Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Gambling Table (3)
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5.
"It's a deal. We'll be the bait."
The moment El Pam spoke those words, a surprisingly swift calculation began in the adventurers' minds.
And they could quickly predict it.
What El Pam would say next.
"In exchange, we'll take five unique items."
So when those words came out, Hassan and the other adventurers who heard El Pam's proposal weren't surprised.
Far from it—their eyes grew ice-cold instead.
They knew.
"What nonsense."
They knew El Pam's words weren't even worth considering, let alone listening to.
It was obvious.
Hassan had said it earlier.
"I already told you how many we need."
At least ten people.
And not just any ten—it had to be ten who had completed sufficient training.
They had even internally agreed to recruit more adventurers if needed.
"And you're saying just five of you will play bait?"
It was impossible for El Pam's party.
"Most of you are only 3rd Circle?"
To everyone watching, El Pam's party was the weakest one that had entered this Mystic Gate.
The absolute worst, the kind that common sense said shouldn't have been allowed in at all.
The only reason they had gotten in was one thing.
"Are you banking on that Jack Rich legacy to act so cocky?"
El Pam's party had something special.
But properly utilizing it was another matter entirely.
At any rate, the adventurers' opinions were clear.
They had no desire to entrust their lives to El Pam's party.
Especially not when it meant handing over a unique item for free!
In response to their stance, El Pam replied.
"You're overthinking it."
"Overthinking?"
"We'll draw Head Hector's attention as bait. If we succeed? Everyone just runs for the exit. If we fail, you loot the items from our corpses."
At that proposal, Hassan and the others changed their expressions.
They began weighing the once-unthinkable option.
Around that time, El Pam glanced at Dibo.
Dibo tilted his head at the look.
*Why are you looking at me?*
But the others were different.
The moment Hassan and the adventurers followed El Pam's gaze to Dibo, they instantly understood.
*Jack Rich's legacy!*
What El Pam meant by "loot the items."
In that instant, the weighing stopped.
"Can you really do it?"
They asked, and El Pam answered.
"As I said, whether we can or not doesn't matter. If we fail, you draw lots then. Let me repeat: our party has no interest in drawing lots. Give one unique item per party, and we'll gladly be the bait. And we'll choose which unique items."
The reaction to those follow-up words was different.
Handing over just any unique item was one thing.
But letting them choose?
"Are you joking?"
It was impossible.
"We're not asking for too much. Strengthening our party's power is key for this bait operation. In other words, we'll only take items we can use. My companions are 3rd Circle openers."
But the explanation that followed convinced them.
"We'll exclude unique items with 4th Circle or higher skills from the options. No thief items either, since our party has no thieves."
The stronger the bait, the higher the success rate.
In that situation, El Pam landed the finishing blow.
"Let me say it again: we're not taking them for keeps. If we fail, just recover them."
6.
El Pam's proposal prompted Hassan and the 3rd Floor survivors to start discussing among themselves.
El Pam's party did the same.
"Boss! Where does this come from out of nowhere? Huh?"
El Pam's proposal had come without warning.
Naturally, Dibo voiced his complaints.
"You're saying we become bait all of a sudden? Is that even sane?"
"Too dangerous."
Kiri sided with him.
"Yeah, way too risky. We don't even know the full situation yet."
Miner agreed.
"Exactly. Extremely dangerous."
Even Ralph stepped in.
The other three companions were surprised by that.
*Him?*
Ralph, who should have been thrilled at the haggling opportunity to make money?
"We could've gotten five unique items plus a million mesos per person. At least 200 million mesos."
Of course, after hearing that, the three weren't surprised anymore.
At any rate, their complaints were valid.
They didn't know the situation here, what kind of monster Head Hector was, or how many Hectors there were.
Of course, they understood El Pam's intent.
"Strengthening our power with unique items would change things, sure."
Why El Pam was demanding unique items.
Opportunities to properly bolster their strength didn't come easily.
"But don't we need to strengthen up precisely because we can't handle it as is?"
But interpreted differently, it meant even El Pam thought their current power was insufficient.
It wouldn't be easy!
El Pam responded clearly to Dibo's outburst.
"You're right, it won't be easy."
The other four's expressions hardened at his words.
El Pam had always shown them one thing.
Confidence.
*The boss thinks it's this tough?*
Confidence that if they trusted him, he'd deliver.
*Is it really that bad?*
This was the first time he'd emphasized the difficulty so much.
"We have to risk our lives. But we still have to do it. If we draw the short straw in the lots, we'll have to step up without any strengthening."
