Chapter 65

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Episode 65 (65/227)

Episode 65: 70% Luck, 30% Skill (Part 5)

“This is Ail, an inquisitor of heresy. Haven’t you seen him around recently?”

“Heresy Inquisitor? You mean those Light Church bastards?”

“Have you seen him?”

“Nah, not at all. If crazy folks like that had come to our area, I’d remember.”

“Hah… damn it…”

Lucas sighed and ruffled his hair.

Another dead end.

After being defeated by Ail, Lucas and his team had immediately resurrected once the penalty ended and went around investigating, but things weren’t resolving as easily as expected.

Even with two teams from Amaranth deployed, progress was frustratingly slow.

Even back when Lucas was with the contracting guild, they rarely encountered such difficulty dealing with a low-level user like this.

‘That bastard’s mine for sure. Can’t just let this slide after getting humiliated by a level 20 punk…’

The humiliating death in the corpse dungeon still rankled Lucas as he gritted his teeth.

“Hey… wait!”

As Lucas was about to leave after showing the photo of Ail, the man stopped him.

“Say, isn’t Amaranth interested in this kind of business? You could make quite a bit of cash if you wanted…”

“What? Do you think we’d risk getting our heads chopped off by the royal family for smuggling drugs?”

“Come on… there’s a new product that’s really profitable lately. Other guilds are starting to get involved too.”

“Sorry, no thanks. Get back to your weapon trading.”

As Lucas turned away, the man clicked his tongue regretfully.

“Guess this won’t last long either. Probably going back to illegal weapon deals.”

Lucas shook his head while walking away.

Apparently this black market dealer NPC had gotten into large-scale drug trafficking, though Lucas didn’t expect them to approach someone like him.

While smuggling itself might be one thing, drug issues were strictly regulated by the royal family.

Though completely useless to players, these items were considered valuable to back-alley NPCs, allowing significant profits through distribution.

Typically handled by small organizations desperate for quick cash or unafraid of risks, expanding operations recklessly like this would likely lead to their downfall sooner rather than later.

It seemed wise to report that their information network needed replacement soon.

“Lucas! We’re moving out now!”

Tulong called from behind.

There was an unusual urgency in his tone.

“Where to so suddenly? Did you find that guy?”

Following Tulong who was already hurrying ahead, Lucas asked.

“Something like that. He made the first move this time.”

An unexpected reply from the client Beken.

However, Amaranth hadn’t sent any mail to him.

Judging from this strange response, it seemed someone claiming to be from Amaranth had sent a letter summoning him to a back alley.

Obviously, it was Ail impersonating them to lure Beken.

“Can’t believe anyone would fall for such a dumb trick…”

“Don’t judge clients by our standards. Think of them as clueless kids instead.”

Those involved in contract work facing various PVP situations were naturally different from those who mainly focused on hunting.

Expecting much from a mere level 20 player was unreasonable.

Fortunately, the client was quite close to their location.

Considering Ail’s skills demonstrated in the corpse dungeon, it was likely the target had already been captured by now.

“Based on the mailbox used to send the letter, they’re probably in the eastern part of the city. Try to rescue the client if possible, and contact us immediately upon discovery.”

“Understood!”

* * *

Creak creak!

Beken, tied to the chair, struggled violently.

But the ropes binding him were securely fastened. Losing balance, he fell over and smashed his head against the floor.

“Guhh…”

With his mouth gagged, Beken couldn’t even scream as he writhed around unconscious.

“For Pete’s sake, stay still.”

Ail, returning after stepping out briefly, approached him and removed the gag.

“You son of a- guh!”

As soon as his mouth was freed, a stream of curses erupted, causing Ail to quickly re-gag him.

“Jeez, sounds like you’ve got a dirty mouth. Try being polite.”

“Blegh blegh!”

Seeing Ail’s face reignited Beken’s rage, making the chair shake as he thrashed about.

His apparent lack of anger management was becoming suspicious.

However, Ail didn’t seem bothered, calmly waiting for Beken to calm down.

When Beken appeared sufficiently cooled down, Ail removed the gag again.

“Hmph! Do you even know who I came here to meet?”

“Yeah, you were coming to meet Amaranth who won’t show up.”

“W-what?”

Realizing Ail knew he was heading to meet an Amaranth member shocked Beken.

Which was obvious since Ail himself had sent the fake summons using Amaranth’s name.

Ail had tracked Beken’s probable location, arrived in the city, and waited for the right moment.

Had Beken used his brain even a little, he’d have noticed something was off about Amaranth suddenly changing their usual communication methods.

Luring him to a deserted back alley away from guards made subduing him effortless.

Still, Ail wasn’t entirely relaxed.

Surely Beken’s reply at the mailbox must have reached Amaranth too, and they wouldn’t fail to realize Beken had been deceived.

While unsure of the exact positions of the two pursuit groups, they were definitely rushing towards the city, making it advantageous to wrap things up quickly.

“I don’t have much time. If we don’t resolve this within ten minutes, I’ll just kill you and go.”

“Resolve? What do you mean resolve? You think you can mess with me and get away scot-free?”

Completely forgetting their roles, Ail sighed.

Then drawing his sword and pressing it against Beken’s neck, said:

“No more talk. Cancel the job or die here. This is your last chance.”

“Hah hah hah!”

Beken burst out laughing maniacally.

“Do you think I’d listen to you? What do I have to fear?”

“Going through with this?”

“Yeah, you piece of s***. Kill me a hundred times if you want. I get to see you die eventually anyway. Assuming you can even kill me.”

Beken’s eyes glowed blood red.

The arrogant man was now completely blinded after being bested by Ail once.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Beken started flailing wildly.

The chair rocked violently as he screamed like a madman. Before Ail could react…

Thud!

“Khh… guk…”

The sword plunged deep into Beken’s neck, and his health rapidly drained.

Having already reduced his health significantly during capture, he died instantly, effectively killing himself in a fit of madness.

“Wha… what the…”

Ail stood frozen in shock.

Approaching Beken directly was a risky choice with many variables, but this outcome was completely unexpected.

And just then, adding insult to injury, an unknown presence was felt from behind.

Bang!

The locked door was violently kicked off its hinges and rolled across the floor.

Three Amaranth members stormed into the room.

Lucas, who had kicked the door down, immediately drew his bow, prompting Ail to break the window and escape.

Clang!

Ail landed in the backyard of the building’s first floor.

The sound of pursuers chasing after him echoed from behind as he dashed into the alleyway without looking back.

“Damn, they got here faster than expected.”

Though he had planned carefully, Amaranth’s response was quicker than anticipated.

“But I didn’t come here without considering this possibility.”

Though things got complicated with pursuers immediately on his tail, Ail wasn’t worried about getting caught.

Having faced them before, Ail was confident in evading them, knowing their skills well.

Most importantly, the situation was different from being inside a dungeon like the corpse dungeon.

In a city with guards, they couldn’t recklessly fire arrows or launch preemptive attacks.

Any non-lethal attacks would only draw unnecessary attention from the guards, potentially reversing their hunter-prey relationship.

To properly finish him off, the pursuers would need to ensure they could kill Ail quickly, then escape the city while avoiding arrest or bounty hunters.

They had far more considerations to make.

And for Ail, who understood this better than anyone, this provided an even stronger advantage than the crude traps in the dungeon.

“Alright… come and get me if you dare!”