Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 137

Six Executioners (4)

Kiruna, a level 220 field boss monster.

Not only was it a level that most players couldn’t even approach, but it was also known for being extremely difficult among field bosses of the same level.

It had a whopping four phases depending on its health. [Each phase introduces new attack patterns and abilities, increasing the challenge.]

In particular, the final phase, where it soared into the sky with its massive body, was impossible for most experienced raid teams to handle.

However, even that was useless against the Ice Sea’s top raid team.

Among them was Theon, the guild leader and 29th-ranked player overall.

“No casualties. The clear time is 33 minutes and 21 seconds, which is about 4 minutes faster than usual. Overall, the raid team’s movements were excellent, and thanks to the good drop items, we expect more than double the profit compared to last time,” a guild member reported cheerfully.

Despite the boss’s high difficulty, not a single person died, and they completed the raid with skillful handling, never panicking even when unexpected events occurred.

As they had practiced, their teamwork was perfect, and the result was impressive.

However, Theon checked the time with a sullen expression.

“How much time is left before departure?”

“Just now, the dismantling work and item collection are all finished.”

“Good, let’s leave immediately. They said those guys are getting close to the city; we can’t be late.”

Theon grinned and stood up.

The Followers of Ruu, who had flocked from the Esmair and Solstice areas, had gathered recently and were marching towards the city together.

They were even committing the bizarre act of burning anyone they deemed a heretic.

Everyone was terrified and running away from their path, but Theon had no intention of letting them escape.

In fact, he was worried that his subordinates would take care of them before he arrived.

He wouldn’t be satisfied until he personally crushed them and took the head of that rookie, Aile.

He intended to make an example of them so that newcomers wouldn’t look down on the Ice Sea again.

“Everyone, move to Amstel!”

“Guild Leader!”

A guild member hurriedly called him and ran over, looking urgent.

“What’s wrong?”

“All the horses are dead! And the guild members guarding them, too!”

“What?”

Everyone in the room was surprised.

The horses that the raid members used for transportation.

Before entering the raid, they had tied them up in a corner of the forest where there were no monsters, but they were all dead.

“Was it a monster?”

“No. It was a player.”

‘If they even killed the guild members guarding them, they must have known it was our guild.’

The person guarding the horses wasn’t one of their 1st team elites, but he was clearly a member of the Ice Sea and had the guild mark. [Guild marks are visible insignias that identify a player’s affiliation.]

Unless they were incredibly reckless, they wouldn’t dare to do this to the Ice Sea Guild, especially against the guild leader and the 1st raid team.

“Could it be…”

KWAANG!

A sudden, loud explosion rang in their ears.

A large fireball had fallen from the sky.

Following the large-scale magic spell that swept away several guild members, arrows flew in from all directions.

“It’s an ambush!”

“Don’t panic, respond!”

A scene of chaos unfolded instantly.

Numerous players appeared through the hail of arrows and rushed towards them.

“Are these bastards trying to start a fight!”

Theon, enraged, grabbed his greatsword.

Then, he immediately used a charge skill to rush at the enemy. [A charge skill allows a player to quickly close the distance to an enemy.]

Even though they had been caught in a sudden ambush, he, as a high ranker, intended to cut down these insignificant players in an instant.

But the guy didn’t go down in one strike.

JJEONGEONG!

‘He reacted to that?’

The man blocked Theon’s greatsword, which had been swung in an instant, with a shield in his left hand.

He was knocked back by Theon’s tremendous power, but he didn’t take much damage.

Realizing that he had more skill than he thought, Theon finally checked their equipment.

The black wolf emblem on their armor.

They were members of the Black Wolf guild.

The only top 12 guild made up of elite members.

He could now understand why that guy hadn’t been cut down in one strike.

“Are these bastards… messing with me right now?”

Theon gritted his teeth, his expression furious.

Black Wolf was one of the Ice Sea’s rival guilds.

But their area of activity was quite far from here, and they had never suddenly come to their territory to ambush them like this.

It would be understandable if they were in the middle of a war, but to suddenly attack him now, after a long period of peace…

From Theon’s point of view, he couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

“So, what are you guys going to accomplish by swarming in like this? Do you think you can take my head even if you all come at me?”

“No, that’s my job.”

A man with dark black hair appeared, holding a spear.

