Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 197

197. Turning Point (4)

Clatter!

The longsword that pierced his skull lodged into the floor.

The screams of the monsters filling the dungeon abruptly ceased.

“Indeed… it’s not easy.”

Eile wiped the sweat from his brow.

The corpses of monsters scattered around him were truly numerous.

The number of monsters lurking within the dungeon was immense, and their level was among the highest in dungeons of the same tier.

Having entered such a place alone, even Eile couldn’t afford to be careless.

Just now, he had been fighting continuously for 40 minutes against the initial wave, plus those that had gathered upon hearing the noise, and only now had he managed to catch his breath.

‘Well, thanks to that, the side income is quite substantial.’

It had already been a day since he entered the dungeon.

The monsters that had relentlessly swarmed him as he cleared the path had naturally contributed to Eile’s growth.

[Current Level – 234]

In addition to the levels he had already gained, the nearly full experience bar caught his eye.

Unlike the infamous inefficiency of the Labyrinth Forest, the rewards were definitely exceptional, as if this were a completely different area.

Moreover, this underground dungeon was filled not only with ordinary monsters but also with elite monsters, essentially mini-bosses.

The contribution points and stats gained from defeating these branded monsters were also quite rewarding.

‘More than anything… this isn’t the end.’

Hmming, Eile approached and picked up a dismantling knife.

Then, he began to dismantle the scattered corpses of the chimeras one by one.

[You have acquired an item!]

Eile first began dismantling the corpses of the more important elite monsters, starting by slicing through their flesh.

The ones larger than ordinary chimeras dropped high-grade items befitting their size.

Equipment items of considerably high rank and material items of substantial value.

However, something else caught Eile’s eye.

Clatter!

“This, this is……”

Eile, who had discovered something during the dismantling process, narrowed his eyes.

He lifted a round object from inside the chimera’s corpse.

The identity of this strange item, dripping with black liquid.

As someone who knew almost all the spoils, Eile naturally knew what it was.

‘To think I’d actually see this.’

A monster’s inner core.

A consumable buff item that appeared with very low probability among bosses or elite monsters.

It possessed high-performance effects that were incomparable to ordinary potions.

Its characteristic was that it greatly increased combat-related stats and lasted for a full 12 hours.

It was a bonus-like reward that usually only appeared to users who didn’t expect it, as the probability was very low even if one dismantled every monster.

However, the downside was that it couldn’t be traded and had to be consumed immediately after acquisition, so it had no value as a means of trade.

“Hmm……”

Eile made a noise and looked at the inner core.

Even with the appearance of a high-performance buff item that appeared with such low probability, he couldn’t simply be happy.

Unidentifiable black liquid dripped from the sticky inner core.

It was already unsettling that it came from the corpse of a hideous undead monster, but its appearance was also unappealing.

Warlord was famous for being full of delicious things, but conversely, such repulsive foods often transcended reality.

“Ugh……”

He hadn’t even brought it close to his face, but a piercing stench rose intensely.

‘Is this good luck or bad luck?’

Eile frowned, blocking his nose.

No matter how good the performance of the buff item was, the psychological resistance to having to chew and swallow it didn’t easily disappear.

Even Eile, who was confident in his ability to stomach things, felt an internal conflict.

“Ha… well, if it’s good for the body, what can’t I eat?”

Right now, he had to rescue Seia as soon as possible.

Even in this urgent situation, there was no time to waste on such worries.

Eile closed his eyes and quickly shoved the inner core into his mouth.

Squish!

As he began to chew the inner core, black liquids burst out from within.

[‘Light Judge, Ru’ frowns and turns away.]

[‘Secret Explorer’ admires your stomach.]

“F***!”

Eile’s mouth let out a curse.

It was so shocking that he involuntarily cursed.

But Eile stubbornly endured and swallowed, suppressing his nausea.

Having already attempted it, giving up would only leave him miserable without receiving the buff effect.

[The power of the inner core, accumulated over a long time, dwells in your body!]

[Applied Stats: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Magic Power, Faith]

[Remaining Time ‘11:59:58’]

[‘Mother of Life’ sponsors you.]

[Shared Order Contribution +50]

‘When did you ever pray for me to die… no, this isn’t the time.’

Eile, who had regained his senses, jumped up from his spot.

After taking the remaining spoils appropriately, he went deeper into the dungeon.

