Ch. 17 - Chapter 17

Getting past the guards was absurdly easy.

I scraped off part of Exa's blade in its ‘White Dream’ state, wrapped it in paper, and gave it to Bisu.

Afterward, Bisu approached the guards using Stealth and sprinkled White Dream powder on them.

And after about one to two minutes.

“Zzz...”

Just like that, the guards, unable to control their body, leaned against the wall and fell asleep.

The guards watching over this dungeon weren't contracted workers but ‘E-rank’ Hunters, yet when it came to being neutralized by White Dream, there was no difference between an ordinary person and a Hunter.

“If it seems dangerous to you, you can wait outside. It doesn't affect me, but you’re not immune to poison.”

“Hey. Are you going to keep underestimating me? I’ve got some experience in dungeons too, you know?”

“Arrogance leads to death. Who knows how many idiots like you have died here?"

– Kkwang!

"Ugh….." 

Bisu stared at Brie with a disapproving gaze.

As always, Brie was quite excited to enter the Poison Dungeon.

“Damn miniature dragon-looking thing…”

– Kku?

Bisu grumbled at Brie for a moment, then rummaged through her pockets.

“Here. You take one too.”

"What's this?"

“It’s an ampoule developed by our crew. The scent inside agitates monsters and draws them to one spot. Poison-types, in particular, go absolutely wild for it.”

"Like a decoy... or something?"

"That's right. Finally catching up. Sprinkle this in a secluded area, and the two of us will start the operation from a distance. You’d prefer an easy path to the boss monster too, right?"

"Hmm....."

It was definitely a good item.

Though my plan was a bit different from what Bisu had in mind.

But there was something I was more curious about.

“I don’t think Yaksha ever mentioned this ampoule.”

“So what? You don't want it even though it's free?"

"Of course not. It's just..."

I looked at Bisu’s sharp eyes with a faint smile.

"It feels like you're specially looking out for me because you're worried I might get hurt."

“What a load of bullshit.”

Bisu scoffed without a moment’s hesitation.

Though, I think her lips twitched a little before she answered.

Maybe I was just imagining it.

"You finishing the job quickly makes things easier for me too, you know? The antidote doesn’t last all day."

"As they say, strong denial usually means affirmation..…"

Whoosh.

As if she didn’t want to hear another word, Bisu threw the ampoule at me.

Then she popped a few small pills into her mouth.

“Ugh… bitter.”

It was the antidote she needed to take before entering the Poison Dungeon.

Since Bisu entered the dungeon using Stealth, there was no chance of being attacked by monsters.

However, she had to be cautious of the toxic elements flowing in the air.

This was exactly the part that even the most skilled hunters struggled with before encountering any monsters.

Even putting combat aside, breathing alone was difficult, making it a struggle from the very start.

"How long will it last?"

"Three hours. But you gotta be back in two and a half hours."

"Two and a half hours... That should be enough."

“Heh. You sound so confident. Do you even know where the monsters are hiding?”

“It doesn’t matter where they are.”

When I gave a strange smile, two faint lines appeared between Bisu’s brows.

“Because I’m going to lure them all out.”

"What do you mean….."

Before Bisu could even finish speaking, I sprayed the ampoule all over my body.

“Whoa! Hey, you crazy bastard!”

Bisu jumped up on the spot and stared at me in shock.

It must be utterly incomprehensible from her perspective that I used the ampoule meant as a decoy on myself instead.

But the real reason I was hunting for the Poison Monsters wasn’t the rare herbs.

I absorbed cores from the Poison Monsters, accumulating Black Aether.

With that, I grew stronger, and stronger.

To the point where no one can weigh my life against anyone else anymore.

This is why I’ve been drawn to Poison Dungeons even before becoming a hunter.

In that sense, this ampoule was an incredibly valuable item to me.

Just like grinding in an online game, I could gather mobs together and hold an experience event.

“Haha. You’d better hurry up. Sticking with me won’t do you any favors.”

“You psychopath! Freak! Lunatic!”

With those warm farewells, she dashed off in a flash.

Encountering monsters was something I yearned for.

Rather than having them get in the way as I passed through, it was easier to clear them all at once. Yeah.

Shiing.

Exa’s blade, which had been glowing white, returned to its original black color.

Anyone cut by this dagger would now fall into a sleep comparable to even death itself.

“Wow……”

The ampoule’s effectiveness was undeniable.

