Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 57

57. Corpse Cave (1)

‘Whew, there are so many people.’

Aile looked around, quietly marveling at the sight.

The crowds typically seen in cities and towns were now gathered in the middle of the hunting grounds.

For Aile, who usually frequented unpopular, niche hunting grounds, this was the first time seeing so many players in one place.

Even at the Goblin Lair near Queens Blonde, the number of users only reached this level at the dungeon entrance, where they gathered to form parties.

“Take this!”

“Kuaaaaak!”

“Kueeeeek!”

A scene of slaughter unfolded as monsters were killed by players.

As if to prove its popularity, users were enthusiastically hunting, even competing with each other.

This swampy area with a shallow river was a habitat for squat, fish-like monsters called Mermen [aquatic humanoids], and it was a very popular hunting ground.

Although a place teeming with so many people was perfect for trackers accustomed to gathering information to spot him, Aile had come here knowing that.

“Let’s see……”

“Kyaaaa!”

Just as Aile turned his gaze to look for something, a camouflaged monster suddenly appeared from the ground.

A Merman with a crude spear jumped up, aiming for Aile’s neck.

Thwack!

However, an arrow flew from the side and pierced the creature’s neck, sending the Merman tumbling backward.

It didn’t die instantly and struggled on the ground, but at that moment, a sword and an axe flew in from both sides, tearing the Merman to shreds.

“Ugh……”

As competition was fierce, monsters fell as soon as they appeared.

In fact, those who had just launched a joint attack were not even members of the same party; they were simply attacking any Mermen they saw.

It wasn’t as good as sharing with party members, but it didn’t matter since experience rewards were distributed according to contribution.

The only problem was the looting rights for the items dropped by the dead Mermen.

“Hey! You two over there, step aside. I hit it first.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I made the last hit.”

“What? What did you say? Nonsense?”

“Come on, let’s not fight over something so small and just split it three ways. Okay?”

Three users gathered in front of the Merman’s corpse and began to argue, and Aile shook his head and left.

‘It’s really chaotic.’

Aile’s job wasn’t to join in the hunt amidst this chaos.

First, he needed to find a place with fewer people.

Finding a place without people around such a popular hunting ground wasn’t easy, but Aile had scouted out a few useful locations before coming here, so he was able to find a spot without wandering around aimlessly.

“Is it here……”

Aile muttered, looking at a cave nestled between large rocks.

There wasn’t a single person around the passage that sloped downwards, and yet Aile entered without hesitation.

There was always a reason why people didn’t frequent certain places in a hunting ground, especially when even monster-free open spaces were filled with users taking breaks.

The name of this place, filled with a musty smell, was the Merman Corpse Cave.

It was an underground dungeon filled with gruesome corpses, like a graveyard for dead Mermen.

However, unlike a typical graveyard, the corpses here were alive and moving.

“Krrr……”

Low moans were heard from inside.

Leaning against the wall and peering around the corner, he could see Mermen with patches of flesh torn off, staggering around.

Unlike the Mermen above, these ones possessed tricky poison weapons and inflicted a ‘fear’ debuff [a negative status effect] with their gruesome appearance, so despite the crowded hunting ground, users avoided this place.

In the first place, if they were aiming for such a difficult dungeon, there were plenty of other places to go, so there was no need to come all the way here.

Some people, emboldened by their success hunting above, would visit the underground dungeon, but they would soon run away in disgust.

Whoosh!

But Aile drew his longsword without hesitation and activated Holy Fire.

He fought off the Corpse Mermen rushing towards him and broke through.

Thanks to the ‘Fanatical Martyr’ passive [an always-active skill], which nullified all psychological status ailments, he could easily ignore the ‘fear’ debuff. His attributes were also very compatible with the undead.

The fiercely wielded sword and Holy Fire turned the monsters, moving despite being corpses, back into ashes.

– You have acquired an item!

[Merman’s Rotten Eyeball (Common) ×2]

[Broken Spearhead (Low Grade)]

[58 Cron [in-game currency]]

Aile looted the items from the fallen monsters and clicked his tongue.

The reward for each monster wasn’t bad in itself, but the item he wanted hadn’t appeared.

‘I need to get it as quickly as possible before they come.’

Feeling anxious, Aile checked the time frequently and hurried his steps.

