Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Chapter 63. Leviathan (2)
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4.
Poison-attribute magic received quite a bit of acclaim from adventurers.
For starters, it was incredibly effective.
Monsters afflicted with poison had their hunting difficulty drop by more than one level!
Plus, it was convenient.
Other spells came with all sorts of restrictions when casting them.
Hitting the target was especially tricky.
Spells like Fire Arrow or Cold Beam were surprisingly hard to land accurately in a dense forest.
In contrast, poison-attribute magic just needed to be activated in the desired area.
But as their circle count rose, poison-attribute mages saw their popularity plummet sharply.
It wasn't because their poison spells became useless.
Quite the opposite.
The higher the circle, the more powerful poison-attribute magic became.
"Partying with a 5th Circle poison-attribute mage is a very dangerous and headache-inducing ordeal. If you accidentally inhale the Poison Mist they cast... things get really messy."
And dodging that magic became incredibly difficult.
At least if you could endure it thanks to poison resistance or had a way to detoxify it, the situation was manageable.
But what if you couldn't even do that?
The truth was, finding a party became tough.
And if the poison was so overwhelmingly potent that no one could even approach?
In that case, they were welcomed even more enthusiastically.
It went without saying.
*Cough, cough!*
A single poison-attribute mage could unilaterally massacre monsters on their own.
"Ah."
And their companions could just stand far off, twiddling their thumbs and watching.
"The Red Sand Dwarves are dropping dead in less than three seconds."
That was how transcendent the power of El Pam's poison-attribute magic was, empowered by the Hydra's heart.
"No helping it this time. All I can do is twiddle my thumbs."
Dibo smirked in disbelief.
"Right?"
"Nope."
"Huh?"
But Dibo was the only one grumbling like that.
"Kirri, what do you think?"
"I can fight in there."
Kirri, for one, had more than enough ability to fight alongside El Pam.
"I don't need to go in there at all."
*Bang!*
"For a ranged dealer like me, I can do it from afar. Like this."
Minar didn't even need to think about fighting right next to El Pam.
"If it hurts, just say so. I'll heal you."
Bishop Ralph was helpful just by existing.
In other words, there was only one.
"You're the only one twiddling your thumbs, Dibo."
The one who was utterly useless here.
Dibo's face crumpled at that realization.
With his personality, there was no way he'd tolerate this!
"Fine, I'll show you. I'll show you exactly how well I can support the boss through that poison!"
Dibo bristled and immediately prepared to charge into the Poison Mist El Pam had created.
But that was impossible.
"Dibo, don't do anything reckless."
El Pam, who had returned after blanketing the area with Poison Mist, blocked him.
"Your chance to shine will come."
"Aw, Boss."
Dibo chuckled wryly at those words.
"Who do you take me for, kid? You think I'd really charge in there headfirst without a second thought? I was just venting."
Of course, everything Dibo had said up to now was just whining.
Everyone else was contributing, but he couldn't do anything—that frustration and guilt had spilled out as complaints.
"Just give me my moment, and I'll show you. I'll show you what kind of training I got under the polearm hero!"
In other words, the instant his chance arrived, Dibo planned to unleash his full power without hesitation.
That was why he was more than happy to wait for that opportunity.
"Let's keep pushing forward."
And so, El Pam's party reached the second floor.
"He used Poison Mist."
"Then I'll herd the monsters in there."
"Sounds good. I'll finish them off. One hole in each skull will make the poison work even better."
"If things get dicey, just say the word. I'll jump in right away."
Everyone eagerly showcased their skills, tailored perfectly to El Pam's poison-attribute magic.
*Kyuu!*
Even Snail Mano.
There was one exception.
'Damn, I didn't think I'd be twiddling my thumbs all the way here?'
Dibo—he still hadn't gotten a chance to shine.
'It's coming soon. My moment to go berserk.'
Of course, he waited.
But even on the third floor, it was the same.
"Centaurus."
"No big deal. Lay down Poison Mist and lure the foals in. Kirri and I can handle it."
Dibo had no chance to step up.
The fourth floor was the same.
"A herd of Green Cornians. Same as the third floor."
Dibo's chance never really came.
"Hey, Dibo!"
"Yeah? Need me?"
"Go make some food. I'm hungry."
He was stuck with menial chores.
"Minar, handle your own meals. We're not even eating properly anyway. And Dibo isn't slacking off. He has the most important role."
"Ra, Ralph!"
"The role of picking up items."
Dibo gritted his teeth at that.
Of course, he knew.
'The moment we hit the fifth floor, I'll show them.'
Everyone else knew too.
'Against Leviathan.'
Dibo wouldn't be twiddling his thumbs against the fifth floor's boss monster, Leviathan.
'Poison won't work easily on it.'
For one, Leviathan was a dragonkin, and dragonkin had inherently high resistance to magic and attribute attacks.
A poison spell that would kill normal monsters in ten seconds? Dragonkin could shrug it off for ten minutes.
On top of that, Leviathan was a monster capable of swift flight.
'It'll fly away to escape.'
The moment it sensed poison—or even suspected it—it would flee the area in a flash.
'And it only lives in cold places.'
Crucially, Leviathan was a monster that could only survive in frigid environments.
