Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: 35. Junior Balrog (4)
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8.
The tale of Prince Kashan spread faster than any rumor.
In an instant, it crossed the Nihal Desert, reaching not only Victoria Island but even the Elnas Mountains!
“There’s a saying adventurers must keep in mind.”
And those who heard the rumor spreading like wildfire all drew the same conclusion.
“Overreaching greed brings death.”
Prince Kashan would die.
There was not a speck of chance he’d return alive.
Of course, not everyone thought that way. There were clear exceptions.
The Phantom Thief was one such exception.
When he heard Prince Kashan had challenged the Mystic Gate, he rated the chances of success highly.
‘El Pam.’
Not because of Prince Kashan’s abilities.
‘He can do it.’
What the Phantom Thief held in high regard was El Pam, who was by Prince Kashan’s side.
He didn’t know him well.
Honestly, the Phantom Thief had never once seen him fight or hunt.
But that didn’t matter to the Phantom Thief.
‘His survival skills are overwhelming.’
Surviving a Mystic Gate didn’t require top-tier hunting or combat prowess.
In any case, with the survival skills El Pam had demonstrated, returning alive from a Yellow-grade Mystic Gate didn’t seem like a big issue.
That was certainly true.
‘If it weren’t for the Junior Balrog.’
But the moment he learned the boss monster beyond that Mystic Gate was a Junior Balrog, the Phantom Thief had no choice but to change his mind.
‘That thing is on another level.’
It wasn’t just strong—far from it.
There were no weak boss monsters among Yellow-grade ones to begin with.
‘It’s an incredibly cunning hunter.’
The real headache was that the Junior Balrog was a more skilled hunter than most monsters—or even adventurers.
That’s what made it a problem.
A regular boss monster didn’t even need to be hunted.
A skilled adventurer would study its habits and behavior patterns, then avoid combat as much as possible.
But the Junior Balrog was different.
As mentioned, it was a cunning hunter. Reading its habits and patterns to counter it was extremely difficult.
‘It’s not something you can take down in a Yellow-grade gate.’
This was an error in some sense.
Mystic Gates spawned monsters matching the adventurers who entered—that’s why adventurers eagerly challenged them.
Yet a Junior Balrog appeared in a gate limited to 4th Circle adventurers and below?
Of course, the Phantom Thief didn’t question that fact.
‘It must be the work of the Black Mage’s follower.’
He knew from the start that Mystic Gates weren’t made for adventurers.
That was the extent of the Phantom Thief’s concerns.
There was no more need to worry.
What he saw now was plain fact.
‘The adventurers inside, all 4th Circle and below, will be hunted down.’
9.
A dense forest of towering trees.
“Gaaah!”
Screams echoed through the place, identical to Sleepywood Forest.
“S-Spare me!”
Screams filled with terror.
It was a deeply chilling sight.
Those screaming weren’t ordinary adventurers.
4th Circle or 3rd Circle!
Veterans who had survived countless adventures and monsters.
What’s more, they were followers of the Black Mage. Men ready to lay down their lives for him at any moment!
“Uwaaaah!”
Even they couldn’t do anything now.
They weren’t fighting—they were being hunted.
Grrr!
Junior Balrog!
A one-sided hunt against that terrifying monster, with no chance to resist.
“Damn it.”
Even Alsar and Mohad could issue only one order against such a Junior Balrog.
“Run! Everyone, run!”
Scatter in all directions.
Of course, it wasn’t a good choice.
For starters, running meant effectively giving up on hunting the Junior Balrog.
And this place wasn’t just home to the Junior Balrog.
Grrr!
Kappa Drakes, those fearsome beasts, lurked throughout the forest, waiting for a chance to fill their hungry bellies.
Even so, the reason for this choice was simple.
“We run for now.”
Alsar and Mohad could use their subordinates as bait to save their own skins—for the moment.
Of course, it was just bare survival.
Hunting the Junior Balrog was utterly impossible.
But Alsar and Mohad didn’t dwell on that.
“We find and kill Prince Kashan here.”
“For Him.”
Their target wasn’t the Junior Balrog—it was Prince Kashan.
“Make it certain.”
The Junior Balrog might have already killed Prince Kashan and El Pam, but to be absolutely sure.
“Gaaah!”
To achieve that, the two used their subordinates’ screams as bait and fled with all their might.
Gaaah!
Without respite.
Aaaah!
Without a moment to catch their breath.
Aaah...
Only when their subordinates’ voices faded beyond hearing did the two finally stop.
“Hoo.”
And for the first time, they caught their breath.
“At least we escaped for now...”
Ssssk!
At the sharp sound that rang out, Alsar cut off mid-sentence and threw his arms up to shield his head with all his strength.
Kaaang!
A powerful arrow struck the arms guarding his head, clanging against the armor encasing them.
An intensely resounding clang.
Pffft!
By contrast, a sound like a watermelon bursting and spilling its contents came from his comrade beside him, Mohad.
Thud!
Mohad’s body collapsed to the ground.
The sound of a comrade of decades dying so pointlessly.
But Alsar didn’t indulge in sentiment, even at that sound.
He couldn’t.
‘Could it be?’
This attack was unmistakably from an adventurer.
‘El Pam’s party?’
And at this moment, in this place, only one party could attack him.
That’s why.
‘Oh God.’
Alsar’s mind went blank.
‘They’re alive!’
He had resolved to eliminate El Pam’s party and Prince Kashan for certain, but it was just resolve—nothing more.
