Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: 49장. 죽은 나무의 숲 (1)
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160
49장. 죽은 나무의 숲 (1)
1.
“You can get it by catching Coolie Zombies.”
Shamos. When he mentioned the Coolie Zombies, El Pam knew.
He had no intention of making a normal deal.
It had to be that way.
Coolie Zombie.
It was an entirely different existence from regular zombies—the ones born from Zombie Mushrooms.
A zombie created by a lich, that cursed monster. Its strength and abilities were on another level entirely.
Moreover, the Coolie Zombies spoken of in the Elnas Mountains weren't ordinary Coolie Zombies.
“The cursed zombies living in the abandoned mines.”
The place where Coolie Zombies appeared in the Elnas Mountains was the Dead Tree Forest, located in the abandoned mine region.
It was a spot deep within that abandoned mine region.
On top of that, the Coolie Zombies there were far more powerful than those in other areas.
“Heh heh heh. The lich that created the Coolie Zombies in that place isn't your average lich.”
A priest once revered long ago had dabbled in dark magic, fallen into depravity, and become a lich.
The power of that lich was tremendous. Dead adventurers in the Elnas Mountains were drawn to it and turned into Coolie Zombies.
As a result, the Coolie Zombies in the abandoned mine region were at least twice as strong as those found anywhere else.
And that wasn't the end of it.
‘The abandoned mine region carries a curse.’
The abandoned mine region itself was hell—no different from a nightmare—for adventurers.
On top of that, the Dark Contract Shamos mentioned wasn't something you could just obtain by catching a Coolie Zombie.
The Dark Contract, to begin with, referred to the pact formed between the lich and the Coolie Zombie at the moment of its creation.
There was no such thing as a proper contract document with seals or signatures from both parties.
Even if one existed, no Coolie Zombie would carry it tucked preciously in its bosom.
There was, however, an exception.
Coolie Zombies were originally adventurers who had already died, compelled by the lich's power to become zombies against their will.
But there were those who chose to become Coolie Zombies of their own accord.
For the sake of revenge.
Or for some other purpose.
Or perhaps deceived by someone.
In any case, there were individuals who had made a contract with the lich while still alive, and the Dark Contract resided within their hearts.
That was the item Shamos demanded.
Something obtainable only after slaying dozens, hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of Coolie Zombies.
Bring that back?
A reckless demand.
“Heh heh.”
And this was Shamos's way.
Until now, the Adventurer's Association and the Maple Alliance had proposed no small number of deals to Shamos.
Each time, Shamos had made utterly absurd demands.
El Pam spoke to such a Shamos.
“Very well.”
“Yeah, it'd be good for you. Huh? What?”
Shamos's smirk turned to a look of surprise as he shot back.
“Did you just say 'very well'?”
“Yes. I'll bring the Dark Contract.”
“And you know what that is?!”
“I'm simply fetching what you requested. Is there a problem?”
Shamos stared blankly at El Pam's calm words.
‘This guy.’
Those were words no one who truly understood a Dark Contract could utter.
That was why Shamos was convinced.
‘He's insane.’
El Pam was just some clueless rookie.
From Shamos's perspective, it wasn't anything special.
To begin with, seeking out someone like him—tainted by dark magic, transformed into a hob, and imprisoned in a facility guarded by the Adventurer's Association—was hardly normal.
And aspiring to strike a deal with such a Shamos?
Definitely insane.
No need for sensible thinking.
‘Heh heh. The Coolie Zombie ranks will swell again.’
Just one more lunatic turning into a zombie.
Of course, El Pam hadn't accepted Shamos's proposal out of ignorance.
Quite the opposite.
‘As expected.’
El Pam had anticipated Shamos would make this kind of offer.
More precisely, he had five potential proposals from Shamos in mind.
‘The easiest of the ones I predicted.’
This one ranked lowest in difficulty among those five.
No reason to hesitate.
“Then.”
El Pam said.
2.
“I'm off to hunt Coolie Zombies.”
El Pam's words drew no great surprise from Dibo or the rest of his companions.
Not out of ignorance.
“Coolie Zombies—you mean the ones from the abandoned mines, right?”
“No Coolie Zombies appear in the Elnas Mountains except there.”
Every adventurer in the Elnas Mountains knew Coolie Zombies came from the abandoned mines.
“That's why the abandoned mines are hell.”
More precisely, the Coolie Zombies were one key reason adventurers dreaded them.
Not knowing about Coolie Zombies would be the odd thing.
They were monstrously fearsome.
Yet El Pam's companions showed no shock at his intent to hunt such monsters.
“Well, no problems for our leader.”
Fearsome as they were, El Pam was the adventurer who could make them look pitiful.
“Hey, gold-eyes.”
And it wasn't just El Pam anymore.
“No need to worry. We won't even reach the boss room.”
“What're you saying?”
“With me here. Dibo, direct successor to the polearm hero!”
El Pam's party included Dibo, who could wield Aran's boots.
