Chapter 42
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 42
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 42: The Nautilus (1)
1.
The Era of Mystic Gates
Since the dawn of the Mystic Gate era, conquering these mysterious portals has become the ultimate measure of worth in Maple World. The deeper one ventures into these gates, the greater their status becomes.
“Who’s the best at conquering Mystic Gates these days? There are a few contenders. The top ten from the port city of Erebos, like the elite Goldrich Guild, the warriors of the Ariant Kingdom, and the adventurers of Elnas Mountain... It’s hard to say definitively who’s the best.”
And so, the competition to conquer Mystic Gates intensified.
“But one thing’s for sure. The most active and dedicated group is undoubtedly the Nautilus.”
Among them, the pirates of the Nautilus stood out for their relentless pursuit of Mystic Gates, their efforts bordering on desperation.
It was, in fact, quite understandable.
The Nautilus was, after all, a pirate ship, and pirates were driven more by wealth and treasure than glory.
To them, the Mystic Gates, overflowing with priceless treasures, were nothing short of a dream come true.
And the Nautilus, in turn, offered them a compelling incentive.
“If you want to strike it rich in the Mystic Gates, join the Nautilus! We promise rewards like no other!”
The Nautilus guaranteed more lucrative rewards than any other group.
Their most notable offering was the bounty system.
“We’ll pay bounties based on the number of wounds inflicted!”
The more wounds inflicted, the more reward money paid. The Nautilus was the first to introduce this system.
Naturally, adventurers seeking riches flocked to join the Nautilus, and as a result, the ship’s prestige grew to unimaginable heights.
People began to say:
“The Nautilus’s prestige is equal to the combined might of the top ten guilds of Erebos!”
It was widely believed that the Nautilus would soon become the most powerful force on Victoria Island.
Naturally, the Nautilus’s bounty system attracted the attention of all money-hungry adventurers.
Of course, everyone was especially interested in the most expensive bounties.
This particular Mystic Gate was no exception.
“A bounty of 9.99 million mesos?”
9.99 million mesos was a staggering amount on its own.
“And it’s only an Orange-rank gate?”
Normally, a bounty of that size would only be offered for a Yellow-rank gate or higher, even Green-rank.
So, for an Orange-rank gate to have such a high bounty, there had to be something extraordinary about it.
“Isn’t that the gate where Captain Kyrin’s disciple went in and died?”
The extraordinary event was that the disciple of Captain Kyrin, the leader of the formidable Nautilus, and a party of the most promising young adventurers had met their demise there.
That meant it was an extremely dangerous place.
“And everyone has failed since then! No one has dared to challenge it in the past year!”
Unsurprisingly, no one had been able to find the exit since then.
El Paume understood this all too well.
‘It’s a tough one, that’s for sure.’
He knew better than anyone what lay beyond and why it was so difficult.
‘That’s why it’s worth it.’
And this challenge applied not only to El Paume but also to the Kania Guild, which was after him.
The Kania Guild would undoubtedly want to reclaim the Hydra’s Fang, a unique item that El Paume had obtained by defeating the Viper Nir.
‘I can’t rashly play my key card.
In this situation, recklessly playing his best cards would likely lead to self-destruction.
In other words, there was a high chance of having to waste a disposable card.
‘The Gafor Merchant Union is also a headache.’
From the Gafor Merchant Union’s perspective, El Paume’s challenge was also risky as they needed evidence of El Paume’s death at the hands of the Kania Guild.
Their 20 million mesos could go up in smoke.
“Why are you trying to challenge that gate?”
‘No, you can’t. Absolutely not.’
And so, Ebisu tried to dissuade him.
But unfortunately, El Paume had no choice.
“Doesn’t it matter where I challenge?”
The contract only specified the number of challenges, not that the Gafor Merchant Union had to choose the gates. And that was understandable.
If the guild could arbitrarily choose the Mystic Gates, it meant they could kill any adventurer at will. No sane adventurer would accept such a condition.
Moreover, no sane adventurer would willingly go to hell.
“There’s no problem, but isn’t it too dangerous?”
El Paume calmly responded to this absurdity.
“I’m being chased by the Kania Guild. I don’t know why, but they’re determined to kill me. In that situation, it’s more dangerous to enter a Mystic Gate of low difficulty.”
But even more upsetting was the prospect of losing the chance to shake up the Kania Guild.
Lakan had already sensed something.
‘This isn’t just trolling. There’s something more to it.’
It was hard to understand why the Kania Guild would troll in a 100-man Mystic Gate, but it was not impossible.
Wasn’t it a good opportunity to eliminate a rival force?
