Chapter 73

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Episode 73 (73/227)

Episode 73: Light and Shadow (4)

“Guuuuuaaaah!”

The skeletal mass spotted the intruder and let out a roar.

It then began charging towards him, dragging its massive body that filled the passage.

‘What the hell…!’

Ail quickly panicked and checked the creature’s info window.

A level 30 elite monster – Flesh Eater.

It was a monster he’d never seen before, so there was no way to know its detailed specs or features.

But it was obviously impossible to take down an elite mob, which was basically a sub-boss, with just one hit. And judging by its size, stopping its movement wouldn’t be easy either.

Kwaddeok!

The Flesh Eater kept advancing, pushing its fleshy mass forward.

The putrid stench it emitted was enough to make anyone gag, but worse still, the straight-line structure offered no escape routes to the sides or rear.

If he foolishly confronted it or hesitated, he’d surely get crushed under that pile of bones without even a sound.

Without hesitation, Ail turned around and grabbed the ladder to climb back up.

“?!”

But Nesha was descending the ladder right behind him, completely unaware of the monster. She had already come down quite far, unintentionally blocking his escape route.

“Stop! Go back up!”

“Guuuuaaaah!”

With the Flesh Eater almost upon them, Ail urgently pushed Nesha’s legs upward while clinging to the ladder.

Kwa-gwagwang!

The Flesh Eater slammed into the end of the passage with a loud noise.

Seizing the moment, Ail pulled down the leg he had pushed up, causing both of them to fall messily onto the floor.

Nesha wiped off the sticky mud from her head and glared at Ail in confusion.

But right behind them, at the end of the wall, the Flesh Eater was already pressing its head against the barrier. There was no time for explanations.

“Hurry up and move!”

Ail quickly got up and shoved Nesha forward.

Thanks to the Flesh Eater ramming its head into the opposite wall, the path it had been blocking was temporarily open.

They needed to escape through the passage opening while they had the chance.

“Guuuweeeek!”

The Flesh Eater came after them with an even stranger sound.

Though its size suggested otherwise, it was surprisingly fast. It was close, but both Ail and Nesha were among the faster individuals for their levels and managed to barely avoid being caught, finally reaching the end of the straight channel.

An open space appeared ahead, and both of them narrowly escaped outside, leaping to opposite sides.

Kuguguung!

Bursting through the entrance and losing control of its momentum, the Flesh Eater tumbled across the floor.

While the creature was sliding, Ail quickly scanned the surroundings.

The square room contained thick pillars and a spacious area.

A large iron gate stood on the opposite side, beyond which an even stronger smell of blood wafted through.

“Guuuweeeeerrrkk!”

During this time, the Flesh Eater struggled to regain its balance and stood up.

Its two fat legs, previously buried under layers of fat, were now visible, making the creature even taller than before, nearly touching the ceiling.

Kuuung!

With a powerful swing of its arm, the Flesh Eater overturned part of the floor.

Sharp fragments flew everywhere, obstructing the view.

But Ail, who was already rushing forward, paid no heed and exploited the creature’s large movements.

He plunged his sword into the Flesh Eater’s side, unleashing Sacred Flame.

Pooook!

Hwaaarrrrr!

White flames erupted as the longsword pierced the Flesh Eater’s body.

Its thick layer of fat burned, emitting a foul odor, confirming that the opposing attribute damage had taken effect.

Though it was a creature with high health and defense, the mark of heresy already prominently stamped on its head ensured that Ail dealt maximum possible damage.

And one more time…

Whoosh!

The longsword embedded in its side disappeared, and simultaneously, a sharp-looking blue spear appeared in Ail’s hand.

‘The Poison Serpent Spear.’

In place of his lost dagger, it was a two-handed spear he had purchased at last city’s auction house.

The only restriction on IlDanSimPanGwan weapons was that they must be melee; beyond that, there was freedom in choosing secondary weapons, whether spears or daggers.

Kwaak!

[Special Effect ‘Poison’ activated!]

– The struck monster’s health will gradually decrease over time.

The effect of the spear planted in the creature’s leg kicked in.

With both burning and poisoning effects eating away at its health, the Flesh Eater’s vitality rapidly depleted.

When it retaliated by charging with its massive body, Ail had already withdrawn, spear in hand.

However, this hidden dungeon’s elite monster wasn’t so easily defeated.

Chi-iik!

Soon, the wounded area began to boil, and flesh started swelling up to cover the injury.

‘This is a high regeneration type…!’

It wasn’t just about stopping the bleeding or covering the wound. According to the actual tooltip information, the lost health was repeatedly filling up and depleting.

At least the burn and poison were counterbalancing the recovery.

