Chapter 106

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Episode 106 (106/227)

Episode 106: Snake Hunting (Part 1)

[Heresy has been punished!]

[Successfully carried out the designated penalty according to ‘Sentence Pronouncement.’ Skill effect doubles stat bonuses.]

[Goddess’s Favor +1.14% (Current 65.98%)]

[Light Church Contribution +290]

[Faith Stat +8]

[Insanity Stat +8]

[Level Up!]

“Phew, all done.”

Ail shook off the blood-stained hands.

Even with mental correction in place, someone with a normal mindset would likely wrinkle their nose at the horrific massacre that just happened right before their eyes, but there was no way such feelings existed for the perpetrator.

He had sentenced and executed various penalties on all four users marked as heretics without hesitation.

His Faith stat had surpassed 100, and his Insanity stat was also nearing the triple digits.

Simultaneously, he reached level 38.

Moreover, thanks to the additional effects of carrying out the punishment, he could boost several abilities like attack power, speed, defense, and health.

A 10% increase in effectiveness for 60 minutes—there was no better human doping potion.

“Starting off fresh, huh.”

Approaching the dungeon while receiving quite a buff beforehand.

At least it was a pleasant start.

Of course, whether monsters would block the path ahead or if only the command stone would be sitting there lonely was still unknown.

Having collected all the spoils from the users, Ail headed inside.

Since he had made sure to close the entrance securely even while rushing down, there was no need to worry about anyone else coming down from behind.

And soon enough, he came face-to-face with the wall that Sledge had smashed through.

Ail rummaged through Sledge’s still abandoned corpse but found that items had already been recovered.

Given the urgent situation earlier, he hadn’t had time to loot properly—it seemed the White Fang Guild guys had intercepted them.

‘This was kinda expected…’

The issue was the two branching paths appearing right in front of him.

The original connected corridor versus the hidden passage revealed through the broken wall gap.

He briefly pondered which path to take.

One might lead to a dead end or have no difference at all, but conversely, there could be a stark contrast. ‘It wasn’t hidden for nothing, right?’

Ail entered the wall that Sledge had smashed.

It felt right to head towards the route where the cult members had directly appeared, and even if it turned out to be nothing special, he could always come back later.

Thus, Ail entered the not-so-wide passage and quickly discovered something peculiar.

At regular intervals along the floor of the passage were holes with iron grates embedded, allowing a clear view below.

Through the gaps, it looked like some sort of morgue storing corpses, but due to the black aura spread across the floor, undead monsters were aimlessly wandering around.

Apparently, this dungeon was influenced by both the Cult and the command stone.

According to the information window, all the creatures were around level 40 monsters.

‘So, the previous hallway leads there. Then what’s this side?’

Just as doubts arose in Ail’s mind, his footsteps reached the end of the passage, and soon he got his answer.

Sshhhiiik!

“…!”

As rough monster breathing sounds reached his ears, Ail quickly hid his presence and peeked outside the passage.

Inside the dimly lit room filled with ominous vibes, a black command stone floated at the center.

On either side of the command stone were two giant snake bodies, and the heavy chains that seemed to bind them lay shattered and scattered across the floor.

‘That party earlier wasn’t the first…’

Ail thought upon spotting user corpses inside the room.

Judging from their position, it seemed the leading party had fallen victim to those two, their bodies grotesquely melted away by poison.

[Encountered an enemy of the Church, a Blasphemer!]

[A creature embodying sin and blaspheming the doctrine has been encountered. Make sure they pay for their sins!]

[A sudden quest has been assigned, granting additional rewards upon success!]

[A severe penalty will be given if the mission fails!]

Then, a sudden system message appeared.

Completely unexpected, but the snakes guarding this place weren’t just heretics—they were sacred blasphemy, and a sudden quest from the Goddess had been added.

Upon this, Ail hastily checked the information windows of these creatures.

The two, with contrasting appearances of white and black, were level 42 boss monsters—Mutant Basilisks—not ones previously encountered.

There were two powerful boss monsters worthy of being labeled sacred blasphemers, and it wasn’t surprising that any party entering would face total annihilation.

But Ail couldn’t retreat.

Not only because of the strong penalty that would affect favorability if he quit and ran, but also because it wasn’t solely for that reason.

‘If there are two sacred blasphemers, that’s 40 stats each… There’s no way I can let such big fish slip away.’

Defeating one sacred blasphemer grants an impressive 10 points each in Faith and Insanity stats.

Here, there were two of them, and if he managed to carry out the execution successfully, the stat bonus would double again.

