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Chapter 27. The Human Hunter (2)
2.
The royal palace of the Ariant Kingdom.
A place that was always bustling with festivals hosted by King Abdullah VIII.
“Wow!”
The place was now filled with a hotter enthusiasm than when some festival was being held there.
Many adventurers were radiating heat, and the heat was so intense that it even put the sunlight shining down on the Kingdom of Ariant to shame.
Of course, not all adventurers were like that.
The expressions of some adventurers became colder than ever.
Cooled, they looked at the paper scattered from the sky, a clue that would tell them where the prince’s tomb was located.
On a day when the sky turned black, where the stars had visited, and where the reddest flowers had bloomed.
The minds of the adventurers looking at the clue were complicated.
To be honest, it was too vague.
“When the sky turns black, does that mean it’s night?”
“When you say where stars have passed, does that mean where meteors have fallen?”
“Red flowers are blooming? Are there only one or two red flowers?”
And there it was.
“It’s definitely related to the history of the Ariant Kingdom, but who knows about such things these days?”
Studying history was essential for adventurers of the past.
What adventurers are looking for are relics and legacies from the past that have not been revealed to the world, and in order to learn about them, they had no choice but to study history.
But today’s adventurers are different.
“It’s an era where all you have to do is conquer the Mystic Gate.”
It was a time when all you needed was the ability to hunt monsters, and everything would be solved.
Of course, it was a good time to study history.
So everyone was at a loss in front of the visible clues.
“The day the sky turned black refers to the time when the black wizard appeared.”
Of course, El Palm was an exception.
“Boss, how do you know that?”
“If you look at books written by historians from the Kingdom of Ariant, many of them describe that day in that way. In the case of Victoria Island, they often used the expression ‘black nightmare.’”
He knew.
“The place where the star has traveled is where the hero who sealed the black wizard has traveled.”
“Who is the hero?”
“I’m talking about the thief Phantom from Ariant.”
What does that clue mean?
“Then which flower is the reddest?”
“The reddest flower is blooming.”
“Blood?”
“The warriors of the Ibe tribe, active in the southern part of the Ariant Desert, express blood spilled on the ground with flowers. The reddest flowers flow where the most blood has flowed.”
So El Palm was able to figure it out right away.
“The place where the Ibe tribe shed the most blood was none other than the Malgur Oasis. There, the Ibe tribe fought against the followers of the Black Wizard together with the thief Phantom. And there, the Ibe tribe was annihilated.”
Malgur Oasis, that is where the prince’s tomb is.
“Oh my gosh, boss! You’re amazing!”
Everyone, including Debo, was amazed by the explanation.
Did you know you were this knowledgeable about history?
Of course, El Palm was not well-versed in the history of the Ariant Kingdom.
‘Because I knew it was the Malgur Oasis.’
In fact, El Palm knew where the prince’s tomb was.
Since I knew the answer, it wasn’t difficult to deduce the meaning of the clue.
Of course, this is only El Palm’s story.
“As expected from the boss.”
His colleagues, unaware of the truth, could only admire him.
“Thanks to the boss, this is going to be so easy to solve?”
And it just burns the will.
“Aren’t we the first to arrive?”
To that burning will, El Palm said:
“The fight for power is just a fancy word.”
“yes?”
“The adventurers hired by Queen Areda must have already left.”
“ah!”
The remaining colleagues immediately understood at that cold, piercing voice.
What King Abdullah VIII showed us now was nothing more than a show to make the gathered adventurers into henchmen.
“Wait, isn’t it already moving?”
And if you think about it, El Palm Party was also dangerous.
If El Palm’s words are true, the adventurers currently employed by Queen Areda should already be near the prince’s tomb.
“No, it’s okay.”
El Palm wasn’t particularly worried about that.
“Because there are sand drawings around the prince’s tomb.”
3.
As the Mystic Gate era began, the Ariant Kingdom enjoyed greater prosperity than ever before.
But that wealth quickly began to wane amid the extravagance and indulgence of Abdullah VIII.
