Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Chapter 28. The Prince's Legacy (3)
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6.
El Pam kept his promise.
“There are no more Dark Nependeaths.”
In just twenty minutes, he had created a stage where they no longer needed to worry about Dark Nependeaths.
However, his companions couldn't simply rejoice at that fact.
“So now, let's clean up.”
Now it was their turn to keep their promise.
Of course, there was no one who would refuse that promise.
“Of course. We'll clean it right up.”
El Pam's party advanced toward the now solitary Giant Nependeath without the slightest hesitation.
They even had a plan.
“Kiri and I will cut the stems. Miner, you...”
At this point in time, the most threatening thing was that terrifying stem whip of the Giant Nependeath!
In other words, if they could somehow deal with that stem, the Giant Nependeath's threat would be greatly reduced.
The method itself wasn't difficult.
“Okay. I'll play the bait.”
One person acts as bait to lure the stem, and the others remove it in the meantime.
Of course, just because the method wasn't difficult didn't mean executing it was easy.
Cutting a whip-like incoming stem mid-flight?
It demanded tremendous concentration.
Not to mention, it was an extremely dangerous task where a single mistake could lead straight to a companion's death.
It would feel like your lifespan was shortening with every incoming attack.
“Let's be careful.”
Decisively, the Giant Nependeath right in front of them wasn't just any ordinary Giant Nependeath.
“That thing's probably pissed off right now.”
It was the one trembling with rage at having been toyed with by El Pam.
Splash!
In reality, El Pam's party's hunt for the Giant Nependeath didn't go smoothly at all.
“Damn it, too fast! Goldie! Watch out!”
“Hey, what good does telling me now do!”
It took a full hour just to adapt to the Giant Nependeath's stem attacks.
“Now I can see it.”
“Damn, it shows up fast—I see it!”
In that process, their stamina and concentration were naturally depleted significantly.
To launch an all-out assault in that state?
It was a situation where an accident could happen at any moment.
It was dangerous.
And yet, El Pam simply watched the scene unfold.
He couldn't deal proper damage to the Giant Nependeath with magic, but he was in a position where he could assist in other ways if he wanted.
However, El Pam did not.
‘If they can't even take down the Giant Nependeath, they can't move on to the next stage.’
Now, they had to head to higher ground.
And not just any higher ground.
‘From here on, even basic interference will come from 5th Circle adventurers.’
The opponents they would face there were on a completely different level—and with completely different capabilities—than what they had dealt with so far.
It wasn't just a matter of being strong.
‘The core members of each group.’
In the current era, a 5th Circle adventurer held a solid position in most merchant groups.
So, if they were going to fall apart, it was better to do it here.
At least here, they wouldn't die.
El Pam wasn't the only one who knew that fact.
‘Once we get out of here, it won't be a joke.’
‘Conquering the prince's tomb will bring pressure from all sides.’
‘After we catch this thing and leave, the bastards dying to kill us will come charging.’
El Pam's companions knew they had to prove their own value against the Giant Nependeath.
That was why they endured.
‘We go all the way with the boss.’
‘I can't drop out here.’
‘Just following El Pam will make me a pirate worthy of my master's fame.’
‘My price tag's going up even more. Perfect.’
They didn't want to leave this party.
Splash!
That was why they all willingly threw themselves toward the Giant Nependeath's terrifying stem whips.
Slice!
“Cut it!”
Swoosh!
“I cut mine too!”
And little by little, they began slicing away the Giant Nependeath's stems.
At last, they faced it.
“No more coming out?”
The Giant Nependeath, now without any stems left to swing.
Of course, the Giant Nependeath without its stems was still a fearsome monster. Its massive bulk alone was intimidating, and inside the Giant Nependeath's flower were vicious teeth along with another enormous maw capable of swallowing an adventurer whole in one bite.
“Well then.”
But from the perspective of the adventurers who had fully evaded that terrifying stem whip onslaught, it was laughable.
In fact, El Pam's companions even reached a decision.
“Should we rest up a bit before going in?”
A rest.
A wise choice.
There was no need to push themselves to finish off a Giant Nependeath that had lost its limbs, left only with its poison.
After half a day of rest, the Giant Nependeath held no more terror for El Pam's party.
“Slash Blaster!”
Dibo's swung polearm shattered the Giant Nependeath's body—shattering that tough hide.
“Everyone, fall back! Acid's spilling out!”
Then, the powerful acid that had filled the Giant Nependeath's interior began pouring out.
Psssh!
And that acid started melting the Giant Nependeath's outer surface.
It happened in an instant.
The Giant Nependeath's massive body dissolving away in its own acid.
“Wow.”
Dibo, watching the sight, stuck out his tongue in amazement.
“No joke. What kind of acid is that?”
Who could have imagined it harbored such vicious acid inside?
“The moment you went in, it'd be game over.”
If you'd been grabbed by a stem and shoved inside, you'd have met death without even a chance to act.
In fact, many adventurers had charged in with plans to attack from the inside, but not a single one had succeeded.
“Even getting inside would've been the end.”
It went without saying that none of those who died in there had intact corpses.
Not even bones remained, let alone clothes.
“Items would've melted too.”
No one dared expect items to survive intact in that kind of acid.
In truth, El Pam's party had realized it the moment they laid eyes on the Giant Nependeath.
