Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 131

“He’s a sinner!”

“Burn him at the stake! Absolutely burn him!”

In the city square, rows of stakes stood in a line.

Gnomes who had committed serious crimes in the city were being dragged to the stakes one by one.

Screams echoed continuously, and the numerous gnomes surrounding the square cheered wildly at the sight.

Due to the constant executions, the city’s prison, which had held a considerable number of inmates, was becoming empty.

Clatter!

Just then, Leah came out of a general store in the corner of the square with her purchases, witnessing the scene.

“Ugh…….”

Her face turned pale, as always.

It was a sight she had seen countless times on the way here, but she couldn’t get used to it.

“D-Do I have any marks on my head or anything?”

“No, you’re fine.”

Eile, who followed her out of the store, reassured her.

He had told her many times that his party wouldn’t be touched, but she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“There’s no need to be afraid. They’re all kind-hearted folks, once you get to know them.”

“B-But they’re burning people……?”

“Well, that’s…….”

Eile subtly turned his head away, avoiding her gaze.

Just then, the others emerged from a store across the street.

“Did you get everything you needed?”

“Yes! Let’s get out of here!”

Loden approached him, looking somewhat agitated.

Meanwhile, Alisa, with a relaxed expression, followed behind him with a light smile.

“I got everything I needed. And since I said I was with Eile, they gave me a half-price discount! Once this is over, it might not be bad to settle down here.”

“Seriously, are you kidding?”

“Hmm, I guess Loden isn’t used to it yet.”

“Of course not! If I stay here any longer, I think I’ll go crazy. The things these gnomes are saying are starting to sound normal to me.”

Loden shook his head, unable to accept it.

Being surrounded by so many abnormal people in the city, he felt like he was the one who was strange.

“I pity you for not knowing the awesomeness of the Goddess!”

“Huh……?”

A gnome kid passing by stuck out his tongue and ran away.

Loden, dumbfounded, stared blankly at the kid’s retreating figure.

“Then let’s leave right away. The sooner we start, the better.”

Eile readily accepted Loden’s suggestion.

Now that they had obtained all the necessary supplies, they had no more business in the city.

Moreover, this city filled with faith was a product of his proud efforts, but it could be a source of fear for others.

It wasn’t strange that they couldn’t adapt.

With their opinions aligned, the group quickly left the city.

Leah and Loden breathed sighs of relief, while Alisa seemed to be strangely regretful, as if she liked the unique scenery of the gnome city.

However, the situation outside was the same.

The next cities and towns they passed, even the hunting grounds.

Everywhere they went, there were followers of the Church of Light.

Even the red orcs in the plains they had just passed were working together to build a massive Temple of Ru, and in the distant mountains, they were carving the entire mountain into the shape of Ru.

“This… I’m starting to get a little scared too.”

The endless stream of extraordinary sights made even Alisa sweat.

It would be no surprise if the entire city was dyed in those colors, but for an entire region to fall into the hands of the Church like this was unimaginable within the bounds of common sense.

‘Can we get out of here safely…….’

* * *

Eile’s party entered the targeted dungeon.

The interior of the ‘Grave of the Four Dragons,’ which boasted a vast size, was filled with undead, and as befitting a notoriously difficult dungeon for the surrounding races, their level was considerable.

But it was impossible for them to stop the four who had teamed up.

Swish!

A spear swung powerfully, beheading a monster.

Loden’s sharp spear strikes, delivered in quick succession, were beyond anything he had shown before.

He displayed incredible movements without using a single active skill, sweeping away the undead that swarmed from all directions.

Whoosh!

A massive sacred fire swept past him.

It was the Fire Baptism skill used by Eile.

Eile, who had improved his skills as much as Loden, took the front line with him, cutting down any monsters that approached.

Each one was a monster with a force that couldn’t be ignored.

Moreover, the wide-open cave terrain with openings in all directions made it difficult to deal with a large number of enemies.

However, Eile and Loden showed perfect teamwork, blocking them.

Kuaaaack!

But inevitably, another roar echoed through the cave.

Even more undead reappeared, and their numbers increased from all directions, swarming towards them.

The numbers were so great that even Eile and Loden, who were skilled in combat, had to worry about collapsing from exhaustion first.

Of course, that was only when they were alone.

Kwaaaang!