Far from enjoying abundance, the people of the kingdom began to be exploited even more severely than before.
Eventually, one of them, unable to endure the brutal exploitation, drew a picture on the desert sand.
A painting of a man resisting the troops of King Abdullah VIII.
And some of those who saw the picture began to draw themselves behind the man.
That’s how the Sand Drawing Group, a resistance group that resisted the tyranny of the Ariant Kingdom, was born.
In addition, the Sand Drawing Group that was created in this way has become the greatest force currently threatening the Kingdom of Ariant.
As expected, the Sand Knights tackled every move made by the Kingdom of Ariant.
“The place where the prince’s tomb is located is currently occupied by the Sand Drawing Group. That is one of the reasons why the prince’s tomb has not been conquered until now.”
The same was true of the prince’s tomb.
They have repeatedly interfered with the conquest of the Prince’s Tomb, which was a long-cherished project of the Ariant Kingdom.
That’s why.
“I will spread the information among the adventurers. Then they will head to Malgur Oasis.”
Queen Areda, she planned this event.
“Countless adventurers.”
She planned to use the adventurers gathered at the Ariant Royal Palace as bait.
“Even if they are the Sand Drawing Group, they can’t deal with all the adventurers that are coming. But it doesn’t matter. If we kill those adventurers, the guilds and merchants behind them will become our enemies.”
And while the Sand Figures are distracted by the bait, they send the prepared adventurers into the prince’s tomb.
That was Queen Areda’s plan.
Of course Queen Areda knew.
“I can’t include everything though.”
This plan could allow unexpected adventurers to enter the Mystic Gate.
“Well, I guess it’s okay.”
But it didn’t matter.
“Because the preparation is perfect.”
Ten people who have been appointed as subordinates.
And one martyr.
Mystic Gate, because it was perfectly prepared to turn that place into hell.
“No one who goes in will come out alive.”
So Queen Areda spoke confidently.
“No, it won’t be easy to even get in.”
4.
Malgur Oasis.
It was one of the largest oasis in the Nihal Desert.
It’s more like a forest than an oasis.
There was a dense forest that did not fit in with the Nihal Desert.
And there was a huge oasis, a lake, that made that abundance possible.
The abundance was so great that there was an abundance of food, including dates, everywhere.
When we got to this point, everyone had questions.
“Isn’t Malgur Oasis a paradise? But why aren’t there any cities there?”
Why does it remain an oasis?
That is to be expected. The existence of an oasis in the Nihal Desert was indescribably precious, and so where there was an oasis, small villages and even large cities were formed.
However, there was no mention of a city or even people living in the Malgur Oasis.
“Because it’s so rich.”
“what?”
The reason, ironically, was the overflowing abundance.
“I told you, it’s so rich that a forest can grow there. That’s why all kinds of monsters flock there.”
Due to its overflowing abundance, the Malgur Oasis was full of monsters that were as terrifying as those in the Nihal Desert.
“That’s why the Adventurer’s Association only allows entry to A-class adventurers.”
That’s why the Adventurer’s Guild designated Malgur Oasis as the fifth most dangerous place in the Nihal Desert.
“Hey boss.”
“Speak.”
“Didn’t the Sand Knights say they were guarding this place?”
It was also because of this background that the Sand Drawing Group was able to interfere with the conquest of the Prince’s Tomb.
In Malgur Oasis, where even an A-class adventurer would have a hard time adventuring, simply making a loud noise was enough to disrupt or hinder a party of adventurers with a Circle 4 or lower.
That’s why.
“Yes.”
“But why can’t I see it?”
What El Palm’s colleagues, including Devo, are wondering is…
Of course, the answer to that question was simple.
“Because I’m getting hurt.”
The person leading this party right now is none other than El Palm.
Moreover, El Palm said repeatedly:
“There is already enough information about Malgur Oasis. And it is already a place where the monster ecosystem is stable. If you move around after seeing the traces overflowing everywhere, it will not be difficult to avoid the monsters.”
