Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 169

Duel (2)

PVP in the field differed significantly from arena duels.

The terrain, potential intervention by monsters or other players, and the use of consumable items all became crucial factors.

It wasn’t just Eile, with his access to the contribution store, who could utilize scrolls and other items.

Grom, too, held an unidentified scroll, long and vertically unfurled.

“I wouldn’t normally use this on just one person, but you’re getting special treatment,” Grom said.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

The scroll emitted a jet-black light.

A colossal monster emerged from the churning swamp.

“Th-this is…”

Eile stared, dumbfounded.

A giant with a gaping maw, an obese upper body, and sagging skin, radiating a fierce aura.

It was the level 170 boss monster, Swamp Giant Ramun.

One of the many boss monsters inhabiting the southern swamp region, and considered relatively weak within this extreme zone.

But that wasn’t the point. Grom had summoned him, not encountered him as a naturally spawned creature.

‘I can’t believe he’d use that…’

Normally, raising corpses of elite-level or higher monsters was impossible for players.

No matter how skilled a necromancer, no player had yet acquired such a skill, a fact that would remain unchanged unless a legendary skill holder emerged in that field.

Therefore, Grom had resorted to the power of a consumable special item.

He’d used a scroll containing potent black magic to temporarily exceed the limits of summoning.

The method of obtaining scrolls through the Celestial Church’s contribution store was generally known, being the most efficient way to acquire such items.

However, only a small fraction of players belonged to the church.

Numerous other avenues existed for obtaining scrolls.

“Good, preparing this guy’s corpse was worth it,” Grom said.

Grom, perched atop Ramun’s back, erupted in laughter.

When he’d prepared the boss monster’s corpse in advance, he’d even thought it excessive.

But ultimately, it had proven useful.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

In contrast, Eile’s face darkened.

As expected of someone in the upper echelons of the semi-rankers, Grom displayed capabilities far exceeding expectations.

Kwaaaang!

The swamp giant’s heavy fist slammed into the ground.

The earth trembled from the monster’s immense strength.

Eile swiftly retreated, evading the monster’s fist and the debris flying in all directions.

‘It’s too late to run away.’

If he’d intended to flee, he should have gambled and run at the outset, but now it was too late.

Now, his only option was to confront the giant.

‘Then what should I do about that…’

Eile, gazing at the colossal swamp giant, felt a surge of despair.

A boss monster amidst a sea of corpses, with a necromancer riding atop it.

It wasn’t a situation solvable through conventional thinking.

‘But… it’s not like there’s no way at all.’

Eile, reviewing his skills, organized his thoughts.

Ramun was a level 170 boss, but he hadn’t been resurrected with his original specifications intact.

In the case of boss resurrection by a necromancer, certain attack patterns of the original boss couldn’t be used to maintain balance.

The reason he was only attacking with his fists now was due to that limitation.

Moreover, stats like movement speed and stamina were far below the original, making him essentially a weaker copy.

Of course, the fact that a player was using a boss as a summon was undeniably powerful.

Grom, secure atop the swamp giant, liberally consumed high-grade mana potions and prepared his next spells.

“Go!”

Kwagwagwag!

Chain explosions erupted, and corpses burst apart.

Simultaneously, on the other side, corpses were summoned and rose up wildly.

Eile, breaking through the undead that surrounded him and exploded in unison, organized his final thoughts.

“I have to try.”

He couldn’t simply be defeated like this.

He had no choice but to take a daring gamble.

[Purchase complete!]

Swish, swish, swish!

Eile retrieved three scrolls.

Before purchasing the scrolls, he had 3,000 spare contribution points.

A considerable amount for an ordinary player.

But not much considering Eile’s usual spending habits.

He’d converted most of it into faith stats early on to boost hunting efficiency, so it wasn’t enough.

Therefore, this plan had to succeed in one attempt.

Flash!

The scrolls in his hand shone and activated simultaneously.

Three branches of the Spear of Judgment.

The giant spears materialized and impaled the swamp giant.

Kuweooo!

“This won’t work!”

The damage was significant due to the direct hits, but Grom, the caster, remained unharmed, and Eile couldn’t sustain the attack with just three spears.

He’d only managed to temporarily restrain the giant.

‘Buying time is enough.’

Whack!

Eile plunged his longsword into the ground.

The skill ‘Shield of Protection’ activated instantly.

The circular barrier surrounding him blocked the approaching undead.

Eile abruptly knelt inside and began to pray, prompting Grom to tilt his head in confusion.

“He can’t even heal, so what is he doing? Anyway, I can’t just leave him alone.”

He didn’t know what Eile was up to, but he couldn’t allow him to do something suspicious.

Kwagwagwang!

The undead swarmed the shield, triggering a chain explosion.

The explosion was fierce.

As long as he had sufficient mana, he could unleash it without restraint, and he believed the shield would soon shatter.

