Chapter 110

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Episode 110 (110/227)

Episode 110: The Art of Hunting (3)

Thud!

Ail, having gracefully leaped over the tall wall, landed on the ground.

At the heart of Dragon Tail Forest, a large lizardman village sprawled out, and Ail was stealthily infiltrating without being noticed.

Avoiding the eyes of the lizardmen as much as possible, Ail had ventured deep inside and pulled out a map in the shadows.

“Not here either… So, there’s only this place left.”

As Ail thoughtfully examined the map he’d been marking, considering the layout of the hunting grounds and the positions of the lizardmen, he pondered.

He’d already checked the most suspicious spots based on these factors.

But so far, no trace of the Heretics had been found, leaving only one location from his initial guesses.

“I hope this is it.”

The reaction of the lizardmen, who had witnessed their kin slaughtered, grew increasingly agitated.

Though it was his own doing, it seemed best to wrap things up quickly rather than risk another round of suspicion and circling the inner area.

The last point nearby…

Clunk!

Evading the guards’ gaze, Ail sneaked into an old-looking lizardman building.

“You…?”

An unknown figure in a shabby robe turned to look at Ail.

The elderly-sounding voice held a staff at an angle and wore an eerie crow mask.

It was Daeche, a heretic mage from the Heretic Corps.

“Are you a tracker sent by the kingdom?”

“No.”

Swish!

A white flame ignited on Ail’s longsword.

Seeing the Heretic Corps insignia embroidered on the robe, there was no need for pretense.

“Ahh, so you’re a heresy judge from the Light Church. You’re annoying me already… I’ve told you countless times not to get involved with the fanatics of Lu too early.”

Daeche clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

The crazed believers of Lu were notorious for their obsessive pursuit of heretics, making them difficult adversaries to turn against.

Thus, even the old man before him seemed opposed to their involvement.

Still, he wondered why they took such risks to create enemies.

“Why did you attack the church?”

“Oh? You actually ask questions before fighting? Surprising. Everyone I’ve met so far has been completely mad.”

“Well… Doesn’t matter if you don’t answer. I’ll find out myself.”

Ail raised his sword.

Not expecting to learn anything useful immediately anyway.

Just… it was strange being treated like a lunatic even by those dabbling in forbidden magic.

“Hmph. Don’t want to waste mana, but can’t help it now.”

Boom!

Daeche forcefully struck the ground with his staff.

Spreading dark energy dyed the floor black, summoning a massive black hound that looked more like something from hell than earth.

Its grotesque appearance reeked of foul odors as it lunged at Ail with its mouth wide open.

Reacting swiftly, Ail dodged and checked the creature’s stats.

“50 levels… An elite monster?”

Despite assuming it was just a simple summoned beast from the casting alone, it turned out to be an upper-tier elite monster.

With such short casting time summoning elites, there was no denying the efficiency of forbidden magic.

However, thanks to that, the ominous mark of heresy was clearly stamped above the dark hound’s head.

Whoosh!

Dodging another charge, Ail slashed at its leg.

Not a fatal blow, but enough to gauge the creature’s approximate health and estimate its strength.

“About this level…”

As the creature’s claw swiped towards him, Ail activated a reversal skill.

Grabbing it instantly, Ail swung his sword upward, slicing cleanly through the monster’s back.

Kuaaaak!

The creature roared in agony, spewing black blood as it was engulfed in flames.

Ail’s sword plunged deeper into the creature’s head as it fell.

[Heresy Eliminated!]

[Goddess’s Favor +0.14% (Current 75.10%)]

[Light Church Contribution +30]

[Faith Stat +1]

[Madness Stat +1]

“W-What…!”

Shock filled Daeche’s voice as he prepared his next spell.

Despite being an upper-tier summoned beast that shouldn’t fall easily, it had been defeated without giving him time to cast another spell.

Hastily finishing his casting, Daeche summoned wave after wave of creatures.

All elite-level monsters like before, charging at Ail under his command.

But they met the same fate.

No matter how many skills Ail used in succession, the summoned beasts fell helplessly before him, causing Daeche’s complexion to pale further.

Clang clang clang!

Then two heavily armored golems appeared as Daeche’s final trump card.

