Chapter 85

Level Up Heresy Judge – Chapter 85 (85/227)

Chapter 85: Madness begets madness (8)

The party formed by Ail and Roden moved to disable the remaining three magic circles.

However, the process wasn’t as smooth as they’d hoped.

When one magic circle activated, the others started sequentially too, unleashing monsters from circles they hadn’t even touched yet.

One was already chaos; with three spewing out monsters, it was absolute pandemonium.

They had to push through the horde, reach the magic circles, and hold off waves of monsters for five minutes each.

Even though they’d experienced it before, the undead swarming from all sides gave them a headache.

But luckily, compared to Ail’s original situation, having two people made things much easier.

Though it was their first time working together, Roden was incredibly skilled, and it felt way better than being stuck with some random bumbling party.

[The magic circle has been successfully destroyed!]

[Partial reward obtained!]

Zzzzzt!

Finally destroying the last magic circle succeeded, and the black orb entrusted to them shattered into nothingness.

“Phew, getting outta here after all this is gonna be a pain in the butt,” Roden said, tossing another undead corpse onto a pile.

Despite clearing things up as fast as possible, the number of monsters that had escaped was staggering.

Worse still, the fanatic players and users who’d fallen to Skull Hounds were resurrecting as undead, roaming the dungeon and converting more allies.

Just reaching the last magic circle had been tough, and exiting the dungeon wouldn’t be easy either.

“But it’s not life-threatening yet. Still, no quest-related messages appeared despite breaking the fourth magic circle.”

“Guess we gotta search ourselves then.”

Crackkk!

Suddenly, a loud rumbling shook the ground beneath them, indicating something massive was moving.

Judging by the sound, it seemed like the dungeon structure itself was shifting, and Ail and Roden quickly ran toward its source.

“It’s coming from the dungeon’s central area!”

Given the intense reaction, disabling the magic circles throughout the dungeon wasn’t entirely wasted effort.

Seeing the new entrance appear where there should’ve been nothing confirmed their guess wasn’t far off. They hurriedly pushed through any monsters blocking their path.

Who knew what awaited them, but if they hesitated, all their hard work could end up stolen by other users.

“There!”

Roden pointed ahead, shouting.

Ail noticed too.

Where there had previously been just an empty wall now stood a gaping fissure revealing a passage inside.

But this wasn’t the first new entrance they’d encountered.

Other nearby users had spotted it too and were trying to enter, so Ail quickly scanned their faces.

“This isn’t good; they’ll beat us to it.”

“Nope, not happening.”

Without hesitation, Ail rebutted Roden’s concern, pulling out a throwing dagger imbued with an item effect slowing enemies on impact—gained after wiping out his first party—and hurled it at the leading user.

“Huh… Wh-what is this?!”

“It’s an ambush! These bastards!”

The ambushed users cursed, drawing weapons.

Attacking without warning or conversation was typical PK behavior, which would normally cause Ail’s favor with Goddess Lu to plummet.

But this time, it was different.

Above these users’ heads floated clear marks of heresy—a sign their accumulated misdeeds were significant.

Such low-level users bearing this mark were rare, implying they were particularly malicious individuals.

Even Beken, who caused Ail so much trouble, hadn’t carried the mark until hit by the designated heresy skill.

System-wise, it wasn’t about divine favor; eliminating these guys was simply necessary for survival.

“If only you’d warned me beforehand…”

Roden swiftly drew his sword, following Ail into battle.

Despite the sudden skirmish, Roden immediately understood the situation and joined forces.

Knowing Ail followed Lu meant he wouldn’t attack without reason—it was likely these users were either bad seeds or heretics themselves.

Members of the Light Church gained more penalties than benefits from PKing, so their hostility implied prior bad blood or alignment with heresy.

Kwaak!

“Aaaah!”

The two parties clashed at the entrance, and the first user struck by the dagger fell quickly under Ail’s relentless focus.

Though outnumbered three-to-one, with Roden covering his back, subduing them proved simple.

These opponents were less skilled than the veteran group they faced earlier and were also fewer in number.

Instead of dangerous foes, these players looked more like valuable stat bonuses.

Taking care not to deplete health via flame damage, Ail subdued them one by one without killing, then erected a stake and dragged the captured players over.

Already near death, the prisoners were tightly bound, and their desperate struggles and pleas left Ail unfazed.

“Aaah… Nooo!”

“Gaaaah!”

The screams of burning players echoed as flames consumed them.

“Man, this is intense…”

Watching beside him, Roden felt uneasy.

Though Ail’s expression seemed somewhat theatrical for show, Roden sensed genuine seriousness beneath.

He didn’t question how the stakes appeared out of nowhere, assuming them to be common installable items.

To other players unaware of apostles’ existence, Ail’s punishment might seem like some mysterious skill.

“What kind of bastards are these?”

“Who else needs dealing with besides heretics? Here, take this. They had decent loot and cash.”

It was profitable—these guys probably lived off PKing.

Dividing the spoils quickly and fairly between them, they split the money and evaluated the items efficiently thanks to their shared expertise.

Since others might find the entrance soon, speed was key.

Kuung!

With division complete, Ail and Roden entered the large opening, which promptly sealed behind them.

No trace remained of the entrance.

All that was visible now were long corridors lined with torches.

“Phew, almost got locked out there.”

Roden chuckled.

Seeing the entrance seal after they entered suggested no latecomers could follow.

Had the previous group made it inside, Ail and Roden would’ve been stuck outside.

“Well, since we’ve been rushing nonstop, let’s take it slower now. No interference from outside.”

“But finishing fast won’t hurt either.”

“Still, going straight in would be boring, right?”

Clang!

Two swords clashed violently.

Though sudden, Ail easily blocked Roden’s surprise attack with his longsword.

“Sorry for the late notice, but allow me to apologize beforehand.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Ail’s gaze turned cold.

* * *

Ka-ga-gak!

Ail slid backward across the floor.

After a brief clash, a cut appeared below his arm, blood trickling down.

Confirming the slight HP loss, Ail frowned.

“I’ve wanted to fight you ever since I saw your vids.”

“So that’s why the sneak attack?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I knew you’d dodge such a basic move. And I’ve noticed everything since we started.”

‘So it’s true.’

As Roden said, Ail had anticipated this confrontation since their early days in Armenia.

Roden was famous for challenging notable fighters on impulse, enjoying tough battles.

“I’m here to see this through, so please give me your best shot.”

“Hold on…”

At Ail’s hesitant words, Roden paused mid-swing.

Ail didn’t shy away from fights—he fully understood why someone would enjoy battling strong opponents, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Normally, accepting a meaningless fight this close to the dungeon’s climax wouldn’t make sense.

But this was different.

‘Perfect timing. This’ll be great footage.’

Ail was currently recording for his next video.

At level 35, gaining attention was crucial, and meeting a former named player was lucky timing indeed.

Especially since Roden had recently gone missing, making their duel a potential blockbuster.

Of course, merely fighting wouldn’t satisfy Ail.

If given the chance, he aimed to seize every advantage.

‘I’m winning no matter what.’