Chapter 93
Curiosity is such a strange thing.
Even when you know something screams [Don’t] or [You’ll regret this], you still feel that pull toward it.
Of course, that isn’t a bad thing.
Curiosity is an instinct of every intelligent being—through it, humanity has come this far.
In truth, curiosity is courage.
The courage to face and experience what is uncertain and dangerous firsthand.
And, well, if you’re talking about courage—who better than me?
“……”
I stared at the mushroom before me.
That was a long preface, but what I meant was simple.
I wanted to take a bite out of that colorful mushroom in front of me.
If every edible thing here gave ‘Trial Points’…
then maybe this one would too.
“Hey, Hun, don’t tell me—”
James frowned, noticing my gaze.
“You’re not thinking of eating that, are you? Just looking at it makes my stomach hurt.”
“I agree. We haven’t even scouted properly yet, and we don’t know how much food this forest has. There’s no reason to eat random stuff off the ground already. It’s obviously poisonous.”
Olena nodded, siding with James.
Both teammates opposed the idea.
“Hmm.”
I rubbed my chin.
Maybe it was my rebellious nature, but the more someone said no, the more I wanted to do it.
“Hun, wait.”
Step, step.
Capu walked toward the mushroom, crouched, and examined it closely.
Then he nodded.
“Hmm, it’s definitely poisonous.”
Huh?
So the explorer could even identify poisonous fungi?
“This one’s called the ‘Death Devil’ mushroom.”
“Death Devil?”
“Yes. Locals gave it a scary name to keep people cautious. Just one bite melts your throat and rots your stomach. It’s a lethal toxin. You must never eat it.”
“……I see.”
I nodded and stepped back.
If all my teammates said no, I couldn’t just ignore them and charge ahead.
Besides—
“……”
I looked up at the sky.
The sunset had faded, and darkness was falling fast.
In the forest, once the light disappeared, you couldn’t see anything at all.
Already, the surroundings were blurring into shadows.
“Let’s head into the shelter we prepared for the night.”
“Agreed. But how will we keep watch? We can’t light a fire, and it’s too dark to see anything. It’s meaningless to stand guard like this. It’s not like we have night vision goggles…”
“I’ll handle the watch.”
“You will?”
Olena blinked.
I smiled.
“Yes, one of my skeletons is used to the dark.”
Sunny—the one who’d spent his life in shadows.
“I’ll take care of the night shift.”
I was planning to anyway.
‘Besides.’
I had something to do.
—
“Phew.”
The forest was completely dark now.
I stood near the ridge and exhaled a quiet breath.
Whoosh, rustle—
Only the eerie wind and the sound of insects filled the night.
Olena, James, and Capu had already fallen into a light sleep.
“Master, you’re not resting?”
Sunny approached.
“There’s no sign of trouble nearby.”
“Good work.”
Sleep—vital for human life.
But somewhere along the way, I started needing less and less of it.
‘Must be because of the Supreme Azure Mind Method.’
An S-rank internal energy technique I’d learned from the old man.
Its effects were incredible.
It expelled impurities, revitalized cells, and rejuvenated the body.
The more I used it, the younger and clearer my skin became.
It even provided the effects of sleep.
‘No need to rest when I don’t have to.’
Besides, my work wasn’t done yet.
To finish the day…
[Skill: ‘Teaching of Ten Thousand Arts’ (S-rank) activated.]
[20 energy consumed.]
[‘Master of Ten Thousand Arts’ appears.]
…I had to spend an hour with the old man.
“You brat.”
The old man appeared like a ghost.
“So now you summon me in the dead of night after putting it off all day?”
“Haha, sir.”
“So, this must be that dungeon trial by the one they call the Dungeon Maker, right?”
“Yes.”
I told him everything openly. Especially when it came to special dungeons—it helped him adjust my training.
“Hmm. No light, limited vision… actually, a perfect environment to sense energy. Let’s start with the grand technique again, shall we? Prepare yourself.”
That cursed “grand technique.”
Sure, it had boosted my rank a lot, but it still felt like torture.
“Actually, sir, wait.”
“What is it?”
He tilted his head, surprised.
I never usually interrupted.
“It’s about the Supreme Azure Mind Method.”
“……”
“Can it purge poison?”
There it was.
I still hadn’t forgotten that poisonous mushroom.
It was still burned into my sight, floating before my eyes.
I didn’t even know why I was so fixated.
I thought about eating it and using Bone Seven’s ‘Recovery,’ but that had a one-month cooldown.