Flames erupted from the ground with a roar, sweeping away the undead.

The flames that erupted once soon spread around, causing a powerful chain explosion.

Hero-grade skill, Ember of Destruction.

It was a large-scale magic spell that took at least 3 minutes to cast.

Its power was good, but it was an unfortunate attack magic that was not chosen by users because it was impractical unless it was a battlefield like a large-scale siege.

But it only took 30 seconds for that magic to be unleashed just now.

Moreover, the magic didn’t stop there.

Kugugugung!

Leah cast all sorts of high-powered magic spells in succession, and the intense magical bombardment shook the cave.

They were powerful attacks that were hard to believe came from someone with the lowest level among the party members.

“Sigh, I can’t get used to this no matter how much I see it…….”

Loden muttered in the middle of the devastated cave.

Eile and Alisa had seen Leah’s abilities while hunting together, but Loden was seeing her for the first time today.

Yet, she continued to fire off large-scale magic spells that took a lot of casting time in exchange for power, as if they were simple magic spells.

He had never seen a magician with such talent in Armenia, nor had he even heard of it among the rankers [high-ranking players].

Paaaaat!

At that moment, healing came with a white light.

The health of Loden and Eile, which had been depleted during the battle, was instantly restored to full.

In addition, they were granted various buff skills, including blessings, and they felt lighter movements.

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

The reason why healers are called nobles, even though they have almost no personal combat power.

It was because of their ability to heal party members and grant them powerful buffs like this.

But Alisa went even further, unlike ordinary healers.

Paak!

As Alisa swung her staff, an undead that was rushing towards the magician fell off the cliff of the cave.

She even perfectly protected Leah, who was still inexperienced in dealing with situations, from the monsters.

It was thanks to her ability to perform close combat very skillfully, even though she was a professional healer.

Thanks to that, Eile and Loden, who were on the front lines, were able to fight with less worry about protecting the rear.

‘This is really fun…….’

A faint smile appeared on Loden’s lips as he fought.

Except for himself, all three other party members were people who had not stood out in front of others.

But the potential he saw in them now was already at the level of rankers.

No, maybe even more.

Kwaaaang!

The party, which had gained momentum, fearlessly broke through the dungeon.

It was a very fast pace that other parties would not have dared to attempt.

Given the difficulty of the dungeon, it would have been difficult to clear it so quickly, even with the same number of people, let alone a party of more than 10 people.

Around the time Eile and Loden’s levels each increased by one.

The group stopped for a while in a safe place to take a break.

“Our hunger levels will be dropping soon, so let’s have a meal here before we go.”

“Then I’ll prepare it.”

Alisa, who had a high cooking rank, stepped forward again this time.

She had been responsible for the party’s meals ever since they entered the dungeon, and thanks to her high cooking rank, they were able to eat food with buff effects [temporary stat boosts].

“Alisa! I’ll help this time too!”

“Thank you. Then please take care of that over there.”

Leah also stepped up to help with the cooking, while Eile and Loden re-equipped their gear and set off.

“Then we’ll be back.”

“Be careful.”

The reason why they were leaving again, even though they had stopped to rest.

It was to scout the interior in advance before starting.

This ‘Grave of the Four Dragons’ was not a dungeon that had been discovered by other users and had its information released, and even the gnomes who had been managing the tomb did not know the internal geography.

Moreover, the structure itself was not a simple straight line, but a very complex network in all directions.

That’s why they had to find their own way out.

‘Judging from the state of the contaminated land, I’m focusing on moving to suspicious points… but it’s better to check the road from time to time before starting.’

Chwareuk!

Eile and Loden found their way by marking the simple map they had unfolded.

Since the two were moving separately, it was a little easier to hide without being detected.

As they avoided the eyes of the monsters and imprinted the complex terrain of the dungeon in their minds.

Between the deep valleys they encountered, there were three bridges.

The two quickly hid themselves from the horde of undead blocking the other side.

“It seems like there’s no way to cross except to go over… I don’t think we can go any further here?”

“Hmm, I guess so.”

It was burdensome for the two of them to fight that many enemies.

More than anything, even if they defeated all of them, other undead might come rushing in after hearing the sound.

For now, they had to retreat without overdoing it.

“We failed when we went south from here, so we should focus on this direction. By the way, it’s much more difficult than I first heard.”