Chapter 86

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 86 (86/227)

Chapter 86: Madness Against Madness (9)

If Roden, the Ranker from Armenia, was famous even before Warode across all games, and his style was something I knew very well…

Roden, undoubtedly a renowned spear specialist, had switched to wielding only a one-handed sword since starting Warode. But after observing him while fighting alongside me, his unique playstyle remained unchanged.

He never once used an active skill during combat.

All his attacks were purely basic strikes without any skill enhancements, and no active skills could be spotted at all.

A thorough character build focused entirely on passive abilities and skill trees.

This was the defining feature that set Roden apart from other rankers.

While active skills create variables, passives focus on fundamentals.

In the cutthroat world of rankers, excelling in either aspect is crucial for survival.

But Roden was different.

He possessed the ability to generate variables through monstrous reflexes and physical prowess alone, without relying on special skills.

This allowed him to catch up with top rankers in Armenia despite starting much later than them.

Even with a lower level, he compensated by heavily investing in passives to match base stats and covered the variable creation gap with overwhelming skill.

This is why he was hailed as a monster rookie when he first appeared, and why he’s still highly regarded among players today.

Most users agree that had he started earlier, he’d be even higher up the ranks.

And now, Eil could see there was no exaggeration in these assessments.

Clang!

“Ugh…”

Eil stumbled back from Roden’s unconventional combo attacks.

It was about maintaining posture, using structures on both sides to create openings where none existed.

The sheer pressure from just basic one-handed sword strikes was hard to believe even while facing it directly.

‘Top ranker from one of the three big games… He’s not someone to underestimate.’

Reflecting on his brief arrogance, Eil swung his sword wide and activated Sacred Flame.

Whoosh!

The longsword glowed white, spewing flames, forcing Roden to jump back from the threatening heat.

This wasn’t an opponent to take lightly.

“Haha, you almost made me regret showing up late!”

Despite the danger, Roden grinned and bounced forward eagerly.

As Roden closed the distance, Eil prepared to counter but quickly shifted stance to activate a skill instead.

Through the Reverse Grip effect, Eil instantly moved to Roden’s side.

Using the sudden acceleration, he swung his longsword at Roden from behind.

Clang!

“Oof…!”

But the attack was ineffective.

With astonishing reflexes, Roden blocked the strike by turning his sword backward.

‘He can block this easily?’

Throughout battles with monsters, Eil had been careful not to reveal his full strength, anticipating potential showdowns.

Even knowing he was facing an Inquisitor, Roden likely hadn’t anticipated the Reverse Grip skill common among melee classes.

This meant he countered purely through quick thinking and reflexes alone.

But there was no time to be amazed.

Roden began fighting seriously, and the counterattack came immediately.

Crash!

Roden pivoted while their swords were locked and threw a punch, which Eil barely blocked with one hand.

Though he took no damage, the exchange wasn’t over.

Keeping his sword pressed against Eil’s blade, Roden pushed forward, refusing to give ground.

Known for combining aggressive martial arts with spear techniques, his skills remained razor-sharp.

Smack!

“Urgh…!”

Eil was driven back by a kick to the abdomen.

‘So this is his real power… Not to be underestimated.’

Since starting Warode, Eil had never felt this level of pressure from another player.

‘But it’s definitely possible to win.’

Despite taking a direct hit to the stomach, his health didn’t drop significantly.

Thanks to the Favor and Madness stats he’d carefully cultivated, he maintained superior specs compared to others at his level. His equipment also gave him an overall advantage.

Moreover, Roden’s passive-focused build lacked momentum at this relatively low level 30 range.

With the heretic mark above his head from being branded a heretic…

Objectively speaking, Eil held several advantages.

Still, the situation wasn’t easy.

Landing successful hits would deal significant damage, but achieving that proved difficult.

Roden’s movements were remarkably agile, likely enhanced by passives related to mobility.

‘Then…’

Flash!