Gafor Merchant Union could have done something similar, as long as they could get away with it.
But why try to kill El Paume, the survivor of that gate?
‘Three people survived the 100-man gate. That’s enough profit.’
This didn’t make sense from a merchant’s perspective.
That meant there must be a reason they wanted to kill El Paume, a reason that had nothing to do with business.
‘One thing for sure is that the Kania Guild will do whatever it takes to kill El Paume. No matter the cost.’
That’s why Lakan had willingly given 20 million mesos to El Paume.
‘If things go well, we can eliminate the Kania Guild.’
20 million mesos was a small price to pay, if not negligible, to bring down the Kania Guild.
In any case, El Paume was too valuable an asset to kill.
“Ebisu.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of El Paume’s abilities?”
“His abilities in what way?”
“Do you think he’ll make it back alive?”
The remaining question was now El Paume’s chances of survival.
“I’d say over 70 percent,” Ebisu replied, giving a surprisingly high probability.
And it wasn’t just a vague sense of hope.
“I can say with certainty that his survival skills are unmatched by any adventurer I’ve ever seen.”
El Paume’s life experiences were a testament to this.
“He’s survived three years as a bait slave.”
Even before becoming an adventurer, El Paume was different from the rest.
And his survival skills since becoming an adventurer were nothing short of remarkable.
“His growth rate since then has been frankly phenomenal.”
In particular, El Paume had reached 3-circles in a remarkably short time.
“He’s like Eagle Eye.”
Now, El Paume was seeking adventure in Eagle Eye’s Grave, the place where Eagle Eye, a talent of similar caliber, had met his demise.
Of course, Eagle Eye wasn’t just talented.
As a disciple of Captain Kyrin, he had received immense support. The level of items he possessed was far beyond that of an average adventurer.
Crucially, while El Paume excelled in survival skills, particularly in finding exits, his combat abilities were unknown.
It was clear that El Paume was lacking in a direct comparison.
Even so, El Paume’s abilities were indeed remarkable.
“He’s an adventurer worthy of full support from the guild.”
In fact, at this point, it seemed wasteful to simply use him as bait.
Lakan himself had this in mind.
After all, the value of a skilled adventurer was unparalleled.
That’s when Lakan shifted his perspective.
“What if El Paume succeeds in conquering Eagle Eye’s Grave?”
He considered the benefits of El Paume’s survival.
“First, according to the contract, Gafor Merchant Union will receive 30% of the profits. 30% of the items obtained from the gate will also belong to Gafor Merchant Union. However, the first choice of items will be given to El Paume’s party.”
Even just the pure monetary gain was 3 million mesos.
“But the most certain thing is the fame. Gafor Merchant Union will achieve what even Nautilus couldn’t.”
The value of the reputation they would gain in the aftermath was immeasurable in mesos.
It meant that the name of Gafor Merchant Union, which was barely clinging to the bottom of the top 10 guilds, would soar in value.
At that moment, Lakan didn’t hesitate.
“What is El Paume’s main magic attribute?”
“It’s fire.”
“I’ll make a deal with El Paume.”
“A deal?”
“I’ll lend El Paume a unique item.”
He made his decision.
“What kind of item?”
“Prepare the Phoenix Feather. There’s nothing more valuable for a fire-attribute mage than that.”
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 42
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 42: The Nautilus (1)
1.
The Era of Mystic Gates
Since the dawn of the Mystic Gate era, conquering these mysterious portals has become the ultimate measure of worth in Maple World. The deeper one ventures into these gates, the greater their status becomes.
“Who’s the best at conquering Mystic Gates these days? There are a few contenders. The top ten from the port city of Erebos, like the elite Goldrich Guild, the warriors of the Ariant Kingdom, and the adventurers of Elnas Mountain... It’s hard to say definitively who’s the best.”
And so, the competition to conquer Mystic Gates intensified.
“But one thing’s for sure. The most active and dedicated group is undoubtedly the Nautilus.”
Among them, the pirates of the Nautilus stood out for their relentless pursuit of Mystic Gates, their efforts bordering on desperation.
It was, in fact, quite understandable.
The Nautilus was, after all, a pirate ship, and pirates were driven more by wealth and treasure than glory.
To them, the Mystic Gates, overflowing with priceless treasures, were nothing short of a dream come true.
And the Nautilus, in turn, offered them a compelling incentive.
“If you want to strike it rich in the Mystic Gates, join the Nautilus! We promise rewards like no other!”
The Nautilus guaranteed more lucrative rewards than any other group.
Their most notable offering was the bounty system.
“We’ll pay bounties based on the number of wounds inflicted!”
