Chapter 87

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 87 (87/227)

Chapter 87: Madness Against Madness (10)

KAGAGANG!

Roden’s fierce spear strike swept in.

The fluid combo attacks kept up relentless pressure on Ail, and whenever he tried to find an opening to counter, the spinning spear effortlessly blocked all his attempts.

Defending alone was impossible—there wasn’t a single opening to exploit.

This was completely different from when Roden had fought with a sword earlier.

His battle style had completely shifted 180 degrees, becoming sharper and more unpredictable, forcing Ail to steadily retreat without any effective countermeasures.

Trying to close in using daggers to counter the spear’s reach proved futile against a former upper-rank opponent.

Even at close range, Roden’s martial arts skills were flawless, often kicking Ail away with ease.

‘Just need to land one good hit…!’

Ail gritted his teeth and stood back up.

Roden’s HP was almost depleted, and a single successful attack would finish him off.

But Ail’s options were limited compared to usual.

With his mana restricted, he couldn’t use his special skill twice.

There was no time to drink potions, and magic scrolls wouldn’t be appropriate.

Even if he unleashed all his scrolls in a burst of competitiveness, it would not only waste contribution points but also diminish the significance of the fight in various ways.

Thanks to Roden’s insane battle sense, if this situation continued much longer, Ail would gradually be worn down to death.

Something drastic needed to happen.

PAH!

As the distance closed, Ail activated his skill again, appearing behind Roden.

But simultaneously, Roden twisted his body while gripping the spear, evading and landing a kick to Ail’s jaw.

The seamless transition between evasion and counterattack, clearly not from any kicking skill but pure personal technique, was truly impressive.

Thrown off balance by the impact, Ail stumbled.

And in that moment, Roden’s spear aimed for Ail.

FWOOSH!

“KUHH…!”

Ail’s shoulder was pierced, draining his health rapidly.

Though Ail maintained focus through the pain, recovering his lost posture proved difficult.

“You’ve been too complacent!”

Roden swung his spear wide to finish it.

Ail’s obvious bait-and-switch skill had already been used once before against Roden, turning into a double-edged trap this time.

Especially since even initially, when Roden didn’t know what skills Ail possessed, he managed to block the same trick without any feints.

In normal PVP situations, such a glaringly complacent judgment would never fly at their level.

Unless…

The story changes if it was calculated behavior.

ZZZENG!

“!”

Confusion flashed across Roden’s face.

Without any warning, a black protective barrier appeared around Ail, completely nullifying Roden’s spear attack.

The set effect of the dark crystal jewelry—”Attack Nullification”—had saved him.

This same pattern proved extremely useful when facing tough opponents like Nesha during their first encounter.

Caught completely off guard with his attack nullified, Ail seized the opportunity.

His low-slung longsword aimed for the enemy who had expended effort on the previous attack.

No matter how skilled the fighter, there’s usually nothing they can do in such situations.

However, contrary to Ail’s expectations, a mischievous smile crossed Roden’s lips.

True PVP skill isn’t just about reaction speed.

To stand among the rankers in this global player arena requires near-prophetic intuition or genius-level prediction ability.

When Ail, who had been fighting well, suddenly made a reckless choice exposing his weakness, Roden left himself one small opening.

WHOOSH!

With a single twist, Roden’s movement sent the flaming longsword slicing through empty air.

Ail’s carefully prepared finishing blow merely grazed past Roden’s cheek.

‘This…’

What Ail thought was a surefire move.

Yet Roden evaded it, leaving Ail quite shocked.

If this attempt failed as well, the subsequent outcome was painfully obvious.

Thinking desperately that he had to do something, Ail gritted his teeth and let go of his sword mid-swing, allowing its momentum to carry it flying toward the wall.

Taking one step forward, Ail forcefully extended his opposite arm.

WHACK!

“KRUUGH…”

A powerful punch connected squarely with Roden’s face.

While unarmed attacks couldn’t deal significant damage, with Roden’s already depleted HP, the impact sent him tumbling backward to collapse on the ground.

Clearly, Roden hadn’t anticipated Ail discarding his weapon to launch a bare-handed attack.

With a thud, Roden fell into near-death state, his blue spear rolling across the floor.

Breathing heavily, Ail stood over the motionless Roden, looking down at him.

After a moment, the tension easing, Ail slumped to the ground as well.

“Hmph… My pride hurts.”

The gap still hasn’t closed enough.

* * *

TUCK!

An incoming potion bottle rolled to a stop beside Roden’s head.

Struggling to turn his head, Roden looked up at Ail with a perplexed expression.

“This is…”

“Hurry up and drink it, we don’t have time to waste here.”

“Aren’t you going to finish me off?”

Roden’s actions were clearly an ambush.

Though he hadn’t intended to end things himself, attacking without prior agreement remained a violation that would leave him defenseless against retaliation.

Roden naturally assumed Ail, known as the mad inquisitor, would choose to kill him.

However, Ail did not take his life.

Instead, he reactivated the Heresy Designation Skill to remove the heretic mark floating above Roden’s head.

