Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 115

115. The Essence of Hunting (8)

With disheveled hair, Woojin sat at the table, shoveling side dishes into his mouth.

He didn’t have much of an appetite, having just woken up, but he needed a hearty meal to prepare for the intense training ahead.

‘The response is still good… everything’s going smoothly.’

Woojin, glancing at his phone screen while eating, nodded in satisfaction.

The Sanctuary purification, which he’d started four days ago, was progressing well, and WarTube was continuing to grow independently.

Seeing the sponsorship and ad revenue deposits made him genuinely proud.

‘If this keeps up, I’ll be able to get a new place soon, right?’

It was true that building recognition on Warlord, which had a dominant market share, guaranteed some income.

Moreover, it wasn’t just about the money.

He’d even heard that Aile’s appearance in the trending videos was inspiring people to join the Order of Light and become Inquisitors [a religious order dedicated to hunting down heretics and monsters].

This wasn’t just a rumor; the statistics confirmed it.

Whether it was a fleeting fad or a sustainable trend remained to be seen.

However, it was undeniably having a greater impact than he’d initially anticipated.

‘I need to work harder…’

A chance opportunity had presented itself.

Thanks to it, he’d shaken off the realistic constraints that had held him back, and now he could dedicate himself with a lighter heart.

“It’s already time.”

The appointed time was approaching, and Woojin, jumping up from his seat, hurried to the access device.

* * *

Flash!

Aile logged into Warlord, announcing his presence.

He was deep underground within the Sanctuary.

His party, relentlessly accelerating their hunt, was currently breaking through the 5th floor, and Aile’s level was already over 55.

This was thanks to eliminating an enormous number of monsters over the past four days.

[Current Purification Rate ‘48.00’%]

However, the Sanctuary’s purification rate was still just under half.

‘Does that mean there are at least ten more floors like this?’

Aile shook his head.

It was a truly insane dungeon, so vast that an ordinary user party would have given up long ago.

Fortunately, there was no monster respawn, and their hunting speed was incredibly fast, leaving them with nearly six days.

It wasn’t a comfortable margin, but they could clear it within the time limit.

Flash!

At that moment, Riah, logging into Warlord on time, appeared before him.

“You’re here?”

“Ah, hello, you’re here early again…”

“We need to plan and prepare in advance.”

Aile subtly raised the potion bottle in his hand.

Because they hadn’t anticipated such a long journey in this Sanctuary, their supplies were limited.

Going back to the village mid-quest was impossible, and with a ten-day time limit, supplies were bound to run out.

Not only essential food and water but also combat items.

Because they were hunting so many monsters, potions and combat supplies were dwindling rapidly.

Especially for Riah, who used so much magic that her usual abundance of mana potions was quickly depleted.

That’s why local procurement was necessary.

They had no choice but to loot items directly from monsters, dismantle corpses, or gather supplies.

They were currently surviving on supplies obtained within the dungeon, so advance planning was crucial.

Reckless fighting would quickly deplete consumables, potentially halting their progress, making advance preparation necessary.

“Um, Aile, how about slowing down a bit today…?”

Riah suggested cautiously, watching his face.

She’d almost lost her mind due to the forced march of the past four days and was on the verge of collapse at the thought of repeating it.

“Are you having a hard time?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that, but… I think I’m a little tired.”

“I’m glad you’re not having a hard time. The more you use your body and mind, the stronger they become. You’re feeling tired because you haven’t pushed yourself enough. Let’s try a little harder! Fighting!”

“Hngh… Yes…”

Riah, with a tearful face, slumped down.

* * *

“Haa…”

Riah staggered along, leaning on her staff.

Her lively demeanor from their first meeting was gone, replaced by hollow shadows under her eyes.

It had been eight days since they started the quest.

Their party had reached the tenth and final floor.

Aile had already reached level 60, and Riah, following behind, had surpassed level 54.

They had faced an enormous number of monsters, which went without saying.

Aile subtly adjusted their pace when she seemed too tired, but the continuous forced march was still overwhelming.

‘But she’s kept up much better than I expected.’

Even Aile was slightly strained by the tight schedule.