The more wounds inflicted, the more reward money paid. The Nautilus was the first to introduce this system.
Naturally, adventurers seeking riches flocked to join the Nautilus, and as a result, the ship’s prestige grew to unimaginable heights.
People began to say:
“The Nautilus’s prestige is equal to the combined might of the top ten guilds of Erebos!”
It was widely believed that the Nautilus would soon become the most powerful force on Victoria Island.
Naturally, the Nautilus’s bounty system attracted the attention of all money-hungry adventurers.
Of course, everyone was especially interested in the most expensive bounties.
This particular Mystic Gate was no exception.
“A bounty of 9.99 million mesos?”
9.99 million mesos was a staggering amount on its own.
“And it’s only an Orange-rank gate?”
Normally, a bounty of that size would only be offered for a Yellow-rank gate or higher, even Green-rank.
So, for an Orange-rank gate to have such a high bounty, there had to be something extraordinary about it.
“Isn’t that the gate where Captain Kyrin’s disciple went in and died?”
The extraordinary event was that the disciple of Captain Kyrin, the leader of the formidable Nautilus, and a party of the most promising young adventurers had met their demise there.
That meant it was an extremely dangerous place.
“And everyone has failed since then! No one has dared to challenge it in the past year!”
Unsurprisingly, no one had been able to find the exit since then.
El Paume understood this all too well.
‘It’s a tough one, that’s for sure.’
He knew better than anyone what lay beyond and why it was so difficult.
‘That’s why it’s worth it.’
And this challenge applied not only to El Paume but also to the Kania Guild, which was after him.
The Kania Guild would undoubtedly want to reclaim the Hydra’s Fang, a unique item that El Paume had obtained by defeating the Viper Nir.
‘I can’t rashly play my key card.
In this situation, recklessly playing his best cards would likely lead to self-destruction.
In other words, there was a high chance of having to waste a disposable card.
‘The Gafor Merchant Union is also a headache.’
From the Gafor Merchant Union’s perspective, El Paume’s challenge was also risky as they needed evidence of El Paume’s death at the hands of the Kania Guild.
Their 20 million mesos could go up in smoke.
“Why are you trying to challenge that gate?”
‘No, you can’t. Absolutely not.’
And so, Ebisu tried to dissuade him.
But unfortunately, El Paume had no choice.
“Doesn’t it matter where I challenge?”
The contract only specified the number of challenges, not that the Gafor Merchant Union had to choose the gates. And that was understandable.
If the guild could arbitrarily choose the Mystic Gates, it meant they could kill any adventurer at will. No sane adventurer would accept such a condition.
Moreover, no sane adventurer would willingly go to hell.
“There’s no problem, but isn’t it too dangerous?”
El Paume calmly responded to this absurdity.
“I’m being chased by the Kania Guild. I don’t know why, but they’re determined to kill me. In that situation, it’s more dangerous to enter a Mystic Gate of low difficulty.”
But even more upsetting was the prospect of losing the chance to shake up the Kania Guild.
Lakan had already sensed something.
‘This isn’t just trolling. There’s something more to it.’
It was hard to understand why the Kania Guild would troll in a 100-man Mystic Gate, but it was not impossible.
Wasn’t it a good opportunity to eliminate a rival force?
Gafor Merchant Union could have done something similar, as long as they could get away with it.
But why try to kill El Paume, the survivor of that gate?
‘Three people survived the 100-man gate. That’s enough profit.’
This didn’t make sense from a merchant’s perspective.
That meant there must be a reason they wanted to kill El Paume, a reason that had nothing to do with business.
‘One thing for sure is that the Kania Guild will do whatever it takes to kill El Paume. No matter the cost.’
That’s why Lakan had willingly given 20 million mesos to El Paume.
‘If things go well, we can eliminate the Kania Guild.’
20 million mesos was a small price to pay, if not negligible, to bring down the Kania Guild.
In any case, El Paume was too valuable an asset to kill.
“Ebisu.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of El Paume’s abilities?”
“His abilities in what way?”
“Do you think he’ll make it back alive?”
The remaining question was now El Paume’s chances of survival.
“I’d say over 70 percent,” Ebisu replied, giving a surprisingly high probability.
And it wasn’t just a vague sense of hope.
“I can say with certainty that his survival skills are unmatched by any adventurer I’ve ever seen.”
El Paume’s life experiences were a testament to this.
“He’s survived three years as a bait slave.”
Even before becoming an adventurer, El Paume was different from the rest.
And his survival skills since becoming an adventurer were nothing short of remarkable.
“His growth rate since then has been frankly phenomenal.”
