Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Chapter 51. Wolf King (4)
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7.
“As I said earlier, capturing the Lycanthropes is no problem.”
To El Pam, Lycanthropes were not difficult monsters.
“No matter how many Werewolves there are, with Hermes’ Boots, they can’t catch me.”
A situation where he held the advantage in mobility.
“And my fire-attribute magic is devastatingly effective against Lycanthropes.”
In a scenario where he could simultaneously inflict sufficient damage, discussing defeat would be the strange thing.
Moreover, El Pam knew.
“There’s no need for a prolonged fight. I just need to dig deep into their wounds.”
He knew the Lycanthropes’ weakness.
On top of that, El Pam possessed more than enough ability to relentlessly exploit that weakness.
And yet, El Pam had been dragging his feet on hunting Lycanthropes.
The reason was already explained.
“The problem is the enemy we’ll face afterward: Wolf King Pao.”
Beyond the Mystic Gate, Wolf King Pao would be waiting to target them.
“My magic won’t work easily on him.”
Unlike Lycanthropes, Wolf King Pao was armed with items boasting exceptional magic defense.
El Pam’s magic wasn’t weak by any means, but if Lycanthropes were pudding, Wolf King Pao was a coconut.
Capturing him easily was out of the question.
Furthermore, Wolf King Pao wasn’t alone.
“The Wolf Mercenary Corps is stronger than a mere pack of Werewolves.”
He commanded a formidable mercenary group ready to lay down their lives at his order at any moment.
“And there are hyenas swarming around him.”
Decisively, if they emerged outside, the Dead Tree Forest was overflowing with adventurers and outlaws targeting El Pam’s party.
Of course, those hyenas wouldn’t dare interfere in Wolf King Pao’s hunt for El Pam’s party, true to their nature.
“If they think we’re faltering, they’ll help Wolf King Pao without hesitation.”
But if necessary, if an opportunity arose, they would try to aid Wolf King Pao.
It was only natural.
“Just taking one of my arms would be a huge profit for them.”
The bounty on El Pam was a whopping 1 billion mesos!
Contributing to, or assisting in, capturing such an El Pam would net them no small share.
And that wasn’t all.
Helping Wolf King Pao and building a good relationship with him held no downsides.
“There needs to be someone to block Wolf King Pao.”
In El Pam’s view, there was only one person capable of stopping such a Wolf King Pao.
“Dibo, that’s you and only you.”
Of course, Dibo couldn’t face Wolf King Pao alone.
He was merely at the 5th Circle.
No matter how much he wore Zakum’s Helmet, he couldn’t match Wolf King Pao, a 6th Circle powerhouse.
But that changed with a certain condition.
“If Combo Ability is activated, it’s possible.”
Through Aran’s skill, Combo Ability, which El Pam’s party had just acquired.
Of course, it wouldn’t work by catching just one or two.
That was why.
“That’s what I’ve prepared for you.”
Awooooo!
El Pam had prepared over a thousand Werewolves for exactly that.
Upon hearing the explanation up to that point, the first reaction from Dibo was none other than laughter.
“Hahaha!”
He burst into loud laughter.
It was genuine.
“Boss, you’re kidding, right?”
He thought all this talk from El Pam was just a joke.
Nor was Dibo the only one.
“That’s some heavy joking.”
“Yeah, joking in a situation like this.”
“That was an entertaining joke. Worth paying to see.”
Everyone thought, like Dibo, that El Pam was joking.
But soon, they gradually realized.
El Pam was not joking at all.
“Dibo.”
In fact, this was far from a joke.
“The fate of our party rests in your hands.”
El Pam, who had always held everyone’s lives in his grasp until now, El Pam, who had never entrusted his life to anyone else, was handing the fate over to Dibo. At least to El Pam, this was no joke—it was an all-or-nothing gamble staking their destiny.
And everyone soon understood El Pam’s resolve.
Gulp!
At that moment, Dibo swallowed hard.
Even after swallowing several times, his mouth and throat were parched dry.
“No, Boss. This doesn’t make sense. No matter what…….”
The plan El Pam described was that shocking.
It seemed utterly impossible.
‘The Boss’s life is on the line.’
Above all, what burdened Dibo most was that the fates of El Pam and everyone else hung on his hands.
It was an overwhelmingly heavy responsibility for Dibo.
He was ready to gladly lay down his life for his comrades, but he lacked the confidence to bear the weight of their lives.
That was why he couldn’t boldly claim he could do it.
Of course, El Pam was different.
If Dibo couldn’t handle it, he wouldn’t have devised the plan in the first place.
‘Dibo can do it.’
He was certain.
‘As long as he gives his all.’
However, Dibo’s heart couldn’t waver.
This wasn’t limited to this one matter.
Hesitation in battle was like the blade of the guillotine. One wrong moment, and it would sever your own neck.
“Dibo.”
“Yes.”
That was why El Pam spoke.
“When this is over, I’ll wipe your debt clean.”
“Yes?”
“The debt you owe us from those items back then—I’ll forgive it all.”
Words to eliminate the hesitation.
“Ah, no, Boss, that sounds great, but still…….”
Of course, those words alone didn’t erase the hesitation.
El Pam knew that.
So he delivered the finishing blow.
“On top of that, I’ll give you an extra 100 million mesos.”
To that finishing blow, Dibo responded.
“You damn Werewolf bastards! Come at me!”
8.
Dead Tree Forest.
A place where Coolie Zombies had never tolerated even the sound of adventurers’ breaths.
Uwooooo!
“Kill them!”
But at this moment, Dead Tree Forest was more filled with adventurers’ voices than ever before.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen this many adventurers in the abandoned mine area.”
