The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 210: Corrupted Angel’s Cradle (2)

Chapter 210: Corrupted Angel’s Cradle (2)

Zirukan was a named NPC who dreamed of reviving the Demon King and could easily overpower even the inquisitors of the Solarian Church.

Why does this sentence feel like déjà vu?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kai focused on the Zirukan’s level. The sight of it made him choke back a curse.

Level 742? Fine, let’s just say that’s the case.

The real issue was why someone like him had appeared now.

Kai made a logical judgment

I absolutely can not fight him right now.

The level gap alone was over 400. Even though Kai’s stats were significantly boosted by the effects of his good deeds, and he possessed numerous special titles as well as two holy relics, it was uncertain whether he could fight on equal terms.

That won’t be enough.

What Kai lacked was the certainty that he could decisively end Zirukan. If he fought Zirukan and managed to win, it would be the best-case scenario. But what if he lost?

No, I don’t even need to lose. If he merely matches me in combat...

Kai turned to glance behind him. There were three hundred members of the Holy Blood Order, and he would have to protect them while fighting. It would be no different than fighting with heavy weights shackled to his ankles in an already unfavorable situation.

The risk of rolling the dice is far too high.

If the Holy Blood Order members died, his affinity with the Church would plummet, and his reputation would take a major hit. The loss of XP and the logout penalty that came with death were trivial in comparison.

As Kai gulped nervously, Zirukan scratched the black mask he wore and said, “Hm? How unexpected. I thought you’d swing your sword at any moment, but it seems you have no intention of fighting. How disappointing. Then again, I didn’t come here to fight, so shall we leave it at that?”

Zirukan casually dismissed the dark hand that had previously exuded an overwhelming presence. At the same time, he snapped his fingers and created a portal.

“Well then, everyone. Would you kindly step through this portal?”

The members of the Holy Blood Order immediately argued against it.

“Ridiculous.”

“Do you think we’ll walk into that portal without knowing where it leads?”

“We’d rather die here than trust the words of someone exuding such evil energy!”

The Holy Blood Order members displayed their absolute conviction.

“Wait.” Kai raised his hand to calm them, and asked Zirukan, “I have one question.”

“A question? At a time like this? Hm. Go ahead.”

“With your level of strength, you could crush us without any elaborate schemes. So why go through all this trouble?”

“Haha. Isn’t your goal to rescue the dwarves?” Zirkan bowed like a noble gentleman and gestured toward the portal with one hand. “This portal leads to where the dwarves are. Of course, if you refuse to enter willingly... I will have no choice but to resort to force.”

“Is it a prison?”

“Well, calling it a prison might be inaccurate, as the interior is quite free and comfortable.”

As Kai contemplated, unsure of Zirukan’s true intentions, he received a message from Minerva.

[Minerva: That NPC’s level shows as ??? for me. Can you see it?]

[Kai: Yes. It’s 742.]

[Minerva: My God. Just to confirm, you’re not planning to fight that monster, are you?]

[Kai: I’m considering it.]

After a brief silence, Minerva responded in shock.

[Minerva: What? Are you crazy—no, are you okay? A level 742 is more than twice your level. Even a thousand level 1 players wouldn’t stand a chance against a level 200, let alone a level 100. You know how this world works, don’t you?]

Of course, she only said so because she couldn’t see Kai’s stat window.

[Minerva: Hmm, then how about this? Our guild will enter the portal first.]

[Kai: The Pray guild will?]

[Minerva: Yes. We’ll go in first, check what’s inside, and report back to you immediately.]

[Kai: ...]

It wasn’t a bad idea. Unlike NPCs, who would lose contact once separated, players could maintain communication. Of course, if things went wrong, the lives of the Pray guild members couldn’t be guaranteed.

I feel sorry for the Pray guild, but...

This was the most realistic and best option available to Kai at the moment. Eventually, he felt grateful to her for making such a suggestion first and accepted it.

“Hm. You seem to be taking your time. I’ll give you exactly three more seconds to decide,” Zirukan said.

“No need. We’ll go in,” Kai replied.

“Commander!”

When some of the Holy Blood Order members exclaimed in surprise, Kai said with a serious expression, “Just trust me for now. Minerva!”

At Kai’s signal, Minerva took the lead, and the players from the Pray guild willingly walked into the portal.

“Oh? You’re actually going in. I’m very happy you’re so obedient.”

Ignoring the nonsense Zirukan was spitting out, Kai immediately checked the message window.

[Kai: How is it? Is it a trap? Or a prison?]

[Minerva: Uh... uh... Hold on. It’s just a dungeon...?]

What? A dungeon?

Kai’s eyebrows twitched. It was an entirely unexpected answer. A dungeon in this situation?

Kai looked at Zirukan with a gaze full of confusion.

[Minerva: The dungeon’s name is Corrupted Angel’s Cradle. And... there’s an iron cage here, with dwarves trapped inside. They’re wary of us since we suddenly appeared. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any visible paths. It looks like this large room is all there is.]

Corrupted Angel’s Cradle, huh...

Kai felt his lips drying, unsure if it was due to the desert’s dryness or the current situation.

First, he plans to trap us in one dungeon, and the dwarves are there too.

Kai concluded that Zirukan wasn’t planning to kill them yet.

If he intended to kill the dwarves, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of dragging them from the Snowy Mountains all the way there.

Whether they were followers of the Demon King or the Church of Muldine, it would have been wasteful for them to give up on the dwarves’ craftsmanship so easily.

And if it’s a dungeon...

Minerva had said there were no visible paths, but this was a game.

There’s no such thing as a dungeon without a path.

The path was likely hidden or required specific conditions to reveal it.

