Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 37

37. The Ruins (6)

“This is a level 210 dungeon?”

Alisa asked, astonished and incredulous.

A level 210 dungeon was high-level, almost top-tier even by the standards of hardcore players and semi-rankers competing at the highest levels to enter the official rankings.

It was practically a dungeon for rankers.

There weren’t many such dungeons in the world, and most were directly managed by large guilds due to their strategic value, with access strictly controlled.

Whether it required paying exorbitant tolls or was completely off-limits, the reality was that ordinary players couldn’t easily set foot inside, not even for sightseeing.

To think that the old ruins they were in were such a place was simply dumbfounding.

However, Eile, on the other hand, nodded, quickly understanding the situation.

‘So… that’s how it was.’

The ruins had seemed strange in many ways, but now things were starting to make sense.

The creatures outside the entrance, though not quite level 210, must have been high-level monsters in the past, and the fact that they were only level 20 when he encountered them was because they had become weakened by age and damage.

‘Perhaps their level itself dropped, but they retained their original characteristics.’

The giant statue possessed the sensory abilities of a high-level monster.

And the intelligence to target the healer first, unlike low-level monsters, and the brutal pattern of the entire ceiling collapsing could all be explained in the same context.

“You must have been the one who activated the ruins,” Eile said. “Because you needed the item sleeping at the top.”

Severa shrugged in response.

It was easy to guess that the statues had started moving when she first set foot in this hidden area.

“Oh my….”

Alisa murmured softly.

The true value of this quest wasn’t the gold received as an advance or the skill book of great worth.

The real reward was this place itself.

A level 210 mega-dungeon that had been thoroughly hidden.

Aside from the NPC Severa, only they, among the players playing Warlord, would know this information.

Now that the region lock was lifted, there were plenty of ways to utilize it properly.

An ordinary player wouldn’t even know how to properly use it due to the level mismatch and would only receive a small information fee, but for them, former rankers with a high understanding of the game, they couldn’t possibly not know the value of this information.

It would be impossible to monopolize items and experience through hunting or exploration here right away, but they had gained a valuable card.

‘It’s surprising in many ways….’

Eile, with a calm expression, concealed his inner amazement.

But one question still remained.

The reason she had bothered to bring them here and give them this much information.

Severa was clearly part of a powerful faction, and her own strength was so overwhelming that she could have monopolized it alone if she wanted to.

But she hadn’t had much time to take over the entire dungeon yet, and it was hard to understand why she had made this choice.

“This is an advance for the next quest. More than anything, I’ve already taken what I needed, so I don’t care about the aftermath,” Severa said, opening her mouth before Eile could even ask.

“The next quest….”

“I said you can’t back out once you accept a quest, right? I’m not going to ask you to do anything right now, but remember this clearly. Now that you’ve stepped in, there’s no turning back. The game is being set up even at this moment.”

* * *

[Your faith deepens through constant prayer!]

[Your Faith stat has increased! (Current: 22.9)]

A system message appeared in front of Eile, who was sitting in front of the campfire with his hands clasped and his eyes closed.

He was still praying every hour without fail, earning a decent bonus stat.

Severa, after leaving them with meaningful words, had left first, and Eile and Alisa, left behind, lit a campfire outside the entrance of the pyramid where there was no fear of monsters appearing, and finished a simple meal.

Clatter!

Alisa placed the neatly emptied bowl on the ground.

“It was really unexpected. To think that something we accepted by chance would be a quest related to the world quest.”

Eile nodded in agreement with her words.

Severa’s words that the game was being set up even at this moment meant that related quests or events were in progress elsewhere, completely separate from them.

And most importantly, the last words Severa left behind.

Through them, he could be certain of one thing.

The quest they had taken on this time was a branch of the ‘World Quest’ [a large-scale, server-wide questline] that would change the entire worldview, and they had gotten their feet wet in the huge stem that moved Warlord as a whole.

Although they wouldn’t be the main players due to their low level, it was a great achievement just to have this opportunity.

It was amazing to think that they hadn’t imagined it would be such a big deal when they first received the quest.

“But is it really okay for me to use the information about the dungeon?”

Eile asked her cautiously.

The information about this huge underground dungeon wasn’t like an item that could be divided into two, and naturally, if one person benefited, the other wouldn’t gain anything.

But Alisa readily gave him the decision-making power on the matter and even promised to keep the secret.

