Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 105

105. Unconventional Trader (4)

“Ooh… that’s intense.”

Ail exclaimed, watching the video.

The scene showed a massive fire magic sweeping through an entire guild building.

Uploaded just a few dozen minutes ago, the video was already a hot topic. It showed a mid-sized guild being wiped out in an instant, without any embellishment.

In fact, if Nightmare had done things their usual way, they would have sent only three or four people to completely devastate the guild.

That number of people would have been more than enough.

But they bothered to send as many as six guild members to show their sincerity.

‘They’re showing sincerity to me, I guess,’ Ail smirked.

Ail, who had even visited Media in person, successfully negotiated a deal with Nightmare in exchange for information about the ancient dungeon.

In the case of Amaranth, whom he had been chased by before, it would have been too wasteful to use such valuable information just to block a single commission from someone else. Moreover, they were scattered throughout the War Lord territory, making it impossible to completely destroy them.

If he had cracked down on them too harshly, there could have been repercussions from those who remained.

But White Fang was different.

A guild based in the Esmeier region. In other words, a guild located within Nightmare’s absolute sphere of influence.

If Nightmare made a move, they were a force that could cleanly and completely erase any trace, and now they were smoothly following that procedure.

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t feel sorry for them. After looking into it, they had their reasons, but they should have been more moderate with their greed.’

Ail turned off the video and got up from his seat with a refreshed expression.

Amaranth had only accepted a commission from one of their clients, but those guys were planning to antagonize Ail by putting him on their guild’s kill list.

They even threatened him to get him in their grasp and ruined his quest, so he was uprooting them to prevent them from bothering him again.

He had even placed an incredible additional option on Beken, so there would be no aftermath, and he wouldn’t be disturbed for the time being.

‘I wasted too much time because of one unnecessary bad connection…….’

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected this kind of thing to happen, but now it seemed he could focus on growth without any worries for the time being.

However, he didn’t only lose things in this incident.

There was an unexpected outcome that Ail hadn’t anticipated at all.

Nightmare’s guild leader, Karin, had personally come to the negotiating table with Ail.

To be able to face the world’s fourth-ranked top ranker already, he was honestly moved.

She was always a celebrity he only saw on the screen, but at that moment, he faced her as an equal.

It was the moment he realized that he had properly set foot in the huge game of War Lord.

Of course, the time allotted for negotiations was not very long, as she was in an incredibly busy position.

However, she not only communicated well but also immediately grasped what Ail hadn’t even mentioned and proceeded with the conversation, reaching all agreements in a short amount of time without any setbacks.

It was a refreshing process without any annoying probing or attempts to shake him up, and even a dedicated communication channel was created under Ail’s name.

‘From the beginning, the fact that the guild leader herself came forward meant that she had some interest in me. She probably didn’t think this deal would be the end.’

He didn’t know if he was being recognized for his potential as a named player through the video or if she saw something more.

But it was certain that she recognized his value.

‘Of course, it’s too early to get excited. I’ve only gained one useful business partner.’

Ail had no intention of only communicating with them, even though he wasn’t an affiliated guild member.

Being able to flirt with anyone and walk a tightrope was one of the few advantages of being an individual user, who could be at a disadvantage in many ways.

And Ail was going to make the most of that advantage.

Whether it was the Big Six or the Twelve, it didn’t matter.

Rather than becoming a hunting dog that could be abandoned at any time, he would become a leader who orchestrates the game and resolves situations in the midst of fiercely colliding giants.

[‘Luminary Judge, Ru’ acknowledges your prowess!]

[Favor of the Goddess +1.74% (Currently 64.84%)]

[Order of Light Contribution +1,500]

A sudden system message. Perhaps thanks to destroying a mid-sized guild, he received a great reward.

But then another message followed.

[‘Luminary Judge, Ru’ points to the sky.]

“Hmm……?”

Ail reflexively looked up according to the message, and his face soon turned pale.

The airship heading to the next destination had already arrived at the station.

The airship with a hellish 35-minute interval.

‘Ah, no!’

* * *

“You’ve arrived.”

At the entrance to the Hillsveda underground ruins in the Blanche Highlands.

Nightmare’s ranker, Lambic, greeted Karin, who emerged from the darkness.

“What’s the situation inside?”

“The monsters at the entrance are all around level 190. However, in the case of elites, some exceed 200, and their patterns are tricky, so it would be dangerous unless you’re a ranker.”

“It was supposed to be a level 210 dungeon, though. Does that mean we have to go deeper?” Karin muttered with interest.

“As expected of an ancient dungeon, its size is not ordinary… I can’t guarantee how long it will take to clear [攻略].”

“Reduce it as much as possible. I’ll be leaving right away, so get ready too.”

“Wait, are you going to take the lead yourself?”

Lambic looked at her, startled.