It was a sight truly rare in the history of the Maple World.
“Doesn’t matter. We’re almost there.”
And now, a sight that wouldn’t be seen much longer.
“They’re all getting tired.”
When adventurers and outlaws first charged in, their momentum had clearly overwhelmed the Coolie Zombies.
“The Coolie Zombies are decreasing, but new ones keep appearing to replace them.”
The problem was that Coolie Zombies respawned endlessly.
New ones emerged in proportion to the growing number of corpses.
Above all, the number of bodies buried in this Dead Tree Forest exceeded what the adventurers imagined.
As many died, that many new Coolie Zombies appeared.
Moreover, Coolie Zombies knew no fatigue.
The adventurers and outlaws, on the other hand, were different. Through repeated battles, they were undoubtedly growing weary.
Of course, the biggest reason was that.
“We can’t even spot El Pam’s party.”
There was no trace whatsoever of El Pam’s party—the very reason they had come here, the reason they were fighting.
With no traces to this extent, it was right to assume they were no longer here.
It was even possible someone else had already hunted El Pam’s party.
In normal circumstances, they should have all withdrawn long ago.
“But let’s hold out a bit longer.”
Yet the reason adventurers and outlaws remained was one.
“The Wolf King is still here.”
Wolf King Pao and his mercenary corps were still lingering in Dead Tree Forest.
They, who had come to hunt El Pam’s party, would withdraw only upon completing that hunt.
That was the reason.
“How’s the Mystic Gate status?”
“No significant signs yet.”
“Keep watching it.”
Hote, the shadow of the Lion King, had positioned Wolf King Pao as the final card.
It wasn’t merely because Wolf King Pao was targeting El Pam—at that level.
As long as Wolf King Pao remained, other adventurers and outlaws would stay too.
It formed a truly tight net.
“Captain.”
Of course, everyone knew.
“Do we really need to go this far?”
All these preparations were excessively overkill.
No, it wasn’t just overkill.
It was like swinging a dragon-slaying sword to catch a chicken—no exaggeration.
The gap between 5th Circle and 6th Circle was that vast.
Moreover, Wolf King Pao wasn’t just any 6th Circle.
He was exceptional even among 6th Circle adventurers, and the Wolf Mercenary Corps he led was one of the top ten most powerful in the Maple World.
Furthermore, everyone knew.
“We probably didn’t even need to step in?”
To catch a chicken, you need a chicken first—and the odds of that chicken surviving were zero.
“No need.”
Wolf King Pao himself knew all these preparations were excessively overkill.
Yet the reason he endured all the hardships and sacrifices to remain here was one.
“We have no choice in the matter.”
‘In His name.’
All these orders came from none other than the Lion King, that great king.
And that was the essence of being a knight.
A sword needed no will of its own.
It merely had to unleash its full power when its wielder willed it.
“C-Captain!”
That was why.
“Someone’s coming out of the gate!”
The moment they heard that, all of Wolf King Pao’s subordinates froze in shock.
Even they, veterans of countless battlefields, couldn’t grasp what those words implied.
But Wolf King Pao was different.
He was the Lion King’s sword.
For Wolf King Pao, who needed no will of his own, there was no process of understanding or anything of the sort.
Swoosh!
The moment he heard the report, Wolf King Pao headed toward the Mystic Gate without the slightest hesitation or delay.
His purpose was singular.
‘Kill them all.’
Executing the sublime command from above.
And there was no doubt whatsoever about carrying out that command.
There couldn’t be.
‘Mere 5th Circle.’
Just as a wolf wouldn’t doubt failing to hunt a wild dog.
However, he was cautious about one thing.
‘As long as they only run.’
El Pam’s party excelled above all others at fleeing, beyond comparison to other adventurers.
He was prepared for pursuit to be no easy task.
It was then.
“Hey, Wolf King!”
A voice rang out, and Wolf King Pao turned his head toward it.
There, he saw.
‘Dibo.’
The warrior of El Pam’s party.
“You think you’re that good in a fight? Huh? Wanna go a round?”
The warrior provocatively challenged Wolf King Pao in a loud voice.
It was blatant provocation.
‘That guy.’
And the reason was obvious.
‘He plans to be bait.’
Dibo was the sole warrior of El Pam’s party, their toughest member.
The only one who could buy even a little time, even a few seconds, against Wolf King Pao right now.
For such a one to provoke Wolf King Pao now—the reason was all too clear.
‘I’ll take it.’
Wolf King Pao did not refuse Dibo’s provocation.
As mentioned earlier, he knew the intent.
He knew the others would flee while Dibo stalled.
Yet Wolf King Pao didn’t care.
He was confident.
‘You can only buy a fleeting moment.’
Confident he could end Dibo’s life in a single blow.
Thus, the two with aligned intentions charged at each other.
Like two raging beasts.
They even wielded identical polearms—the fangs of beasts.
The distance between the two beasts leading with their fangs narrowed to mere inches.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
At that instant, their polearms moved sharply in unison.
Toward each other.
‘A head-on clash?’
For the first time, Wolf King Pao felt a faint bewilderment.
This dog was going head-to-head with the wolf now?
When it should be busy dodging and fleeing?
Of course, it was only faint bewilderment. Wolf King Pao quickly regained his composure and prepared.
‘I’ll kill you painlessly for your false courage.’
The moment their polearms clashed, Dibo’s would shatter, leaving the now defenseless Dibo’s skull ready to be smashed by his polearm.
Clang!
The instant their weapons collided, a deep bewilderment began to cloud Wolf King Pao’s face for the first time.
“Urk!”
He realized it.
‘H-How?’
That the Dibo before him was no wild dog, but a wolf.