Chapter 132

Level Up Heretic Judge – Chapter 132 (132/227)

Chapter 132: Underground World (6)

Ail and Roden, after spotting the Salamander, returned to where their group was waiting.

Though they had spotted the beast, it was way down in a deep ravine, making it impossible to descend via the cliffs.

However, they now had a clear grasp of its location.

With this, their direction was set.

While they brought back good news, the dishes that were being prepared nearby already looked amazing, laid out with impressive visuals.

But incongruously, an awful stench wafted from somewhere.

“Huh? What’s that smell…?”

Ail and the others scanned their surroundings.

They were searching for the source of the smell, and soon their gazes landed on a pot placed over the bonfire.

It was brimming with a purplish liquid.

It bubbled and emitted a foul odor, looking like it was exuding death itself.

“Is this… cooking…?”

“Incredible, it turned into poison.”

Everyone broke out in cold sweat at the absurd situation.

The pot had clearly been filled with fresh ingredients, yet what emerged was something unrecognizable as food from this world.

The dish Ria had tried to cook had turned into a deadly poison instead.

What’s more, it wasn’t just ordinary poison.

“This is incredible. The additional damage… If someone swallowed this directly, they’d die without exaggeration.”

Roden, checking the information window, let out an impressed sigh.

Upon examining its effects, what she had created was a highly potent toxin capable of inflicting massive damage.

“Even though all the ingredients seemed normal… creating such powerful poison is astonishing. Lady Ria has a real talent for finding surprising recipes.”

Lisa also commented, clearly impressed.

In Warode, there existed countless types of poisons. Even poisons with similar effects could be made through vastly different combinations.

Sometimes, even using identical ingredients, slight variations in cooking time or order could produce wildly different results.

Yet somehow, Ria had accidentally discovered the perfect combination of cheap ingredients to create top-tier poison.

Though it might have been a stroke of luck, it was certainly not something anyone could do easily.

“This… this can’t be right…”

Cursed with her peculiar talent, Ria stared at the horrifying result of her efforts, her face already halfway to tears.

“Uh, could I maybe use some of this? I’ve been looking for some decent poison to try out anyway.”

“Yeah… sure, take it.”

Ria nodded dejectedly, her face still gloomy.

Roden excitedly coated his weapon’s edge with the poison.

Since he mostly played passively, he couldn’t help but be interested in weapon poisons that added variables to fights.

He carefully poured the remaining poison into a potion bottle and stored it in his inventory.

As these two veterans admired the unexpected turn of events, Ail offered words of comfort to her.

“Lady Ria, don’t feel too bad. When you’re cooking, sometimes poison happens, right? Maybe…”

“Really?”

Of course not.

But sometimes, a well-intentioned lie was necessary, so Ail gave her an awkward smile.

* * *

“Is this the right place?”

“Yes, it seems correct.”

Having reached their destination, Ail’s party stopped.

Once they pinpointed the exact location, getting there was almost instantaneous.

Before them stood the entrance leading to the final chamber where the Salamander slept.

The entrance was sealed by a thick stone door. They pushed hard, but it didn’t budge.

‘Figures… I’ll need this.’

Ail reached into his inventory, unsurprised, and pulled out a quest item.

It was the “Gray Key” given to him by the Dwarves who assigned this mission.

Long ago, various races united to seal away the Salamander that once terrorized Eltris, and thus its entry was magically blocked.

Ordinarily, no one—not even the Dwarves guarding the tomb—was supposed to enter.

However, the problem was that the last source of contamination in Eltris rested exactly here, where the Salamander slumbered.

If left unchecked, the contamination would spread, causing serious problems. To cleanse it, they needed to enter.

Fortunately, the Salamander had grown quite weak due to its long imprisonment, which was why they entrusted the mission to Ail.

Creeeak!

The ancient door slowly opened.

Beyond the parted stone doors lay a vast central area surrounded by multiple tiers, resembling a Colosseum.

Its height and width were so immense it was hard to believe it was indoors.

Most of the ceiling was closed off, but one side connected to the deep ravine Ail had seen earlier, leaving a gaping hole overhead.

‘There it is…’

Ail located the source of contamination.

It emitted a polluted aura, and to complete the quest, he would need to purify it using the Spirit Stone fragment.

However, blocking the path stood a creature that drew everyone’s attention.

Gruuug!

The sleeping Salamander suddenly awakened, opening its eyes wide.

“Hold on, Epic Boss…?”

The name “Salamander Belargos” appeared in the info window, glowing in deep red.