“Why do you think I came here?”

“But…….”

Judging from its appearance alone, the ancient dungeon was not something that could be cleared [攻略ed] in a day or two.

Also, depending on the dungeon’s patterns and difficulty, the deadline could be extended indefinitely.

If Karin and the high rankers, including himself, took the lead, it would be shortened, but it was not a good thing for someone who was the head of a large guild to be tied up in one dungeon for that long.

“Cancel all schedules. I’ve been hearing noises from outside the western desert for several weeks, and I smell something related to this.”

“In that case… I understand.”

At the guild leader’s resolute attitude, Lambic nodded obediently and hurriedly began to guide her inside, where the King’s Tomb was located.

Her senses seemed to have caught a scent again this time.

“By the way, about the Inquisitor who passed on this information. Was it really necessary to meet him in person? People overestimate him, thinking he crushed that Rhoden…….”

Lambic, who was walking ahead, asked Karin cautiously.

He remembered him even more because he was the one who first reported the video and introduced him.

Even though he was a rookie who was becoming a hot topic recently, there was no reason for the guild leader to take the time to meet such a person.

It wasn’t in her nature to like such unnecessary meetings.

“Lambic, didn’t you see it either?”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“No… nothing.”

Karin turned her head with a meaningful expression.

* * *

콰아앙!

The deafening sound of fierce battle was constantly heard.

Because Ail, who had discovered the dungeon that seemed to be the cause, had suddenly run away, the problem of the Tuli Village raid had not yet been resolved.

The increasingly fierce monster attacks were now beyond the initial waves and were constantly pouring in.

[Quest accepted!]

[Due to the increased monster attacks, the village’s defenses have reached their limit. Before irreversible damage occurs, find out the cause and stop the undead’s advance!]

[Four times the additional experience will be awarded upon success.]

[Time remaining ‘3:39:11’]

“Please, I beg you! We really can’t hold out any longer.”

“Huh…….”

Ail, who was facing the investigation team member who was earnestly passing on the request, couldn’t help but hide his momentary bewilderment.

While Ail was running away to avoid pursuit, the ongoing defense had reached its limit.

However, that situation rather spawned a new quest, which became a boon for Ail.

Four times the additional experience on top of the original reward.

He was even deeply contemplating whether he should be grateful to Godin for stopping him.

‘I have to hurry.’

Ail quickly packed his equipment and headed out of the village.

There was a time limit, but that wasn’t the only problem.

What was making him rush was the fact that this quest could be accepted not only by himself but also by other users.

Of course, the content of the quest was to go directly into that fog and find out the cause, which was beyond imagination, and most people gave up early and devoted themselves to the defense.

But there were bound to be those who didn’t.

Additional rewards were attached to this defense, but it couldn’t be compared to the four times the additional experience.

There must be those who took the risk with greed.

Kieeeek!

“Get out of here!”

The monster’s roar and people’s shouts were intertwined in a chaotic manner, and the magic shot by the mages exploded here and there.

Whether they heard the news that the undead were pouring in, the number of people had increased compared to the last defense, but the number of monsters had increased even more, making it seem even more difficult than before.

A fierce fight reminiscent of a desperate battle.

But Ail’s nerves, running through that battlefield, were all focused on one thing.

‘Those guys… they closed the stairs again, right?’

The stairs at the dungeon entrance that can be opened and closed through a device.

If the entrance was closed, the possibility of accidentally discovering the dungeon in this chaotic fog was virtually non-existent.

But if the opposite was true…….

It wouldn’t be strange if someone had already discovered it.

“Ha, damn it……!”

Ail, who had stopped in his place, was greeted by the wide-open entrance of the stairs in front of him.

He wanted to grab the White Fang gang and scold them for not closing the door, but Ail ran down the stairs with tears in his eyes.

Not only the success or failure of this quest but even the clues leading to the world quest might have been taken away.

To make matters worse, there were traces of someone recently entering below the stairs.

‘There!’

Ail, who was running as hard as he could, found a party standing in front.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to have gone in very deep yet.

“Oh, it’s a person! Hello?”

“Did you come alone through there? You must have little stamina left.”

“Wait, that face looks familiar…….”

The four users who encountered him each spoke to Ail.

They seemed to be a party that had received the same quest as Ail, and they must have accidentally discovered the stairs that were open on the floor and entered as a windfall.

“Hoo.”

Ail, who had stopped in front of the users, took a moment to catch his breath.

If it were a normal situation, he would have suffered a great loss since they had entered the dungeon first.

Even if Ail insisted that he had discovered it first, it would only cause conflict since there was no evidence.

But as soon as he saw them, Ail’s anxiety disappeared cleanly.

It was thanks to the existence of the intense mark drawn on the party members’ heads.

“Hmm… they’re heretics?”

Swoosh!

Flames erupted from Ail’s sword.