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Chapter 102: Pharaoh (5)
10.
Most adventurers weren’t trained to fight other adventurers.
No one wanted to learn, and no one wanted to teach.
That’s why the Black Mage’s followers were so terrifying.
Even adventurers who were good at defeating monsters were easily defeated by other adventurers.
Moreover, the Black Mage’s followers didn’t just openly attack.
They waited in hiding, biding their time, and ambushed at crucial moments, ready to die together.
Very few adventurers in Maple World were accustomed to such surprise attacks.
In other words, the same was true for the Black Mage’s followers.
They were used to ambushing, but not being ambushed.
“Gah!”
That’s why Divo was able to take out Rick’s subordinates with surprising ease.
Of course, it wasn’t just because the Black Mage’s followers were weak to surprise attacks.
Divo had been taught.
By none other than El Pam, the most technically skilled adventurer in Maple World.
And Divo wasn’t the only one who had received this training.
“Headshot!”
“Solar Slash!”
Minerv with her musket and Kiri with her flaming sword.
Wham!
And Ralph with his fists.
All three tracked down Rick’s subordinates with surprising speed and eliminated them.
“Ralph, why are you, a healer, at the front lines?”
“So I can loot items one second faster, isn’t that right?”
They were overflowing with confidence.
“I envy your confidence.”
“It’s not confidence. Isn’t every item precious right now?”
Of course, they weren’t truly confident.
Far from it, the current situation was dire.
“If we want to survive here without Rick’s party from now on.”
Until now, everyone, including El Pam’s party, had relied heavily on Rick’s party’s strength.
This Pharaoh Snake hunting plan was only possible because they believed in Rick’s party’s abilities.
But to exclude Rick’s party?
It was like playing chess without the queen.
It was a completely different game.
And it wasn’t just that the queen suddenly disappeared.
“Let’s hope the boss takes care of him first. That damn bastard.”
They had to eliminate the queen.
That was their biggest worry.
‘We might fail.’
Divo and the others believed there was a high chance El Pam wouldn’t be able to defeat Rick.
It wasn’t that they underestimated El Pam’s skills.
‘No, the chances of failure are high.’
‘Rick, he’s a monster.’
It was simply that the abilities Rick had shown were extraordinary.
‘Leader, why did he give such an absurd item to that monster?’
There was even El Pam’s gift, a pair of wings, firmly attached to Rick’s back.
In such a situation, it would be strange to have high hopes of winning.
‘What’s certain is, if we fail…’
And if they missed Rick?
‘We might really all die.’
From then on, all the adventurers here would be fighting with a time bomb in their chests.
Even if Rick didn’t do anything, just being aware of him could drive them to a nervous breakdown.
That’s why El Pam’s comrades said,
‘We should have gone together.’
They should have joined forces and caught Rick first.
But El Pam shook his head at that.
Against Rick, who could use lightning magic, especially Thunderbolt, having multiple people attack would only put them in danger.
It was a valid point, so El Pam decided to face Rick alone.
But now, worry was inevitable.
“Damn it, why did the boss give him that item and make things so difficult? Huh?”
Divo grumbled a little.
“Huh? If he had just given him a decent item, we wouldn’t have to worry like this, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you should be sorry! Huh? Huh?”
Just then.
“Bo, Boss?”
El Pam appeared.
“Sorry for making you worry unnecessarily.”
“Th, That’s…”
Divo was bewildered by his appearance.
“Haha, no way. I was just saying that. More than that, you look fine?”
Divo changed the subject, his eyes narrowing.
Not just Divo, but everyone’s eyes narrowed.
‘He looks fine?’
Was it possible to look fine after facing Rick, the Lightning Master?
Everyone thought,
“Boss, by any chance?”
“Change of plans.”
El Pam’s following words confirmed their thoughts.
‘He failed.’
El Pam had failed to catch Rick.
No one was disappointed or discouraged by this fact.
Rather, everyone thought,
‘At least he’s safe.’
They were just relieved that El Pam had returned without any major injuries, despite the failure.
“According to the plan, we were supposed to hunt the remaining monsters for ten days after hunting Rick’s party. But the situation has changed.”
“Yes, we need to catch Rick first. Isn’t that the priority? Trust me! I’ll shove this polearm right into that bastard’s head!”
El Pam looked at Divo, who was readily expressing his determination.
With a look that said he didn’t understand what Divo was talking about.
Divo’s face hardened as if he sensed something strange.
El Pam told him,
“The plan has changed. We’re shortening the schedule from ten days to five.”
What had changed?
“Huh?”
With that explanation, everyone, including Divo, had blank expressions on their faces.
It was impossible to understand.
The most confusing part was,
“Wait a minute, Boss! What about Rick?”
Instead of answering, El Pam showed his finger, and everyone saw it.
Zeus’s Ring.
Clear evidence.
But that didn’t explain everything.
Originally, El Pam’s party planned to quietly take care of Rick and then hunt monsters for ten days.
In other words, they were going to hide Rick’s demise from Pir and the others for ten days and proceed with the plan.
It was natural.
The moment they revealed that Rick’s party had been wiped out, everyone, including Pir, would panic.
Ignorance is bliss.
In other words, El Pam’s party also needed ten days to eliminate most of the monsters here.
At least.
But to shorten it to five days?
