Chapter 77

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Chapter 77 (77/227)

Chapter 77: Light and Shadow (8)

The two ventured forward, relying on torchlight as they navigated the dark, long cave.

The cave stretched in a straight line with a simple structure, allowing them to reach the end without getting lost. At the passage’s end, bright sunlight streamed out, illuminating them.

“Phew, we’re finally outta here.”

Eil emerged first and looked around.

Compared to the towering cliff they had entered from, the exit was hidden in a corner of the valley. The complex terrain made it seem unlikely they’d be spotted, and it appeared that the crimson twilight cultists might’ve used this route.

“Which way?”

At the fork in the road, Eil asked.

Nesha silently raised her finger, pointing to the left direction, which was opposite to where Eil was heading. They exchanged a quick farewell and turned their separate ways.

Since they were linked by the same questline, both knew this wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths—no lengthy goodbyes were necessary.

But Eil paused briefly before turning back and speaking up.

“Need help with revenge?”

“…Huh?”

“How about joining my questline?”

Whoever they were, if they were willing to kill him alongside Eil, it was clear there would be no happy ending for Nesha either. If word of this place’s destruction reached them, they might hunt her down to silence her.

With her original faction betrayed, Nesha’s best option now was to align herself with the opposing side.

And conveniently, Eil had access to quests related to the White Forest. By teaming up and progressing through the quests together, Nesha could get her chance at revenge while also receiving aid from the High Elves.

But Nesha shook her head with a smirk, the first smile she’d shown since meeting him.

“…”

After scribbling something down awkwardly, she folded the parchment and waved goodbye before leaving.

* * *

“Man, it looks even crazier when I check again.”

Back in the valley town, Eil climbed aboard a carriage bound for his next destination and began thoroughly reviewing his rewards.

[Contribution Points: 5,410]

He had spent 1,650 contribution points battling Malagos but earned 4,600 from clearing the dungeon—a massive haul from just one dungeon run.

Malagos, being both a heretic and a demon-type monster under Benaron’s command, was practically designed to infuriate the Light Church.

Not only did Eil accept Lu’s special quest against such a foe, but he also completed it in an unconventional manner, earning bonus rewards.

Moreover, his Favor stat, previously at 58%, now stood proudly at 61.25%.

Breaking the 60% mark was significant; most regular IlDanSimPanGwan players considered maintaining this level the benchmark for successful favor management.

‘And I got a great title too.’

[Title ‘Messenger of the Goddess’ has been applied!]

[All stats +20, Heresy damage +5%]

This new title, “Messenger of the Goddess,” performed better than his previous “Divine Punisher” title. It boosted all stats by 10 more points and increased damage against heretics by an additional 2%.

‘Lu really came through with the gear this time.’

Eil glanced down at the white longsword resting on his lap.

[Moonlit Nuir Longsword]

– Grade: Heroic

– Type: Longsword

– Restrictions: Level 34 or higher

– Physical Attack Power: 50

– Strength +15, Agility +8

– Special Effect ‘Full Moon’: Increases Holy attribute attack damage by 15%. Deals 35% extra damage to Undead.

“…”

A Heroic-grade longsword.

But its specs were so absurd that such a title felt almost unnecessary. Its attack power, added stats, and special effects formed a perfect trifecta.

And fittingly, as a weapon bestowed directly by the goddess, its sleek white design with elegant red accents exuded class.

Just as Eil had started feeling the need to upgrade his weapon, Lu delivered this reward, making his faith swell like never before.

Briefly clasping his hands in prayer, Eil opened his eyes to check his next acquisition.

‘What I was most curious about…’

POOF!

Eil swiped through his inventory screen, eager to review the items he obtained after defeating Malagos.

Due to the dungeon collapsing, he hadn’t had time to dissect the boss corpse or inspect the loot properly.

‘Let’s see…’

As Eil sorted through his inventory, categorizing the newly acquired items:

Miscellaneous junk for selling at the shop.

A decent upper-tier mace with solid options.

A rare-grade shield with magic resistance.

Various metals useful for equipment refinement.

Four pieces of average-quality armor and accessories.

And a mysterious black-glowing skill book.

“Black-glowing skill book?!”

Eil shot up from his seat without realizing it.

But that wasn’t all that shocked him.

“Adventurer, please refrain from causing chaos inside the carriage—it’s dangerous!”

“S-sorry!”

Reprimanded by the driver, Eil sat back down, though his heart still raced wildly.

‘This can’t be real…’

Rubbing his eyes hard, Eil doubted his own vision.

A black-glowing skill book ranked above the violet one he previously found and just below the highest-grade gold skill books available to Warlords.

Yet, there it was, clearly occupying a slot in his inventory.

Between the incredible rewards from clearing the dungeon and now this top-tier skill book, Eil’s mind spun in disbelief.

‘Is this even possible? Well… technically yes. This dungeon was designed for two players but was insanely difficult, so most users probably wouldn’t survive. Plus, we deviated from the intended scenario and still managed to defeat the boss.’

[‘Light Judge Lu’ is observing your situation with interest.]

Even Lu seemed intrigued by the appearance of the black skill book.

Despite the excitement, Eil took a moment to calm himself.

While acquiring such a high-grade skill book was undoubtedly fortunate, it didn’t guarantee success. Even with superior grade, the odds of rolling a poor skill remained.

He needed to temper his rising expectations.

‘Besides, I shouldn’t focus solely on high-grade skills anymore. Now’s the time to balance things out.’

Many players overlooked this crucial fact: true skill optimization lies in achieving proper balance.

No matter how powerful a skill may seem individually, if it doesn’t synergize well with others, it becomes useless. A player stacking legendary-tier skills but filling their bar with basic attacks alone fails spectacularly in character development.

Skills are categorized not just into attacks, defenses, and evasions, but also buffs, debuffs, crowd control, and countless subcategories within each type.

Even among offensive skills, factors like cooldown length, prerequisite actions, additional effects, single-target vs. AoE capabilities all influence their roles.

For instance, Eil already possessed the excellent burst-damage skill “One Thousandth Island.” Adding another pure offense skill would only duplicate roles—an undesirable outcome, especially at this stage.

Additionally, Eil had only gained active skills so far via skill books, and it was time to incorporate some passives.

‘Warlord players say passive skills are fundamentals while actives create variables. That’s spot-on.’

Active skills only activate during use and require cooldowns afterward. Passive skills, however, provide constant benefits regardless of what you’re doing.

Lacking strong passives undermines overall effectiveness despite having flashy actives.

Of course, focusing solely on passives neglects the importance of creating variables through actives, leading to predictable and easily countered gameplay.

Balancing skills and ensuring synergy remains key.

‘Right now, I need a passive skill to strengthen my foundation. If anything overlaps with existing skills, I should consider passing it up.’

With these thoughts in mind, Eil prepared to open the skill book.

Before proceeding, he retrieved an item from his inventory—a luminous red gemstone obtained by dismantling red undead creatures in the Ruined Village.

CRACK!

[Fortune Stone’s effect activated!]

[Something good seems about to happen…]

As the fortune stone shattered in his grip, messages floated up.

Though modest in potency compared to system-calibrated stats, the temporary luck boost made the fortune stone highly sought-after.

Its short duration of less than ten minutes limited its utility outside specific situations like looting bosses, opening treasure chests, or—in Eil’s case—opening skill books.

‘This is all I can do. Now, all that’s left is to pray.’

Taking a deep breath, Eil slowly extended his arm and placed his hand atop the skill book.

The black-glowing tome reacted instantly, radiating brilliant light around him.

POW!

* * *

“Ugh… I can’t believe this.”