Honestly, he hadn’t thought for a second they’d survive.
Yet they had?
‘If Prince Kashan is alive too.’
The worst possible situation for Alsar.
‘We have to finish them off for sure.’
That’s why.
“El Pam! Let’s negotiate!”
Alsar made a proposal to El Pam.
“The boss monster here is the Junior Balrog! To take it down, we need to join hands.”
Let’s cooperate.
Of course, it wasn’t sincere.
‘The moment he shows himself.’
It was just a ploy to buy time, create an opening, and kill El Pam’s party and Prince Kashan for certain.
Yet surprisingly, it might actually work this time.
“Prince Kashan!”
He could guess Prince Kashan’s mindset, even if not El Pam’s party.
“If you want to get out alive, we must join hands!”
That’s when it happened.
Swish!
El Pam appeared before Alsar, who had been shouting.
Alsar smirked inwardly at the sight.
“How can we trust you?”
Alsar was convinced by the response.
‘He needs help after all.’
His scheme had worked.
“What will it take to make you trust me?”
So Alsar prepared.
‘The moment he gets close, I’ll kill him.’
He readied himself to kill El Pam.
“Show your face first. Then we talk.”
“Very well.”
So Alsar gladly stepped out in front of El Pam.
And that’s when he saw it.
“Thunder Spear.”
Zzzap!
A bolt of lightning flying straight at him.
“Grrrh!”
Electrocuted by the Thunder Spear, Alsar convulsed.
He didn’t die.
The items Alsar wore all boasted powerful magic resistance.
But that was no consolation.
His body was paralyzed, and what that meant was obvious.
So in this moment, Alsar had only one option.
“K-Kill me, and you w-won’t be able to t-take down the J-Junior Balrog.”
Try negotiating once more.
El Pam responded to Alsar’s attempt.
“Fire Arrow.”
10.
Thud!
The moment Alsar’s body hit the ground, El Pam’s companions emerged from the surroundings.
Dibo immediately approached Alsar and thrust his polearm into the body.
Stab!
Only after delivering the killing blow did Dibo finally drop his guard and look at El Pam.
“Boss.”
Dibo’s expression as he gazed at El Pam was bright.
It was an irrational reaction.
Alsar was the enemy, but his words were true. To survive here, they needed to join hands.
Yet even after eliminating that option, he smiled. The reason was simple.
“Now let’s go hunt the Junior Balrog. Time for your 5th Circle debut!”
El Pam had reached the 5th Circle.
It was remarkable.
For one, the 5th Circle was leagues beyond the 4th. A single 5th Circle adventurer could take on dozens or hundreds of 4th Circle ones!
And this was no ordinary person—it was El Pam.
“With the boss at 5th Circle, hunting the Junior Balrog will be a breeze.”
In this moment, there was no fear of the Junior Balrog at all.
“So, boss, what’s the plan?”
Far from fear, Dibo was excited at the prospect of hunting the Junior Balrog!
El Pam gladly explained to such a Dibo.
“First, we target the wings to bring it down.”
“The wings?”
It was actually an absurd statement.
The Junior Balrog’s flight speed was incredibly fast, and its wings were tough and resilient enough to withstand most magic attacks.
Of course, with El Pam, it was different.
“If it’s the boss, it’ll be easy.”
Given what he’d shown, it was almost laughable.
In truth, hunting Balrogs wasn’t all that hard for El Pam.
In the era of despair when monsters burst from Mystic Gates, El Pam had hunted over a dozen Balrogs, earning the title Balrog Butcher.
Hunting a far weaker Junior Balrog would pose no difficulty whatsoever.
He even had a perfect strategy.
“And after we bring it down?”
El Pam willingly shared the strategy with his companions.
“Once it falls, hold it off first.”
“Huh? Hold it off? Who?”
El Pam approached the fallen Alsar, sliced off his wrist, and handed the bracelet to Dibo.
“Huh?”
Dibo, now holding Heracles’ Bracelet, looked dumbfounded.
His expression soon changed.
“M-Me?”
He’d understood El Pam’s meaning.
“Uh, boss. Isn’t this a bit dangerous?”
Naturally, words of concern spilled from Dibo’s mouth.
Hold off a Junior Balrog up close?
Of course it was dangerous.
“Don’t worry. I have a way.”
“R-Really? Haha, I underestimated you, boss. Of course you’d have a plan! I believed in you!”
For such a Dibo, El Pam pulled out his prepared method.
“Hm?”
El Pam took the staff Mohad had held before dying and tossed it to Ralph.
“Huh?”
Dibo was startled, and moments later, upon realizing what it meant, his face drained of color.
Ralph grinned at him.
“Haha, don’t worry. As long as your head and heart are fine, I can keep you alive as long as needed!”
Words that offered zero comfort.
By contrast, everyone else’s expressions were different.
El Pam’s plan had real winning potential.
Dibo, spec-boosted by Heracles’ Bracelet, draws the Junior Balrog’s aggro, while Ralph heals with Asclepius’ Staff skills—they could hold out for quite a while.
What’s more, it wasn’t just the two of them.
There was Kiri and Miner too.
So everyone wondered the same thing.
‘How long will it take?’
Just how long would they need to hold?
Of course, everyone figured.
‘At least a day.’
It’d take days of effort.
Even for El Pam, taking down the Junior Balrog would require considerable time.
“So, boss, how long do we need to hold?”
To his companions’ question, El Pam held up a single finger.
“Just one day?”
And to the follow-up, El Pam answered.