I still can’t figure out why Zirukan is trying to push us into that place, but it’s much safer to enter the dungeon than to fight him head-on.

Having made up his mind, Kai gave the order, “Everyone, into the portal.”

This time, there was no resistance from the Holy Blood Order members. They even moved past Kai and entered the portal without hesitation.

Thanks guys.

It hadn’t even been a day since Kai had met the Holy Blood Order, and their time together could only be described as brief. However, they placed unwavering trust in their commander, who had faced life-and-death situations alongside them.

I’ll make sure to repay that trust.

Once all three hundred members of the Holy Blood Order entered the portal, Zirukan gestured with his head to Kai.

“Well, now that the disruptors are gone... Could it be that you wanted a one-on-one duel with me?”

“Not really. I’m going in too.”

Kai completely ignored Zirukan and stepped into the portal.

Left alone on the red sands of the desert, Zirukan shrugged. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

***

Ding!

[You have entered the Instance Dungeon - Corrupted Angel’s Cradle.]

[Your party members have received the First Discoverer buff.]

[XP gain and item drop rates increase by 30% for 9 in-game days.]

Just as Minerva had described, it was an enormous space. It resembled a schoolyard, a vast, square-shaped area. The floor and walls were made of bluish tiles, and at each corner were giant torches with blue flames, keeping the area well-lit.

"Where are we?"

"Is this a dungeon...?"

"What is that black guy up to? He put us into a dungeon?"

"We came in because Commander told us to, but... I have no idea what’s going on."

While the Holy Blood Order members stayed alert, Minerva waved at Kai from a distance and called him over.

"Kai! Over here!"

Kai approached her and found himself facing a massive iron cage.

A prison.

Kai and the Holy Blood Order stood outside the prison. Kai glanced into the prison and saw hundreds of dwarves trapped inside. As if wary of Kai and the Holy Blood Order, they clung to the walls and kept their distance.

Hm. Let’s see...

As he scanned the prison, Kai noticed something peculiar.

There’s one dwarf that the others are protecting closely.

Realizing the dwarf’s status, Kai asked, "You there, are you by any chance Karundal, King of Ingart?"

"... It seems you know who I am. Are you a part of those devils?"

The dwarf king, Karundal, eyed Kai with suspicion.

In response, Kai pulled out Karundal’s journal from his inventory to reassure him. "Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I’m an adventurer who found your journal in the Death Dragon’s nest."

"The Death Dragon’s nest...? You mean in the hidden device in the dragon’s sleeping chamber?"

"Yes."

"Impossible. That place is the dragon’s resting space. How could an ordinary adventurer find my hidden journal there...?"

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the Holy Blood Order behind Kai, and nodded in understanding.

"Now that I see it, that symbol is the Solarian Church’s... I understand now. If elite warriors of the Solrian Church took action, then it makes sense."

With no way of knowing when Zirukan would return or when his scheme might begin, time was of the essence.

Thus, Kai had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding and quickly proceeded with the conversation.

"Thanks to your journal, we were able to locate the shelter. We met Camilla and the dwarf children there, and they asked us to rescue your people. That’s the mission we’re currently carrying out."

As he finished, dwarves rushed to the bars and stretched their short arms through the gaps.

"What?! The children! Are they safe?"

"So, you met Camilla?"

"Are they eating well? My kids, are they alright?"

"Is the shelter safe? Are there monsters nearby?"

No matter what country or race, parents’ love for their children was always intense.

Feeling like he was in a scene from a zombie movie with the dwarves pressing close, Kai broke into a nervous sweat.

Then, Karundal yelled, "Quiet! This man is an ally who beheaded the dragon, avenging our kingdom, and came to rescue us at Camilla’s request. Show no further disrespect."

"Ahem. Our apologies."

"We got too worried... Sorry to you as well."

As the dwarves quickly offered their apologies and backed away, Karundal came close to the bars. "Now, would you mind explaining what’s going on?"

"That is..."

As Kai quickly summarized the situation, Karundal’s face grew more solemn.

"Hm. So, that means... you didn’t come here specifically to rescue us?"

"Well, just looking at the situation, it’s fair to say we got captured as well."

Karundal couldn’t hide his disappointment at Kai’s words.

“Um, so, Your Majesty, I have something important to discuss with you...” After sending the others away, Kai looked around before quietly saying, “I apologize for the late introduction. I am Kai, the fourth to hold the position of Solaris Cleric.”

“Solaris... Cleric...? Th-then, you are...!”

“Shh. It’s a secret from the others.”

As Kai quickly motioned for him to keep quiet, Karundal gulped and nodded.

“But, I just can’t seem to understand. How could an Apostle lose to a mere dark wizard?”

“Ahem, well, I’ve only recently become an Apostle... which is why I need to ask, do you know the current whereabouts of the Holy Sword Prius?”

If it were the holy sword, Prius, imbued with the radiant power to destroy all evil, it could potentially inflict fatal damage on Zirukan.

“Oh, you don’t know yet? Listen carefully. The holy sword is...”

The moment Karundal opened his mouth, about to speak with an urgent expression...

Screeech!

A tearing noise, like interference from a karaoke microphone, filled the entire space.

“Ugh!”

“Aaahh!”

As everyone grimaced and covered their ears from the grating sound, a message popped up before Kai and the members of the Pray guild.

Ding!

[The dungeon boss, Corrupted Angel Lucifer, has appeared.]

[Lucifer, who has just awakened from a long slumber, is feeling extreme hunger.]

[Lucifer’s favorite main course when hungry are humans.]

... I see.

Kai let out a forced chuckle, as if amused. He had a good idea now why Zirukan had driven them into this place.