abcnovels
Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Chapter 68
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 68: The Ariant Kingdom (1)
1.
When a commotion arose around the Mystic Gate, the adventurers waiting in the surrounding tents thought,
“It seems to have finally ended.”
They assumed the Mystic Gate’s portal had disappeared, and that was the cause of the commotion. Naturally, they all got up and went to see the Mystic Gate to put an end to it.
Thud!
“The gambling is over.”
However, what they saw instead was the head of Head Hector, the nightmare that had tormented El Pam and the others.
The gathered adventurers froze at that moment.
No one dared to speak.
Not a single person could have imagined this scene.
It was Divo who broke the silence.
Bang!
Divo effortlessly smashed a pebble on the ground with the end of his polearm.
“What are you all doing? You have to keep your promises, right? Huh? Eh? You bet on the gamble, and if you lost, you have to pay the price!”
Divo’s words finally brought the adventurers to their senses.
They all wore hardened expressions, a sign of realization.
‘Two Uniques each….’
Except for the parties that didn’t participate in the gamble, the rest of the parties had to give not one, but two Unique items each to El Pam’s party, as promised.
Moreover, this case was different from the five Unique items paid to El Pam’s party earlier.
At that time, El Pam specified that they would only take items that could be used immediately, and only Unique items of 3rd Circle or lower.
But now, there was no need for such conditions.
Whether it was 4th Circle or higher, or simply owned, El Pam’s party could choose whatever they wanted.
This was no ordinary matter.
‘It’s over.’
The financial loss was one thing, but the importance of Unique items in an adventurer party was immeasurable. They were the criteria for evaluating the value of the party and their greatest asset.
But to be deprived of two of them?
Aside from the money, the value of the adventurer would immediately plummet.
That’s why…
‘No way.’
The eyes of the adventurers, who had come to their senses, began to gleam fiercely. Their eyes spoke volumes.
They wouldn’t give them up easily.
If necessary, they would overturn this gamble.
Even if it meant bloodshed.
El Pam’s party was well aware of the meaning behind those fierce eyes. In fact, they quickly noticed it.
“Oh? You’re getting feisty, huh?”
But Divo didn’t back down from those eyes.
There was no reason to back down.
From Divo’s perspective, the adventurers who ran away in fear of Head Hector and Hector pack were simply pathetic.
Not only Divo felt that way.
“Yeah, everyone’s getting feisty, huh?”
“Keep your promises.”
Minerv and Kiri also had no intention of backing down, and they had no reason to.
Of course, the most resolute one was Ralph.
He didn’t say much.
Crack!
He just cracked his knuckles.
And that was the most threatening.
Ralph, just by his appearance, was arguably the strongest among the adventurers.
Of course, that didn’t mean the other adventurers were easily intimidated.
They couldn’t be intimidated.
‘If we back down, it’s over.’
If they were to be robbed of two Unique items, their lives as adventurers would be practically over anyway.
They couldn’t die easily.
It was then.
“Instead of Unique items,”
El Pam spoke amidst the tense atmosphere.
“I’ll also accept mesos.”
He made an offer.
“30 million mesos per item, 60 million mesos per party.”
60 million mesos!
It was an astronomical amount.
An amount so astronomical that most adventurers wouldn’t even be able to comprehend it.
That was why…
’60 million mesos?’
The moment they heard those words, the adventurers who were ready to fight to the death began to weigh their options.
‘It’s not money we can’t pay.’
The adventurers here were not just any ordinary adventurers.
Nevertheless, it was definitely a hefty sum.
A hefty sum that couldn’t be easily given!
El Pam knew it too.
‘It’s an amount they can pay, but not easily.’
That’s why he offered 30 million mesos. If he offered any more, negotiation would be impossible.
Of course, El Pam also knew.
The value of the Unique items he could get was 30 million mesos, or even more.
But that was only a meaningful price if he could get them.
It wasn’t something worth getting while shedding blood here.
‘There’s nothing I can’t get.’
Crucially, El Pam had already used his Clairvoyance to identify the items the adventurers possessed.
‘Unless it’s Legendary rank.’
There were many good items, but none of the Legendary rank items that El Pam desired.
In that case, it was better to make a reasonable compromise.
‘Still, they won’t give in easily.’
Of course, even then, he didn’t expect the adventurers to immediately accept the amount he offered.
That’s why El Pam added,
“Discuss the payment with the Gafor Guild.”
Do everything through the Gafor Guild.
“Because I’m part of the Gafor Guild.”
At that moment, the adventurers no longer harbored any murderous intent.
The negotiation was over.
And the Mystic Gate raid was over.
After that, there was only one thing left.
“El Pam’s party conquered the 300-man Mystic Gate!”
The news spreading!
2.
“El Pam’s party conquered the 300-man Mystic Gate!”
Everyone was surprised by the news.
“El Pam’s party?”
Most people had considered El Pam’s party to have the lowest chance of success. Betting on them in the gambling ring would have been considered insane.
“How? They’re just a 3rd Circle party, right?”
“That’s not the important part. A gambling Board was held inside!”
“A gambling Board?”
“A gambling Board where they bet two Unique items each on the boss monster!”
“Crazy! How much must that be worth?”
“The money they earned isn’t important, think about it. El Pam’s party participated in that gamble! They must have been confident!”
“Ah!”
And no one was left unsurprised by the rumors that followed.
Among them was the Gafor Guild.
Lakan was also surprised when he heard the news through Ebis.
He had some expectations after all.
That’s why he allowed El Pam’s party to participate in the 300-man Mystic Gate raid.
“Does that make sense?”
However, even Lakan couldn’t have dared to predict this kind of result.
That’s why.
