Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 27

[Level Up!]

After defeating all the thieves, Aile’s level increased.

Aile reached level 14, and after collecting and organizing the loot from the four thieves, he realized they had acquired a considerable amount of wealth.

Although the thieves were challenging, they provided significantly better experience and rewards compared to normal hunting grounds of the same level, as expected.

Whoosh!

Light emanated from Alisa’s hand, rapidly restoring Aile’s health.

The health, which had been depleted by the poison on the thief’s dagger, was fully recovered.

“Thank you. I think I can manage, though.”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a time limit here, right?”

“No, I think we can take them down gradually.”

Once the looting was finished, the two moved forward without delay.

As they ventured deeper, the number of torches in the passage gradually increased, rendering the Myoan potion [Potion that enhances senses in darkness] they had prepared less useful.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss, as it had helped them quickly navigate through Hard Rock Cave.

The thieves mostly moved in groups of two or three, allowing Aile and Alisa to hunt steadily.

Sometimes the numbers increased, but it remained within a manageable range.

As expected, the presence of a skilled healer in a party made a significant difference. With Alisa’s timely healing, they could endure most health losses.

Constantly monitoring their health, Alisa’s healing, delivered at precisely the right moment, gave them a sense of invincibility.

As they adapted to the enemies’ patterns and moved forward confidently, the easily navigable linear cave structure eventually became more complex.

The paths branched into several directions, and the large spaces in between were multi-layered or contained structures resembling thieves’ strongholds.

‘There’s a reason why Severa mentioned two options.’

Aile recalled the options Severa had presented before giving the quest.

They could either sneak in and assassinate the target, Casano, or eliminate all the enemies they encountered.

The dungeon’s terrain was designed to accommodate either play style, allowing for different approaches to the quest.

Since this was an instance dungeon [A special dungeon created for a specific quest or event] created specifically for the quest, there was no monster respawn, and taking the shortest route would allow for quick quest completion.

However, Aile and Alisa had no intention of doing that.

A quest-only instance dungeon that could only be entered once was a rare opportunity.

They planned to proceed methodically, collecting all the experience and items the monsters offered.

In other words, they intended to eliminate every single thief in the dungeon.

That’s right.

Even if they openly charged in and annihilated all the enemies, as long as there were no witnesses, it could still be considered assassination.

* * *

Royal Capital, Askalon.

The capital city representing the entire Warlord game and the only city where the royal family directly governed, unlike other territories.

Befitting its name and symbolic importance, it was the largest and most significant city in Warlord, constantly bustling with a large number of players.

But today, the streets of the royal capital were even more crowded than usual.

Numerous broadcasting crews from around the world were stationed to capture the scene, and players lined both sides of the wide streets, their faces filled with excitement as if waiting for someone special.

Some players even climbed onto the roofs of buildings to get a better view, only to be caught by the homeowner NPCs [Non-player characters controlled by the game] and chased away.

“They’re… they’re here!”

“Kyaaaa!”

A tremendous cheer erupted as a procession on horseback appeared in the distance.

The riders were adorned in black robes, armor, weapons, symbols, and even horse armor, all unified in color. They were the rankers of Nightmare, one of the six major guilds.

As the elite members of the largest force in Warlord, their skills and reputation were unquestionable, making it natural for such a large crowd to gather and see them in person.

But above all, people’s attention was focused on the figure at the very front of the formation.

Leading the procession was a woman with an indifferent expression, a striking beauty with dark black hair and contrasting pale skin.

However, her eyes, which seemed sunken and lifeless, created an unapproachable atmosphere, and one could sense her charisma even from a distance.

Like the other guild members, she wore black equipment, all of which were items of the highest levels and grades.

The cloak, with its fiercely torn edges, gave off a rugged impression, while the sleek leather armor accentuated her agility.

Aside from the dagger secured in its scabbard, a clanging chain was slightly visible at her waist, serving not just as decoration but as one of the symbols associated with her.

Her name was Karin.

The undisputed leader in the Warlord thief rankings and a top-tier high ranker, ranking 4th overall.

Above all, her position as the guild leader of Nightmare, one of the six major guilds, distinguished her from other rankers.

She was one of the six apexes that reigned over Warlord.

She was a star player known to everyone, even those who didn’t play Warlord, and most of the people filling the street had gathered to see her.

The noisy crowd chattered and took pictures incessantly, but Karin accepted the scene with familiarity as she focused on something displayed on a hologram screen, exclusively visible to players.

The screen showed pictures of the Queen’s Blonde execution incident that had recently occurred.

