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Chapter 80: The Prince’s Tomb (3)
6.
The world was shocked when news broke that the Ariant Kingdom was recruiting adventurers to explore the Prince’s Tomb.
Then, doubt crept in.
“Is this a joke?”
“Someone’s spouting nonsense again.”
They thought it was a lie.
That was the extent of their belief.
“The Prince’s Tomb would never be opened, right?”
It was almost more realistic to think it was a lie. That’s how absurd the story of the Prince’s Tomb was.
So the storm caused by the news of the Prince’s Tomb quickly died down.
“Under the name of Ariant’s great ruler, Abdullah VIII, we are recruiting adventurers to conquer the Prince’s Tomb!”
“Oh my God, it’s real!”
But the moment Abdullah VIII’s name was mentioned, the dying storm roared back to life.
And the storm that returned was even more powerful.
“Abdullah VIII’s name… that means the king is offering a reward, right?”
“A royal reward! How grand will it be? Will they give out Unique items?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, it can’t be just that! We’re talking about receiving recognition from the royal family!”
Naturally, the news spread throughout Maple World, and renowned adventurers below the fourth circle began to gather in the Ariant Kingdom.
Everyone in the world was interested in the Prince’s Tomb.
The El Pam party was no different.
“Boss.”
El Pam spoke to his comrades without hiding anything.
“Our plan remains the same. We enter the Prince’s Tomb.”
His comrades were surprised.
‘Boss, you’re really going in.’
‘We’re getting caught up in something huge.’
‘There’s never been a dull moment since I joined this party.’
‘I definitely made the right choice following this guy. The Money keeps pouring in!’
They were surprised and worried at the same time.
“Hey boss, are you sure about this?”
“This seems a bit dangerous.”
“Everyone’s being a bit too polite. This isn’t just ‘a bit dangerous,’ it’s a worst-case scenario, isn’t it? Instead of asking if it’s okay, shouldn’t we be trying to talk some sense into our fearless leader? Huh? To me, this looks like a group diving into a tomb.”
As Minerv pointed out, this conquest of the Prince’s Tomb was more difficult than ever.
“Right? First of all, it’s the Prince’s Tomb. No one’s ever conquered it. It’s a hellish place.”
It wasn’t just that the Prince’s Tomb was difficult.
“And now a bunch of greedy, skilled adventurers are going in together?”
The problem was the competitors.
It was unlikely that these competitors would gather purely to conquer the Prince’s Tomb.
It was obvious that there would be a fierce battle of life and death.
“It would be better if just the five of us went in. All the notorious monsters will be there. It’ll be nothing like Jack Richie’s tomb.”
Moreover, the adventurers coming to the Prince’s Tomb this time were sure to be the best of the best below the fourth circle.
“And a lot of them will be out to kill us.”
Crucially, the El Pam party was currently under threat of trolling.
“Hey, Golden Eye, are you doubting the boss right now? Huh? Our boss’s skills?”
“I don’t doubt the leader’s skills.”
Of course, Minerv acknowledged El Pam’s abilities.
What he had shown was nothing short of extraordinary.
“What I doubt is your and my skills. I’m not confident we can do it.”
But the rest of them, including himself, were different.
“If you’re asking us to trust you and go in, then you need to seriously reconsider.”
Minerv’s words silenced the rest of the party.
Even Divo.
But El Pam was different.
He trusted his comrades. He couldn’t not trust them.
He knew better than anyone what kind of people his comrades were.
And El Pam knew.
What kind of place the Prince’s Tomb was.
But he couldn’t tell them here.
“I have a trump card.”
So El Pam revealed.
“A trump card? What is it?”
7.
“The Hermes’ Boots.”
The boots that Prince Kashan picked up as he spoke were, at first glance, just ordinary brown leather boots.
There was nothing special about them.
They were the kind you wouldn’t even bother to pick up if you saw them on the street.
“They’re amazing.”
But the value of the Hermes’ Boots was immeasurable.
