Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 103

103. The Out-of-Spec Dealer (2)

Warlord offered a variety of transportation options.

Most players mainly walked or used horses, carriages, or ships, but if you considered all the minor modes of transport, the number of possibilities increased significantly.

However, there was one tremendous mode of transportation that couldn’t be compared to any of those.

That was the airship that cut through the sky.

Airships, which crossed the continent at high speed, could be used via stations located in each major city.

In Warlord, where there was no function like teleportation between cities and the continent was incredibly vast, they were essential.

If there were no airships, players who were on opposite sides of the continent would find it too burdensome to meet, even if they were real friends, and would give up on meeting altogether.

No matter how realistic it was, it was still a virtual reality ‘game,’ so such a thing couldn’t happen.

Everyone knew that Warlord was a masterpiece that surprisingly captured immersion and realism, but it didn’t sacrifice gameplay for the sake of realism.

Warlord boldly prioritized gameplay in areas where the two elements were incompatible, so you could often find convenient settings while playing.

Most areas where players were likely to gather had a sufficient amount of hunting grounds, and they were rarely sparsely placed just to maintain realistic settings.

Airships, which roamed the entire Warlord area at very high speeds, were in the same context.

However, airships could only be used in major cities where stations existed, and the high cost was a barrier despite their speed and convenience.

The fare was very expensive, even when converted to real-world currency, and it was more than taking a long-distance taxi in real life.

But on top of that expensive airship, Aile stood, enjoying the cool breeze.

“Hoo, this feels different.”

Aile, leaning against the railing, rested his chin and admired the scenery.

Normally, standing on the deck at such a high speed would mean you’d be blown away immediately, but as a ship flying in the sky, it had a magical device that prevented such mishaps.

‘It’s not like I have money to burn, and I didn’t think I’d be riding an airship for a while.’

Although it was convenient, it was burdensome for Aile to ride the airship as much as he wanted.

But this time was different.

‘Nightmare… I didn’t expect things to work out this easily.’

The Big Six Guild, Nightmare.

One of the overlords of Warlord and the giant guild that virtually dominated the entire Esmair region, and also the place Aile contacted via communication channel while escaping the Spider Cave.

Aile used the channel code he had received from Tasha to request a trade with them first, emphasizing that he had special information that even the Big Six Guilds couldn’t obtain.

And that statement was not just a bluff.

The card Aile hadn’t taken out yet: the level 210 ancient dungeon ‘Tomb of the King’ located underground in the Blanche Highlands.

It was information that anyone, whether a Big Six Guild or not, would be tempted by.

But, of course, he hadn’t yet brought up any details about it.

If he revealed the information he had, the leverage of the deal would disappear.

Nevertheless, the Nightmare official didn’t greatly doubt Aile’s words.

This was because Aile had contacted them through their direct channel and had revealed his face and name on WarTube [a fictional video-sharing platform in the game world].

They even sent all the round-trip travel expenses via airship by mail as soon as the negotiation table was set up between the two parties.

As expected, these large guilds handled things differently from the start.

‘But this is just the beginning.’

It just meant that he was recognized as being in a position to sit at the negotiating table.

When he actually went to them, it was still unknown how successful the negotiations would be.

“Wait, isn’t that Aile over there?”

“What? Now that you mention it….”

Aile heard people whispering behind him.

They were people who recognized him from the video.

Indeed, there were side effects to revealing his face in this regard.

However, it was convenient that most people were reluctant to talk to him rather than crowding around out of curiosity.

They were afraid to approach him because they thought he might have a stigma stamped on his head, and that he would draw his sword and rush at them for even a small mistake.

Of course, Aile would never actually do that.

‘Hmm… this won’t do.’

Aile, who had been trying not to pay attention as much as possible, eventually went down the stairs to enter the cabin as the attention became uncomfortable.

Then, the people who were whispering and watching did not follow Aile as he went down to the cabin to watch him.

“Hoo, I need to get used to this too….”

Aile muttered as he walked down the hallway.

But then, a man who was running in a hurry collided strongly with Aile, who was turning the corner, and both fell helplessly.

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I should have looked ahead properly.”

The man who had fallen apologized, bowing his head repeatedly.

With a face that looked good-natured to anyone, he quickly got up and reached out to Aile, who had fallen, to help him up.

Then, Aile, who grabbed his hand and jumped up, dusted himself off and soon stared intently at the man’s face and opened his mouth.

“Really? It looked like you were looking properly.”

“Yes…? What do you mean… Eek!”

The man, who properly recognized Aile’s face, was horrified and staggered back.

He realized that the man he had collided with was the recently famous crazy Inquisitor.

The man turned around and tried to run away.

But for some reason, Aile grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Wait.”

Stab!

Almost at the same time as Aile’s sword was drawn, a chilling sound rang out.

“Uh… huh?”

The man stared blankly at the sword that had pierced his stomach.

As he was about to scream for help in shock, Aile, who pulled out the sword that had been stabbed, swung the sword again to shut his mouth.

