Chapter 103

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 103 (103/227)

Chapter 103: Out-of-Spec Trader (2)

Warode’s means of transportation were diverse.

Most users mainly walked on foot or used horses, carriages, ships, and so on, but if you consider all the minor mounts as well, the number of possibilities increased significantly.

However, there was one mode of transportation that far surpassed all others in sheer grandeur.

The flying ship that cuts through the sky.

This fast-moving vessel could traverse continents quickly and was accessible via stations located in major cities.

In Warode, where there was no city-to-city teleportation function and the continent stretched endlessly wide, it was an essential existence.

If there were no flying ships, even users who were real-life friends but scattered across opposite ends of the continent would likely give up meeting due to the sheer inconvenience.

No matter how realistic the virtual reality “game” aimed to be, such a scenario just wouldn’t happen.

Everyone knew Warode was a masterpiece that stunningly blended immersion and realism, but it didn’t sacrifice gameplay for the sake of realism.

Wherever the two elements couldn’t coexist, Warode boldly prioritized gameplay. As a result, convenient game mechanics often surfaced during play.

Plentiful hunting grounds existed around areas where users congregated, and they weren’t sparingly placed just for the sake of realism.

The same logic applied to the extremely fast flying ships zipping across Warode’s vast expanse.

On the other hand, flying ships could only be used at major cities with designated stations, and their speed and convenience came at a hefty price.

The fare was absurdly expensive, comparable to riding a long-distance taxi in real life, making it quite burdensome even when measured in cash.

Yet atop this costly flying ship stood Ail, enjoying the cool breeze.

“Hmm, this is quite the experience.”

Leaning against the railing, Ail admired the scenery while resting his chin in his hand.

Normally, standing on the deck at such high speeds would send someone flying off instantly, but thanks to magical devices fitted to the flying ship, such mishaps were prevented.

‘This isn’t cheap, and I thought I wouldn’t be using the flying ship anytime soon…’

Though convenient, even Ail found the cost of the flying ship daunting.

But this time was different.

‘Nightmare… I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly.’

One of the Six Major Guilds, Nightmare.

A dominant force in Warode and essentially rulers of the entire Esmaier region, they were also the ones Ail communicated with via channel while escaping from the spider’s den.

Using the channel code given by Tasha, Ail initiated contact with them, pitching the exclusive information that not even the Six Major Guilds had managed to obtain.

And it wasn’t mere boasting.

A card Ail hadn’t revealed yet — the ancient dungeon ‘King’s Tomb’ located beneath the Blanche Plateau, filled with level 210+ content.

An enticing piece of intel for anyone, guild or not.

Still, Ail naturally hadn’t divulged the full details yet.

Revealing everything upfront would undermine the negotiation.

Despite this, the representative from Nightmare didn’t seem overly skeptical of Ail’s claims.

Thanks to Ail contacting them directly via their private channel and publicly revealing his face and name on WarTube, trust was established.

They even sent over the round-trip flight costs via mail as soon as the negotiation was set.

Indeed, at this level, large-scale guilds like these handled business differently. ‘But this is just the beginning.’

It merely meant Ail was acknowledged as worthy of sitting at the negotiation table.

Whether the negotiations would succeed once he arrived was still uncertain.

“Wait, isn’t that guy Ail?”

“Huh? Now that you mention it…”

Voices of people whispering behind Ail reached his ears.

People recognizing him from videos.

Undoubtedly, exposing his face had its drawbacks.

At least most people refrained from approaching out of curiosity, which was somewhat comforting.

They assumed he might have a mark above his head and feared a single misstep could lead to him drawing his sword and charging at them.

Of course, Ail wouldn’t actually do that.

‘Hmm… This won’t do.’

Trying his best to ignore the stares, Ail descended the stairs to enter the cabin.

As a result, the onlookers didn’t follow him into the cabin either.

“Phew, gotta get used to this…”

Ail muttered as he walked down the corridor.

Suddenly, a man rushed around the corner and collided hard with Ail, causing both to fall over.

“Ahh! Sorry, sorry! I should’ve been watching where I was going!”

The man, clearly good-looking, quickly got up and extended a hand to help Ail up.

When Ail grabbed his hand and stood up, brushing himself off, he looked closely at the man’s face and spoke.

“So? You seemed pretty focused to me.”

“Huh? What do you mean… Gahh!”

Upon seeing Ail’s face, the man froze in shock.

