Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 44

44. Manners Maketh Man (7)

“W-What is this…”

Beken muttered in disbelief.

He was sprawled on the ground, his face buried in the dirt, and his party members lying next to him weren’t in much better shape.

Both of them had lost about half their health during the fight, but they had been utterly defeated by just one person without even landing a blow.

It wasn’t a matter of equipment or level differences, nor had they fallen victim to some cheap trick.

The battle was decided purely by skill, a difference in fundamental ability.

Thwack!

As his opponents fell into a near-death state, Aile sheathed his sword.

Then, he approached them as they lay unable to move.

“You…! Mmph! Ugh! Mmmph…!”

Aile used his skill to summon a gag and stuffed it into the mouth of the man who was trying to shout.

It was better to handle things quietly, as involving others who didn’t know the full story would only complicate matters.

Aile then turned to Beken.

He tried to gag him as well to prevent any unnecessary noise, but Beken resisted fiercely, thrashing about.

“You son of a…! How dare you touch me? You…! Can’t you see the guild mark here? You…!”

Beken’s vulgar language was constantly interrupted by the profanity filter.

The game featured a real-time, two-way automatic translation system, and among War Lord’s various advanced systems was a high-performance profanity filter that analyzed even the player’s facial expressions and intonation.

With him making such a blatant scene, it was only natural that beeping sounds were rampant.

Aile frowned at Beken’s vulgarity, but instead of trying to gag him, he placed the gag on the ground.

Then, he spoke to him.

“A mark… you’re talking about your guild affiliation?”

“Yeah, you…! I’m part of White Fang! You’re dead…!”

“Are you even aware that your guild is in a state of emergency right now? They’re busy dealing with the Frostflame and Roaring Cave incidents, so they probably don’t have the spare manpower to deal with the likes of me. More likely, they wouldn’t even have time to listen to your whining, considering you’re not even a formal guild member.”

“What…?”

Beken stared blankly up at him, hearing this for the first time.

“Seriously, even a newbie [a player who is new to the game or a particular aspect of it] who just got their name on the roster thanks to connections should at least know that much, right?”

Aile looked at him with utter contempt.

What he had just said wasn’t a bluff or a stalling tactic; it was simply the unvarnished truth.

Currently, the White Fang Guild was struggling with the fallout from a serious conflict with the Frostflame Guild that had occurred a few days prior.

It all started when new guild members from both guilds, who happened to meet while hunting a boss monster, formed a party.

They successfully cleared [defeated] the boss without any major issues, but they began to argue over minor loot distribution issues.

The argument escalated into a small scuffle, and with no resolution in sight, they each called for help from their respective guild members who were in a nearby city.

The two groups of guild members gathered and confronted each other.

Despite initially having no animosity, they continued to disagree and eventually became increasingly emotional, leading to an all-out brawl.

As a result, all the White Fang guild members present were killed, and Frostflame, which had a relatively larger number of members, also suffered three casualties, including a newbie.

Moreover, if the situation had ended there, their relationship wouldn’t have deteriorated to this point.

However, White Fang guild members, upon hearing the news, retaliated with a surprise attack on Frostflame, and in another incident, a Frostflame executive who heard about the attack happened to player kill [PK, attack and defeat another player] a White Fang rookie, creating a complex and difficult situation to resolve.

Ultimately, due to the events that had already unfolded, the emotional rift between the two sides deepened, making it difficult to reach a resolution through dialogue alone.

Furthermore, in this hostile atmosphere, initiating an all-out war with a rival guild of equal stature carried the risk of one side being annihilated, and even the victor would suffer significant damage and be severely shaken.

Negotiations between the leaders of both sides were ongoing, but the situation was so volatile that a full-scale war could break out at any moment, so they had gathered and concentrated their main forces.

And with the entire guild in such a state, there was naturally no spare capacity to deal with a level 21 bratty newbie.

Of course, this story wasn’t widely known among ordinary users, but behind the scenes, several highly credible insider rumors were circulating.

“Don’t be ridiculous!! Where did you hear such nonsense…! You’re just trying to scare me with your words, but if you lay a finger on me here…”

Crack!

Aile stepped on one of his fingers, breaking it.

Beken stared blankly at his hand.

“Huh…?”

There was no pain, but it was the first time he had experienced such a squishy sensation since starting the game.

He had always relied on the guild’s reputation to threaten others, and he had never experienced player versus player combat [PVP] before, so he was flustered and speechless.

He couldn’t believe that he was being attacked even after mentioning the guild.

“Do you think I’m joking around right now?”

Swish!

The codex that appeared in Aile’s hand spread open.

And a sentence was passed on the branded sinner.

[You have been sentenced to be burned at the stake!]

“W-What are you doing…!”

The message of ‘burning at the stake’ that appeared to Beken shone brightly.

“Do you think you’re the first guy I’ve seen who relies on connections without knowing his place? The things you guys say while lying on the ground are always the same. Guys like you never learn until they’ve been through it once.”

Thud!

