Vulcan's Relentless Infection Worm Grind
Vulcan's leveling grind using the infection worms didn't stop after just one go. After parasitizing every blade-fang serpent in the instance dungeon once, the worms had no choice but to lunge at Vulcan again, but he trapped them in pre-prepared iron boxes, stored them in his inventory as-is, and reset the dungeon. Then he re-entered the reset dungeon and repeated the process.
He looped the dungeon over and over, releasing the infection worms and easily hunting the immobilized ones with Ice Storm, raking in free experience points.
"Huh? What's up with this?"
After running the dungeon who-knows-how-many times, the infection worms—which had been greedily devouring blade-fang serpents and parasitizing them every time—started showing strange reactions.
- Looks like it's run out of steam. Turning something into a demon beast means spreading your own power to mutate the target, after all. For a pathetic little thing, it's held out pretty well to pull off this many demonizations in a row.
"Ah... that's a shame. Can it recover?"
- Who knows. Getting back to normal would take time, anyway. Recovery isn't easy without demonic energy from the Demon World.
Tud gave his answer, but it was still disappointing. The worm wasn't dead, but it would need a long time before it could be used again.
'Should I use one more?'
Vulcan had no choice but to agonize over it. There were still four infection worms left, but from another angle, that was all he had. He couldn't just harvest more anywhere, so choosing and using them properly was crucial.
They could basically be used to demonize targets, but considering their traits, there were other ways to exploit them too.
'Selling one to each temple would be perfect...'
It was perfect for detecting beings already infused with demonic energy. Using the trait where they wouldn't parasitize hosts with demonic energy, he could sniff out demons or their followers cleverly hiding their power, right?
Sure, it wouldn't work if they were just colluding without demonic energy, but that alone made it useful enough.
Temples sensitive to demonic energy might not even need it, but it wasn't like only temple folk could use them.
When the main scenario quest hit full swing, he could sell them to nervous nobles or kings terrified of demon king followers lurking nearby.
'...Or pass it to him.'
Vulcan entertained a slightly risky thought, but that was for later. Right now, he had to decide whether to awaken one more for leveling or save it for selling.
"Whew. Screw it. Just one more..."
In the end, Vulcan succumbed to temptation. He re-entered the instance dungeon, awakened one more dormant infection worm, vowed this was the last one, and poured mana into his Glacial Staff.
The hunt began.
"Just one more, just one more...!"
- Stop it, you lunatic! That's the last one!!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
With cries of "just one more," Vulcan's leveling grind continued for quite a while longer. Even after the second infection worm exhausted itself, he repeated the same line, entered the dungeon, and before Tud could stop him, sliced open blade-fang serpents and shoved the worm into the wounds.
One, then another. He burned through four out of the five infection worms, losing control to the sweet, honey-like experience points they spewed.
He finally stopped after reaching for the last one and getting thoroughly thrashed by Tud, but the four worms were already spent and useless.
"Ah... If I'd saved these, I could've hit level 180."
- Know when to quit. You don't even need those things to level up fast anyway.
He was right, of course. With a +9 reinforced Epic-grade weapon, it was only natural he could sweep everything and level up in a flash, even without the 20% extra experience.
The blade-fang serpents had been easy because they were hibernating; Ice Storm hadn't lowered their defenses or anything.
His attacks were so overwhelmingly powerful that even mid-to-late 200s monsters took critical hits per swing, so he could've steadily farmed experience without rushing.
'I kinda lost my head there.'
Vulcan admitted his mistake. The worms weren't dead, so he could use them later, but he'd blown a chance to exploit them in multiple ways.
"Still, I leveled up plenty, so whatever. Not bad."
He pulled himself together and assessed the situation. His level was now 177. Even with his brief frenzy, that was a solid gain. The road ahead was long, but he'd jumped enough to graduate Sarucha in one go.
"Alright, now what...?"
Move to a new city and grind more levels? Or craft items to stock the shop? Using magic crafting like the test Glacial Staff could produce some real bangers.
"Um, Vulcan sir?"
"Yes? Who...?"
