Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: 54장. Heavenly Crise (2)
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Adventurers each had their own stories to tell.
“You can’t say you’ve truly adventured without enduring the desert heat.”
“The cold of the Elnas Mountains is the worst adventuring spot there is.”
They claimed their experiences were the harshest.
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
Even the same environment could be tolerable for one adventurer and hellish for another.
“But the real worst has to be Orbis’s Cloud Terrace, right?”
One thing was certain, though.
“Why? Simple. The air’s too thin up there. No matter what you do.”
No adventurer could visit the cloud-top Orbis without struggling.
“The air’s thin.”
El Pam’s party was feeling that truth right now.
“Huff, huff.”
Dibo was facing the approaching Jr. Bills alone, breathing harder than ever.
He’d heard stories about Orbis before.
How the thin air made you tire faster in battle.
How you could even black out.
“I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”
But experiencing the cloud world firsthand was far more intense than he’d imagined.
It wasn’t just Dibo.
“Whew, whew.”
“Ugh, my head hurts.”
“I’m seeing double mesos in front of me.”
Kiri and Miner looked more exhausted than ever, too.
‘It’s like hell.’
To them, this Heavenly Crise looked like a hell deep underground.
Of course, there was an exception.
‘Lucky us.’
El Pam was satisfied with the situation.
‘A chance like this to train.’
One of his biggest concerns was training his companions.
Not because they refused.
Quite the opposite.
‘Nothing short of extreme works on them.’
His companions had grown so skilled individually that regular training was pointless.
Training only mattered when it pushed someone to their limits.
“Huff, huff, damn it!”
Here in the cloud world, it pushed El Pam’s party to those limits effortlessly.
Kyuuu!
They fought the Jr. Bill horde while half out of their minds.
Crises came often, as expected.
“Those rabbit bastards look like two now.”
Respiratory distress was even causing mild hallucinations.
Proper combat was impossible.
Whoosh!
Dibo’s polearm, once slicing empty air or splitting skulls, now just struck shoulders.
Proof he’d hit his limit.
And it didn’t end there.
“More new ones incoming.”
“What? Say again?”
“Jr. Bills with helmets.”
Golden Jr. Bills, those fearsome monsters, had noticed the commotion and charged full speed.
“Damn it!”
For El Pam’s party, facing that horde was pure agony.
“Helmets, too.”
The helmets were a huge headache for Dibo and Kiri.
Not just helmets.
The head was usually the most effective target against most monsters.
But protected by a helmet?
It doubled the perceived difficulty.
“Boss, isn’t that over a hundred already?”
They desperately wanted to escape this battlefield.
“We passed a hundred ages ago.”
El Pam had no intention of letting them off easy.
“No, Boss? Then we’re done, right?”
That’s when it hit them.
‘This is...’
‘Training.’
The real hell was just beginning.
5.
“Orbis? Cool place.”
Many adventurers dreamed of adventuring there.
“A world atop the clouds—ecstatic just imagining it. And it’s even better in person.”
Orbis and its surrounding Cloud Terrace were among Maple World’s most stunning sights.
“Looks amazing, and it’s easy to see.”
Viewing it was simple, too.
“Just need money. That’s it.”
Take an airship to Orbis, and you could gaze all you wanted.
“But start adventuring, and it’s a different story.”
The trouble began when you walked Orbis and the Cloud Terrace yourself.
“Try running a bit. Your chest’ll feel like it’s exploding.”
High up where the air was thin, even breathing was tough.
Fighting there?
Insanity.
That’s why.
“When the Giant Nependeath appeared in the past, no one—not even the Adventurers’ Association—rushed in. In some ways, worse than Zakum’s curse in the abandoned mine. Zakum weakens you, but you can still breathe.”
Few adventurers had truly explored Orbis and the Cloud Terrace.
Kiii!
“Damn it!”
El Pam’s party was learning that the hard way.
“Boss, these guys are no joke. Huff, huff.”
“No joke at all. Hooo.”
“Save your breath instead of talking. My head’s spinning like crazy.”
Every fight left them more exhausted, more winded than ever.
It was shocking.
El Pam’s party had built exceptional stamina through his training.
Yet they tired this easily?
Even El Pam was among them.
“Huff.”
“No, Boss. Why bother moving? You’re a mage—no need.”
Mages rarely struggled in Orbis since they didn’t rely on physical exertion.
But El Pam was different.
“I need to adapt, too.”
He wasn’t the type to stand back with hands folded, casting spells.
Adapting his body here was crucial for him.
And not easy.
It required his body to adjust—past experiences didn’t help much.
One exception.
“You’re all working hard.”
