Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 127

Level Up Judge – Episode 127 (127/227)

127. The Underground World

‘An unbelievable thing has happened….’

Eil looked around with a half-dazed expression.

He was walking towards the closest underground city he had seen from the high cliff.

But even now, he was dumbfounded by the fact that he had discovered such a place.

He wondered if he had missed any information, so he thoroughly searched the information sites, but there was nothing.

A region that had never been discovered before.

Not even the smallest clue related to this place had been found among the users yet.

‘Not a dungeon or a village, but discovering an entire region.’

The sight of several cities and villages scattered around.

Of course, compared to the 14 huge regions located on the surface, including Esmair, this place was much smaller.

But even this size was significant.

It wouldn’t be strange to call it another world 펼쳐진 underground.

‘The hunting grounds I’ve passed so far have been around level 80 to 120. I don’t know if all the areas far away are of similar level, but even this alone is an amazing discovery.’

Just as cities and villages existed, so did hunting grounds and monsters.

There would also be hidden dungeons that he hadn’t discovered yet, and perhaps new alien races might have settled there.

‘Judging by the fact that they’ve settled in such a place, they don’t seem to be ordinary humans.’

The underground world where the sunlight doesn’t reach.

Even though there were cities and villages, the owners of those places were likely to be alien races, not humans.

‘Some beastmen are said to live underground… Or, could they be dwarves?’

As he walked, Eil gradually made his guesses.

First of all, the possibility of monsters or races with low intelligence was unlikely.

Judging from the size of the city he had looked down on from above, it would be difficult for such creatures to gather and build it.

In addition, the appearance of the outer walls was comparable to that of a decent human fortress.

But regardless of such concerns, as he got closer to the city, he could see the residents coming and going from a distance with his own eyes.

“Ah, gnomes….”

Gnomes were one of the small dwarf races, so rare that it was hard to find them on the surface.

But the situation was different here, as they were gathered in large numbers enough to form a city.

“Who are you!”

A gnome guarding the gate ran towards Eil as he approached the gate.

He raised his spear threateningly, but the spearhead didn’t even reach Eil’s chin.

“What is it? I’ve never seen a guy like you before. It doesn’t seem like a monster….”

“Don’t you know humans at all?”

“Human? You’re saying you’re human? That’s ridiculous. How did a surface creature find its way here?”

The small gnome still didn’t let go of his suspicious gaze.

At least he seemed to have heard of humans living on the surface.

“I accidentally found a passage leading down.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Hmm… Is it a bit much?”

Even he himself didn’t think it was a plausible story.

But a passage leading down was really discovered by chance, and Eil had only learned about it through a quest.

“I’ve heard rumors about humans. They say they’re good at lying and deceiving.”

‘That’s not wrong, but….’

Eil scratched his head, feeling embarrassed.

Of course, there was no need to mention the users [players], and as inherently cunning Warlord NPCs [Non-Player Characters], their perception of the human race was not wrong.

But to be a little more precise, gnomes also had a somewhat naive side.

Gnomes were stubborn, but they didn’t try to deceive others, and they were secretly good at believing what others said.

And because of that personality, they often became easy targets for cunning humans.

Of course, that was on the surface, and the guard gnome in front of him had no way of knowing.

“Then what do I have to do for you to believe me?”

“No, I’ll believe you’re human. I’ve never seen a guy with your appearance in Eltris.”

“Eltris? Is that the name of the city?”

“No, it’s the name of this world.”

The underground world, Eltris.

That was the name of the world Eil had set foot in.

“I see… Well, then, can I go inside now?”

“Wait!”

The gnome raised his spear and blocked Eil.

Eil, who was about to pass him, stopped and looked down at the gnome.

“What’s wrong this time?”

“Whether you’re human or not has nothing to do with whether you can pass. In principle, suspicious guys are not allowed to enter. Especially these days.”

“These days…?”

Eil sensed something in the gnome’s words and began to question him closely.

“Is something going on around here?”

“It’s not just around here. The whole of Eltris is in chaos.”

“Tell me more.”

“Well, fine. You should be careful since you’ve come down here. It’s not a very old story… But the lands of Eltris have been severely polluted for some time now. It started in one place at first, but it gradually increased, and now it’s hard to handle. A rotten smell vibrates from the blackened land, and later even evil monsters appear. Everyone tried to investigate, but they couldn’t figure out the reason. They couldn’t even predict where the next pollution would occur.”

“Pollution…?”

Eil’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

The same phenomenon as the land pollution being carried out by the 결사단 [Gyeolsadan – a secret society or cult] through the Necrostone.

The reason why the passage was first discovered was also because the pollution had worsened and the ground had collapsed, and it seemed to be affecting the entire underground world here.

