Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: 17. Goldrich (3)
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“El Pam’s party from the Gapor Merchant Group has entered Jack Rich’s Tomb!”
That news quickly reached the port city of Lith, entering the ears of executives from the top ten merchant groups.
The expressions of those who heard it all hardened.
There was only one exception.
“Ebob, sir.”
Beiju, an executive of the Kania Merchant Group, smiled at the news.
“The rat has walked into the trap on its own.”
The El Pam party they wanted to kill had gone straight into hell.
Moreover, it wasn’t just any hell.
“The place where they spread the curse to kill Jack Rich.”
The place where the Black Mage’s followers had schemed powerfully to kill Gold Rich’s second son.
In a sense, it was the most difficult orange-grade Mystic Gate.
And only five people had entered that place?
They were bound to die.
“He’s survived time and again.”
“Yes?”
But Ebob was not satisfied with that fact.
Instead, he thought.
“He must have prepared something this time too.”
“Prepared... you mean...”
“The Gapor Merchant Group could send a rescue team under the pretext of saving the El Pam party. That could be their aim.”
“Ah!”
At that thought, Beiju’s expression hardened.
If that were the case, it meant the Gapor Merchant Group could fill the party with only their own people.
In fact, the pretext was solid.
In the situation where the El Pam party had entered the Mystic Gate on their own, there was no reason for other adventurers to go in.
In other words, adventurers from other merchant groups had no pretext to enter.
Even for the Kania Merchant Group.
Of course, Ebob had no intention of just sitting back.
“It’ll take quite some time to gather a rescue team. So we move before that.”
He moved.
“Send in the martyrs.”
Martyrs.
The moment that word came out, Beiju’s face hardened.
They were beings the Black Mage’s followers had painstakingly raised.
Noble souls willing to sacrifice their lives to turn the Mystic Gate—and beyond—into hell.
Sending them in meant Ebob truly wanted to drive in the wedge.
In other words, no more exceptions would be tolerated.
“How long until the martyrs arrive?”
“One day is enough.”
“Finish it within half a day.”
“Yes, I’ll finish it within half a day.”
That was why Beiju’s face, as he spoke, bore a look of desperate resolve unlike any before.
‘If El Pam doesn’t die, I die.’
If they failed here, Beiju would have to answer for it with his own life.
A situation that couldn’t help but complicate his mind in every way.
Fortunately, Beiju didn’t have to stake his life.
“B-Beiju, sir.”
“What is it?”
Not even half a day—less than an hour after the news of El Pam—he received word.
“Th-the gate has closed.”
“What?”
7.
Adventurers entering a Mystic Gate were required to have various abilities.
But among them, combat ability was not the most necessary.
“No matter how well an adventurer fights, if they can’t find the exit, they die. Whether from starvation or exhaustion.”
The ability to find the exit.
That was the most important ability for adventurers exploring a Mystic Gate.
So adventurers honed their ability to find Mystic Gates.
Of course, it wasn’t something you could build easily, as the saying went.
First, talent was needed.
The talent to spot hidden pictures quickly, to detect hints or traces of a Mystic Gate in any situation, even in fleeting scenes.
Experience was also necessary.
Beyond the Mystic Gate lay various environments, and even the same forest could be considered an entirely different space if the monsters or trees differed.
That was why.
“Second floor.”
El Pam had found the exit to the second floor in less than an hour.
In that regard, El Pam had the greatest talent and incomparable experience.
‘Artemis’s Eye is far more useful than I thought.’
On top of that, El Pam now possessed an item he hadn’t had even before returning to the past.
As soon as he found the exit, El Pam moved to the second floor.
“A swamp again.”
What the El Pam party faced was the same swamp as the first floor.
A dire situation.
Not only could they not escape the swamp, but the same swamp had appeared again.
Moreover, being the second floor, the monsters here would be incomparably stronger than on the first.
“No one else can enter this Mystic Gate now.”
Decisively, the El Pam party now had to escape this place on their own, without anyone’s help.
Yet, faced with that disaster, the El Pam party showed no despair.
They couldn’t.
“It’s been a while since we hung out with the real boss, but I’m surprised every time. Amazed.”
In front of El Pam’s abilities, any sense of crisis meant nothing.
With him, they were certain they could find the exit of any Mystic Gate.
It was the same now.
The worst situation, but the El Pam party had one thing.
“Let’s quickly find the Jack Rich party, grab the items, and head straight for the exit.”
Only anticipation of obtaining Jack Rich’s legacy.
And they thought that anticipation would soon be fulfilled.