Thud!

The man, whose neck was cut and could not move, collapsed.

The spilled blood pooled on the floor.

[You have executed a heretic!]

[Favor of the Goddess +0.15% (currently 63.10%)]

[Contribution to the Order of Light +30]

[Faith stat +1]

[Madness stat +1]

“Oh, geez….”

Aile rummaged through his corpse and looted the items.

Then, along with the items the man had dropped, Aile’s own items and money pouch also flowed out.

“I heard there are many pickpockets. I’m meeting one right away.”

If you defeat a pickpocket within a certain amount of time after being pickpocketed, the stolen items are dropped again.

Generally, most people who ride airships, regardless of their skills or level, had a certain amount of money.

Therefore, pickpockets who entered the airship with a small investment, aiming for a big score, often appeared.

The current man’s pickpocketing skills were very skillful, as if he had done it more than once or twice.

But Aile had captured his hand movements and could see the mark of a heretic on his head early on.

‘I heard that habitual pickpockets deliberately keep their levels low… it was true.’

The pickpocketing skill of stealing users’ money and items could only be used if the user’s level was higher or similar to prevent the tyranny of high-level users.

That’s why Aile could draw his sword without hesitation.

“Anyway, I’ve caused another accident.”

Aile scratched his head as if he was in trouble and looked down at the corpse.

People were already uneasy just being around him, but if a corpse was found, it would become noisy and loud.

Just as he was wondering whether to hide it secretly and throw it outside, a brilliant idea flashed through Aile’s mind.

“Hmm, should I try something with this too?”

Aile grabbed the legs of the slumped corpse and dragged it into the cabin.

* * *

Whoo-oong!

The airship arrived at its destination city in no time.

The airship stopped next to the top of the station, which was in the form of a long tower, and passengers began to disembark one by one.

“Kyaaagh!”

A woman’s scream of surprise was heard from the cabin, as if she had discovered something, but Aile did not pay attention to the commotion behind him.

Aile, who got off at the station, took the elevator down, and during that time, he could see the city scenery that was clearly visible.

‘It’s as great as I expected.’

The best central city in the Esmair region, Media.

The huge fortress in the center of the city and the splendid central streets surrounding it.

The outer streets extending in all directions were systematically laid out, and countless people filled it.

Dubel, the first big city Aile had faced, boasted a scale that was second to none, but it felt like nothing in front of Media.

Clunk!

As the elevator landed, Aile first left the tower and went to the city center where the huge inner fortress was located.

Arriving at the west entrance of the fortress.

Nightmare’s legion soldiers, wearing black armor and holding large glaives [polearms with a large blade] in one hand, blocked the castle gate.

They were on a different level from ordinary guard NPCs [Non-Player Characters].

When Aile revealed his identity, the legion soldiers who had heard the story in advance stepped back, and Aile was able to pass through the castle gate without any restrictions.

Drrrk!

The sound of the chain closing the castle gate was heard from behind, and Aile walked along the road and briefly organized his thoughts.

‘I wonder who will come out to the negotiation table….’

Except that Aile had just begun to make his name known in earnest, he did not have much to show them yet, and he expected that it would be difficult to receive proper treatment.

Not even an executive, but even a regular guild member would be grateful.

He only hoped that someone other than the Nightmare main guild would come forward as a negotiator for smooth negotiations, as it was quite an important matter.

‘Here it is.’

Aile, who passed the guard post and stood in front of his destination, stood in place, admiring inwardly.

Nightmare’s guild building, which occupied the center of the fortress, stood with a magnificent appearance.

It was on a scale that ordinary guilds couldn’t even imagine.

“Welcome. We have been waiting for you.”

As he entered the building, an old man dressed neatly in a suit approached.

The neatly dressed old man was a guild management NPC, not a player, and began to walk ahead and guide Aile.

He walked down the hallway and encountered quite a few Nightmare guild members, some of whom recognized Aile and stopped talking and sent interesting glances.

But while passing through the hallway, the guide suddenly turned to the left.

‘Hmm…? This way?’

Aile, who roughly grasped the building structure here, felt that the direction he was heading was a bit strange.

The reception room or conference room was not in this direction, and if he went this way, he would only head to one room.

Wondering if he had made a mistake, he glanced at the guide, but he still acted as if nothing was wrong.

‘Wait, maybe….’

Just as the thought of ‘maybe’ flashed through Aile’s mind.

The guide, who had stopped in front of the room that ‘maybe’ had pointed to, opened the door.

Click!

“Please come inside.”

“…….”

The guide, who nodded his head, stepped back, and Aile stepped through the open doorway.

The luxurious bookshelves and furniture placed on both sides, and the sunlight coming in from the window revealed the Nightmare guild emblem engraved largely.

As far as he knew, the official name of this room was ‘Lord’s Office.’

“Aile… was it?”

Nightmare’s Guild Leader, Karin.

She stood before Aile.