Chapter 111
Chapter 111
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: 35. Junior Balrog (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
People say it.
“Rumors spread faster the more shocking they are.”
In that sense, the story of Prince Kashan and his party of 99 conquering it was bound to be utterly shocking.
One day!
In just one day, there was no one in the entire Nihal Desert who hadn’t heard the tale of Prince Kashan and his 99.
Of course, that was exactly Prince Kashan’s aim.
“But why is it spreading this fast?”
Prince Kashan had planted people throughout the Nihal Desert to spread the rumor, and they had moved right on cue.
“Did they spread it on purpose?”
Otherwise, news couldn’t possibly spread this quickly.
“Does that matter?”
“Yeah, what matters is that it’s real!”
But none of that was important.
There was only one thing everyone cared about.
“So, can they actually conquer it?”
Could Prince Kashan succeed in this challenge?
One thing was certain.
“If he pulls it off, it’s as good as making him crown prince! Who else would try with just 99?”
“Not even the Cygnus Knights, the Resistance, or the Nautilus would dare dream of it!”
It was impossible with even fewer.
Opinions were divided on whether he’d succeed, of course.
Most figured the odds of failure were high.
“Prince Kashan is impressive.”
No one was underestimating him.
“He’s surely secured a bunch of unique items.”
The world saw Prince Kashan as one of the princes closest to becoming crown prince.
“But impossible is impossible.”
The situation was just too reckless.
“Strength is one thing, but numbers mean versatility in handling all kinds of situations. Right now, Prince Kashan’s thrown that away.”
Hunting regular monsters wouldn’t be a problem.
“If the boss monster’s a bad matchup, it’ll be a nightmare. And that’ll be their last dream.”
But boss monsters were different.
“The world thinks I’ll fail. And that’s only natural.”
Prince Kashan thought so too.
Even so, he’d entered with 99 not because he wanted to die.
He had confidence.
“As long as they don’t know what I have.”
Precisely, he had it.
“The Staff of Asclepius, and...”
The Staff of Asclepius.
An outrageous item that boosted all healing skill effects for its wielder by 250 percent—a legendary-grade item, naturally.
It was reason enough for confidence.
A 250 percent boost to healing skills meant that, barring a severed head or destroyed heart, they could heal pretty much anything.
It meant his party could fight nearly immortally.
And Prince Kashan had one more reason for his confidence.
“The Bracelet of Heracles.”
The Bracelet of Heracles, which boosted a warrior’s strength by 200 percent when worn!
“I gave it to Warrior Alsar and Bishop Mohad.”
Prince Kashan had handed those insane items to two of the top 4th Circle adventurers in his group.
Their loyalty to him was, he could confidently say, the highest in Maple World.
“And then there’s you, El Pam.”
El Pam’s appearance in the midst of all that was the perfect finishing touch for Prince Kashan.
Truth be told, Prince Kashan knew it.
His people were skilled, but conquering a Mystic Gate wasn’t just about skill.
Adventurers with experience and adaptability to all sorts of situations were crucial.
And El Pam fit that perfectly.
The one who’d survived any Mystic Gate!
“Before you showed up, I had confidence.”
There was no surer proof than that.
“And the moment you appeared, I was certain.”
That was why Prince Kashan had gladly led his 99 into this place.
“God had destined me to become king for the peace of the Ariant Kingdom.”
In any case, Prince Kashan’s expectations for El Pam were far from low.
The problem was that it was all from Prince Kashan’s perspective.
“The prince says that, but...”
His subordinates felt differently.
“Their eyes look a bit different on him, don’t they, Boss?”
For starters, they didn’t look kindly on El Pam’s party.
The glare of unwelcome intruders—ones they particularly despised.
It wasn’t strange.
“To them, we’re the stones that rolled in.”
Everyone except El Pam’s party had served under Prince Kashan for years or decades.
They were also from the Ariant Kingdom, with pride to match.
And now a bunch of adventurers from Victoria Island—that weakling haven—had joined their ranks?
“We dislodged their embedded stones.”
To top it off, five who were originally slated to enter got bumped for El Pam’s party.
Prince Kashan needed exactly 99.
Above all, they thought:
“Weaker stones than us.”
They figured they were plenty on their own.
It was a point that could only breed more resentment toward El Pam.
And they didn’t hide it.
The moment Prince Kashan finished talking and left, his right-hand man and left-hand man, Warrior Alsar and Bishop Mohad, approached El Pam.
“Don’t even think about joining the fight.”
“Yeah, we won’t have the spare healing for you.”
They told him to just follow quietly.
It wasn’t just words.
They demonstrated their power.