He had to get his money’s worth while he had this powerful buff effect that he had obtained through this hardship.

There were a total of twelve safe zones in this underground dungeon.

It was a place where monsters never set foot, and if he had to hide temporarily to avoid pursuit until things calmed down, that would be the perfect place.

As he moved forward, Eile faced a fork in the road.

Knowing the information about the dungeon, Eile naturally tried to head to the left path he was aiming for.

‘Wait a minute……’

At that moment, a very faint scent of blood wafted from the right.

Sensing something, Eile immediately headed to the right path and witnessed an unexpected sight.

Black blood scattered everywhere.

What greeted Eile was a mass of tangled chimera corpses.

It wasn’t particularly unusual for monsters in dungeons or hunting grounds to hunt or attack each other.

But this was different.

‘Monsters didn’t fight each other.’

Kneeling on one knee, Eile examined the traces in detail.

Precise wounds were drawn in various places.

Wounds split by sharp metal, and even those were strikes that accurately targeted the chimera’s weak points.

This was clearly the trace of a person, not a monster.

‘There’s definitely someone here. But who is it?’

Eile was convinced that someone was inside.

But there was no way the princess could have slaughtered high-level monsters that even he couldn’t easily handle.

Of course, he couldn’t conclude that it wasn’t the princess’s trace with just this.

‘I need to find out.’

Eile, who had risen, followed the faintly connected traces from here and went deeper inside.

Unlike the footprints that had been skillfully erased until now, there were traces that could be easily identified.

Of course, this was only the standard from the perspective of Eile or the rankers [top-ranked players].

They were subtle traces that ordinary users would completely miss even if they saw them directly.

However, there was one strange thing as he followed these traces.

‘There shouldn’t be a safe zone in this direction… then where are they heading?’

Thud!

The moment he had a question.

The floor collapsed with a loud noise.

‘T, this……!’

Eile belatedly tried to pull his body out, but it was useless.

The floor of an incredibly wide area collapsed entirely, and he inevitably fell down.

Thud!

Falling to the floor, his health was drastically reduced due to the fall damage.

His health was precarious because he fell quite deeply.

“What the hell……”

Eile, grabbing his head, immediately took out a recovery potion and drank it.

He was disoriented due to the sudden event, but it was a gamer’s instinct to find a potion first when the health bar turned red.

The inside of the dark cave.

He tried to look around, but he couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Eile, who quietly touched the floor, pondered over his memories.

‘If there’s a trap that suddenly activates around here, it’s only the scenario dungeon. Then maybe……?’

[Scenario Dungeon has been activated!]

[You have been isolated by falling into an unexpected trap. Escape this place safely, avoiding the monsters.]

‘As expected……’

Eile reacted to the system message that came to mind.

Another dungeon located inside this underground dungeon.

But what he had just found out wasn’t just that he had encountered a scenario dungeon.

Originally, this scenario dungeon he was facing now was a hidden dungeon that only appeared after a few triggers were activated.

The first discoverer who found this underground dungeon only investigated it due to insufficient power at the time and left the Labyrinth Forest, and this hidden dungeon he had discovered was said to have disappeared again without being cleared.

‘There was absolutely no condition for the dungeon to be revealed by chance. That means… someone deliberately set up this trap.’

Someone had deliberately activated the trigger that would create a trap in this path.

If it was someone without information, they would have simply thought it was a dungeon trap, but Eile, who had information about this place in advance, could know.

‘Then someone is above here.’

Eile looked at the ceiling, which was already completely blocked.

The person who deliberately left traces in preparation for a possible pursuit and even activated the scenario dungeon.

This dungeon had a structure that he couldn’t escape unless he cleared it to the end, and for Eile, a reason to break through this place had arisen.

Kieeeek!

A wailing sound that echoed throughout the cave rang out.

Then Eile took out a torch and threw it on the floor, and the darkness receded slightly, opening up his vision.

What Eile faced was a huge number of monsters swarming from all directions.

Even the number of elite monsters and the overall level were higher than what he had faced above.

It was a natural thing.

This scenario dungeon was so difficult that even the first discoverer, who had investigated the Labyrinth Forest and the underground dungeon without any problems at the time, gave up entering and returned.

Flash!

Eile stood in the middle of the swarming monsters.

A pure white light lingered on his raised longsword.

“I don’t know who prepared this, but I need to see their face.”