Chapter 137
Chapter 137
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: 43. Orbis Tower (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
3.
Stoneball.
This monster, which only appeared in Orbis Tower, was made entirely of rock-hard stone.
It meant that smashing it with ordinary attacks was never easy.
That was why they had to bide their time.
For the moment when the Stoneball prepared to unleash a magic attack, creating an opening.
Striking at that gap was the way to take down a Stoneball with ease.
Of course, it wasn't a method that could be done easily.
For starters, the Stoneball wasn't large. It was about the size of a human head, yet it was incredibly nimble and fast.
Nor was it light. True to its name, it was a lump of stone, and a rolling Stoneball at high speed was a weapon in itself.
Decisively, Stoneballs usually moved in groups of dozens.
Dealing with a herd of Stoneballs like that while waiting for an opening?
If that was possible, they would truly deserve to be called a genius.
Crunch!
“Hyah!”
That was why Dibo was beyond reproach when it came to being called a genius.
“Come on!”
Facing nearly a hundred Stoneballs—surpassing dozens—Dibo precisely targeted those openings and took them down with ease.
It was a breathtaking sight.
“Amazing!”
“Is that guy on something?”
Even Kiri and Miner were stunned by the scene.
Of course, El Pam wasn't surprised.
‘Just as I expected.’
No one knew better than him how extraordinary Dibo's talent was.
“Th-that power is surging up!”
But the moment he heard those words, it was different.
“Power is surging?”
“No way?”
Everyone knew what that meant.
“A circle! My circle has increased!”
Dibo's left arm now bore one more ring.
He had crossed the wall of the 5th Circle.
It was astonishing.
Even for geniuses, the number of adventurers who surpassed the 5th Circle could be counted on one hand.
Moreover, it had taken Dibo less than three years to reach the 5th Circle.
He had achieved growth at a speed that ranked among the most remarkable in Maple World history.
It was a situation that normally warranted shock and awe.
“Impressive!”
“It's real?”
But the emotions of Dibo's comrades as they looked at him now were different.
They were surprised.
“The leader was right after all?”
But what surprised them wasn't Dibo breaking through to the 5th Circle—it was El Pam's words.
“Orbis Tower is the key to unlocking the 5th Circle!”
Just as he had said, climbing Orbis Tower had shattered the wall of the 5th Circle.
“See? What did I tell you? The boss wouldn't bullshit us!”
“Dibo, watch your words.”
“What about them?”
“Yeah, you need to watch your words. You bet money that the boss was bullshitting.”
“Hey, that was just a joke!”
“Dibo's eyes when he bet a million mesos weren't joking. I guarantee it. No one knows better than me if betting money is serious or not.”
Naturally, everyone had been skeptical about that fact.
“What about you guys? You all bet a million mesos on the boss bullshitting, so the bet didn't even happen?”
“Watch your words.”
Dibo, and in fact everyone else.
“I bet not a million mesos, but a hundred million!”
It couldn't be helped. The idea that simply climbing Orbis Tower could break the 5th Circle wall was something unheard of, unbelievable.
They had trusted only El Pam.
But not anymore.
“Boss, you're truly amazing!”
Now everyone believed El Pam's words.
Of course, El Pam had never once said with his own mouth that climbing Orbis Tower was the way to break the 5th Circle wall.
He had only said that to break the 5th Circle wall, one must climb Orbis Tower.
So from El Pam's perspective, the current situation—Dibo breaking through the 5th Circle wall—was unexpected.
In truth, he hadn't thought it completely impossible.
‘Did a change in mindset become the trigger for breaking the wall?’
For one thing, the circumstances were different from usual.
To break the 5th Circle wall, Dibo had engaged in battle more aggressively than ever before.
He held nothing back.
Above all, Dibo was Aran's disciple, a man evaluated as having talent comparable to Aran's.
El Pam knew that fact better than anyone.
‘I knew his talent was exceptional, but I didn't expect this much.’
In other words, Dibo's talent had exceeded El Pam's expectations.
‘He might even surpass Aran.’
In any case, from El Pam's standpoint, there was no reason to refuse.
‘Only two can break the wall with Elrija's horn anyway. If Dibo does it early, it's not bad.’
Having one fewer person to share the precious opportunity with was a happy thing in many ways.
On top of that, El Pam hadn't told the truth.
‘The definite thing is that my comrades are now awakened.’
If their misunderstanding of his words helped them break the wall, there was no reason to reveal the truth and sap their momentum.
“Dibo.”
That was why El Pam said,
“I believed in you.”
At those words, the expressions of Dibo and everyone else changed.
‘As expected!’
‘So that's the answer!’
If El Pam was saying this much, then Orbis Tower must hold some unknown secret.
“Hey, Dibo! Step back now!”
“Yeah. Leave the Stoneballs to us!”
“Just watch from behind.”
That was why El Pam's comrades stepped up even more aggressively.
Seeing that, El Pam smiled.
‘Experience turns into strength someday.’
Intense days would help someday.
In other words, El Pam knew.
‘No one else will break the 5th Circle wall.’
Dibo had just been lucky. No one else would break the 5th Circle wall again.
That prediction proved correct.
On the 20th day since entering Orbis Tower.
No one else had broken through the 5th Circle wall after Dibo.
“Boss, let's head to the next floor now.”
“No.”
“Yes?”
In the meantime, El Pam had arrived.
“There’s a place to go here.”
“Here? There’s only the floor above or below?”
In response to the question, El Pam tapped one of the walls instead of answering.
That was the moment.
“Huh?”
El Pam's arm passed straight through the wall.
While everyone tilted their heads at the incomprehensible sight, El Pam headed beyond the wall.