In particular, El Paume had reached 3-circles in a remarkably short time.
“He’s like Eagle Eye.”
Now, El Paume was seeking adventure in Eagle Eye’s Grave, the place where Eagle Eye, a talent of similar caliber, had met his demise.
Of course, Eagle Eye wasn’t just talented.
As a disciple of Captain Kyrin, he had received immense support. The level of items he possessed was far beyond that of an average adventurer.
Crucially, while El Paume excelled in survival skills, particularly in finding exits, his combat abilities were unknown.
It was clear that El Paume was lacking in a direct comparison.
Even so, El Paume’s abilities were indeed remarkable.
“He’s an adventurer worthy of full support from the guild.”
In fact, at this point, it seemed wasteful to simply use him as bait.
Lakan himself had this in mind.
After all, the value of a skilled adventurer was unparalleled.
That’s when Lakan shifted his perspective.
“What if El Paume succeeds in conquering Eagle Eye’s Grave?”
He considered the benefits of El Paume’s survival.
“First, according to the contract, Gafor Merchant Union will receive 30% of the profits. 30% of the items obtained from the gate will also belong to Gafor Merchant Union. However, the first choice of items will be given to El Paume’s party.”
Even just the pure monetary gain was 3 million mesos.
“But the most certain thing is the fame. Gafor Merchant Union will achieve what even Nautilus couldn’t.”
The value of the reputation they would gain in the aftermath was immeasurable in mesos.
It meant that the name of Gafor Merchant Union, which was barely clinging to the bottom of the top 10 guilds, would soar in value.
At that moment, Lakan didn’t hesitate.
“What is El Paume’s main magic attribute?”
“It’s fire.”
“I’ll make a deal with El Paume.”
“A deal?”
“I’ll lend El Paume a unique item.”
He made his decision.
“What kind of item?”
“Prepare the Phoenix Feather. There’s nothing more valuable for a fire-attribute mage than that.”
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 42Translator PrksProofreader PrksChapter 42: The Nautilus 11.The Era of Mystic GatesSince the dawn of the Mystic Gate era, conquering these mysterious portals has become the ultimate measure of worth in Maple World. The deeper one ventures into these gates, the greater their status becomes.Who's the best at conquering Mystic Gates these days? There are a few contenders. The top ten from the port city of Erebos, like the elite Goldrich Guild, the warriors of the Ariant Kingdom, and the adventurers of Elnas Mountain... It's hard to say definitively who's the best.And so, the competition to conquer Mystic Gates intensified.But one thing's for sure. The most active and dedicated group is undoubtedly the Nautilus.Among them, the pirates of the Nautilus stood out for their relentless pursuit of Mystic Gates, their efforts bordering on desperation.It was, in fact, quite understandable.The Nautilus was, after all, a pirate ship, and pirates were driven more by wealth and treasure than glory.To them, the Mystic Gates, overflowing with priceless treasures, were nothing short of a dream come true.And the Nautilus, in turn, offered them a compelling incentive.If you want to strike it rich in the Mystic Gates, join the Nautilus! We promise rewards like no other!The Nautilus guaranteed more lucrative rewards than any other group.Their most notable offering was the bounty system.We'll pay bounties based on the number of wounds inflicted!The more wounds inflicted, the more reward money paid. The Nautilus was the first to introduce this system.Naturally, adventurers seeking riches flocked to join the Nautilus, and as a result, the ship's prestige grew to unimaginable heights.People began to say:The Nautilus's prestige is equal to the combined might of the top ten guilds of Erebos!It was widely believed that the Nautilus would soon become the most powerful force on Victoria Island.Naturally, the Nautilus's bounty system attracted the attention of all money-hungry adventurers.Of course, everyone was especially interested in the most expensive bounties.This particular Mystic Gate was no exception.A bounty of 9.99 million mesos?9.99 million mesos was a staggering amount on its own.And it's only an Orange-rank gate?Normally, a bounty of that size would only be offered for a Yellow-rank gate or higher, even Green-rank.So, for an Orange-rank gate to have such a high bounty, there had to be something extraordinary about it.Isn't that the gate where Captain Kyrin's disciple went in and died?The extraordinary event was that the disciple of Captain Kyrin, the leader of the formidable Nautilus, and a party of the most promising young adventurers had met their demise there.That meant it was an extremely dangerous place.And everyone has failed since then! No one has dared to challenge it in the past year!Unsurprisingly, no one had been able to find the exit since then.El Paume understood this all too well.It's a tough one, that's for sure.'He knew better than anyone what lay beyond and why it was so difficult.That's why it's worth it.'And this challenge applied not only to El Paume but also to the Kania