Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Chapter 51. Wolf King (5)
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9.
Adventurers typically felt perplexed in cases where unexpected situations arose.
“An unexpectedly strong monster appears. Isn’t that dangerous?”
But it was a bit different when a truly powerful monster—or enemy—appeared.
“Adventurers are all prepared for days like that.”
In such cases, adventurers awakened instead.
To be precise, only the adventurers capable of that survived.
The ability to stay calm and clear-headed in the face of a predator that could devour you—that was the most essential skill for survival.
“That’s why it’s dangerous, but they survive better than you’d think. They prepare and get ready.”
Thus, when a powerful monster appeared unexpectedly, adventurers’ survival rate was higher than expected.
“It’s more of a headache when it’s stronger than anticipated.”
The real problem came the moment it deviated from expectations.
“It doesn’t just breed complacency—being strong means it’s a threat.”
A nontrivial number of adventurers died in that instant.
“Especially the skilled and exceptional ones.”
And it was even more true for powerful adventurers.
“In the world of 5th Circle adventurers and above, a single moment of complacency or opening leads straight to death.”
That was the situation now facing Wolf King Pao.
He was confident.
No one in El Pam’s party posed a threat to him.
El Pam might be the only potential problem at best, while that Dibo—who wasn’t even on El Pam’s level—didn’t even register in his mind.
Kaang!
‘What? How?’
That was why, the instant Dibo displayed power and ability on par with his own, Wolf King Pao couldn’t help but panic.
‘The cub’s flustered.’
And Dibo didn’t miss it.
‘Of course he is. I’m flustered too.’
Truth be told, Dibo was shocked in this moment as well.
He trusted El Pam’s plan.
He also knew that wearing Zakum’s helmet—and hunting Werewolves—had strengthened his abilities thanks to Aran’s skills and the combo ability.
By the time he took down the final Werewolf, he could treat them like toys.
‘To think I’m matching the Wolf King.’
But he hadn’t expected to hold his own against the Wolf King?
It was genuinely astonishing.
‘And he’s 5th Circle.’
Even freed from Zakum’s Curse by Zakum’s helmet and with enhanced abilities, Dibo was still a 5th Circle adventurer.
Yet putting up an even fight against a 6th Circle?
It defied common sense.
Of course, “even” didn’t mean El Pam-level surpassing the Wolf King.
A skill gap still remained between them.
The Wolf King was no different.
He felt perplexed, but simultaneously realized something.
‘No reason I should lose.’
That sharp fangs alone didn’t win fights.
What mattered more was the ability to wield those sharp fangs.
Dibo was well aware of that fact.
Naturally, he had a countermeasure.
Taang!
His comrade, that countermeasure.
Kkaang!
‘Miner!’
Miner’s bullet slipped straight into the gap between Wolf King Pao’s armor plates.
No wound resulted.
The Wolf King’s armor was no ordinary gear, and even if it penetrated, it wouldn’t matter.
His skin was as hard as steel, courtesy of the Iron Body skill.
But he couldn’t relax.
‘Golden Eye.’
His opponent was Miner, disciple of Captain Kairin—letting his guard down against her would be insane.
Moreover, Miner wasn’t the only one behind Dibo.
Skilled fighters, El Pam included, were there in force.
Only then did Wolf King Pao truly realize.
‘This situation’s bad.’
That none of his subordinates were around him now.
It was unavoidable.
In that instant of El Pam’s party appearing, only Wolf King Pao had reacted.
His subordinates had no choice but to be slow on the uptake.
Naturally, his subordinates were now rushing toward his location.
Two options surfaced in Wolf King Pao’s mind.
Risk it and fight Dibo and El Pam’s party until his subordinates arrived?
Or pull back for the time being until they did?
‘If I get hurt, it’s over.’
Crucial here: even if his subordinates were tough, they couldn’t handle Dibo without him.
In other words, at this juncture, nothing mattered more than Wolf King Pao himself.
Evading was the better play.
But two factors wouldn’t allow it.
One was pride.
Wolf King Pao—of all people—tucking tail and fleeing from mere adventurers?
A win later wouldn’t feel like a win.
Of course, Wolf King Pao wasn’t one to act on pride alone.
The second reason loomed larger in his hesitation.
‘They could slip away while I retreat.’
He might lose them.
That was the absolute last thing he wanted.
Such was the dilemma facing Wolf King Pao.
“Come at me!”
Dibo shouted toward him.
“Aran, you’re up!”
Aran!
The Polearm Hero’s name—a name impossible to forget—the instant it was uttered, Wolf King Pao’s eyes wavered.
Frankly, it was absurd.
Aran, of all people, here?
Under normal circumstances, not worth a second thought.
But these weren’t normal circumstances.
El Pam’s party were people who should’ve been dead—yet here they were, alive and breathing before him.
One of them, Dibo, was even displaying prowess rivaling Wolf King Pao, a 6th Circle powerhouse.
Events that made no sense.
But if the Polearm Hero Aran was involved in the process?
‘I see.’
Then suddenly, all these senseless events clicked into place.
‘It’s Aran. Aran’s backing El Pam’s party.’
In that instant, Wolf King Pao quit deliberating.
No need remained.