“It all started with the quest item that Eile found in the first place, right? And if you’re aiming to be a ranker, you’ll have a lot of encounters in the future, so you’ll definitely need it, but I’m useless.”

Alisa said casually.

Unlike Eile, who was aiming for the ranker position, Alisa had no intention of going in that direction.

In other words, it was her intention that Eile should be the one holding the important card.

“Then this is where we part ways.”

“For now… that’s right.”

The quest they had taken on had come to an end, and since even Severa had found the level 210 dungeon difficult, they naturally couldn’t go any further inside, and it was time for them to separate and go their separate ways, as Eile had mentioned before.

The party, which had been tied together by the system, had already been disbanded.

“But we’ll be able to meet again when the time comes.”

Eile said.

Now that they had completed the pre-quest together, they would surely be called again someday, and they would meet again unless something special happened.

“I guess so? Hmm, I’m going to look around here a little more before I leave. It’s a mysterious place in many ways, so I want to see more of it.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Haha, do you think I’m going to go in there to die?”

Alisa said with a light laugh.

They exchanged their last greetings for a while, and Eile got up first.

To be honest, he felt a bit sad at the sudden end of the quest.

But it was an inevitable choice in order to start hunting in earnest.

Clearly, her excellent abilities as a healer who could easily do more than two people’s worth had been a great help during the raid and quest.

But Alisa didn’t seem to have much desire to develop her character, and it was nothing short of a nuisance to drag her around and put her through hardships.

His rule was that the game was only for fun, and he couldn’t force others to do things they didn’t like because of his own greed.

But just then, she made an unexpected offer.

[‘Alisa’ has sent you a friend request. Do you accept? (Y/N)]

“This is…?”

Eile hesitated at the sudden system message.

Then Alisa got up from her seat and strode over to stand in front of him.

“How about we add each other as friends?”

Adding each other to the friend list in an online game was simple.

Even if they weren’t in the same party or guild, they could contact each other again via messenger if they wanted, and they could check each other’s status even if they were far apart.

Most of all, they could meet again whenever they wanted.

‘Friends… connections….’

Eile paused, looking back and forth between Alisa and the system window, lost in thought.

The friend request he received after a long time suddenly reminded him of the old days.

Woojin in the past, who had struggled with social life due to his poverty, was different in online games.

The relationship with those who shared the common ground of the game could easily become intimate, and they could have fun together without materialistic worries or conflicts.

He naturally refused players who lacked personality or tried to cling to him and cause trouble, but he welcomed those who were like-minded and had the skills.

Her innate game sense and skills, as well as her high-ranking life skills such as alchemy and cooking, would be very useful when he needed help.

More than anything, since he had decided not to join a guild, connections were the most helpful thing when he faced difficulties that he couldn’t handle alone.

He might be able to handle four or five people in a party with whom he had a bad relationship, but even if he had the skills, he would be overwhelmed by an opponent who was checking him as a guild unit [a group working together].

‘It wouldn’t be bad to start over….’

Eile smiled faintly and reached out his hand to her.

It didn’t take long for him to make up his mind.

“Then I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Hehe, me too.”

Alisa smiled brightly.

[Request accepted!]

* * *

After Eile left, Alisa didn’t leave and sat in front of the campfire for a while.

The flames burning the remaining firewood flickered.

“Hehe, it was fun….”

Alisa smiled faintly as she recalled the journey.

Matching wits with a reliable colleague to conquer dungeons, putting their heads together to solve quests, traveling to find hidden places, and talking with laughter.

It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Clearly, even before starting Warlord, she had tried to consciously distance herself from leveling up or increasing her stats.

In fact, after starting the game, she had devoted herself solely to life content [non-combat activities like crafting and gathering], and she had rarely gone to hunting grounds, even though she had skills and talents in the combat field.

The fact that she was hunting zombies in the forbidden ruins was also to obtain quest items related to alchemy, not to level up.

But now that she had met Eile and promised to meet again, her heart was wavering.

It was fun enough to live as a herbivore user [a player who focuses on non-combat activities] focused on life content, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

“Hunting….”

Alisa fiddled with her staff and looked down at it.

“This much should be okay…?”

After a long deliberation, Alisa didn’t hesitate any longer and took out an item from her inventory.

In her hand were two skill books shining with a purple light.

The outstretched hand was placed on the bookshelf, and a brilliant light emanated.