In other words, wherever Leviathan existed was an ice-covered realm!
In such extreme cold, Poison Mist's effectiveness would be far lower than elsewhere.
Common sense dictated that mist couldn't spread properly in a space where everything was frozen solid.
All this meant it was hard to expect much from poison's power!
Meanwhile, someone had to face that ferocious Leviathan—and who that someone would be was obvious.
'No one but me.'
Dibo!
In terms of mobility and hit-and-run combat, he was the best.
That was exactly why no one had given him any tasks.
He'd end up in a life-or-death battle with Leviathan anyway—why wear him out needlessly?
At last, it appeared before them.
"The exit to the fifth floor."
Leviathan!
The door leading to the room where that absurd monster awaited.
A gateway to hell.
A door they couldn't step through lightly, knowing what lay beyond!
But Dibo was different.
"My stage has finally arrived."
Gripping his polearm, he strode toward the fifth-floor exit without a hint of hesitation.
The others followed suit.
Without a shred of doubt or tremor, they all headed to the fifth floor.
*Whoooosh!*
A bone-chilling gale greeted El Pam's party.
The wind alone was enough to raise goosebumps.
"Man, what a refreshing breeze."
But in that wind, Dibo appeared more relaxed than ever.
"Perfect weather for a warm-up. Wouldn't you say?"
He even seemed excited.
And rightly so.
Since becoming 6th Circle and joining El Pam's party, Dibo hadn't had a proper chance to shine.
Besides, he wasn't just any 6th Circle mage.
Aran, the polearm hero! He'd undergone life-risking training under her.
With his confidence in his own skills piercing the heavens, how could he not be itching to show it after holding back this long?
"Dibo, this is your chance to shine."
"Yes, it is!"
In that moment, El Pam's words were like telling a starving beast to hunt.
No taking it back now.
*Groooar!*
Right on cue, a massive dragon soared overhead.
This dragon was different from Mano.
Not a lizard, but serpentine, its body elongated beyond easy measure.
Unlike Mano, it flew truly high and freely through the skies.
A world apart from Mano, who barely stayed aloft with frantic wingbeats!
Naturally, the hunting difficulty was on another level.
Mano spent a long time on the ground after landing, but Leviathan practically never touched down.
There was only one way to draw such a beast closer to the ground.
'Provoke it.'
Incense its draconic fury!
"Perfect. No need to hunt it down."
Dibo, who would take on that role, promptly closed his eyes.
"Huu."
He regulated his breathing.
"Boss, I'm ready. Let's start."
Truth be told, his preparations had been underway for a while. While everyone fought hard from the first to fourth floors, Dibo had repeatedly warmed up.
Thanks to that, his current condition was at its peak.
He could fight right now and pull out nearly 100% of his abilities!
And that was one of the things he'd learned from Aran.
'Always perform at 100%, no matter when.'
The heroes battling the Black Mage hadn't been afforded time to warm up.
'And 200% when it matters.'
Plus, exceeding one's limits in critical moments!
"Dibo."
El Pam spoke to the fully prepared Dibo.
"This is your stage."
"Yes!"
Dibo's response brimmed with more energy than ever.
"So I'll sit this one out."
"Yes! Do that! Step back and twiddle your thum—Huh?"
But El Pam's follow-up made Dibo's eyes widen in shock.
His comrades reacted the same way.
"What?"
"Did I hear that right? Sit this one out?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Everyone stared at El Pam in disbelief once they grasped his words.
El Pam replied calmly to their gazes.
"If it gets tough, I'll help."
That shut them all up.
Of course it would be tough.
No, beyond tough—it would be a fight for their lives.
But was it right to take the easy way out just because of that?
"Aw, Boss."
At the very least, El Pam's comrades weren't here to take the easy path.
"That's no problem."
"Exactly. No issue."
"I'll take it solo, so everyone fall back. Hitting that big lug is child's play anyway."
That was why they gladly refused El Pam's help.
Everyone except Ralph.
"If it looks tough, can't you help? I'll even pay you."
In any case, they all accepted El Pam's proposal.
They prepared to face Leviathan—the absurd boss monster—without El Pam.
El Pam said nothing more at their resolve.
'It won't help their growth.'
Truth be told, from El Pam's perspective, there was no gain to be had from tackling Leviathan this time.
'They've already reached that level.'
Dibo and the others' skills had advanced to where only transcendent insights could spur further growth.
Sure, they could gain experience.
But how many more times would El Pam's party encounter Leviathan going forward?
On the other hand, there were clear risks.
El Pam would step in during dire moments, but adventures always carried the potential for worst-case scenarios.
'But now's the time to test their limits.'
Even so, El Pam had orchestrated this to gauge his comrades' limits.
It was crucially important.
The world El Pam would soon face was utterly different from the one he remembered.
Everything would be.
To make decisions in such circumstances, he needed to know his comrades' limits precisely.
And once he knew those limits, he'd devise plans accordingly.
In other words, El Pam was certain.
'They can't beat it without me.'
He'd have to step in eventually.
*Groooar!*
At that moment, an eerie roar echoed overhead as a shadow began to blanket El Pam's party.
"It's Leviathan!"