Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 120

120. Between Belief and Madness (5)

Clang!

The dagger scraped against the wall, leaving a long, jagged scratch.

The dark elf charged, radiating a savage aura. After dodging once, Aile lightly brushed his longsword with his index finger.

Whoosh!

White sacred flames erupted on the sword’s blade.

The longsword, now wreathed in flames, swung mightily, aiming for the approaching dark elf’s neck.

However, the dark elf immediately lowered his stance to avoid the blow and kicked Aile squarely in the abdomen.

Aile, knocked back by the force of the kick, crashed into the wall of the narrow alley, disrupting his posture. The dark elf seized the opportunity and lunged with his dagger.

Swish!

Aile quickly activated Reverse Thrust, seizing the dark elf’s back in a swift counter-maneuver.

A counterattack executed simultaneously with dodging the dagger.

But the moment Aile’s figure seemed to flicker, the dark elf immediately leaped away, causing the longsword to slash harmlessly through the air.

‘It’s not easy after all.’

He was certain he had gained the upper hand by taking the dark elf’s back when a gap appeared, but it wasn’t quite enough.

The opponent’s movements were inherently fast, and his reaction speed to unforeseen circumstances was also incredibly quick.

His strength, speed, and combat sense were enough to overwhelm most players of the same level, and the 20-level difference only amplified the challenge for Aile.

Aile was steadily retreating against the dark elf, who was gaining momentum and relentlessly pressing the attack.

However, upon closer inspection, Aile was skillfully managing to block the attacks without sustaining any significant damage.

Clang!

The longsword swung at the opportune moment, and this time, the dark elf was pushed back with a jarring impact.

If the blow had been slightly stronger, he might have dropped his dagger.

Aile was no slouch in combat either.

The gap created by the level difference was somewhat bridged by the Madness and Affection stats [Stats that influence combat abilities and resistances], and he was supported by excellent equipment and skills.

However, players weren’t the only ones who could use techniques during combat.

[The Mark of Curse is watching you.]

[All damage received from the opponent is increased, and the chance of suffering critical wounds is heightened.]

Fwoosh!

The dark elf stretched out his arm and pointed at Aile, causing a black mark to materialize above Aile’s head.

He had only ever inflicted the Heretic’s Imprint on others; this was the first time he had received a mark from someone else.

He was already dealing with fast and erratic dual daggers, and the added damage and critical hit buffs made it even more challenging.

He had to be cautious even when deflecting glancing blows.

However, Aile had even more cards up his sleeve that he hadn’t revealed yet.

Clang!

Aile’s weapon instantly transformed into a greatsword, slamming down on the elf with unexpected force.

The dark elf, caught off guard by the sudden change of weapon, quickly retreated.

“What…?”

But Aile didn’t give his opponent time to think.

A long spear, now firmly in his hand, pierced the dark elf’s shoulder.

He couldn’t react in time due to the sudden change in the weapon’s reach, leaving him unable to dodge.

And the spear’s special effect was triggered.

[Special effect ‘Weakness’ has been activated!]

Weakness, a status ailment that reduces the enemy’s attack power.

The dark elf frowned deeply as he felt the spear’s effect. Rather than panicking and retreating from the wound, he chose another option.

He dove under the spear, which had been thrust slightly high, aiming for Aile’s exposed opening.

Of course, that was also within Aile’s calculations.

The spear, having served its purpose, vanished, and two daggers appeared in Aile’s hands.

Clang clang clang!

The opponent was a close-combat class wielding dual daggers.

Aile had anticipated that he would try to close the distance, considering the reach difference between them.

The dark elf intended to use the narrow alley to force a close-quarters battle.

But the long-reach weapons weren’t the only options Aile had.

Aile, mirroring his opponent, responded with dual daggers and slashed at the dark elf’s neck.

Unfortunately, it was only a light graze and didn’t inflict a fatal wound, but red blood trickled down.

‘Really…?’

The high elf, who had been watching the fight while collapsed, widened her eyes in surprise.

She hadn’t expected much from the sudden appearance of the human’s help.

But he was actually holding his own against the dark elf pursuer, giving her a glimmer of hope.

“I was trying to handle this quietly as much as possible…”

The dark elf, annoyed, wiped away the blood and gathered mana in both hands.

His black mana quickly gathered without any interruption, seeped into the ground, and summoned something.

Thud!

A black spirit emerged, overturning the bricks.

The spirit, nearly filling the narrow alley with its immense size, stood as if guarding the dark elf’s side.

‘Spirit magic, huh…’

Aile took a breath and looked up at it.

Elves, who generally had excellent communion abilities, often incorporated spirit magic into their combat, even if they weren’t spirit mages, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

It was well within his expectations, and he had already thought of a way to respond.

Swish!

A summoning scroll unfolded in Aile’s hand.

White light spread as the scroll activated, and a large summon appeared wreathed in red flames.

Screech!

A flame-covered serpent intertwined with the black giant, engaging in a fierce battle and creating violent aftershocks as they wrecked the alley.