The incident had taken place in Queen’s Blonde, one of the territories owned by Nightmare.

The sight of the player being burned at the stake was naturally relayed to the owner of the territory where the execution occurred.

“Not a bad strategy.”

Karin chuckled after reviewing the last photo.

The burned body, the plausible execution stake, and, above all, the actions taken after the execution were quite interesting.

The symbol of the cult, drawn in black as if it were a trace left behind, highlighted the madness of the perpetrator and created a gruesome spectacle, effectively attracting attention.

“Of course, it wouldn’t have been done without any thought…”

He was a smart guy.

Even if he was a villain, creating a compelling character or concept could generate significant buzz.

And that kind of attention was likely to benefit the player, whether through broadcasting opportunities, guild scout offers, or the creation of his own guild.

Attracting players’ attention for the first time was challenging, but once achieved, it was the most effective way to increase one’s notoriety.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. It’s an incident that has become quite an issue this time, and it happened in our territory. I’m just telling you to be aware of it.”

Lambic, a man with a greatsword beside Karin, shrugged his shoulders.

He was also a high ranker, ranking 31st in the world, and the emergence of players openly embracing concepts was nothing new in Warlord.

In fact, the game company that developed Warlord actively encouraged various concept plays, leading to the emergence of countless concepts, including the Cult of Light, which followed the crazy goddess ‘Ru.’

“So, what’s next?”

Karin asked, flipping the screen.

Their guild leader disliked unnecessary topics, and judging by her expression, it seemed like she wasn’t too bothered by this incident.

“The mastermind behind the guild that attacked the Tower of the Dead has been revealed.”

“Ha, it’s obvious who would have done such a thing.”

“Well… there’s even solid evidence now. As the guild leader expected, it was Dawn who did it. It seems they were trying to hire another guild to get away with it without being caught, but we succeeded in extracting the information.”

The Tower of the Dead was one of the major hunting grounds for level 190 players.

Its efficiency was so high that it guaranteed a certain leveling speed without requiring boss raids or quests.

For top-tier players who found it increasingly difficult to level up, it was a valuable resource.

In the case of such important hunting grounds, the large guilds that owned the surrounding territories usually managed them separately.

The Nightmare Guild, which controlled the area, also managed access to the Tower of the Dead.

But just three days ago, an attack by unknown individuals occurred, and the subordinate guild members guarding the entrance were assassinated.

Furthermore, the attackers boldly inflicted damage on the Nightmare guild members hunting inside the tower, taking advantage of their numerical superiority before fleeing.

Considering that attacks on the six major guilds had virtually disappeared after the power structure of Warlord had been established, such an incident was highly unusual.

However, most guild members, including Karin, could easily guess the mastermind behind the attack: the ‘Dawn’ guild, their arch-enemy.

The two prestigious guilds had been in conflict since ‘New World,’ a first-generation game, and the rivalry continued in Warlord.

The conflict had persisted for so long that the animosity was deeply ingrained, making a peaceful resolution impossible until one of them was defeated.

But even if they fought to the end, Nightmare and Dawn occupied similar positions as major guilds, making a swift resolution unlikely.

Until a few months ago, several all-out wars and endless small-scale skirmishes continued between the two, but they had reached a fragile agreement to avoid falling behind in the competition with the other major guilds.

But as revealed this time, they had broken the promise once again.

“Shouldn’t we formally protest at this meeting?”

“No, it’s okay. It’ll only lead to pointless arguments.”

Karin reacted indifferently.

The place they were heading to was the central conference hall of the royal capital, Askalon.

It was publicly known as the venue for the summit meetings of the six major guild leaders, which were held periodically.

A summit meeting was scheduled for today, and all six forces were gathering. If she wanted to, she could formally protest on the spot, but Karin had no intention of doing so.

While the ‘summit meeting’ was ostensibly held to reduce friction between large guilds and resolve border disputes, it was primarily a formal event with little practical outcome.

However, the reason why these influential figures spent so much money to rent the royal family’s conference hall and periodically gathered, even sacrificing their valuable time, was simple.

It was because of the publicity and symbolism associated with the meeting.

The rankers, who were usually difficult to see, gathered in the capital to showcase the power of the dominant guilds, reinforcing the perception that other guilds should not dare to challenge them.

“Then what are you going to do?”

Lambic asked casually.

Even a rookie knew that their guild leader wouldn’t let this go unanswered.

As expected, Karin coldly raised the corners of her mouth and said,

“If we just let it go, we’ll only be tarnishing the guild’s name. Paying them back in kind is our way.”