The Last Adventurer

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 92: Cactus Desert (1)

1.

The El Pam party, having passed through the portal, faced a forest.

An ordinary forest.

From an adventurer’s point of view, this was a welcome sight.

A situation where a smile wouldn’t be out of place.

However, among El Pam’s companions facing the forest, not a single person was smiling.

“Hey, Kiri.”

With an expression even more rigid than when they entered the Prince’s Tomb, he spoke.

“Do you know anything about Bayos?”

It couldn’t be helped.

“He was one of Oz’s disciples.”

Oz’s disciple.

In the world of MapleStory, that was never a light matter.

“Oz, you mean the leader of the Blaze Mages that I know, right?”

[TL/N: Knights of Fire→ Blaze Mages.(Official English Name is Blaze ‘Wizards’ but for consistency’s sake, I will continue using ‘Mages’)]

One of the five Knight Captains of the Signus Knights, the powerful military force that protects Empress Signus.

What that meant was beyond what everyone thought.

“7th Circle, right?”

Oz herself had seven rings on her wrist.

In the Maple World, only a few adventurers have reached the 7th Circle.

That wasn’t all.

“Right. The pinnacle of Fire Mages.”

The fire magic she displayed was far more powerful than the circles she possessed.

Naturally, her disciples were also extraordinary.

“And Bayos, he was Knight Captain Oz’s sixth disciple.”

That’s why it was a question.

“Then why isn’t his name known?”

“Yeah, I’ve never heard of him either. We pirates may not know much else, but we’re good at hearing news about the Signus Knights.”

Why didn’t they know such a figure?

“A Knight Captain’s disciple doesn’t reveal their status as a disciple until three years have passed.”

“They don’t reveal it? Why?”

“For fairness.”

Kiri’s explanation that followed made everyone understand for the time being.

“Everyone is equal within the Signus Knights. There’s no special treatment for being a Knight Captain’s disciple.”

The Signus Knights were that kind of group.

“Wait.”

Then, Divo spoke as if he had realized something.

“You said they don’t reveal it for three years? Then that means it hasn’t been three years since he joined the Signus Knights?”

“It was two years ago, as far as I remember.”

Only then did the others realize.

“He entered the 4th Circle in just two years?”

That was how talented Bayos was.

Despite that, he and the Signus Knights were annihilated.

“What could be here that…”

Everyone gulped at the implications.

It was at that moment.

“Huh?”

The scenery that the El Pam party had been seeing while moving through the forest changed in an instant.

The forest disappeared, replaced by a world filled with golden sand.

And then they saw it.

“A cactus desert?”

Giant cacti filled the desert.

2.

Adventurers who challenge Mystic Gates say:

“Swamps, snow-covered worlds, they’re all difficult. But ultimately, nothing is harder than a desert.”

They say that the worst environment one can encounter beyond the Mystic Gates is ultimately the desert.

The reason why deserts are the worst is simple.

“No matter how well an adventurer fights, no matter how skilled they are at survival, they will die in a scorching desert if they can’t find water.”

It’s a place more hostile to survival than anywhere else.

In fact, when deserts appeared in Mystic Gates, the survival rate of adventurers was only 70% on average.

And more than half of the 30% who died perished not from monsters, but from dehydration and exhaustion.

It was a devastating place.

“Cactuses!”

To make matters worse, the El Pam party was facing Cactuses, the cactus monsters that filled the desert.

It wasn’t their first time.

Before coming to the Signus Knights’ tomb, the El Pam party had already experienced a cactus desert.

That’s why…

“Damn it!”

That’s why they knew the terror of Cactuses even better.

“Boss, there seems to be even more than last time, right?”

The Cactuses swarming now were far more numerous than the ones they encountered in the previous cactus desert.

“They’re bigger too!”

Their size was also larger.

It wasn’t strange.

The cactus desert located in the Nihal Desert was a place where many adventurers came and went.

There were quite a few valuable cacti in the cactus desert.

Even if that wasn’t the case, cacti were one of the few resources available in the barren desert.

There were edible ones, and sometimes ones containing a significant amount of water.

Crucially, the Ariant Kingdom periodically hunted monsters in the Nihal Desert.

It was natural for a kingdom to protect its territory.

In other words, the cactus desert in the Nihal Desert had its population somewhat managed.

But not this place.

There was no population management here.

“Cactuses are like mushrooms. If the conditions are right, they multiply at an unbelievable rate.”

This meant that the Cactuses here had increased in number tremendously due to neglect.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The El Pam party, watching the horde of a thousand Cactuses rushing towards them, moving their arms and legs like humans, clenched their teeth.

Of course, they didn’t fall into despair.

“Damn it, let’s give it a try.”

The Mystic Gates that the El Pam party had passed through so far were not ordinary, so they wouldn’t crumble easily.

They were simply preparing themselves.

‘We might die.’

The resolve that there might be casualties in this Mystic Gate raid.

“Everyone.”

At that moment, El Pam spoke to everyone preparing for battle.

“I’m sorry.”

Everyone looked surprised at the unexpected words.

It was so rare for El Pam to apologize like this that they couldn’t remember it ever happening before.

But the surprise didn’t last long.

‘It’s that difficult, huh.’

In other words, it meant that the situation was so difficult that El Pam was acting differently than usual.

So everyone smiled.

“Boss, what is there to apologize for?”

“Right, there’s no need to apologize.”

“Hey, should a leader be talking weakly? Huh? Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything.”

