Chapter 58

Level Up Heretic Judge – Chapter 58 (58/227)

Chapter 58: Crypt of Corpses (2)

“Kueeeek!”

Regenerated corpse Meremen in the dungeon charged forward.

But those guys fell instantly with just a simple flick of Lucas’s dagger.

With such a huge level gap, Lucas’s secondary weapon was enough to take them out in one hit without even using skills.

Lucas trampled over the butchered monsters and kept moving forward.

The dungeon had passages branching off in all directions, making it an extremely complex structure.

He’d already done some prior recon on the interior layout, but even so, finding their target hiding somewhere inside was proving more complicated.

By now, Toolong and Lucas had been searching separately for over ten minutes.

‘Even so, it’s just a matter of time…’

One thing was certain – their target Ail was definitely in here.

Not long after the Amaranth guild members entered, Ail had tried to make a break for the exit. But one of their teammates was guarding the entrance tightly, forcing Ail to flee back inside.

They hadn’t pursued, not wanting to fall for any potential traps set by the target.

As long as they held the entrance firmly, they knew Ail wouldn’t be able to escape outside no matter what.

Clang!

Just then, the floor sank slightly under Lucas’s step, and long spear blades shot out from both sides.

But Lucas showed no surprise, casually slashing his dagger to cut through all the incoming spear shafts.

Looking at the spears clattering to the ground, he clicked his tongue lightly.

“Quit messing around like kids already…”

Since entering the crypt of corpses, they’d encountered all kinds of traps set up everywhere.

At first, Lucas thought maybe the target had set these up near the entrance after feeling uneasy about escaping the city. But venturing further in revealed that the entire place was basically trap city.

While whoever set them probably tried hard to think things through, in the end they were all pretty amateurish setups that didn’t even scratch him.

“So you actually thought you could catch us with this?”

Lucas snorted derisively.

Their squad leader had warned them not to get complacent, but clearly they were dealing with someone who had no idea what they were up against. The target had likely panicked and fled without thinking.

“Squad Leader?”

Hearing movement through the wall, Lucas turned around.

Sure enough, Toolong appeared from around the corner – apparently their paths had crossed while searching different parts of the dungeon.

“It’s been 15 minutes already.”

“He may lack judgment, but he sure knows how to hide well.”

“Still, we don’t have much time left.”

There weren’t many places left where the target could be hiding.

Considering the dungeon’s layout, if the target had been wandering around trying to evade them, they’d likely have run into monsters and gotten bogged down in fights, or been discovered from the noise. So it was most likely the target was staying hidden in one spot.

By now, there were only four or five possible locations left.

Rustle!

Suddenly, a suspicious sound came from one side.

Both of their heads snapped toward the source immediately, recognizing it wasn’t coming from any monster spawn points.

Whoosh!

Without exchanging a single word or gesture, Toolong and Lucas both sprinted forward simultaneously.

As they approached, Ail emerged from behind a pillar.

‘Damn!’

Ail started running in the opposite direction.

He’d hoped to buy more time, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen.

Zing!

In an instant, Lucas’s arrow flew through the air after drawing his bow.

But Ail quickly dove behind the pillar to dodge it, then turned another corner to escape.

“Like I’m gonna let you slip away!”

Shouting, Lucas pulled something from his grip and hurled it.

Rather than a throwing dagger, it was a thick rope.

Whirrr!

The rope skillfully wrapped around the pillar where the arrow had embedded itself earlier, and Lucas swung himself through the air by pulling tight on it.

“Rope action… so you’re a Tracker.”

Only now did Ail correctly identify his opponent’s class.

“Rope Action” was one of the signature skills of the specialized Archer subclass known as Trackers.

Trackers, true to their name, specialized in tracking and PVP combat. They excelled at wearing down opponents through superior mobility.

Of course, having powerful closing skills was a given.

Whoosh!

Using the rope, the distance between them closed in an instant. Drawing his bow again as he rounded the corner, Lucas pulled the string taut.

But right then-

Thwick!

An unseen thread struck his body and snapped.

Crash!

Before he could react, a wooden trap shaped like grappling hooks launched from the side, hitting Lucas square in the face while he was suspended mid-air. Losing his balance, he crashed to the ground.

Once again, it was one of Ail’s pre-set traps that had activated.

“Damn it all!”

Though nearly falling over, Lucas sprang back up almost immediately. But Ail had already increased the distance between them significantly.

Toolong, who had been following behind, quickly helped Lucas regain his footing before resuming the chase.

No matter how much time Ail managed to buy himself, the speed difference due to the level gap made it impossible to completely escape.

