since he killed far more monsters than required for experience, there should be no problem with the request.

“Thanks. The remaining ones can be handled by the forest spirits! Here!”

– Item acquired!

[Shoes imbued with the Wind Spirit’s energy (High-grade)]

Piko handed over the quest reward from the bag she was carrying.

Though the equipment itself couldn’t be described as outstanding, it had excellent specs due to the natural flow of the forest spirit’s energy.

Having completed three requests, Eil successfully replaced his somewhat unsatisfactory gloves, shoes, and hat, excluding the set items of top and bottom obtained from Batola.

“We appreciate your help, but you should rest appropriately. What if Eil gets hurt?”

“Don’t worry about me unnecessarily; I’m fine.”

Smiling faintly, Eil answered while affectionately rubbing the heads of the children.

Doing these requests diligently was ultimately work he did for himself.

Even picking mushrooms in the forest gave unexpectedly large amounts of experience, and this place was truly remarkable in many ways for him.

“Can we leave now?”

Eil said.

With all the side quests piled up here thoroughly resolved, it was time to move on to the main event.

“Uh… that.”

Peren stammered while avoiding Eil’s gaze.

An awkward look showing they couldn’t hide their uneasiness.

Confused, Eil turned to Piko beside him and asked.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“I’m sorry. The delivery has been delayed again, so we can’t leave immediately.”

“Again…?”

Considering the delivery was already delayed once before he arrived, this was already the third delay.

There was no way it would be delayed this much without some sort of issue.

“Is there some kind of problem since last time? Let me help…”

“That’s not possible!”

Peren firmly shook his head.

Regarding the transported goods, they were instructed by the elves of the White Forest to keep it secret, so they couldn’t break the promise easily.

But Eil didn’t give up.

“What exactly are you trying to carry?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“To solve a problem, we need to understand it. If it keeps getting delayed, it’ll be inconvenient for me too.”

“I’m sorry, but Alunde said it’s a secret…”

Peren said in a timid voice.

“A secret? We’re friends, right?”

“F-friends.”

“Yeah. But…”

Seeing the troubled expressions on the two kids’ faces as they glanced at each other upon hearing “friends,”

“If I’ve done my best to help you guys, don’t you trust me?”

“No, no! That’s not it!”

“We trust you!”

Upon showing a deeply disappointed expression, Fen and Pico panicked.

Seeing their reaction, Eil forcibly suppressed the smile that wanted to appear and continued earnestly.

“In that case, you can tell me, right?”