And with those follow-up words, they all realized.
*That's it.*
Why El Pam had made the proposal.
*Better to secure items and bolster our power than rely on luck with the lots.*
El Pam had chosen to raise their survival odds even a little, rather than betting on luck to avoid the draw.
Around then.
"El Pam."
Hassan spoke to El Pam on behalf of the remaining adventurers.
"Deal. Choose your unique items."
7.
Things moved quickly.
Selecting the items was done in no time.
Not expensive ones, but ones that could immediately strengthen their power.
"Five confirmed."
Two for Kiri, two for Ralph, one for Miner—a total of five items.
It was an enormous haul.
El Pam's party now had at least two unique items per member.
Of course, it wasn't free.
Far from it—the moment the item transfer was complete, Hassan said with colder eyes than ever.
"Lure Head Hector at least a kilometer from the exit. We won't move until then."
It was a warning.
A warning to faithfully play the role of live bait now.
Leaving that warning behind, Hassan's party and the other adventurers withdrew.
Quickly.
Once the adventurers were gone and only El Pam's party remained, Dibo finally spoke.
"Man, they vanished like ghosts. Ghosts, I tell you. Guess they really don't wanna die."
Dibo grinned as he spoke.
"Let's do this for real."
A forced grin.
"It won't be easy."
A smile despite knowing the worst-case scenario.
And it wasn't just Dibo.
None of the others wore grim or tense faces. They all smiled.
"Well, when has it ever been easy?"
"Hey, enough. Back in my day, I dealt with shit way worse than this. Quit whining."
"We got paid what we deserved. Danger comes with the mesos."
They all smiled with resolve.
"Boss, say something cool."
To them, El Pam said.
"It'll be easy."
"Yes, of course. Easy, right? E-easy?"
Dibo blinked in shock and asked back.
"W-what?"
"Nothing difficult about it."
"N-no, what are you talking about? Just moments ago you said it'd be extremely tough, not easy at all!"
El Pam replied to the retort.
"That was a lie."
The "not easy" line had been an act.
"With the other adventurers listening, I couldn't say it'd be easy or the haggling wouldn't work."
The moment they heard the reason, all his companions stared at El Pam in stunned silence.
That was when.
"Hey, enough."
Miner chuckled.
"No need for that. We get it—no need to worry about us. You think we'd flinch at something like this?"
They thought El Pam had said it to encourage them.
And it made sense.
No matter how you sliced it, luring thousands of Hectors and their leader, Head Hector, wasn't easy.
But El Pam was different.
"Now we'll lay out a route. And place pouches filled with Hector blood along that route."
He explained.
"Then, from two kilometers away, I'll plant Apollo's Arrows into Head Hector. One in the right eye, one in the left."
His plan.
"That'll enrage it. At that point, Miner will sequentially attack and burst the blood pouches along each route. The blood scent will draw Head Hector and the Hector pack along. We'll naturally guide them in the direction we want."
Hearing the plan, El Pam's party members could instantly visualize it in their heads—and the moment they did, thoughts of "it's too hard" vanished.
El Pam could do it.
His Apollo's Arrows could deal effective damage to Head Hector from that distance, and he could hit both eyes.
"The pack's goal is to protect their king. The instant the king is attacked, their behavior becomes extremely simple. You can be sure—they'll instinctively follow the scent of their comrades' blood."
Using the blood scent would lure the Hector pack and Head Hector.
"Whoa."
At that point, Dibo let out an exclamation.
"As expected of the boss!"
In the end, El Pam had turned this "easy" task into five unique items.
"Amazing!"
Of course, the greatest joy was not having to risk danger.
For adventurers, nothing mattered more than their own lives, no matter the item.
"Like the boss said, nothing tough about it now."
Smiles of leisure naturally formed on their lips.
"Escaping won't be hard."
"Of course."
"The problem comes after."
"Huh? Problem? There's a problem?"
To them, El Pam said.
"After everyone else escapes, we stay behind and hunt Head Hector."
Not just running away with them—they planned to hunt that absurd boss monster.
"Huh? No, why?"
Dibo freaked out.
Inciting rage to lure it was like playing with a child; fighting it was like barehanding a beast. Worlds apart.
Utterly different.
Hunting it would inevitably mean taking on thousands of Hectors too!
It was dangerous.
Even for El Pam, it was dangerous.
El Pam knew it.
"Yeah, not easy."
"Then why do it?"
But El Pam's reason for tackling the tough job was simple.
"The gambling table is still in play."