That was no small feat.
Skills from the polearm hero Aran herself—powerful enough to stand against the Black Mage.
More than enough to surpass circle counts.
In essence, Dibo now held strength that wouldn't yield to a 6th Circle warrior adventurer.
In the Maple World, 6th Circle marked one of the handful of true powerhouses.
Cygnus Knights commanders were 7th Circle, and 8th Circle was reserved for legends like Heinz, master of Ellinia's leading mages.
6th Circle sat just below that.
“Hey, quit strutting. You were wheezing from mana drain after a few uses.”
Such potent skills came with limits for a 5th Circle like Dibo.
“No need for a few. One blast does it.”
Still, undeniably impressive.
At present, El Pam's party possessed ample power to venture into the abandoned mines.
“Grabbing a few and coming back? Piece of cake. And boss hunts are your specialty, right?”
El Pam, above all, was an adventurer of unmatched prowess.
Reaching the abandoned mines without a single fight wouldn't surprise anyone.
Hunting a few dozen Coolie Zombies alongside him seemed straightforward.
“Not a few.”
El Pam clarified, yet his companions stayed composed.
“A few hundred then?”
“Guessing a thousand.”
Even a thousand felt feasible with El Pam's skills.
That was why.
“At least ten thousand or more.”
“Ah! Ten thousand! Then... wait, what?”
Shock hit them all at once.
“Uh, boss?”
“What'd you say?”
“Hey, ten thousand? Ten thousand?!”
Ten thousand Coolie Zombies exceeded even their imaginations.
“Everyone, mull over the boss's words. He didn't say ten thousand.”
“Hey, Ralph? He totally said ten thousand!”
“At least ten thousand.”
El Pam had framed it as the minimum.
“Ah.”
Meaning no cap on how many Coolie Zombies they'd need to hunt.
“Whew!”
Dibo exhaled deeply.
“Whatever. Nothing we can't handle.”
His resolve ignited.
“If we wanted easy street, we wouldn't trail the boss.”
His companions echoed his fire.
“Right. Easy gigs? Pass.”
“Damn straight. Gotta be this intense for the thrill. Easy mode? We'd hop the Nautilus back now.”
Stunned at first by El Pam's words, they accepted soon enough.
Experience had taught them.
Always conquering the impossible, unimaginable trials alongside El Pam.
One exception, though.
“Why's everyone treating this like such a hassle?”
“What're you on about?”
“Isn't approval a no-brainer?”
“Approval?”
“Coolie Zombies were adventurers once. They drop way more loot than regular monsters.”
Ralph wasn't fazed—instead, his eyes gleamed with excitement from El Pam's words.
In the end, all accepted El Pam's plan: hunt ten thousand Coolie Zombies.
They moved on naturally.
“Now we plan.”
Plan.
“Top priority: masking our identity.”
“Beyond top. Coolie Zombies might not even be the issue. Line up every adventurer and outlaw gunning for us—they'd stretch from here to Minar Forest.”
Essentially, their only plan was concealing identity.
Fortunately, countermeasures abounded.
“Transformation potions at least.”
Acting as the El Party via transformation potions meant their true identity stayed hidden barring freak accidents.
Couldn't rely solely on them, though.
“Stay vigilant, pick skills wisely—no one'll peg us as El Pam Party.”
The party's abilities were well-documented across the Maple World.
Especially El Pam's telekinesis-driven magic—common knowledge now.
Distinctive, too.
Instantly identifiable upon sight.
Full-power fights in public? Impossible.
Full power meant evading eyes, using cautiously.
“Headache incoming.”
No easy constraint.
“What choice? Better hands-tied than identity blown.”
A mere penalty compared to exposure risks.
Exposure's fallout dwarfed all dangers.
As Dibo put it, preferable to one-armed monster hunts.
“Right?”
El Pam replied to Dibo.
“We're not hiding our identity.”
Silence gripped them again.
“Boss.”
Dibo recovered first.
“Everything else makes sense, but ditching the disguise? Sounds nuts however I slice it.”
That instant.
El Pam produced a folded sheet, passed it to Dibo, who unfolded it.
A map appeared.
“Elnas Mountains?”
A line marked it.
“Route to the abandoned mines? No way?”
Dibo lit up.
“As expected, boss! Secret path no one's wise to! Killer! No identity mask needed!”
He grasped El Pam's reasoning.
El Pam told him.
“Not a secret route.”
“Huh?”
“We take it. And sell identical maps at Elnas Market.”
“S-Sell them? W-Wait. You're pre-announcing El Pam Party's path?”
“Correct.”
Dibo yelled unwittingly.
“No, boss! That'll draw ten thousand-plus hunters after us!”
Beyond shock—furious now.
El Pam told him.
“That's the point.”
“Huh?”
“Adventurers and outlaws will swarm, chasing El Pam Party.”
El Pam pointed to the red line's endpoint on Dibo's map.
“Straight to the Dead Tree Forest, brimming with Coolie Zombies.”