Chapter 74

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 74 (74/227)

Chapter 74: Light and Shadow (5)

As most users know, in Warode there exist a total of seven divine beings.

However, the term “divine beings” here refers only to those officially recognized transcendent entities.

A class above mere mortals on the ground.

In reality, there are even more transcendents within the continent, with the eight demons of Warode being prime examples.

And naturally, those who stray down twisted paths alongside them inevitably exist as well.

“The Crimson Twilight Sect.”

Eil muttered after inspecting the corpse.

The mysterious man who suddenly attacked had fallen under Eil’s hand, revealing the emblem on his black robe.

The insignia of Greed Demon ‘Benaron’.

This was the symbol used by the demon-worshipping sect known as the Crimson Twilight Sect.

They were fanatics who followed one of the eight evil demons, Benaron, and were quite well-known among users.

Wreaking havoc across the continent, they opposed both the seven divinities and their churches, maintaining an extremely hostile relationship with Eil’s own Light Church.

“Surely I didn’t expect to get tangled up like this.”

Eil raised his head again.

Before him stood a grand altar, surrounded by scattered corpses.

Fresh bloodstains marked the scene of a brutal massacre.

Clear evidence of human sacrifice.

Given the lingering scent of blood and recent traces, it seemed they had dragged outsiders into the village to use as offerings.

[‘Light Judge Lu’ is enraged by the horrific scene!]

Such acts were obviously unacceptable to Lu, the goddess of justice.

While the Light Church could be ruthless against heretics, the key difference lay in their targets.

Benaron’s followers often sacrificed innocent civilians, behavior that would make even the most zealous priests of the Light Church faint at the sight.

“Why trust guys like these?”

Eil asked Nuisha, who was examining the altar with interest.

While players accepting quests weren’t bound by faction restrictions, dealing with shady groups like this usually ended badly.

But Nuisha shook her head firmly.

She hadn’t received the commission from the Crimson Twilight Sect.

After all, even if one wasn’t aligned with the Light Church, such cults were public enemies to virtually all religious organizations. The high elves would have no reason to ally with them, and the cult wouldn’t bother antagonizing them either. Perhaps someone else had hired them, using the cult’s power for their own purposes.

Though the clearest path would be to ask the parties involved directly, Nuisha showed no intention of revealing who had commissioned her.

While betrayal was likely, it wasn’t 100% certain yet, and she seemed intent on handling it herself.

Perhaps she’d even signed a non-disclosure contract.

[Additional bounty adjustment for quest objectives.]

“Extra rewards… sounds good.”

A faint smile appeared on Eil’s face as he read the message.

Since they had an extremely hostile relationship meant they’d also celebrate each other’s downfall.

Even the goddess added extra quest rewards without warning, likely for the same reason.

“Handle this right, and maybe I can improve relations with the church.”

Creeeak!

At that moment, hidden doors opened, and heretics poured out.

All wearing identical black robes with the same emblem – clearly members of the Crimson Twilight Sect.

“Kill them! Don’t let them escape!”

An old man pointed at Eil and Nuisha.

The fanatics on the altar’s base began climbing toward them, their eyes wild with fanaticism.

“So this is the third obstacle?”

Eil nudged Nuisha with his elbow.

“Front or back?”

「Back」

“Got it.”

* * *

“Khhk…!”

A dagger embedded itself in the fleeing old man’s back.

He fell to the ground as Nuisha approached, retrieving her blade while finishing him off.

Having wiped out all the surrounding fanatics, they successfully reached the third underground floor.

The old man, likely the leader here, had been using the fanatics as cover while trying to escape, but Eil and Nuisha systematically eliminated every single one blocking their path, leaving him nowhere to run.

– You have obtained an item!

[Key to the Exit (Quest)]

“So this is another item leading to the next location… Seeing ‘exit’ makes me think this might be the final scenario? Or maybe there’s still a boss battle ahead.”

Eil considered as he examined the loot.

Whether this was truly the end or not remained unclear, but they were definitely nearing the dungeon’s conclusion.

However, their current third underground floor seemed to be the last level connected by stairs, with no visible exit anywhere.

They hadn’t missed any structures on their way down while pursuing the fleeing elder, meaning there was likely an exit somewhere near where they’d passed through.

After briefly pondering alone, Eil turned to Nuisha when no clear answer came to mind.

“Did you see anything resembling an exit on the way here?”

「Blocked passage in the corner of the second floor」

After a moment’s hesitation, Nuisha recalled a possible exit candidate.

“Aah, that could be it.”

Eil nodded in agreement as he remembered the location.

[Third scenario completed!]

[Partial experience gained!]

With the third scenario finished, all that remained was finding the exit.

But right then…

GROOOONG!

The ceiling shook loudly, raining debris, and an ominous tremor ran through the ground.

[Final scenario initiated!]

[The altar has been destroyed, revealing a new threat. Escape the dungeon safely from the servant of greed ‘Malagorth’!]

[Dungeon collapse countdown: ’00:17:59′]

“What…?”

Startled, Eil glanced at the message window.

Without having encountered the blasphemer the goddess tasked him with confronting, a new quest popped up ordering them to escape within the time limit.

Furthermore, they only had 18 minutes before the dungeon collapsed.

Within that time, they needed to evade Benaron’s servant and escape the dungeon.

BOOM!

Part of the ceiling exploded, revealing a massive giant.

The menacing demon-like monster had protruding fangs and a reddish skin tone, carrying an enormous club in one hand.

[Sinful entity detected!]

[A foul servant of demonic corruption and blasphemer against sacred doctrines ‘Malagorth’ has been spotted. Ensure they pay for their sins!]

[Failure will result in significant penalties!]

“Damn it… just as I feared…”

Of all things, the dungeon’s escape scenario involved an enemy the Light Church couldn’t turn its back on – their sworn nemesis.

If he fled now after receiving Lu’s quest to eliminate the dungeon’s blasphemer, his previously raised favor stat (58%) would plummet dramatically.

But recklessly charging into battle with the creature would be equally foolish.

Given that the scenario called for escape rather than defeating the boss, this foe was likely beyond their current capabilities.

Additionally, they were working within an 18-minute time constraint, putting Eil in quite the predicament.

Still…

“I won’t know until I try.”

No matter how rigid a dungeon’s scenario seemed in Warode, there were never absolutely unbeatable enemies.

The enemy’s level visible in the info window was 35.

While the detailed stats revealed how strong the opponent was, at minimum this was an enemy within the dungeon’s level range.

Had it been a monster so far above his own 31 levels that attacks wouldn’t even register, things would be hopeless – but that wasn’t the case here.

“I’ll catch up after taking care of this guy… go ahead first.”

「That’s not how this scenario works!」

Nuisha grabbed his shoulder and thrust a parchment in front of his face.

Hastily scrawled writing and a furrowed brow greeted him – understandable reactions.

Even if their positions were reversed, Eil would’ve reacted the same way to fighting a boss in an escape scenario.

KUH-KUH-KUH!

Meanwhile, the monster continued advancing, leaving no time for explanations.

Moreover, dragging someone else into such a low-probability fight would be unthinkable.

[Temporary attack boost!]

[Temporary defense boost!]

[Temporary speed boost!]

[Temporary maximum health increase!]

[Temporary regeneration rate increase!]

[Temporary shock resistance increase!]

CLANG!

Various potion vials hit the floor as Eil finished doping himself, wiping his mouth and speaking lightly.

“Hurry up and go. I’ll take all the rewards for myself.”