Chapter 13

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Chapter 13 (13/227)

Chapter 13: Blasphemer (5)

Swoosh!

Ail smoothly drew his sword as he faced the Tregawl.

As the monstrous Tregawl with its grotesque body approached Ail, nearby monsters and zombies scattered in fear, fleeing from its presence.

It stretched its unnaturally long arms upward and then slammed them down with great force.

KWAANG!

The ground shook violently, creating a crater, while Ail narrowly escaped by rolling to the side.

He glanced at the item in his hand.

Four potions of different colors contained within transparent vials—doping potions he’d bought by spending all his money at a shop in Duel.

Doping potions temporarily boost a user’s stats and are usually reserved for large-scale wars, raids, or dungeon clears after one has established themselves—not something you’d use this early on when funds are scarce.

But after obtaining the rare “Red Mana Orb” item from a horned rabbit and leveling up against zombies here, Ail had devised a plan to take on the boss Tregawl.

[Attack increased temporarily!]

[Defense increased temporarily!]

[Speed increased temporarily!]

[Max HP increased temporarily!]

Swallowing the swirling liquids in quick succession, Ail felt his stats rise.

Though he’d spent all his starting capital on these four bottles, if he could defeat the boss monster before him, it would be worth every coin.

Taking on a high-level boss solo was daunting, but the intimidation and fear effects emitted by the Tregawl were naturally nullified by his passive skill, making this a relatively manageable challenge.

WHOOSH!

The Tregawl’s arm swung again, but Ail dodged nimbly.

Now was the time to carefully react and move.

Even though his class didn’t have low HP, one single strike from the Tregawl could still result in instant death due to its insane stats.

To deal damage, he needed to break through the tough carapace covering its entire body—a painstaking process.

He had to focus attacks on one specific part until it shattered, as no amount of magic or brute force could penetrate until then.

However, Ail knew its weakest point. While evading the heavy swings of the Tregawl, he circled around and pulled out an item from his inventory, hurling it toward the creature’s head.

KWAANG!

The holy explosion gem erupted in a blinding white light, damaging the back of the Tregawl’s neck and causing it to stagger.

“Hmm… one isn’t enough.”

Without hesitation, Ail grabbed another gem and triggered another explosion.

Each detonation dealt significant damage to the already weakened carapace on the Tregawl’s neck.

This was partly thanks to Ail’s passive skill, Blade of Hatred, which increased all damage against heresy by 25%, including consumable items like explosive gems.

Additionally, the gems carried holy attributes specifically effective against undead, further amplifying their power.

KWAANG!

With the third explosion, the carapace finally shattered completely.

But just as Ail managed that, he got caught in one of the Tregawl’s attacks.

After being thrown around for quite some time, Ail weakly lifted his head, pulling out a healing potion.

“Ughh…”

Focusing on the same spot proved difficult due to the Tregawl’s erratic movements, and eventually, he allowed himself to get hit once.

Even though it was only a glancing blow, his health dropped below 10%, nearly killing him.

Quickly drinking a potion restored him to about 30%, allowing him to jump back up.

There was no time to fully heal during such an intense boss battle.

BOOM!

Dodging a swing by rolling, Ail leapt onto the Tregawl’s arm, climbing onto its massive body.

Maintaining balance atop the thrashing beast wasn’t easy, but Ail gripped onto its rugged carapace and slowly ascended.

Reaching the damaged area at the back of its neck, he planted another explosive gem inside.

Hanging precariously, teeth clenched, Ail held on tightly as the explosion rocked the creature.

KWAANG!

The unprotected Tregawl wobbled under the impact of the blast.

Ail barely managed to stay on despite the violent shaking.

Still, even with top-tier items, consumables alone weren’t enough to finish off a boss.

As the Tregawl’s HP decreased, it entered Phase Two, becoming even more frenzied.

SSSSHHHIIIIIKKK!

Poison gas erupted from the wounds caused by the explosions, filling not only Ail’s position but also the surrounding area.

[System Message: Poisoned by Monster!]

– HP decreases over time.

“Here we go…”

Seeing his health bar start to deplete, Ail immediately climbed higher, gripping his sword firmly.

Now it became a race against time.

Once the Tregawl’s HP fell below a certain threshold, it transitioned into Phase Two, spewing poison endlessly from its corpse-like body. If the raid dragged on too long, everyone nearby would die regardless of distance.