Aile was the first to move amidst the flying debris.

He twisted away the dark elf’s dagger, which was trying to counterattack, and simultaneously activated the One Flash skill, aiming precisely at the exposed opening.

The powerful sacred flames and sword energy erupted from the longsword as it slammed down, instantly cutting down the dark elf, who had been momentarily stunned.

Boom!

“Kuh-ugh!”

The elf’s health plummeted instantly from the devastating attack.

The black spirit tried to leap in to protect the elf, but Aile’s summon wouldn’t let it.

Rumble!

The fire serpent coiled around the spirit’s body, immobilizing it, while Aile took another step forward and raised his sword.

The dark elf had completely exposed an opening due to the impact of One Flash, and Aile was about to deliver the final blow.

But at that very moment.

Poof!

The staggering dark elf vanished in an instant.

He reappeared directly behind Aile.

The two daggers he wielded thrust deeply into Aile’s back.

Aile had no time to react, and he felt a dizzying sensation.

The critical blow, delivered without any defense, inflicted additional damage.

Aile quickly kicked out his leg, pushing the dark elf away.

‘Damn it…’

Aile frowned as he checked his health bar.

Due to the mark and the critical wound, less than 20 percent of his health remained.

If he hadn’t applied Weakness or invested in defense, he would have been instantly killed by that attack.

Indeed, such a level difference couldn’t be taken lightly for even a moment.

‘That said, I didn’t expect him to use that.’

The reason the dark elf, who had been staggering from the attack, suddenly disappeared was thanks to the ‘Shadow Stride’ technique [A skill that allows for short-range teleportation or stealth movement].

Shadow Stride was a heroic skill that players could learn, and it was a very well-known technique among rogue classes.

He hadn’t expected the dark elf to possess it.

[Special effect ‘Bleeding’ has been activated!]

Blood gushed from the wound in his back, inflicted by the daggers, slowly draining his health.

Aile had created some distance between himself and the dark elf with his earlier kick, and he quickly took out a potion from his inventory to staunch the immediate threat.

But something strange happened.

Even though he drank the health potion, his health remained unchanged.

[All means of recovery have been blocked due to an unknown curse!]

‘What…?’

Aile felt bewildered by the sudden message.

An unknown curse; he had no idea when he had been afflicted.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

Aile put aside his bewilderment for a moment and charged at the dark elf.

With such severe bleeding, he had no time to stand still.

Time was on the dark elf’s side, and he had to finish the fight as quickly as possible.

Clang!

Aile’s longsword collided with the swung dagger.

Naturally, the dark elf’s dagger was the first to be pushed back in the clash of strength.

But he had another dagger in his other hand.

Stab!

The dagger pierced Aile’s side, which had been left exposed.

However, it was the dark elf who was more surprised by the successful attack.

Originally, this attack was meant to be a mere feint.

He had hoped that Aile, rushing in desperately due to the bleeding, would retreat to avoid this attack, giving him time to his advantage, but Aile willingly opened himself up and took the attack.

“This is the end.”

Aile swung the longsword he had raised with all his might, and a torrent of fire, along with the concentrated sword energy, poured out in front of the dark elf’s face.

Whoosh!

“Kuaaaaaa!”

The dark elf, engulfed in a massive blaze, screamed in agony.

The staggering dark elf soon ran out of health and collapsed to the ground, and the summoned spirit dissipated along with him.

[You have eliminated a heretic!]

“Hoo, I almost died.”

Aile sighed in relief.

His head was slightly dizzy, and anyone else would have been in a near-death state, but he had barely any health left.

It was a very successful outcome compared to the dangerous situation, but it was fortunate that the damage calculations had barely aligned.

First, Aile quickly took out bandages and wrapped them around the wound to stop the bleeding.

Bleeding generally had a long duration, and bandages were essential items for stopping it.

Recently, it had become trendy among warlord’s rogue users to utilize bleeding, so most players, including Aile, were carrying them.

When facing a rogue, always bring bandages; there was a reason why the saying ‘Dodge, bandage’ had become popular.

“That’s done.”

Once he properly wrapped the bandage around the wound, the bleeding effect disappeared, and his health stopped decreasing.

But even after the fight with the dark elf, the unknown curse persisted, preventing him from recovering health with potions.

“It’s not going to keep doing this, is it…?”

“This way!”

A commotion could be heard from beyond the alley.

The guards were starting to gather because he had used summons and fought so loudly, destroying the back alleys.

He had been told that getting caught would be troublesome for both sides, so it was best to leave.

“Hey? Are you okay?”

Aile approached the high elf who had collapsed and checked on her condition.

She nodded weakly, but she didn’t seem to be in good shape.

Even with support, she seemed to have difficulty walking, so Aile picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, intending to leave the alley.

“Ah, right…”

Aile, who was about to run, suddenly stopped.

He had almost forgotten to loot the items because he was in such a hurry to move, and he quickly rummaged through the dark elf’s corpse.

– You have acquired an item!

[Helibron’s Sealed Directive (Quest)]