Then everyone followed him, and that was when they saw it.
“Where is this?”
“A secret space.”
A secret space existing in Orbis Tower.
“There was a place like this?”
Everyone was shocked by the fact.
“No, more than that, why did you come here?”
And at the following question, El Pam pointed with his finger, and soon everyone saw it.
“A Mystic Gate?”
A single Mystic Gate situated there.
Only then did everyone realize.
That was the purpose of El Pam coming here.
“I accepted a commission.”
There, El Pam gave no further detailed explanation.
About the fact that Elrija existed inside this Mystic Gate.
About the value that Elrija held.
The comrades didn't raise any further questions either.
They were adventurers, and when the leader proposed an adventure, following was the way of adventurers.
“Alright. Doing some work on the side isn't bad.”
That attitude from his comrades was also as El Pam had expected.
‘Smooth sailing.’
It meant everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan.
‘Everything as expected…….’
However, El Pam's expectations crumbled then.
“Wait.”
Kiri. She suddenly called everyone with a stiff expression.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Well.”
Facing the surprised group—since she rarely even spoke unless it was serious—Kiri removed the gauntlet from her left hand with an even stiffer expression and said,
“I think I’ve crossed the 5th Circle wall.”
4.
Orbis.
When describing that city in the sky, one place that could never be omitted was Cloud Park.
It was a park existing atop the clouds.
More precisely, it was a vast area floating in the sky where clouds swirled like mist.
Of course, that alone was impressive.
It was a spectacular sight that drew gasps just from looking.
“Long ago, the goddess made Cloud Park her own garden.”
It was so obvious why the goddess chose it as her garden that it was instantly convincing.
“But to adventurers, it’s hell.”
But it was different for adventurers.
“Adventuring in clouds is no different from adventuring with your eyes closed.”
A stage like Cloud Park was, in some ways, more difficult than a desert or snowy mountain.
“Mystic Gates beyond often feature places like Cloud Park.”
The headache was that such Cloud Parks now existed beyond Mystic Gates too.
The silver lining was this.
“Only for Green rank and above.”
Cloud Park fields had never appeared in Mystic Gates below Green rank.
In other words, adventurers tackling Green rank and higher Mystic Gates were different.
They often faced stages shrouded in clouds.
And when they did, they screamed.
There were no exceptions.
“Hyah!”
El Pam's party—until they faced that stage.
In other words, El Pam's party was the exception.
They didn't utter a single scream in this Cloud Park, this stage filled with clouds.
“You bastards, come at me!”
Keeek!
Moreover, the monsters they encountered were Junior Sallions.
Sallions' offspring, about the size of a large dog, similar to dogs but without protruding snouts—instead, they had horns.
They were quite troublesome monsters.
Nimble and agile like dogs, and ferocious.
They also lived in packs.
But the most troublesome thing was this.
Their white fur tips burned like flames, red-hot, and those fur tips were actually as hot as fire.
Brushing against the fur tips meant burns.
Even without touching, armor would heat up or get damaged often.
Attacked by several? Even without bites, dying from the heat wouldn't be strange.
Hunting such fearsome monsters without properly spotting them due to thick clouds was hell.
But El Pam's party showed no fear against those Junior Sallions.
“Junior Sallions here? We hit the jackpot.”
“Indeed. Their horns fetch a good price!”
They even smiled more leisurely than ever.
It was warranted.
“Come on. Behold the greatness of this 5th Circle adventurer, Dibo!”
Dibo and Kiri—both had crossed the 5th Circle wall.
For starters, adding two 5th Circle adventurers was huge.
Moreover, those two had already shown prowess surpassing the 4th Circle back when they were 4th Circle adventurers.
They were like masterfully honed famous swords, tempered relentlessly by none other than the Last Adventurer, El Pam.
Decisively, their items were exceptional too.
In truth, this had the biggest impact.
“Now I can use items and still have mana left over—overflowing!”
Honestly, the items given to Dibo and Kiri until now were usable, but far exceeded their capacity.
Meaning they couldn't unleash full power even with them.
But now it was different.
With the 5th Circle, mana overflowed, allowing them to wield their items properly.
Like a thirsty beast no longer parched.
It was natural for them to go berserk.
“Boss! You rest!”
Amid their exploits, El Pam had no chance to step in.
‘Kiri crossed the wall too.’
That was something El Pam hadn't expected either.
Honestly, it was quite a shock.
He thought he had perfectly gauged his comrades' abilities, but apparently not.
‘Good.’
Of course, it was welcome.
‘Now I just need to make the remaining two 5th Circle with Elrija's horn.’
No more need to agonize over who to give Elrija's horn to.
“Boss, I see the gate over there!”
In that situation, El Pam's party reached the final floor of the 4th floor, Green-rank Mystic Gate, faster than ever.
After that, they took about half a day of rest before heading straight to the 4th floor, and around then, El Pam spoke.
‘Now I can tell them.’
About the monster that was now extinct in Maple World, the goddess's pet, Elrija, possibly in this place.
“There might be an Elrija here.”
“Pardon? Elrija?”
“A monster now extinct in Maple World.”
Naturally, he planned to explain its value.
“Whoa, an extinct monster?”
“I've only seen it in books too.”
“Only in books? Kiri, then do you know why it went extinct?”
“No idea.”
That the Elrija monster went extinct because of none other than its horn.
“Boss, do you know?”
“Well…….”
Meaning that horn's value was tremendous.
“Hey, hold on.”
That was the moment.
“Miner, what is it? The boss is about to say something important.”
“I have something a bit important to say too.”
Miner raised her left wrist and said,
“I've reached the 5th Circle.”