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Chapter 51
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 51: Gold Rich (2)
4.
The difficulty of a Mystic Gate was generally proportional to the number of people it could accommodate.
In the case of Orange-ranked Mystic Gates, the 200-person ones were the most difficult.
A 48-person gate meant it was of low to medium difficulty.
Of course, that didn’t mean you necessarily needed 48 people to conquer a Mystic Gate.
Skilled adventurers often ventured in with fewer numbers.
And the fewer the members, the more recognition they received.
In fact, one of the most respected titles among adventurers was for conquering a Mystic Gate with the smallest party.
That’s why, instead of sneering or scoffing at those who took on such challenges, they were met with applause and encouragement.
Adventurers who didn’t shy away from adventure were given due respect.
“The El Pam party entered? With only five people?”
“Are they crazy?”
However, not a single person considered the El Pam party’s actions to be an adventure.
It was obvious.
“It’s a 48-person gate! What can they possibly do with just five people?”
Challenging a gate meant for 50 people with a mere tenth of the required manpower?
That wasn’t an adventure, it was suicide.
Therefore, as the El Pam party embarked on their suicidal act, Henri, Jack Rich’s Mystic Gate manager, declared:
“This is a suicide mission. We will not send a rescue team. From now on, we will wait indefinitely until the El Pam party perishes.”
Do nothing.
It was a callous statement, but a valid one.
It was an undeniable truth.
And that was exactly what El Pam was aiming for.
5.
“From now on, we are the only ones here.”
A swamp stretched out beyond the portal.
In the swamp, where the water rose to their knees, El Pam’s words were met with silence from the other four.
“As I said before.”
He had already explained.
El Pam had told them that there were many external variables in this adventure into Jack Rich’s tomb, and those variables were extremely dangerous.
To eliminate those variables, they had to attempt a solo adventure before the rest of the vanguard gathered.
It was definitely a crazy idea.
If any other adventurer had said that, it would have been natural for the party members to spit on the ground, curse, and leave the party on the spot.
But El Pam was an exception.
He had produced results.
So they trusted him.
“Hey, boss.”
That trust hadn’t changed even now.
“It’s a swamp.”
But the moment the swamp appeared, everyone’s expression hardened.
There were no exceptions.
Divo, Kiri, Ralph, and even Minerv.
It couldn’t be helped.
“It seems like things have gone awry.”
The swamp, this environment, was as deadly to adventurers as a snow-covered forest or a desert.
Their feet were immediately stuck, right below the knees. It meant they were practically unable to move properly.
Moreover, the swamp, unlike snow or sand, had an exceptional grip.
The risk of heat or cold was less, but that didn’t mean it was any less troublesome.
That’s why Minerv stepped forward.
“Hey, Pam. I think we need to change our plans.”
“Let’s not mess around here and just hold out. If we wait, the Nautilus rescue team will come.”
Let’s just stay put.
“If we move on to the second floor, even the rescue team won’t be able to reach us.”
Especially if they moved on to the second floor, the situation would change completely.
While a Mystic Gate could accommodate a certain number of people, once everyone inside moved to the second floor, it became inaccessible regardless of the number of people allowed.
In that case, even the later groups wouldn’t be able to enter.
“Boss, Golden Eye is right.”
Divo agreed with Minerv’s idea.
“Golden Eye?”
“Yeah, Golden Eye. Isn’t it Golden Eye?”
“Is your tongue tied?”
And Divo and Minerv clashed.
It wasn’t unusual.
Divo had been the one who opposed Minerv’s joining the party the most.
And there was a reason for his opposition.
‘Thinking about who can challenge the boss… that’s a fool’s errand.’
There could only be one leader in a party.
From that perspective, Minerv wasn’t the type to blindly follow El Pam’s orders.
On the contrary, Minerv was a leader among leaders, having commanded hundreds of subordinates.
And not just any hundreds, but the cunning hundreds that were the Nautilus pirates.
From Divo’s point of view, it was intolerable for Minerv, of all people, to try to match El Pam.
Minerv felt the same way.
‘Do you want to pick a fight? With me?’ she thought.
She too had no intention of backing down from a coming fight.
Then all that was left was a clash.
“Enough of that,” Ralph said, interrupting their argument.
“Save the fighting for later.”
Along with his words, Ralph looked around.
Ssss!
As if on cue, the eerie hiss of a snake pierced the El Pam party’s ears.
At that, Divo and Minerv simultaneously turned their backs to each other and scanned their surroundings. Soon, they both saw it.
“Neki.”
“It’s a Junior Neki.”
A 1.5-meter green snake, a Junior Neki, moving with disturbing ease across the swamp where their feet were sinking deep.
At that sight, Divo and Minerv’s expressions hardened.
‘Of all things.’
‘This damn thing.’
Junior Neki.
A snake about 1.5 meters long, it was exceptionally fast and agile. And it possessed incredibly potent venom.
Truth be told, it wasn’t that strong of a creature.
While snakes were terrifying to ordinary people, to adventurers, they were merely a meal.