Realizing he had bumped into the infamous Heresy Inquisitor, the man turned to flee.

But Ail inexplicably grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Hold on.”

Puuuk!

Almost simultaneously with drawing his sword, a chilling sound echoed.

“Wha… Huh?”

The man dumbly stared down at the sword piercing his stomach.

Before he could scream for help, Ail swiftly pulled out the blade and slashed again, silencing him.

Thud!

The man collapsed, unable to move, blood pooling around him.

[Heresy has been punished!]

[Divine Favor +0.15% (Current: 63.10%)]

[Light Church Contribution +30]

[Faith Stat +1]

[Madness Stat +1]

“Man…”

Ail looted items from the corpse.

Among the items dropped by the man was Ail’s own stolen item pouch.

“As they say, pickpockets are common. Guess we meet like this.”

If you defeat a thief within a certain time after being pickpocketed, the stolen items drop.

Typically, those who could afford to ride flying ships were usually wealthy, regardless of skill or level.

Thus, opportunistic pickpockets often infiltrated these vessels, seeking a big score with minimal investment.

This man’s sleight of hand was impressively stealthy.

But Ail caught it, noticing the heretic mark hovering above his head early on.

‘I heard habitual pickpockets sometimes keep their levels low on purpose… turns out it’s true.’

The pickpocketing skill allowed stealing only from users of similar or higher levels, preventing abuse by high-level players.

That’s why Ail had no hesitation in drawing his sword.

“Well, here we go again.”

Ail scratched his head awkwardly as he looked at the body.

People nearby were already uneasy, and discovering a corpse would surely cause an uproar.

He briefly considered secretly disposing of the body outside before an idea struck him.

“Hmm, maybe I can use this for something.”

Grabbing the limp legs, Ail dragged the body into the cabin.

* * *

Woooom!

The flying ship soon arrived at its destination city.

Stopping beside the towering station, passengers began disembarking.

“Kyaaa!”

A woman screamed from inside the cabin, but Ail paid no mind to the commotion behind him.

After stepping off the station platform and riding the elevator down, Ail took in the panoramic view of the sprawling city below.

‘Impressive, as expected.’

Media, the central hub of the Esmaier region.

The massive fortress at the city center, surrounded by vibrant main streets.

Its meticulously planned outer districts teemed with countless people.

Even Duel, the first major city Ail encountered, paled in comparison to Media.

Clunk!

As the elevator descended, Ail exited the tower and made his way toward the colossal fortress dominating the city center.

At the western entrance of the fortress, soldiers of Nightmare clad in black armor held large spears, blocking the gate.

They were leagues above regular guard NPCs.

Once Ail identified himself, the pre-informed soldiers stepped aside, allowing him to pass without hindrance.

Chaaak!

The sound of chains securing the gates echoed behind him as Ail strolled along, collecting his thoughts.

‘Who will represent them in the negotiations…?’

Aside from recently gaining fame, Ail had little leverage and anticipated receiving lackluster treatment.

Even being treated as a regular guild member would be fortunate.

Given the importance of the matter, he merely hoped someone outside the main Nightmare guild wouldn’t handle the negotiations.

‘Here we go.’

Standing before his destination, Ail marveled internally at the sight.

Within the fortress, the imposing headquarters of Nightmare dominated the area.

A scale unimaginable for any ordinary guild.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting.”

Stepping inside, a neatly dressed old man approached.

The elderly NPC guide led Ail forward, passing numerous guild members along the way, some of whom recognized Ail and exchanged curious glances.

But halfway through the corridor, the guide suddenly turned left.

‘Hmm…? This way?’

Having a rough mental map of the building, Ail noticed something odd about their direction.

The reception or meeting rooms weren’t this way. This route led to only one specific room.

Wondering if the guide had made a mistake, Ail glanced at him, but the guide acted as if nothing was amiss.

‘Wait, could it be…?’

Just as that thought crossed Ail’s mind…

The guide stopped at the suspected door and opened it.

Click!

“Please step inside.”

“…”

With a nod, the guide stepped back, leaving Ail to enter.

Luxurious bookshelves and furniture lined the sides, sunlight streaming through the windows onto the large emblem of Nightmare.

To Ail’s knowledge, this room was officially known as the “Monarch’s Office.”

“Ail… Wasn’t it?”

Karin, the guild leader of Nightmare, stood before him.