Chapter 94
I closed my eyes slowly.
An increase of 300 Trial Points—sweet rewards always came with a price.
Now, it was time to pay it.
“Urgh…”
My tongue began to swell, and my esophagus stung sharply.
A boiling sound rose from my throat, and my chest burned as if I’d downed a shot of strong liquor.
“Click-click. Don’t panic, boy. From the looks of it, this isn’t even that strong. In my day, I drank acids that could melt iron with a smile on my face.”
The old man’s hand touched my back.
Though he was a spirit, his touch felt strangely warm.
“Now, recite the formula I taught you.”
Energy began circulating rapidly from deep within my abdomen.
“A true technique works only when one can control the mind completely. Trust in the clear energy of Azure. Let it drive out the poison rampaging in your body.”
Expelling poison—this was a first.
Since meeting the old man, I’d never once been poisoned.
‘But still.’
The energy in my body was solid, reliable.
It asked why I was worried, why I was afraid of something so trivial.
With bold confidence, it surged forward and clashed with the toxin.
“Oh-ho.”
The old man smiled faintly.
“So, you’ve been training hard, eh? For a brat, your flow is smooth and steady.”
“I’ve practiced nonstop… except when sleeping or eating.”
I forced the words out through the pain.
“Is that so? I can see it. You’ve not reached my pace, but I see your effort. You hardly need my help anymore.”
“That’s not true, sir.”
“……”
“Please help me. I want to grow faster—faster than ever.”
I clenched my fists through the agony.
‘Trial Points…’
I didn’t know what they were, but the more I gathered, the better they’d be.
I wanted to collect as many as possible, as fast as I could.
‘Opportunities like this don’t come twice.’
The poison gave bonuses.
And I had the ability to purge it safely.
It was perfect.
[Bonus for Toxicity Detected.]
[‘Death Devil’ is a Class-2 Deadly Poison.]
[You have gained 300 Trial Points.]
I recalled that message.
‘Class-2 deadly poison.’
If there was a second class, there must be higher ones too.
‘How much would a higher-grade poison give?’
My heart raced.
Yeah.
I really must be insane.
Even while my insides burned, the thought of more rewards thrilled me.
That’s why I needed the old man’s experience—his mastery of the Body Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons.
“Tsk tsk. Still impatient as ever, huh? Fine, keep circulating.”
He clicked his tongue, but I could hear the pride in his voice.
Maybe my desire to make the Ten Thousand Arts the strongest resonated with him.
“Remember this movement. I’ll show you the heaven above heavens.”
His hand pressed against my back, guiding my energy.
“Never fight poison head-on.”
My bold surge of energy paused.
Then it began to follow his guidance.
The connection felt so natural that goosebumps ran down my arms.
‘This is my energy… right?’
It felt like my own child ignored me to obey its grandfather instead.
Still, the energy obeyed.
“Poison, you see, is like a thief breaking into your home—stabbing you, tearing the place apart.”
The energy reached my esophagus, splitting into fine threads.
One, two, three…
Each thread gently wrapped around the poison.
“If you try to fight the thief by throwing bombs and wrecking the house, what happens? You might beat him, but your home will be in ruins.”
Ah.
I understood immediately.
Don’t resist poison.
Accept it—embrace it.
“Take in only what you need, and expel the rest. To build resistance, just a trace is enough.”
Ssshhhhh…
A faint blue mist seeped from my skin and evaporated into the air.
The pain faded.
The burning in my throat eased, and my swollen tongue deflated.
A complete victory over the Death Devil.
“This feels good.”
I opened my eyes.
Nice.
That wasn’t so bad.
So this is how it’s done.
Alright, I can do this too.
Bit by bit, I’ll reach the same height as the old man.
The Body Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons.
Just imagining it filled me with exhilaration.
—
Darkness lifted, and dawn crept over the horizon.
From early morning, I began preparing for exploration.
Before Olena, James, and Capu woke, I had already sent my skeletons out to gather supplies.
They were my main force, but—
‘If anything happens, I can always resummon them.’
Wherever they were, one skill call would bring them back.
No need to worry.
“Yawn.”
Olena rubbed her eyes and came out, stretching.
“Wow… You stayed up all night alone?”
“No, I rested a bit.”