When Ebis brought the news, a thick silence fell over the office where Lakan and Ebis were.
Creak!
The silence was broken by the sound of the door opening and a man who appeared with it.
A middle-aged man with an emaciated appearance, so thin he could be mistaken for a skeleton.
The moment the man entered, Lakan sprang from his seat and bowed his head.
There was only one person in the Gafor Guild who could make Lakan bow like that.
“Lord Gafor.”
Gafor, the guild master of the Gafor Guild!
“What brings you here?”
Furthermore, Gafor was the most secretive of the leaders of the Ten Great Guilds.
The reason was simple.
The Gafor Guild had made the most enemies out of the Ten Great Guilds.
Therefore, orders were usually conveyed through people or other methods.
He almost never came in person.
In other words, his direct arrival meant it was no ordinary matter.
“El Pam.”
And there was only one reason he would come in person like this now.
“I have a use for that adventurer.”
3.
“Boss, if we go to Leafre now, our popularity won’t be a joke, right?”
Divo, returning to the port city, looked more excited than ever.
And for good reason.
What El Pam’s party had achieved this time was even stronger than everyone thought.
It wasn’t just that they had done something difficult.
In fact, in the world of adventurers, there were many cases where even great deeds went unrecognized or brought little reward.
It wasn’t just that proving it to the world was difficult, but the more difficult the adventure, the greater the potential for damage and loss.
This time, however, the adventure was different.
“Wow! The El Pam Party that crushed the mighty adventurers of the Nihal Desert and the El Nath Mountains!”
It was a title that couldn’t be compared to any other adventure.
“Well, just because they’re from there doesn’t mean they’re anything special.”
Victoria Island was considered the easiest place in the Maple World.
El Pam’s party, from Victoria Island, had beaten adventurers from the Nihal Desert or the El Nath Mountains?
Their evaluation was bound to change.
“We’ll be treated differently now, right?”
El Pam knew it too.
“From now on, Gafor will take a personal interest in us.”
“Oh, right. Gafor will be interested. Huh? No, wait a minute. Who, who’s interested?”
“Gafor, the guild master of the Gafor Guild.”
That Gafor himself was now taking notice of El Pam.
“R-really?”
Divo was surprised by that fact. And for good reason.
For the guild master of a Guild to show interest meant that you were recognized as a core adventurer of that guild.
It meant receiving the highest treatment.
“It would be strange if he wasn’t interested.”
Of course, from El Pam’s perspective, this was a natural progression.
“From now on, we’re in the same boat, whether we like it or not.”
It wasn’t just that El Pam’s abilities were outstanding, but the world could no longer separate El Pam’s party from the Gafor Guild.
‘If we fail, it becomes the Gafor Guild’s failure.’
From the Gafor Guild’s perspective, it meant that they had to take an interest in El Pam’s party, even if it was just for the sake of appearances.
‘Just as planned.’
Furthermore, this relationship was exactly what El Pam wanted.
‘In the eyes of the Black Mage’s followers, I am now becoming a pawn of the Gafor Guild.’
From El Pam’s perspective, the Gafor Guild would now become an excellent shield.
However, El Pam knew.
‘How long the Gafor Guild can hold out is unknown.’
If the Black Mage’s followers started to move in earnest, it wouldn’t be easy for the Gafor Guild to hold out.
It wasn’t just that it wouldn’t be easy, El Pam knew.
If the Black Mage’s followers were truly determined, the Gafor Guild could collapse even tomorrow.
‘The Black Mage’s followers can’t easily move now. They have more important issues than the Gafor Guild.’
It was just that they couldn’t make up their minds right now.
So he had to move before they did.
“So, boss, don’t you think it’s time to play in the big leagues? How about leaving Victoria Island and going out into the Maple World?”
“That’s right. Our next destination is Ariant.”
El Pam’s next destination was the Ariant Kingdom.
“As expected of the boss… Huh?”
And Divo, who had been brimming with confidence, suddenly changed his expression.
“A-are you really going to Ariant?”
His talk of the big leagues was just bravado.
After all, the Nihal Desert, where the Ariant Kingdom was located, was a harsh place for adventurers.
It was a completely different stage from Victoria Island, where only mushrooms popped up.
It was bound to be a burden in many ways.
El Pam knew it too.
‘It’s different from what I originally planned.’
He wanted something in the Nihal Desert, but he was postponing his advance there.
‘The story is different now.’
Until he hunted Head Hector in the 300-man Mystic Gate and checked the items that came out of its body.
‘I never thought Helios’ Necklace would come out.’
That item was none other than Helios’ Necklace!
An item El Pam knew very well.
‘The thing I’ve been looking for has finally come into my hands.’
He knew it all too well.
Therefore, El Pam didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, we’re going to Ariant.”
He repeated his destination.
At the same time, he was certain.
“And the Gafor Guild will want it too.”
At that certainty, his companions tilted their heads in confusion.
“The Gafor Guild? They have no connection to the Ariant Kingdom, do they?”
The Gafor Guild operated in Victoria Island.
But for them to send their core adventurers to the Ariant Kingdom, where they had no connections?
“Wouldn’t they try to dissuade us instead? It would be a big problem if we died there, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s right. They’ll try to stop us from going to Ariant.”
“You’re talking nonsense again.”
“Will we be able to get our food expenses covered if we go?”
The other companions also found the situation incomprehensible.
El Pam didn’t bother to explain it to them.
It was difficult to explain, and there was no need to once they arrived at Lith Harbour.
When they arrived in Lith Harbour, El Pam’s party would see it for themselves.
“They call me Gafor.”
Gafor, the guild master of the Gafor Guild, said as he faced El Pam’s party.
“Do you have any thoughts of going to the Ariant Kingdom?”
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]