“It’s okay. Instead of saying sorry, just give us mesos later.”

They readily smiled at El Pam’s words.

El Pam tilted his head at their appearance.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Huh? But, Boss, you said you were sorry, didn’t you?”

Divo also tilted his head at that fact.

“Did you mean sorry for putting us in danger?”

“No.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“Time is of the essence in this raid. That’s why I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re missing out on the opportunity to improve your skills.”

With that answer, El Pam said:

“Fire Arrow.”

3.

“Cheryl, you’ve come a long way.”

Cheryl shook her head at the words of Sejan, an executive of the Sand Painting Group.

“I’m here to ask for help, so it’s not about hardship. Rather, I’m grateful that you’ve accepted my unreasonable request.”

Sejan and Cheryl.

Their connection was deep.

“So, is Gerechter doing well?”

“Yes, he’s doing well.”

“I’m always grateful to him. If it weren’t for him, the Sand Painting Group wouldn’t even exist.”

It was none other than Gerechter, the head of the Cross Hunters, who empowered the beginning of the Sand Painting Group, a time that was unstable and humble in many ways.

It wasn’t strange.

From the Cross Hunters’ perspective, who used all means and methods to stop the Black Mage’s plot, the existence of the Sand Painting Group, which could check the Ariant Kingdom that had fallen into the Black Mage’s hands, was very important.

And that relationship had now reached a point where if one side collapsed, the other would also be fatally affected.

That’s why…

“Thank you again for accepting my unreasonable request.”

Cheryl’s sudden request had been met with immediate action from Sejan, who had readily used his power to help.

In fact, it was a very special thing.

Within the Sand Painting Group, which pursued the noble goal of saving the suffering people of the Ariant Kingdom, executive Sejan was acting for personal reasons.

It was not a common occurrence.

It was not an easy task for someone like Sejan, who had dedicated his life to the Sand Painting Group.

Yet, he agreed.

It was a request from none other than the Cross Hunters.

“It was a necessary process for me as well. To buy time to persuade Eleska.”

[TL/N: Ereska → Eleska]

And from Sejan’s point of view, it was a time when someone’s sacrifice was needed.

“Thanks to the sacrifice of the El Pam party, Eleska will wait for 5 days.”

It was literally a sacrifice.

“I’ve done something regrettable to them.”

In other words, Sejan didn’t think the El Pam party would return alive.

“Do you think the El Pam party will die?”

“Of course. I know what kind of place it is.”

It made sense.

“It’s the place where the Signus Knights died. And I sent countless comrades from the Sand Painting Group to find their remains.”

It was a sufficiently dangerous place.

“It’s strange to even consider the possibility of a mere five people entering such a place.”

Moreover, the El Pam party entering alone?

It would be strange to expect a good outcome.

That’s why Sejan was even more puzzled.

“You, Cheryl, must know that.”

Cheryl spoke.

She asked them to open a path for the El Pam party to survive because they were needed.

“Why did you push them further into it?”

But when the El Pam party was heading into danger, Cheryl pushed them from behind.

It was hard to understand.

“It’s because I know the El Pam party’s abilities.”

Cheryl answered.

“They will come back alive.”

An answer more confident than ever.

And indeed, Cheryl was confident.

“The El Pam party has always willingly accomplished unbelievable things. Moreover, this Mystic Gate is a place where the number of people who can enter is less than 100. It’s difficult, but it can’t be more difficult than places with over 100 people.”

Confidence based on reasonable grounds.

“Above all, they are the best at finding the exit and getting out.”

Sejan had a hardened expression at her overflowing confidence, and Cheryl smiled at that expression.

“It seems you don’t believe me. I understand. It’s probably your first time seeing the El Pam party.”

A smile that fully understood.

Sejan shook his head at that smile.

“That’s not it. Cheryl, it’s not that I don’t believe your words.”

And at that answer, the smile on Cheryl’s lips disappeared.

If Sejan said that, then it meant there was definitely something she hadn’t anticipated.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never underestimated the El Pam party’s abilities. If I had, I wouldn’t have made a proposal to him in the first place.”

“Then is there something more that I don’t know?”

“Do you know that the Signus Knight who died there was Bayos, a disciple of Oz, the leader of the Blaze Mages?”

“Yes, I know. I think the El Pam party is capable enough to handle that.”

“Then do you know what kind of item Bayos had?”

At that point, Cheryl’s expression hardened.

Certainly, an adventurer’s skill was important.

However, the items an adventurer possessed were important enough to make that skill pale in comparison.

Usually, there was no need to consider this.

The level of items that an average adventurer could possess was inevitably limited.

Even possessing one Unique item was considered remarkable.

The problem was that the person being mentioned now was not just a Signus Knight, but a disciple of Oz, the leader of the Blaze Mages.

“Of course, he would have Unique items.”

Of course, Cheryl had considered that much and was assessing El Pam’s potential with that in mind.

That was certainly the case.

But now it was different.

“Is there something else?”

If Sejan was saying this, it meant there was definitely something she hadn’t anticipated.

Sejan answered Cheryl’s question, and the moment she heard the answer, Cheryl’s face turned pale.

It couldn’t be helped.

“The Oz’s Necklace, the leader of the Blaze Mages, Bayos had it.”

Something far beyond her expectations had appeared.

“That’s why I didn’t rate the El Pam party’s chances very high.”

Sejan spoke more firmly than ever to Cheryl, whose face had hardened at the fact.

“The El Pam party probably doesn’t have many Unique items, right?”

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]