Chapter 84

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Chapter 84 (84/227)

Chapter 84: Madness Against Madness (7)

[Time Remaining ’00:00:00′]

[The magic circle has been successfully destroyed!]

[You’ve obtained partial rewards!]

Zzzt!

The massive black magic circle on the floor vanished.

The floating black orb slowly descended, and Ail reached out to claim it.

“So it’s over…”

Looking at the message before him, Ail checked his rewards.

Though the Inquisition quest wasn’t fully completed, destroying the magic circle alone granted separate rewards.

His experience points and church contribution increased, plus bonuses from defeating heretics marked with the seal of heresy were additional perks.

Crack!

Ail pulled out another scroll from his pocket.

This wasn’t something purchased with contribution points either.

It was a communication magic scroll given to him by Executor Arileen before she left.

She had requested he report immediately upon identifying the nature of the magic circle, and though unintentional, since he’d succeeded in uncovering its identity, he quickly scribbled a message and sent it off.

Whoosh! The scroll disappeared in flames as Ail stood up.

Now all that remained was escaping this place to complete the quest…

But there was one more thing to take care of.

The hall, previously filled with monsters, was now covered in bloodstains. The neck of the stubborn tanker who’d held out until the end snapped audibly.

Thud!

Roden twisted the neck to finish him off and tossed the body aside.

“Quite the skilled fighter…” Roden thought to himself.

Having fought alongside him in such a difficult situation revealed just how formidable this player was.

Even a total newbie with little understanding of games could tell that the mysterious player who suddenly appeared was undoubtedly an elite expert.

At minimum, a Ranker-level monster.

While Ail hadn’t actually seen any Warode Rankers before, comparing what he knew about them, this person clearly fit the description.

And leaving aside why such a person would be here, Ail’s eyebrows furrowed recognizing the face from somewhere.

Just then, Roden spoke up with light footsteps.

“Well, that’s all done. Thanks for your help.”

“Thank you. I owe you my life.”

Ail expressed his gratitude.

The timely intervention significantly improved their chances in what had been a dangerous situation.

However, formalities and empty pleasantries weren’t Roden’s style, so he cut straight to the chase.

“You’re that famous Heresy Judge everyone’s talking about, right?”

At this unexpected question, Ail’s face stiffened instantly.

Realizing the other party had figured out his identity, his mind raced.

Had he known from the start? Or was this a coincidence? What did he want by approaching first?

Despite being helped, Ail didn’t lower his guard.

Seeing this, Roden chuckled and continued.

“I saw from above – impressive fighting skills! Watching your videos, I thought maybe they were edited, but you exceeded expectations!”

“How did you know?”

“Haha, Heresy Judges aren’t exactly common jobs – takes some discernment!”

“Well, I won’t deny it.”

Clearly, Roden wasn’t just guessing – he was stating facts confidently. There was no point trying to hide it.

“In that case…”

“But shouldn’t we exchange identities first?”

Ail sharply interrupted.

There was something familiar about this face, which had been nagging at him.

Given his usually sharp memory, this frustration was particularly noticeable.

Chuckling, Roden readily introduced himself, causing Ail’s eyes to widen in surprise.

* * *

3rd Generation Virtual Reality Game: Warode

While not an official classification, “generation” was a commonly used term among industry insiders and players alike.

With Warode’s arrival, previous games faded into obscurity, but there had been prominent titles before its time.

1st Generation: Easthorn

1.5 Generation: New World

2nd Generation: Armenia

These three games, sometimes referred to as 3rd Generation VR Games, were still actively maintained until Warode’s debut, with many rankers participating.

When Easthorn, the original VR game, began declining due to certain incidents, New World and Armenia naturally took over, splitting around 60% of the market share between them.

As a result, these two games received most of the attention and produced many well-known players.

Though now overshadowed by Warode, many top rankers and named players in Warode came from these two games.

In fact, four of the six major guilds originated from them, making further explanation unnecessary.

As similar VR games, even when transitioning to the next generation, skilled players retained their competitive edge.

“So that’s why he seemed familiar… He’s a high-ranking player from Armenia.”

Roden.

A named player who caused quite a stir in Armenia, the 2nd generation game.

His fame wasn’t solely based on ranking high.

Starting two whole years later than other players yet reaching high-rank status by the end showed his incredible skill.

Anyone who played Armenia would have heard of him, and even those playing other VR games knew his name.

However, without warning, Roden suddenly disappeared and stayed hidden for an entire year and a half.

Many wondered why he vanished and why he hadn’t appeared in Warode like most rankers, when suddenly he showed up here at a level 30 hunting ground.

Ail naturally recognized him, but the slightly different impression prevented immediate recognition.

“Still working on a quest, right? Probably something about destroying magic circles…”

“Something like that.”

Ail replied briefly.

He wouldn’t provide detailed information.

There was always the possibility the other player might try to steal the quest or attack for the reward, so caution was necessary.

Though impossible to steal Inquisition quests from NPCs, one couldn’t predict what someone unaware of that might do.

While the Roden he’d heard about from Armenia wasn’t the type to backstab, past reputation alone wasn’t enough to judge.

Especially after disappearing for over a year, it was too soon to trust him completely.

Roden didn’t seem bothered by Ail’s cautious response.

Being wary of newly encountered players while on important quests was natural.

“Doesn’t look like you’ve been inside long… Do you know how many magic circles are in here?”

“How many…?”

“Seriously? You thought it was already over?” Roden asked incredulously.

So there were multiple magic circles? Ail tilted his head in thought.

Then recalling the actual objective of his commission – investigation rather than destruction – it didn’t really matter how many there were.

“There are four magic circles in the dungeon… make that three now. The remaining three haven’t activated yet. I’ve already scouted their locations.”

“So you’re suggesting we destroy these magic circles together?”

“Pretty much.”

“But I don’t see any reason to. I can find the magic circles myself with some time, and even if we search together, there’s no real benefit to you, right? Must have some ulterior motive…”

“No way! How dare you think that of me!”

After jumping up in protest, Roden shrugged.

“Well, actually, destroying the magic circles is secondary for me. The main goal is… this place.”

Rustle!

Roden unfurled a large map.

A personally crafted map showing areas he’d explored within the dungeon, unlike the standard maps provided to all players.

Ail carefully examined the suddenly produced map, confirming his initial suspicion that the underground dungeon had a circular structure.

However, there was one unexpected detail – a large empty space at the center of the dungeon.

“What is this…?”

“Sharp eyes!” Roden praised.

Having memorized countless dungeon structures, Ail could spot suspicious patterns better than veteran rankers.

“This is a new dungeon that just appeared. I thoroughly searched everywhere but found nothing. No signs of looting, just minor items besides the magic circles. I even checked everywhere for hidden passages, but nothing. But this… doesn’t it look like there should be something here?”

Pointing to the suspicious area.

“It seems like disabling the four magic circles is probably a prerequisite. Judging by that black orb-like item, it looks like there’s a related quest required to enter. Without a quest, my only option is to team up with you to reach the dungeon’s end.”

‘The dungeon’s end…’

Ail paused to think.

Since his commission from Arileen only required investigating the magic circles, the quest was technically already complete.

But reaching the end of a dungeon this size wasn’t an offer to dismiss easily.

There was likely a substantial reward, and catching up to leading players was crucial for Ail.

Additionally, clearing all the magic circles beforehand might earn extra quest rewards.

This was also a chance to impress the powerful executor and gain favor with the church.

“Indeed…”

“Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?”

Roden’s lips curved upward in a sly smile.