Chapter 72

Level Up Heresy Judge – Episode 72 (72/227)

Episode 72: Light and Shadow (3)

Suddenly, a message popped up as Ail’s level increased to 31.

Ail carefully read the first line about completing the scenario and the phrase “partial experience.”

“Scenario Dungeon…”

If the dungeon at Hard Rock Cave was just a taste of scenarios that triggered upon failing to escape within the time limit, this one smelled like the real deal from the start.

“The amount of experience feels unusual…”

Though he’d already gained some experience from clearing out bandits in the Flapitz Mountains, even considering the undead monsters he’d just defeated, leveling up so quickly wasn’t ordinary.

Just thinking it was only partial experience made it easy to guess how rewarding clearing it entirely would be.

Crunch!

Nesha suddenly bent down and pulled on Ail’s arm.

Without needing to ask what was going on, it became immediately clear.

Below their feet, past the narrow passage, were countless undead monsters—obviously too many to recklessly charge through.

Before they exited the passage, Nesha had detected them thanks to her Shadow Watcher passive skill: Presence Detection.

“Ruins… or rather, an abandoned village?”

At first glance, the buildings looked too ruined to be anything but strange ruins, but closer inspection revealed traces of a town that had been completely destroyed.

Most importantly, the name of this dungeon was “Village of Ruin.”

Who would have thought people once lived deep inside a valley cave? Clearly, something catastrophic had happened here.

“So those undead we saw earlier were originally villagers here? There was no mention of any dungeon around here before… this is getting interesting.”

This was definitely a dungeon Ail hadn’t heard of before, which only made him more curious.

While there was no prior information, one thing was certain: this was likely an undiscovered hidden dungeon unknown to players until now.

But then, an unexpected notification sound rang out.

[‘Judge of Light, Lu’ frowns at the stench of sin.]

[You’ve received a sudden quest!]

[Find and eliminate the Blasphemer inside the dungeon (0/1)]

[Reward for success: ???]

“What’s this…?”

The sudden quest came with a message.

It seemed a “Blasphemer,” an entity whose very existence defied doctrine and was considered sinful just by walking the earth, was somewhere inside the dungeon.

Undead and heretics were bad enough, but blasphemers were among the church’s most hated enemies. It was no surprise Lu disliked them so much.

While the reward for success wasn’t clearly written, considering they were inside a hidden dungeon, it was unlikely to be anything ordinary.

Thinking about the massive stats and divine favor they could gain from eliminating such a blasphemer, Ail couldn’t help but feel excited.

Still, excitement didn’t last long as Ail quickly calmed himself and glanced downward.

It seemed they wouldn’t be able to leave without clearing the entire scenario dungeon. Given its complexity, chances were high they’d encounter the target before finishing.

A creature labeled as a “blasphemer” wouldn’t be an ordinary monster, nor would it hide away where they couldn’t find it during the dungeon run.

Right now, figuring out how to solve the immediate obstacle was key.

An utterly destroyed village filled with undead.

Even though the first hurdle was daunting, surely they weren’t meant to brute-force their way through all these monsters. There had to be a solution.

As Ail pondered while observing the structure below, Nesha, who had remained silent, suddenly moved.

“Wait!”

“Wha—”

Before Ail could stop her, she leapt down alone.

Though the slope was steep, there was no risk of falling to death. However, blindly rushing into a neighborhood full of monsters was practically suicide.

And Nesha knew that well.

Crunch!

Once she landed, she slipped into the shadows, hiding her presence completely, and darted between broken walls and monsters.

Watching from above, Ail was both worried and intrigued by how she would solve the problem.

It reminded him of how Lu might look at him, finding joy in watching someone handle challenges despite being a lofty deity herself.

“Can she really get through without being noticed?”

Still perched above, Ail marveled quietly.

Nesha skillfully avoided the vision of numerous undead monsters, weaving through the village undetected and moving quickly while remaining cloaked in darkness.

Unlike Ail, who wouldn’t stand a chance, her ability to conceal her presence was impressive. Clearly, her specialized Shadow Watcher class excelled in stealth.

