Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 70

70. Light and Shadow

In most RPG games, the easiest way to gauge power level is, of course, the character’s level itself.

As the level increases, the base stats improve, and better equipment becomes available, naturally creating a significant gap between high-level and low-level players.

This holds true in War Lord as well.

However, simply leveling up quickly isn’t the only factor in War Lord’s progression.

Even at the same level, a player’s chosen skill combination and setup often matter more than a level difference of 10 or 20.

Therefore, high-grade skill books are inevitably crucial for development.

That’s why Aile is enduring this hardship.

“Ugh!”

Aile, gritting his teeth, strained to reach higher.

Hanging from a steep cliff, Aile gripped protruding rocks and pulled himself upward, dislodging debris that tumbled into the abyss below.

Aile consciously avoided looking down at the deep valley and focused on moving his arms.

At this height, a fall would certainly be fatal.

The reason Aile found himself clinging to this perilous cliff, engaging in extreme sports, was the quest he received from the High Elves.

According to a message from the White Forest, an intruder had infiltrated their territory to steal back the ancient spirit stone they had taken from the Rotoum tribe.

The audacious thief who dared to enter the White Forest was swiftly dealt with, and secret documents recovered from his person revealed a planned meeting place, which was relayed to Aile with a request for investigation.

It was a request to track down the culprit from the previous incident, in hopes of finally catching him.

Since the High Elves generally avoid leaving their territory, they entrusted the task to Aile. It was also a linked quest connected to the events in the Spirit Forest.

Aile, who was pondering his next move, had no reason to refuse.

High-quality quests not only provided ample experience points but also served as a good source of skill books.

Quests known for their excellent rewards usually involved high-grade skill books, either dropped by the boss encountered during the mission or awarded by the NPC upon completion.

The saying that quests from elves offer good rewards existed because they often provided generous skill book rewards, so a successful completion of this request could yield a high-level skill book.

Thud!

Aile stretched his arm with all his might one last time and managed to pull himself up to the entrance of a cave jutting out from the steep cliff.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

Aile, sitting down in front of the cave, wiped away sweat and took a breather.

Even with stat boosts and system compensations, climbing such a dizzying cliff was no easy feat.

But as if nothing had happened, Aile quickly got up and entered the cave in the cliff.

‘I’ve never heard of a hunting ground or unique location in this area. There’s no way a cave with such an obvious entrance would remain undiscovered.’

Therefore, instead of suddenly encountering monsters or a new dungeon, he would likely face hostile NPCs or players, as the term “meeting place” suggested.

He also suspected that the player he encountered in the Spirit Forest might be here.

In preparation for any eventuality, Aile drew his longsword and entered, finding sparsely placed torches illuminating the interior.

‘What is this…?’

Aile, standing at the end of the cave, stopped in bewilderment.

The cave didn’t extend far, ending in a dead end not far inside.

But there was nothing to be found within.

Not only was there no sign of human presence, but there were no artificial structures at all except for the torches.

Swoosh.

At that moment, someone suddenly appeared behind Aile.

A black-hooded man materialized from the shadows.

It was indeed the player from the Spirit Forest, whom he suspected he might encounter.

Judging by his voluntary appearance, he didn’t seem to be planning an ambush, but Aile hadn’t sensed his presence at all before he revealed himself.

Even if he was hiding in the dark, it was strange because Aile wasn’t carelessly oblivious, and there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed him while passing by.

But now that they had met, such trivial thoughts had to be set aside for the moment.

“We meet again.”

As Aile raised his longsword, the man also drew his dagger without a word.

Even though they had fought once before, there was no animosity between them.

However, as both were on opposing sides in an important quest, a fight seemed unavoidable.

‘It’s a shame to encounter him before getting the third skill… but there’s no choice.’

Whoosh!

The two rushed towards each other simultaneously.

But the ground sank as their vigorously stepping feet caved in, and a strange sound was heard instead of the sound of two swords colliding.

Rumble!