Guild, which was after him.The Kania Guild would undoubtedly want to reclaim the Hydra's Fang, a unique item that El Paume had obtained by defeating the Viper Nir.I can't rashly play my key card.In this situation, recklessly playing his best cards would likely lead to self-destruction.In other words, there was a high chance of having to waste a disposable card.The Gafor Merchant Union is also a headache.'From the Gafor Merchant Union's perspective, El Paume's challenge was also risky as they needed evidence of El Paume's death at the hands of the Kania Guild.Their 20 million mesos could go up in smoke.Why are you trying to challenge that gate?No, you can't. Absolutely not.'And so, Ebisu tried to dissuade him.But unfortunately, El Paume had no choice.Doesn't it matter where I challenge?The contract only specified the number of challenges, not that the Gafor Merchant Union had to choose the gates. And that was understandable.If the guild could arbitrarily choose the Mystic Gates, it meant they could kill any adventurer at will. No sane adventurer would accept such a condition.Moreover, no sane adventurer would willingly go to hell.There's no problem, but isn't it too dangerous?El Paume calmly responded to this absurdity.I'm being chased by the Kania Guild. I don't know why, but they're determined to kill me. In that situation, it's more dangerous to enter a Mystic Gate of low difficulty.But even more upsetting was the prospect of losing the chance to shake up the Kania Guild.Lakan had already sensed something.This isn't just trolling. There's something more to it.'It was hard to understand why the Kania Guild would troll in a 100-man Mystic Gate, but it was not impossible.Wasn't it a good opportunity to eliminate a rival force?Gafor Merchant Union could have done something similar, as long as they could get away with it.But why try to kill El Paume, the survivor of that gate?Three people survived the 100-man gate. That's enough profit.'This didn't make sense from a merchant's perspective.That meant there must be a reason they wanted to kill El Paume, a reason that had nothing to do with business.One thing for sure is that the Kania Guild will do whatever it takes to kill El Paume. No matter the cost.'That's why Lakan had willingly given 20 million mesos to El Paume.If things go well, we can eliminate the Kania Guild.'20 million mesos was a small price to pay, if not negligible, to bring down the Kania Guild.In any case, El Paume was too valuable an asset to kill.Ebisu.Yes.What do you think of El Paume's abilities?His abilities in what way?Do you think he'll make it back alive?The remaining question was now El Paume's chances of survival.I'd say over 70 percent, Ebisu replied, giving a surprisingly high probability.And it wasn't just a vague sense of hope.I can say with certainty that his survival skills are unmatched by any adventurer I've ever seen.El Paume's life experiences were a testament to this.He's survived three years as a bait slave.Even before becoming an adventurer, El Paume was different from the rest.And his survival skills since becoming an adventurer were nothing short of remarkable.His growth rate since then has been frankly phenomenal.In particular, El Paume had reached 3-circles in a remarkably short time.He's like Eagle Eye.Now, El Paume was seeking adventure in Eagle Eye's Grave, the place where Eagle Eye, a talent of similar caliber, had met his demise.Of course, Eagle Eye wasn't just talented.As a disciple of Captain Kyrin, he had received immense support. The level of items he possessed was far beyond that of an average adventurer.Crucially, while El Paume excelled in survival skills, particularly in finding exits, his combat abilities were unknown.It was clear that El Paume was lacking in a direct comparison.Even so, El Paume's abilities were indeed remarkable.He's an adventurer worthy of full support from the guild.In fact, at this point, it seemed wasteful to simply use him as bait.Lakan himself had this in mind.After all, the value of a skilled adventurer was unparalleled.That's when Lakan shifted his perspective.What if El Paume succeeds in conquering Eagle Eye's Grave?He considered the benefits of El Paume's survival.First, according to the contract, Gafor Merchant Union will receive 30% of the profits. 30% of the items obtained from the gate will also belong to Gafor Merchant Union. However, the first choice of items will be given to El Paume's party.Even just the pure monetary gain was 3 million mesos.But the most certain thing is the fame. Gafor Merchant Union will achieve what even Nautilus couldn't.The value of the reputation they would gain in the aftermath was immeasurable in mesos.It meant that the name of Gafor Merchant Union, which was barely clinging to the bottom of the top 10 guilds, would soar in value.At that moment, Lakan didn't hesitate.What is El Paume's main magic attribute?It's fire.I'll make a deal with El Paume.A deal?I'll lend El Paume a unique item.He made his decision.What kind of item?Prepare the Phoenix Feather. There's nothing more valuable for a fire-attribute mage than that.Translator PrksProofreader Prks
