Chapter 145

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 145 (145/227)

Chapter 145: The Tyrant of Strength

“Ho boy, this place has changed a lot too.”

Eil entered the city of Noom and looked around, lost in thought.

It’s been over a week since he descended underground to escape the war on the surface.

While Eil was busy leveling up, Eltris’ blind faith in the Goddess had only grown even stronger.

Just look at this city alone—already the third Temple of Lu has been built!

“I guess it’s because there hasn’t really been a proper god around here… once they believe, it’s insane!”

With all the underground races fervently worshiping, pouring their energy into devotion…

And the Nooms, being the most populous race in Eltris just like humans on the surface…

Even though they’re relatively small in size, their skilled craftsmanship has resulted in beautiful artworks and grand structures dedicated to Lu.

BOOM!

Entering the building, Eil placed the monster’s head on the long table.

Black blood stained the table, but the tiny Noom sitting before him stood up happily to greet him.

“You’ve arrived! It’s a relief to see you safe.”

“Here’s the head from your request.”

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it. Thank you so much, Master Eil!”

[Quest Completed!]

[You’ve gained experience points as a reward!]

[You’ve obtained an item as a reward!]

[Your level has increased!]

“Good.”

Completing this quest brought Eil to level 160.

In other words, it was time to learn his 16th skill.

“Here’s your reward for this mission!”

A Noom carrying huge books wobbled over and almost stumbled, but Eil quickly stepped forward to help take the load.

Three skillbooks glowing with a red hue.

Not bad compensation for taking down some mid-level boss.

Compared to the usual bosses he faced, it was more like eating cold porridge.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“G-gooodbye, thank you very much! Please be careful!”

Waving goodbye to the Noom, Eil left the building and pulled out the skillbooks he’d carefully collected during his recent quests and boss fights.

After hitting level 150 not long ago and unlocking the empty slot for his 15th skill, things were set.

He still had plenty of skillbooks left, and all he needed was one solid choice for his 16th skill.

POOF!

“Discard, discard, nope, don’t need this either…”

One after another, the skillbooks glowed and disappeared as Eil passed over the skills without learning them.

“Just mediocre skills taking up space in my skill list. Not like I’m low-level where skillbooks are scarce anymore—learning useless ones would actually be a waste.”

Even rare, superior, and hero-tier skills kept popping up, but Eil boldly skipped past them all.

A wide-area attack overlapping with ‘Baptism of Fire’ came up, making it an even worse option than some rare passive skills.

And after burning through over ten high-grade skillbooks…

The last remaining purple-hued skillbook lit up, finally stopping Eil’s hand.

[Punishment (Unique)]

“It showed up!”

Without hesitation, Eil confirmed the new skill.

A unique-grade skill.

An offensive holy magic skill with immense damage output that didn’t overlap with any of his existing abilities—and exactly what he’d been hoping for.

[‘Secret Investigator’ shows deep interest in you.]

The biggest reaction to this new skill came from Renox.

Even though he was a close-combat class as a Heresy Inquisitor, Renox took notice when Eil picked up this magical skill.

Under normal circumstances, he’d just be a gimped character—but thanks to the legendary skill ‘Zeal of the Pilgrim,’ which restructured his stat distribution entirely, Eil was different.

[‘Mother of Life’ congratulates your good fortune.]

[Universal Church Contribution +200]

A message from Freya appeared.

She even gave Eil 200 universal contribution points that could be used across any church—even though he wasn’t her Apostle yet.

That’s how rich and influential she was in Warode.

[‘Judge of Light, Lu’ sponsors you.]

[Light Church Contribution +201]

“Not to be outdone…” Lu also sent her sponsorship.

She’d just gained massive influence after the world event.

Even though she wasn’t directly visible, the tension between these two goddesses was palpable.

[‘Mother of Life’ awaits your decision.]

[She urges you to quickly abandon your weak old gods.]

Maybe due to Eil’s previous statements, Freya seemed pretty confident.

She clearly thought he was wavering and assumed he’d inevitably choose her.

But there was no way Eil would pick the Earth Church right now.

When she eventually realizes this, things might get awkward later on…

Of course, even if she did find out, it wouldn’t change anything now, so there was no point worrying about it.

“As long as I can use them, I should milk it for all it’s worth.”

While plotting how to exploit divine powers, Eil arrived at the newly constructed Heretical Interrogation Office.

This facility, newly established as part of the Eltris branch, was considered one of the most important buildings for the church.

The Nooms had poured their hearts into its construction, and it was impressively grand.

