Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 114

114. The Essence of Hunting (7)

Warlocks, known for their formidable firepower, were as crucial to a party as healers.

However, their situational response was limited due to the inherent casting time, making them vulnerable without protection from their comrades.

Small parties that struggled to provide rear cover often excluded mages altogether.

Unless they belonged to a few specialized classes, mages were naturally at a disadvantage in one-on-one situations, resulting in a noticeably smaller proportion among the ranked players compared to other classes.

But that made skilled mages all the more valuable.

Despite their significant weaknesses, no class possessed firepower as potent as mages in mob hunts or boss raids.

The presence of a skilled mage could significantly influence the success or failure of a raid.

However, despite being a backline damage dealer, the class was notoriously difficult due to its demanding controls and heavy reliance on talent.

In other words, few could adequately fulfill their role relative to their importance.

Chiiiik!

The stench of charred corpses filled the air.

The overwhelming number of evil spirits had been gloriously annihilated, adding to their coffers of money and experience.

The reason they could wipe out so many evil spirits so quickly was thanks to the mage who unleashed wide-area spells from the rear.

“We actually held them off…”

Lia retracted her staff with a dazed expression.

She had leveled up while fending off the overwhelming monsters, and even she thought their teamwork was amazing.

Eil then asked her a question.

“Have you ever thought that your casting speed is exceptionally fast?”

“That I’m fast?”

“No, I’m asking what you think.”

“Hmm… now that I think about it, I do seem a bit faster than others. But I have so many shortcomings that I try my best not to cause trouble. I still find hunting alone difficult.”

‘Haha…’

Eil chuckled at Lia’s words.

She didn’t seem to be fully aware of her talent.

‘Now I see why those scammers wanted her in their party.’

Her understanding of the game and combat itself seemed lacking.

But her casting ability was unbelievably talented.

She cast high-cost, wide-area spells as if they were Magic Missiles, displaying firepower far beyond that of ordinary mages.

Of course, it was also thanks to Eil’s skillful defense that prevented any monsters from leaking to the rear.

Even though the mage, vulnerable to survival, was part of a mere two-person party, she could cast freely without worry, allowing her to unleash spells even faster.

But even so, her incredible talent was genuine, and trying to exploit such a monstrous mage resource for a quick buck was a foolish decision.

“Let’s clear this place first.”

They began looting the items from the piles of monsters.

After pocketing all the items, including the thorium ingots the party members had been carrying, Eil strode towards the fallen scammers.

Even in a near-death state, leaving them unattended for too long could allow them to recover, so it was best to deal with them quickly.

Eil sentenced them to incineration using the Execution skill and summoned a large pyre.

This time, instead of executing them separately, she tied all three together and burned them together.

“Kkuaaaak!”

“Hmm, this doesn’t look quite right. Maybe I should hang them upside down next time…”

Eil muttered, seemingly dissatisfied with the execution.

Experimenting beforehand would help her gain more influence later.

But those watching from the side had no idea what Eil was thinking.

‘S, scary…’

Lia, horrified, broke out in a cold sweat.

Even though they were scammers who had deceived her, she couldn’t get used to Eil’s nonchalant burning of people.

Of course, Eil didn’t care and collected all the items dropped by the heretics before starting to talk about the quest.

“What are you planning to do now?”

“I’m not sure… I don’t know what to do in this situation.”

“Then let’s clear the urgent quest together first. If someone leaves midway, it will hinder the progress, and it seems like it’s not a normal quest, so the rewards should be great.”

“I, is it… not dangerous?”

Lia asked cautiously.

Important quests from the Warlord usually came with corresponding risks.

“To be honest, it might be dangerous. But if it’s the two of us, we can clear it easily. Very safely.”

Eil said confidently, and Lia hesitated for a moment.

Normally, she would have abandoned such a scary quest, regardless of the rewards.

But after witnessing Eil’s skills in the previous battle, she was conflicted.

Lia, who was oblivious to the news, had no idea that Eil was the infamous Inquisitor, but she vaguely felt that this was what it would be like to see a ranked player.

