Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 34

Clatter!

Eil and Alisa emerged from the second passage, clearing the debris that blocked the gap in the large door.

As expected, in the maze, demon-shaped statues placed here and there popped out and began to move, turning into monsters.

However, thanks to the effectiveness of the invisibility potion, they were able to pass through the passage safely without any encounters.

Only later did they realize that the statues couldn’t hear, which meant they had worried unnecessarily.

Since both were invisible, they couldn’t see each other, making it very difficult to communicate while wandering through the maze. To avoid unintentionally drifting apart, they had no choice but to move while holding each other’s arms.

They eventually realized the monsters’ characteristics and were able to talk while finding their way, but it was quite a struggle.

If they hadn’t figured it out, they would have been worried about making noise even while clearing the debris blocking the doorway.

‘Is this the last passage…?’

Eil looked around as he stepped inside.

According to the information he had gathered, this was the third and final passage, but from what he could see, it looked more like a hall than a passage. It was a very large, circular room.

It was decorated with faded ornaments, and the cracked floor and densely packed pillars were impressive.

But more than anything, what caught his eye was the huge statue of a giant standing in the middle of the room.

It wasn’t as huge as Gahar, the boss he had faced in the cave, but it was still twice as tall as Eil, who was already quite tall.

Like the ones in the previous passages, the statue was in terrible condition, with cracks and its head completely missing.

“This is probably…”

Eil muttered, feeling an ominous premonition.

And that premonition came true.

Clatter!

The stiff giant suddenly opened its eyes and began to move, raising its arms.

Unlike before, even though there was only one, it felt like an unusual presence.

A broken ancient giant statue, level 26.

Checking the status window, he could see that it was a much higher level than them.

It was impossible to make an accurate estimate without testing how much the health bar decreased when attacking directly, but it was clear that this wasn’t an enemy that could be easily defeated.

“Let’s just pass by without fighting it.”

Alisa said quietly, just in case, and Eil nodded in agreement.

But she soon realized that he couldn’t see her, and silently grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

It was highly likely that the awakened giant statue couldn’t hear them either, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

There was no harm in being cautious.

As Eil and Alisa quietly tried to pass by, they skirted around the giant statue to avoid accidentally running into it.

However, the giant statue, creaking, suddenly turned and moved, slamming its fist down at them with all its might.

‘What…!’

Thud!

The giant’s fist, slammed down with great force, dug a deep hole in the floor they were passing over.

Reflexively throwing themselves aside, they barely avoided being caught in the attack, but it was clearly aimed at them.

As if it could see exactly where they were.

“Why…?”

Eil muttered, drawing his longsword.

He had been careful not to make a sound, preparing for any possible variables, but he couldn’t understand how it had noticed them.

It couldn’t have heard their brief whispers, and it was unlikely that a broken statue would have such exceptional senses.

That meant it must have some kind of detection ability, but there had never been a monster with that option at this level.

Detection ability was one of the typical abilities that could only be seen in monsters after reaching a certain level.

“Heok… !”

Just as he was racking his brains, Alisa suddenly pulled him back, and Eil let out a strange noise as he was dragged backward.

Crash!

At the same time, the statue’s fist shattered one of the pillars in the room, and fragments of the pillar fiercely rained down on the area where Eil had been.

But thanks to pulling back in advance, they were able to avoid being swept away.

Eil, in particular, had been momentarily careless because the statue’s fist was aimed in the wrong direction, and he almost got into big trouble.

He never imagined it would use the fragments created by breaking the pillar as weapons.

“I guess we have to fight.”

Since invisibility wasn’t working, it seemed impossible to avoid the statue without fighting.

Even if they managed to escape through this room and into the ruins, it didn’t seem like it would give up.

Swoosh.

Agreeing with each other, they released the potion’s effect almost simultaneously, dispelling the invisibility.

If it could see them clearly anyway, invisibility would only hinder them by preventing them from knowing each other’s locations.

Just in time, the giant statue was smashing its surroundings and shooting out fragments.

Most of the attacks were aimed at Alisa.

A strategy that seemed to target and eliminate the party’s healer first.

It was a monster that knew how to use its head, unlike its stone head.

However, Alisa easily dodged the attacks, moving nimbly among the countless fragments pouring down.

With a certain distance secured, the irregularly flying fragments couldn’t reach her.

And while she bought time, Eil naturally had time to sort out his options.

The rapidly emerging estimates went back and forth in his head several times.

