Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: The Lion King's Letter (2)
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3.
The Elnas Mountains had always been a harsh place.
“The Elnas Mountains are tough to survive in, sure, but that wasn’t always the case.”
That wasn’t true in the past.
“Because the Lion King was there.”
In the past, the Lion King led his soldiers and knights across the Elnas Mountains, saving people from monsters everywhere.
That was why.
The people living in the Elnas Mountains—and those watching from afar—recognized the Lion King as the true master of the range.
“Which means it’s not the case anymore.”
But hundreds of years ago, the Lion King shut the gates of his castle and vanished from sight.
No one knew the exact reason.
Instead, there were only rumors.
“They say the Lion King’s castle went up in flames.”
“A lot of people died, they say.”
“Even the Lion King’s queen was among them.”
Someone had attacked the Lion King’s castle.
Either way, one thing was clear: at some point, the Lion King’s castle fell silent, and the Elnas Mountains became a lawless world for outlaws.
These days, no one even mentioned the Lion King.
The Lion King himself had become a legendary figure—someone believed to be long dead.
Only a few adventurers from the Lion King’s castle were ever brought up.
That was why.
The news that the Lion King had sent a letter to Empress Cygnus sent shockwaves through not just the Elnas Mountains, but adventurers across the Maple World.
“Asking for help!”
And the content wasn’t anything else—it was a plea for aid?
Unthinkable.
That was why the rumor spread faster than ever before across the entire Maple World.
And everyone who heard it was stunned.
Of course, the most stunned were them.
“This can’t be.”
The Knight-Commanders of the Cygnus Knights, including Oz, the Commander of the Flame Knights—they were utterly shocked.
It wasn’t just the letter from the Lion King itself that surprised them.
That alone was shocking enough.
“How did the rumor spread like this?”
But the fact that this story had leaked to the entire Maple World? That was on another level.
It was a disgrace.
For the Lion King—who had never liked the Cygnus Knights—to ask them for help was an unspeakable humiliation.
“Did it come from our side?”
Only two parties knew about that disgrace.
“No way. If it leaked from us, the Lion King’s side wouldn’t stay quiet.”
And given the current situation, it was clearly the Lion King’s side that had let the disgrace slip.
“Well, with all the chaos in our own ranks, I can’t say for sure.”
Of course, the Cygnus Knights were currently overrun with spies and traitors.
They’d faced several crises because of it.
But the Cygnus Knights had taken precautions, informing only the most trustworthy individuals about this matter.
“Either way, the key point is this.”
Here, Hawkeye, the Commander of the Thunder Knights, spoke up.
“Now that it’s out in the open, we have to succeed—no matter what.”
If the Cygnus Knights failed to honor the Lion King’s request now, things would get extremely messy.
It wouldn’t just be a hit to their reputation.
“No matter how many failures it takes.”
They had to keep sending knights until they succeeded.
It was a deadly risk.
“To a Green-rank Mystic Gate.”
To conquer it, they’d need to send knights who had reached at least the 5th Circle.
Naturally, 5th Circle knights were vital, precious assets to the Cygnus Knights.
Wasting them relentlessly?
It would shake the very foundation of the Cygnus Knights.
“And we all know who’d be laughing then.”
That was why Oz, the Flame Knight-Commander, and Hawkeye, the Thunder Knight-Commander, believed the leak came from the Lion King’s side—not their own.
There weren’t many in the Maple World who’d rejoice at the Cygnus Knights’ downfall.
“This isn’t the time for pride.”
And so, the two Knight-Commanders reached an agreement.
“Right. We need to ask for help from everyone—in the name of the Maple Alliance.”
The Maple Alliance—in other words, the Adventurer’s Association, Cross Hunters, and even the Resistance!
They would borrow the strength of them all.
Of course, the decision wasn’t theirs to make.
“Let’s suggest that to Her Majesty.”
Empress Cygnus responded to their idea right away.
4.
Adventurers often say.
They have no idea what the Adventurer’s Association even does.
The Association rarely made any public moves.
In other words, when the Adventurer’s Association moved in earnest, it was no ordinary matter.
“The Adventurer’s Association posted an announcement!”
“What? An announcement?”
So when the Association did post one, every adventurer paid attention.
“There was such a thing?”
Most adventurers reacted as if they’d never even heard of announcements before.
Those who knew about them, though, were different.
“Yeah. They post them every time something huge is about to go down.”
They understood what it meant.
Even more shocking was the content.
[Recruiting adventurers to conquer a Mystic Gate.]
[Qualifications: B-Rank or higher from the Adventurer’s Association, or officially certified Veteran Adventurer.]
“What? That’s it?”
There was no explanation of what exactly they’d be doing.
For recruiting B-Rank or higher—meaning 5th Circle adventurers or those of equivalent skill—the content was absurdly vague.
Crucially, it didn’t mention any rewards.
“Who’d sign up for something like this?”
In the era of Mystic Gates, 5th Circle adventurers were worth a fortune.
So most adventurers figured no one would respond to the Association’s announcement.
Of course, most—but not all.
Skilled adventurers thought differently.
“They’re trying to gather real adventurers.”
They knew.
“Adventurers who know how to adventure.”
What the Association’s announcement really meant.
And a good number of true adventurers expressed their willingness to join.
Screening began after that.
There were exceptions, though.
The El Pam party joined the expedition without any real tests.
It wasn’t strange.
“Please. El Pam, we need your help.”
Oz, the Flame Knight-Commander, had personally requested the El Pam party’s participation.
