Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 75

Light and Shadow (6)

Kugugugung!

Malagos, having smashed through a wall, charged directly at Aile.

Neshua had left to find an exit, leaving him alone.

The monster swung its massive club, befitting its size, and slammed it against the floor with a deafening crash.

But Aile was nowhere to be seen.

Using the Mimicry skill, Aile instantly moved behind the monster and plunged his longsword into its defenseless back.

Kwaak!

He twisted the longsword he had firmly planted, and the white flames that spread seared Malagos’s skin.

“Guwoooo!”

Malagos writhed and staggered backward.

Aile quickly kicked off the monster’s back, rolled away, and almost simultaneously, Malagos crashed into the wall, collapsing amidst the debris.

Kuoong!

[Remaining HP – 99.7%]

“Ha…….”

Aile chuckled dryly as he checked Malagos’s health.

Even with the buffs from the Goddess’s Favor and Madness stats, his attack power, already quite high for users of the same level, barely made a dent.

The only reason he managed to inflict that much damage was because of the various buffs against heretics and the additional damage from the opposing attribute.

You might think he could simply repeat the same attack hundreds of times, but Warlord is a virtual reality game where you actually have to move your body, not just mash buttons on a monitor.

There was no way the boss wouldn’t defend or counterattack during that time, and he didn’t even know what kind of attack patterns it had.

Moreover, he was under time pressure due to the time limit.

In situations like this, a bold decision was needed.

[Apostle Perk, ‘Contribution Shop’ is now open!]

[As an Apostle, you are not restricted by region!]

[Search function is enabled!]

[Contribution Points: 2,360]

The contribution points he had accumulated exceeded 2,000, which was enough to handle most situations.

However, Malagos, the opponent he had to face now, was not someone he could deal with using just a single scroll like last time.

‘Now is the time to invest heavily.’

[Purchase complete!]

[Superior Banishment Scroll – 31Lv]

[600 Contribution Points have been consumed.]

Paat!

Aile quickly manipulated the screen, and a white scroll appeared in his grasp.

Aile immediately unfolded the scroll on the floor and placed his hand on it.

The banishment magic contained within activated, and a brilliant light stretched out, engulfing Malagos, who had emerged from the debris.

“Geooooooo!”

Malagos’s skin melted as he staggered.

The monster, who had been about to charge with its club raised, faltered due to the unexpected and powerful continuous damage.

But there was no time to watch him.

Although its effectiveness was certain, the duration of the banishment magic itself was not long.

Aile quickly took his next action.

[Purchase complete!]

[Ignis Summoning Scroll – 31Lv]

[900 Contribution Points have been consumed.]

Whirrreek!

As he poured mana into the summoning scroll spread on the floor, flames ignited, and the scroll burned away without a trace.

And in its place, a red magic circle appeared on the floor.

The flames that blazed in the center of the magic circle gathered together to form the body of a summon, and a woman enveloped in flames appeared.

[Summon ‘Ignis’ has been contract summoned!]

Fire Spirit Ignis.

Against such a health-heavy opponent with a tight time limit, what Aile needed most was a powerful ranged damage dealer, and she was the perfect summon for that.

Kwaaang!

A fireball created in Ignis’s hand struck Malagos’s face directly.

The monster staggered from the heavy impact, and Aile, seizing the opportunity, approached and instantly plunged the ‘Viper’s Spear’ into its leg after switching his weapon.

[Special effect ‘Poison’ has been activated!]

At the same time, Aile sprinkled holy water on the monster’s body.

The holy fire lingering on the tip of the spear met the holy water and blossomed into a large flame.

Kwaaaaa!

White flames surged and engulfed Malagos.

Combined with Ignis’s attacks, which continued to hurl fireballs, Malagos’s health began to decrease noticeably.

Aile had chosen to summon a summon specifically specialized in burst damage, so even a special boss couldn’t ignore the accumulating damage.

Of course, high damage inevitably attracts aggro [aggression or attention from the enemy].

As the battle progressed, the monster’s gaze naturally turned to the enemy dealing more damage.

Kwaang!

Malagos, seemingly enraged, swung its club wildly and smashed through another wall.

Seeing Malagos’s head turn, Aile realized that the monster intended to shake him off and charge at the summon.

And before it could act on that intention, Aile quickly moved his hand.

[Purchase complete!]

[Low-grade Taunt Scroll – 31Lv]

[150 Contribution Points have been consumed.]

[The effect of ‘Taunt’ has been activated on the boss monster, ‘Malagos’!]

[All attacks will now pose a greater threat to the target!]

“Guaaaa!”

As the scroll activated, Malagos’s gaze returned to Aile, and its massive club swung towards him.

