Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 50

“Keereureureuk!”

The wriggling black figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a level 25 monster called a Corrupted Spirit, with long, outstretched black arms and legs, rapidly closing the distance.

Whoong!

Aiel slightly twisted his body to evade the attack, stepping back to create a safe distance.

Just the right distance to keep the opponent at bay and swing his longsword.

Aiel deflected the Corrupted Spirit’s flailing arms, precisely finding an opening to thrust his longsword.

As the longsword pierced the spirit’s chest, burns erupted across its body.

The Corrupted Spirit, overwhelmed by continuous and Holy property damage, helplessly collapsed to the ground, succumbing to Aiel’s relentless attacks.

The Corrupted Spirits in the Spirit Forest were level 25 monsters, as the initial quest item indicated. However, Aiel’s combat stats were boosted by the Goddess’s Favor and Madness stat, making the situation manageable.

Whoosh!

Swinging his sword once in the air extinguished the Holy Fire on the blade, and Aiel smoothly sheathed his weapon.

“Well, I guess I’ll stop here.”

The ground around Aiel, who had been engrossed in battle, was littered with monster corpses.

He had only fought Corrupted Spirits, but each one had a unique appearance.

Just as spirits born in the same place have different appearances, so did the Corrupted Spirits.

In the past, he would have repurposed these corpses, but he refrained from desecrating the bodies for the sake of the Rotum tribe’s peace of mind.

Above all, this was the Spirit Forest.

It was best to act cautiously, as reckless actions could upset the spirits of the land or the elves who might hear of it.

[The Goddess can’t stand the boredom and yawns.]

‘…….’

A system message suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[‘Light’s Judge, Lugh’ misses the flames of purification.]

Lugh, who had greatly enjoyed his actions in the Ingol Forest, seemed displeased with the mundane disposal.

However, she generously understood the situation.

Aiel was Lugh’s only Apostle, and if things went too wrong, it could impact the Light Church itself.

Compared to other followers whose Favor and Contribution would plummet with the slightest displeasure, the Goddess was quite patient with him.

Of course, that didn’t always mean it was advantageous.

Being the only Apostle meant he received a lot of attention, which also meant the Goddess was always watching his actions.

If he openly defied her will and ignored her, he had to be prepared for a massive drop in related stats, and perhaps even more severe sanctions.

Judging by her strong urging in the Ingol Forest, it was hard to imagine what would have happened if he had simply yielded to Beken and retreated.

‘Well, it’s not really something to worry about that much…….’

Due to its strict doctrines and concept, the Light Church received a lot of criticism from players compared to other churches, but frankly, he felt they were a good fit.

Lugh’s standards were strict, but she didn’t demand anything complicated.

Just burn the heretics who deviate from the doctrines.

In an online game where you inevitably encounter many people and have to work with various players, it was a requirement that caused significant social problems, but Aiel wasn’t planning on joining a guild or particularly aiming for party play.

There would be few opportunities to team up with malicious users who would be branded as heretics anyway, and there would be no awkward situations where he had to antagonize someone within the same affiliation.

The disadvantage was that he would inevitably be involved in a lot of PVP [Player versus Player combat] regardless of the opponent’s stats and affiliation, but he was willing to accept that in exchange for the considerable stat bonuses and privileges he received as an Apostle.

In War Lord, the relationship between gods and followers was not about blindly giving or following, but a transactional relationship based on mutual agreement.

“I’ll show you properly when I get out there, so please be patient.”

Aiel said, looking at the air.

[The Goddess watches you with anticipation.]

[Light Church Contribution +25]

“…Did you suddenly get better at managing your finances?”

Recently, the frequency of messages sent to him had increased significantly, and she often sent contributions and support when he showed impressive battles.

It was a stark contrast to the past when she struggled to send even a single message.

The Goddess responded with a simple message this time as well.

[‘Light’s Judge, Lugh’ wears a confident smile.]

* * *

Aiel returned to the village, trudging wearily.

Having been holed up in the hunting grounds for a long time, his legs felt slightly weak, as if he had done intense exercise.

