LIGHTNOVELONLINE [Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 74: Time Attack (4)
10.
“It’s only natural for adventurers to seek treasure.”
In the world of adventurers, no one would call treasure-seeking adventurers materialistic.
It was obvious.
“The history of adventurers is also a history of greed.”
Behind all the great adventures, the adventures that surprised the world, there was the adventurer’s greed, their desire for wealth.
“Greed removes the limits in an adventurer’s mind.”
That was why.
“So, we shouldn’t expect a normal situation within this Mystic Gate.”
El Pam, the reason he chose to stay on the first floor of the Mystic Gate.
“There will be fierce, even cutthroat, competition happening at the front.”
El Pam’s companions nodded at his words.
But there was still a dubious look on their faces.
It was by no means that they doubted El Pam.
“No, but even so, would it be that bad? Aren’t the conditions quite harsh in many ways?”
It was true that this Mystic Gate wasn’t just about clearing it.
“We have to do it within a week. If adventurers are rational, they’ll cooperate to some extent.”
“Right, and we have to find the items, right? It’s a treasure hunt. Fighting can wait.”
“Fighting recklessly doesn’t seem like it would be profitable.”
The conditions for clearing were difficult in many ways.
“Logically, that’s right.”
El Pam didn’t deny it either.
“If they didn’t know the value of Legendary rank items.”
However, this time it was different from common sense.
“If they didn’t know its value, they would never have accepted this request. The only ones here are those who know its value.”
At least the adventurers here valued Legendary rank items more than anyone else.
‘If it were only that, it wouldn’t matter.’
Of course, what El Pam considered most dangerous was something else.
‘Queen Areda won’t just sit still.’
11.
She was a truly beautiful woman.
Her skin was like white jade, her black eyes like jewels, and her abundant golden hair shone like a halo.
She was blindingly beautiful.
It was no exaggeration.
“Queen Areda.”
Her name was Areda, and her beauty actually blinded the king of Ariant, a great kingdom in Maple World.
And in return for blinding him, he gave everything, everything the king held, to Queen Areda.
“Ivok.”
Kneeling before her was Ivok, the former leader of the Kania Guild.
It was something that would surprise the world.
But there was nothing strange between the two of them.
“I’ve heard the story.”
They were under the same banner.
“From Will.”
Will, the Black Mage’s closest confidant and one of the Commanders who led the Black Mage’s followers!
Queen Areda and Ivok were united under the Black Mage’s banner.
Of course, their positions weren’t the same.
“You failed?”
“I apologize.”
Queen Areda, her position was higher than Ivok’s within their organization.
The implications of that weren’t simple.
“Will said he would entrust me with the judgment on you.”
It meant that Ivok’s fate was in Queen Areda’s hands.
That was why Ivok had walked the long road from Lith Harbour to the capital of the Ariant Kingdom and knelt.
“I will give you a chance.”
He had to do it to survive.
“Kashan, that child is moving against me. He’s not my biological child, but it still hurts my heart that my child is trying to harm me. Is there no way?”
His worth.
“I’ve heard the whole story. I’ll give you my best card.”
And Ivok did his best for that.
“I’ve prepared Killer Bee.”
Killer Bee!
The moment that name was mentioned, Queen Areda’s jewel-like eyes narrowed.
It was a name she couldn’t not know.
It was one of the seven cards Ivok held.
Naturally, he wasn’t an ordinary adventurer.
“Giant Slayer Killer Bee?”
Giant Slayer.
He was the holder of the title ‘Giant Slayer,’ a title awarded only to adventurers who hunted the boss monster ‘Sunset Giant’ found beyond Orange-rank Mystic Gates.
It wasn’t a small title.
However, it wasn’t exactly a prestigious one either.
It meant that the title alone wouldn’t make Killer Bee a valuable card for Ivok.
Still, there was a reason Queen Areda was interested in this ‘Giant Slayer’ title.
“Yes, Killer Bee here earned the title ‘Giant Slayer’ in his 1st Circle.”
The fact that he hunted a boss monster normally targeted by 3rd Circle adventurers while he himself was only in 1st Circle was impressive.
Of course, he hadn’t done it alone.
He achieved this by joining a party of 3rd Circle adventurers.
