Chapter 119

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Episode 119 (119/227)

Episode 119: Between Conviction and Madness (4)

“Going as far as to touch the Grand Council… impressive.”

The man watching the footage let out a hollow chuckle of admiration.

Even though this incident had happened several days ago, the reactions to it were still running hot.

When Ail appeared in the capital and burned a Grand Council-level noble to ashes, the community went into an uproar.

Not only most users, but even the Rokuto dai guild would find it hard to mess with someone that powerful without prior preparation.

‘The Grand Council losing one seat has made the princess’ side more advantageous. Is Ail strongly connected to the princess in this matter of succession? To be making such big moves already despite not even hitting triple-digit levels yet…’

The man looked at Ail on the screen with interest.

It wasn’t just involvement in world quests – Ail was currently hunting heresy everywhere while continuing activities.

Whether it was questing or hunting, pure PK alone wouldn’t lead to fast growth. But ever since the royal road incident, Ail had been relentlessly tracking down heretics.

Whether it was to gain popularity or if Ail had taken on some other quest, it couldn’t be determined for sure. However, the characteristic feature was that the growth was happening at an incredibly fast pace.

Moreover, regardless of the goal, people were gradually gathering around Ail’s bold actions, and at this rate, it would soon become awkward to call the Light Church minor among the seven churches.

“What are you finding so entertaining?”

A woman wielding a longsword approached from behind the man.

She was clad in the Deathbringer Armor Set, a unique-grade equipment set at an incredible level 230. She bore the same guild mark as the man.

Lady Silas, ranked 8th among Warode Summoner Rankers.

One of the top-tier players in the world, counted among the best ten.

She stared intently at the man before speaking.

“Did you finish the raid successfully? You said you’d solo the ancient dungeon… didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

“Just got lucky. Breathing fresh air after so long feels like it’s clearing my head.”

The man grinned broadly as he spoke.

Soloing a massive dungeon was no easy feat, and it certainly took its toll.

But soon enough, his gaze returned to the screen, and Silas shot him a disapproving look.

“You’re looking at that again? Just some rookie – no need to get so invested. Especially since you’re the guild leader of Apollion.”

Apollion Guild.

Among the six major guilds vying for supremacy in Warode, they were the leading giant often referred to as the strongest.

Yet the man merely gave her a puzzled look.

“I’m surprised. I thought someone at your level would’ve noticed by now.”

“What are you talking about?”

Confused by his cryptic statement, she asked.

But the man stood up silently.

“Hmm, seems like you haven’t realized it yourself yet. If what I saw is correct…”

His lips curled as he stared at Ail on the screen.

He usually had no interest in stories of latecomers, but this time was different.

Very different.

* * *

<User Information>

Name: Ail

Title: Heretic Tracker

Affiliation: Light Church

Level: 75

Class: IlDanSimPanGwan

Main Stats

Strength: 160(+100) Agility: 135(+75) Vitality: 135(+65) Magic: 20(+25) Faith: 261.0(+25) Madness: 256.8(+25)

Passives

[Maniacal Martyr(Basic)], [Blade of Hatred(Basic)], [Defense Shatter(Unique)], [Sword Mastery VII(Unique)], [Defense Mastery VII(Unique)]

Actives

[Sacred Flame(Basic)], [Sentencing Punishment(Apostle)], [Heresy Designation(Apostle)], [Reversal(Rare)], [Island(Hero)], [Baptism of Fire(Hero)]

“Perfect.”

Ail nodded satisfactorily after checking the status window.

Since capturing and executing Dellen, Ail had been continuously clearing the regular heretic-hunting quests bestowed by the Goddess.

Because the quests renewed immediately upon completion, there was no worry about interruptions.

While other quests didn’t offer rewards as substantial as Dellen’s, combined with Ail’s skill in easily tracking down and eliminating heretics, it allowed for much faster growth than normal methods.

As a result, within just a few days, Ail surpassed level 75, gaining increased bonuses to titles along with contribution points.