Zzzt!

Lucas’s arrow split into three trails of green light, narrowly missing Ail’s head.

The force of the attack left a large gouge in the rock wall, sending fragments flying.

However, it failed to land a direct hit on Ail.

‘Somehow dodged that?’

Lucas and Toolong couldn’t help but be surprised at what they witnessed.

Dodging arrows flying straight at you while running full speed without even turning around isn’t something rookies can pull off by luck.

“Ho, this guy’s interesting.”

“Don’t get worked up.”

Turning another corner to follow Ail’s movements, they spotted a thin rope stretched across the path ahead.

It was cleverly camouflaged to match the surroundings – the kind of trap you might fall into if you carelessly passed through a dark area.

However, neither Lucas nor Toolong slowed down, instead leaping over the rope without touching it.

This was just misdirection though – the real trap was a thinner thread set further back.

Of course, the Amaranth guild members had seen through this as well, lowering their stances after jumping over the rope to pass safely over the thread.

As expected, Ail had anticipated they would notice most tricks.

After clearing the trap, Toolong immediately activated a skill, propelling himself forward to close the distance.

Clang!

Another of Ail’s pre-set traps went off in quick succession, but Toolong simply barreled through it with a charge skill.

Having caught up directly behind Ail, Toolong raised his twin daggers.

Skill: Rolling Cutter.

Kacha-kacha-kachak!

A circular slash tore through the surrounding walls and floor, leaving deep gouges.

It was a devastating attack that could be considered fatal from just grazing it, but Ail narrowly escaped with his life by stepping back at the last moment.

Having successfully predicted what skill was coming based on Toolong’s preparatory motions, Ail had moved out of range beforehand.

‘Hmm… is he a basic Thief class?’

Frowning at the debris flying around while still running, Ail continued thinking intensely.

Though not entirely certain yet, judging from the two skills used just now, Toolong seemed to be a basic Thief class that hadn’t specialized.

The class system in Warode largely divided into basic classes and specialized subclasses, with one exception.

For example, there were representative basic classes for each category like Warriors and Mages, which then branched further into specialized subclasses within those categories.

To give an example, Necromancers and Summoners would be specialized subclasses within the Mage category.

Rather than saying one was definitively better, the basic classes offered more versatility while the specialized subclasses focused on particular concepts, each having their own advantages and disadvantages.

‘Basic classes usually have a wider range of possible builds. Need to be careful about what skills they might have maxed.’

If his only goal was to escape, Ail wouldn’t need to think this deeply.

However, with the escape route blocked and two players around level 140 hot on his heels…

Clang!

Another trap went off, forcing Toolong to veer sideways to avoid the rising capture trap just as he was about to enter skill range.

Meanwhile, Lucas remained standing in place.

Not because he failed to react, but because he chose to fire an arrow instead of dodging the trap.

Whoosh!

An arrow wreathed in black energy shot toward Ail at blinding speed.

‘That’s…!’

Ail’s eyes widened as he briefly glanced back to check the trap’s effect.

Unfortunately, there was no cover nearby and the projectile was far too fast to dodge.

But there was one thing he absolutely had to avoid.

It was the Tracker’s Mark, a class-exclusive skill that branded targets hit by the arrow with a mark for location tracking, movement speed bonus when approaching, and additional damage effects – truly a monstrous skill.

Once marked, short of defeating the opponent in battle, escaping would be virtually impossible.

Clang!

Desperately swapping weapons, Ail managed to block the black arrow with his dagger.

While the skill itself dealt no significant damage, its effects were terrifying enough to be stopped even with the huge level gap.

However, Tracker’s Mark wasn’t a skill that could be countered simply by blocking it with a weapon.

Sssst!

A burning sound echoed as a black mark appeared on the blade of Ail’s dagger.

“Shit!”

Without hesitation, Ail flung the dagger he was holding off to the side.

Once a piece of equipment was marked, this was the only way to shake off the skill.

If the skill had hit his body instead, this option wouldn’t have been available at all – so at least he’d avoided the worst case scenario.

‘A rare grade item… but can’t be helped.’

Though painful to lose, that wasn’t the priority now.

If he died here, he’d lose at least two equipped items due to level down, so there was no point clinging to just one dagger.

Besides, it had leveled up quite a bit since he first obtained it – he’d planned to sell it soon anyway, so consider this an early retirement.

[Elapsed Time ’00:19:34′]

Checking the timer he’d set beforehand, Ail noticed his breath starting to come shorter.

Still, he had to keep evading these guys somehow.

“Let’s see who wins this little game…”