Even then, it wasn’t an ordinary feat. Just for a 1st Circle adventurer to enter an Orange-rank Mystic Gate, let alone a 2nd Circle one, was a remarkable accomplishment.
“He played a crucial role in hunting the Sunset Giant back then.”
Crucially, Killer Bee wasn’t just a lucky addition to the party; he was a core member who significantly contributed to their success.
The reason why this was possible for a 1st Circle adventurer was simple.
“I’ve heard the stories. A prodigy of poison magic.”
The magic he wielded was none other than poison.
In any case, he was a highly skilled adventurer.
Currently a 4th Circle mage adventurer, Killer Bee always flawlessly completed missions under Ivok’s command.
Queen Areda acknowledged that too.
“Hmm.”
However, she wasn’t satisfied.
The situation demanded more.
First, their opponent was Prince Kashan, no ordinary figure.
“But is that all you have? I heard even Viper Nir fell too easily.”
Ivok’s abilities were clearly being questioned. If he were such a formidable figure, he wouldn’t be kneeling here.
Ivok understood that.
“There were three Hydra’s Fangs given to me by Will, and I lost one with Viper Nir. So, I only have two left.”
And so, he revealed them.
“I gave both of them to Killer Bee.”
“Oh ho?”
Queen Areda finally reacted. Giving away two Legendary rank items wasn’t a common occurrence.
However, that was all. Queen Areda merely showed a flicker of interest.
For her, who controlled the vast stage of the Ariant Kingdom, Legendary rank items weren’t all that impressive.
“Finally, I gave him the Luminous’ Bracelet, a relic from Luminous’ collection.”
“The Luminous’ Bracelet?”
But the moment Luminous’ name was mentioned, Queen Areda’s eyes widened.
And with good reason.
“One of the Six Heroes?”
Luminous was a towering figure even in the long history of Maple World. It was only natural for Queen Areda to be intrigued.
“But what does the Luminous’ Bracelet have to do with Killer Bee? Luminous was a light and darkness magic user.”
On the other hand, there was confusion. “Isn’t Killer Bee a poison magic user?”
Ivok smiled at the question.
“The Luminous’ Bracelet enhances the user’s psychokinesis. Very powerfully. That’s why it’s a collector’s item. Luminous didn’t use it, but it was too dangerous to release into Maple World.”
A confident smile.
“And Killer Bee, he can use two types of magic attributes. Poison and psychokinesis. That’s why he’s Killer Bee.”
And he had a right to smile like that.
“He uses the most powerful poison magic. And he accurately hits his targets with poison arrows created with psychokinesis. There’s no such thing as failure with Killer Bee’s poison arrows.”
Ivok could say it with confidence.
“I guarantee it. There’s no one who can handle psychokinesis and another attribute magic more perfectly than him right now.”
12.
Screech!
Lupins.
They were giant monkey monsters, incredibly ferocious and quite a headache for adventurers.
There were two reasons why they were a nuisance.
One, they roamed in large groups, ranging from dozens to as many as a thousand!
Screech screech!
The second reason they were troublesome was that the Lupin monkey monsters knew how to use projectiles as a means of attack.
This was quite a terrifying aspect.
Even a simple stone could become a deadly weapon when thrown.
Moreover, the Lupin monsters were much stronger than most adventurers. Getting hit by a stone they threw wasn’t just painful, it could make your eyes roll back if it hit your head properly.
Also, being monkeys, Lupins naturally had the ability to climb tall trees with ease.
Screeeeeech!
And as mentioned before, Lupins often roamed in groups of dozens or even hundreds.
When that overwhelming number started throwing stones from the trees, adventurers usually had the same thought.
What do we do?
Veterans were no different.
In such a situation, there was usually only one choice.
Run!
In fact, there was no other choice. The only way was to run first and then assess the situation.
However, saying “usually” meant there were exceptions.
El Pam’s party was one such exception.
They didn’t run.
There was no reason to.
Fwoosh!
El Pam’s Fire Arrows were eliminating the Lupins that filled the trees.
And it wasn’t just elimination.
Fwoosh!
It was fast.
Squeak!
The Lupins didn’t even have time to let out a proper death cry.
Swish!
The arrows accurately targeted and brought down the Lupins hiding in the dizzying maze of trees.
It was a sight to behold.