“Boss, I understand you caught Rick. But shortening it to five days, is that possible?”
“Normally, it’s impossible.”
El Pam knew how absurd it sounded.
“But with this, it’s a different story.”
In other words, what El Pam had obtained was that kind of item.
“Isn’t that a gold fragment?”
“It’s a fragment of Astrape.”
“A fragment of Astrape?”
“A fragment of Zeus’s lightning spear. When possessed, it doubles the damage of all lightning magic.”
“Huh?”
An item beyond common sense.
“Double the damage?”
Lightning magic, already more powerful than other magic, with double the damage?
Of course, it wasn’t all good.
“The mana consumption has also doubled.”
It came with a price, but it was a price they didn’t even consider.
‘The boss’s lightning magic with double damage?’
Moreover, El Pam had that.
‘That Thunderbolt?’
Psychokinesis.
At that moment, El Pam’s comrades no longer questioned the plan he had mentioned.
“Then let’s start hunting.”
11.
“Ah.”
On the fifth day of the monster extermination hunt, Pir let out a long sigh.
It wasn’t common.
Pir was a man of stronger will than anyone else. He wouldn’t even flinch at most things.
Even when all his comrades died, he focused on his mission without wavering.
But this time was different.
“Another one.”
In front of him lay the corpse of his comrade.
Not just a dead comrade, but one he had killed with his own hands.
It was because of the Pharaoh Snake’s venom.
His comrade had been poisoned and turned into a Pharaoh Snake mummy, and Pir had no choice but to kill him.
The stress it caused was on a completely different level compared to when a comrade simply died.
“This makes it the fourth.”
Moreover, this wasn’t the first time.
It was only possible because it was Pir.
Other comrades couldn’t even think straight, let alone attack, when faced with a comrade turned enemy by the venom.
And that was natural.
Pir’s comrades weren’t just adventurers, but Cross Hunters, comrades willing to give their lives for each other.
Stabbing such a comrade in the chest?
Killing them was a feat in itself.
That was why Pir sighed.
‘We’re holding on, but the others…’
If it was this hard for him, it couldn’t be easy for the other parties.
His only consolation was one thing.
‘It’s fortunate that the red smoke hasn’t risen yet.’
The red smoke signal, to be used only in emergencies, hadn’t appeared yet.
In other words, seeing the red smoke meant a real emergency.
It could be seen as a signal that the Mystic Gate raid had failed.
And they had sworn not to make contact until the red smoke rose.
The reason was simple.
‘If they appear without smoke, they’re the enemy.’
They had promised to kill anyone who appeared without using the red smoke signal, assuming they were poisoned by the Pharaoh Snake.
“Pir!”
Just then.
“Red smoke!”
The worst-case scenario began to unfold before their eyes, and Pir’s face hardened.
But there was no hesitation.
“Let’s move.”
When they saw the red smoke, they would gather. That was the only thing they had to do now.
Waiting for Pir’s party as they moved was El Pam’s party.
Pir was surprised by this.
‘El Pam’s party?’
As far as he knew, El Pam’s party was just as capable as Rick’s party.
Moreover, all the members of El Pam’s party were safe.
Then why did they set off the red smoke?
“Pir.”
El Pam answered his question.
“Rick’s party were followers of the Black Mage.”
“What?”
Pir’s mind went blank upon hearing those words.
Then his face turned pale.
‘Oh my God.’
It was the worst situation he could imagine, far exceeding the worst-case scenario.
‘That Rick?’
The most powerful people here had become the most dangerous.
Of course, there was the question.
“Are you sure?”
The question of the truth of El Pam’s words.
Cross Hunters had thoroughly investigated Rick before recruiting him.
There was no connection to the Black Mage’s followers anywhere.
“There’s no proof.”
El Pam said briefly.
“I can only stake my name on it.”
Those words were absurd.
But Pir was convinced by them.
He knew that El Pam was not someone who would play games or tricks with something like this.
Even if he were playing tricks, that wasn’t what they needed to discuss now.
They had to revise their plan, assuming Rick’s party were followers of the Black Mage.
“Then we need to take care of Rick’s party first.”
Pir’s expression hardened as he spoke.
He said it, but how were they supposed to catch Rick’s party?
‘Half will die.’
Even if they caught them, they would have to accept at least half the casualties.
“There’s no need to take care of them.”
“What?”
“Because I already did.”
Pir’s mind went blank once again upon hearing El Pam’s words.
“…You took care of them?”
Pir, regaining his senses, spoke in a dazed voice, and El Pam nodded.
“All 18 members of Rick’s party have been eliminated.”
“Phew.”
Pir took a deep breath.
Honestly, his mind was not organized.
He didn’t trust El Pam’s words either.
Regardless of his trust in El Pam, his words were too absurd.
So Pir thought,
‘Let’s make a plan assuming El Pam’s words are true.’
That’s why.
“So we just need to catch the Pharaoh Snake.”
Pir didn’t question it.
Now that Rick’s party was gone, it was only natural to focus on the original plan again.
And what they had to do was simple.
“We’ll eliminate the monsters as we’ve been doing. It’ll be more difficult without Rick’s party.”
El Pam replied to Pir,
“No, we just need to catch the Pharaoh Snake.”
“What?”
“Literally. The remaining monsters have all been eliminated. All that’s left is the Pharaoh Snake.”
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