Not long after entering the dungeon forest’s edge, a massive goblin gathering (!) was taking place.

– Grrr.

Just as expected from the black market.

The effectiveness was solid.

I activated the Black Aether and gripped Exa tightly.

* * *

[Infected Goblin 

Type: Poison, Warrior 

Elimination Difficulty: 1 star (★) 

Physical Level: ‘E-rank’

Other Attributes: ‘D-rank’]

This was the information displayed on V1 for these creatures.

Needless to say, their ‘Other Attributes’ reflected their toxicity, and their Physical Level was also one tier below mine.

At this level, there was no need to even use ‘Poison Steps’.

I took them down as effortlessly as sweeping away fallen leaves, to the point where the ‘Warrior’ type designation felt almost embarrassing.

Slash.

– Grrk!!

100?

No, I think it was over 200.

The King of poisons, whose mere touch spelled death.

Black Aether is both the energy source of my body and the most potent extreme poison in existence.

Its lethality far surpassed that of the ‘Monster Poison’ that has tormented me my entire life.

Slash.

Thud—

I severed the neck of the last goblin in sight.

At first, they seemed confused, unsure of what had just grazed them, but within moments, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed.

It took longer to extract their Black Cores than to actually take them down.

Eventually, due to time constraints, I had to start skipping the weaker ones.

[User Info

Black Aether Held: 2332BA

Physical Enhancement Ability: 'D-rank’

Self-Healing Ability: 'S-rank' 

Abilities: Poison Steps - Level 2]

This was the info V1 gave me after the goblin massacre.

Now, the amount of Black Aether I’ve generated and absorbed on my own has surpassed what Kiril initially handed over to me.

It was a bit disappointing that my other levels were stuck in place, but seeing my steadily growing Black Aether gave me a sense of satisfaction.

“Sniff sniff.”

A familiar scent wafted around me.

No, more precisely, it was a scent I've tried to get used to.

When Black Aether spreads throughout my body, it doesn’t just strengthen my muscle tissue, it heightens every nerve, sharpening all my senses. Thus my sense of smell.

I was not quite at the level where I could detect Stealth skill yet, but I could pick up distinctive scents from far away.

The heightened sensitivity of my nose was already pointing me in the right direction.

Rare herb.

A scent similar to Cuprum Bloom was calling out to me from beyond.

“Desert?”

A dense forest that was just behind me, and now suddenly a desert?

It was an incredibly jarring contrast.

They said any kind of environment could exist inside a dungeon, looks like they weren't wrong.

A rare herb in the middle of a desert.

How strong must its vitality be to grow in such a barren place?

Rustle, rustle.

I walked through various parts of the desert, following the scent.

There was not a single spot without a clear view in all directions, nothing special in sight.

Conversely, that also meant the thing that should be here was nowhere to be seen.

'Where is it?'

Rare herbs only grow near boss monsters.

Judging by the strong scent of the herb, there was definitely a boss monster somewhere nearby.

But no matter where I looked, there was not even a single life form in sight, let alone a boss.

Could someone have already taken it?

No, that couldn't be. If the boss monster had been defeated, the dungeon would’ve already vanished.

Just as I was scanning the area for the rare herb.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

Crack.

Fwoosh!!

It was such a swift ambush that my body reacted by using Poison Steps.

The direction the attack came from was directly below.

Beneath the desert sand.

'I almost got knocked over.’

The attack was threatening enough to send a chill through my chest.

It was a creature with countless legs and a hard shell that looked tough enough to deflect most weapons.

A giant creature, poking half its body out and tilting its head curiously.

I stared it down and summoned V1.

[Venomous Centipede 

Type – Poison 

Elimination Difficulty: 4 stars (★★★★) 

Physical Level: ‘B-rank’

Other Attributes: ‘A-rank’]

"Fuck..."

I knew the dungeon was rated 4 stars (★★★★), so I came prepared, but it turned out to be even more challenging than I expected.

An ambush pattern from underground was a first for me, and more than anything, our compatibility was terrible.

The sandy terrain of the desert made it difficult to use Poison Steps effectively.

Fwoosh!

“Cough!”

The venomous centipede burrowed back into the ground, only to soon lunge again from beneath, thrusting its vicious horn upward.

Damn it.

Its presence was hard to sense beneath the sand.

