The Last Adventurer

Chapter 15

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 15. Mushroom Forest (3)

7.

One of the most common misconceptions among beginner adventurers is about the qualities of a veteran adventurer.

“A veteran is someone who can hunt monsters well!”

Possessing strong fighting power, beginner adventurers consider it the most important value of an adventurer.

However, that was not the case at all.

The top priority for veteran adventurers was survival, and the most important skill they needed to learn for that survival was how to avoid fighting monsters.

The party led by the adventurer magician Dolan was the same.

“There is a group of green mushrooms this way. Let’s go back.”

They were veteran adventurers with over 100 Mystic Gate conquests.

They could avoid combat whenever necessary, so they repeated their adventures without much fighting.

They had done nothing wrong.

Because they were cautious and thorough.

That was for sure.

They had done nothing wrong.

“Hahahahahaha!”

“What is it?”

But then, one of the companions suddenly burst out laughing.

“Hahahahahaha!”

“Gel, why are you suddenly like that?”

“Hahahahahaha!”

Like he was really crazy.

“Why are you suddenly…… hahahahaha!”

That was just the beginning.

Starting with one, all six members of the party suddenly burst out laughing like crazy.

“Hahahahahaha!”

“Hahaha, kek, kek!”

Of course, it was not a normal laugh.

The faces of those who burst out laughing were more mournful than ever.

They all knew why.

‘It’s poison.’

That this laughter was evidence of addiction.

“Everyone, haha, everyone, run, haha…….”

And they also knew what the result would be that they would soon encounter.

If they were veterans, they would know.

Boom!

How dangerous it is to make a loud noise in a place full of monsters.

8.

“It’s a Jester Deathcap.”

The moment he heard El Paume’s explanation, Dibo’s expression twisted fiercely.

It wasn’t that he knew about the Jester Deathcap.

He couldn’t have known.

“It’s a monster that can only be seen beyond the Mystic Gate, and even then it’s very rare to see.”

The Jester Deathcap was a monster that even El Paume had only encountered less than ten times.

That meant it was an incredibly rare monster.

After all, the number of monsters El Paume had fought so far was so astronomical that it was in the billions.

That was also why Dibo’s expression was twisted.

An unknown monster appeared, and it was even a poisonous monster? It was the most dangerous situation.

“The existing antidote potions won’t work, will they?”

Most adventurers usually carried at least one antidote potion. They were expensive, but they were not more expensive than their lives. And these antidote potions were effective against various poisons.

The problem was that the “various poisons” here referred to poisons that were known to be known.

This meant that the chances of it being effective against the poison of the extremely rare Jester Deathcap was virtually zero.

That was not all.

“More than that, just now, making a loud noise…”

“It’s a symptom of addiction.”

The Jester Deathcap’s poison itself was not that strong. To be precise, it was not so lethal as to cause death. Even if you were addicted, you could survive for about a day.

“So you’re saying that if you get poisoned, you’ll start laughing like crazy?”

“That’s right.”

The problem was that the moment you got addicted, you started laughing like crazy.

This meant that you would not be able to follow the iron rule of not making a loud noise in a place with monsters.

That was not all.

The act of laughing was a difficult act in many ways. Just like how your stomach hurts if you laugh too much.

What about fighting in that state?

And a life-or-death battle that required a high level of concentration?

It was impossible.

In this situation, Dibo was hoping for one thing.

“Boss, what do you think?”

‘If it’s the boss, he might know.’

He was wondering if El Paume, who could identify the identity of the boss monster just by looking at the symptoms of addiction, had a way.

“It won’t be easy.”

Dibo’s expression hardened at El Paume’s words.

‘Yeah, he’s right.’

Even though he had never seen it before, he could easily imagine how terrible the boss monster was just from the description.

El Paume also knew.

‘The Jester Deathcap’s poison doesn’t have that wide of a range.’

That this wasn’t just an ordinary Jester Deathcap.

‘The smallest Jester Deathcap is over 4 meters tall. If the poison had spread to that extent, there’s no way the veteran adventurers would have missed its presence. And yet, the fact that they were poisoned by it means…….’

El Paume kept this in mind.

‘There’s a high probability that there’s an item that increases the range and potency of the Jester Deathcap’s poison.’

Dibo spoke after seeing El Paume contemplating like that.

“Boss, should we retreat?”

He suggested that they hurry up and find the exit.

It was a sound judgment.

It was foolish to talk about hunting a dangerous boss monster that they couldn’t catch, let alone kill.

No matter how much the boss monster was worth, it wasn’t wise to risk their lives for it.

Dibo wasn’t the only one who thought that way.

Boom!

There was the sound of an explosion in one part of the forest, and soon Dibo and El Paume could see it.

The sight of red smoke exploding in the sky.

“That’s an emergency signal.”

9.

One of the most important values pursued by the Adventurer’s Association is to increase the survival rate of adventurers.

Adventurers who were obsessed with titles competed, and accidents often occurred because the competition was extreme.

So the Adventurer’s Association set some rules.

“When a pirate adventurer shoots a smoke bomb with a gun or cannon, it means the following.”

One of them was the existence of smoke bombs.

“If you shoot a green smoke bomb, it means it’s safe. If you shoot a yellow smoke bomb, run away without fail. When you shoot a red smoke bomb, all adventurers will gather.”

