Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 128

Underworld (2)

“Be careful not to stray! Further, further, further. Good, just a little to the right!”

Koo-oong!

The completed statue took its place in the middle of the plaza.

A magnificent goddess in armor, bathed in radiant light, looking down with a longsword at her side.

It was a massive statue modeled after Ru, the goddess of light, justice, and madness.

“Aiel! It’s finally finished!”

“Can you see it?”

The gnomes chattered excitedly towards Aiel.

They couldn’t hide their excitement, and Aiel, who had just returned to the city, gazed at the scene before him.

Of course, Ru’s statue was of tremendous size and appearance, even more so than he had heard.

The plaza also far exceeded his expectations.

Gnomes were packed together without a gap to stand. The crowd was so large that it filled the plaza and lined the streets and rooftops.

“Such a mesmerizing figure! That strong and beautiful form… To finally be with a true god, I wouldn’t mind being hanged right now.”

“Ah, Goddess!”

The gnomes even shed tears as they offered their worship.

Aiel sweated at the sight of their unwavering praise.

“W-Well, everyone has a good mindset.”

He hadn’t been here long, but the city was already full of fanatics.

They were easily swayed by others and stubborn, with a tendency not to change their beliefs once they started believing.

They were more suitable than anyone else to become fanatics who followed the light.

‘Things are working out so well. I’m glad.’

Aiel recalled the previous events.

After receiving the gnome’s quest, he immediately entered the contaminated area filled with evil monsters.

Then, standing in the center of the contaminated area, he used the Soul Stone fragment to purify the land.

After purifying the land, the gnomes were naturally shocked when they learned of it.

For Aiel, it was a method he first learned from Neshua, but in this place, Eltriss, it was the only purification method known to him.

That’s why Aiel was able to win them over by calling it Ru’s miracle and salvation.

A hand of salvation appeared at the moment when the end was slowly approaching.

Faced with the miracle before their eyes, the gnomes abandoned their existing gods, who had ignored their desperate prayers, and became followers of Ru.

This is how the entire city of gnomes came to believe in the faith of light.

And things were still progressing smoothly.

“It’s not just here! The second temple under construction in the center of the city is also nearing completion!”

“We are spreading the news to other cities in Eltriss. Not only our race’s cities but others are also joining the Order of Light. Even the Red Orcs of the southern plains have abandoned their gods, Guk and Muk, and have begun to follow the goddess.”

‘This… the influence must have increased tremendously by now.’

The number of followers in the Order was exploding.

Unlike the surface, where the seven Orders competed and divided, Eltriss was now entirely dyed with the doctrine of light.

It was only natural that the influence Ru would gain from this would be enormous.

Of course, these events did not simply end with the influence the goddess would gain.

“Most of our warriors are converting to the Knights of Light.”

“Many are also training to become Inquisitors of the Order, following in Aiel’s footsteps.”

“It is an honor to die as her sword!”

Thanks to the entire race becoming believers, all the combatants followed the Order and wanted to take up swords.

Thanks to that, the Order’s direct combat power was rapidly increasing.

Above all, the Eltriss region was mostly above level 80, even for the weakest hunting grounds or races.

It was a region where low-level beginners would never visit.

According to the gnomes, there seemed to be even higher-level entities, and everyone could immediately become a considerable force.

“Thank you, everyone. The goddess will be very pleased.”

Aiel said with a smile.

Then, as if they didn’t know what to do, they lowered their bodies and knelt before Aiel.

“Thank you…! Aiel is also the benefactor of our race… no, of Eltriss.”

The gnomes around him said in unison.

Although it was the goddess’s will, it was Aiel who actually stepped forward and purified the contaminated land.

Because of that, they saw Aiel as an incarnation sent directly by the goddess or a savior of the earth.

“Benefactor? It’s not all over yet, is it?”

Aiel said, waving his hand.

Because the Gyul-sa-dan [Presumably a group or organization. Further context needed for accurate translation] had been using the Soul Stones to cause trouble, there were too many contaminated lands to count.

Although Aiel had been purifying the contamination, many places still remained contaminated.

‘It’s a good thing I’ve been stocking up on fragments.’

Soul Stone fragments were needed to purify the contamination.

Without it, purification of Eltriss was impossible, and the magic contained in the fragments decreased each time they were used, limiting the number of times they could be used.

One fortunate thing was that the Soul Stone fragments were not disposable items that ended after a few uses.

Thanks to the fact that they could be used quite a few times, it seemed possible to purify the remaining contaminated lands in the underground with the number of fragments secured in advance.