Forget finding the rare herb, I was barely managing to dodge its relentless attacks.

I couldn't even perform ‘Poison Steps’ at half its usual capability in this soft, shifting desert.

On top of that, its physical level was a ‘B’.

It wasn't something I, a newly promoted ‘D-rank’ Hunter, could handle.

‘What do I do…?’

While I was pondering various strategies, the creature surged up from underground once again.

Thump!

This time, I couldn’t dodge perfectly.

Its horn scraped across my thigh.

Drip.

Blood soaked into my pants, but there was no time to care about that.

What should I do?

'I can kill it. But......'

If I parried its attack once and slashed it with Exa, the fight would be over quickly.

But if I did that, the rare herb nearby would lose its life too.

I had to neutralize this 4-star (★★★★) monster without killing it.

Even most A-rank hunters would find this difficult.

“Why has it gone quiet all of a sudden?”

The moment its attack failed, the creature that had been hiding under the sand now cautiously poked its creepy upper body out. Like waves in the ocean, its body was peaking in and out of the sand.

As if.

It was waiting for something.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen its full body, have I?

How big was it exactly…?

Thwack!

I couldn’t even finish thinking about it, a dizzying blow struck me from behind.

“Ugh.”

I was sent flying several meters, crashing face-first into the sandy ground.

So this was what a physical level ‘B’ attack felt like.

My spine felt like it had been snapped in two.

Before I could even ease the pain, something flashed up from beneath my head.

Fwoosh!

I rolled my body desperately and barely managed to block its attack.

It charged with its horn from the front and ambushed me with its tail from behind.

Gritting my teeth, I got back up and pulled out small spheres from my pocket.

Click, clack...

Monsters who hit me with their brutal attacks usually reacted like that.

How was I still alive? They seemed to ask.

They didn’t know.

The fleeting moment was one of the few chances they had.

“Phht!”

I spat out blood and began dissolving the black sphere into Black Aether.

These were the remaining Black Cores I had extracted from the goblins earlier.

I could have absorbed as many as I wanted, but leaving some behind turned out to be a stroke of genius.

By absorbing Black Aether, not only did it restore my stamina, but it also instantly healed any wounds on my body.

Like drinking a potion, I inhaled the Black Aether into my body.

Shrrrr...

The pain in my thigh wound and back began to fade.

Maybe angered by my recovery.

The creature burrowed back into the sand with an agitated motion.

Fuck.

I was the one who should be more angry here.

Though I recovered quickly, the situation remained unchanged.

Because Poison Steps had lost its effectiveness, I was barely managing to dodge its attacks.

The Exa in my White Dream state was stuck in my hand, with no chance to swing it.

“This is useless like this.”

Twitch.

“?”

Did I just imagine that?

It felt like Exa flinched at being called useless.

Vmmmmm.

It wasn’t my imagination.

Exa trembled on its own, then slipped free from my grasp.

Whoosh!

Before I could catch it again, I had to roll away once more to dodge the centipede’s attack.

Meanwhile, Exa began transforming in its original form ‘mid-air’.

Clink, clink.

Oh…

I’ve seen something like that in a movie before.

You know, the scenes where machines transform themselves.

Exa, which had returned to its original cubic form, split in half, transforming into a long, oval shape.

If I had to describe the shape…

Footprints.

Yeah, it looked like footprints.

Clank.

Exa, having returned to its master, burrowed into the sand and attached itself to the sole of my sneaker.

What on earth was it trying to do?

V1 answered in its place.

[User Information

Exa Shift Evolution: Exa can now be used not only in its offensive Dagger form but also in a Mobility form (Booster).]

Booster?

Did it just say booster?

“Oh….”

The sensation underfoot was definitely different.

It felt like I was standing on flat ground, or something even harder than flat ground.

Curious, I glanced down, and saw that Exa, attached to the sole of my sneaker, was releasing Black Aether downward into the ground.

Exa had solved the problem of the desert’s soft, uneven terrain.

“Good. At this level…”

The effectiveness of Exa in its booster form became immediately apparent.

Thud!!

Just by using Poison Steps like before, the venomous centipede missed its attack and couldn’t even locate my shadow.

I was now able to move much faster than when I usually used Poison Steps.....!

‘At this rate, I could even go toe-to-toe with Kiril’s Poison Steps.’

Behind the bewildered venomous centipede, I was satisfied.

A smirk made its way on my lips.

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