Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: 44. Crimson Balrog (5)
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143
44장. 크림슨 발록 (5)
12.
Junior Balrog.
A being of terror to adventurers in the Maple World.
But in reality, not many adventurers actually knew about Balrogs. Encountering a Junior Balrog was far more difficult than one might think.
Even those who set out deliberately to hunt them often failed to catch even one per year.
“That’s why Junior Balrogs are so frightening.”
That was the reason.
“Even if you hear a Junior Balrog’s cry, you don’t realize it’s a Junior Balrog. You only figure it out when it appears right in front of you.”
That was why Junior Balrogs were adventurers’ nightmares.
But El Pam’s party was different.
They already had experience facing a Junior Balrog.
Kraaaargh!
Thanks to that, the moment they heard the cry, Dibo and the others instantly realized it.
“It’s different from a Junior Balrog!”
They could tell it was similar to the Junior Balrog’s cry they had heard before, yet distinctly different.
Naturally, everyone turned to look at El Pam, and soon recalled.
“Is that the real Crimson Balrog?”
El Pam nodded at the question.
In normal circumstances, no one would believe El Pam’s words. How could they?
A Crimson Balrog was a mutant that appeared when a Junior Balrog devoured another Junior Balrog—cannibalizing its own kind!
Even regular Junior Balrogs were rare, so the odds of a Crimson Balrog mutant appearing were extremely low.
Naturally, few in the Maple World could confidently identify a Crimson Balrog just from its cry.
But there was no doubt in the eyes of El Pam’s companions.
“If the boss says so, then it is.”
Considering everything El Pam had shown them so far, this was hardly worth batting an eye at.
So El Pam’s companions rewired their thinking.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
They envisioned a Crimson Balrog stronger than a Junior Balrog and prepared to face it.
That was one reason El Pam’s party excelled.
Even veteran adventurers had faced far more monsters they couldn’t handle than those they could.
So even when they spotted monster tracks, they often couldn’t be sure what kind it was.
Or they misjudged, which was dangerous.
They’d think they could take it and approach a monster they couldn’t, more often than one might think.
But El Pam’s party was different.
When El Pam spoke, they believed him, and the moment they did, they tightened their focus.
They prepared to charge into battle in the shortest time possible.
That was why.
Kraaaargh!
When the Crimson Balrog cast its shadow over the forest where El Pam’s party waited and flew past, they weren’t startled.
Far from it—they confirmed it with their own eyes.
“It’s wearing a skull-like helmet on its head!”
“Its eyes were different. They glowed with a bloody hue.”
“Its body was bigger than the last Junior Balrog.”
“Add the horns on the Junior Balrog skull it’s wearing, that’s four horns total. Quite the haul.”
They noted the Crimson Balrog’s features.
Thus, El Pam’s party finished their battle preparations.
Kraaaargh!
The Crimson Balrog, flapping its wings toward them, spotted its prey and began to dive like a hawk.
Naturally, at that moment, the Crimson Balrog had no inkling of El Pam’s party’s strength.
Far from it—its eyes were locked on the fresh prey that had invaded its territory.
‘It’s letting its guard down.’
And that was the only moment the Crimson Balrog was virtually defenseless.
‘Just as expected.’
El Pam didn’t miss that moment.
In fact, he induced it.
The Crimson Balrog’s wings were far sturdier than a Junior Balrog’s. Its wingbeats were different. Its flight speed was double.
If it started flying in earnest to escape, even El Pam couldn’t land a solid hit.
There would only be one chance.
‘It’s coming straight down.’
Right now, while it dove in a straight line, guard down.
And El Pam didn’t miss it.
He pulled out his most reliable skill.
“Apollo’s Fire Arrows.”
The two Apollo’s Fire Arrows he conjured shot toward the descending Crimson Balrog like swallows.
The Crimson Balrog didn’t stop at the attack.
It was off guard.
It was also overconfident.
Confident that such paltry magic couldn’t even scratch its tough hide.
And that confidence led straight to ruin.
Pierce!
The two Apollo’s Fire Arrows El Pam fired struck the Crimson Balrog’s wing bones dead-on.
They didn’t pierce through.
The Crimson Balrog’s hide was tough, but its bones’ durability was beyond imagination.
Piercing them was virtually impossible.
El Pam hadn’t aimed for that.
‘As long as they embed, it’s fine. It won’t be able to flap its wings.’
The spot El Pam targeted was where all the wing bones converged. The deep wound there alone would make every wingbeat agony for the Crimson Balrog.
It played out exactly as expected.
Kraaaargh!
The wounded Crimson Balrog let out a scream.
Naturally, its wingbeats stopped.
In that instant, the Crimson Balrog stopped flying and began to plummet.
KABOOM!
Soon, it crashed into the ground with a deafening roar.
A chilling sound just to hear.
Grrr!
But the more chilling fact was that even after such an impact, the Crimson Balrog stood up unscathed.
It wasn’t without wounds. Blood flowed from its body, and chunks of flesh were torn off in places.
But compared to that fall, those were hardly injuries.
That was the terrifying thing about the Crimson Balrog.
Even without wingbeats, it was incomparably stronger than a Junior Balrog.
In other words, a winged Crimson Balrog would be a formidable opponent even for El Pam.
‘If the Cygnus Knights were here, they’d never witness a sight like this.’
That was the decisive reason El Pam chose to tackle this Mystic Gate solo.
If El Pam had entered the Mystic Gate with Viola’s party?
They’d have reached the fourth floor without a single casualty.
And the moment they charged in, the Crimson Balrog would’ve reacted differently than now.
It wouldn’t have let its guard down like this.