With El Pam’s search abilities, finding the Jack Rich party or the exit would be no problem.
Kyuu!
“Yeah, Mano.”
No, beyond El Pam’s abilities, the El Pam party had another companion, the snail Mano.
“Where are the items? Smells like unique.”
Kyuu!
“That way?”
The snail Mano that tracked items.
For finding the legacy, there was no surer combination.
Kyuu!
“Yeah, that way. Boss! Looks like it found something!”
Even Mano showed an excited reaction, as if it had found something.
Everyone got excited at that reaction.
“This guy really finds items that well?”
“The best.”
“That good?”
“If I had to save either you, Miner, or this guy, I’d save this guy.”
“...You always say stuff like that.”
Especially Miner and Ralph’s eyes changed.
The treasure-mad pirate and the monster who’d kill even the Cygnus Knight Commander for money, in full form.
To the excited group, El Pam said.
“Whether we leave this Mystic Gate depends on Dibo and Kiri.”
“Yes?”
“What do you mean?”
Dibo and Kiri turned their heads to look at El Pam at the sudden words.
To the two, El Pam said.
“We don’t leave until you both open your 3rd Circle.”
At those words, not only Dibo and Kiri, but the rest also looked stunned.
It was that out-of-the-blue.
“Boss, come on.”
“This doesn’t make sense.”
It was also nonsense.
“If we could open the 3rd Circle just by wanting to, we’d have done it already!”
“Exactly. It’s not like I didn’t want to.”
Circle-ups were every adventurer’s dream!
To do it at will?
Of course, El Pam thought differently.
First, the two had consumed many magic stones while hunting monsters in Mystic Gates, so their circles were quite solidified.
‘Dibo has talent.’
Moreover, for the Dibo that El Pam knew, reaching 3rd Circle wasn’t that hard.
‘Kiri can do it too.’
The same for Kiri.
El Pam didn’t know Kiri’s future, but having watched her closely, she had plenty of talent.
“There’s no one here but us.”
So he prepared this stage.
El Pam had no interest in Jack Rich’s legacy to begin with.
“We can monopolize all the monsters.”
His goal was to circle-up here, in this monster-filled place without any interference.
“Boss! That’s not easy!”
Of course, El Pam knew.
“Right. Even if we kill all the monsters, we might fail the circle-up.”
That the monsters here weren’t infinite.
“If we can’t circle-up by the time we wipe out the monsters.”
So he prepared.
“We can’t do party play anymore.”
For the failure case.
At those words, Dibo and Kiri’s expressions hardened.
But El Pam didn’t waver at their looks. Rather, this decision was for their sake.
The time given to El Pam wasn’t abundant, so he had to advance as fast as possible.
‘We need to go to yellow-grade now.’
To more dangerous places.
‘While fighting the Black Mage’s followers.’
With more dangerous foes.
Staying at 2nd Circle by El Pam’s side would be far too dangerous.
And Dibo and Kiri knew that fact.
The moment El Pam spoke, they intuited.
‘If we don’t circle-up here, it’s really over. We won’t be able to keep up even if we want to.’
‘El Pam doesn’t say things twice.’
This wasn’t open to negotiation.
“Fine.”
Dibo was the first to pick up his polearm.
“Let’s do it.”
Kiri did the same.
She too gripped her sword, showing her resolve.
The moment everyone finished their resolve, that was when it happened.
Uwoooo!
With a bizarre howl, one part of the swamp began to writhe.
Soon, the source of the howl revealed itself.
Uwoooo!
“Swamp Mud Monster.”
The identity of the appearing monster was the Swamp Mud Monster—a mud monster emerging from the swamp, covered in mud, just as the name suggested.
A very troublesome monster.
Since it was made of mud, most attacks didn’t work properly. Magic was the same.
Lightning and poison attributes could barely deal damage.
Above all, its size was considerable.
The small ones were 2 meters tall, the large ones over 4 meters.
That massive bulk alone was intimidating, but filled with mud? Getting hit by such a huge mud mass? The physical impact was beyond imagination.
A nightmare for adventurers.
Yet, seeing that monster, Dibo and Kiri’s eyes blazed.
“Come on!”
“Come on!”
The two shouted the same thing simultaneously, and the Swamp Mud Monster gladly responded.
Euuuuh!
Letting out a dragging sound, the Swamp Mud Monster approached Dibo and Kiri, and the two moved.
“I’ll take the front!”
While Dibo faced the Swamp Mud Monster head-on, Kiri swiftly moved to its rear.