Blocking Roden’s incoming sword strike head-on, Eil immediately swapped weapons.

The longsword in Eil’s hand disappeared, replaced by a spear glowing with white flames.

When the expected horizontal sword strike suddenly transformed into a thrusting spear attack, Roden barely managed to dodge in surprise.

But even his reflexes couldn’t save him this time.

The spear grazed his face, leaving a long wound, and the weapon’s poison effect activated.

[Status Abnormality ‘Burn’ Activated!]

[Special Effect ‘Poison’ Activated!]

“What the…”

Roden’s expression showed obvious bewilderment.

Changing weapons mid-combat like this was unexpected, especially since they were already engaged in battle.

But Eil wasn’t done yet.

Switching back to a longsword, he struck down at Roden’s left shoulder with considerable force.

Clang!

Roden hastily raised his weapon to deflect the blow diagonally, causing the deflected sword to scrape loudly against the wall behind.

Even through the blocking sword, the substantial weight of the strike was clearly felt, and every swing of the flaming blade threatened him.

It wasn’t just that.

His health was dropping faster than expected due to the poison and burn effects.

The burns from Sacred Flame dealt additional damage due to the heretic mark, combined with increased damage bonuses from Eil’s title and passives against heretics.

‘Just allowing a couple of direct hits would be dangerous.’

While unclear how exactly Eil had developed his character, his strength far exceeded typical players at his level.

Of course, he understood the powerful effects of Light Church believers’ favor, and Roden himself hadn’t paid much attention to equipping proper gear. Still, even accounting for those factors, Eil’s power was impressive.

He’d suspected Eil was holding back, but seeing his true capabilities now was something else entirely.

What truly amazed him most was Eil’s skill.

‘There!’

Wham!

Thinking he’d found an opening, Roden’s sword was suddenly blocked by a shield.

Eil had raised a shield in his left hand that completely negated the damage, while simultaneously drawing a dagger from the opposite hand aimed at Roden’s neck.

Reacting quickly, Roden stepped back.

‘How is this weapon swapping… even possible?’

Among rankers, everyone knows about equipment switching concepts.

However, due to unavoidable delays and extremely high difficulty, most players don’t bother with it.

Regular players generally view it as impractical showboating.

Yet what Eil was demonstrating shattered all expectations.

There was no sign of the supposed system-imposed delay, nor any hesitation. The weapon changes flowed smoothly like water.

Not just occasionally, but continuously and freely throughout the battle.

A level Roden himself wouldn’t dare attempt. In fact, it might be unprecedented across all games ever.

‘I need to revise my assessment of him as merely competent.’

He was facing genuine talent right before his eyes.

* * *

BOOM!

Eil’s One Island skill swept violently through the area.

A decisive finishing move after creating a clear opportunity through intense exchanges.

Struck directly by the attack, Roden staggered back.

“Phew… Didn’t expect such a skill.”

Looking down at his disheveled state, Roden chuckled wryly.

Wearing medium armor and focusing on health stats, his durability wasn’t low. Yet a single strike depleted his life alarmingly.

Even worse, his defense set bonus doubling defensive stats upon receiving the first hit was completely negated.

Thanks to Eil’s Defense Shattering passive with its impressive 40% penetration effect.

After taking the One Island skill, Roden’s remaining health was down to around 5%.

Even without detailed numbers visible to other players, his condition was obvious from his appearance alone.

“Shall we stop here?”

“No, let’s finish this properly. Just a bit more, please.”

Even in this dire situation, Roden wore an amused expression.

Suddenly discarding his current weapon, he opened his inventory and pulled out another item.

Clang!

A long blue spear extended.

Seeing this, Eil immediately recalled that Roden had always followed the path of a spear specialist back in Armenia.

Had he chosen the same spear class in Warode instead of changing…

And if he’d been using appropriate weapons for his class from the start…

The current flow of battle could have easily reversed.

“This isn’t some boss mob phase two…”