Chapter 104: The Poison Mist (3)
First, my energy returned. The color ca back to my face, and strength returned to the hands that had been limp monts ago. Moreover, a familiar power filled my heart and lower abdon—the ki I had been mastering through the Great Blue Heart Technique. And not just that, but my lted flesh began to regenerate.
“Grrr…!”
The nerves and bones that had lost their function started to grow anew. Damaged organs regained their functionality, and my weakened immune system surged back to life. Torn muscles healed, and my blurry vision cleared.
This was resurrection—a sight so miraculous it could only be called a miracle.
[Your body has been restored to its state 24 hours prior.]
From vocal cords that had only been capable of letting out faint whispers, a strong, vibrant voice erupted. “Haah!”
Even the dulled sense of pain receptors returned.
Good.
It was ti to start again. The fight against the poison mist wasn’t over yet.
“Screeeeeeech!”
The poison mist’s energy surged into , churning and probing. The familiar pain resud, as did the process of neutralization and expelling.
Damn it, I muttered to myself.
I had endured so much tornt to get through that hellish mont. And yet, here this monster was, dragging back into a vortex of agony.
But…
This ti, it was bearable. Compared to the beginning, it seed I had built up at least so resistance.
“Hmm.”
I closed my eyes and focused on circulating my ki. I analyzed the toxic elents entering my body, trying to control them.
Indeed, the old man had been right about everything. There was no need for extensive research—just consuming poison was enough to gain knowledge about it. It wasn’t about learning through books but through direct experience.
My brain worked rapidly.
The second and sixth poison seem highly reactive. If they mix, it’ll be disastrous. Keep them apart.
Hmm, poisons one and three might cancel each other out. They feel similar to the Crane Soul Herb and Crane Red Bloom from before.
Oh? Poison five’s extre toxicity can be neutralized by poison nine? Let’s rge them!
Wow! Eureka! Poisons 14 and 18 combined with 19. It’s like a perfect elixir! My energy is replenishing!
Even without knowing the proper nas of the poisons, I was thinking like a poison scholar. Without precise knowledge, my instincts guided —just as one didn’t need to study fire to know it was hot. This was the experience of soone who had consud thousands of poisons.
“Screeeeeeech?!”
Perhaps because I wasn’t succumbing to it, the poison mist grew more violent. Its movents beca more aggressive, its speed faster, and the winds more ferocious.
I won’t try to suppress it.
I acknowledged it—the poison mist was a natural disaster. It wasn’t sothing that could be controlled by re human strength. To “control” sothing so vast was akin to trying to hold the ocean within a human body.
I won’t try to oppress you. Roam freely within .
This was a monster that seed to embody all the poisons in existence. Its goal was clear: to lt with its collection of toxins. But in fact, that was also exactly what I wished for.
Co at .
I opened all the circuits and ridians within my body. At the sa ti, I controlled the Great Blue Heart Technique to delicately protect those pathways.
—Whoosh!
Toxins began flooding in. The poison mist carried not only Grade 1 lethal poisons but also Grade 2, 3, and even common poisons—those too weak to harm . This was possible only because of my current state. Had I tried this earlier, my body would have lted instantly.
But my body now was different. My brain automatically processed the old man’s Poison Arts, breaking down and synthesizing the toxins. Most importantly, my body had started to accept the poisons.
“Hoo, huff, hmph.”
Amazingly, the overwhelming toxins no longer suffocated . My breathing was steady, and the foul, rotting stench was gone. Instead…
It’s fragrant.
I sniffed. It was a sweet aroma, like passing through a bakery in the morning. The texture of it on my tongue was so smooth that it made my mouth water.
Ah… is this really poison?
Poison was like Korean kimchi or cilantro in China—spicy and strong at first, but the more you consud, the more you grew addicted.
Ahh. I felt joy. It was as if I’d reached a state of unity—no, oneness with poison.
Ti passed as I relished this new sensation.
“Hahaha!” a voice rang out beside .
Hm?
I opened my eyes wide. The old man stood there, grinning brightly in the greenish haze.
Huh? Elder, how did you get here?
“Didn’t you know? You’ve been instinctively summoning every 24 hours. You’d summon and then fumble around like an idiot, so I lent you a hand.”
…What?
I was dumbfounded. I’d only closed my eyes for a mont. What did he an by summoning him every 24 hours?
“Haha. It seems you were so imrsed you didn’t even notice. This is the fifth ti you’ve summoned , lad!”
“…”
Fifth ti? Did that an five days had passed?
“What?”
Co to think of it… My vision was clear. Even though my body was floating in the air and the poison was still pouring into , I felt nothing. Rather, I felt refreshed.
“Screeeeeeech? Screeeeee?”