Having decided on a plan, Eil first stretched out his sword and pointed it in the direction of the statue.

Then he activated the skill.

The only skill he had never used before.

‘Heretic Designation.’

Clang!

A chilling red mark flashed and appeared on the statue’s torso.

The Light Church’s mark indicating heresy [belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine].

Clearly, the giant statue in front of him was far from being a heretic.

It wasn’t an evil being that would deny the teachings of the Church, nor was it an undead brought back to life.

It was just a statue moving to eliminate intruders, and it didn’t have the mark of heresy when they first encountered it.

However, with Eil’s exclusive skill as an ‘Apostle,’ ‘Heretic Designation,’ such stories were meaningless.

Eil was a body that had received the qualifications of an Apostle from the Goddess, and even the qualifications of a heretic could be determined arbitrarily without ‘Ru’s’ choice.

It didn’t matter whether they followed the teachings of the actual Church, or whether they were good or evil.

If the Apostle pinned a sin on them, they became heretics.

‘It was a boss monster after all…’

Eil thought, relieved that the skill had worked.

Since the mark of heresy could not be applied to ordinary monsters in any way, Heretic Designation was a skill that could only be used against bosses, elite monsters, or players.

Now that the statue had become a heretic and was taking additional damage, it was time to move in earnest.

Eil raised his sword and ran forward.

It was a very straightforward movement, without aiming for the rear or moving diagonally, and the statue responded with an equally straightforward attack.

Whoosh!

The fist swung at Eil came right up to his face.

But this time, Alisa wasn’t surprised to see it.

Poof!

Eil suddenly disappeared.

Through the rare skill, Reverse Play, Eil appeared behind the statue.

The blade of the longsword with white flames struck the statue’s back with the added acceleration of Reverse Play’s additional effect.

Crack!

But he didn’t hear the refreshing sound he wanted.

The statue’s defense was higher than expected, and the longsword didn’t even penetrate well.

However, the white flame attached to the sword, ‘Holy Fire,’ was able to inflict considerable damage even on the statue.

The giant statue, designated as a heretic, was naturally forced to have a strong ‘evil’ alignment, taking great damage from the holy attribute, and Holy Fire, which simultaneously granted fire and holy attributes to the weapon, was damaging the statue’s thick surface.

And above all, Eil’s real intention was different.

Thwack!

The Dagger of Lament pierced and lodged in the statue’s neck, and the debuffs applied to it appeared in the corner of the screen.

The dagger’s curse.

The damage itself was as low as the longsword, but the statue’s movements were slowed down by the attack, and the damage it received from Eil was increased.

Combined with ‘Holy Fire,’ which inflicts powerful damage on heretics, and the ‘Blade of Hatred’ skill, which amplifies damage, it could create considerable synergy despite the level difference with the monster.

But one thing, the giant statue was more agile than he thought.

Unlike its seemingly clumsy size, the statue’s waist turned in an instant and was already facing Eil.

The Reverse Play skill still had a slight cooldown.

Thud!

Eil, hit by the fist, flew for a while and rolled across the floor.

It was only one hit, but his health was precarious.

“Ptooey.”

Eil spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.

Even with the slowdown, that was quite a speed. It was not an easy opponent after all.

If Eil’s combat-related stats hadn’t been inflated by the Madness stat and the Goddess’s Favor buff, he might have died in one blow.

But even so, the thought that flashed through his mind.

‘It’s worth a try.’

The continuous healing magic that came in at the same time as the hit had already filled Eil’s health to over 60 percent, and continuous recovery was applied, so his health was rapidly recovering.

And Alisa, who had restored his health, was drinking a mana potion for the next heal.

First of all, as a result of checking with the two attacks just now, and one hit.

Seeing that the giant statue had taken some damage, it didn’t have any bizarre characteristics like physical resistance, unlike Gahar.

He was worried because its level was much higher than theirs, but fortunately, it wasn’t a boss designed to require a party of about 26 levels.

Of course, that didn’t mean it could be seen as an easy opponent.

It had specs that would be at least in the mid-range even at the same level.

Also, no matter how weak it was, a level 26 boss was not an opponent that could be easily solved by a two-person party with an average level of only 18.

As if to prove it, the giant statue still had a lot of health left.

But the current Eil had another card he could use to fight it.

A trump card that he had steadily collected while hunting.

[Apostle Perk, ‘Contribution Store’ is open!]

[You are not restricted by region with the qualifications of an Apostle!]