Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 95

95. Connections Are a Skill (3)

[Duran’s Book (Common)]

[Appraisal Value: 5 Gold, 15 Silver]

[Restored Original Stone Tablet (Low Grade)]

[Appraisal Value: 48 Silver, 84 Copper]

[Heirloom of the Aventino Family (Common)]

[Appraisal Value: 1 Gold, 9 Silver, 11 Copper]

“Hmm….”

Eil set down the peculiar plate he’d been examining.

With the antique appraisals complete, Eil received the items one by one, carefully noting the messages that appeared.

He had entrusted a large number of antiques to the appraisal office, gathered from places like the Village of Destruction and the loot chamber, and was now collecting the appraised items.

The appraisal process took some time, but there was a hunting ground near the city, so he spent the time hunting monsters.

More importantly, the returns were guaranteed.

‘Even just selling these relics, I’ll make a profit.’

Most relic items are sold to players or collectors.

Scraping together antiques from dungeons is usually just a way to earn some extra income.

Eil didn’t need to keep relics that weren’t useful, unless they were tied to a quest, so he immediately sold them for cash.

[Ranculus’s Goblet (Rare)]

[Appraisal Value: 91 Gold, 35 Silver, 64 Copper]

‘Nice…!’

Eil cheered at the sight of a rare relic.

Even among the seemingly unimpressive items he acquired, sometimes he’d hit the jackpot.

‘I’m glad I grabbed so much from the Village of Destruction.’

The sheer volume of items he collected meant more chances for valuable finds.

Of course, most of the antiques were junk, and some relics were too damaged to be valuable, making the appraisal costs high, but the results so far were already profitable.

Furthermore, the antiques yielded more than just relics.

[Unidentified Red Skill Book x 2]

[Unidentified Purple Skill Book]

“This is…!”

Eil’s eyes widened at the sight of the last items.

These were ancient books from the bookshelf in the loot chamber beneath the abandoned temple.

Among them were high-grade skill books.

Red and purple were the third and fourth highest grades out of six, offering the potential for rare to heroic skills if he was lucky.

However, Eil’s attention was drawn elsewhere, not to those two skill books.

[Unidentified Radiant Purple Skill Book]

‘This showed up….’

Unlike the others, this skill book had the modifier ‘Radiant’ attached.

The word ‘Radiant’ indicated a higher probability of producing a better skill, even within the same grade range. It meant that the skill book was more likely to yield a skill closer to the upper limit of its potential.

For example, a red skill book, which rarely produces skills above the rare grade, would have a much higher chance of yielding a rare or high-grade skill if it had the ‘Radiant’ modifier.

Sometimes, a skill book with a modifier was considered better than a skill book one grade higher, and he never expected to find one like this.

‘I needed a skill book for level 40 anyway… one less thing to worry about.’

Eil was currently level 37.

Thanks to the four high-grade skill books, he didn’t have to worry about his next skills.

He could now focus on the world quest, and this loot was good news in many ways.

Currently, Eil’s warehouse contained 7,500 gold and thorium ingots, and he had 300 gold on hand.

It was impressive for a combat-oriented player to have this much money at his level without spending real money.

Just as Eil was about to leave the appraisal office, a message popped up.

‘This is….’

A message from Alisa.

It was sent to Eil’s email linked to Warlord.

If she was contacting him via email instead of Warlord, it could only mean one thing.

‘Could it be ready…?’

During the carriage ride, Alisa had offered to introduce him to an editor she knew.

Eil, who was struggling to find someone, gratefully accepted and sent the video.

He soon heard that things were progressing well and that he would be contacted when the results were in…

And now, he was being contacted already.

“Is it real…?”

Eil muttered, checking the attached video.

It wasn’t a sample, but a complete version, neatly edited.

It defied logic to send a complete version without discussing compensation or contract terms.

Video editing was usually time-consuming, and higher quality meant longer work times.

Even with technological advancements, it was too fast for a video to be completed so quickly.

He trusted Alisa’s introduction, but he couldn’t help being skeptical.

However, Eil’s skepticism quickly vanished.

“Hmm…?”

The logo and name of the production company were at the end of the email.

Eil’s expression turned to astonishment as he read it.

“Wait, hold on… Bloodyjig Studio…?”

* * *

– Another Inquisitor video is up

– Crazy, Roden is in this one

– Roden? Out of nowhere?

– What are you guys talking about?

A video was uploaded to WarTube, and the community was in an uproar again.

The video featured the newly opened hunting ground, the Abandoned Temple, and the dungeon beneath it.
The main character was the Inquisitor of Esmair, who had become a hot topic as a crazy fanatic.

Naturally, many people interested in him flocked to watch.

The combat against the fanatics was even more impressive than in the previous video, showcasing Eil’s skills.

To hide the important quest information, the boss fight against the Mute of the Order was almost entirely cut.

However, other Inquisitors appeared and hunted both the undead and the users, turning the dungeon into a chaotic mess, which made the video even more popular.

The tense music, the exquisite angles, and the thrilling production had viewers hooked.

– Wow, the video quality is insane

– Wait, Bloodyjig Studio made it? Dexter, who rejects even high rankers?

– How much money did he pay them?

– Bloodyjig can’t be bought with money. There must be some kind of backing

– Was he a former ranker from another game?

The video quality was on another level, so it was natural that it received favorable reviews.

However, the fact that Bloodyjig Studio had helped with the production became a hot topic.

Since Dexter was known for not accepting requests and having high standards, rumors began to circulate that Eil was a famous former ranker or had a large guild backing him.

But the real highlight of the video was something else.

More than anything, the biggest buzz was that Armenia’s former famous ranker, Roden, had returned and that Eil had defeated him in a duel.

– Wow, he really beat Roden?

– You’re awesome, bro

– I honestly thought he was overrated, but at this point, he’s practically a ranker

– No matter what, Roden has class. How could he lose to a rookie in Warlord? Seriously, he’s a washed-up legend

– Your life is a legend for watching WarTube at this hour

– That person is amazing. You’re being too harsh ㅜㅜ [Korean internet slang for crying face]

– Both were amazing, people who criticize don’t know the game

– I saw Roden in person when I was in Armenia, and he was a real monster. To beat that Roden, I can’t even imagine how good he is

– If he had started from the beginning, he would be a high ranker in Warlord by now

– I’ll be a fan of this person from today

The comment section and bulletin boards were flooded with reactions.

Roden’s return even made it to the real-time search rankings on various Korean portal sites, and articles speculating about Eil’s identity began to appear in the news.

If they had simply faced Roden and cleared the dungeon together, it wouldn’t have become such a big deal.

However, the two had a fierce battle, and thanks to Bloodyjig Studio’s excellent editing, most viewers thought Eil had overwhelmed Roden with his skills.

Only a few people knew that the situation would have been different if Roden had shown his true skills from the start.

Even if the original footage was shown without editing, it was hard to recognize the subtle differences in the fast-paced video.

Someone with keen eyes might have noticed something, but most ordinary users couldn’t even sense anything off.

Even so, Eil’s skills were outstanding, making it hard to believe he was a newbie.

The weapon swap technique, which he hadn’t properly shown in the previous video, was something no ranker had ever done before, and those with sharp eyes paid attention to this.

This video changed the minds of those who had dismissed him as a brief issue.

Now, the big shots were starting to take notice.