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Chapter 112: Junior Balrog (3)

6.

Alsar, Mohad, and their subordinates appeared on the 3rd floor 12 hours after the El Pam party had taken Prince Kashan away.

It was quite a long time.

Enough time for the El Pam party and Prince Kashan to escape as far as possible if they wanted to.

Alsar and Mohad were well aware of this fact.

Despite this, the reason they waited 12 hours was simple.

“They will have had plenty of rest.”

To maximize their condition.

In fact, during those 12 hours, Alsar, Mohad, and their subordinates had enough food and sleep.

They were more energetic and lively than ever.

“They must be exhausted from running away.”

On the other hand, the El Pam party would be exhausted from escaping with Prince Kashan.

That’s why they waited 12 hours.

Half a day, a point where those who were running away couldn’t muster any more strength even if they wanted to.

“Especially Prince Kashan.”

Unlike the experienced adventurers of the El Pam party, Prince Kashan was not an adventurer.

Of course, he had received training.

As a prince of the Ariant Kingdom, he had to have basic skills to survive in the harsh land of the Nihal Desert.

However, that was the story of the Nihal Desert, and this Mystic Gate was a completely different story.

Moreover, he was now being chased by those he trusted the most.

“He won’t even have time to breathe.”

Even if he rested, he wouldn’t be able to rest properly.

In other words, it was the optimal environment for the pursuers.

That’s why they waited 12 hours.

“So from now on, we find the exit.”

Furthermore, at this moment, Alsar and Mohad had no intention of chasing.

There was no reason to.

“Once we secure the exit, the situation is over.”

If they found the exit and waited, the El Pam party and Prince Kashan would be as good as dead.

“Rather than getting hurt in a clumsy chase.”

Crucially, chasing Prince Kashan here was very dangerous.

First of all, following the traces they left behind was not a good method.

Alsar and Mohad knew.

“El Pam, he’s an excellent adventurer.”

El Pam was a skilled adventurer who could even deliberately leave traces and set traps.

That wasn’t all.

“We don’t know what kind of monsters there are.”

This was a 300-person Mystic Gate, where the most powerful boss monster that could appear in the Yellow rank could emerge.

This meant they had to focus all their attention on that boss monster.

It was then.

“There!”

A monster appeared in front of them.

Dinosaurs the size of elephants with brown leather.

“It’s a Drake!”

Drake.

A very troublesome monster.

It wasn’t that they had any special abilities. They were just physically troublesome to deal with.

After all, they were quite large, about the size of an elephant.

And they were dinosaurs.

Sharp claws, sharp teeth, and menacing horns on their noses!

Drakes, charging forward with such weapons, were literally moving disasters.

“Kappa Drakes!”

The monsters that appeared were Kappa Drakes, the weakest of the Drakes.

But no adventurer in Maple World would say they were lucky to see them.

Even Kappa Drakes were already like a disaster.

“Three of them!”

Moreover, several Kappa Drakes had appeared at once.

The usual choice in this situation was to run away.

But Alsar and Mohad were different.

Far from running away, Alsar leaped towards the Kappa Drake with all his might.

“Leaf Attack!”

He then used the Leaf Attack skill, plunging down on the Kappa Drake’s body like lightning.

The force was like lightning too.

His sword pierced straight into the Kappa Drake’s back.

The Kappa Drake’s hide was tough, but Alsar’s sword tore through it like silk.

It had to be.

First of all, the sword Alsar was using had an extraordinary sharpness. Prince Kashan wouldn’t have given him a shoddy sword.

Moreover, Alsar was currently wearing the Bracelet of Hercules!

He possessed monstrous strength that couldn’t be compared to that of 4th circle warriors.

That wasn’t the end.

“Aura Blade!”

Aura Blade!

Alsar used that powerful skill, considered an epic skill even among 4th circle warrior skills.

Alsar’s sword began to glow yellow.

And when Alsar swung his sword, the yellow sword energy burst forth, slicing the Kappa Drake’s body into pieces.

It was instantaneous.

One Kappa Drake fell in an instant.

Two remained.

That wasn’t a problem either.

“Catch them.”

Mohad said.

And at his words, the subordinates rushed towards the Kappa Drakes without a moment’s hesitation.

For the followers of the Black Mage, orders were absolute.

At the same time, they had faith.

“Don’t die.”

The faith that Mohad’s healing skill would keep them alive unless it was an extreme situation.

“Catch them!”

Thus, Mohad’s subordinates, forgetting the fear of death, rushed at the Kappa Drakes.

The outcome was obvious.

Like a grasshopper attacked by a swarm of soldier ants, the Kappa Drakes met their demise in a gruesome state, unrecognizable from their original form.

It was a hunt so effortless that it couldn’t even be considered a crisis, and everyone’s eyes shone with confidence.

“There won’t be a problem.”

Confidence that this place wouldn’t be difficult either.

Alsar and Mohad felt the same way.

‘If it’s just Kappa Drakes, there won’t be any problems.’

They thought that conquering the 3rd floor wouldn’t be a big issue.