“If you wear these, you receive Hermes’ blessing. And at that moment, everything speeds up.”
Acceleration.
That was the power of the Hermes’ Boots.
“Not just movement speed, but the speed of everything you do.”
And the acceleration they were talking about was everything.
“Even the speed of casting skills.”
It also included magic power.
It was truly unbelievable.
Just being able to move faster was a huge advantage for an adventurer.
And on top of that, faster casting speed? This was beyond common sense.
That’s why everyone unhesitatingly gave these boots the highest rating, Legendary.
They were literally powerful enough to raise an adventurer’s level by a circle, or even more.
“And any adventurer can use them.”
There were no restrictions on who could wear the Hermes’ Boots.
That’s why everyone coveted them.
‘I searched for them.’
Among them was El Pam, the Last Adventurer.
It wasn’t just a simple search.
‘Sacrificing countless lives.’
He had paid a heavy price.
He had no choice.
The Hermes’ Boots had the power to increase the odds of winning against a monstrous foe like Horntail by 1%, a miracle item to say the least.
Whether you had them or not determined life or death.
‘But I couldn’t find them.’
He couldn’t find them.
But he wasn’t disappointed.
It wasn’t something as simple as disappointment.
Because he couldn’t find them, the Last Adventurer El Pam was born.
‘To think they were in Prince Kashan’s hands.’
But now the boots were in Prince Kashan’s hands.
Even El Pam hadn’t expected this.
‘He’s giving them to me?’
Even more unexpected was that Prince Kashan was offering this incredible item to El Pam.
Honestly, even for Prince Kashan, this wasn’t something easily obtainable.
It was an item that could sway the fate of his life.
Yet, he was offering them?
“I originally intended to give you a different item.”
There had to be a reason.
“Frankly, this item is too much for what you’ve done. So I can’t just give it to you.”
Prince Kashan made a request.
“Bring me Prince Saleh’s will from the Prince’s Tomb. Then I’ll give you this item.”
Survival, and more.
And to that request, El Pam replied.
8.
“So you accepted?”
El Pam’s comrades, having heard the story of him and Prince Kashan, looked at El Pam with wide eyes.
It was an absurd request.
Survival itself was difficult, but to do more than that?
Yet, no one questioned it.
Instead, they looked at the boots El Pam had taken out.
“Do you really get faster if you wear these?”
Needless to say, no one was unaware of the value of this item.
“Even casting speed? How much faster?”
“50 percent.”
“…50 percent?”
That’s why…
“Hey boss, you’re not lying, are you?”
They couldn’t believe it.
“Just to reassure us.”
Of course, everyone knew.
El Pam wasn’t a leader with enough humor to lie about something like this.
That meant what El Pam was saying was true.
And when they reached that conclusion, the El Pam party was certain of one thing.
‘If the boss wears those…’
‘He’ll become an unstoppable monster.’
As long as El Pam, and no one else, used the Hermes’ Boots, no one would be able to challenge him.
It wasn’t just a vague thought.
‘How could anyone catch the boss?’
El Pam’s biggest weakness was his lack of mobility.
But wouldn’t this mean that his weakness would become a strength, making him even better?
“It’s real.”
“If it’s real, it’s definitely a reliable trump card. Don’t you think so, Golden Eye?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing more reliable than that.”
Therefore, no one questioned El Pam’s decision any further.
“How can we catch a monster like that?”
There was virtually no adventurer who could catch El Pam.
Of course, there were exceptions.
“Unless a horde of assassins comes after us.”
There were more than just adventurers in this world.
El Pam knew this too.
“That’s right.”
“What?”
“The assassins, they’re coming for us this time.”
9.
“We’ve decided to use the assassins.”
Queen Areda’s expression as she spoke was colder than ever.
It was an expression of determination.
“We need to teach Prince Kashan a lesson this time.”
A determination not to let Prince Kashan’s provocation slide this time.
And the assassins were more than enough to express that determination.
