Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 35

35. Ruins (4)

Contribution Store.

A special store accessible only to users with faith, serving as a channel to utilize Contribution Points earned through the Order.

It was also a significant reason why users were willing to pledge allegiance to a god within the game, despite the associated penalties.

Originally, purchasing items with Contribution Points required visiting the temple of the corresponding god in each city. However, Aeil, as an Apostle, could access the store from anywhere.

[Search function activated!]

As Aeil waved his hand, a vast array of items, numbering far beyond hundreds or thousands, materialized before him.

These ranged from standard healing potions to potent, high-level buffing potions, equipment, various magic scrolls, other consumables, and even miscellaneous items with currently unknown purposes.

Typically, the items available for purchase would be restricted based on one’s rank within the Order. But for Aeil, holding the highest position of ‘Apostle,’ such limitations were nonexistent.

This was only natural, as he was directly acknowledged by the goddess whom the Order served, no less.

A position granting access to any item, provided sufficient Contribution Points were available.

[Contribution Points held: 605]

Aeil possessed 605 Contribution Points, a considerable sum given his level.

This was due to his success in capturing numerous heretics and blasphemers through PVP and boss hunts, as well as completing a quest directly bestowed by the goddess. Without these accomplishments, accumulating such a figure would have been impossible.

As soon as the store window appeared, Aeil promptly selected the item he had been considering beforehand.

There was no time for leisurely browsing when facing a boss.

[Purchase complete!]

[Superior Banishment Scroll – 16Lv]

[Contribution Points, 600 points consumed.]

The item Aeil chose without hesitation was a magic scroll.

The modifier ‘Superior’ denoted the scroll’s quality tier.

To maintain balance, most consumable items purchased from the Contribution Store had effects that scaled with the user’s level.

However, that wasn’t the only factor.

Even within the same level range, items were graded based on their efficacy, ranging from the lowest to the highest quality.

Even if scrolls had the same effect, their potency varied significantly depending on the grade. Aeil opted for a Superior scroll, deeming it worth the substantial Contribution Point cost.

When confronting a boss of a higher level, he needed at least this level of power to achieve a noticeable impact.

Whirlick!

The scroll unfurled on the floor, and Aeil placed his hand upon it.

The item he had selected contained the divine magic spell, ‘Banishment.’

This spell inflicted significant damage specifically to monsters of the demon or undead type, or to heretics designated by the Order of Light.

Normally, it would have no effect against statues, but it synergized with the ‘Designate Heretic’ skill he had used earlier, making it an ideal choice.

Paah!

As Aeil placed his hand on the unfolded scroll, a surge of white light emanated from within, reaching towards the giant statue.

The statue, engulfed in light, convulsed from the impact.

Its surface bubbled and melted, sustaining considerable damage to its actual health.

With continuous damage and interference effects applied while the light persisted, it was more than enough to shift the battle’s momentum when combined with the Slow curse.

‘That is…….’

Alisa was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the scroll and the high-level divine magic, but swift action was paramount.

She cast another heal on Aeil to fully restore his health, then circled around to draw the giant’s attention.

Aeil also surged forward, relentlessly attacking the statue.

The Superior Banishment magic lasted for 25 seconds.

He had to maximize its effectiveness within that timeframe.

Kaga gagagak!

The giant statue thrashed wildly, desperately attempting to strike the intruders, smashing the surrounding pillars and floor.

However, its movements were hampered by the interference effect and the Slow curse, preventing it from accurately targeting them.

Furthermore, the Banishment magic eroded the giant statue’s hardened surface, reducing its defense, and accelerating the boss raid.

Aeil consistently dealt damage amidst the chaotic scene of the giant’s thrashing, while Alisa skillfully circled around, providing support from the opposite side.

The statue’s health dwindled rapidly compared to its initial state, due to the coordinated attacks from both sides.

And then, the Banishment magic reached its end.

Koo-oong!

One of the statue’s legs buckled, causing it to collapse to the floor.

As its appearance indicated, its health gauge had plummeted to single digits.

Seeing this, Aeil rushed in to deliver the final blow.

But at that precise moment.

The statue unveiled a second attack pattern it had concealed until now.

Kwaang!

In a swift motion, the giant statue raised its reddened arms high and slammed them down with tremendous force upon the ground.

The resulting shockwave shattered all the pillars within the room, and a violent tremor reverberated throughout the chamber.

Kugugugugung!

Cracks rapidly spread across the ceiling, and debris rained down from above.

Sensing an impending catastrophe, Aeil and Alisa swiftly retreated from the giant, creating distance between them.

“The statue has stopped moving.”

Alisa announced, pointing towards the giant.

The statue, having slammed the floor with both fists, remained slumped in place, kneeling as it was.

