Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Chapter 6. Poison Breath (2)
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018
6장. 포이즌 브레스 (2)
4.
All adventurers regarded the Mystic Gate as the stage of dreams.
Indeed, ever since the Mystic Gate era began, adventurers had been living the most prosperous days in Maple World history.
Items overflowed, and thanks to powerful items, adventurers could wield even greater power.
The merchant groups that broadcasted those exploits gained wealth and influence beyond comparison to the past.
But everything came with risks.
“Damn it.”
That was exactly why Evis’s expression was frozen stiff right now.
He had received the report.
“Of all things, poison.”
The moment he saw the part about an unidentified, extremely lethal poison, he knew the situation had gone seriously awry.
So he moved out himself.
He arrived at the Mystic Gate’s location and soon spotted the adventurers waiting there.
The moment he saw them, no lengthy conversation was needed.
“Any deaths?”
“One party wiped out.”
After that brief exchange, Evis let out a sigh of relief.
One party—hardly a small loss.
They weren’t just any adventurers; they were veterans among those capable of challenging a Red-grade Mystic Gate. Veterans contracted by the Gapor Merchant Group, golden geese that would steadily lay massive profits.
But put another way, the remaining geese had been protected.
“Two are still inside the Mystic Gate.”
“Two?”
“They stepped up as bait.”
So when he heard the follow-up, Evis wasn’t greatly surprised.
Losing two more here wouldn’t make the damage any worse.
If anything, the word “bait” brought relief.
Thanks to those two, the rest had been saved—a net gain, wasn’t it?
“It’s El Pam’s party.”
“What?”
But the moment he learned the bait’s identity, Evis felt a jolt of dismay.
El Pam, of all people?
Of course, it wasn’t dismay over El Pam being precious or anything like that.
‘Those two as bait?’
They were far too low-level for the role.
So the dismay wasn’t deep.
He had expectations for El Pam, but they weren’t that grand.
‘If El Pam saved the rest, it’s still a profit.’
If anything, this was a profitable turn.
‘More than that, they’re probably dead.’
Put another way, Evis didn’t expect El Pam to return.
And he wasn’t alone in that.
“Chances of survival?”
“It’s been half a day since we escaped through the exit. The fact they haven’t returned means…”
Even the escaped adventurers thought the same.
“It’s a sign the situation is bad in every way.”
If it had been manageable in there, there’d have been no reason to escape.
Especially since escape was a race against time.
The longer you stayed, the worse your survival odds—that was adventurer common sense.
And considering El Pam’s party’s abilities, the odds of survival were frankly near zero.
The fact they’d even pulled off the bait role properly was already heavenly luck.
That was why.
“Then we withdraw.”
Evis issued the withdrawal order without hesitation.
“Everyone?”
Ebob threw out the question.
“No rescue team either?”
Cases where adventurers escaped with their lives hanging by a thread were more common than one might think, and those people desperately needed rescue teams.
That was why the adventurers here had stayed.
To provide aid.
Especially with poison involved.
If someone escaped poisoned, you needed to administer antidotes immediately to boost survival rates.
Evis knew that too.
“We can’t afford more losses.”
But what if leaving a rescue team led to disaster?
“With no antidotes available, the rest could get poisoned too.”
Above all, the escaped El Pam could spread poison around while still afflicted.
There was no reason to gamble with danger for adventurers as good as dead.
“We withdraw.”
When Evis repeated it, there were no more questions.
Everyone thought the same.
El Pam was dead.
The next day, after everyone had left, two men emerged from beyond the Mystic Gate.
5.
“Huh?”
The Mystic Gate crumbled the moment Dibo and El Pam stepped out.
“No one’s here?”
Dibo stared at the eerie silence and let out an incredulous laugh.
“Isn’t this too much? You’re supposed to leave a rescue team—that’s basic courtesy, right? We just risked our lives as bait!”
They had volunteered for sacrifice, yet this was the treatment—complete abandonment?
It was enough to sour anyone’s mood.
El Pam thought differently.
“Betting on low odds is for gambling addicts.”
If he were with the Gapor Merchant Group, he wouldn’t have rated El Pam’s survival highly either.
“That’s why we came out late on purpose.”
“Huh?”
This silence was exactly what El Pam had aimed for.
“On purpose? What do you mean?”
“After catching the Clown Poison Mushroom, we kept hunting beyond the Mystic Gate for over a day.”
That was why El Pam hadn’t exited the Mystic Gate right after the boss.
The longer they delayed, the lower they’d rate the survival odds—and eventually, they’d pull back.
“Once they withdraw, no need to settle item shares.”
After that, El Pam could enjoy unlimited freedom and time.
“You hunted Green Mushrooms on purpose for that?”
“You think there was another reason?”
Of course, Dibo interpreted it differently.
“Weren’t you just training me a bit?”
He thought the extended Green Mushroom hunt was for his combat skills, his growth as an adventurer.
