Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 132

132. The Underground World (6)

Aeil and Rhoden, having witnessed the Sand Dragon, returned to the group.

They had located it, but it was too deep within the valley, making a direct descent from the cliff impossible.

However, they had precisely identified its location.

Now, they had a clear direction to proceed.

While they brought good news, the prepared dishes were being laid out, boasting impressive visuals.

But, incongruously, a foul stench emanated from somewhere.

“Huh? What’s that smell…?”

Aeil and the others surveyed their surroundings.

They sought the source of the odor, and their eyes soon fell upon the pot over the bonfire.

A purplish liquid, filled to the brim.

Bubbling and emitting a foul odor, it appeared to radiate death.

“Cooking… is that?”

“Oh my god, it’s turned into poison.”

Everyone was dumbfounded by the absurd situation, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Clearly, they had thrown in all sorts of fresh ingredients, but the result was something that could no longer be considered of this world.

The food Lia had attempted to cook had transformed into poison.

Moreover, what she had created wasn’t just any simple poison.

“This is incredibly potent, isn’t it? The additional damage is insane… If you swallowed this, you’d die, no exaggeration,” Rhoden exclaimed, checking the information window.

Upon confirming its effects, what she had created was a deadly poison with significant damage potential.

“It was definitely just seemingly harmless ingredients… To create such a potent poison. Lia, you have a talent for discovering amazing recipes,” Alisa added, impressed.

War Lord had countless poisons, and even poisons with similar effects had vastly different combinations.

Even using the same ingredients, the effects could vary depending on the boiling time or the order in which the ingredients were added.

But Lia unintentionally found the best combination with cheap ingredients, creating a top-tier poison.

It was accidental, but something no one else could accomplish.

“T-This can’t be happening…….”

The terrible result of her cursed talent, rendering all her efforts meaningless.

Lia already looked on the verge of tears at this miserable outcome.

“Hey, can I use some of this? I was thinking of acquiring some useful poison anyway.”

“Ah, yes… take it.”

Lia nodded, looking as if she was about to cry.

Rhoden then gleefully applied the poison to his blade.

Rhoden, who primarily utilized passive skills, was naturally interested in weapon poisons that could help create strategic advantages.

He even filled the remaining poison into potion bottles, storing them in his inventory.

While the two high-level players were admiring it from a practical perspective, Aeil offered her comfort.

“Lia, don’t be too disheartened. Sometimes you accidentally make poison while cooking, it happens. Probably…….”

“R-Really?”

No, of course not.

But sometimes a white lie was necessary, and Aeil gave her an awkward smile.

* * *

“This seems to be the right place, right?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

Aeil’s party, having reached their destination, stopped in place.

Once they had the specific location, heading there was straightforward.

The entrance to the final chamber where the Sand Dragon slumbered lay before them.

The entrance was a thick stone door, firmly shut, and they pushed it with all their might, but it didn’t budge.

‘I knew it… I have to use this.’

Aeil took out a quest item from his inventory as if he had anticipated it.

It was the ‘Gray Key’ he had received from the gnomes who had commissioned this quest.

In the past, various races had joined forces to seal the Sand Dragon that had ravaged Eltriss, and as a result, entry was blocked by powerful magic.

Originally, no one, including the gnomes who managed the outside of the tomb, was supposed to enter.

But the problem was that the last source of pollution remaining in Eltriss had arisen right here, where the Sand Dragon slept.

If left unattended, the land pollution would gradually spread, causing serious problems, and entering was unavoidable to purify the pollution.

Fortunately, it was in a very weakened state due to its long imprisonment.

That’s why they entrusted the request to Aeil.

Drrrrr!

The ancient door that had been firmly closed began to open.

Between the stone doors that slid to either side, they could see a wide-open center and several layers surrounding it in a circle.

It resembled a colosseum arena.

Both the height and width were so vast that it was hard to believe it was indoors.

Most of the upper part was blocked, but one side was connected to the deep valley as Aeil had looked down before, so the ceiling was wide open.

‘There it is…….’

Aeil located the source of the pollution.

It reeked of polluted energy, and to complete the quest, he had to purify it using the Sand Spirit Stone fragment.

But in the path leading there, the thing that caught everyone’s attention more than anything else was standing right there.

Kugugugung!

A massive body stirred and rose.

The sleeping Sand Dragon opened its eyes wide and awoke.

“Wait, an Epic Boss……?”

The name of the creature visible in the information window, Sand Dragon Bellagos, was dyed a deep red.

That meant it was an Epic Boss monster.

Epic Boss monsters were on a different level from the ordinary bosses they had encountered so far and were treated as equivalent to large-scale field bosses that required raid parties to be deployed.

The biggest reason was their rarity.