“It’s disappointing that I’m not the only one receiving quests… but this much is sufficient.”

The regular quests from the Goddess weren’t limited to Ail alone.

Word began spreading that other users within the Light Church were also receiving quests from the Goddess.

Given that these quests were given to all believers, not just apostles like Ail, it seemed the Goddess was beginning her active operations.

Though other users couldn’t receive quests as frequently as Ail, as Lu’s influence expanded, the number of quests would surely increase.

“To maximize the church’s growth before other deities awaken, I suppose.”

It seemed Lu was accelerating activities, and would move even more actively once the Twilight Council was eliminated.

“Come to think of it, why do deities compete with each other?”

A sudden curiosity struck Ail.

The deities clearly knew that Warode was a game world.

Yet they moved to claim the supreme deity position in Warode, and strong competitiveness was visible even among their followers.

Whether it was simple pride, programmed for smooth game progression, or perhaps their way of staying true to their own world – it was unclear.

Deciding it might be rude to ask directly, Ail put it aside and arrived at the warehouse.

Chink!

Ail handed over the gold collected from the auction house from inventory to the warehouse manager for safekeeping.

Combined with the money originally stored in the warehouse and the loot from Dellen’s mansion, the total savings had easily surpassed 10,000 gold.

Additionally, the market price of thorium ingots held in significant quantity was steadily rising.

Despite spending quite a bit on purchasing auxiliary weapons with useful options, the financial impact was negligible.

There was no immediate need to worry about finances.

“Then, shall I go hunt the next target?”

Having finished business, Ail moved to another location.

The next heretic target was a notorious slave trader in the black market, with specific instructions to execute by hanging.

The precise location was already scouted, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

The black market was located not far from the city.

As Ail turned into an alleyway to leave the city,

Crash!

Suddenly, part of an old roof collapsed, showering debris.

Startled, Ail stepped back to avoid it, and caught sight of a woman falling through the gap.

Crash!

“Guh…”

The woman hit the ground, coughing up blood.

She seemed to have suffered a severe impact from the fall, showing no signs of getting up.

But she wasn’t an ordinary human.

With porcelain-white skin and pointed ears, she was a high elf.

“What the…?”

Confused, Ail hurriedly approached her.

High elves should be in the White Forest region of Esmaier. It was strange for one to be here.

Due to treaty restrictions, high elves couldn’t venture outside their territories, yet here she was in a human city in Solstice territory – definitely not a normal situation.

Just then, another figure emerged from the broken roof.

The suddenly appearing man leaped down and swung a dagger at the fallen woman.

Clang!

Ail intercepted between them, repelling both the dagger and the man.

The unexpected weight made Ail frown, quickly assessing the newly landed man.

“So this is a dark elf?”

Pale skin bordering on sickly, long black hair, and pointed ears peeking through – definitely a dark elf from the Dark Forest.

And above his head was a clear mark of heresy.

“95 levels?”

Through the information window, Ail confirmed the opponent’s level.

Information checks often didn’t work on NPCs, but this one was fully visible.

“Stay out of this, human.”

“That won’t be possible…”

Ail glanced at the fallen high elf.

High elves were a faction Ail had previously established good relations with, while dark elves were those giving questionable missions in this world quest.

Which side to take was obvious.

However, there was a 20-level difference between Ail and the dark elf.

Elves generally had superior combat abilities compared to humans, and this opponent didn’t seem like an easy fight.

At this level gap, taking considerable risk would be necessary.

“There’s no real need for that.”

Ail quickly grabbed the fallen high elf.

The intention was to bring her to the city guards for safety.

But as Ail tried to lift her, she instead clutched Ail’s clothes in protest.

Shaking her head.

“Could it be due to the royal treaty?”

Seeking help from the guards would naturally expose not only the dark elf but also her identity.

It seemed she didn’t want things escalating beyond her life.

Swish!

The dark elf drew dual daggers with a scowling face and approached, prompting Ail to sigh and draw the longsword.

“Guess there’s no choice but to try…”