El Pam smirked at Dibo’s assumption.
“As if.”
“Haha, right?”
Dibo brightened instantly.
From his view, El Pam had been deliberately toughening him up with training.
Of course, the cheer didn’t last.
“Training at that level? Please.”
“What?”
“Real training’s coming soon, so don’t worry.”
The truth was elsewhere.
Dibo stared blankly, and El Pam pulled out a single ring.
An item.
One obtained from hunting the boss monster, Clown Poison Mushroom.
“Oh, Boss. What’s that?”
Dibo’s face lit up as he asked.
He’d seen them get the item but not use it.
“2nd Circle magic skill, Poison Breath.”
El Pam knew what skill the item granted.
“Poison Breath?”
The main reason El Pam had stalled for time.
“Isn’t that the one where you spew poison mist from your mouth?”
Poison Breath.
A 2nd Circle magic skill that turned the surrounding air into poison.
Its potency depended on the caster’s circle count.
A 2nd Circle mage’s version caused blurry vision and dulled senses at first; prolonged exposure led to breathing difficulty, loss of sight, and limb paralysis.
Of course, there were limits.
It came out as mist. And the range was narrow. Spot it early and dodge, and you’d just feel eye irritation and a chill.
But that was only with prior knowledge—adventurer knowledge.
“That’s no joke, right?”
For monsters without countermeasures, its utility was beyond words.
The Mystic Gate they’d just cleared proved it.
The veterans fled without hesitation once they realized no counter.
“Gonna fetch a crazy price, huh?”
Hence the insane value.
“We got it together, so I’ll give you your full share.”
“Kuuh! As expected of Boss!”
Dibo grinned at El Pam’s words.
That was exactly what he wanted.
“I’ll pledge my loyalty till death!”
His cut.
‘With the life insurance payouts plus item values, how much are we raking in this time? Insane, insane… Huh?’
Having gotten his wish, Dibo suddenly sensed something off.
“Hey, Boss. How’d you know it’s Poison Breath?”
There were two main ways to identify magic in items.
One: Use an appraisal skill.
But appraisal items were pricey, usually owned by merchant groups.
No 2nd Circle adventurer carried one.
So most used the second method.
“You can use poison magic too?”
Try it yourself.
“Yeah.”
Not strange at all.
“I can.”
The issue was only that El Pam already used telekinesis and fire magic—two attributes.
Dibo was speechless at the answer.
‘Th-three attributes?’
In a mage world where two attributes alone earned special treatment, three?
Unheard of.
El Pam skipped the explanation for the stunned Dibo.
That he had All Master talent.
‘I can use poison magic. Better than anyone.’
And that he had the skill to wield this Poison Breath even against a Balrog.
No need to spill it now.
No time either.
“Let’s head back.”
Time to return to the Gapor Merchant Group.
“To collect our life insurance.”
6.
Nothing shocks like the return of someone thought dead.
That was why Evis was stunned.
“You survived.”
El Pam, presumed dead, stood before him.
“Yes, I made it back.”
But El Pam’s expression was calm.
“Must’ve been rough.”
Not even seeming like he’d crossed a perilous threshold.
Meanwhile, Evis pondered.
“That’s why no rescue team.”
El Pam might resent the Gapor Merchant Group for not even minimal aid.
This mattered.
‘His debt’s almost cleared.’
El Pam had borrowed a fortune, but Evis had heard from other adventurers.
About El Pam’s deals.
With those done, a massive sum would flow to El Pam, enough to pay off most of his debt.
Once the debt was gone?
El Pam would be a promising adventurer unbound by the Gapor Merchant Group.
To keep the El Pam card, Evis needed to offer better treatment now.
“I apologize for that. But no matter how I saw it, the situation was dire.”
He bowed his head.
El Pam replied calmly.
“It’s not a big deal. Happens all the time.”
Nothing special.
“Back in my bait slave days, it was routine. I’d barely survive alone, and everyone would be gone.”
Indeed, for El Pam, this was everyday.
‘Especially as the last survivor after battle.’
A brutal routine.
Of course, he wasn’t feigning calm to show it off.
El Pam planned to use it.
“No matter where you send me, I’ll come back alive.”
That was when it happened.
Creak!
The door to Evis’s office swung open.
Without a knock.
Rude.
But no one scolded it.
“Mr. Rakan.”
No one could scold one of the Gapor Merchant Group’s leading executives.
“What brings you…”
Rakan, appearing like that, silenced Evis with a palm gesture. Didn’t even glance at him.
He stared only at El Pam, who met his gaze unflinchingly.
“I heard the gist outside. You’ll survive anywhere?”
“Yes.”
Rakan gave a faint smile at the curt reply.
“Even a 100-man Gate?”
That remark.
‘He bit.’
The moment El Pam had waited for, he didn’t hesitate.
“A 100-man Gate.”
He just delivered the prepared line for this instant.
“That one might be tough.”