Chapter 60

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Episode 60 (60/227)

Episode 60: Corpse Cave (4)

Aaaah!

All the water that had filled the Corpse Cave suddenly drained away, and Ail slowly descended to the floor.

Every single tracker from Amaranth had drowned, their bodies now cold corpses, and even the corpse Meremen swarming the cave had all been swept away.

There was plenty of time before they would respawn, so during his escape, Ail wouldn’t have to worry about monsters interrupting him.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Title ‘High-Level Slayer’ acquired!]

[Title ‘Strong-Weak-Strong-Strong’ acquired!]

[Effect of item ‘Submerged Gem’ has worn off!]

…

Countless interface windows popped up, filling Ail’s view. He methodically read through each one, clearing them as he went.

First off, thanks to the experience gained from this ordeal, his level had increased by 2, bringing him up to level 28.

Though it was a measly amount, since the damage dealt via Ail’s trap counted as kills by his hand, it was officially recognized as such.

Even though it might seem like he didn’t gain enough levels considering the difference in levels between him and his foes, Warode prevents system exploitation by not allowing explosive level-ups no matter how big the gap between player levels is.

For someone at Ail’s current level, he’d already received quite the generous share.

[ numerous heresies have been punished! ]

[Goddess’s Favor +0.51% (Current 56.07%)]

[Light Church Contribution +115]

[Faith Stat +3]

[Insanity Stat +3]

Naturally, since those users who were killing others had the heretic mark clearly stamped on their heads, Ail could obtain additional stat bonuses without needing to use any special heresy skills.

[The Goddess is impressed by your ingenuity and sends her sponsorship.]

[You turned an overwhelming disadvantage into a memorable victory.]

[Light Church Contribution +600]

Impressed by Ail’s performance this time, Lu sent over her sponsorship.

This reward was substantial enough to easily cover the contribution points Ail had spent for this mission, far exceeding mere satisfaction.

His current total contribution points stood at 1,325, which, combined with what he’d been steadily accumulating, was quite a hefty amount.

While he didn’t have an immediate use for them, having more means to respond flexibly in emergencies like this was definitely advantageous.

“Found it!”

Ail rushed towards the body of the Amaranth guild member who had been guarding the entrance to the Corpse Cave.

He had worried that the body might have been swept away by the water flow, but it was still lying close to the entrance.

Faint light emanated from the corpse, indicating it could be looted normally.

The floating corpses of Toolong and Lucas from the Boss Room had already been scavenged earlier, and now he gathered everything together after also collecting items from this new corpse.

After organizing his inventory, Ail began checking the spoils.

‘Wow… this is no joke.’

Around five pieces of high-level equipment dropped from what they had personally been wearing, along with a significant amount of gold.

Since these users mainly focused on PVP, they generally avoided carrying large sums of money to minimize risks. Even so, the amount was staggering compared to what Ail usually encountered at his level.

Including other high-grade potions and various items, the overall haul skyrocketed.

‘Because of the level restriction, I can’t use the gear directly, but if I sell it, I should be able to get at least 4,000 gold.’

As expected, the most profitable part was the equipment they had been wearing.

Each piece alone could fetch a considerable amount in real-world value, meaning he’d struck it rich despite almost dying.

“Phew…”

Ail took a slow breath to calm his trembling hands.

Not only had he survived a fierce battle, but his carefully planned strategy had worked flawlessly, successfully sending three veteran players 100 levels above him back to the game’s login screen.

On top of that, the loot was absolutely epic, making his heart race with excitement.

But Ail suppressed his joy and continued moving forward.

Though he’d won this round, the real challenge lay ahead.

Amaranth Guild wouldn’t simply give up after just one death; they’d come back harder, determined to make up for their loss.

However, based on their principles, once assigned to a target, a team typically handled it from start to finish. Considering the members involved would need to respawn and retrace their steps to find him again, Ail had bought himself at least two days.

With this extra time secured, he now needed to devise a more fundamental solution.