Someone approached Vulcan mid-deliberation. Who could it be? No one should be looking for him.
'Temple knight?'
Not a player but an NPC, so he hesitated briefly, but quickly regained composure upon spotting the temple knight's garb hidden under the cloak.
'Finally.'
There was only one reason a temple knight would show up out of nowhere: the main scenario quest.
"Yes, that's me."
"I assume you know why I'm here. Please take this."
Vulcan nodded, and the knight promptly pulled a letter from his bosom and handed it over. Probably carried a message or quest.
"I'll be going now."
Vulcan tried to probe for more, but the knight claimed he was busy and hurried off.
"Let's see what this kicks off."
No reason to dawdle. Vulcan tore open the letter and scanned the contents. As expected, it detailed how the temples of Roona, Kabura, Jatan, and Radin had secretly convened, formed an alliance, and decided to track the group once called the "black humans."
It also mentioned starting "pilgrimages" for public welfare and civilian aid.
Of course, the pilgrimages were a cover—the temple folk would patrol territories, spotting anomalies and sensing demonic energy.
"Smart move."
- Typical of them.
It was a temple-worthy idea, inconspicuous and fitting, but not flawless. They couldn't mobilize every member, so pilgrimages would take time and limit coverage.
Under the banner of civilian aid, scrutinizing nobles—the most critical targets—would be tricky. Local lords would greet them, but they couldn't comb every corner of territories at will.
"Didn't expect those two to team up, though."
That's why they allied with someone who could control nobles. Unknown who approached first, but they'd linked with Alter's side to gather nobles at social events for checks.
Meanwhile, temple pilgrims could scrutinize territories more closely in their absence.
"Hm, hope this doesn't cause misunderstandings..."
Great strategy under shared goals, but awkward for Vulcan sandwiched between them. Both knew him and his deep involvement—could spark jealousy or suspicions of playing both sides.
He could brush it off since they'd allied anyway, but better to clear the air eventually.
For now, he focused on the quest window before him.
[Secret Society][Main Scenario Quest]
A secret mission given only to those who have earned the trust of the temple alliance.
Before this land is once again shrouded in evil, seek out and thwart those weaving black conspiracies.
📍 Success Condition: Discover traces of black humans or Demon World entities
🎁 Success Reward: Join the Secret Society, Secret Society Insignia
'Join?'
The quest was about the black humans, as expected. The vague condition—find traces on your own without specific targets—was the issue. Testing players before real missions? Or no new leads yet?
"They're making us prove ourselves again."
- It's a serious matter; can't hand it to just anyone. Your immortal lot aren't that impressive in raw power anyway.
They pull off wild surprises sometimes, but pure combat force? Not essential yet.
With "join the Secret Society" as reward, it seemed like the latter—temple-picked players vetted for usefulness and loyalty.
As Tud said, players weren't overwhelmingly strong yet. Immortal zombies could swarm, but weak basics meant futility against elites. Gloria Saga was built that way: hordes of mediocrity couldn't topple one powerhouse.
"This overlaps with the other one—can clear both at once, right?"
- Probably. Alter's just waiting for another show of skill anyway.
Some high-level quest-takers might be pissed, but Vulcan was thrilled. Matching success conditions with Alter's quest meant potential double-clear.
"Problem is finding them. Any hints...?"
The key was scouting suspicion spots faster than others. Other recipients likely had forces or influence; dawdle, and they'd snag everything.
If clashes arose, solo Vulcan—weak in forces and power—might get nothing.
"...Huh?"
As Vulcan rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow, something hazy flickered in his vision. Blank margin, yet shimmering like heat haze.
"What the...?"
He didn't miss it. Activating Dragon Eye instantly, he re-examined the letter. At the bottom—once blank—a line in holy power emerged.
[Right Wall. Missing Souls.]
A short message, like a personal hint.
Hidden for everyone? Or just him for his big role? Why obscure it on a sealed letter?
"Ah...!"
Thoughts raced, but the next line explained everything.
[Tiran]
Tiran. Not from the temple alliance—this was Tiran's secret addition.