The Last Adventurer

Chapter 17

[Translator – Prøks]

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Chapter 17 : Poison Breath (2)

4.

To all adventurers, the Mystic Gate is a dream stage.

Indeed, since the start of the Mystic Gate era, adventurers have been living in the most prosperous days in Maple World history.

Items were abundant, and thanks to powerful items, adventurers were able to gain even stronger power.

The guilds that brokered these items were able to gain wealth and influence incomparable to the past.

However, there is always risk in everything.

“Damn it.”

The reason why Ebisu’ expression hardened was precisely because of that risk.

He received a report.

“Of all things, poison.”

The moment he saw the content of the report, which mentioned a very deadly unidentified poison, he knew that the situation had become seriously complicated.

So he moved himself.

He came to where the Mystic Gate was located and soon saw the adventurers staying there.

The moment he saw them, there was no need for a long conversation.

“How many casualties?”

“One party was wiped out.”

After a brief conversation, Ebisu breathed a sigh of relief when it was over.

One party was by no means a small loss.

Of course, they were not just any adventurers, but veterans among the adventurers who could conquer the Red-rank Mystic Gate.

They were the veterans contracted by the Gafor Merchant Union, the geese that laid the golden eggs that would continuously bring in huge profits in the future.

However, on the other hand, it means that the remaining geese are safe.

“There are two left inside the Mystic Gate.”

“Two?”

When he heard the following words, Ebisu wasn’t particularly surprised.

After all, losing two more people here wouldn’t make the situation any worse.

On the contrary, he was relieved to hear that there were two baits.

Thanks to those two, the rest were safe, so wasn’t it a good deal?

“It’s the El Paume party.”

“What?”

However, the moment he learned the identity of the bait, Ebisu felt a sense of bewilderment.

Never did he expect El Paume’s name to come up.

Of course, it wasn’t that he felt embarrassed or anything because El Paume was a precious existence.

‘Those two as bait?’

They were simply too low-level to be used as bait.

So the embarrassment wasn’t that great.

He did have some expectations for El Paume, but they weren’t that big.

‘If they saved the rest with El Paume, then it’s a good deal.’

On the contrary, it seemed like they had gotten a good deal here.

‘Rather, I guess they died.’

In other words, Ebisu didn’t think El Paume would come back.

And it wasn’t just him.

“What are the chances of survival?”

“It’s been half a day since we came out through the exit, but they haven’t returned yet. That means… …”

All the escaped adventurers had the same thought.

“It means that the situation is not good in many ways.”

If it was a safe place to begin with, there would be no reason to escape.

Moreover, time was of the essence when it came to escaping.

It was common adventurer knowledge that the longer they stayed, the worse their chances of survival.

And considering the El Paume party’s abilities, the chances of them surviving were honestly close to zero.

To begin with, the fact that they had managed to fulfill their role as bait was nothing short of a stroke of luck.

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That was why.

“Then we’re withdrawing.”

Ebisu gave the order to withdraw without hesitation.

“Everyone?”

Iburu questioned the fact.

“Are we not leaving behind a rescue team?”

There were more cases than one where people came out of the exit in a life-threatening condition, and in such cases, the help of a rescue team was crucial.

That was why the adventurers here were still staying.

Because they had received help.

And to top it all off, it was poison.

If they came out in a state of being poisoned, they would need to take measures to detoxify them as soon as possible in order to increase their chances of survival.

Ebisu knew that too.

“We can’t afford to take any more casualties.”

But what if something happened to the rescue team if they were left behind?

“There’s also the possibility that the remaining people will get poisoned as well, in a situation where we can’t even get an antidote.”

Above all, there was the possibility that the escaped El Paume, who was poisoned, would spread the poison to the surroundings as well.

There was no reason to take such a risky gamble for the sake of adventurers who were already as good as dead.

“We’re withdrawing.”

Therefore, when Ebisu repeated his words, there was no further questioning.

Everyone thought.

That El Paume was dead.

The day after everyone left, two men appeared from beyond the Mystic Gate.

5.

“Huh?”

The Mystic Gate collapsed as soon as Dibo and El Paume came out.

“Is anyone here?”

Dibo looked at the ensuing silence and let out an incredulous laugh.

“No, isn’t this too much? Isn’t it common courtesy to leave behind a rescue team? We just risked our lives as bait!”

They had sacrificed themselves, and yet this was the kind of treatment they received?

It was a situation that could only be upsetting in many ways.

On the other hand, El Paume had a different thought.

“Betting on low odds is something only a gambling addict would do.”

If he had been a member of the Gafor Merchant Union, he wouldn’t have rated El Paume’s chances of survival very high.

“That’s why we came out late on purpose.”

“What?”

Furthermore, this silence was exactly what El Paume had been hoping for.

“On purpose? No, what do you mean?”

“That’s why we kept hunting beyond the Mystic Gate for more than a day after catching the Jester Deathcap.”

That’s why El Paume didn’t come out of the Mystic Gate right after defeating the boss monster.

The longer they delayed, the lower they would consider their chances of survival, and eventually they would back down.

“And if they back down, there’s no need to settle the item distribution.”

And then El Paume would be able to enjoy unlimited freedom and time.

“So you’re saying you caught the Green Mushroom on purpose?”

“Do you think there could be another reason?”

Of course, Dibo took it differently.

“Didn’t you just want to train me a little bit?”

He thought that the reason they stayed behind to hunt the Green Mushroom was to improve his combat skills, to train him as an adventurer.

El Paume smiled faintly at Dibo’s reaction.

“That’s hardly the case.”

“Haha, really?”

Dibo was overjoyed at that moment.

From Dibo’s point of view, he thought that El Paume was making him work hard on purpose for his training.

Of course, that joy didn’t last long.