Aile knew very well what kind of event this sound usually indicated.

‘A trap…!’

He was filled with a sense of despair, realizing he had been caught.

But before Aile’s face could completely distort, he saw the man’s expression, and surprisingly, the other’s face was also filled with bewilderment.

‘He didn’t set this trap…?’

Crackle!

The floor they were standing on completely collapsed.

Along with fragments, the two were helplessly sucked downwards, and soon they were falling towards another floor.

Thud!

“Ouch…”

Aile, who had fallen awkwardly, grabbed his head and got up.

He tried to look up to see how far he had fallen, but his view was blocked by something like a dark curtain, preventing him from seeing anything.

It seemed impossible to climb back up.

Remembering the man who had fallen with him, Aile quickly turned his head.

Having rolled down in a mess, the black hood he had been wearing was pushed back, revealing his hidden face.

Contrary to expectations, the man with a calm face and disheveled ash-gray hair met his eyes.

Koo-eh-eh-eh!

The roaring of monsters echoed from the other side.

The two’s gazes turned simultaneously, and soon they saw a huge number of monsters rushing in from a passage connected to another place.

Aile quickly opened his inventory and took out holy water from the monster horde that was rushing in, drawn by the sound of prey.

Then, he swung the holy water he had taken out with all his might and sprinkled it in a long line in front of the entrance, and activated a skill on it, creating a line of sacred fire.

Whoosh!

As the embers touched the holy water scattered on the ground, the white flames instantly grew in size, raging like a fire fueled by oil.

The monsters that were running madly stopped in front of the intense flames and hesitated, and those who tried to cross were caught in the fierce sacred fire and perished.

“Hoo…”

Aile took a breather for a moment.

It was only a temporary measure, but at least they wouldn’t be able to cross as long as the fire was maintained.

“You didn’t know about the trap, did you?”

Aile, turning around, looked at the ash-haired man and asked.

The man shook his head without a word.

“Huh…”

Aile couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He was waiting for the meeting here, but he didn’t know about the trap.

Then there was only one explanation for their current situation.

“This is your side’s meeting place. Then, the NPC who gave you the instructions must have set this up. Judging by the fact that they’re trying to kill us both without distinction, it seems like you’ve been betrayed…”

Aile offered his half-convinced guess.

First of all, judging by the unidentified barrier that appeared in the collapsed area, it was clear that someone had taken magical measures to prevent them from going back up.

Furthermore, it was a trap with a condition that it would not be activated when he arrived alone but only after Aile arrived.

It couldn’t be seen as a mere accidental crack or trap, and the answer was that this time again, a cunning War Lord NPC had betrayed a player.

‘I thought it was strange that they only sent one thief when he was trying to steal something important like the ancient spirit stone from that infamous White Forest.’

He didn’t know whose orders he was acting on, but Aile guessed that the NPC deliberately leaked information about the meeting place to the High Elves to lure and kill him for interfering with their plans.

Perhaps the man in front of him was betrayed because he failed in the last mission.

“…”

The man, frowning, remained silent and lost in thought for a moment.

If he was betrayed by NPCs, not players, it was natural for him to be confused or feel resentful.

But the man in front of him didn’t seem to fall into either category.

A moment of awkward silence.

Aile looked at him, who hadn’t said a word since earlier, with a slightly strange look. The man, glancing around, suddenly bent his knees and squatted down.

Then, he scribbled letters on the floor with the dagger he was holding.

「A valid point」

“…You think I’m right?”

Aile asked in bewilderment, and this time again, the man nodded silently.

Then, Aile, scratching his head with a hollow laugh, also approached him and squatted down.

“Name?”

「Neshua, what about you?」

“Aile. But do you really have to do this even in this situation? There are monsters swarming right next to us.”

「I have no choice」

The man, shrugging his shoulders, silently continued to write.

Then, he held up the dagger he was writing with as if to show it, and lightly ran his hand over the sharp blade of the dagger.

Swish!