Of course, the Lupins weren’t fools either.
Screeeeee!
With their companions in the trees being mercilessly hunted down, the Lupins descended to the ground.
Then, they charged towards El Pam with all their might.
Thud thud thud!
The sight of roughly three hundred Lupins charging in a horde was overwhelming.
It was literally overwhelming.
“Bring it on!”
But the momentum of the Lupin horde was brutally crushed in front of El Pam’s companions, including Divo with his giant polearm.
Crack!
Lupins were crushed like mud under Divo’s polearm and sliced like paper before Kiri’s sword.
Smash!
They shattered like sand under Ralph’s fists.
Bang!
And the Lupins who barely survived such an onslaught became targets for Minerv’s golden eyes.
It was instantaneous.
The annihilation of five hundred Lupins.
Divo grinned at the sight.
Not only was the hunt easy, but what made Divo smile was the result.
“It’s a Magic Stone field, a Magic Stone field.”
The overflowing Magic Stones from these monsters were an indescribable treasure for adventurers.
“We were right to stay behind like the boss said. It’s a Lupin field, a field!”
Indeed, everyone’s third circles were much darker than before.
“At this rate, we’ll be 4th Circle soon.”
Of course, they wouldn’t actually become 4th Circle that quickly.
For most 3rd Circle adventurers, the process of strengthening their Circle was easy.
It was so easy that consistently clearing Mystic Gates and absorbing Magic Stones for about a year would yield results.
However, the number of adventurers who actually reached 4th Circle was only about 10 percent of the total.
That’s what reaching 4th Circle meant.
“Reaching 4th Circle my ass.”
“Golden Eye, why are you being so negative?”
It meant that killing tens or hundreds of thousands of these miscellaneous monsters was meaningless.
“Negative? I’m just being realistic.”
There were only two things that mattered.
“To unlock 4th Circle, you need either a special boss monster’s Magic Stone or an awakening.”
Neither of these could be achieved simply by working hard.
Minerv was proof of that.
“I’ve been stuck at 3rd Circle for months now.”
Even she, a disciple of Captain Kyrin and recipient of tremendous support, had spent considerable time facing the wall of 4th Circle.
That was why everyone scoffed at El Pam’s words, his promise to help them unlock 4th Circle.
“It’s not something someone can just give you.”
It was impossible in the first place.
But El Pam was clear about it.
“It’s not impossible.”
“What?”
He wasn’t lying, he insisted.
“No, Boss? Weren’t you just trying to encourage us?”
“There’s no need to say such things just for encouragement.”
Everyone tilted their heads at El Pam’s demeanor.
So, he was serious?
“Hey, is that even possible?”
Minerv was the most sensitive to this revelation.
“How?”
As mentioned before, she was stuck at the wall of 4th Circle, and even Captain Kyrin couldn’t help her break through.
But El Pam could do it?
The only possibility was if he had a special Magic Stone.
“Don’t tell me… you have a Dragon’s Heart?”
“No way.”
But that special Magic Stone, the Dragon’s Heart, couldn’t possibly be in El Pam’s possession.
“Even if I had it, I couldn’t use it to unlock 4th Circle.”
Moreover, the Dragon’s Heart was too precious to be used for something like creating a 4th Circle adventurer.
Then, there was only one option left.
“All you need is an awakening.”
Going the conventional way.
Everyone laughed again at that.
They all knew.
What awakening meant.
“To achieve that awakening, you have to reach your limit.”
They knew exactly what El Pam was talking about.
That’s why they laughed even harder.
“Yeah, right. All we have to do is face death.”
“So, you’ll experience that here.”
“Huh?”
Everyone tilted their heads at El Pam’s words.
“Here?”
“It’s not a bad place. There are no other adventurers here except us. No variables.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
It was hard to understand.
“I don’t think we can experience a life-or-death situation against mere Lupins.”
The idea that they would face death here.
“The four of you will party play.”
El Pam’s next words were met with the same reaction.
“Um, Boss. I’m sorry, but…”
Obviously, El Pam’s absence would be a huge loss of power.
“Will that be enough?”
But even without El Pam, the four of them were more than enough to handle the Lupins here.
El Pam knew that too.
“It will be.”
But he wasn’t worried.
“From now on, I’ll be targeting the four of you.”
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]