Since it was a world located under the polluted land, it was only natural that it would be directly affected.

In addition, as he listened to the gnome’s words one by one, he realized that the situation was more serious than he had thought.

A problem that went beyond just troublesome, a matter of survival.

“If the polluted areas continue to increase at the current rate, everyone will die. We won’t even last a few years. Once the land is polluted, it can’t be purified, so it endlessly increases, eating away at the surrounding land.”

“Wait, the polluted land can’t be purified?”

“That’s right, not at all!”

The gnome burst out in frustration as if he was 답답한 [feeling stifled or frustrated].

But he soon continued with a 축 처진 [drooping or dispirited] spirit.

“The sorcerers couldn’t even touch it, and even if we defeated the monsters, they kept appearing. We even offered sacrifices to the gods and prayed, but it was useless. The polluted land didn’t return [to normal], and we were even abandoned by the god we believed in.”

A truly desperate situation.

But Eil suddenly knelt down on one knee to meet his gaze and held the gloomy gnome’s hands.

“I see. I understand why I came down to this land.”

“Wh… What are you doing?”

“I will solve your problem.”

Eil said, his eyes shining.

The story of purifying the polluted land.

But, of course, the gnome’s reaction was negative.

“Do you think I’d believe such nonsense? Are you trying to trick me into getting into the city right now?”

“Not at all. I can purify the polluted land.”

“Ha! Countless warriors and sorcerers have stepped forward, but they all returned empty-handed! How can you solve it alone?”

“Because I am an apostle sent by God. To save you.”

“S, save? Our God?”

“No, he is just a false god disguised with deception. How can someone who ignores the prayers of his followers be a god? Such a guy doesn’t even deserve to be a god.”

“Then who are you talking about?”

“The Goddess of Light, Lugh. Her mercy has reached this land.”

Eil, who 벌떡 [suddenly or abruptly] stood up, offered a short prayer.

To others, it was the 모습 [appearance or sight] of a sincere believer and an excellent fanatic, no matter what anyone said.

“What is this….”

The embarrassed gnome 물러섰다 주춤주춤 [stepped back hesitantly].

A race he had never seen before was talking about a goddess he had never heard of.

He still couldn’t 믿덥지 [believe it easily] but have to.

But the gnome began to shake little by little at Eil’s consistently confident attitude.

In a matter of life and death, they had no choice but to grab at straws, and Eil did not miss the opportunity.

“I will purify the polluted land again and restore it to its original state. Instead, if I show you the miracle of God, you must have faith accordingly.”

“Y… Yes, good! If you can return the land, I will follow anyone, whether it is God or human. But if there is no result, I will immediately banish you beyond the cliff at the end of the world!”

“Of course, anytime.”

* * *

A space filled with darkness.

In the middle of it, a brilliant light was 서려 [lingering or dwelling].

“흐암…….”

The Goddess of Light, Lugh, yawned boredly.

Unlike when she 현신 [appeared or manifested], her hair was 너저분한 [messy or disheveled] and unkempt, but even the 모습 [appearance or figure] that was 길게 늘어져 [stretched out or sprawled] on the floor was dazzlingly beautiful.

“…….”

She continued to look down at various places in the Warlord’s world.

But since she couldn’t actively use her influence and intervene yet, it felt like she was playing chess that she couldn’t directly move the pieces.

Furthermore, when looking down at the world from here, there was the inconvenience of having to watch from a somewhat blurry 시야 [field of vision].

One of the restrictions 걸려진 [placed or imposed] so that even a 신격 [divine being or deity] could not grasp all the things in the world.

However, in the case of an apostle who has a direct contract with 신격 [divine being], he could observe more clearly and vividly.

That was one of the reasons why 신격 [divine being] often looked into 사도 [apostle or disciple].

Then she 잠시 에일을 떠올렸다 [briefly thought of Eil].

An outstanding player who was doing better than anyone else, so much so that it was hard to believe it was the 활약 [activity or performance] of one person. But Eil still had to grow more.

Right now, her nerves were a little more focused on the all-out war with the Twilight Society, which the entire Order of Light was moving.

But then, suddenly messages began to 떠오르기 연달아 [appear in succession].

[Acquired influence!]

“……!”

The influence that was 폭증하고 느닷없이 [surging and suddenly].

The 당황한 [flustered or bewildered] Lugh 물러섰다 흠칫 [stepped back with a start].

If it was an event that 벌어들일 [earn or generate] this much influence, she should have 미리 파악해 진작에 [grasped it in advance], but for now, she couldn’t 알 수가 전혀 [know at all].

Hurrying and flustered, she 반사적으로 옮겼다 시선을 [reflexively shifted her gaze] to the place where Eil was.