Chapter 44

Level Up Heresy Judge-Chapter 44 (44/227)

Chapter 44: Manners Make the Man (7)

“What… what is this?”

Beken muttered in disbelief.

He was lying pathetically on the ground, face planted into the dirt, and his fallen party member beside him wasn’t faring much better.

Both were down to about half their strength from the battle, but they hadn’t even managed to lay a finger on their single opponent before being defeated.

It wasn’t due to gear or level differences, nor had they fallen prey to some dirty trick.

This was purely a result of skill—or rather, the lack thereof.

Thud!

As his opponent collapsed into near-death, Ail sheathed his sword.

Then he approached the incapacitated duo.

“Hey you! Ugh! Gah! Ack…!”

Summoning a gag with a skill, Ail quickly silenced the man who had been shouting at the top of his lungs.

With others unaware of the full situation, it was best not to complicate things further. Handling this quietly was the smarter move.

Ail then moved toward Beken.

Attempting to silence him too, Beken violently resisted.

“Hey you XXXX! How dare you touch me? XXXXXX! Can’t you see the guild insignia branded here?! XXXXX!”

Beken’s aggressive outburst was filtered heavily.

Among the many advanced systems in Warode, including real-time bidirectional translation, was a high-performance swear filter that analyzed player expressions and tones to censor language.

With such an outburst, naturally the beeps were rampant.

Ail frowned at Beken’s vulgar rant but instead of silencing him, he dropped the gag and spoke.

“Insignia… You’re talking about your guild, right?”

“Yeah, you XXX! I’m part of White Fang! You’re as good as dead…!”

“Do you even know your guild’s in emergency mode right now? They’re all tied up cleaning up after the Frost Flame and Echo Cave incidents. They’ve got no time or resources to chase someone like me. Hell, whether they’d even care about your whining since you’re not even an official member is questionable.”

“What…?”

Beken stared blankly, hearing this for the first time.

“Seriously, even if you’re just a parachute recruit propped up by connections, shouldn’t you at least know something basic like that?”

Ail looked at him with disdain.

What he said wasn’t bluster or stalling—it was pure fact without a shred of falsehood.

White Fang Guild was currently dealing with serious friction caused by a recent clash with Frost Flame Guild.

It started innocently enough when rookies from both guilds formed a party to hunt a boss monster.

They successfully took down the boss but arguments over loot distribution escalated into physical altercations. Each side called for backup from nearby guild members in the city, leading to escalating tensions.

Despite starting with neutral feelings, the groups couldn’t reach agreement, and emotions flared into a full-scale brawl. Many from White Fang perished, and Frost Flame lost three members including new recruits.

If that had been the end, things might have settled. But revenge attacks followed, sparking retaliations and creating a tangled mess of trouble.

Now deeply entrenched in animosity, resolving matters through dialogue alone would be difficult. Worse, engaging in open warfare could leave both guilds devastated regardless of the victor.

Leaders on both sides were furiously negotiating, keeping main forces ready in case things escalated to all-out war. Amidst this chaos, there was no way they’d spare resources to deal with some level 21 rookie troublemaker.

Though this info wasn’t widely known among regular players yet, credible insider rumors were already circulating behind the scenes.

“Stop joking around!! Where did you hear such nonsense…? Right now you’re just trying to scare me, but if you so much as touch me…”

Crack!

Ail stomped on one of Beken’s fingers, crushing it.

Stunned, Beken stared at his hand.

“Wha…?”

The sensation was strange—numbness he’d never felt since starting the game. Having only ever relied on guild intimidation, this was his first PVP experience, leaving him speechless.

Despite referencing his guild, Beken couldn’t believe anyone would dare attack him.

“Does it look like I’m here to joke around?”

Swish!

A mysterious tome appeared in Ail’s hand, opening wide.

And thus, judgment was pronounced upon the marked sinner.

[Sentenced to Burning at the Stake!]

“What… what are you doing…!”

The burning sentence notification flashed clearly above Beken’s head.

“Think I haven’t seen enough guys like you relying on connections? Your lines while sprawled on the ground are always the same. People like you don’t come to their senses until they get a taste of their own medicine.”

Crack!