The once-ferocious roar of the poison mist now sounded confused.
“What’s happening…?”
“What’s happening? You’ve surpassed yourself, that’s what! Tsk. Even if you are my disciple, you’ve done sothing extraordinary.” The old man’s voice sounded as sweet as poison itself. “To think that the re Thousand Poisons Immunity could endure such an impossible environnt, absorb all those poisons, and still stand. Tell , how do you feel? Can you instinctively identify the poisons swirling around you?”
He was right—I could. Every poison floating near , I could taste them all. My body instinctively knew them—how to neutralize and control them without anyone telling . I felt like I could even combine them to create sothing new.
“That is one of my All Techniques, the Poison Arts. Tsk, life is so mysterious that I still get amazed by it sotis. So of the techniques I drilled into you, you still haven’t mastered, yet you’ve reached the pinnacle of sothing entirely new.”
“Pinnacle…?”
“Yes, you fool! The state you’ve reached is Absolute Poison Immunity!”
“…!” My eyes widened.
[Congratulations!]
[The skill ‘Thousand Poisons Immunity’ (A-rank) has reached its max.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Absolute Poison Immunity’ (S-rank).]
Ah, so this was the realm of Absolute Poison Immunity.
[Skill: Absolute Poison Immunity]
[Rank: S]
[Effect 1: Resistance to all existing poisons.]
[Effect 2: Identifies all existing poisons.]
[Effect 3: Can manipulate all existing poisons.]
“Yes, Absolute Poison Immunity doesn’t just end with resistance.” The old man smiled as he spoke. “It’s about becoming friends with poison—not fighting it but harmonizing with it. Therefore, you no longer had to resist it and instead ford the closest bond with it. You instinctively grasped that and achieved it through sheer perseverance!”
—Swish!
The swirling wind of the poison mist began to calm.
“Screeeeeeeeech… Scree…”
The vengeful roar of resentnt from the poison mist beca the purr of a contented cat.
“Huh.”
I nodded and opened my ridians. Through them, the once-disastrous energy of the poison mist began to flow into .
“Do you want to co in? You say you want to stay within because it’s more comfortable than the outside world?”
Its emotions flowed into .
“Scree! Scree! Chrrr!”
Yes, you adorable little thing. Or rather, it suddenly beca adorable.
“Co in, I’ll take care of you.”
I activated the Great Blue Heart Technique. No matter how strong its poison was, it could no longer harm . It was just a soft, pleasant energy now. Its imnse energy settled around the center of my body.
“Hehe,” the Elder chuckled and shook his head. “No matter how much I think about it, you’re absurdly lucky. To ta sothing so impossible. If there’s a ‘Great Art of Luck,’ you’ve already reached that pinnacle.”
“…This ti, I can’t disagree.”
The poison mist nestled in my lower abdon. I couldn’t control it because its energy was too imnse, but as long as it was within , it wouldn’t allow anything to threaten its newfound ho. With that alone, I felt like I’d gained an army. I’d reached the stage of Absolute Poison Immunity—I was a friend to the poison mist.
Truly the stroke of a fortuitous encounter.
Just as the old man had said, I was brimming with gratitude for this fortuitous encounter.
—Ring!
[With the disappearance of the poison mist, the clear condition has been t!]
[Ending The 1 Trial.]
[You will be transported to the location of The 2 in 30 minutes.]
[Surviving participants: 41]
[Calculating rewards.]
A ssage announcing my success appeared before .
“…”
“…”
In Delilah’s hall, two people stood frozen, their mouths agape.
Staring at the hologram, the man finally said, “Wh-What did I just witness?”
“…”
“The poison mist. Did soone just take down the poison mist? And it wasn’t a ranker—it was just an ordinary participant?”
The red-eyed Lucas had lost his usual composed deanor. That was how shocking this incident was.
“…”
Even Delilah’s usually calm gaze trembled. This newcor—this anomaly—had shaken her deeply.
The poison mist was a manifestation of every poison in existence, gathered to its fullest by her ability. She hadn’t created it to be defeated. It was rely a trigger designed to raise the dungeon’s difficulty to an extre and reward participants accordingly.
“Joo Donghoon. He’s far beyond what I imagined.” Delilah licked her lips.
A participant who had shattered the frawork of surviving against the poison mist for a week by simply eliminating the poison mist itself.
“What happens now?” Lucas asked with a curious expression.
“It’s simple. The dungeon will calculate his actions and reward him accordingly,” Delilah replied calmly.
“Then…”
“Yes.” Delilah swallowed hard. “I’m certain it’ll be a reward beyond anything I can imagine.”
At the sa ti, her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Delilah was genuinely eager to see what unimaginable reward her dungeon would produce.
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