“That’s hardly enough training.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry, there will be proper training soon.”

Because the real thing was yet to come.

Dibo’s face turned blank at that fact, and before him, El Paume took out a ring.

It was an item.

An item obtained by hunting the boss monster, the Jester Deathcap.

“Oh, boss. What is that?”

Dibo quickly relaxed his expression and asked.

He had seen the item being obtained, but he had never seen it used.

“It’s a 2nd Circle magic skill, Poison Breath.”

Of course, El Paume knew what skill was attached to the item.

“Poison Breath?”

That was also the biggest reason El Paume had stalled for time.

“Isn’t that the one where you breathe out poisonous mist?”

Poison Breath.

It was a 2nd Circle magic skill that turned the surrounding atmosphere into poison.

The potency of the poison depended on the number of circles of the adventurer using it.

When used by a 2nd Circle mage, it would generally cause the eyes to become bloodshot and the body’s senses to become dull.

The longer the exposure, the more severe the symptoms would become, leading to difficulty breathing, loss of vision, and paralysis of the limbs.

Of course, there were limitations.

First, it was emitted in the form of a mist. And secondly, the range was narrow. If one noticed it even slightly and quickly moved away, one would only feel a slight stinging in the eyes and a coldness in the body.

However, this was only possible if one had the knowledge to deal with it, in other words, if one was an adventurer.

“Isn’t that a bit too much?”

To monsters, for whom the concept of “dealing with it” did not exist, the usefulness of poison was simply indescribable.

The situation beyond the Mystic Gate just now was a perfect example.

The moment they realized there was no way to deal with it, all the veteran adventurers chose to escape without hesitation.

“It must be incredibly expensive, right?”

The price was just as ridiculous.

“Since we got it together, I’ll make sure you get your share.”

“Oh, my! You’re the best, boss!”

Dibo smiled at El Paume’s words.

Of course, that was what Dibo wanted.

“I will serve you loyally until the day I die!”

Getting his share.

‘If you add the value of the items to the lives of the adventurers, how much profit will you make this time? This is crazy, crazy…… Huh?’

Dibo, who had achieved his desire, suddenly felt something strange.

“Excuse me, boss. How did you know that was Poison Breath?”

There were two main ways to know the true identity of the magic contained in an item.

One was to use the Appraisal skill.

However, Appraisal skill items were very expensive and were usually owned by guilds.

It was not something that a 2nd Circle adventurer would carry around.

That’s why most people used the second method.

“Can you also use poison magic?”

Trying it out yourself.

“Yes.”

It wasn’t a strange method in itself.

“I can use it.”

The only problem was that El Paume was already using two types of magic, Psychokinesis and Fire.

Dibo was speechless at El Paume’s answer.

‘Three, three attributes?’

In the world of mages, where even being able to use two attributes was treated differently, he was using three attributes?

It was unheard of.

El Paume didn’t bother to explain to the surprised Dibo.

That he had the talent of the coming Master.

‘I can use poison magic. Better than anyone else.’

And that El Paume had the skill to use this Poison Breath even on Balrog.

There was no reason to tell him right now.

And there was no time for that.

“Let’s go back then.”

It was time to return to the Gafor Merchant Union.

“To collect our payment.”

6.

There is nothing as surprising as when someone who was thought to be dead returns.

That was why Ebisu was surprised.

“You’re alive.”

Because El Paume, who he thought was dead, was standing before him.

“Yes, I’m back.”

However, El Paume’s expression was calm.

“It must have been difficult.”

He didn’t look like he had gone through hell and back.

On the other hand, Ebisu thought.

“That’s why you didn’t leave behind a rescue team.”

That El Paume might have ill feelings towards the Gafor Merchant Union for not taking even the minimum precautions.

This was a rather important part.

‘I don’t have much debt left now.’

Although El Paume had borrowed a large sum of money, Ebisu had heard from other adventurers.

About the deal El Paume had made.

Once that deal was over, El Paume would have a huge amount of money in his hands, and he would be able to pay off a considerable amount of his debt with that money.

After he pays off all his debts?

It meant that El Paume would be a very promising adventurer who no longer needed to be involved with the Gafor Merchant Union.

In the end, Ebisu decided that he needed to treat El Paume with a certain degree of respect in order to keep him as an asset.

“I apologize for that part. But no matter how I think about it, the situation wasn’t good.”

He bowed his head.

El Paume spoke calmly to him.

“This isn’t the first or second time this has happened, so it’s fine.”

It was nothing.

“It was a daily occurrence when I was a slave bait. There were times when I barely survived and returned alone, and no one was there.”

For El Paume, this kind of thing was actually a daily occurrence.

‘Especially when I’m the last survivor after a battle.’

A harsh reality.

Of course, he didn’t come out like this all calm just to show it.

El Paume, he planned to use this.

“So, I can always come back alive, no matter where I am.”

That was when it happened.

Creak!

The door to Ebisu’ office opened.

Without knocking.

Rudely.

However, no one rebuked him for his rudeness.

“Lord Lacan.”

After all, no one could rebuke one of the executives leading the Gafor Merchant Union for rudeness.

“What is this…….”

Lacan, who appeared in this way, answered Ebisu’ question by showing him his palm. He didn’t even look at Ebisu.

He only looked at El Paume, and El Paume didn’t avoid his gaze either.

“I heard the story roughly outside. You can come back alive from anywhere?”

“Yes.”

After hearing the short answer, Lacan smiled faintly.

“Even the 100-man Gate?”

And he uttered those words.

‘He took the bait.’

The moment El Paume had been waiting for those words to come out, he didn’t hesitate at all.

“The 100-man Gate.”

He just had to spit out the lines he had prepared for this moment.

“It seems like it will be a bit difficult there.”

[Translator – Prøks]

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