And whenever he saw an alley where monsters wouldn’t be wandering, he stopped and opened his inventory.

It was to set up traps.

Click!

The trap was easily set up with Aile’s touch.

Because it wasn’t set up manually but with consumable items, it was quick and easy.

Of course, the expensive price was a drawback.

Hamper items that he had scraped together, spending all the money he had saved up from the store and auction house.

After all, no matter how much users of a similar level to Aile slashed at them, their swords would only bounce off their armor, and even if they cast flashy-looking magic, it wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

However, one of the few methods that worked regardless of level was to use the terrain of War Lord [the game’s name].

Of course, the higher the level, the more health stats they had, so survival was naturally easier, but if a rock fell on their head or they fell from a high place, it was fatal regardless of level.

If someone with a significantly lower level was struggling, this was likely the only method that would work.

Setting up these traps in a crowded place would likely get him called crazy by the surrounding users and result in a group PK [Player Kill, or PvP], but since other users would rarely enter here, it didn’t matter.

If these traps were to work, they were likely to target the pursuers.

‘I don’t think this alone will catch them all… but I need to increase the odds even a little.’

Frankly speaking, the chances of this operation succeeding were not high.

In many ways, his plan focused on the time given to him, and success depended entirely on his skill and luck.

He could have chosen to lure them to high-level hunting grounds that even the pursuers couldn’t handle, or to areas where they would die if they trespassed, like the White Forest, but the opponents weren’t foolish enough to fall for that.

Among ordinary users, even reaching level 70 meant having top-tier skills, and generally, surpassing level 100 meant being a pro player who could make a living.

If they were members of the Amaranth Guild, they would be composed of veterans around level 140.

Moreover, they had been active in PVP for the past year, experiencing all sorts of hardships, so they could not be taken lightly.

Thwack!

Aile defeated another monster and searched the corpse for items.

His movements were skillful and quick, but on the other hand, he couldn’t hide his urgency.

‘Come on, show up already… before they get here!’

* * *

“Here it is.”

The Amaranth Guild members stood in front of the entrance to the Merman Corpse Cave.

Then, a warrior who had been resting and cooling off next to the Corpse Cave glanced at them, surprised by their appearance.

It wasn’t strange to receive such attention, as users with such high stats suddenly appeared in this low-level area.

Lucas, with a slightly annoyed face, glanced at him, and the surprised warrior was startled and ran away.

“In the past, I would have just cut his throat.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Toulon, the leader, warned him in a stiff tone and sent him a look.

Then Lucas obediently shut his mouth, and soon the three members who had been standing in front of the entrance entered the cave.

“To be leisurely hunting in such a crowded place, he’s either clueless or has an agenda.”

“It’s not like we came without any prior investigation. What can he do if he has an agenda? He’s just a newbie who isn’t even level 30 yet.”

Lucas responded to Toulon’s words.

Aile had barely escaped being assassinated at first, yet his attitude of entering such a crowded hunting ground was so confident that it made Lucas wonder if he was trying to lure them in.

So, after obtaining information and moving to this place, they had investigated in advance to see if there were any suspicious points in the hunting ground.

But there was nothing that could be dangerous to them.

The monsters were just small fry no matter how many there were, and there was nothing that the fugitive would find attractive or worth aiming for.

“Considering that he noticed us in the city and ran away, it’s too early to let our guard down.”

“Well, I still think that was just luck.”

“We don’t know yet.”

Toulon replied briefly without affirming or denying.

But he also didn’t really think that Aile had any particular intention in heading here.

The opponent was just a novice user in their 20s.

Judging from the fact that he had no notable records in virtual reality games before War Lord, the possibility of him being a skilled player was low.

It was more natural to think that the incident in the city was a coincidence.

Thud!

The three users walking through the cave stopped simultaneously.

The first fork in the road appeared in front of them.

The Corpse Cave was not a simple straight line but a dungeon with a rather complex structure.

“One person guards the entrance.”

“Understood.”

When Toulon spoke with a look, the Amaranth Guild member nodded and stepped back, standing in place and holding the weapon he had been carrying on his back.

This was to prevent the target from sneaking out of the dungeon while they were inside searching.

Since this was the only exit leading outside, they wouldn’t miss him as long as they guarded this path.

“I won’t miss you this time……”

Lucas twisted his lips, anticipating his prey.