‘This plan worked out well by sheer luck, but I can’t expect them to let their guard down after taking such a hit. Fighting solo against Amaranth, a guild with hundreds of members, is suicide. I need to make them abandon the contract first if I want to survive.’

For Amaranth to voluntarily drop a contract they initially accepted from their client…

It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t impossible either.

Even if you weren’t directly affiliated with an elite guild, there were certain targets Amaranth never touched.

Players associated with the ‘Six Great Guilds,’ which dominated the entire Warode world, or those who had completed special quests for the NPC faction known as the ‘Royal Family’ in the Kingdom of Ascalon.

‘Joining the Six Great Guilds is out of reach for me right now, so my only option is the second approach.’

While beginner players unfamiliar with the lore and geography might overlook this detail, except for the terrifying wilderness areas, every region where players operated fell under the jurisdiction of the ‘Kingdom.’

In Warode, there existed only one kingdom, and thus only one royal family.

Although individual territories were practically managed by player guilds that claimed them, nominally all guilds pledged loyalty to the royals who “delegated” control.

Think of the royal family as a distant emperor figure, only occasionally interfering by taxing territory profits but otherwise letting guild wars and territorial disputes resolve themselves.

Still, the royal family was far from irrelevant among players.

By providing major quests involving royal trade and monster hunts, they maintained significant influence in both combat and daily life. Certain equipment, potions, materials, and exclusive skill books were only available when your relationship status with the royal family reached a certain level.

As the official rulers of the kingdom, the royal family wielded immense power across Warode, even affecting the giant guilds who dared not cross them lightly.

‘And crime guilds especially need to tread carefully around anything related to the royal family.’

Crime guilds, who set up shop anywhere profitable regardless of location, avoid touching anything related to the Kingdom due to the severe sanctions that could be imposed kingdom-wide if they accidentally interfere with royal affairs.

Normally, when problems arise with neighboring forces, criminal organizations simply relocate. However, getting on the bad side of the royal family, who own the entire kingdom, isn’t something that can be resolved by just moving locations.

Indeed, several bounty hunter guilds migrating from other games have dissolved after unknowingly killing users involved in important royal quests, resulting in massive bounties placed on their guilds.

That’s why Amaranth avoids targeting users linked to the royal family.

Being an extremely cautious crime guild, Amaranth steers clear of any potentially risky situations.

This carefulness is one reason why Amaranth has uniquely survived and established itself as the dominant force while countless other prestigious bounty hunter guilds have fallen apart.

And this is what Ail aimed to exploit.

Once he connects himself to the royal family, even Amaranth will cleanly back off.

‘But the problem is that linking myself to the royal family isn’t easy.’

The royal family influences the entire Warode world, handing out high-quality quests and rewarding them accordingly.

Everyone wants to connect with the royal family in some way, and many players try hard to establish ties.

In reality, most players attempting to raise their relationship standing with the royal family through menial tasks around the capital end up frustrated and give up before making progress.

As wandering drifters, regular players have little chance to enter the palace or converse with influential nobles.

Unless you’re lucky enough to stumble upon a special quest, there’s no real way to initiate a relationship.

Even after over a year since Warode’s release, very few players have managed to interact with the royal family, and most of those connections happened by accident rather than intent.

‘But it’s not entirely impossible.’

Just last week, an item related to the royal family became available to all players without restriction.

The ‘Torn Royal Seal’ started dropping from specific hunting grounds’ monsters, and if you collected 15 pieces and restored it, it would become the quest item ‘Royal Seal’.

This fact became quite the topic among players, and many were trying out this method by heading to the designated hunting grounds.

There was, however, a challenging condition.

Only monsters at least 20 levels higher than the player could drop the seal.

Given the difficulty of fighting monsters 20 levels above, many players attempting this were dying frequently.

But with Ail receiving combat boosts from both insanity and divine favor stats, it was worth a shot.

‘The low drop rate is worrying… but there’s nothing else I can do but try.’