Warrior Alsar and Bishop Mohad showed off against a horde of oncoming Katus.
“Flash Slash!”
Alsar swept the battlefield with monstrous strength from the Bracelet of Heracles.
“Heal!”
Mohad healed Alsar’s considerable wounds with a single heal skill amid it all.
The two of them took down over 300 Katus.
They displayed overwhelming combat prowess.
In front of that display, Prince Kashan came to El Pam once more.
“Prove your worth on your own.”
He had no intention of stepping in for El Pam’s party.
And if they couldn’t prove it, he wouldn’t care what happened after.
“So, how long do you think it’ll take to find the way to the second floor?”
To Prince Kashan’s question, El Pam replied.
“I’ll find it within three days.”
Alsar and Mohad snorted at the answer.
“What nonsense.”
The first floor they were on was a desert!
Deserts were hell for guides. No terrain made finding the exit to the next floor harder.
Usually, finding an exit in a desert like this took at least a week, up to half a month or more.
And he says three days?
“Your Highness, this fool is mocking you.”
Alsar and Mohad didn’t miss the opening.
“Absurd nonsense.”
They pounced on El Pam’s statement like they’d been waiting.
Using the chance to utterly crush El Pam’s party. To completely break their spirit.
Of course, El Pam had no interest in pointless power plays here.
“If I can’t find it in three days...”
So El Pam said curtly.
“I’ll take my own life.”
And three days later, El Pam proved it.
2.
“The exit.”
Three days.
Prince Kashan was the first to react to El Pam finding the exit right on time.
“Impressive!”
He was genuinely awed.
And satisfied.
“With a guide this good, getting to the third floor should be no problem.”
Naturally, with Prince Kashan acknowledging it, Alsar and Mohad had to admit El Pam’s party’s ability too.
They couldn’t treat El Pam as a rolling stone anymore.
That didn’t mean Alsar and Mohad suddenly treated El Pam’s party kindly.
Their expressions were stiff.
They had no choice.
“El Pam—what do we do with him? At this rate, he might interfere with the mission.”
They had a mission.
“The final mission: kill Prince Kashan and end it all.”
Will!
The legion commander of the Black Mage had given them that mission.
And it was their final one.
Once Prince Kashan died, they wouldn’t need to stay as his closest aides.
It was that important.
“Mohad, what’s your take?”
El Pam’s emergence was nothing but a thorn in their side.
“One thing’s clear: El Pam’s party’s exit-finding skill is beyond what we thought.”
Especially El Pam’s party’s ability—it was exceptional.
And a headache.
“In the worst case, they could help Prince Kashan escape.”
Finding exits well meant they could leave even in the worst situations.
For Alsar and Mohad, who needed to turn this place into Prince Kashan’s grave no matter what, it was a major worry.
But removing him right away wasn’t smart.
“Not yet.”
Prince Kashan wouldn’t stand for it now.
On the other hand, they thought:
“And that skill helps us too. We can use him to reach the third floor easily.”
Truth be told, this place wasn’t easy for them either.
Regular monsters weren’t bad, but casualties were inevitable eventually.
The more sacrifices, the lower their survival odds—obvious.
They wanted to conserve strength as much as possible.
“So, the moment we find the gate to the third floor...”
The answer was simple.
“We deal with him then.”
Use him as much as possible, then dispose of him.
With that decision, Alsar and Mohad entered the second floor, and they saw it.
A vast forest.
The moment he saw the forest, El Pam said.
“One week. I’ll find the exit within a week.”
No one doubted him now.
Not even Alsar and Mohad.
He’d found the exit in three days in a desert; a forest was far easier.
“Day two.”
They figured El Pam would find the third-floor gate within the week, so they prepared.
“Five days left.”
For the day El Pam had promised.
“The day we complete the final mission.”
Days passed in full preparation, and as time went on, Alsar, Mohad, and their followers grew more resolute.
By the sixth day on the second floor, their resolve and prep were perfect.
‘We can do this.’
‘We’ve accounted for everything.’
They were confident they could execute the mission perfectly, anytime, any situation.
‘No way Prince Kashan survives.’
In that state, the seventh day finally arrived.
“There.”
On the seventh day, El Pam’s party found the gate to the third floor, as promised.
‘Now.’
The moment had come.
‘Today, we kill Prince Kashan.’
Time to carry out the final mission they’d waited eons for.
Time to move.
And they did.
“I have an announcement for everyone.”
Standing before the third-floor gate, next to Prince Kashan, El Pam addressed them all.
“From now on, obey my orders.”
With that, El Pam drew a dagger and held it to Prince Kashan’s throat.
“If you want Prince Kashan to live.”