An ordinary user would have collapsed on the floor, unable to move, but Riah had endured to the end.

She seemed to have a real talent for this.

[Emergency Quest Completed!]

[Successfully completed the purification of the contaminated Sanctuary! The cracks in the Sanctuary have subsided, and the ancient being who had been expressing displeasure has regained peace!]

[Current Purification Rate ‘100.00’%]

[Time Remaining ’47:45:01′]

[Level Up!]

The messages appeared after defeating the last group of evil spirits.

The quest was cleared, granting a large experience reward, and Riah jumped up and down with tears in her eyes.

“I-It’s over!”

She couldn’t contain her joy, relief, and sense of accomplishment.

Aile, who had pushed her knowing this, felt a pang of guilt as he watched her.

“Riah, you’ve really worked hard. I think I pushed you too hard. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no…! But it was fun, the hunting speed was very fast, and… what should I say? It was my first time in this kind of situation…”

Riah waved her hands, unsure of what to do, as Aile bowed his head and apologized.

To be honest, it was incredibly difficult to keep up, but her words weren’t empty.

She’d never felt this way when hunting with other party members; it was the first time since starting Warlord that she felt like she’d grown significantly.

She wouldn’t have felt that way with ordinary users.

In party play, situations were usually handled haphazardly, without plans or countermeasures.

However, Aile’s party hunting was completely different.

He meticulously prepared for every situation, flexibly responded to unexpected events, gave instructions, and divided roles.

It was an experience of honing skills while following the orders of a party leader with a deep understanding of Warlord and the ability to read situations.

That was a great experience that became ingrained for users who lacked skill.

She’d virtually undergone hellish training for several days and could feel herself growing.

“Anyway… Aile, you’ve worked hard too.”

Riah, regaining her vitality, smiled shyly.

Both had struggled, but the end result couldn’t have been better.

The cave had returned to its original state after the purification.

“I think we should go this way.”

Aile pointed in the direction of the cold wind.

He didn’t know if it was an exit or another space, but he couldn’t ignore it.

They passed through the pillars filled with transparent light.

Beyond that was a huge underground valley covered in ice and frost.

Rumble!

The ground vibrated as a giant moved.

“Oh my god…”

The figure of a huge ancient spirit was reflected beyond the frozen waterfall.

The ancient ice spirit was sleeping in this sanctuary, and the temperature of the surrounding mountains had dropped as it slowly awakened due to the contamination.

“…”

Aile and Riah froze as they met the spirit’s eyes.

A mysterious, overwhelming atmosphere filled the air.

The ancient spirit slowly closed its eyes.

As the contaminated sanctuary was purified, it was falling asleep again.

“Phew, I was scared it would suddenly go wild.”

“But it seemed nicer than I thought.”

Just as they were about to turn around, relieved that it had ended without problems.

Crack!

Frost bloomed under their feet, and sharp pieces of ice soared up.

The two soaring pieces of ice slowly transformed into weapons.

The long sword and staff, now fully formed, stood upright, stuck in the floor.

Aile, approaching the long sword first, opened the weapon’s information window.

[Ancient Spirit’s Long Sword Imbued with Frost]

– Grade: Unique

– Type: Long Sword

– Restriction: Level 60 or higher

– Physical Attack Power 110

– Strength +40, Agility +25

– Special Effect ‘Frost Plunderer’: Spreads frost to the wounded area to slow movement. At the same time, the user’s speed increases as much as the enemy is slowed. (Multiple applications not possible)

‘This is…’

Aile, picking up the long sword, couldn’t believe his eyes.

A unique-grade long sword for level 60.

It was the first time he’d encountered unique-grade equipment since starting the game, and it had a tremendous stat bonus befitting its grade.

The attack power was 110, and it had a powerful special effect that stole the enemy’s speed.

Stealing speed from multiple targets wasn’t possible, but this alone was a great option.

“Wow…”

Riah also received a reward.

It was a unique-grade staff for level 60, with specs as great as Aile’s long sword.

However, she wasn’t a high enough level to equip it yet and looked a little disappointed.

“It’s really good, but I need three more levels to equip it.”

“Well, if we do it like today, it’ll be quick.”