And even if I could use it, wasting it on this would be stupid.
‘Recovery’ was basically an extra life.
“Poison, you say?”
“Yes.”
“Fool! Of course it can. The Supreme Azure Mind Method is flawless. Of all the techniques in my world, I chose it as the best of the best. Do you think a little poison could stop it?”
He puffed up proudly.
“Really?”
My eyes brightened.
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Well, actually…”
I told him what happened earlier—how we gained Trial Points from eating, about the mushroom called Death Devil.
“Hmm.”
He listened quietly, then nodded as if pleased.
“Good. Maybe it’s about time you start building poison resistance.”
“Resistance?”
“Yes, brat. You’ve brought this up at just the right time.”
He actually looked pleased, like this was a milestone.
“Listen well. The Ten Thousand Arts are not light teachings. In any world, mastery places you among the absolute.”
In his world, he was the strongest under heaven.
In this world, I was heading toward that ranker status.
“To hold that kind of position is not easy. It’s dangerous and brutal. Do you know what one must have to maintain it?”
Something necessary?
I cleared my throat.
“Power? Influence?”
“Those matter, but first you must understand—this world is rotten. For centuries I held the top, and countless fools coveted my place.”
He reminisced about his past.
“Great clans that thought they’d unite the world without me, jealous underlings, even emperors who ruled empires… all of them came after me. And what did I do? I crushed them with grace—that’s the dignity of Ten Thousand Arts. But to do that, one must be prepared for every ambush and sneak attack.”
“One of them being poison.”
“Exactly.”
He nodded.
“The Supreme Azure Mind Method purifies the body. To achieve the ultimate immunity—‘Body Untouched by Ten Thousand Poisons’—I consumed every toxin I could find.”
The Body Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons.
A mythical state where no poison could harm you.
Even without him saying it, I knew what that meant.
“When I overcame a hundred toxins, I became immune to a hundred. When I conquered a thousand, I became immune to a thousand. And when I devoured every poison in existence….”
He smiled.
The old master of Ten Thousand Arts looked genuinely pleased, relishing the memories of the pain he’d endured.
“I became free from all toxins.”
“Amazing.”
“So if you ever encounter deadly poison, greet it with open arms. When you find a new toxin, don’t fear it—smile.”
“……”
Anyone else would call that madness.
But for some reason, his words resonated with me.
Why did they feel… right?
Why did they make me happy?
His encouragement felt more thrilling than my teammates’ warnings.
“Eldrin.”
Rustle.
The high elf appeared at my call.
“You summoned me, master?”
“From tomorrow on, bring me anything that looks poisonous.”
If poison was this valuable—then this rainforest was a goldmine.
It’d be easier to find here than outside.
And who knows?
There might be toxins unknown to Earth.
“Hmm. I’ve seen some nasty-looking mushrooms around… are you sure about this?”
“Yeah? Even better.”
The old man chuckled.
“Good. I spent years searching for poisons, and here you are with a servant who can find them for you.”
“Haha…”
I scratched my head.
“Alright then.”
He clapped his hands.
“Let’s start with that Death Devil. Go on, eat it. Normally you’d have to suffer and learn on your own, but lucky you—your master will guide you personally.”
“Oh, thank you, sir.”
Perfect.
I could eat the mushroom and skip the painful massage.
Couldn’t be better.
I went back to where the mushroom was.
It was dark, but the moonlight made it easy to spot.
The colorful fungus gleamed beneath the trees.
“……”
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
‘Death Devil, huh?’
Capu’s words echoed—one bite melts your throat, rots your stomach.
My pulse quickened.
It would hurt, right?
‘But if it makes me stronger….’
I’d endured pain plenty of times before.
Besides, I had Pain Resistance.
And Bone Seven’s healing.
And my master was watching over me.
‘Alright.’
Let’s do it.
Just one bite!
I popped the entire mushroom into my mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
It was raw and tough.
‘Ugh.’
The earthy bitterness hit my tongue and throat—
[Ding!]
[You have consumed ‘Death Devil’.]
[You have gained 10 Trial Points.]
[Bonus for Toxicity Detected.]
[‘Death Devil’ is a Class-2 Deadly Poison.]
[You have gained 300 additional Trial Points.]
‘What the—?’
My eyes widened.
We’d earned 320 points total after eating all day.
Killing a person gave 100 points.
But a single poisonous mushroom gave 300?
‘This….’
This was made for me.