[Level: 85]

‘Hmm, in a way, it might be better for me that there are so many contaminated lands. At this rate, I’ll be able to catch up very quickly.’

Aiel nodded in satisfaction after checking his level.

In the meantime, he was able to receive great rewards from the residents each time he purified the contaminated lands.

He had already reached level 85, thanks to acquiring reward items, skill books, and enormous experience.

As it was a matter of the race’s survival, the quest rewards were naturally generous.

“Then I’ll be leaving now.”

“You’re already moving again…! You must be tired, you should rest a little more…”

The gnomes grabbed Aiel, who was about to get up, with worried eyes.

But he shook his head.

“It’s a matter of Eltriss’s future, and we can’t delay it even for a moment. The contaminated land will be trying to increase even now.”

“흑, this can’t be…” [Sound of sobbing]

“Aiel, then I’ll leave it to you!”

Leaving behind the gnomes who were moved to tears, Aiel left the city again.

He was planning to spread Ru’s faith throughout the entire underground world with this momentum.

He continued to solve quests while continuing the purification work of the contaminated land.

However, the process was not always smooth.

It was troublesome that the location where contamination occurred was random without any fixed rules.

Some places were easy, like plains where monsters had not yet appeared, while others were often difficult to access.

It was inevitable that he would have a hard time if it was located in a dungeon where high-level monsters were lurking, or at the end of a cliff or deep in the bottom of a deep river.

Once, he almost fell off a steep cliff and died.

However, Aiel, who had steadily carried out the quest, succeeded in purifying all the areas around the city he had first visited, and immediately moved to the next area and repeated the quest.

Preaching the doctrine of light to everyone and removing contamination.

In the meantime, Aiel grew terrifyingly fast along with the Order.

* * *

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

Deep underground in Eltriss.

Inside the huge and complex cave, the sound of an enormous number of rats echoed.

But they weren’t ordinary rats.

Ratter.

They were rat-men, one of the inhabitants of the underground.

Unlike their appearance, they were powerful entities with levels as high as 140.

In addition, their enormous number due to their tremendous breeding power was a major threat to all cities and creatures in Eltriss.

However, since they also lived deep underground, they could not escape the contamination phenomenon.

Rather, they were more sensitive to land contamination and suffered more damage than anyone else in Eltriss.

‘That’s why I went to see them directly.’

At the moment when the ratters felt extreme threat, Aiel met them directly and talked to them.

Unlike most monsters, the ratters had at least the intelligence to have a normal conversation.

And Aiel showed them the miracle of God, which had been full of disbelief.

“It’s real! It’s real!”

“The contamination is gone! Humans saved us!”

“Well, I told you three times. It’s not me, it’s the goddess who saved you.”

“Yes, yes! Ru saved us!”

The ratters jumped up and down as if they were excited.

Some of them were hugging each other, squeaking.

At first, it only felt disgusting, but seeing this, it somehow looked cute.

Their actions and the way they spoke were like little children.

However, there was one thing that had to be clearly pointed out.

The ratters were looters who often attacked other races in Eltriss, regardless of monsters or NPCs [Non-Player Characters].

They were practically half monsters, so he had to make it clear.

“Keep in mind. This doesn’t mean the crisis is over. Purifying the contamination was possible because of the goddess’s blessing, and in order for the blessing to be maintained, you all have no choice but to earnestly believe in the goddess. If you return to the original god, you will receive a divine punishment worse than contamination.”

“Of course, of course! The foolish old god, the furry rat, abandoned us. Now it’s his turn to be forgotten by us!”

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

The ratters, drunk with joy, raised their short arms together.

Converting the ratters, who were practically the largest force in Eltriss, was like achieving a tremendous achievement.

According to the story he heard from the gnome, the ratters were aggressive, but their faith in God was so great that they were willing to give up their lives.

Therefore, he expected that even if the new god changed, they would listen to him well.

And the gnome’s prediction was exactly right.

“Memorize it well and tell it to the other guys.”

“Yes, yes! I understand!”

“Squeak!”

The ratters worked hard to use their bad heads to learn the rules of the Order.

Aiel, who handed them the Bible, taught them the contents necessary for faith.

“Now, be sure to understand the goddess’s justice here. Those who do not listen to her words will eventually become heretics, and we, as the goddess’s agents, will carry out the punishment.”

“Punishment! Burn the heretics! I like this very much!”

“I like cutting off heads too! Squeak!”