It was at that moment.

‘Huh?’

A shadow began to cast over Alsar and Mohad’s heads.

Flap, flap!

And then the sound of wings flapping.

As everyone tilted their heads in confusion at the sound, the shadow snatched one of Mohad’s subordinates.

“Ahhhhh!”

Everyone turned their heads at the scream fading into the distance, and then they saw it.

“Th-That’s?”

7.

“It’s a Junior Balrog.”

The moment the name Junior Balrog came out of El Pam’s mouth, no one had a hardened expression.

Rather, everyone chuckled.

“Hey, boss. That’s a good joke.”

“This one’s a bit much.”

“Yeah, the joke’s too much.”

“That’s right. This joke is a bit too much.”

They didn’t believe El Pam’s words.

In other words, that’s how it was.

“A Junior Balrog here? Even if you say so, how could that be possible?”

The Junior Balrog was that terrifying of a creature.

“Right! Junior Balrogs are hard to find even deep in Sleepywood now, aren’t they?”

The only fortunate thing was that Junior Balrogs weren’t as numerous as they used to be.

The appearance of such a Junior Balrog was difficult to even imagine.

Of course, El Pam was confident.

“It’s definitely a Junior Balrog.”

He was sure he wasn’t mistaken.

‘I’ve caught over hundreds of Balrogs.’

For him, Balrogs were, in a way, too familiar.

Only then did the El Pam party start to believe El Pam’s words.

And their faces began to harden.

“B-Boss. Is it real? Is it really a Junior Balrog?”

That’s how terrifying the Junior Balrog was.

“That absurd monster is the boss monster here?”

“Nah, it can’t be. That’s an absurd monster!”

Even the El Pam party, who had experienced all sorts of battles, were terrified.

It was that fearsome of a monster.

Balrogs, in and of themselves, were monsters of a different caliber, a different dimension, from ordinary monsters.

Their mere presence was a disaster!

Junior Balrogs, inheriting a fraction of the Balrog’s power, were also close to being calamities.

Especially for adventurers in Victoria Island, the fear of Junior Balrogs was bound to be greater.

“Aren’t they extinct even in Sleepywood?”

Because the place where Junior Balrogs appeared was none other than Sleepywood Forest, considered forbidden territory in Victoria Island.

Of course, Prince Kashan, hailing from the Nihal Desert, also knew.

“Is it really a Junior Balrog?”

Just how monstrous it was.

“It’s definitely a Junior Balrog.”

Around that time, El Pam spoke.

“And as long as it’s there, it’s virtually impossible to do anything while avoiding it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Junior Balrogs are not only strong but also excellent hunters.”

“Excellent hunters?”

Junior Balrogs were even more terrifying than everyone thought.

“They fly in the sky with their wings and snatch prey as soon as they spot them.”

First of all, Junior Balrogs had wings.

“Ah.”

“Just like a hawk hunting.”

They would fly around in the sky with their wings, snatch prey as soon as they found it, and then move to a safe place to deal with it.

Honestly, there was no answer for those facing them.

“Very quickly.”

The speed at which Junior Balrogs snatched their prey was so fast that it was impossible to react properly.

“They have good eyesight too.”

Moreover, Junior Balrogs were so skilled that they rarely missed their prey unless it was an exceptional situation.

The most terrifying thing about them was this.

“They’re even smarter.”

They were very intelligent.

“If there’s an exit, they’ll surely use it to hunt prey.”

Against such a Junior Balrog, clumsily trying to find the exit and escape would be nothing more than a desperate struggle to be hunted.

“There’s also the possibility that there is no exit.”

Even in the case of an exit, if the condition for its appearance was to hunt the boss monster, there was only one answer.

“What do we do if there isn’t one?”

“Divo, are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“…No. We have to catch it.”

Hunting the Junior Balrog.

At that point, everyone’s hardened expressions softened.

It wasn’t because they were interpreting the situation positively.

It was just that their reason and thoughts were paralyzed in such an absurd situation, so their expressions relaxed a bit.

Of course, as soon as their reason returned, their expressions hardened again.

Even more rigidly than before.

At that point, they couldn’t even speak anymore.

Gulp!

All they could do was swallow their saliva.

In that silence, only one person could speak.

“There’s a way.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a way to catch the Junior Balrog.”

El Pam spoke with surprising calmness.

But his companions were different.

“No, boss, how can we catch that? Even if you’re amazing, this is on a whole different level!”

At this moment, they couldn’t believe El Pam’s words.

“It is on a different level.”

El Pam agreed.

“To the point where we can’t catch it at our current level. Even if we try, the chances are extremely low.”

He acknowledged that for all of them, including himself, trying to catch the Junior Balrog at their current level would be suicidal.

“It’s not something a 4th circle adventurer can catch in the first place.”

That’s why…

“So it’s simple.”

El Pam, with a calm voice, took something out of his pocket.

And then he put what he took out directly into his mouth.

Gulp!

After swallowing it in one gulp, he said,

“We become 5th circle.”

It was the moment El Pam revealed his trump card.