Summoned to buy time, these defensive units boasted impressive defenses.

But even they couldn’t properly counter Ail.

Their high defenses were nullified by equally high penetration effects, leaving the slow-moving giants vulnerable to one-sided attacks.

Next came hundreds of corpse-like beings crawling from the ground, but they were instantly incinerated by Ail’s fiery barrage skill.

“This… can’t be…”

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“Nothing else to summon?”

Relaxed, Ail downed a mana potion.

And his question hit the mark.

While forbidden magic offered great efficiency, the number of summons was limited, and Daeche had reached his limit.

Crack!

“Guhk…!”

Struck down instantly, Daeche collapsed face-first.

In near-death condition, unable to move, Daeche’s fate was sealed the moment Ail decided.

Having kept him alive simply out of consideration for more stats and contributions from the continuous summoning of marked heretical creatures.

“Just now was a bit dangerous. Guess summoners really have low HP.”

Daeche was on the brink of death from that single strike, and would have died outright if Ail hadn’t turned off his Sacred Flame.

Can’t let this caught fish slip away again.

Ail quickly gagged and bound him with ropes.

“Any other clues…”

Turning around, Ail inspected the ransacked room.

Appearing to be Daeche’s lab-office, Ail carefully searched for any leads.

“Hold on, what’s this…?”

Finding something beneath the toppled bookshelf, Ail picked it up.

A royal seal bearing someone’s signature.

[You have discovered a Key Quest Item!]

[A related Chain Quest will automatically begin!]

[You have received a large amount of experience points!]

[You have leveled up!]

“What…?”

Ail stared dumbfounded at the messages.

Receiving a massive amount of experience out of nowhere.

While defeating several elite monsters earlier contributed, getting enough from finding an item alone to level up was quite rare.

Even an automatic assignment of an unaccepted chain quest.

Kiik! Kiik!

But then angry cries sounded from outside.

Lizardmen were gathering from all directions, drawn by the battle noise.

“Guess I should leave now.”

Carrying the unconscious Daeche over his shoulder, Ail exited the room.

Already having planned an escape route.

Time to take another step forward in this world quest’s grand stage.

* * *

“We thank you for your efforts. We will ensure the prisoner is safely escorted to the Heretical Interrogation Office without incident.”

“Thank you, priest. I’ll leave it to you.”

With a bow, Ail stepped back.

After returning from Dragon Tail Forest, the first place Ail went was the Temple of Lu.

Delivering the captured Heretic Corps member to the Light Church-managed temple.

Too far away to personally escort the prisoner to the Heretical Interrogation Office near Rockport.

Thus, the nearest Light Temple would handle the escort, and surely conduct the interrogation better than anyone.

While uncertain of the outcome, if the interrogation failed, whether handled by himself or others, the result would be the same.

With some time remaining until the escort and interrogation concluded, Ail paused to think.

“Reached level 50, but skills are the problem.”

Currently, Ail had one vacant slot in his newly activated skill window.

The previous skill books he possessed included one purple and two reds – certainly not insufficient.

But in Warode’s skill book system where luck plays a significant role, “enough” doesn’t exist, and despite using all three books, he hadn’t obtained any usable skills.

A rare skill did appear once, but it was just another single-target attack with average performance overlapping with One Thread, forcing him to pass.

Apparently staying in one spot farming would eventually cause issues with acquiring higher-grade skill books.

“Now what to do about this…”

The most representative way to obtain skill books was through quests or boss monsters.

But he wanted to avoid stalling growth just for skill books.

“Should tidy up my items while thinking about this…”

Ail headed towards the city auction house.

To register acquired items and collect proceeds from previously listed ones, it was necessary to visit whenever visiting a hub area.

As Ail entered a deserted alleyway,

A pair approached from across the street, cloaked and hooded.

“Hmm…”

Something felt off about the atmosphere.

His instincts screamed a warning, and Ail immediately turned to leave the alley.

“Excuse me, wait a moment!”

The woman calling out to Ail hastily removed her hood.

Her hair flowed with a clear blue hue, and Ail involuntarily looked up to see her revealed face.

A face he already knew… No, a face impossible to not recognize.

Saeya, the sole princess and bloodline of the royal family ruling all of Warode, stood before Ail.