Chapter 98

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Chapter 98 (98/227)

Chapter 98: The Best Defense (2)

The defense of Tulli Village began again, as undead monsters surged forward, darkening the plains.

As expected, there seemed to be even more monsters than in the previous wave.

However, the wooden palisades that had been wrecked in the last battle were still under repair, and with their numerical disadvantage, a chaotic battle situation would be disastrous.

Therefore, frontline fighters went outside the palisades to establish a defensive line while ranged classes positioned themselves atop the walls for support fire.

These players had already shed their noob status after playing Warode for some time.

So when a few experienced users started taking command, nobody was left standing around aimlessly.

And then the mages who’d been casting spells from prepared positions unleashed their area-of-effect magic.

KWAHOOOONG!

Several massive spells detonated among the slow-moving zombie hordes.

Those unlucky enough to be caught in the blast radius met a glorious fiery end, their ground exploding beneath them.

But even this wasn’t enough to make a dent in their numbers.

The remaining undead trampled over corpse fragments and kept advancing. Then came the archers’ arrows, which pierced through the zombies.

The hit zombies collapsed with holes in their bodies, but the undead weren’t just zombies.

KIEEEEK!

Mixed among the zombies, ghouls suddenly burst into motion, powerfully lurching forward.

Bursting through the arrow storm, these fast-moving fiends collided with the melee-class users at the frontlines, tangling up together.

These creatures were far more agile and stronger than the other undead they were grouped with.

But this wasn’t the first wave to feature ghouls, and the players certainly hadn’t failed to prepare.

A group of relatively high-powered users who’d hung back let the ghouls approach before quickly stepping forward to intercept them.

PHOOM!

KEEEEEEE!

The first attackers were swiftly cut down by swords or spears driven into their necks.

The ghouls’ aggressive charge turned out to be a mistake.

While dealing with the late-arriving undead that broke through their barrage, the players steadily progressed through the fight.

Though a few casualties occurred, if things continued smoothly, they’d likely succeed in this defense operation.

But just as it seemed too easy, an unexpected roar came from within the approaching undead horde.

GOOOOORRRR!

A massive undead monster smashed through the front ranks, sending two tanks flying.

It was an elite monster resembling a ferocious ape in heavy armor – the Armor Troll.

True to its name, it charged wildly toward the players, its four red eyes glowing fiercely despite being covered in thick armor.

“Damn it…!”

Grinding his teeth, a warrior raised his one-handed axe and charged at the troll.

He needed to take it down quickly to stabilize their formation.

KAANG!

But his attack was easily blocked.

Thanks to its thick armor, the troll had naturally high defense along with partial resistance to physical attacks.

Not only did he fail to deal meaningful damage, but he couldn’t even hinder the large monster’s movements.

KRAASH! KRAASH!

The armor troll’s fists repeatedly smashed down on him, splattering blood everywhere.

Though he desperately raised his shield, it was futile against such power.

With the fallen warrior, chaos spread further among the players.

PUUUUUM!

Arrows from the archers atop the palisade struck the troll.

However, they didn’t penetrate deeply, and the troll violently thrashed about, breaking the embedded arrows.

Though the many arrows shot by different players did deal some damage, the wounded areas quickly regenerated, restoring the barely diminished health bar.

Even though they were undead, these trolls possessed the trait of rapid regeneration.

“AGGGHHH!”

Another player fell while trying to hold the frontlines.

In truth, with this number of players, they should’ve been able to easily subdue it. Unfortunately, they weren’t just dealing with the armor troll.

Many more monsters continued surging forward during the ongoing battle, with the elite monster wreaking havoc right in the middle.

Thus, their losses kept increasing, putting them in a precarious situation.

“DAMN IT, YOU GUYS! Can you do something over there?”

“It’s not as easy as you say…”

KAANG!

Just as he finished speaking, a stray spell struck the ground harmlessly.

They tried concentrating magical attacks to stop the troll, but its movements were too fast, causing the spells to miss repeatedly.

Besides, the troll was chaotically weaving through the players at the front.

Most magic, unlike arrows, has a delay, making coordinate calculations tricky.

Add to that the troll’s agility surprising for its size, plus friendly fire concerns, and it became impossible for level 40-range players to calculate accurately.

“Someone land a stun on it!”

“DAMN, how can we… with all this chaos!”

At this rate, their entire front line might collapse.

That’s when another player just arrived on the scene.