At that moment, the Swamp Mud Monster turned its gaze toward Kiri.
“Warrior Leap!”
Then Dibo activated his 2nd Circle Warrior Leap skill.
Dibo, sunk in the swamp, leaped high, in one breath overlooking the Swamp Mud Monster’s head.
“Slash Blaster!”
From that position, Dibo slammed down his polearm with the skill, and the attack embedded straight into the Swamp Mud Monster’s head.
Puhot!
Deeply, like splitting firewood, shattering the Swamp Mud Monster’s head in one go.
Of course, that alone didn’t kill the Swamp Mud Monster.
It was a monster that died only when its magic stone was destroyed.
But the effect of smashing its head was clear.
“Now it can’t see us!”
Hwooung!
Having lost its eyes, nose, and ears, all the Swamp Mud Monster could do was swing its limbs.
Hwooung!
Toward the Swamp Mud Monster flailing its arms randomly like a dance, Kiri’s sword began to move.
Kiri’s sword danced too.
Hwarrr!
Kiri’s sword, infused with the heat of the blazing sun, sliced and pierced the Swamp Mud Monster’s body all too easily.
But the wounds weren’t light.
Kiri’s red-hot sword baked the Swamp Mud Monster’s body, its muddy form.
Like pottery.
Naturally, the pottery-like parts were incomparably weaker than when they were mud.
“Kiri, nice!”
Dibo didn’t miss those spots, smashing them properly with his polearm.
Kwang!
Before the duo’s party play, the Swamp Mud Monster began to crumble faster than expected.
At that sight, now El Pam and the others moved too.
“I’ll help.”
Ralph joined Dibo and Kiri.
Tang!
Meanwhile, Miner’s pistol spat fire.
Toward the gap from Kiri’s wound.
Before the four’s party play, the Swamp Mud Monster began to crumble all too easily.
At the same time, Dibo and Kiri’s concentration heightened.
‘I need to grow. To keep up with the boss.’
‘I don’t want to fall behind here.’
Desperation had been born.
Kung!
Before Dibo and Kiri’s concentration, the Swamp Mud Monster couldn’t hold out long and collapsed.
Of course, the two weren’t satisfied there.
“Boss! Let’s quickly hunt another one!”
“No time to rest.”
Now they were fired up.
Watching the two, El Pam said.
“Beyond expectations.”
At that response, Dibo grinned and said.
“Right? Even you didn’t expect me to fight this well, huh, boss?”
He seemed to think El Pam’s words were praise.
But it wasn’t praise.
“To think you’d circle-up right away.”
“Yes? Huh?”
What El Pam meant by beyond expectations was that they had opened their 3rd Circle after just one battle.
“It appeared?”
“Mine too.”
And not just Dibo—Kiri as well.
The two had opened their 3rd Circles.
A sudden opening.
Of course, the basis was solid.
“Circle-ups happen when you awaken mentally.”
Since circle-ups were achieved by talent and the awakening that unleashed it.
And what had awakened the two was obvious.
“Haha, see? I told you I could do it! Impressive, right? Huh? Even you think it’s amazing, boss? You saw me circle-up in one go, right?”
Desperation.
“Looks like you’ve had it easy until now.”
In other words, they hadn’t felt it before.
“Yes? No, boss, is that how it is?”
“If a mere change in mindset lets you circle-up, it means you’ve had it easy.”
“Uh, well, that is...”
In a way, it was natural.
They had El Pam. El Pam had made their sense of crisis and desperation fade.
‘This I didn’t expect.’
Even for El Pam, this situation was outside his predictions.
Of course, it wasn’t a big issue.
Now, they’d feel desperation whether they wanted to or not.
Above all, the result was what mattered.
‘Now everyone’s at 3rd Circle.’
They were ready for the next stage.
‘No reason to stay here.’
Now they just had to go.
That was the moment.
Kung!
“Huh? What?”
An intense shaking, incomparable to anything before, struck the El Pam party.
Kung!
“Earthquake?”
Like a giant stomping the ground.
Kung!
“...My god, is that a Swamp Mud Monster?”
At the origin of the shocks was a Swamp Mud Monster.
One a whopping 10 meters tall.
“Swamp Mud Monsters max out at 4 meters?”
“I’ve never heard of one that big.”
“This is insane, what the hell is this place?”
Everyone felt bewilderment. By their common sense, a 10-meter Swamp Mud Monster shouldn’t exist.
But El Pam was the exception.
He knew.
‘They used martyrs to kill Jack Rich.’
That the Black Mage’s followers had a way to shatter that common sense.