They weren’t joining as the El Pam party, though.
El!
He joined the expedition under a false identity and waited.
For the rest of the expedition members to be selected.
“This is getting way bigger than expected. Looks like it’ll take a while until the main event.”
El Pam’s companions figured the screening would take quite some time.
“Selecting adventurers isn’t easy, after all.”
Cross Hunters and the Resistance could pick elites based on internal standards, but the Adventurer’s Association had opened applications to every adventurer in the Maple World.
Just gathering them would take time.
And then there was the screening process.
If it wrapped up quickly, that’d be the weird part.
“It won’t take long.”
But El Pam thought otherwise.
“Huh?”
“The screening will end soon, and the expedition will assemble.”
“No way.”
“We’ll get the notice within three days.”
“Three days?”
Everyone was floored by El Pam’s claim that everything would be sorted in a mere three days—not just fast, but ridiculously so.
“No matter how you slice it, that’s impossible.”
“Yeah. With an announcement like this, there’ll be tons of applicants—even rejects. Convincing them means doing proper screening!”
This was an official event from the Adventurer’s Association after an astonishingly long hiatus.
Applicants would have special resolve and motives.
Rejected adventurers wouldn’t accept it lightly.
“5th Circle adventurers aren’t a dime a dozen.”
And if they didn’t accept it, it wouldn’t stop at tavern gripes about the Association.
They might resort to shows of force.
That was why the screening had to be thorough enough to convince them, even if it took time.
“Boss is wrong this time.”
It was hard not to doubt El Pam on this one.
But three days later, everyone knew.
“We’re moving.”
“Moving? Where to?”
“Screening’s done. The gathering spot for the selected ones is set. We head there.”
El Pam had been right.
Of course, they didn’t accept it right away.
‘No way, this can’t be real?’
Even as they followed El Pam, they couldn’t wrap their heads around it.
‘How in three days?’
But the moment they arrived at the promised location, all doubts vanished in an instant.
“Hey, that guy? T’tangga? One of the warriors from Perion’s Warrior Temple?”
“That old man in the white hat—definitely Ruka, one of Heinz’s disciples. I’ve seen him before.”
“Oh, Rema’s here. One of Helena’s disciples. This is gonna be intense.”
They had no choice but to understand upon seeing the gathered adventurers’ faces.
“It looks like all the top 5th Circle adventurers are here.”
Even unselected adventurers would have to accept their rejection after seeing these guys.
They were incredible.
The kind you couldn’t help but be awed by on sight.
El Pam was the exception, though.
‘Just as expected.’
This wasn’t just any operation—it was run by the Maple Alliance.
And not just run—they’d cherry-picked.
‘Only the ones they can trust.’
Skill mattered, but trust was more crucial than ever.
Above all, El Pam knew.
‘Those who fought to the end with the Maple Alliance.’
He knew exactly who the adventurers were that had battled the endless monsters and Black Mage followers alongside the Maple Alliance.
‘No reason for the screening to take long.’
This speed, these selections—it was all within El Pam’s expectations.
Instead, he was surprised by something else.
‘The Resistance sending her is unexpected.’
The fact that the Resistance had mobilized for this.
It wasn’t strange in itself.
When the Maple Alliance was formed, the Resistance had joined too.
‘Red Panther Lee, though.’
What surprised El Pam was that they’d sent Red Panther Lee.
The Resistance fought Black Wings to liberate Edelstein—enemies on a whole different level from the monsters adventurers faced.
That forced the Resistance to develop entirely different combat styles, leading to jaguar-riding hunters: Wild Hunters. And at the pinnacle of Wild Hunters was a woman named Bell.
‘Bell’s right-hand woman.’
The woman El Pam saw now—riding a red jaguar with a crossbow on her back—was Bell’s right-hand.
Her skills were beyond description.
Beyond exceptional—she was a key Resistance asset they couldn’t afford to lose.
Yet they’d sent her?
‘The Resistance and Cygnus Knights don’t get along.’
Plus, El Pam knew the two groups had a terrible relationship.
Terrible enough that they’d once been bitter enemies.
In the past—before the Maple Alliance, when only the Cygnus Knights existed—the Resistance had asked Empress Cygnus for help against the Black Wings, and she’d promised to send knights.
But on the day of the final battle, the Cygnus Knights never showed. The Resistance took devastating losses.
It felt like betrayal, and their relationship hit rock bottom.
They’d joined hands under the Maple Alliance banner due to shared enemies, but the grudge wouldn’t fade easily.
Yet they’d sent such a vital asset.
‘The Cygnus Knights are all-in.’
It showed their resolve for this mission was different.
“Wow, with a lineup like this, failure seems impossible.”
Naturally, those gathered felt more confident in success than ever upon seeing each other.
Only one exception.
‘The odds of failure are pretty high.’
El Pam still lacked certainty.
It was only natural.
‘Zakum. Weaker than the one sealed deep in the abandoned mine, but still—that demonic tree, Zakum.’
He knew what they were up against.
‘It won’t be easy.’
That was why, even now, El Pam was weighing his options in his mind.
He’d prepared as best he could.
He was confident in the conquest.
‘But interference means failure.’
That confidence assumed no disruptions.
And that was the problem.
The Black Mage’s followers wouldn’t sit idly by.
El Pam had countermeasures, of course, but nothing in this world was certain.
That was true.
‘That one?’
But the moment he spotted one person, El Pam spoke.
“Isn’t that right, Boss? Failure seems impossible, huh?”
“Seems that way.”