But an unexpected situation unfolded.

“What, why is it so strong…?”

The Shield of Protection was a divine magic, its strength influenced by the faith stat.

Eile’s faith stat, accumulated over time, had already surpassed 1,000.

It possessed tremendous strength, unmatched even by a professional priest of the same level, and without this immense value, the barrier would have crumbled long ago.

Crackle!

The barrier began to crack under the continuous explosions.

In this critical situation, Eile focused even more intently.

‘Just a little more…’

Kwaang!

‘Now!’

Swish!

As the barrier shattered, Eile’s skill activated.

Dozens of chains erupted from the ground, ensnaring Ramun’s body and binding him tightly.

Even Grom, riding atop him, was helplessly restrained.

“What is this…!”

The reason Eile had knelt inside the barrier wasn’t simply for prayer.

It was to cast divine magic.

He was preparing the heroic skill ‘Chains of Divinity’.

It was less useful when dealing with people, but when facing such a massive monster, he needed the casting time.

The Chains of Divinity was also a divine ‘magic’ influenced by the faith stat.

“Good.”

The swamp giant and Grom were helplessly bound.

This time, he’d succeeded in capturing not only the giant but also Grom, neutralizing the key players in one fell swoop.

Then Eile knelt again and resumed praying.

“What are you trying to do again…! Attack!”

Grom shouted urgently.

He’d dropped his staff and couldn’t cast magic with both arms restrained.

The corpse explosion was impossible, so he directed the corpses to attack.

The barrier had broken moments ago, leaving Eile exposed to the onslaught.

But he endured the undead attacks in place and continued praying.

Thanks to his defense power increase, physical resistance skills, high-end armor, and inherently high stamina-related stats, he could withstand the assault to some extent.

Throb, throb, throb!

As the prayer concluded, a colossal sword of light materialized in the sky.

The unique-grade attack skill, Retribution.

“How can you use this level of divine magic…!”

Grom looked up in disbelief.

It was impossible for a melee-type inquisitor, not a priest, to cast such potent divine magic based on magic stats in succession.

Moreover, this was a divine magic of a different caliber.

“Goodbye.”

“No! Stop it!”

The swamp giant shielded Grom with its chained body.

But Grom, witnessing the giant sword of Retribution descending with full force, instinctively knew.

‘I’m, I’m done for…’

* * *

“Cough…!”

Grom, spitting blood, writhed on the ground.

He was near death and unable to move, lying on completely scorched earth.

It was impossible to withstand the Retribution skill cast at maximum power.

The swamp giant, directly hit by the attack, vanished instantly, and Grom, shielded by it, barely survived.

“Hoo, that was a little dangerous.”

Eile wiped his forehead and muttered.

While casting the Retribution skill, his stamina had plummeted due to the undead attacks.

But a proud smile soon graced his lips.

‘I wasn’t sure until now, but I can be satisfied with this much.’

It had been a challenging fight, making the sweetness of victory even more profound.

Furthermore, Eile had confirmed his capabilities against a semi-ranker player.

It was proof that he was strong enough even at this level, boosting his confidence.

“Yeah, I lost. I have no choice but to admit it.”

Grom, defeated, lowered his head and said.

He couldn’t even twitch a finger, seemingly having given up completely.

“That’s more graceful than I expected.”

“Ha, what’s the point of being stubborn? It’s not like I can beat you even if I chase you again.”

Grom said with a wry smile.

For a player of that caliber to lose to someone 40 levels lower would be a blow to his pride.

But now, he had no choice but to concede.

He had clearly lost in a one-on-one duel.

“Hmm… it would be a waste to just burn it as usual, right?”

Eile muttered, looking down at Grom.

The opponent was a named player among the semi-rankers.

Having already triumphed over someone who had been a hot topic, this fight would naturally be uploaded to WarTube [in-game video platform].

It would be a waste to upload this kind of event roughly like a normal hunting video.

He needed a grand finale to embellish the video’s conclusion.

Something ingenious, stimulating, and eerie….

“Yeah, that would be good. I’ve only hesitated because it’s a bit gruesome. I should use this opportunity.”

Eile retrieved various items from his inventory.

Then Grom, horrified, writhed as if having a seizure.

“W-w-wait a minute! This is not right!”

“Why?”

Grom must have already been aware of his rumors.

Eile looked at Grom, who was making a fuss, as if he couldn’t understand.

“Are you really going to do this? We had a good match, and I even admitted defeat in the end. Even if you don’t spare me, isn’t it basic human decency to let me go in peace?”

“What are you talking about when you ambushed me out of nowhere?”

He hadn’t forgotten how Grom had set up a trap and attacked him as if intending to kill him.

Eile strode towards him, and Grom’s eyes, wide with fear, turned snow-white.

“No. W-wait, let me… Argh!”