The assassins were the strongest killers born from the barren land of the Nihal Desert.
Of course, hiring assassins was not an easy task.
First of all, it wasn’t easy to even meet the assassins.
Although the Ariant royal family had a separate contact route due to their deep relationship, this was still within the realm of security.
Even Queen Areda had to start a new conversation when hiring assassins for an assassination.
And she had to pay a greater price.
In fact, the biggest price was this.
“This will give the assassins a weakness to exploit.”
The assassins would know the great weakness that Queen Areda was targeting Prince Kashan.
That’s why the assassins were so feared.
They kept the absolute secret of why they were hired, not just the money.
That’s why the Ariant royal family had such a close relationship with them.
They knew more than anyone about the bloody secrets of the Ariant royal family, secrets unknown to the world.
So even for Queen Areda, using assassins was quite a burden.
In other words, she wanted to make sure Prince Kashan was completely defeated this time.
That’s why she had revealed the Prince’s Tomb to the world this time.
“I don’t know what he’s planning.”
She had heard the rumors.
That Prince Kashan was using the Prince’s Tomb for something.
“Prince Kashan will learn a lesson this time.”
The moment she heard that, Queen Areda made it impossible for Prince Kashan to do anything.
It was a nightmare for Prince Kashan.
“Queen Areda.”
It was also a nightmare for Ivok, who was currently in front of Queen Areda.
“Ivok, I’m sorry, but there’s no chance for you to step in.”
Queen Areda had given Ivok a chance, but he had squandered it. In this situation, Queen Areda had no intention of giving Ivok another opportunity.
Her decision to hire assassins meant just that.
Ivok was no longer useful.
And the fate of those who outlived their usefulness was obvious.
“Please reconsider your plan.”
In other words, it wouldn’t be strange for Ivok to struggle until the very end.
Of course, Queen Areda had no intention of being swayed by Ivok.
“I’m sorry, but this has become important to me as well.”
Queen Areda’s situation wasn’t good either.
Prince Kashan had already conquered the tomb of the Seventh Prince, whom Areda had secretly eliminated.
He must have the Seventh Prince’s will, the evidence of Areda’s actions.
If Kashan were to act on that will, Areda wouldn’t be able to respond leisurely.
“If this failure continues, they will make their move.”
Then, those behind her, the Commanders leading the Black Mage’s followers, would take action.
If that happened, Queen Areda’s position would be completely different.
This was not the time to think about Ivok.
“I know.”
Ivok knew that better than anyone.
That’s why…
“That’s why assassins won’t do.”
“They won’t do?”
He offered advice.
“Unless you deploy at least ten assassins, it will be difficult to have confidence in the outcome.”
Queen Areda’s eyes narrowed at this advice.
Hiring even one assassin was a considerable burden, let alone ten, not just three or four.
“And…”
But Ivok’s proposal didn’t end there.
“Deploy the Martyrs.”
Queen Areda’s face contorted at those words.
It was an absurd plan.
Using the Martyrs, especially, was not a simple matter.
It was particularly burdensome to use them in a situation like this, where so many eyes were watching.
If the existence of the Martyrs were to be revealed, adventurers wouldn’t be as obsessed with the Mystic Gates as they were now.
And if that happened, the plan to resurrect the Black Mage would be shaken.
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
Queen Areda was about to immediately reject Ivok’s proposal.
She was definitely going to.
Swish!
That is, until a spider descended on a web between Queen Areda and Ivok.
The spider that appeared was utterly ordinary.
It was small enough to be crushed instantly with the Pam of one’s hand.
But the moment they saw the spider, Queen Areda and Ivok were shocked and knelt, bowing their heads.
They knew.
“We greet you, Will.”
That this was the representative of Will, one of the Commanders leading the Black Mage’s followers.
The spider that had appeared ascended back to the ceiling on its web.
Naturally, Queen Areda and Ivok’s gazes followed the spider to the ceiling, and soon they saw it.
[Follow Ivok’s words.]
The words written in spider silk.
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