“The prince's remains are the same.”
They wouldn't achieve everything they wanted from this Mystic Gate conquest.
Of course, it wasn't without gains.
“Well, at least we'll snag a solid title when we head out.”
El Pam's party's fame would soar once more.
“And our skills have definitely leveled up this time.”
Above all, El Pam's party had gained experience that no amount of money could buy.
Everyone was satisfied with that.
“Huh? Boss?”
Everyone except El Pam.
“Boss! It's dangerous there! It's an acid lake!”
El Pam was still walking toward the Giant Nependeath's corpse, overflowing with that vicious acid.
“It's all melted—nothing left!”
He knew.
‘That thing Prince Saleh possessed won't melt.’
What the prince's legacy was.
And finding it wasn't difficult.
“Huh?”
In the acid that melted everything else, that alone remained unmarred, asserting its presence.
“A bracelet?”
A single bracelet glowing red.
“Not ordinary, is it?”
Even at a glance, that red aura didn't look ordinary.
And it truly wasn't.
“It's the Bracelet of Apollo.”
El Pam knew this bracelet.
“The Bracelet of Apollo? Wait, Apollo—as in that small fireball spell you use, boss?”
El Pam's companions also knew the significance Apollo carried.
‘Apollo's fireball is impressive, but the power of this bracelet is even greater.’
Of course, the value of the Bracelet of Apollo far exceeded what his companions imagined.
“What's its ability?”
“It halves the cooldown on all fire-attribute magic.”
“Ah, halves it? Huh?”
The more powerful the magic, the longer its cooldown.
“Wait—halves it?”
Halving such cooldowns—even if limited to fire-attribute—was enormous.
For El Pam alone, it meant he could use his Apollo's Fire Arrow twice as often!
The moment they grasped that fact, El Pam's companions were at a loss for words.
They understood its implications all too well.
“Whoa, as expected of the boss! We'll stick with you to the end!”
And they knew it was an incredibly good thing for them too.
“Nothing to fear anymore.”
El Pam's party's confidence naturally surged.
“Whoever shows up, the boss will just sweep them all away!”
To his companions like that, El Pam said.
“When we exit, the Sand Shadow Group will be waiting for us.”
“Yes? The Sand Shadow Group?”
At those words, his companions' expressions hardened.
The Sand Shadow Group was an organization that opposed the Ariant Kingdom.
Their appearance at an Ariant Kingdom event was hardly a good sign.
In fact, this time too, the Sand Shadow Group had carried out various acts of sabotage.
“But how could they get in? The Malgur Oasis isn't some playground.”
In other words, that was their limit.
The stage known as the Malgur Oasis didn't easily tolerate any one side running wild.
However, there are no absolutes in the world.
“So one of the Sand Shadow Group's executives will be waiting for us.”
If it was an executive from the Sand Shadow Group, that changed things.
“Wait—executive? That's at least 6th Circle, right?”
A 6th Circle adventurer.
Everyone's expressions turned grim at those words.
It was inevitable.
In the present era, 6th Circle adventurers were the real deal—beings on another plane entirely.
It wasn't simply because they had more circles.
The reason they were on another plane was that a significant number of unique items required 6th Circle or higher.
If someone of that caliber stepped forward, even the monsters of the Malgur Oasis would cower.
Of course, doubts remained.
“If it's an executive, the Ariant Kingdom would be hunting them down with fire in their eyes—yet they'd come here?”
The appearance of a Sand Shadow Group executive was no trivial matter.
“Why the hell?”
If they were willing to take that risk, there had to be a reason.
“From the Sand Shadow Group's standpoint, they want to turn Queen Areida's event into the worst one possible. And the simplest way to make it the worst event...”
El Pam explained the reason.
“Is to kill all the survivors.”
Everyone's expressions hardened at his words.
They had barely taken down the Giant Nependeath, only to learn that outside waited a powerhouse who wasn't even comparable, gunning for them.
“Boss.”
And no matter how great El Pam was, producing results against a 6th Circle adventurer was practically impossible.
So everyone thought.
“Let's make a plan. I'll buy some time. Boss, you grab the others and run.”
To escape on the back of someone's sacrifice.
“Dibo, this isn't your fight. I'll handle the negotiations. Even the Sand Shadow Group won't dare touch the Cygnus Knights lightly!”
“Hey, give it up. If I step in, it's done. The Sand Shadow bastards aren't brain-dead enough to openly go to war with the Nautilus. I'll handle the talking.”
And right there, everyone volunteered themselves for sacrifice.
“What if we negotiate with money if needed? We're fully prepared to pay handsomely.”
Even Ralph.
That was the strength of El Pam's party's bond.
Seeing his companions like that, El Pam shook his head.
“No need for that.”
It was something he had already anticipated.
“I have a way.”
Naturally, he had prepared countermeasures.
“As expected of the boss! What's the plan?”
Dibo lit up and asked. In response, El Pam pulled a vial from his inventory and handed it to Dibo.
“Huh? What's this?”
“Poison.”
“Yes? Poison?”
Its identity was none other than a vial of poison.
“Poison used by Hassassins.”
Not just any poison, but the kind wielded by Hassassins.
The sort so vicious that the moment you ingested it, death would follow soon after!
After pulling out more vials and handing them to his companions, El Pam said.
“Before we exit, everyone take one vial.”