Ralph showed no sign of breathlessness.
“Hey, why’re you so fine?”
Supporters usually stayed back like mages, sparing their bodies.
But Ralph wasn’t average.
He fought upfront with Dibo and Kiri, fists flying.
Yet he wasn’t tired at all.
“No big deal.”
Simple reason.
“I adventured in Orbis before.”
He was already adapted.
“Orbis? Why?”
“It’s a place adventurers avoid. Means good money.”
Hearing it was for cash, everyone nodded.
“Impressive, really. You’d probably take down the Black Mage for the right price.”
“If the pay’s right, nothing’s off the table.”
Ralph was that kind of adventurer.
Watching him gave the others strength.
“At least he’s fine—means we can adapt.”
The training had purpose.
They even grew hopeful.
“Once we adapt, we could sweep these in a day.”
The Jr. Bills and Golden Jr. Bills weren’t weak, but no match for El Pam’s party.
All of them were 5th Circle adventurers.
Not just any—elite among elites!
“It won’t be easy.”
“Huh?”
El Pam thought otherwise.
“Know about the Crise giants?”
They tilted their heads at his question.
Heavenly Crise had vanished from Maple World for over a century—not a hot spot now.
Most adventurers knew little about it.
“Those who adventured Crise said giants live there, loving battle above all.”
“Huh?”
About the giants.
“Battle?”
“The largest building in Heavenly Crise was an arena—half the place’s size.”
They looked stunned.
The giants they’d seen seemed utterly lifeless, let alone fighters.
“Oh.”
Then it clicked.
“So...”
“The giants fought fiercely against monsters at first. Maybe even enjoyed it—finally a fight. But endless battles broke them. They gave up everything. Even the will to live.”
El Pam’s point.
“The monsters here did that. To those tough giants.”
The rabbit monsters they faced—Jr. Bills, Golden Jr. Bills—were just appetizers.
Not all.
“See? Some wield weapons, wear helmets.”
“Yeah.”
“Monsters didn’t make those. Giants’ gear.”
“Oh!”
El Pam knew.
“Most are ordinary, but some giant weapons aren’t. Monsters with those are boss-level.”
They could face even deadlier foes.
His explanation hardened their faces.
The situation was worse than thought.
“But the real issue’s elsewhere.”
“Issue? Worse than this?”
El Pam worried about something else amid it all.
“We’re not here to hunt monsters. We’re finding a way out. That needs giant cooperation more than ever. And right now, nothing we do will move them.”
The giants had given up on everything.
A huge problem.
“No ordinary method or shock will make them trust us.”
Moving those who’d forsaken life was no simple task.
‘If needed, I’ll threaten them.’
El Pam considered extremes.
No choice.
‘Time’s short.’
Time was his top priority.
‘Until that day.’
Until monsters burst from the Mystic Gates—almost here.
And something critical loomed.
‘If the Cygnus Knights get wiped, war hits Elnas Mountains.’
Critical.
Time to use any means.
“Adapt first. Nothing else matters till then.”
So El Pam poured everything into adaptation training.
Once adapted, they visited the Titan Elder again.
“You survived. Impressive.”
He showed no real reaction to their return.
Seeing that, El Pam’s party thought:
‘Not easy.’
Convincing him for the core’s location would be tough.
‘Then...’
As El Pam considered extremes—that moment.
“You lot?”
A young voice rang out.
“Earth adventurers cluelessly hunting the core?”
They turned toward it.
A man resembling Michaela.
El Pam’s eyes narrowed, sensing something.
“Who are you?”
He addressed him directly. The man scoffed.
“I’m Michael! Strongest warrior in Heavenly Crise! Leagues above you lot who can’t even handle Jr. Bills.”
His voice brimmed with confidence and power.
El Pam responded.
“Know the core’s location?”
“Of course. But no telling you. Useless to weaklings struggling with Jr. Bills.”
Dibo bristled.
For him, seeing El Pam insulted was unbearable.
He knew, too.
‘I need to step up and shake things...’
El Pam wouldn’t.
Normally.
“Can’t let that slide.”
‘Huh?’
But El Pam, angrier than ever, approached Michael.
“Don’t care about the rest—being underestimated? No. I challenge you to a duel.”
Even declaring a duel stunned Dibo and the others.
‘The Boss?’
Michael just smirked.
“ Duel? Gladly!”
El Pam’s face hardened as he told Dibo.
“Dibo.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Dibo smiled.
“Go all out.”
“Yes, all out—smash that bastard’s skull...”
“Lose.”
“Yes? What?”
His smile twisted. El Pam repeated.
“Lose. All out.”