Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: 15. Mushmom (1)
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1.
“The relationship between adventurers and monsters is like rock-paper-scissors. There’s a matchup advantage. And usually, adventurers hold the upper hand. No adventurer throws out paper when rock comes up.”
Adventurers say.
“That’s why the Mystic Gate is so dangerous. You never know what your opponent will play. Of course, seasoned veterans prepare for every possibility in their own way. Nine times out of ten, those preparations pay off.”
They say you inevitably run into them while adventuring in the Mystic Gate.
“In other words? One out of ten times, you face a nightmare matchup.”
The worst possible moment.
“For example, Zombie Mushrooms.”
And the prime example among them was the Zombie Mushroom.
To begin with, the Zombie Mushroom itself was an incredibly tough monster to take down.
Normal monsters would die from excessive bleeding if you severed their limbs, but Zombie monsters could only be reliably killed by destroying their magic stones.
Over time, they’d regenerate using the unique vitality of mushrooms, swelling their ranks back up.
“Especially for pirates, Zombie Mushrooms are like poison to rats.”
And the most headache-inducing for them were pirates.
The reason was simple.
“There’s no weapon as useless against Zombie Mushrooms as a gun.”
Guns were valuable precisely because they could deal lethal damage no matter where they hit.
But Zombie Mushrooms were different.
Even if their bodies were riddled with bullet holes, as long as the magic stone was intact, they could keep moving.
For pirates, who already had to wait out cooldowns between shots, wasting time endlessly, it was the worst-case scenario.
Of course, not every pirate struggled like that.
Bang!
Golden Eye Minar.
Her gunshot pierced straight through the Zombie Mushroom’s forehead, right at the magic stone.
Incredible penetration!
But the abilities she could unleash didn’t end there.
“Magnum Shot.”
Magnum Shot, the skill that unleashed a barrage of bullets without respite.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And with every burst from her gun, a hole punched through another Zombie Mushroom’s forehead.
Astonishing accuracy!
Golden Eye, who had never once missed her target—that was why Minar had earned that moniker.
And she wasn’t the only one.
The pirates with her were far from a ragtag bunch.
Suited to the Mystic Gate era, her party included adventurers from a variety of classes.
Thanks to that, Minar’s party could properly fight back against the sudden Zombie Mushroom assault.
Screeeee!
“Damn it!”
But the casualties were worse than expected.
It was unavoidable.
“There’s too many!”
The horde of Zombie Mushrooms charging at them was so vast that counting them was pointless.
Like a tidal wave.
On top of that, their surroundings weren’t favorable.
The forest, shrouded in darkness thick enough to block out the moonlight, was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for adventurers.
Bang!
In the end, when the gunfire tapered off, Minar could see it.
“Casualties?”
“…Five dead.”
Out of 70 subordinates, five killed.
A dismal scorecard for their first battle.
Even more dismal was that this was just the beginning.
What might happen next was too terrifying to even imagine.
At this point, the only thing Minar could be sure of was one.
“El Pam’s side must’ve been wiped out.”
2.
Whoosh!
Dibo’s polearm cleaved a Zombie Mushroom clean in half in one stroke.
With it bisected, the orange magic stone was exposed, and Dibo unhesitatingly crushed it underfoot.
Crack!
That was the end.
Silence fell over the fierce battlefield, and in that quiet, Dibo scanned the surroundings.
“Whew.”
A sigh escaped Dibo’s lips.
‘This is no joke.’
Not because the situation was dire—no sigh of despair.
‘Boss is insane.’
The reason for the sigh was El Pam.
‘Unbelievable speed. Taking down thousands of Zombie Mushrooms with just Fire Arrows.’
Along with the sigh, Dibo looked at the Zombie Mushroom right next to him.
That Zombie Mushroom’s body bore only a single wound.
Its forehead, a hole precisely between its eyes—that was it.
‘And he targeted only the magic stones.’
That fact sent chills down Dibo’s spine even more.
Mushroom monsters typically had magic stones between their eyes, but that didn’t mean it was exactly centered.
Not to mention the stones were barely larger than a thumbnail.
Hitting that with a Fire Arrow?
It required pinpointing the exact spot.
Of course, it was possible.
With x-ray magic, you could locate the magic stone instantly.
‘Ralph says using x-ray magic is no joke. Can’t sustain it long.’
But x-ray magic wasn’t something you could spam endlessly like that.
In fact, El Pam hadn’t used it for long.
El Pam only cast x-ray magic for a split second.
About three seconds.
In those three seconds, El Pam scanned the Zombie Mushrooms, pinpointed their magic stones, memorized the positions, and then targeted them.
That was the secret.
A secret no one else could replicate.
Not just talent alone—it required innate genius honed by countless brushes with death.
“Dibo.”
“Yes, Boss.”
And El Pam’s preparations went beyond that.
“How’s the Snow Troll leather armor holding up?”
“Amazing.”
The defensive power of the leather armor from the Snow Trolls El Pam had hunted was astonishing.
It rivaled top-tier steel plate, with none of the weight.
Of course, it wasn’t invincible.
“The Zombie Mushrooms’ teeth can’t even scratch it.”