Naturally, it wouldn’t have plummeted either.
Of course, losing its wings didn’t end it.
A grounded Crimson Balrog was still far stronger than a freely flying Junior Balrog.
An utterly monstrous foe.
Kraaaargh!
And one brimming with rage!
“Come on, then.”
But the eyes of El Pam’s companions, including Dibo, facing that Crimson Balrog were different from when they’d faced a Junior Balrog.
“It’ll be different this time!”
They brimmed with confidence.
And rightly so.
Now they were fifth-circle adventurers with five rings!
“Yeah, it’ll be different this time.”
El Pam knew it too.
“Of course! I’ll handle it!”
That was why.
“Take it down with the four of you.”
“Yes! Understo…… Yes? W-what did you just say?”
“I’m going after the necklace. You four handle it.”
13.
“Take it down with the four of you.”
The moment El Pam said it, the four wore dazed expressions.
They had grown stronger, yes.
But taking down a Crimson Balrog without El Pam was unthinkable.
“Boss!”
In normal circumstances, they’d scream that it was impossible.
“Got it!”
But Dibo and the others were surprised, yet didn’t scream in refusal.
They knew.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
“Yeah, let’s take it down ourselves.”
“But no share for the boss.”
They knew El Pam would never assign them a mission that led to death.
If El Pam said so, it meant they could do it.
And indeed.
‘Against a flying Crimson Balrog, they wouldn’t last ten minutes, but a wingless one is perfect training.’
El Pam believed his companions were fully capable of facing the Crimson Balrog.
It wasn’t a vague guess.
It was based on the experience and knowledge of the Last Adventurer, the one who survived to the end.
‘It’s necessary training too.’
Moreover, El Pam’s party needed training now.
‘To refine their rapid growth.’
Truth be told, their current growth had exceeded even El Pam’s expectations.
It was that fast.
Of course, fast wasn’t inherently bad.
‘But they lack experience.’
Nor was it unconditionally good.
Circle-ups were explosive growth, and without proper control, they could lead to fatal consequences.
Normally, after a circle-up, one underwent training and refinement to master the new power.
Especially with more circles, the process took longer.
At fifth circle, just mastering your abilities took over a year.
Even that was for the successful cases—countless adventurers never fully wielded their power in their lifetime.
And there was that too.
Fifth-circle adventurers were treated as key assets in any group.
The common sense was to grow safely, even if it took time.
El Pam knew.
‘There’s no time.’
The problem was that time was what El Pam lacked most.
The day monsters overran everything—the day of annihilation—wasn’t far off.
‘It might open even sooner than expected.’
And there was no guarantee it would be precise.
Maple World’s history had already diverged in many ways since El Pam returned to the past.
‘The Black Mage’s followers would do anything, no surprise there.’
And in a worse direction for them.
So in the end, more radical methods were necessary.
‘It could be dangerous.’
Of course, El Pam’s idea of “good training” usually meant clinging to the brink of death without dying.
More precisely, he rated highly the chance they’d fail to defeat the Crimson Balrog and flee.
But that was fine.
‘They won’t die.’
If nothing else, he’d trained them perfectly in escape.
Even if he pushed them, they could survive at least thirty minutes.
Against a Crimson Balrog, that meant they could evade it all day.
So El Pam stopped worrying about his companions.
What actually concerned him was this.
‘The necklace here.’
An item tied to the Lion King, and the Cygnus Knights were after it?
Its value aside, the danger it posed was already beyond common sense, given the facts at hand.
‘If the Lion King learns of this, he won’t stay quiet. The Cygnus Knights might not know, but he lost everything to the anti-Black Mage alliance.’
The Lion King’s wrath toward the world exceeded everyone’s imagination.
And El Pam knew its scale better than anyone.
‘Enough to become a Black Mage follower.’
He knew exactly what decision that wrath drove Lion King Ban Leon to make.
He’d told his companions the Cygnus Knights would shield them, but El Pam knew better.
Right now, Lion King Ban Leon intended to crush everything tied to the Maple Alliance.
The Cygnus Knights couldn’t shield them.
“Mano.”
Kyuu!
Of course, that fear didn’t stop El Pam.
Compared to the horrors he’d faced, the terror of Lion King Ban Leon’s name was merely impressive.
El Pam also knew.
‘Unless it’s something major, the Lion King has no reason to move personally.’
There was a reason Lion King Ban Leon stayed silent now.
Not just for a day or two, but for centuries.
So quietly that many adventurers believed he was dead, despite his existence.
No immediate reason for fear.
That was true.
Kyuu!
Until one of the five divided Manos searching for items brought it back.
Kyuu!
It was a necklace.
A plain silver one.
Not even an item.
But the moment El Pam saw it, his expression hardened.
‘No way?’
He knew.
‘Iphia’s necklace?’
It was a relic of Ban Leon’s wife, the Lion King’s consort.
It had no business being here.
‘Why the hell is this here?’
El Pam knew that fact better than anyone.
When the world overflowed with monsters and the Black Mage’s followers began moving in earnest, when the Lion King stepped out of his castle again, the Maple Alliance and adventurers who faced him thought:
‘The only thing that can restore the Lion King’s sanity.’
They believed finding Queen Iphia’s necklace—the one item that could briefly return the madness-driven Lion King to his former self—was key to facing him.
Search parties for the necklace had been formed, and El Pam had joined one for months.
But he’d never heard of it being found.
And now it was here?
‘I don’t know the reason.’
El Pam couldn’t even guess.
But one thing was clear.
‘It’s enough to shake the Lion King.’
An item that could drastically alter the history El Pam remembered.
That was the moment.
“Gaaargh!”
A scream echoed.