The red smoke bomb was an emergency signal, and it meant that everyone should gather where the smoke bomb was fired.

Of course, it was just a rule, and it could not be forced.

It was impossible for the Adventurer’s Association to attach officials to each adventurer and monitor them.

On the contrary, there were cases where this smoke bomb was often used as a trap that threatened adventurers.

However, most adventurers tried to follow this rule. The more veteran adventurers, the more they followed the rules.

Because this rule could save their lives.

That was why.

When the red smoke bomb went off, the adventurers of the four parties, except for one party that was annihilated, gathered where the smoke came from.

Naturally, all the remaining survivors gathered.

And the pirate Iburu who fired the smoke bomb spoke to everyone gathered.

“I found the boss monster. It was a 5-meter tall mushroom monster with a red smiling skull pattern all over it.”

He spoke of the existence of the boss monster.

Of course, those gathered knew.

That he didn’t send an emergency signal just to tell them that fact.

It was as expected.

“It’s blocking the exit.”

Pirate Iburu spat out the most important information, and everyone’s expressions hardened.

Dibo was the same.

‘This is crazy.’

That thing was a powerful poison spreader. And yet, that thing, that creature with deadly poison, was guarding the exit?

That wasn’t the only headache.

“As you all know, mushroom monsters don’t really hunt. They can live without eating.”

Normal monsters hunted to survive. That was the most basic of basics.

That’s why it was practically impossible for them to stay in one place for a long time. They had to move somehow.

However, mushroom monsters didn’t need to do that.

The Jester Deathcap that was sitting there now meant that it would never move unless something special happened.

That’s why everyone’s expressions hardened.

“It looks like someone has to be the bait.”

That something special had to be done.

Of course, not everyone agreed with that statement. One adventurer raised his hand and said.

“Can’t we all just attack it together?”

If you’re an adventurer, you have to take risks.

There was also merit to it.

“The poison of such a rare species would be priceless.”

Not only the title, but also the opportunity to earn a lot of money.

However, that opinion didn’t last long.

“No matter how expensive it is, it can’t be worth more than our lives.”

After all, the people here were veteran adventurers.

That’s why the agony deepened.

They all knew the value of their lives better than anyone else.

‘Who will be the bait?’

In such a situation, who would choose the option to be the bait and risk their life?

Everyone was just looking at each other’s expressions.

“We will be the bait.”

At that moment, El Paume raised his hand, and all the gathered adventurers made shocked expressions.

“B-Boss?”

Of course, Dibo was among them.

He was volunteering to be the bait that had to risk his life?

“Are you crazy?”

It was crazy.

Moreover, this wasn’t just a crazy act.

The other adventurers thought.

“No, don’t you understand our situation? One adventurer and one bait slave! That’s only two!”

Using a small worm as bait to catch a shark is pointless.

It was the same now.

El Paume and Dibo, only the two of them, would be thrown in as bait for the terrifying Jester Deathcap? How long would they last?

On the contrary, there was a high probability that they would only worsen the situation by provoking the Jester Deathcap.

The other adventurers were also worried about that, and El Paume spoke about that concern.

“There are two adventurers.”

“Two?”

At those words, all the adventurers looked at each other.

It seemed like he was going to ask for one more person.

In a way, it was wise.

In this kind of situation, it makes sense for everyone to share the risk management rather than one party taking on all of it.

Of course, everyone was tense at the fact that they might be the one, and El Paume’s finger moved.

To point someone out.

The moment everyone tensed up at that fact, El Paume’s finger stopped.

“Huh?”

Right in front of Dibo, of all people.

“Me?”

Dibo, who tilted his head at that fact, soon made a dumbfounded expression and said.

“Boss, are you kidding me? What kind of adventurer am I? My left hand…”

Dibo, who was about to show his left wrist, froze.

“Eh?”

That was because he saw the black ring that had appeared on his left wrist.

“Did I awaken?”

The moment one adventurer became two.

Of course, the other adventurers were not convinced by that fact.

It was impossible to classify a newly awakened adventurer as an adventurer.

“No, wait. Boss. Although I am an adventurer, I’m just a beginner, a beginner of beginners. How can the two of us be the bait for that monster?”

That’s why Dibo still reacted strongly, and everyone was happy to agree with that reaction.

That was the moment.

“We will be the bait.”

“No, boss, but…”

“In return, the rest of you will pay 50,000 meso.”

El Paume made a suggestion.

“One per person.”

The adventurers burst into nervous laughter at the absurd suggestion.

One of them, the pirate Iburu, finally couldn’t take it anymore and spoke.

“Is this the time to be joking? I don’t think your colleague will agree to that either… .”

“One, two, three… If it’s 50,000 mesos per person, then my share is… Hey, boss. Let’s give it a try!”

However, Iburu shut his mouth at Dibo’s voice.

So was everyone else.

At that moment, everyone looked at El Paume and Dibo with disbelief.

Anyway, since Dibo had agreed, there was only one thing left.

“The method is simple. My colleague and I will lure the poisonous mushrooms away. In the meantime, please go through the exit.”

Will you accept this offer?

Of course, the agony was not long.

There was no reason to.

“If you get out alive, I’ll take the promised amount then.”

There was no reason to hesitate when two adventurers volunteered to be bait and said they would pay in cash.

Iburu, he held out his hand.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]