Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Chapter 32. Pharaoh (6)
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12.
“You’ve killed all the monsters?”
Phir wasn’t surprised by El Pam’s words.
There was no reason to be.
“Let’s confirm it.”
He could always be surprised after checking everything.
And confirming it didn’t take long.
He had a rough count of the monsters here.
Above all, the evidence was clear.
“Phir, sir, we haven’t checked everything, but there are piles of monster corpses everywhere.”
The corpses were the proof.
Only after verifying it all did Phir finally show surprise.
‘How?’
He knew El Pam’s abilities.
They had saved his life, and thanks to them, he’d even entered Phantom’s secret vault.
He had never underestimated El Pam’s power.
In fact, he rated it even higher than what he’d seen back then. He figured El Pam had grown stronger since.
That’s why he was shocked.
‘It wasn’t supposed to be this much…….’
Even with that high estimate, it was impossible for El Pam to sweep out all the monsters here in just five days.
Moreover, El Pam hadn’t simply hunted the monsters.
‘How did he do it so quietly?’
El Pam’s party hadn’t caused any major commotion during the hunt.
That was a crucial point.
The surest way to kill monsters quickly was a powerful area attack.
But few adventurers hunted that way, making a racket.
It made sense.
Other monsters wouldn’t just sit there munching popcorn while you stirred up chaos.
It was worse here.
Most monsters had turned into mummies or Pharaoh Snake zombies guarding it, thanks to the poison.
If a commotion broke out?
Every monster would swarm.
That’s why they’d split into parties and fought in utter silence.
Of course, silence meant the hunt was painfully slow.
El Pam knew it too.
‘Impossible in five days.’
That’s why he’d originally planned for ten.
But there was an exception.
‘Lightning magic changes everything.’
One advantage of lightning magic was its silence.
Take a fire area spell like Explosion: devastating, but it turned the surroundings into a warzone.
Monsters kilometers away—even sharp ones ten kilometers out—would sense it.
Thunderbolt was different.
‘It can target precisely.’
With hundreds of monsters clustered, it hit only them.
‘The moment it strikes, they’re paralyzed.’
Victims rarely even screamed properly.
Perfect for quiet hunts.
That’s why, before returning to the past, Brain Emperor Rick—another of his nicknames—was the Silent Slaughterer.
He’d killed tens of thousands without much fuss.
‘And I have companions who can herd the monsters.’
Decisively, El Pam had the best allies to assist.
That’s how they’d finished prep in five days.
“Now all that’s left is the Pharaoh Snake.”
Prep done, time for the main event.
Phir snapped to at El Pam’s words.
He was right.
How El Pam had done it didn’t matter now. He’d learn later.
“Yeah, time to take down the Pharaoh Snake.”
The immediate task: slay this place’s boss!
So Phir said,
“Our investigation into the Pharaoh Snake’s poison yielded this.”
He focused on the Pharaoh Snake hunt.
“Its poison is extremely potent.”
Phir’s face hardened as he spoke.
“Even exposed to air, it doesn’t fade—instead, it evaporates into mist and spreads. The longer the exposure, the more you’re poisoned.”
It was grim news.
“And the Pharaoh Snake’s poison has no color or smell.”
Effective as mist, and odorless, colorless? Insane.
Phir hadn’t expected this level.
He knew the symptoms of poisoning, but not how vicious the poison itself was.
“No antidote.”
That was the problem.
“The only option is to drink a poison resistance potion and close in to fight.”
In this situation, the sole way to beat the Pharaoh Snake was to accept sacrifices.
“You can last about ten minutes.”
And it wasn’t simple sacrifice.
Unlike monsters with other poisons, this one didn’t kill on contact—no, it turned you into one of its mummies.
“Past ten minutes, suicide. With poison.”
Phir’s solution: stuff a poison pouch in your mouth and bite down at ten minutes.
Brutal, but necessary.
“The Pharaoh Snake is incredibly fast. Without someone clinging on to hold it, ranged attacks won’t land.”
No matter how strong, hits that miss are useless.
“Its detection range is a one-kilometer radius. Unless you attack from outside that.”
With his explanation done, Phir asked,
“Any other ideas?”
There was hope in the question.
Maybe El Pam had a better way.
“My judgment’s the same.”
El Pam’s response crushed that faint hope.
Phir didn’t despair.
“Then the hunt plan’s the same as mine.”
Everything clear now—no more surprises.
“Tanks buy time while we attack the Pharaoh Snake.”
To that, El Pam said,
“No, you’d just get in the way. Not needed.”
“What?”
“We’ll hunt with our party alone.”
13.