This meant it was an Epic Boss monster.

Epic Bosses were a class apart from regular bosses they had faced before. Among players, they were treated similarly to large-scale field bosses requiring raid teams.

The main reason was their rarity.

Since Epic Bosses never respawn, encountering one was extremely rare, and their rewards were famously generous.

Of course, this also meant they were much harder than other bosses, with higher difficulty levels and patterns.

Regardless, this was Ail’s first Epic Boss raid.

[Sinful Entity Detected!]

[You have encountered the Sacred Desecrator who plunged Eltris into chaos: ‘Salamander Belargos’. Make sure it pays for its sins!]

[Failure will result in severe penalties!]

Moreover, it was marked as a Sacred Desecrator.

It absolutely had to be defeated without failure.

Tiiing!

The chains binding the Salamander began snapping one by one.

The crouching giant slowly rose.

“Aaah…”

Overwhelmed by its size, Ria gazed upward, stunned.

Even before the battle began, just looking at it evoked a sense of intimidation.

However, the first action taken by those who entered wasn’t staring at the boss.

There was no time for that.

Though Ria remained transfixed on the dragon, Ail and the other three party members quickly assessed their surroundings in preparation for the raid.

The Salamander, supposedly sealed after a great battle long ago…

Weapons used during its sealing were stacked around the room.

Chain harpoon launchers.

These weapons, resembling giant ballistae, mostly appeared undamaged and seemed operational.

Surrounding the Salamander bound by chains were multiple tiers.

How to use them was obvious.

“Ail!”

“Understood!”

No need for further communication.

The moment they saw each other, Ail and Roden immediately sprinted off in opposite directions.

Rooaaar!

Meanwhile, the Salamander broke free from all its chains and unleashed a thunderous roar.

The massive creature stood up fully and spread its enormous wings, filling the entire field of vision.

Kraaaang!

With a single swipe of its arm, everything in front was utterly devastated.

“Hurry up!”

“Y-Yes!”

Lisa pulled Ria up to safety.

Meanwhile, Ail and Roden had already reached their respective positions on the upper levels.

Staying on the ground level with the Salamander would mean certain death, regardless of skill.

Gruuug!

The Salamander moved swiftly, smashing everything around it, forcing the party members to dodge its attacks while being thrown about by the tremors.

“Ugh, can’t prepare at all…”

Due to the shaking floor, Ria collapsed onto the ground.

Even Ria, skilled as she was, struggled to cast spells properly with the Salamander rampaging uncontrollably.

A situation where even ranged classes found it difficult to deal damage.

At this rate, the raid would end with them merely dodging attacks.

But then, Ail at the left tier finished loading the launcher.

Chirrrrk!

Bam!

A massive chain harpoon pierced the Salamander’s neck.

It penetrated through its tough scales.

Kraaaa!

In pain, the Salamander roared wildly and thrashed about.

But the harpoon lodged firmly into its neck wouldn’t budge, nor would the attached chain and launcher.

Because of this, despite its wild movements, the Salamander’s actions became noticeably restricted compared to before.

‘So it works!’

To defeat an Epic Boss, utilizing environmental objects was essential.

The launchers on each tier were designed to temporarily restrain it and seemed capable of fulfilling that role.

Of course, dealing meaningful damage or completely subduing it was impossible.

They could only limit its chaotic movements to some extent.

Despite carrying a chain, the Salamander continued to swing its arms and lash its tail like a whip, unleashing threatening attacks.

But the difference with and without the chains was significant.

“We need to keep pinning it down!”

“I’ll go next!”

Ziiing!

This time, Roden’s harpoon struck the Salamander’s side.

Clearly, trapping such a colossal beast with just two or three launchers was impossible.

Ail, Roden, and eventually Lisa took turns manning the launchers across the tiers.

The harpoons piercing the Salamander increased one by one, and the chains pulling from all sides tightened.

The Salamander’s movements slowed significantly.

Thanks to this, Ria finally had the chance to cast spells.

Kraaaaang!

Powerful explosions enveloped the Salamander.

Ria’s high-damage magic spells struck repeatedly, gradually reducing the Salamander’s immense health.

Kraaaa!

The Salamander’s patience finally snapped.

It roared ferociously and opened its massive mouth wide.

Zzzzsssh!

Dark breath gathered between its jaws.

The pattern was obvious.

“Breath attack! Get out of the way! Head for the corners!!”

Ria urgently shouted to her allies.

But she hadn’t noticed the most important fact.

The Salamander’s breath was aimed not at others, but directly at her.