But the Zombie Mushrooms’ attack power was pathetically weak compared to their hunt difficulty.
“You really came prepared.”
Naturally, El Pam had known about the Zombie Mushrooms and commissioned the Snow Troll leather armor specifically.
“But this must’ve cost a fortune to make. How much per suit?”
“One million meso each.”
“Huh?”
“Rushed production jacked up the price.”
A steep price paid willingly.
For El Pam, it wasn’t a waste at all.
Four suits came to just four million meso.
To him, that was pocket change compared to the value of their lives.
Of course, that was by El Pam’s standards.
“Are you nuts?”
Ralph immediately reacted with shock.
“Spending that much just to craft armor?”
Even if the item itself cost a million meso, that was shocking—but a million just for processing into armor?
Unfathomable by their standards.
No, beyond unfathomable—it was worrisome.
“Boss, can you really afford to burn cash like that?”
“No issue.”
El Pam wasn’t concerned.
“I’ll get reimbursed after the adventure.”
“Huh? Reimbursed? From who?”
El Pam fixed Dibo with a steady gaze at his question.
His eyes said it all.
Who would foot the bill.
“Take it off if you don’t like it.”
Of course, no one removed their armor.
They’d felt it.
In this place, the Snow Troll leather armor was as good as their lives—discarding it meant throwing away survival.
“Aw, no way.”
Dibo awkwardly chuckled to smooth things over.
“So, what’s next?”
He naturally shifted the topic.
“We hunt Zombie Mushrooms.”
No objections to that.
Right now, with El Pam and the others secured by Snow Troll leather armor, and firepower to handle any number of incoming Zombie Mushrooms, they were set.
“Let’s cut loose for real!”
No reason to refuse Zombie Mushroom hunting.
“How many we taking down?”
“All of them.”
“Huh?”
Of course, El Pam had no intention of just casually hunting Zombie Mushrooms.
“Every last one in this area.”
3.
Adventurers’ evaluations of Zombie Mushrooms were brutally low.
Combat was no joke. The pressure from thousands swarming in exceeded any imagination.
“Goddamn, this stench!”
The smell was a problem too. Zombie Mushrooms were mostly reanimated corpses, reeking of rot. Surprisingly, this was lethal. Far beyond wrinkling your nose.
“Urk!”
Head-splitting agony, nausea-inducing.
Worse than most poisons.
“Stay sharp! Not even a scratch!”
They even had poison.
Technically contamination from decayed flesh, but the effect on wounds was no different from venom.
“They’re coming again!”
The endless waves gave no respite.
That too.
“Damn it, and they don’t even drop good loot!”
The effort versus reward sucked.
Normally, magic stones were the bulk of profits from monsters.
But Zombie Mushrooms required destroying the stones to kill, so intact ones were impossible.
Scraping up shards? In a battlefield where survival was iffy? No chance.
That’s why.
“Run!”
Minar had ditched hunting the instant she clocked Zombie Mushrooms.
“Find the exit, fast!”
Only one option: move to the next stage.
Wise choice.
‘Damn, where the hell is it?’
Problem was, no exit in sight.
Finding it was pure luck.
Not skill—pure misfortune if it didn’t show.
“They’re not pursuing anymore.”
“Survivors left?”
“43.”
But the cost of that bad luck was brutally high.
‘Heading to floor 2 like this…’
Weakened forces against even deadlier beasts in the next stage?
Still, they had to move on.
‘If it weren’t Zombie Mushrooms, we’d stand a chance.’
Bad matchup for Minar’s party.
“Take a break.”
Minar’s mind was heavier than ever as they rested.
And rest didn’t last long.
“Tell me when Zombie Mushrooms show.”
“Uh, they’re coming!”
“Damn.”
Zombie Mushrooms didn’t grant much downtime.
Worse still, rest periods would only shrink.
Only way to extend: wipe them out for good.
But Minar’s party was evading and fleeing.
So Minar was certain.
‘Just 30 minutes of solid rest…’
They’d hit again in 30, force another escape.
“Any Zombie Mushrooms nearby?”
“None yet.”
But after 30 minutes, silence lingered around Minar’s party.
“Lucky break.”
Minar called it divine intervention.
“Rest longer.”
“Yes.”
No downside to more rest.
“…How long now?”
“Over an hour.”
When rest hit over an hour, Minar sensed something off.
“Keep resting.”
But she didn’t stop. This sweet reprieve might save them.
“Rest as long as we can.”
She aimed to milk it for all it was worth.
After six hours, even Minar couldn’t rest anymore.
It defied explanation.
“…Form a scout team.”
“How many, who?”
“Me and three others.”
She led three subordinates to scout.
And soon, she saw it.
“Ah.”
Countless Zombie Mushroom corpses littering the forest.
Someone had virtually wiped them all out.
That explained no attacks.
But even with proof staring her down, Minar couldn’t believe it.
Only one culprit possible: El Pam’s party.
‘How?’
A four-man party pulling this off?
Inconceivable.
Amid her bewildered questions, Minar saw.
“You’re late.”
El Pam’s party, stationed at the long-sought exit.