Reaching the base of the neck, Ail reversed his grip on his longsword and plunged it downward with all his might.

PUUUUUURRK! SWOOSH!

Blood gushed out as the blade pierced flesh, visibly chipping away at the Tregawl’s remaining health.

But it wasn’t enough.

His current level and equipment weren’t sufficient to overpower the much stronger Tregawl, so prolonged combat was inevitable.

With his health gradually decreasing from the poison, Ail paused his strikes momentarily, draining three of the five remaining potions.

Then he resumed hacking away, maintaining steady balance despite the Tregawl’s violent shaking.

While the gems couldn’t outright finish the job, they provided valuable assistance, exactly what Ail hoped for.

Having breached the toughest obstacle—the Tregawl’s carapace—it now came down to raw skill.

Both Ail and the Tregawl’s health continued to dwindle, creating an exhilarating tug-of-war between victory and death.

This kind of thrill hadn’t been experienced in a long time.

PUUUUUURRK!

Draining the last potion bottle, Ail delivered another powerful stab.

Judging by the Tregawl’s reaction, it seemed close to defeat—but Ail’s own health was down to just 29%.

“This is getting dangerous…”

Such battles often came down to razor-thin margins, and this situation was no exception, leaving even Ail uncertain of the outcome.

17%, 15%, 10%, 5%.

Ail’s health raced toward zero, while the Tregawl bled profusely, staggering.

Finally reaching 2%…

Yet the Tregawl still refused to fall.

[Remaining Health 1%, Death beckons…]

Ail’s strength began to fade, and the bitter taste of failure loomed heavily in his chest.

But then…

Suddenly, his health bar surged upward, restoring his energy.

“What… is this?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Ail’s eyes widened in surprise.

But there was no time to dwell on it, and instinctively, he moved his hand.

KRAAAAK!

GOOOORRRRGGGGHHH!

Delivering the final blow deep into the back of the neck, the Tregawl let out an ear-piercing scream before collapsing forward with a thunderous crash.

Ail clung to the embedded sword, standing triumphantly atop the fallen beast.

“Well, next time I should budget better.”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow after a moment of intense excitement, Ail reflected.

He had almost died, only to be saved at the last second by a sudden healing spell that brought his health above 30%.

It must have been the healer he met earlier on the rooftop of the building where users gathered who sent a timely heal his way.

Accurately targeting someone from such a distance without buffs or enhancements was incredibly difficult, yet this perfectly timed heal suggested an understanding of the overall raid situation.

“I should thank them later.”

Despite the risks involved, the successful conclusion brought relief.

Pulling out his sword, Ail delivered the finishing blow to the near-dead Tregawl.

CRACK!

As its life finally ended, the thick carapace and decaying corpse collapsed into pieces.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[‘Blasphemer’ eliminated alone!]

[Light Church Contribution +145]

[Faith Stat +10]

[Madness Stat +10]

[Goddess Favor +1.59% (Current: 51.86%)]

[A stronger blessing from the Goddess rests upon you.]

[Battle-related abilities slightly increased.]

[Title ‘Divine Punisher’ obtained!]

[Equipping increases all stats by +10, increases damage against heretics by +3%.]

As the monster’s life ended, system messages appeared one after another.

Not only did he gain two levels at once, but his stats, contribution points, and favor rating soared significantly.

And he earned an exceptionally valuable title that few users in the teens could match.

All these lavish rewards were thanks to defeating a ‘Blasphemer’.

Blasphemer.

A term used exclusively by the Light Church, it refers to entities whose very existence defies doctrine—grave heresies or powerful enemies of the church labeled as ‘blasphemers’.

These foes rank above regular heretics and rarely appear among evil-aligned bosses.

Naturally, given their status as the church’s greatest adversaries and their immense power, the rewards for defeating them are proportionally greater.

Thanks to this battle, each of his stats rose by 10 points, and most notably, his Goddess Favor rating neared 52%.

Contrary to public opinion that managing favor was extremely difficult, Ail steadily accumulated it, resulting in corresponding boosts to his combat stats.

Initially chosen somewhat randomly, this career path surprisingly suited him well.

And then, amidst his satisfaction, a brilliant message floated before him:

[You stand on the path to becoming an Apostle! (100.00%) ]

[Congratulations! You have been chosen by ‘Judge of Light, Lu’.]

[Ascension to Apostle is in progress.]

[System Rebooting 99.9%…]