The Last Adventurer

Chapter 3

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 3: Return to the Past (3)

5.

Everyone aspires to be an adventurer. These adventurers are broadly classified into five professions.

“Adventurers refer to those in the five professions of warrior, mage, archer, thief, and pirate.”

The basis for this classification is the skills they can use, or rather, their skill aptitude.

Mages, naturally, are those with an aptitude for magic skills.

“Mages are called different names depending on the element they can control, and this is also broadly divided into three categories: offensive mages who use fire, poison, electricity, and ice magic; healer mages who use blessings, buffs, and healing magic, also known as bishops.”

Even mages are classified according to their element.

“There are also light and dark attributes, but in fact, the only mage in Maple World history who could actually use them was the Luminous, one of the Six Heroes who sealed the Black Mage, so it’s not really significant. The problem is with telekinesis.”

Of these, telekinesis is the most uniquely classified.

“In a way, there’s even less information about telekinesis than light and dark magic. Light and dark magic are surprisingly well-known to the world thanks to the Luminous’ heroic deeds.”

Unlike other elemental magics that are systematically classified, telekinetic magic is still unknown.

“In the first place, there are few telekinesis users.”

The first reason for this is that there are few people among mages with a telekinesis magic aptitude. The second reason is simply the difficulty.

“Even among the telekinesis users, there are only a handful who can properly use telekinetic magic. That’s how difficult telekinesis is to use. Even lifting a single stone on the ground is only possible for those who are relatively skilled. And what about moving that stone quickly and hitting the target you want?”

Using telekinesis to move something is very difficult.

“Stones are relatively easy.”

The more irregular the shape, the more difficult it was to control.

“Moving energy bolts or fire arrows quickly with telekinesis?”

That was why.

“If you can guarantee that, you deserve to be called the best telekinesis user.”

That’s how El Paume got the title of the best telekinesis user.

He could do it.

“Fire arrow.”

Whoosh!

An arrow made of flames conjured with the word.

Thud thud thud!

The blazing arrows flew towards the horde of over thirty orange mushrooms without pause.

Straight, in a straight line.

Pffft!

The arrow that flew in that way pierced the glabella of the 2-meter-tall orange mushroom at the very front.

So far, it was the appearance of an ordinary fire arrow.

A very ordinary sight.

Whoosh!

However, the fire arrow that pierced through the orange mushroom’s glabella began to defy common sense.

It suddenly turned and pierced through the temple of the orange mushroom next to it.

Pffft!

The fire arrow, which had destroyed the core of the second orange mushroom in a single breath, did not stop there.

Pffft!

It slithered through the air like a snake, piercing and cutting through the heads of all the orange mushrooms around it.

In that instant, over thirty orange mushrooms fell to the ground with their heads pierced by the fire arrow.

It was a marvelous sight.

With just one fire arrow, he killed over thirty orange mushrooms with a fire arrow that would be considered amazing even if it could only kill two at once?

That’s why he was called the best telekinesis user.

He could do it.

“Fire arrow.”

Whoosh!

An arrow made of flames appeared with the word.

Thud thud thud!

The blazing arrows flew towards the horde of over thirty orange mushrooms without pause.

Straight, in a straight line.

Pffft!

The arrow that flew in that way pierced the glabella of the 2-meter-tall orange mushroom at the very front.

So far, it was the appearance of an ordinary fire arrow.

A very ordinary sight.

Whoosh!

However, the fire arrow that pierced through the orange mushroom’s glabella began to defy common sense.

It suddenly turned and pierced through the temple of the orange mushroom next to it.

Pffft!

The fire arrow, which had destroyed the core of the second orange mushroom in a single breath, did not stop there.

Pffft!

It slithered through the air like a snake, piercing and cutting through the heads of all the orange mushrooms around it.

In that instant, over thirty orange mushrooms fell to the ground with their heads pierced by the fire arrow.

It was a marvelous sight.

With just one fire arrow, he killed over thirty orange mushrooms with a fire arrow that would be considered amazing even if it could only kill two at once?

“It took me five years.”

Even El Paume, who was naturally gifted, took a considerable amount of time to reach this level.

“Thanks to surviving for five years.”

Moreover, it was not an ability that El Paume had acquired by choice.

It was understandable. The efficiency of honing telekinesis magic control to this extent was not high compared to the time invested.

It was more advantageous to use magic one more time or to obtain an item with more powerful magic during that time.

Especially against boss monsters, this technique was not as effective as one might think.

No, there was no need to go as far as boss monsters.

It was only because the orange mushrooms had weak bodies that he could use a single fire arrow in this way. Against monsters with strong defense, the fire arrow would fulfill its purpose and dissipate the moment it pierced one.

Most importantly, mage adventurers did not need to use magic so desperately.

Most mages could fight monsters more efficiently with the help of party members.

In other words, El Paume could not do that.

Once he went to war, he had to face not hundreds but thousands of monsters, and by the time he fought that war, most of the party members who protected him would be dead.

To survive in such an unconventional battlefield, he had no choice but to have unconventional abilities.

That was why El Paume did not express admiration for the result he had created.

Nor did he indulge in sentimentality.

‘I’ll get rid of all the monsters here and get out.’

6.

The Mystic Gate That Changed the World

“Mystic Gate? It looks ordinary.”

The appearance of the Mystic Gate was not particularly impressive.

“It’s just wood.”

At first glance, the frame of the Mystic Gate looked like two ordinary trees touching each other.

“So ordinary that countless people have passed by Mystic Gates without even realizing it.”

It was impossible to tell from a distance if it was a Mystic Gate or not in the forest.

“Only when a person approaches does the portal activate.”

The portal then took on one of the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

The portal remained open as long as there was someone inside.