Suddenly, stakes rose from the ground, forming a proper execution setup.

Ail bound Beken tightly with ropes and dragged him to one of the stakes.

In his near-death state, Beken could offer no resistance.

With Beken secured to the stake, Ail summoned a small flame on his palm using the ‘Sacred Flame’ skill.

Whoosh!

The white flames leapt onto the straw bundles, growing rapidly into a roaring inferno.

“Spare… Spare me! Wait… Just wait a moment!!”

The intense heat beneath his feet left Beken dazed.

Watching the wild white flames inch closer filled him with terror far worse than mere burns.

But Ail had already turned away, ignoring his pleas.

“Kuaaaaahh!”

White flames engulfed Beken and the stake completely.

Yet Ail simply let him scream, moving instead to the remaining accomplice.

“You’re a knight class, right? Looks like you’ll burn a bit longer then.”

“Mmmph… Mmmph!”

The gagged man thrashed in fear.

Coldly grabbing his leg, Ail dragged him to another stake.

Only drag marks remained where the man had been.

* * *

Crash!

A longsword pierced Barora’s back.

Caught off guard by recoil after a charge pattern, Barora wobbled, nearly depleted from earlier fights.

Had the raid continued, this would’ve been its final attack pattern.

Of course, now that Ail had taken control, all he had to do was enjoy the spoils of others’ hard work.

“Keearrrr!”

Barora let out one last defiant roar before collapsing helplessly to the ground.

[You have leveled up!]

Ail’s previously nearly full experience bar soared past the next level mark, accumulating a significant amount.

Soloing a boss recommended for at least three players granted massive experience.

Warode didn’t award experience solely based on landing the final blow.

But since those who had drained most of Barora’s health were already dead, Ail claimed all the experience for himself.

“This feels almost unfair,” Ail mused.

When planning to fight Barora, he figured the relatively simple attack patterns despite strong stats meant he could solo it through repetitive grinding. Never did he expect it to go this smoothly.

While the party mistakenly thought they’d seized the boss spot, spending valuable potions weakening Barora, Ail leisurely hunted lesser monsters elsewhere—a clear advantage.

Plus, slaughtering them provided stats, experience, and items—making these fools practically gifts sent his way.

[A Goddess impressed by your plan smiles joyfully.]

[‘Light Judge Lu’ willingly sponsors you.]

[Goddess Favor +0.41% (Current 54.07%)]

[Light Church Contribution +150]

‘Huh…’

Separate from the rewards for killing the players, this contribution value appeared.

According to the message, ‘Lu’ personally sponsored him, likely expending her influence as a gift to her apostle.

‘Really shouldn’t be surprised… She’s done similar things often enough. Still, her constant reactions feel like watching some slacker roll around while live-streaming my actions…’

Absentmindedly, Ail imagined Lu lounging casually on a bed somewhere.

Even though it was part of the Warode world, thinking such irreverent thoughts about his deity felt wrong.

Every time she watched and approved of his actions, sending sponsorships and quests, it was hard not to imagine her as some idle watcher enjoying the show.

When Beken and his group tried forcibly taking the boss spot, the goddess kept urging him to kill them immediately. When he backed down politely after being insulted, the message window nearly exploded with her frustration.

There were so many messages during that time, it seemed her available influence had suddenly increased.

Later, when Ail roasted all the thugs, her enthusiastic reaction confirmed her distinct preferences.

‘To be honest, knowing she’s watching somewhere is unsettling, but dismissing her would be foolish. The benefits are too great.’

At first glance, her rewards seemed trivial, but closer inspection revealed immense value.

Just considering the 150 points gained this time and the previous instant quest granting 300 contribution points in Forbidden Ruins…

Without the ‘Sentence Pronounced’ skill doubling rewards, capturing ten heretics wouldn’t have matched it.

Even if Ail had no intention of backing down, had he feared Beken’s words and surrendered the spot, the angered goddess would’ve likely punished him severely, drastically reducing favor.

Though seemingly troublesome, properly utilized, this system could become a powerful tool.

An unseen benefactor supported him, and Ail wasn’t stupid enough to ignore such an advantage.

‘Seems I need to cater to her tastes more…’