A man emerged onto the battlefield from the palisade entrance.

He wore light armor and wielded a long greatsword, his face completely hidden behind an activated helmet.

Still, one additional player wouldn’t normally turn the tide, especially amidst the current chaos, so nobody noticed his arrival.

A throwing dagger flew from his hand toward the armor troll.

PAK!

[Special Effect ‘Slow’ Activated!]

The dagger precisely hit a seam, immediately activating its special effect and slowing the troll.

Though still unnaturally fast for its size, its movements became noticeably easier to track compared to before.

Then, as the rampaging creature drew near…

SWOOSH!

Eil immediately propelled himself forward, leaping high into the air toward the troll.

The troll’s gaze locked onto him, allowing Eil to meet its four glowing red eyes.

Certainly, the troll’s defense was extremely high due to its thick armor, and as an elite monster, normal attacks wouldn’t phase its substantial health bar.

But none of that mattered to Eil.

KAANG!

The greatsword wreathed in white flames plunged directly into the troll.

Thanks to the Voracious Greatsword’s effect of dealing 1.5x damage on the first strike, an even stronger impact slammed into the troll.

Its armored body cracked with spiderweb-like fissures as it staggered backward.

A significant amount of HP had been drained from that single blow.

Eil possessed the Unique-tier skill ‘Defense Shatter,’ which granted a constant 40% armor penetration, making his experience vastly different from other players lacking such penetration.

Furthermore, Defense Shatter also reduced equipment durability when attacking gear, and the cracked armor was evidence of its effect.

SWISH!

Landing on the ground, Eil didn’t waste the moment of the stunned troll.

Switching his greatsword to a spear mid-motion, the sharp blade immediately pierced the troll’s leg.

[Special Effect ‘Poison’ Activated!]

Since Holy Flame-induced burns and poison damage aren’t considered physical damage, the troll’s physical resistance had no effect.

Also, with the Heretic’s Mark already imprinted above its head, Eil’s attacks dealt enhanced damage.

Because of this, the troll’s HP dropped rapidly, far exceeding what mere regeneration could keep up with.

‘This is why it’s good for solo play.’

The Heretic Inquisitor class, fundamentally a melee class, also had access to some holy magic skills like Sacred Flame, allowing relatively unrestricted damage dealing whether physical or magical.

Thus, there were no enemies absolutely impossible to solo, and the class excelled in adaptability overall.

“What… what IS that?”

Amidst the fierce battlefield where everyone was frantically fighting, many players couldn’t tear their eyes away from Eil’s flashy gameplay.

Especially the undulating white flames and constantly changing weapons.

Some players began realizing that Eil was the currently trending Heretic Inquisitor.

However, his helmet completely concealed his face, allowing Eil to focus on the battle without worrying about his identity.

WHOOSH!

The armor troll swung its massive arm in agony.

With its leg already pierced by the spear and Eil being so close, escaping would’ve been difficult from multiple angles.

But using Reverse Play, Eil effortlessly dodged the attack and raised his greatsword high.

Now having fully circled behind the troll, his momentum-enhanced swing connected.

The triggered Rank 1 skill enveloped the armor troll.

KWWAAHOOOO!

Additional damage to heretics from titles and passives, bonuses from holy-element skills, and the weapon’s special effect ‘Full Moon’ against undeads…

All these bonuses amplified Eil’s main skill as it swept across the troll.

BOOM!

Engulfed in flames, the armor troll froze in place before collapsing forward, powerless.

The sturdy armor it wore shattered completely under Eil’s sword strikes.

“N-No way…”

“He took down that monstrosity alone?”

The players engaged in battle murmured among themselves.

An unknown player suddenly appeared and effortlessly subdued the elite monster, drawing everyone’s attention.

His level didn’t appear significantly higher than theirs, yet he soloed what they’d struggled with for so long.

But Eil simply shrugged off those gazes and continued with his task.

CHUNK!

Eil extended his arm and grabbed the fallen troll’s leg.

Though the armor troll’s HP was depleted and it lay motionless, it wasn’t quite dead yet.

In a near-death state sprawled on the ground.

Eil had deliberately refrained from finishing it off while continuing the battle, calculating the damage carefully.

“What… what’s he doing?”

“Hold on, could it be…?”

The players watched strangely as Eil dragged the unconscious troll by its leg.

But when they saw what Eil did next, their faces gradually paled.