Given the monster’s high health and defense characteristics, it would have been absolutely impossible for Ail to defeat it alone without prior knowledge.

Of course, the current Ail wasn’t alone.

Paat!

Nesha silently leaped behind the Flesh Eater.

Completely unaware of her approach, the Flesh Eater continued focusing on Ail, giving Nesha the opportunity to activate her ‘Weakness Insight’ skill.

A skill that highlights critical spots where devastating blows can be inflicted on enemies.

Puk! Puk! Pooook!

Daggers accurately stabbed into these marked weak points one after another, carving huge chunks out of the monster’s health.

Moreover, black frost adhered around the wounds inflicted by Nesha’s daggers.

The creature’s movements slowed, and its regeneration speed dropped to less than half.

This was the signature skill of the Shadow Watcher, Darkness Frost, which not only slows but also impedes regeneration.

Sensing intense pain, the Flesh Eater quickly turned around.

But standing right in front of it was Ail, who certainly wasn’t going to sit idly by.

Both of them alternately attacked the Flesh Eater from opposite sides, keeping it confused.

Their coordination was incredible, managing to completely immobilize such a powerful elite monster with just the two of them.

“Guuuweeeeerrrk!”

Feeling the impending danger, the Flesh Eater violently thrashed and swung its arms.

But it only slashed through the air, while its burning flesh filled the room with the smell of roasting fat.

Chyack!

Ail and Nesha simultaneously slashed at each of the Flesh Eater’s heels, causing it to lose strength in its legs and kneel down.

Taking the chance, Ail leaped high and plunged his longsword into the creature’s chest.

The precisely aimed longsword pierced through its heart, making it spew out thick black blood.

Remaining health: 0.31%.

Losing consciousness, the Flesh Eater fell forward.

* * *

[‘Sentence Execution’ has been successfully carried out according to the designated punishment. Skill effects double stat bonuses.]

[Goddess Favor +0.39% (Current 58.81%)]

[Light Church Contribution +85]

[Faith Stat +2]

[Madness Stat +2]

[Execution of Decapitation increases Judge’s speed by 10% for 60 minutes.]

“Okay.”

Leaning his longsword on his shoulder, Ail wore a relieved expression.

Then he forcefully kicked the Flesh Eater’s neck, which was separated from the body and reeking, to one corner.

– Item obtained!

[Ravenous Greatsword (Rare)]

[Rusty Iron Ring (Low Grade)]

[Unrefined Gray Crystal (Common) x 4]

[Twitching Lump (Low Grade) x 33]

.

.

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[61 Shillings 4 Crowns]

After looting and disassembling the monster’s corpse, Ail found that the Flesh Eater, true to its reputation as a tough elite monster, dropped many items.

Among them, the standout was the rare-grade weapon, ‘Ravenous Greatsword’.

Without wasting any time, Ail took out the greatsword that had appeared in his inventory.

‘Wow, it’s huge!’

Even Ail, who used the relatively large longswords, was surprised by the unexpectedly heavy weight.

While longswords were long and sharp, greatswords were long, thick, and heavy.

Moreover, the ‘Ravenous Greatsword’ was slightly larger than the average greatsword design, making it quite a shock for Ail who was seeing a greatsword for the first time.

It wasn’t without reason that users of greatsword classes moved slower.

‘But it’s far from unusable.’

Greatswords did have several drawbacks fundamentally, but above all else, their raw attack power was among the highest for melee weapons, comparable only to large maces.

Most importantly, the additional effect granted to this ‘Ravenous Greatsword’.

Deals 1.5x damage with the first attack.

Meaning, if you attack the same enemy twice or more in one battle, there would be no effect from the second attack onward.

But the 1.5x multiplier was a tremendous advantage that couldn’t be ignored.

Especially since it was a perfect effect for a secondary weapon.

“…You really don’t need it?”

Holding the greatsword, Ail casually glanced sideways and asked.

Then Nesha, who had her arms crossed, nodded.

Even if it was an item from a boss monster, she seemed uninterested unless it was a decent rare item or a skill book.

“In that case.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ail got up.

He approached the iron gate tightly shut on the opposite side and inserted the key into the groove in the middle.

It was the key obtained from dissecting the Flesh Eater’s stomach.

Cheulk!

The entrance leading inside opened.

Beyond the iron gate lay a deep hole leading downward, with a long staircase winding along it.

Between the dark and ominous passages stood statues resembling demonic figures.

‘Thought this dungeon was related to necromancers… But doesn’t seem like it.’

Ail furrowed his brows at the increasingly thick and sticky scent of blood.

The source of the overwhelming stench was somewhere below.