Pharaoh Snake.
This forty-meter behemoth’s head resembled a pharaoh, as named.
Its golden scales gave it a majesty fit for a true pharaoh king.
Shaa!
But right now, the Pharaoh Snake was in a foul mood.
Shaa!
Insignificant vermin had invaded its domain, the king’s territory.
Worse, it had tried punishing them several times but failed properly.
Shaa!
When it chased the intruders, they vanished like rats—no, faster than rats.
It had spread poison everywhere, but few succumbed.
Shaa!
Rage filled its eyes—no rationality left.
Pure fury.
A terrifying sight.
Even seasoned adventurers might faint at that glare.
Impossible to face.
“Hey.”
Yet one adventurer stepped before that rage.
“Snake brat. Look here.”
Not shying away—in fact, provocatively.
That’s why.
Shaa?
The Pharaoh Snake showed surprise instead of rage when the adventurer appeared.
Dibo’s entrance was beyond expectations.
‘Huh?’
Even for Dibo, the Pharaoh Snake’s reaction was unexpected.
Of course.
‘Why isn’t it charging?’
Dibo’s role was to pull aggro from the Pharaoh Snake.
His bewilderment didn’t last.
“Brat’s lost it. Hey, snap out of it.”
Dibo picked up a nearby rock and chucked it at the Pharaoh Snake’s head.
Thud!
It hit square.
No damage.
Not even a mark on those golden scales.
But to the Pharaoh Snake, it hit harder than any prior attack.
Instantly.
Shaa!
It roared in fiercer rage and lunged at Dibo.
Terrifying.
Especially its gaping maw—big enough to swallow Dibo whole.
Flash!
Its massive fangs were as brutal as Dibo’s polearm.
Dizzying.
Fleeing would take immense courage.
But Dibo didn’t flee—he charged the Pharaoh Snake.
He knew.
Dodging under an elephant’s feet flustered it more than fleeing like a mouse.
Fleeing achieved nothing.
Aggro wasn’t just becoming the target.
It created openings for the dealers.
‘If it hits, I’m dead.’
One slip, and he’d be squashed like a mouse underfoot—but Dibo had no worries.
‘It won’t.’
Confidence.
And it paid off immediately.
Shaa!
The Pharaoh Snake whipped its head at Dibo darting into its guard.
Then it saw.
“Charge!”
Kakakaka!
Dibo’s charging polearm scraped the golden scales with a chilling screech.
Sparks flew as it gouged.
Amazingly, the scales were scratched.
No surprise.
His Charge was a 4th Circle skill—boosting power on rush, as named.
Dibo was geared in plenty of unique items.
His polearm’s might was top-tier among current 4th Circle warriors.
Not a deep wound, though.
Like scraping skin with a sharp nail.
But Dibo wasn’t alone.
“Solar Slash!”
Kee!
As the Pharaoh Snake focused on Dibo, she—lurking silently—swung her glowing red sword.
Pfooh!
It sliced scales, blood spraying this time.
Shaa!
The Pharaoh Snake whipped around in shock—and saw.
“Headshot.”
Bang!
From a kilometer away, Golden Eye Miner’s bullet.
Kclang!
It clashed with the eye, metal-on-metal ring.
The eye was tough.
But not unscathed—a clear wound on the pupil.
Miner grinned.
“Magnum Shot.”
Bang, bang, bang!
Her musket spat all its rounds with her smile, each bullet pinpointing the eye with eerie accuracy.
Under the barrage, cracks spiderwebbed the eye.
Shaa!
The Pharaoh Snake squeezed its eyes shut.
But it wasn’t helpless.
Kyaaaah!
It gaped wide, spewing poison everywhere.
In that moment, it was certain.
Time was on its side.
These vermin’s assault was fierce, but survive ten minutes and victory was theirs.
Sound logic.
Mummies willing to die for it filled the place.
Kyaaaah!
They’d swarm at its cry.
It knew too: its poison mist would mummy all these rats.
Not wrong.
The Pharaoh Snake just didn’t know.
Kyaaaah!
No matter how it screamed, its loyal mummies couldn’t come.
Kyaaaah!
Bewilderment hit the Pharaoh Snake.
Why?
Why weren’t its faithful mummies coming?
Yet amid confusion, victory seemed sure.
Time was its ally, after all.
Ten minutes!
Endure ten, and these tormentors became its mummies.
True enough.
Ten minutes, and it won.
“Fire Arrow.”
El Pam. If it could survive ten minutes of his coming magic barrage.
Of course, it couldn’t.
Seven minutes.
Kyaa!
The Pharaoh Snake let out its death cry.