After circling through the village, Nesha entered a partially collapsed building.

Creeeak!

Suddenly, a group of undead in one area of the village toppled over.

Not all of them fell, but about a tenth of the monsters vanished in an instant.

Startled, Ail looked down to see what happened and spotted Nesha dragging a man’s corpse out of the building.

She flung the body carelessly onto the ground.

“Ah… I see.”

Though he couldn’t see every detail from afar, it was clear this was a mage wearing a black robe. Judging by the sudden collapse of undead, this must have been a necromancer controlling them.

When their master lost power, the undead naturally crumbled.

Other monsters, sensing something amiss, began searching for intruders, but Nesha melted into the shadows and started hunting down necromancers hiding throughout the village.

Crack!

The final necromancer, emerging outside to chase the intruder, was stabbed through the heart from behind and collapsed. With that, all undead in the village disappeared.

Confirming not a single monster remained, Ail descended.

Streaks of blood from the necromancers stained Nesha’s otherwise emotionless face.

“How did you know there were necromancers inside the buildings?”

Chirp!

Nesha held up a torn scroll.

“That’s…”

A mid-tier divination scroll.

Judging by its dark surface, it was one of the Shadow Church’s magic scrolls.

Each church had its own contribution shop, similar to the Light Church.

However, having the exact right scroll at such a crucial moment raised questions.

Could she, like Ail, be an Apostle with access to use contribution shops anywhere?

But Ail shook his head. That seemed unlikely.

Lu was the first awakened deity, and according to her, Ail was the first Apostle. If another deity or Apostle had awakened, there would’ve been some kind of warning.

Realistically, it wasn’t easy to imagine two players already possessing the Apostle rank, which required at least level 500.

It was more plausible that she simply carried useful scrolls for various situations.

“Daaang.”

“Hold on.”

“?”

Seeing Nesha start writing on the floor again, Ail stopped her and pulled out a quill pen and parchment from his inventory.

Items given to him when he was sentenced to the Light Church’s underground prison to write his last words.

Though unused, they were still tucked away in a corner.

“It’s frustrating watching you struggle. Use this instead.”

The parchment floated conveniently in midair, and after testing the quill, Nesha nodded approvingly.

Clearly, scratching messages into the hard ground with a dagger was far less efficient.

With improved communication, they began investigating the dilapidated village.

Every exit appeared deliberately blocked, meaning they needed to find another way out before starving.

– You’ve obtained an item!

[Torn Robe Fragments (Low Tier) x 7]

[Turbid Magic Ring (High Tier)]

Of course, while searching for clues, Ail didn’t forget to collect items left behind by the necromancers that Nesha hadn’t looted.

Though none were directly usable, several pieces of equipment could fetch decent prices.

Ail even collected mysterious antiques scattered around buildings for appraisal later.

“…”

“I’m not some bourgeois rich guy, unlike someone else.”

Though Nesha occasionally gave him looks, Ail shamelessly shrugged them off.

He hadn’t neglected the main task of finding clues while gathering items.

“Hmm?”

Walking absentmindedly between buildings, Ail suddenly stopped.

In the center of the village stood a large well.

Approaching it, he found it dry with a rope ladder dangling inside.

Its appearance hinted at something significant, piquing Ail’s interest.

“This way!”

Calling out to Nesha from afar, Ail descended the ladder without waiting for her.

Though pitch dark, the rope ladder appeared sturdy enough not to break.

Thud!

Landing on the bottom, Ail lit a torch.

The dim light revealed an old drainage system beneath the well.

The air reeked heavily of blood, and the structure extended long in one direction, confirming his suspicions.

[Second Scenario Completed!]

[Partial Experience Gained!]

The system message confirmed his guess.

But Ail’s attention was elsewhere.

“Gurrrl…”

From the other side of the tunnel came a gurgling growl from a monster.

Heightening his senses, Ail pushed the torch forward, revealing the creature.

A grotesque undead monster blocked the entire width of the channel with its bloated body.

Its shape resembled a lump of mashed fat, and it wriggled slightly, releasing a nauseating stench.

“Ugh?”

The creature’s gaze locked onto Ail.