Against the Polearm Hero, any other course of action was unthinkable.
Thus, Wolf King Pao had only one task now.
‘Survive.’
To that end, he distanced himself from Dibo without a second’s hesitation.
Kaang!
After swinging his polearm ferociously, he turned his back and fled at full tilt.
“Wolf King Pao! Showing your back now? Fight fair!”
Dibo bellowed in rage at the sight, but Wolf King Pao paid it no mind.
Face meant nothing now.
That was when it happened.
“Dibo! Grab the Wolf King!”
A voice rang out from the distance.
“Don’t let him get away!”
Hwarur!
With the voice came a massive flaming spear hurtling toward Wolf King Pao—and at that, he harbored no more doubts.
‘The Polearm Hero’s here.’
Fleeing had been the right call.
Fleeing with all his might, Wolf King Pao soon made contact.
“Captain!”
With the subordinates trailing him.
The moment he spotted them, Wolf King Pao shouted.
“Fall back!”
“Yes?”
“The Polearm Hero’s chasing us right now!”
Survival was priority now.
His subordinates stared back in utter confusion at his words.
‘Ah.’
Seeing their faces, Wolf King Pao seemed to grasp something and glanced over his shoulder.
At the same time, he bellowed.
10.
“You damned bastards!”
Wolf King Pao’s fury echoed through the Dead Tree Forest.
“Cub.”
Dibo smirked at the outburst.
“We got him good.”
Dibo had never intended to clash with Wolf King Pao head-on from the start.
He couldn’t have.
The combo ability had a time limit.
Even at full strength, Dibo couldn’t overpower Wolf King Pao in one go.
His comrades were in the same boat.
El Pam aside, neither Miner nor Kiri could offer much help, truthfully.
Without Zakum’s helmet, they couldn’t match 5th Circle adventurer performance.
Meanwhile, Wolf King Pao commanded subordinates dozens of times their number.
Thousands more adventurers and outlaws hunting El Pam’s party still lurked.
“Boss’s plan hit perfectly.”
That was why El Pam hadn’t planned to fight.
He sought just one thing: time to escape.
El Pam also knew.
“And just like Boss predicted, the Wolf King came charging solo first.”
Handle the Wolf King, and buying time would be no issue.
As El Pam foresaw, the Wolf King arrived alone to nab El Pam’s party—and Dibo met him.
Of course, even there, El Pam knew.
Dibo’s show alone, or them helping him, wouldn’t force Wolf King Pao to flee.
“Using Aran nailed it perfectly.”
Hence the invocation of Aran’s name.
Every one of El Pam’s ploys worked flawlessly, buying El Pam’s party the time they needed.
Not a long window.
A minute at most.
Afterward, every adventurer and outlaw in the Dead Tree Forest would mobilize to snag them.
But for El Pam’s party, that was plenty.
“Now then, let’s drink up quick.”
A shapeshifting potion took mere seconds to down.
Gulp gulp!
Everyone quaffed theirs right there without hesitation.
Their appearances shifted.
“Huh?”
One person excepted.
“Huh? Boss? You’re not drinking?”
Even as everyone else drank and transformed, El Pam remained unchanged.
Obviously, it wasn’t a mistake or shortage.
He was deliberately skipping it.
“Boss, don’t tell me?”
“Exactly.”
And the reason for doing so deliberately was simple.
“Escape while I play decoy.”
El Pam would buy the rest time to slip away.
“Boss!”
They couldn’t miss the intent, and their reactions were intensely vehement in unison.
“We stick together!”
“No good. Decoy needed? I’ll do it.”
“Hey, cut it out. Die fighting? Fine, but we can’t die here.”
“Boss, anyone but you can’t die. You’re my steadiest cash cow.”
But El Pam showed no particular reaction to that.
No reason to.
“The situation now’s different from before. Everyone left here will do anything to catch El Pam’s party. And they’ve got the chops for it.”
A decoy was essential.
“And they’re out for blood. If they give chase, you’re in real danger.”
Fleeing outright, sans Zakum’s helmet, meant no guarantees on their lives.
“Don’t we have shapeshifting potions?”
“That’s the issue. Everyone left has gotten familiar with the faces by now.”
Moreover, the adventurers and outlaws in the Dead Tree Forest were acutely aware of each other.
Which adventurer, which party.
Beyond mere recognition—they’d reached a tacit accord.
Spot El Pam’s party? No bloody infighting.
“Unknown faces show up? Suspicion first.”
In that setup, even if not El Pam’s party—other adventurers get spotted?
And not a small group?
No way they’d ignore it.
Decoy unavoidable, all things considered.
“And I’m the only one who can pull it off.”
Obviously, Dibo or Miner as bait wouldn’t draw much.
Everyone craved El Pam—his head.
El Pam as decoy made sense every which way. No alternatives.
Yet his comrades couldn’t swallow it easily.
“Boss!”
At their demeanor, El Pam offered a faint smile.
Truth be told, El Pam sensed zero danger.
Surviving was what he did best in Maple World.
He was the Last Adventurer.
But explaining would eat time they didn’t have.
So El Pam said.
“Let’s make a bet.”
“Huh?”
“First to Elnas Market ahead of me gets 1 billion Meso each.”