A pyre suddenly rose from the ground, and one was erected on each side to accommodate the number of people.

Aile then took out a rope, tied Beken up tightly, and dragged him to one of the pyres.

Beken tried to move in panic, but he was unable to resist in his near-death state.

After hanging him on the pyre, Aile used the skill ‘Sacred Fire’ to create a small flame on his palm.

Whoosh!

The white flame thrown onto the pile of straw quickly grew in size and blazed fiercely.

“S-Save me! Wait…! Just a moment!!”

Whirr!

Beken lost his mind from the burning heat felt beneath his feet.

Watching the wildly flickering white flame slowly approaching him was far more terrifying than simply having the flame touch his body.

But Aile, who would never listen to his pleas, had already turned his back.

“Kkyaaaaaa!”

The white flame engulfed Beken and the pyre entirely.

Aile simply left him screaming as he burned, and approached the remaining accomplice.

“You were a knight class, right? Then you’ll burn a little longer.”

“Mmph… Mmmph!”

The man, with his mouth gagged, struggled in terror.

However, Aile, with a cold look in his eyes, grabbed one of his legs and dragged him to the pyre.

Thus, only drag marks remained where the man had been.

* * *

Thwack!

A long sword was lodged in Batora’s back.

Batora, who was staggering from the recoil after his charge pattern, had already lost almost all of his health, so the recoil lasted even longer.

If they had continued the raid, this would have been the last pattern.

Of course, now it was in Aile’s hands, and he only had to lie down and reap the rewards from the well-prepared table [benefit from the work of others].

“Kieeeeeek!”

The incredibly tough boss monster Batora let out his last scream and collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

[Your level has increased!]

Aile’s experience, which was already almost full from killing the three players, shot up, and he gained a considerable amount of experience even after reaching the next level.

He had gained a massive amount of experience by defeating a boss recommended for at least three people alone.

Originally, War Lord didn’t have a system where experience was concentrated on one side based solely on the final blow.

However, since the individuals who had depleted most of Batora’s health were already dead at his hands, Aile ended up monopolizing all the experience.

“Wow… I feel like I’m getting a free ride to an unbelievable extent.”

When he first planned to catch Batora, he thought that the attack pattern itself was simple compared to his stats, so he was going to try to defeat him alone by repeating the process, but he never dreamed that it would be solved so easily.

While the party members, who mistakenly thought they had taken the spot, were busy weakening the boss monster while wasting potions, Aile was much more profitable because he had been comfortably hunting ordinary monsters.

Moreover, considering the stats, experience, and items he could get by killing them, he was grateful to the fools who had appeared in front of him.

[The goddess, impressed by your plan, smiles happily.]

[‘Luminary Judge, Ru’ is pleased to sponsor you.]

[Goddess’s Favor +0.41% (Currently 54.07%)]

[Light Order Contribution +150]

‘Huh……?’

The contribution points came in separately from the reward for killing the three players.

As the message window appeared, ‘Ru’ was sponsoring him.

There was no way she could give it without any compensation, and she must have consumed her influence and gifted it to her apostle [a person who is sent on a mission or activity].

‘Well… I shouldn’t be surprised… The things I’ve often received so far were no different from sponsorships. But the fact that she reacts to my actions one by one makes me feel like a bum rolling around while watching internet broadcasts…….’

Aile inadvertently imagined Ru rolling around on the bed.

Even though it was a story in the world of War Lord, he had blasphemous thoughts about the god he followed.

That’s because whenever the goddess watched his actions from somewhere and was satisfied, she would give him sponsorships and throw quests at him, so he couldn’t help but think that way.

Even when Beken and his party members insisted on taking the spot, the goddess kept sending messages, telling him to kill those thugs right away, and when Aile quietly stepped back even after hearing the insults, the message window almost went into a frenzy.

There were so many messages that it seemed like the goddess’s available influence had suddenly increased.

And a little later, she was thrilled when Aile burned all the thugs who had provoked him to death, and it seemed like she had a clear taste for violence.

‘Honestly, I’m a little bothered that she’s watching me from somewhere, but I can’t ignore it. Because I get so much in return.’

The rewards that the goddess threw were seemingly insignificant at first glance, but they had considerable value when examined closely.

He could tell by thinking about the 150 points he had obtained this time, and the impromptu quest he had suddenly given in the forbidden ruins last time, which had 300 contribution points at stake.

Without the ‘Sentence of Punishment’ skill, which doubles the acquisition amount, he might not have been able to obtain it even after catching more than ten heretics.

Of course, Aile had no intention of doing so, but if he had listened to Beken’s words and been intimidated, giving up his spot and stepping back, the angry goddess would have been furious, and the favor he had raised would have dropped significantly.

It seemed like a tricky system at first glance, but it also meant that it could become an even bigger weapon if used well by meeting the conditions.

A big hand that other users couldn’t even imagine was behind him, and Aile wasn’t stupid enough not to use him.

‘I guess I have to 맞춰 [match] give her what she needs.’