Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 208

208. The Tumultuous Chapter (6)

“Keuh……”

Lukan frowned, stepping back from the slash on his side.

After exchanging fierce blows, his stamina had dropped to a dangerous level.

All this from a fight with just one healer.

Naturally, Lukan had been on the offensive, taking the lead.

However, Alisa countered with incredible stat conversion and control through the effect of the unique-grade buff skill, ‘Prayer’.

The fight, which he thought he could end quickly, began to drag on unexpectedly, and she even possessed recovery skills befitting a healer.

If he couldn’t drink potions, it meant she had superior combat endurance compared to Lukan.

“This is really… an unexpected turn of events. I guess old skills don’t go anywhere?”

Lukan said with a hollow laugh.

Clang!

“Why are you in such a hurry? You’re not even properly acknowledging me after all this time. Haven’t you become too cold? Well, you were always the most prickly one among us back then……”

“Shut up.”

Kik! Kwak!

Lukan, kicked by her, crashed into the wall.

However, he continued speaking without wavering.

“I only heard recently. Our vice guild leader, who disappeared without a word, is in Warlord… working as an unknown healer.”

“……”

Alena, the strongest swordsman of Eastshorn and the vice guild leader of Alcyone.

That was her identity, now active under the name Alisa.

Even throughout the entire history of games, there was no player with as much presence as her, except for Warden, the guild leader of the same guild.

Even if direct comparisons were impossible because the games were all different, the two of them always competed for the top 1 or 2 spots when it came to naming the best players of all time.

But that vice guild leader, who had left such a strong impression, suddenly disappeared without a trace.

To hide the truth, the guild hastily appointed a replacement, but there was great confusion for a while due to the emergency situation that no one in the guild had anticipated.

“If only you had stayed in the guild, we wouldn’t have needed such troublesome processes in the first place. We could have just pushed through with force, regardless of royalty or anything else.”

Just one player.

Even the top-ranking players were considered nothing more than pawns in the overall landscape of Warlord, where numerous guilds were intertwined.

However, her departure at the time had a completely different meaning.

“You know very well that our movement means the situation is already over. Alena, I won’t ask about the reason you suddenly disappeared. I can overlook you smuggling the princess out as well. So, stop and come back.”

“I can’t.”

Alisa answered firmly despite his words.

Then, with a determined expression, she raised her spear.

“I’ve changed, but you guys are still the same.”

Clang!

Alisa and Lukan clashed, exchanging blows.

Lukan’s powerful kick grazed past, smashing one side of the wall.

“Are you trying to stop us completely? I’m sorry, but you can’t stop Kruger by struggling with just me!”

“I know that too.”

Alisa continued.

“The person who will stop you isn’t me.”

“Don’t tell me… you’re putting your hopes on that rookie from earlier? Just that one guy?”

Lukan’s expression twisted at her words.

A rookie, not Alisa herself or the six guild leaders, being their adversary.

It was an absurd nonsense that made him feel unpleasant.

“He’s not just anyone.”

“What is he, then?”

“The third Overdrive user after me and Kruger… that should be significant enough.”

The Overdrive System.

A technique that only two people among all the players from the first-generation game, Eastshorn, until now could use.

But that story changed a year after Warlord was released.

That was why Alisa had shown great interest in Eile from the beginning.

Even though he couldn’t consciously use it at the time, she felt the unique sense of disharmony that came from raising the synchronization rate.

That was the only reason she actively suggested traveling together, given her decision to step away from everything except life content.

Moreover, it was also why Kruger, already an Overdrive user, had even sent Dagos directly to approach Eile.

‘Yes, if there’s any possibility……’

Alisa’s expression was filled with determination.

Since she had already chosen the path of a healer, only Eile could stop Kruger.

* * *

“Got it!”

Eile shouted as he emerged from the passage.

What unfolded before him was a vast ancient ruin terrain, presumably used in ancient times.

Thanks to Alisa, who bought him time from Lukan, he was able to enter, and the key to this escape was right here.

Before he knew it, the party had disbanded as they moved a certain distance apart.

He was still worried about Alisa, unsure if she had died at the hands of Lukan or managed to escape safely.

However, he had no intention of foolishly waiting for her at the entrance of these ruins.

Doing so in a situation where numerous pursuers were following, not just Lukan, would only increase the chances of both of them dying.

Since they were already separated, it was the wisest choice to split up and meet at the rendezvous point.

“There you are!”

A man who immediately recognized Eile’s face shouted.

A pursuer standing on top of an old building in the ruins had discovered Eile as he entered.

