Chapter 107

Level Up Heretic Judge – Episode 107 (107/227)

Episode 107: Snake Hunt (Part 2)

Keeeeeek!

As the swordsman was cutting down the Undead, the Basilisk’s head suddenly turned.

Though he’d been fighting recklessly, it was now finally time to locate the intruder who’d caused all this chaos.

Sure enough, there stood Eil, having cleverly stepped back while secretly unfurling two strange scrolls on the floor.

The Basilisk’s piercing eyes then glared fiercely and lit up.

[Debuff ‘Intimidation’ activated from cursed gaze!]

[Debuff ‘Fear’ activated from cursed gaze!]

The Variant Basilisk’s troublesome pattern had triggered unavoidable debuffs that lower overall stats and slow movement.

But these effects were useless against Eil, a fanatic of Lu.

[Skill ‘Fanatical Martyr’ nullifies abnormal status effects!]

[Debuff ‘Intimidation’ removed!]

[Debuf ‘Fear’ removed!]

The passive skill ‘Fanatical Martyr’, which cancels all psychological abnormalities, rendered them ineffective.

Pwoooosh!

In the meantime, the targeted scrolls activated, affecting both Basilisks.

Eil’s scroll magic was ‘Abnormal Status Vulnerability’, making the targets more susceptible to various status ailments.

Though it seemed like nothing happened, the faint purple aura surrounding the Basilisks proved the effect had definitely been applied.

“Preparations are complete.”

Kwaaak!

Eil swung his massive battle axe, cleanly decapitating an Undead.

The weapon in his hand was the Executioner’s Axe, a hero-grade item obtained recently with a unique effect that imprints fear onto all nearby enemies upon landing a finishing blow.

Thus, as Eil continued hacking off body parts from the charging Undeds, he steadily stacked fear effects.

Of course, being undead, they lacked the emotion of fear and remained unaffected.

However, the two Basilisks were far from Undead.

[Skill ‘Fanatical Martyr’ doubles Fear effect!]

[Status ‘Fear’ activated!]

[Status ‘Severe Fear’ activated!]

Keeeeek!

After dispatching over a dozen Undead, the Basilisks began reacting, showing signs of hesitation.

Unbeknownst to them, Eil had been feeding them plenty of fear.

Even as high-level boss monsters with some resistance to status effects, the vulnerability scroll and the doubled fear effect from Fanatical Martyr had taken hold.

It must be embarrassing for creatures immune to fear to be hit twice as hard by it…

But from Eil’s perspective, there was no reason not to exploit this.

Their usually agile movements had noticeably stiffened, and even Eil’s actions made them instinctively flinch.

For bosses of their size, being so affected was quite amusing.

While regular fear only stiffens the body and slows speed, stacking it beyond a certain threshold reduces overall stats.

Though difficult to apply under normal circumstances, when it does work, there’s nothing better than this status effect.

“Hmm… This should do!”

Eil charged toward the rampaging Basilisk.

His first target among the two was the black Basilisk, the one already weakened by the paralysis from the throwing daggers.

Kuuuung!

Eil dodged the Basilisk’s tail sweep.

Thanks to the powerful fear effect, their movements and judgment were clearly delayed.

He sprayed holy water at the tail before unleashing Sacred Flames, setting the creature ablaze.

The white flames devoured its health while Eil plunged his longsword deep into its torso.

Despite its tough scales providing high defense, Eil possessed 40% armor penetration, causing the monster’s HP to drop significantly.

Kiiiiik!

With Undead attacking from one side, a sword impaled in its body, and searing flames on its tail, the black Basilisk’s patience snapped.

It opened its mouth wide and began spewing deadly venom.

The Undead it touched dissolved instantly, and even standing near the poison reduced one’s HP.

“Shit!”

The Basilisk turned its head toward Eil, and the deadly acid breath headed straight for him.

Eil quickly leapt behind a wall to evade the attack.

However, the wall itself couldn’t withstand the intense acid for long, so Eil hurriedly moved to the opposite side.

Thanks to the dungeon’s complex structure filled with walls and pillars, he managed to stay out of the Basilisk’s line of sight.

Kiirik!

Appearing behind the creature, Eil raised his greatsword high.

The blade, imbued with white flames, came crashing down on the Basilisk, sweeping through it with the activated One Slice skill.