The problem was twofold.
One was its small size.
Ssss!
“Damn it, they’re coming in swarms as usual.”
The other was that they came in groups.
This was a very troublesome issue.
“Catching these little buggers is no easy task.”
Catching swarming snakes was harder than one might think.
Especially for mages, archers, or pirates with guns, the difficulty was immense.
Hitting such a small creature was a challenge in itself.
Furthermore, their current location was a swamp.
Movement was restricted.
On the other hand, the Junior Nekis could move freely through this swamp.
“They can even go into the swamp.”
They could even utilize the swamp to their advantage.
It meant catching them was a real headache.
Of course, there was the option of using wide-range skills, but this wasn’t always the best choice either.
Wide-range skills didn’t discriminate between friend and foe.
If they weren’t careful, their own attacks could inflict critical injuries on their allies.
Also, lightning magic was more powerful than fire, ice, or poison magic.
This was because armor or leather offered no protection against lightning attacks.
Essentially, lightning magic was so fast that it was impossible to dodge or properly defend against, unlike other types of magic.
It meant that the attack came in the blink of an eye.
When described like that, it sounded like the ultimate magic!
In fact, among 3rd circle spells, Thunderbolt was one of the top three in terms of lethality.
However, surprisingly, Thunderbolt was rarely used in actual combat.
The reason was simple.
“We’re dead!”
All the power described earlier applied equally to allies!
Therefore, various measures had to be taken when using Thunderbolt.
Having items with lightning resistance, maintaining distance before casting the spell, or setting up lightning rods nearby.
Of course, none of those present had taken any such measures.
Crackle!
In that state, lightning struck above El Pam’s head.
The first target was the Junior Neki at the tip of his index finger.
Squeal!
The Junior Neki let out a short death cry and began to convulse from the attack.
Crackle!
Starting with that, lightning began to strike the surrounding Junior Nekis.
Squeal!
The death cries of the Junior Nekis also spread in all directions.
At that sound, Divo, Kiri, Ralph, and Minerv gulped.
That was all.
No one moved.
Crackle!
Any movement might attract the Thunderbolt that was dancing across the Junior Nekis.
Gulp!
So, while everyone just gulped,
“Thunderbolt.”
El Pam repeatedly used Thunderbolt.
Crack!
“Thunderbolt.”
Relentlessly.
Crackle!
And without fail.
The Junior Nekis, swarming in without a single exception, began to fall victim to Thunderbolt.
At that point, the El Pam party thought,
‘No way.’
This was strange.
Crackle!
Finally, as the last Junior Neki succumbed to Thunderbolt, everyone was certain.
“B-Boss, no way?”
To a surprised Divo, El Pam replied curtly.
“This is unexpected.”
But on the contrary, El Pam’s answer made Divo understand.
“R-Right?”
‘Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to control lightning at will.’
The possibility that they were just lucky not to be hit by Thunderbolt was much higher than the possibility of El Pam controlling lightning freely.
That was a much more logical thought.
El Pam didn’t bother to explain further to Divo.
‘This is easier than I expected.’
He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “unexpected.”
He had practiced.
After obtaining Zeus’s Ring, El Pam immediately acquired Thunderbolt items and practiced relentlessly.
He had no intention of making half-hearted preparations for a Mystic Gate raid where his comrades’ lives were at stake.
But El Pam knew.
Training and actual combat were different.
‘The feeling is the same.’
And now, in actual combat, El Pam was certain.
‘Just like moving magic with telekinesis.’
There was no longer any reason to hesitate in using lightning magic.
‘Now, any Orange-ranked Mystic Gate is no problem.’
Furthermore, for El Pam, who now possessed Zeus’s Ring, the difficulty of this place was no longer worth considering.
As he reached that conclusion, El Pam declared,
“We’re moving to the second floor.”
“What? The second floor?”
At those words, Divo looked at Minerv.
She had insisted on not going to the second floor.
But this time was different.
‘Luck?’ she thought.
She had seen it.
‘That couldn’t have been luck. At least this guy isn’t the type to rely on luck.’
She saw how El Pam controlled the lightning with ease.
‘He’s a monster.’
She understood what that meant.
“Well, if the leader says we’re going to the second floor, then we have to go. So, when are we leaving?”
“We’ll enter within three hours.”
“What?”
Minerv was startled by his words.
Find the exit and go to the second floor within three hours?
In this swamp where even walking was difficult?
“No, what kind of nonsense is that?”
Minerv reacted strongly.
That was it.
“Say something, everyone! Your boss is talking nonsense, isn’t he?”
Only Minerv showed a strong reaction. Divo, Kiri, and Ralph had expressions as if this was perfectly natural.
“It’s not nonsense?”
Minerv was even more surprised by their reaction, but El Pam didn’t say anything more.
Instead of answering, El Pam poured his mana into the Artemis Necklace hanging around his neck.
El Pam’s eyes began to widen.
Finally, El Pam spoke.
“Change of plans.”
“Right? It was nonsense, wasn’t it?”
“We’ll go to the second floor within one hour.”
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