The Black Wolf’s guild leader and the 13th-ranked player overall.

Theon reacted violently as soon as he saw his face.

“Daryun, you son of a bitch.”

“Your foul mouth is still the same. Has it been two months since we last met in person?”

Daryun grinned.

“You must know what it means that you’ve shown up here?”

“Yeah, it’s an all-out war.”

Even if it wasn’t a direct war, skirmishes often broke out when members of rival guilds encountered each other.

But to plan an ambush in a place where the two guild leaders meet, as they were doing now…

This was not something that would end with mere posturing.

At the very least, it signified an all-out war between the two guilds.

“I was getting tired of just sizing each other up. We should stop messing around with raid sabotage.”

“I agree, you bastard. Let’s have a proper go at it. You should gather all the guys from your alliance too, right?”

“They’re probably already moving as we speak.”

Daryun wore a sneer.

“Bas! Get in touch right now!”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

As Theon shouted, his guild member urgently contacted the allied guilds.

Even the guilds that were in alliance with the two guilds were about to move.

The scale of the war was rapidly escalating.

“Come to think of it, that guy Aile is more capable than you think.”

“What?”

The sudden mention of Aile’s name.

Only then did Theon grasp the situation.

“That son of a bitch… !”

* * *

After Aile’s various exploits, the Light Church’s power had noticeably increased compared to before.

However, with just the forces of users gathered from two regions, they had no chance of facing the top 12 guilds head-on.

That’s why he made a choice.

To exploit the landscape of Warlord [the game world].

Numerous guilds were rampant in Warlord, and their relationships were intricately intertwined based on their interests.

And Aile understood the power dynamics very well.

Even among the top 12 guilds, which were grouped together by size, there were several divided factions.

First, the Ice Sea guild, which he had to deal with, had strong alliances with top 12 guilds such as Massacre and Nidus.

Alliance was the most effective way to survive in the cutthroat world of Warlord.

But at the same time, there was also a coalition of guilds that opposed them.

The Black Wolf guild was the most representative of them.

Red Moon, Eternal, and several other guilds united to counter their alliance, and the two allied forces that were formed checked each other in a tense balance.

‘So, I made the Black Wolf side move.’

Aile smiled contentedly as he looked at the article on the screen.

Both alliances were clashing fiercely, and the southern part of the continent, which had become the stage, had turned into a huge battlefield.

‘Thanks to the other top 12 guilds moving, Ice Sea’s forces are completely dispersed. It’s absolutely impossible to deploy a large number of troops to Amstel.’

Initially, Ice Sea intended to completely crush the church for the purpose of showing off.

But the situation had changed.

Even at this moment, battles between the top 12 guilds were breaking out in various strongholds, and unless they wanted to ruin all the other strongholds, they couldn’t pay much attention to this side.

‘The power is so evenly matched that I can’t predict how it will turn out. Anyway, it’s a win-win for both sides.’

Even from the perspective of the powerful top 12 guilds, the church’s movement was not something to be taken lightly.

If numerous believers gathered noisily and attacked the city, it was an opportunity that the opposing forces couldn’t miss.

This was the ripple effect of the world event.

When a stone was thrown into the precarious balance, it created even greater waves.

‘Of course, it wasn’t an easy negotiation…’

Aile licked his lips.

The negotiation with Daryun, the leader of the Black Wolf, was not easy.

At first, he intended to take advantage of Ice Sea’s attention being focused on the believers and ambush the nearest Nidus guild with his allies.

However, in that case, it would be nearly impossible to capture the church’s city, and Aile desperately persuaded him.

As a result, Daryun moved the alliance at the timing Aile wanted, but in return, he set a condition that he could receive the church’s help once when needed.

Aile hesitated quite a bit at that condition.

Even though he was in the position of an executor, he couldn’t freely move the church’s forces for something unrelated to the goddess.

However, the goddess ‘Ru’ herself sent a message urging him to accept the condition.

Since the person in question said it was okay, there was no need to hesitate.

Thanks to that, the deal was made.

“Kuaaaaaak!”

The screams echoing throughout the forest.

The cries of heretics being captured and burned at the stake.

“These crazy bastards…!”

A member of the Ice Sea guild standing under the guillotine gnashed his teeth.

But it was just a futile struggle.

Clang!