‘Of all places… I didn’t expect them to have chased me this far already.’

Eile stepped back at the man’s appearance.

The allied rankers who had entered the Path of Roots were trying to buy as much time as possible by holding back the pursuers, but there was a limit to their interference.

The war situation in the Forest of Labyrinth around here began to tilt rapidly as the rankers of Apollyon revealed their true skills.

The high rankers of Apollyon, who had all gathered, possessed overwhelming power even against the rankers of the six major guilds dispatched here.

‘Wait, that guy is Slek, isn’t he?’

Eile thought, recognizing the man on the building.

Berserker, Slek.

A top-tier ranker who surpassed the level of ordinary rankers and was even in contention to enter the high rankers.

Originally, he was just below the top 100, and although he had been pushed back to 131st in this massive upheaval, he was one of the highest-ranked famous mercenaries on the rankings.

‘He was one of the targets to watch out for when I was on the northeastern front, but I never expected him to be in this forest……’

Slek was one of the mercenary rankers hired by Apollyon this time, and he was also on the list of quests from the goddess that he had received at the start of the Holy War.

Of course, there was no way he would have turned friendly now.

Eile first placed the princess in a safe place and then drew his longsword.

Whoong!

Kwaaaang!

Slek, who had jumped down in the meantime, struck the ground.

The ground cracked, causing a huge impact, and Eile slid back with some damage.

Then, Slek said, pointing his greatsword.

“You’re Eile, right? What I was commissioned to do was just the princess, so wouldn’t it be better to just hand her over? I don’t really like beheading users I have no grudge against.”

“That’s definitely not happening. I have one question. Are you siding with Apollyon even after hearing about Alcyone? I heard you have a pretty good reputation in this industry.”

“I’m siding with them because I heard about Alcyone. I don’t like it either. But sometimes you have to know how to swallow your pride.”

“What a load of crap……!”

Clang!

The swords collided, creating a heavy sound.

“No, it’s not a load of crap.”

Slek said to Eile, getting close.

“I’ve experienced firsthand what happens when you stand on pride. I’m from Eastshorn, and I was directly harmed by those guys. Anyone who’s been through that knows that Warlord is just child’s play!”

Kaga gagang!

Slek, shouting at him, relentlessly pushed Eile.

Eile’s expression slightly frowned at the heavy weight felt each time the swords collided.

‘As expected, he’s not someone I can easily defeat.’

He had raised his synchronization rate from the start and faced Slek, but he still struggled to deal with him.

The Berserker class, focused on attack, had many drawbacks in many ways, but of course, the story was different for a ranker in the 130s.

The more he injured the opponent and made them bleed, the more his health recovered, making him excellent at sustaining combat, and he even had a noteworthy passive that grew stronger as the ‘Berserker’s Blood’ stack accumulated the longer he fought.

‘If he’s this strong when he hasn’t even accumulated many stacks yet……’

He was a very burdensome opponent, as he was someone who had been on the verge of becoming a high ranker.

Fortunately, Eile’s passive allowed him to completely ignore the threat level that Berserkers had as a basic skill, but it was still somewhat insufficient to be optimistic.

‘More than anything, I can’t just think about what’s right in front of me.’

The presence of other pursuers who were quickly closing the distance was the biggest threat of all.

If he wasted time fighting Slek like this, it would be over.

[‘The Light’s Judge, Ru, tells you to hurry!’]

‘Okay……’

Eile nodded as Ru’s message appeared.

He didn’t want to waste Alisa’s sacrifice by hesitating here.

He quickly made his next decision.

The second legendary skill inherited from the Seeker’s Zeal, ‘Goddess’s Blessing’.

It was a skill with a cooldown of a whopping 6 hours, and it was burdensome to use recklessly since he didn’t even know the effect yet, but he had no choice in this situation.

Paah!

As the skill activated, a pure white light enveloped Eile’s body.

Then, the soaring stats were clearly felt even physically.

[All stats increase by 18%!]

As the skill activated, each stat, including strength and faith, increased by 18 percent.

This was a significant increase, and as long as the skill was active, his specs would be comparable to those of high rankers who were at a higher level than him.

But of course, this wasn’t the end.

If the skill he had obtained was just a simple stat buff skill, it would have been impossible for it to be a legendary grade, of which there were only a few in all of Warlord.

[All skill cooldowns are reduced!]

[The casting time of all divine magic is removed!]

[The ‘Goddess’s Authority’ skill can be used once for the duration of the blessing.]

[Time remaining ’12:00′]