There was no room for hesitation here.

[Attack Power Temporarily Increased!]

[Defense Temporarily Increased!]

[Speed Temporarily Increased!]

[Maximum Health Temporarily Increased!]

[Poison Resistance Temporarily Increased!]

.

.

.

Doping potions used generously.

The effects of the potions applied separately from the results of punishing heretics.

Facing opponents who use potent poisons, Ail drank a poison resistance potion in advance and prepared antidotes to use as quickly as possible.

And he started recording the video.

These guys were definitely going to be tough opponents, but precisely because of that, if this raid succeeded, it would surely produce an excellent video.

‘…Still, like this, I’m definitely going to die.’

Faced with the hissing duo, Ail paused momentarily to think.

He had prepared thoroughly and wanted to bravely challenge them head-on, extending his leg forward.

But doing so would clearly result in failure.

These boss monsters designated as sacred blasphemers weren’t pushovers, and challenging two of them alone without a party was indeed a tall order.

What bothered him most was the terrain here.

Judging from the traces left by the users who fell, it was expected that these creatures would spew poison, but there was almost no cover here except for the prominently placed command stone.

To fight two such massive boss monsters in this location? Better to accept the penalty and walk away; this was an impossible story.

‘So… I should change positions, then.’

A good idea struck Ail, and he smiled.

Once the hint clicked, Ail quickly devised a strategy in his mind.

And once he gained some confidence in the method, Ail moved without hesitation.

Pang!

First, Ail’s throwing dagger flew and embedded itself into the Black Basilisk on the right.

Although it didn’t deal much damage, the slowing effect of the dagger activated as intended.

Kiieeek!

Reacting immediately to the intruder, the two Basilisks unleashed fierce roars.

Ail quickly turned and fled, and the colossal serpent bodies began filling the passage in pursuit.

The White Basilisk, unaffected by the slow, chased after Ail at an incredibly fast speed.

There was still a long way to go before completely escaping the passage.

But this was already sufficient.

Kwaang!

Stopping abruptly, Ail slammed his greatsword onto the iron grate on the passage floor, shattering it.

With the broken grate falling away, the hole was exposed, and naturally, Ail dropped through.

The two Basilisks chasing Ail reflexively changed direction toward the hole.

Gugugugung!

Ail and the Basilisks tumbled down to the lower floor en masse.

Fortunately, Ail managed to land safely and avoid being crushed by them.

However, the sudden appearance caught the attention of undead monsters loitering around the dungeon below, and upon seeing Ail, they showed hostility and rushed forward.

Changing locations inadvertently put Ail in a situation where he had to face both undead and boss monsters at once.

But there was no way Ail had acted without calculating this.

[Apostle Special Benefit, ‘Contribution Shop’ opens!]

[Apostle status exempts regional restrictions!]

[Search function activated!]

[Current Contribution Points: 6,380]

The contribution points accumulated frugally until now.

It was time to invest boldly for better returns.

[Intermediate Area Madness Scroll – Level 38]

[Consumed 1,000 Contribution Points.]

Pwaaat!

A scroll gripped tightly in Ail’s hand.

A high-cost scroll worth 1,000 points, but its value was more than justified.

Madness Magic.

Exactly as it sounded, it puts enemies into a frenzied state where they lose friend-or-foe distinction and attack indiscriminately—a status abnormality magic.

Of course, for balance reasons, when used by players, it doesn’t affect boss monsters or other players.

However, in the case of regular monsters, unless they have specific resistance traits, they are universally affected.

Pwaaaat!

Ripples of red light spread from the activated scroll, sweeping over all nearby monsters.

True to its “area” description, the magic covered a wide range.

It had no effect on the two Basilisks but worked perfectly on the undead monsters.

Kraaaak!

The undead monsters began charging wildly at anything around them.

Naturally, the bulk of their attention turned to the two largest boss monsters.

Undead climbed onto the backs of the giant snakes, biting and swinging weapons.

Kwagwagwang!

Kiiieeeek!

Numerous monsters tangled together in battle.

Suddenly attacked, the two Basilisks went berserk and started sweeping away the undead.

While undead did rush Ail too, compared to the chaotic battles involving the two Basilisks, it was negligible.

Of course, the frenzied undead monsters wouldn’t deal significant damage to the bosses.

But this was more than enough.

As befitting a morgue preserving countless corpses, it had a very complex structure with plenty of cover.

‘This strategy… is definitely feasible.’

A new scroll was clenched in Ail’s hand.