As both an executor and the head interrogator responsible for the Eltris region, Eil was supposed to reside here.

However, like most church executors, he spent more time outside, leaving the practical management to the “High Priest,” who constantly shuttled between the temple and the interrogation office.

“Welcome back, Executor.”

“Oh, High Priest.”

They greeted each other cheerfully upon meeting outside the interrogation office.

Rockhide, the high priest of the church, appeared friendly and kind to everyone.

But being a high priest meant he followed Lu’s will with unwavering faith.

For those who violated church doctrines, he was merciless—and he efficiently handled all tasks in Eil’s absence.

“How are things going in Eltris?”

“We’re just starting to establish ourselves in the new area, so it’s been nonstop work. Honestly, if the believers hadn’t helped actively, I probably wouldn’t have had time to sleep.”

“I should be the one guarding the position, so I’m sorry for troubling you.”

“Don’t say that. Being chosen by the Goddess as an executor is a great mission. Keeping such a noble mission tied down to one place would be one of our greatest sins.”

The high priest smiled gently.

“Executor, have you heard about the recent events on the surface?”

“Of course. It doesn’t seem like it’ll end anytime soon.”

There was only one major event happening on the surface right now.

The war between Nightmare and Dawn.

It’s been over a week since the war began, and instead of calming down, it’s only getting more intense.

Not minor skirmishes, but full-scale battles risking the guilds’ fates.

Such clashes were rare in Warode, so the players reacted enthusiastically, and needless to say, the NPCs living in the game world were deeply affected too.

“The footage I saw—it was no joke…”

This was a worldwide issue, so countless videos about the war were uploaded.

Due to strategic reasons, neither the guilds nor the game company officially filmed and released videos.

But even the clips captured by users or professional reporters from a distance were enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“This isn’t something I can handle at my current level.”

Not only did he assess himself objectively, but the scenes were intense enough to make even people with anger issues suddenly calm down.

Since there was always a risk of another incident elsewhere, staying near Eltris seemed safer for now.

But nothing ever goes exactly according to plan.

KUH-KUH-KUH!

A loud noise accompanied the appearance of a message.

[A World Event has occurred!]

[The Cycle of Circulation – Turbulent winds of war spread across the western continent.]

[The God of Ruin awakens from its long slumber. A massive army guided by divine revelation advances towards its purpose. Where there is prosperity, there must also be ruin. Devotees will throw themselves into reducing everything within the region to ashes.]

[Under the command of Archbishop ‘Melia,’ all followers receiving divine guidance gather.]

[Target Areas – ‘Banan,’ ‘Agelern,’ ‘Wanderer’s Village,’ ‘Bernados,’ ‘Erve,’ ‘Heanziel,’ ‘Fosters,’ ‘Amara,’ ‘Fortress of the Fallen’]

[Divine Entity, ‘Tyrant of Strength,’ rises above the waters.]

[‘Mother of Life’ leaps into action.]

[‘Secret Investigator’ reveals discomfort.]

[‘Judge of Light, Lu’ monitors the bold movements of ‘Tyrant of Strength.’ ]

“T-this is…”

The uproar among the deities manifested in the messages.

Thrown unexpectedly, the new world event stirred strong reactions.

The God of Cycles and Water, Bahamut, finally made his move after staying hidden from Eil until now.

[‘Master of Volcanoes’ demands your action!]

Lajagal, Bahamut’s sworn enemy, was freaking out, urging someone to stop him.

Considering their elemental opposition—fire vs water—their enmity wasn’t hard to guess.

And the reason they were pestering Eil instead of their own followers?

Direct divine intervention carried too much weight, so they wanted Eil, who was easier to manipulate, to step in.

“The scale is enormous.”

Checking the targeted areas, Eil furrowed his brows.

Unlike Amsterdam, a key stronghold he’d tackled before, none of these places were central cities.

Still, even considering that, the number of targets exceeded anything the Light Church had attempted.

At this scale, not only nearby players but also NPCs affiliated with the Water Church would join the fray.

“He must’ve poured in massive influence. And the rewards if successful? Unbelievable.”

Bahamut had played his ultimate card to turn the tables.

As a competitor, this move absolutely had to be stopped.

[‘Master of Volcanoes’ sponsors you!]

[The Fire Deity promises greater rewards if you block Bahamut’s movement!]

[Universal Church Contribution +2,000]

“Executor…?”

Seeing Eil pause amidst the continuous messages, the high priest asked curiously.

But Eil silently gripped his longsword, looking toward Lu who was watching somewhere far away.

[‘Judge of Light, Lu’ nods.]