Conversely, if no one was inside, the portal disappeared.

Interestingly, there were two cases in which the portal disappeared.

“There are two cases in which the portal disappears. One is when those who have entered come out through the exit. In this case, the Mystic Gate has fulfilled its purpose and disappears. The other case is? Well, when everyone inside is dead. In this case, the Mystic Gate can be re-entered.”

That was why.

“If you look closely, there is a number on each Mystic Gate. That number is the entry limit. Before entering, adventurers make a mark next to that number.”

Before entering a Mystic Gate, adventurers would make a mark on the Mystic Gate as a sign.

That mark became a guide for the next adventurers.

“The more scars there are on a Mystic Gate, the more hellish it is inside. Well, some people are drawn to it even more.”

For some, it was a warning, and for others, it was a sign that would ignite their sense of adventure.

The Mystic Gate that El Paume emerged from had one scar.

This meant that the party that brought El Paume was the first group of adventurers to enter.

This was the case that beginners liked the most.

To novice adventurers, a Mystic Gate with multiple scars would undoubtedly seem difficult.

Of course, the number of scars was not a definitive proof of the difficulty of a Mystic Gate.

After all, even the Mystic Gate that devoured all the adventurers in the world had first appeared without a single scar.

In any case, El Paume, who had emerged from the Mystic Gate, gazed at it intently.

To be precise, he was staring at the portal.

He looked at the crimson portal swirling within the Mystic Gate like stagnant water in a well.

Then, the portal disappeared.

Whoosh!

At the same time, the Mystic Gate collapsed.

Only then did El Paume look away.

‘They’re all dead.’

El Paume had looked at the gate to see if there were any survivors.

Originally, in the history before he returned to the past, the only survivor was El Paume himself.

However, the world works in mysterious ways.

El Paume had intended to deal with any survivors.

It was only natural.

‘It’s time to start again.’

El Paume knew better than anyone the harrowing future that awaited him.

‘The monsters will be unleashed into the world in three years.’

El Paume had only three years, but he had so much to do.

However, El Paume did not dwell on it.

There was no time for that.

‘There’s only one thing I can do.’

The Last Adventurer, El Paume, had only one thing he excelled at before he returned to the past.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

‘Kill as many monsters as possible.’

It was a long shot.

However, the situation was definitely better.

‘I’ve secured the items.’

Unlike before he returned to the past, El Paume now had a considerable number of items in his possession.

‘The mana circle has also deepened a little.’

In addition, his magic power had also increased after absorbing the magic stones obtained from killing monsters inside the Mystic Gate.

He had already achieved results that would have taken four or five Mystic Gate raids to achieve before he returned to the past.

There was only one problem.

‘The debt I owe to the Caporegime remains.’

Before he returned to the past, it took El Paume three years to gain freedom from the Caporegime’s slavery.

That was why.

‘I have to go to the Caporegime.’

El Paume headed to the port city of Liss where the Caporegime was located.

7.

Victoria Island.

There were two main ways to get to this island, which is one of the islands in Maple World.

One is to take an airship.

The other is to take a ship.

Needless to say, traveling by airship was extremely rare, and most travel was done by ship.

And most of those ships docked in the port city of Liss, located southwest of Victoria Island.

“All of the 10 largest organizations have a presence in the port of Liss.”

This was why many organizations had set up shop in the port of Liss.

But the world changed with the advent of the Mystic Gate.

Adventurers who had been escorting logistics shipments headed for the Mystic Gate, and all the money went towards items from the Mystic Gate, and in the process, the volume of logistics in the port of Liss was bound to be greatly reduced.

The world had changed.

“And since the advent of the Mystic Gate, the Gafor’s Top has taken one of the 10 top spots.”

The Gafor’s Top, led by Gafor, was an organization that had rapidly gained power in the Mystic Gate era.

This was possible because the Gafor’s Top was more active than anyone else in exploring the Mystic Gate.

Going beyond simply exploring, they offered Mystic Gate adventure services to adventurers.

They provided the location of the Mystic Gate, as well as the items needed for it.

Among them, the biggest hit was the bait slave rental system.

Of course, it was by no means a good-looking business.

It was also not an easy business.

In fact, there was no country in Maple World that legally recognized the concept of slavery.

In particular, Empress Cygnus, the head of the Maple World Alliance, which was recently formed, had never tolerated the slave system in the past or present.

It was simply that the concept of lending money and having it repaid with labor was well-accepted.

That means it’s impossible to treat someone like a slave.

So the Gafor’s Top thought.

“It’s better to be a slave than to die. But it’s better to die than to be a slave of the Gafor’s Top.”

They just needed to punish those who borrowed money thoroughly and mercilessly so that they wouldn’t even think about such things.

In particular, the Gafor’s Top showed no mercy to escaped slaves.

‘The Gafor’s Top hunts down and kills escaped slaves.’

El Paume knew this fact well.

That’s why he returned to the Gafor’s Top even after he opened his 1st Circle and even after he became an adventurer.

That he couldn’t gain freedom even if he ran away.

‘For three years, I only explored the Mystic Gates that the Gafor’s Top gave me.’

Only after paying off his debt to the Gafor’s Top did he gain his freedom, and as soon as he gained his freedom, the era of the Mystic Gate came to an end and the era of monsters, the era of despair, began.

That’s why El Paume was going back to the Gafor’s Top now.

‘I know more about the Gafor’s Top than anyone else.’

Having worked like a dog for his entire life, he knew better than anyone what would happen in the Gafor’s Top in the next three years.

‘I also know how to use them to suck out their marrow and soul.’

The better he knew them, the easier they were to use.

With those thoughts in mind, El Paume saw the port city of Liss.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]