It was unclear whether this was due to the technique’s recoil or the depletion of its last remaining health, but it appeared to be immobilized for the time being.

“But this… looks dangerous.”

Aeil remarked, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

The entire room was rapidly collapsing because the giant statue’s final wide-area attack had decimated all the supporting pillars.

Even during their brief exchange, the large fragments falling intermittently underscored the gravity of the situation.

Even if they recognized the danger now, escaping the room was impossible, and no location within the chamber offered refuge from the shaking and collapsing structure.

A situation offering no means of escape.

Kwareureu!

Time was of the essence, and the ceiling began to cave in before they could react.

Being caught in the collapse of such a vast space would undoubtedly result in death by crushing, regardless of level or any other factor.

‘No, to design such a pattern for a mere level 26 boss……?’

Aeil couldn’t conceal his dismay amidst the constant barrage of falling boulders.

If a low-level user were to face a boss of this caliber, they would possess only basic skills, and their equipment would lack any special attributes.

For low-level users with virtually no means of defense, this pattern was tantamount to instructing them to simply endure the attack and perish if they were unaware of it.

Regardless of how much the difficulty of War Lord varied from dungeon to dungeon and boss to boss, these patterns could only be found after leveling up to some extent.

However, Aeil possessed a means of survival.

“Alisa-nim!”

Aeil shouted, pulling her with all his strength.

“Ah……?”

Alisa, caught off guard by the sudden force, was pulled into Aeil’s arms.

Kugung!

The ceiling collapsed, engulfing the entire floor, and the area where they had stood was buried beneath layers of fallen rocks.

And a quiet silence descended upon the room.

* * *

“Cough, cough!”

Alisa barely managed to extricate her head from beneath the large rocks.

The room had completely collapsed, and she coughed amidst the dust-filled air, but soon she was able to draw fresh air into her lungs.

“Hoo-ah!”

Aeil emerged from behind Alisa, who had struggled to climb upwards.

Both of them bore bruises here and there, but their bodies were surprisingly intact, considering they had been buried beneath such a thick layer of rocks.

The reason they had survived a situation that seemed certain to result in their demise.

It was all thanks to the accessories Aeil was wearing.

‘I’m glad I saved it just in case… If I had used it to block the first attack, I would have died.’

Aeil, standing atop the rock, glanced down at the ring on his finger.

The 3-piece set effect of the black crystal accessories, negating all attacks once.

Just before being buried beneath the collapsing ceiling, Aeil activated the accessory set’s effect, and a black barrier materialized around him, absorbing the impact.

The reason he hadn’t used the effect while attacking the statue was that, as it was his first encounter with the boss, he wanted to conserve it for unexpected patterns.

Of course, he never anticipated such a devastating pattern, but it proved to be a fortunate decision.

Tsutsutsutsu.

Alisa’s healing skill activated, restoring both of their health.

Looking around from the top of the rock, they were relieved to see that the entire underground ruins had not collapsed.

Only the ceiling of the room had caved in, and there was no further chain reaction.

It appeared that the structure was designed to withstand this level of impact.

“We went through all that trouble to catch it, but the reward is gone.”

Aeil clicked his tongue in disappointment.

The statue they had fought so hard to defeat was completely buried beneath the thick rubble, rendering it invisible.

Looting items from this pile of debris was, of course, impossible.

“Haha, it’s a wonder we survived.”

As she said, merely avoiding death in the recent situation was a significant accomplishment.

Even though the item’s effect nullified the initial impact, there was still a risk of being struck by the continuously falling rocks, and even if they had survived, they could have been trapped beneath the rubble.

Their safe escape was a testament to their good fortune.

And it wasn’t as if they had gained nothing at all.

The experience points from defeating the statue steadily accumulated, causing their levels to increase.

In Aeil’s case, the Contribution Points and various exclusive stats obtained from defeating heretics also rose as expected.

It was regrettable that he had exhausted all the Contribution Points he had amassed, but survival and avoiding the death penalty were paramount, making the scroll a worthwhile investment.

“First, we need to find another passage…….”

With the original passage blocked by the collapsed ceiling, they needed to find an alternative route.

The entrance they had used and the exit on the opposite side were buried and out of sight.

To escape the room, they had to locate a new path.

“Aeil-nim, over there……!”

At that moment, Alisa pointed in a specific direction.

Turning his gaze in the direction she indicated, he spotted a passage in the wall above the densely packed rubble.

Originally, it would have been concealed by the thick ceiling, but the collapse had revealed a small opening.

It was just large enough for one person to squeeze through.

Its clean shape suggested that it wasn’t a mere crack, but rather a passage deliberately constructed during the room’s creation.

The passage’s location seemed to anticipate the collapse.

There were not just one, but two passages on each side.