Aiel first headed to the public mailbox located in a corner of the village.

The mailbox was a typical convenience for players, so it existed in most villages and base areas, but he was still surprised to see it even in a place like this.

[A total of 2 mails have arrived.]

As expected, there were mails waiting for him.

Both letters were from Alisa, whom he had parted ways with in the underground ruins.

Aside from light greetings, there was nothing special, but the key was the contents attached to the mail.

There were regular recovery potions, doping potions that temporarily increased stats, and potions that removed status ailments like antidotes and paralysis cures.

‘This is better than expected?’

Aiel examined the potions received in his inventory.

He had sent Alisa the material items he obtained from disassembling Batora’s corpse, and the special medicinal herbs that could only be found in the Spirit Forest, and she had sent him back the doping potions she made based on them.

She gained high alchemy proficiency by obtaining rare materials, and Aiel obtained high-level potions at a low cost.

He had given her some labor costs along with the materials, but even considering that, the price was cheaper and the performance was better compared to the potions sold at the auction house.

He heard that her alchemy skill was Rank 2, but if someone didn’t know, it was of excellent quality that would seem higher than that.

“Hmm? She even sent poison.”

A poison was mixed in at the end of the potions Alisa sent.

It seemed that the byproducts of the Thought Entity were more suitable for making status ailment potions or poisons than ordinary healing potions, so she sent them.

The poison applied to weapons had a short duration and was not cheap, so it was burdensome to actively use it, but if used properly, it was an item that greatly helped with fast hunting.

However, it was a useless gift for Aiel.

Chiiiik!

‘As expected…….’

As soon as he sprayed the poison and applied it to his longsword, it immediately burned away and disappeared.

Another penalty for the Inquisitor, who shows a very powerful appearance in battle if he is faithful and does not deviate from his faith.

Weapons imbued with Holy Fire could not use such poisons at all.

“There he is!”

“Aiel! You’re back? Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Two joyful voices were heard from behind.

Now familiar faces, Peren and Pico were approaching quickly.

Aiel had been holed up in the forest all day performing quests, and they seemed genuinely happy to see him, perhaps worried about him.

“I finished the quest you mentioned last time.”

“Really……?”

Pico, who had requested the quest about the Corrupted Spirits, asked back in surprise.

She probably thought it would take more time, hence the reaction.

In fact, the quest she requested was the biggest quest that could be obtained here.

The Rotum tribe in the village had all gathered and worked on it in parallel with other quests, but it took them two days to clear up to the third area.

While hunting, Aiel’s level had reached 23, and he had killed more monsters than requested for experience, so there would be no problem with the quest.

“Thank you. The remaining ones will be taken care of by the spirits of the forest! Here!”

– You have acquired an item!

[Shoes imbued with the Aura of the Wind Spirit (Superior)]

Pico took out the quest reward from the bag she was carrying and handed it over.

The completeness of the equipment itself was not great even as a polite remark, but the specs were excellent because the aura of the spirit living in the forest flowed in naturally.

With this, Aiel completed three quests and acquired all three equipment items. Except for the top and bottom set items obtained from Batora, he successfully replaced his gloves, shoes, and hat, which were somewhat lacking.

“It’s good that you’re helping us, but you should take breaks. What if Aiel gets hurt?”
“I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

Aiel chuckled and ruffled the little ones’ heads as he replied.

Working so hard on quests was ultimately for his own sake.

Basically, the quests here, which had high rewards, gave more experience than expected even for picking mushrooms in the forest, and it was a really great place for him in many ways.

“We can leave now, right?”

Aiel said.

Now that all the sub-quests piled up here had been neatly resolved, it was time to get to the main point.

“That… that is.”

Peren stuttered, avoiding Aiel’s gaze.

He couldn’t easily break his promise because he had been asked by the elves of the White Forest to keep the transport items a secret.

But Aiel didn’t give up.

“What exactly are you trying to load?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You have to figure out the problem to solve it. If it’s delayed too much, it’ll be difficult for me too.”

“Sorry, but Alrund said it was a secret…….”

Peren said in a barely audible voice.