“Really? You didn’t come back to camp after you left last night…”
“I was near the trees. I couldn’t sleep while my subordinates stood guard.”
“Impressive…”
She looked at me with admiration.
“Now I feel bad. We just slept comfortably while you worked.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I smiled faintly.
Then I glanced at the top-left of my vision.
[Your current Trial Points:]
[Trial Points: 630]
Since the system appeared, the count had been updating in real time.
I kept it displayed.
‘Six hundred thirty, huh…’
They didn’t need to feel guilty.
I’d earned plenty while they slept.
‘No reason to tell them about it.’
They probably couldn’t handle poisons anyway.
Besides, they weren’t fully my allies yet.
We’d barely known each other for a day.
Just temporary companions, not comrades.
I’d stay cautious.
“Hey, Hun. Thanks, man. Been a while since I slept on bare ground—my body’s sore.”
James appeared next, stretching.
“……”
Then Capu, dark-skinned and silent, rose with a groan.
I grinned at them.
“Sleep well? Good. We were safe all night, so we’ll make this our base for now.”
“Huh? We’re staying here?”
James looked confused.
“Wouldn’t it be better to move around, see what others are doing, find the exit?”
“James is right.”
I nodded.
He wasn’t wrong.
“But there’s a reason we can’t leave just yet.”
“A reason?”
“Yes. Nothing major—just that my skeletons won’t be able to find me if I move too far.”
I wanted to avoid resummoning.
I couldn’t recall the food they gathered, after all.
“Ah, got it… fair enough. So we stock up on points first, then move out later, right?”
James scratched his head, and I smiled.
“Exactly. But we won’t just sit around eating. Let’s start exploring nearby and uncover this dungeon’s secrets.”
“Sounds good.”
“I agree.”
Olena and Capu nodded.
“Keep scouting until the food returns. Don’t stray too far, and shout if anything happens.”
So began the routine.
Time passed—day after day, night after night.
Sunny and Eldrin exceeded expectations, gathering endless supplies.
The land was vast, and each haul brought new types of food.
Trial Points skyrocketed.
“Master.”
One night, when everyone else was asleep, Eldrin approached.
“This is what I gathered today.”
Thud, thud!
He emptied his arms—piles of colorful poisonous mushrooms, more than forty kinds.
“Whoa, that many?”
“I can find even more tomorrow. This forest is huge and varied—perfect for rare species.”
“Good.”
At night, I trained by eating poison and purging it.
[Bonus for Toxicity Detected.]
[‘Crazy Poison’ is a Class-1 Deadly Poison.]
[You have gained 500 Trial Points.]
……
[Bonus for Toxicity Detected.]
[‘Dark Angel’ is a Class-3 Deadly Poison.]
[You have gained 100 Trial Points.]
There were all kinds.
Mild toxins, instant killers, everything in between.
Roughly, the system seemed to calculate it like this:
[Normal food – 10 points]
[Normal poison – 50 points]
[Class-3 Deadly Poison – 100 points]
[Class-2 Deadly Poison – 300 points]
[Class-1 Deadly Poison – 500 points]
And so—
My points multiplied at an absurd rate.
Days passed.
We ate, we explored, we survived.
At night, I feasted on poison.
I’d become a predator.
A predator of points.
After about a week—
“Haah.”
I looked at my status window and couldn’t help but smile.
[Your current Trial Points:]
[Trial Points: 24,630]
An insane number.
Considering my teammates’ averages hovered around 2,560—after eating bugs and worms alike—
‘Unreal…’
That was the power of poison.
‘Still…’
Collecting points was good and all.
But the dungeon’s true purpose, the key to clearing it, was still unknown.
‘Maybe it’s time to move.’
The sun had set again, and as I prepared to accept another batch of deadly mushrooms from Eldrin—
“You brat. Stop for a moment.”
The old man’s tone turned serious.
I froze and met his eyes.
“Shh. Don’t react. Just listen.”
He pressed a finger to his lips.
He wanted me to act natural—pretend nothing was wrong.
My eyes widened, but I stayed still.
Then he whispered,
“Someone’s watching you. Someone far beyond your current ability to detect.”
“……!”
A chill crawled down my arms.
No sound, no presence.
Even my subordinates were keeping watch.
Yet someone was there—watching me.
Who… could it be?