While natural heretic marks could only be removed through penance and good deeds, artificially created ones by the skill could be erased by the caster.

It wasn’t that Ail didn’t covet the experience, items, and stat bonuses that killing Roden would provide.

But Roden was a named player who ranked high in Armenia.

Killing him might cause unnecessary trouble, and it would be better to enlist his help in clearing this dungeon whose challenges remained largely unknown.

Properly handled, it might even create a debt of gratitude.

“Alright. Let’s continue clearing the dungeon together.”

“Are you sure about this? What about the execution?”

“It was never my intention to finish you off, so why bring it up?”

At Ail’s words, Roden wore an expression of surprise, giving Ail insight into how others perceived him through videos.

But quickly regaining his senses, Roden hastily drank the healing potion and stood up.

By the time he picked up his spear, Ail spoke up.

“Then let’s get moving.”

“Um… Can I call you ‘big brother’?”

“No.”

“Then… Master Ail!”

Roden hurriedly followed after Ail, who had already started walking.

The long passage leading inward stretched quite far, and after walking a bit further, steps descending downward appeared.

As they descended, Roden occasionally stole glances at Ail before speaking up.

“Master Ail, you’re really skilled. Since coming to Warode, you’re the strongest I’ve ever seen. Never thought I’d meet someone who could defeat me at level 30.”

“Don’t mock me. If our specs were equal, you would have won.”

Ail replied curtly.

As witnessed, though Ail ultimately emerged victorious after a fierce battle, had their stats been equal, he likely wouldn’t have prevailed.

However, Roden shook his head.

“Haha, who raised my character anyway? Character development is part of skill too. Unless someone came to low-level zones and steamrolled everything, blaming equipment or skills is for fools. You performed better than me, Master Ail. We should definitely duel again sometime.”

Roden eagerly suggested.

Honestly, he learned a lot and gained significant improvement from this match.

Though Roden represented a particularly special case even in Armenia, Ail still clearly recognized the gap between himself and the top rankers.

‘If he had started with the spear… I would have definitely lost.’

Ail recalled the recent battle.

Had Roden begun with the spear from the start, there would have been no need to discuss stat differences.

Given his current abilities, there was no question Roden was clearly superior.

In fact, to outside observers, this revelation shouldn’t be surprising at all.

No matter how dazzling someone’s talent may be, it remains impossible for a newly starting player to surpass veteran players who have accumulated years of experience—that’s a self-evident truth.

However, experiencing that barrier firsthand feels different when you’re the one directly confronting it.

“What were the key issues?”

Ail asked.

After the intense battle concluded, he had conducted some self-analysis, but was curious how it looked from a former ranker’s perspective.

“To think you’d ask about flaws after knocking me out so thoroughly… It makes me want to cry.”

“Don’t give me that kind of answer.”

“Okay, fine. First off, Master Ail, which game are you from?”

“I’m new to Warode.”

A simple statement.

But upon hearing it, Roden’s expression changed and he froze in place.

Having experienced similar reactions before, Ail quickly added.

“I’m serious, this is my first game.”

“No way, I’ve never seen your face before, but you weren’t hiding it while playing? To think someone with this skill level is a complete newbie… You must be joking. Could you have been some famous PKer from back in the day?”

“Nope, not at all.”

Firmly denying Roden’s wild guesses.

After a brief look of confusion, Roden soon nodded.

“Ah, right, this playstyle is completely unique… Even if you were hiding your face, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known.”

Quickly accepting the explanation, Roden shrugged and continued.

“So then, the explanation becomes simple.”

“Simple?”

“Yeah, ultimately it boils down to… no, more precisely, ‘experience.’ That’s what will resolve these issues.”

“Experience…”

The years of experience accumulated by top rankers who have played countless games, including Warode, cannot be underestimated.

Catching up overnight is simply impossible.

“As someone who entered this world slightly earlier, I’ll venture to evaluate Master Ail—you possess sufficient talent. Especially that weapon swap technique earlier? Totally incomprehensible. No need to blame yourself unnecessarily. Regardless of specs or weapons, there are very few people who have defeated me. Of course, I’ve been out of practice for a while now after taking a long break…”

“Haha… Thanks.”

Moved by his sincere advice, Ail gave a wry smile.

That this was the result after being out of practice for over a year and a half was astonishing.

Given this is a massive stage gathering all players worldwide, it’s natural that such monsters populate the upper tiers, but experiencing it firsthand leaves one speechless.

Considering how formidable the leaders of the Six Major Guilds must be, imagining them makes Ail feel utterly overwhelmed.

“Speaking of which, Master Roden, what was the reason you disappeared two years ago? Looks like you’re just starting Warode now, but you weren’t deliberately starting late to challenge yourself again, were you?”

“Pfft, no way. After all the hard work I put in Armenia, do you think I’d do something that crazy? Originally, I planned to jump straight into Warode. It’s the most important stage, and the later you start, the more disadvantageous it is.”

“Then why…?”

“Well…”

Recalling some uncomfortable memories, Roden scratched his head.

After sighing briefly, he reluctantly began speaking.

“A summons arrived…”