Aile, who had rolled across the floor to avoid the wide-range attack that had half-swept the ground, immediately got back up and charged towards the monster.

Taunt magic scroll.

A scroll containing magic that amplifies the ‘threat’ value that a monster feels when attacked by a user.

Generally, when relatively vulnerable damage dealers are positioned in the rear, it is a basic requirement in boss raids for tanks or frontline warriors to draw the monster’s attention instead to protect them.

Aile also had to play that role for the time being, as Ignis was in the rear, and he used the taunt scroll to help draw its attention.

However, the taunt scroll only increased the priority of a monster’s aggro by one level; it didn’t unconditionally force it to attack you.

In other words, he had to inflict enough damage to keep its attention while preventing it from being distracted.

Kireek!

Aile, dodging Malagos’s fist, put the longsword he was holding back into his inventory and instantly drew the greatsword, swapping weapons.

White flames immediately erupted on the highly raised greatsword.

Aile poured all of his remaining mana into swinging the massive greatsword.

Kwagaagaaga!

Heroic skill, Flash Cut.

Combined with the special effect attached to the rare weapon ‘Greatsword of Gluttony,’ it unleashed a massive holy fire along with the sword strike.

It was an attack that used a skill that already boasted tremendous power with the highest attack power weapon type, and it even received a 1.5x power amplification effect.

“Keureureure…….”

Malagos couldn’t withstand the power and had no choice but to stagger back.

In that gap, Aile quickly retreated and hastily drank a mana potion.

Malagos’s health gauge had been reduced significantly, and the effect of pouring all his strength into the attack was evident.

However, despite such results, Aile’s expression was not good.

‘Too slow.’

Even as he desperately chipped away at its health, the given time was rapidly dwindling.

The rate at which the once-intact floor and ceiling were collapsing was also accelerating.

At this rate, he couldn’t guarantee that an exit would remain before all 18 minutes had passed.

Aile, switching back to his longsword, charged at the monster without delay, dodging the fireballs flying from behind and Malagos’s club while constantly calculating in his head.

Of course, a solution didn’t come easily.

But he had already made the choice to fight back, and the remaining outcome was all or nothing.

Having chosen to confront the monster with all his might instead of running away, he wouldn’t receive a penalty or have his Favor stat decreased even if he failed to end Malagos’s life, but he had to succeed in the raid somehow, given the contribution points he had already invested.

Kwaak!

Piercing through the collapsing ceiling, dodging the giant’s arm flying towards him, and plunging his sword into it.

As the pressing time flowed by and he once again faced a crossroads of life and death, a thrilling sensation flowed down his spine.

This was the second time he had felt this sensation.

It was the moment when Aile’s synchronization rate, which had been fixed at 99 percent due to the limiter when he first started the game, rose to 99.15 percent.

* * *

“Guwooooooo!”

Malagos roared fiercely and spewed green flames from its mouth.

This was a new pattern that had appeared after its health had been significantly reduced, but Aile was not at all flustered by the monster’s pattern.

Rather, he moved to the opposite side to naturally guide the direction of the flames, ensuring that Ignis, who was positioned in the rear, would not be caught in the green flames.

And the moment the flames were about to engulf the surroundings, he used Mimicry at the precise timing to instantly get behind the monster.

“It’s time… to die!”

Jjeok!

Flash Cut stretched towards the giant’s head.

Malagos’s head, with its mouth wide open, split in half.

With a thud, it knelt and collapsed to the floor, and a massive number of messages filled the screen.

[You have eliminated the enemy of the Order, the blasphemer!]

[Goddess’s Favor +0.94% (currently 59.75%)]

[Light Order Contribution +400]

[Faith stat +10]

[Madness stat +10]

[The final scenario has been completed!]

[You have successfully cleared the dungeon through a new branch.]

[Additional rewards are given for eliminating the scenario boss monster.]

[You have acquired final experience points.]

[You have completely subjugated the demon follower group in the ‘Village of Ruin’!]

[Your exploits are being spread to temples in various regions. The story of the heretic inquisitor who defeated the demon’s minions is circulating.]

[Light Order Contribution +1,200]

[You have acquired the title ‘The One Who Reversed the Ending’!]

[You have acquired the title ‘Demon Hunter’!]

[You have acquired the title ‘Nemesis of Benaron’!]

[You have acquired the title ‘Agent of the Goddess’!]

[A surprise quest has been completed!]

[Find and eliminate the blasphemer inside the dungeon. (1/1)]

[Goddess’s Favor +1.50% (currently 61.25%)]

[Light Order Contribution +3000]

[Faith stat +12]

[Madness stat +12]

[You have acquired the ‘Moonlight Soaked Nuir Longsword’!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]