There was also the issue that the barrier would break if even one person left. Not wanting to cause trouble, Lia nodded.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“M, me too.”

After finishing their conversation, they shook hands lightly and headed straight into the passage.

Since the quest had a time limit, they couldn’t afford to be leisurely.

They passed through the passage filled with the stench of charred bodies, exchanged introductions, including their names, and soon entered the inner sanctum.

“This is…”

“It’s bad.”

Eil frowned at the gruesome sight around her.

The cave, which must have been beautiful until recently, was now completely tainted black and reeked of a disgusting odor.

‘It’s the same pattern as what I saw in the Spirit Forest.’

Having seen a similar sight before, Eil was certain that it was related to the ancient spirits again.

The quest could have significant consequences, and the reason it was written that the entire nearby area would be unsafe if the ancient spirit awakened in a contaminated environment.

But this time, the corruption inside the sanctuary was far more severe than what she had encountered in the Spirit Forest.

It was no wonder they had received an urgent quest.

Furthermore, they had received help from the Rotums [likely a race or faction known for purification] in the previous quest, but she wondered how to purify this place without them.

‘Ah, is this it?’

Eil’s gaze turned to the purification rate displayed in the quest window.

The value, which had been at 0 percent when it first appeared, had now risen slightly.

The only thing Eil had done since entering was eliminate monsters.

She guessed that they could purify this place again by eliminating the contaminated monsters that filled the sanctuary.

Kiiiik!

“They’re coming!”

“Yes!”

The screaming evil spirits swarmed in once again.

Lia’s magic was fired at the evil spirits rushing from the opposite side.

Kwajijijik!

The intense lightning that spread out bounced between the evil spirits, dealing significant damage to many.

Lightning-type attack magic, Chain Lightning.

This time, she was using a spell with an average casting time of 4 seconds almost instantly.

While Lia hurriedly prepared the next spell, Eil blocked the enemies.

The entrance was quite wide this time, and it would be quite a struggle to prevent the monsters from leaking to the rear alone.

However, Eil used the reach of her longsword and the holy fire to knock down any evil spirits that charged at her without letting them escape to the rear.

She wasn’t even struggling to barely hold them off.

She even had the余裕 [Japanese word meaning ‘composure’ or ‘room to spare’] to handle them as stably as possible so that Lia, who was still inexperienced, wouldn’t feel anxious or panic.

In the meantime, Lia’s Flare Lances continued to follow up with the second and third spells, and the rushing evil spirits were swept away and noticeably reduced.

Kwaaaaa!

Kiiiik!

The evil spirits that barely survived in the chaos were also finished off by Eil’s final Fire Baptism skill.

The messy passage was filled with the corpses of evil spirits, and she even confirmed that the purification rate had increased slightly.

It was a very smooth mob hunt that no one could criticize.

Above all, the part that Eil paid attention to was experience.

‘As expected, this place is also incredibly efficient.’

The amount of experience gained from defeating them was very high.

Unfortunately, the items and money they dropped weren’t that plentiful, but the amount of experience gained per individual was very high, and the difference was noticeable compared to other hunting grounds.

She had once again encountered a hunting ground that deserved to charge a very high toll, perhaps due to its connection to the world quest.

Moreover, it was impossible for intruders to appear and interfere with him here.

There was no need to mention the number of monsters that poured out in front of him.

‘Furthermore, at this speed…….’

The existence of a mage who could unleash wide-area magic non-stop, combined with Eil’s wide-area skills that were effective against evil spirits, made the hunting speed tremendous.

Even considering that it was the early stages of hunting, the pace was very fast.

Here, she would be able to accelerate her already accelerating growth even further.

“Lia, you don’t have any schedules for the time being, right?”

“Yes……? Ah, yes. I don’t…….”

Lia answered dazedly.

Then, a faint smile crossed Eil’s lips, and a strange sense of unease washed over her.

“U, um… Eil? Your eyes look a little scary…….”