It shouldn’t be difficult at all to avoid what is already known and what has been made public.
In fact, this was something that the El Palm Party already knew.
I was just surprised.
“I didn’t know that would work here.”
I never imagined that his abilities would be of this level.
“Isn’t the level of difficulty completely different from anything I’ve experienced before?”
That would be the case, as Malgur Oasis was a place where only A-class adventurers could enter.
El Palm Party had visited a stage that was much more difficult than the Perion Ruins Excavation Site or Sleepywood.
It would be common sense to say that what worked there wouldn’t work here.
On the other hand, this was a given for El Palm.
“Only A-class adventurers can enter Malgur Oasis. In other words, even the most experienced adventurers cannot take rash actions here.”
Because it is a dangerous place, it is easier to predict.
“Only the boss can do that.”
Of course, this is a story that only El Palm can tell.
And El Palm’s colleagues did not question or question this further.
“That’s fortunate though.”
From El Palm’s colleagues’ point of view, there was absolutely no reason to refuse.
“Of course, I’m glad he’s the leader.”
“Hey? Does Geumnun sometimes speak briefly?”
“Then you are short-spoken? Should I make you one-eyed? Yes?”
Thanks to that, we have enough freedom to joke around with each other.
But that leisure didn’t last long.
Krr, krr!
“This is the sand giant’s territory. Everyone, be quiet.”
To begin with, this place is full of powerful monsters that give even A-class adventurers goosebumps.
It was a place where secrecy and silence were virtues.
And El Palm Party, which had maintained its virtue there, was able to reach its end.
“Over there.”
To the prince’s tomb.
“Is it there?”
The first reaction of Divo and his colleagues upon reaching their destination was to tilt their heads in confusion.
It had to be that way.
“Is that really the right place?”
“The portal is not activated?”
Because all they saw was the entrance to a normal Mystic Gate, with no portal activated.
“You’re not confusing it with another Mystic Gate, are you?”
Of course, there was no reason for El Palm to be confused.
Because he knew the prince’s tomb better than anyone else.
“Hey, are you sure?”
But El Palm’s colleagues were different.
What made everyone even more confused was the fact that the Mystic Gate portal was not activated.
“You think we’re the first?”
That would be the case, because if that really was the prince’s tomb, and the portal wasn’t active, then it meant that no one had entered it until now.
“Everyone here knows?”
This was very difficult to understand, considering what El Palm had said earlier, that the adventurers hired by Queen Areda had already taken action a long time ago.
About him, El Palm said:
“Since it is a place where the Sand Figures might interfere at any time, the adventurers hired by Queen Areda would have wanted to enter at the same time. So it is natural that no one is entering now.”
In the first place, entering the Mystic Gate first was a crazy thing to do from an adventurer’s perspective.
“I know it’s obvious, but why did you do that back then? Huh?”
Of course, El Palm has done such crazy things a few times.
That’s why.
“Then should we wait too?”
“You go in first.”
No one was surprised or embarrassed by El Palm’s words and the fact that he was doing such a crazy thing.
Rather, I was convinced.
“Well, the other guys are all enemies anyway, so I should go in first.”
To El Palm Party, other adventurers are enemies rather than companions.
Well, then it would have been better to move first before they came.
“Let’s just quickly go up to the second floor and close it.”
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to quickly clear the Mystic Gate to prevent other adventurers from entering.
“If you’re lucky, you will.”
El Palm had that plan in mind too.
“But the moment we enter, the party of adventurers waiting will quickly come in.”
But that wasn’t the only plan he had in mind.
The world is full of all kinds of variables.
“After entering the Mystic Gate, find the exit to the second floor as quickly as possible. However, before finding the exit and passing through, other adventurers may enter following us.”
So El Palm prepared a plan to counter it.
“The four enter the second floor.”
“Huh? Wait a minute, so you want us to do this on our own? What about the boss?”
“I stay on the first floor and hunt.”
fantasy,