Kwaaaaa!

The Greatsword of Gluttony’s 1.5x damage effect combined with the hero-grade One Slice skill struck the large boss monster with tremendous force, causing the black Basilisk’s body to violently shake.

This disrupted the stream of acidic venom it had been spewing, accidentally hitting the white Basilisk engaged in battle nearby.

Chi iiiik!

Kiiieeek!

Even though it was their own venom, its power was too great, melting half the white Basilisk’s face.

Its already depleted HP was in shambles, and its appearance became grotesquely disfigured.

“Not finished yet.”

After quickly downing a mana potion, Eil reappeared.

Having put away the greatsword used earlier into his inventory,

Meanwhile, another group of Undead monsters had arrived, drawn by the commotion.

Fortunately, this coincided with the point where the maddened Undead numbers had decreased significantly, allowing Eil to use another Madness Scroll.

Pwoooosh!

The monsters affected by madness once again had their glowing eyes flicker, and with a smirk, Eil switched weapons to the Executioner’s Axe.

Whether against monsters or players, more fear is always better.

* * *

[Apostate of the Church eliminated!]

[Judgment Sentence successfully executed. Skill bonuses doubled!]

[Goddess’s Favor +2.98% (Total 68.96%)]

[Light Church Contribution +1200]

[Faith Stat +40]

[Insanity Stat +40]

[Sudden Quest Completed!]

[Eliminate all blasphemers in the dungeon (2/2)]

[Goddess’s Favor +1.90% (Total 70.86%)]

[Light Church Contribution +2000]

[Faith Stat +10]

[Insanity Stat +10]

[Quest Completed!]

[Mission completed within time limit. Four times additional experience awarded!]

[Return to Tully Village Investigation Team to claim bounty.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Numerous messages floated before Eil after retrieving the command stone from the upper room of the dungeon.

Thanks to completing both the Goddess’s sudden quest and the Kingdom Investigation Team’s quest, he leveled up three times. Eliminating the two blasphemers and executing the sentence granted significant stats and contribution points.

With a satisfied expression, Eil dismissed the floating messages to review his rewards.

Thud.

Two enormous snake heads lay at Eil’s feet.

These were the heads he’d personally severed from the Basilisks below.

Their bodies were still burning fiercely underground, but Eil planned to display these heads as proof of completion in the center of Tully Village.

“Hmm… Not sure if they’ll appreciate this.”

The severed ends of the Basilisk heads wriggled unsettlingly with mysterious black substances visible inside.

They weren’t ordinary creatures but monstrosities created from condensed human souls.

Being designated as blasphemers wasn’t without reason.

[Ring of Wicked Souls (Hero)]

[Earring of Wicked Souls (Hero)]

[Necklace of Wicked Souls (Hero)]

Eil checked the loot he’d collected.

The biggest prize from this expedition – a set of level 40 equipment dropped by the Variant Basilisks.

Equipping all three pieces provided a 10% defense boost, and the stat options on each piece were exceptionally good.

Though he’d been using the Black Crystal Equipment Set for its excellent special effects, it was time to upgrade due to the level requirements.

Though it was regrettable, even Eil couldn’t switch armor or accessories mid-battle.

Switching weapons alone provided sufficient effect, whereas changing multiple pieces of armor required more time and effort for less impact.

Additionally, weapons could be freely wielded in hands, whereas armor was worn on the body – a significant difference.

“But I can definitely get a good price for these…”

After switching equipment, Eil checked his level without any attachment.

[Level: 41]

His level had reached 41, an incredibly fast pace.

Considering how leveling up in Warode was notoriously difficult, reaching even level 100 made one a respected expert.

Even top-tier ‘Rankers’ worldwide had barely surpassed level 200 after an entire year.

Yet Eil, who’d started playing less than a month ago, had already surpassed level 40.

Even accounting for easier leveling during the early stages, this was rapid progress, giving him hope that he might catch up to those ahead.

But that hope was fleeting.

Eil shook his head.

“No, faster.”

This wasn’t enough.

Just because he was working hard didn’t mean those ahead would stop and wait for him.

To catch up before it was too late, he needed to grow even faster.

Moreover, now that his name was well-known, he needed to advance rapidly to avoid becoming an easy target like last time.

Determined to accelerate his leveling further, Eil pulled out a skill book for his fourth skill.