Epic Bosses never respawned, so it was rare to encounter them, and the rewards for defeating them were known to be very high.

Of course, the difficulty and patterns were naturally higher than other bosses.

In any case, this was Aeil’s first Epic Boss raid.

[A sinful being, a blasphemer, has been discovered!]

[You have encountered the blasphemer who plunged Eltriss into chaos, ‘Sand Dragon Bellagos.’ Make sure he pays for his sins!]

[A significant penalty will be imposed if the mission fails!]

Moreover, it was an opponent designated as a blasphemer [someone who shows contempt or lack of reverence for God].

They had to defeat it without fail.

Clang!

The chains that had tightly bound the Sand Dragon began to snap one by one.

The Sand Dragon’s crouching body gradually rose.

“Ugh…….”

Lia, overwhelmed by its massive size, stared blankly up at it.

The battle hadn’t even started yet, but just looking at it was intimidating.

But the first thing those who entered did was to quickly check the internal structure.

There was no time to be distracted by the boss.

Of course, Lia was staring blankly at the dragon, but the three party members, including Aeil, quickly assessed the surrounding situation before the raid.

The Sand Dragon, which had been sealed after a great battle in the distant past.

The weapons used to seal it were placed layer upon layer.

Chain harpoon launchers.

The weapons, resembling giant ballistae [a type of ancient missile weapon that launched projectiles], were mostly undamaged and still seemed to be operational.

With the giant Sand Dragon bound by chains in the center, the layers surrounded it on all sides.

It was obvious how to use them.

“Rhoden!”

“Understood!”

Aeil and Rhoden immediately began running in opposite directions.

There was no need to even exchange glances.

Kuaaaa!

In the meantime, the Sand Dragon had broken all the chains and let out a rough roar.

It raised its massive body and spread its huge wings wide enough to fill the field of vision.

Kwagwagwagwang!

With a single swing of its arm, the front was completely devastated.

“Get up here quickly!”

“Eek… Yes!”

Alisa grabbed Lia’s arm and pulled her up.

Aeil and Rhoden, who had scattered to both sides, had already arrived and climbed onto the lower level.

No matter how skilled they were, they would have no choice but to die if they were on the ground floor with the Sand Dragon.

Kugugugung!

The Sand Dragon began to destroy its surroundings with incredibly fast movements, and the party members had to dodge the aftermath by throwing themselves.

“Ugh, I can’t prepare at all…….”

Lia had no choice but to fall to the floor because of the shaking ground.

Even for Lia, it was difficult to cast a proper spell because it was rampaging too much.

Even ranged classes were having difficulty dealing damage.

At this rate, the raid would end with them just dodging.

But at that moment, Aeil, who had grabbed the launcher on the upper left level, finished preparing.

Chwaaa!

Kwaak!

A giant chain harpoon pierced its neck.

It pierced through the Sand Dragon’s tough scales.

Kuaaaaa!

The Sand Dragon roared madly, feeling the pain, and began to rampage.

But the harpoon fixed to its neck did not come out easily, and the connected chain and launcher were also firmly fixed.

As a result, even though it tried to rampage even more, it showed much more limited movement than before.

‘It’s working!’

To attack an Epic Boss, it was essential to use the surrounding objects.

The launchers placed on each level were prepared to tie it down for a while, and it seemed to be able to play its part sufficiently.

Of course, it was impossible to inflict meaningful damage or completely subdue it.

It only served to restrain it to some extent so that it could not rampage.

It was still unleashing threatening attacks, stretching out its arms or swinging its tail like a whip, with one chain attached.

But the difference felt depending on the presence or absence of the chain was very large.

“We have to keep shooting them in!”

“I’ll go this time!”

Clang!

This time, the harpoon fired by Rhoden pierced the Sand Dragon’s side.

Of course, it was impossible to hold down that giant monster with just two or three launchers.

Aeil and Rhoden, and even Alisa, went around each level and grabbed the launchers.

The number of harpoons piercing the Sand Dragon increased one by one, and the chains holding it from all sides were stretched taut.

The Sand Dragon’s movements were greatly slowed down.

Thanks to this, Lia had time to cast spells.

Kwaaa!

A violent explosion enveloped the Sand Dragon’s body.

Lia’s powerful, high-firepower magic struck in succession, and the Sand Dragon’s massive health began to decrease little by little.

Kuaaaa!

The Sand Dragon’s patience finally reached its limit.

It roared roughly and opened its huge mouth wide.

Tzzzz!

A dark breath of energy gathered between its gaping jaws.

Dragon and breath.

It was obvious what the pattern was.

“Breath! Dodge it! To the corner!!”

Lia shouted urgently to her companions.

But she didn’t realize the crucial fact.

The Sand Dragon’s breath was directed at her, not anyone else.