CHAPTER 183: THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING TOO OVERCONFIDENT

The princess of the Naga looked at Zarek with disbelief in her eyes, her voice hesitant as if trying to confirm what she’d just heard:

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I’m pretty sure," Zarek said with a chuckle. As long as it doesn’t kill me, I’ll only get stronger.

The Naga princess fell silent for a moment. The gravity still held her down, severely limiting her abilities. Despite appearances, she hadn’t truly reached the level of a Grandmaster yet...

It was only thanks to the rituals performed by those old men that she’d attained this state. While she might possess power comparable to a Grandmaster in raw output, her true strength was still far from it.

The Naga followed a different power system compared to humans. While it was quite similar in structure, the key difference lay in its nature, it was based on curses rather than telekinesis, and it lacked the same level of flexibility.

Each advancement in their power allowed them to cast stronger curses. However, their curses were limited in variety and relatively common.

Unlike humans, they had no specialized equipment, nor the vast numbers to support large-scale warfare.

This was ultimately why they were defeated. They were powerful, yes, but their curses were predictable and easily countered, especially given how few of them there were.

"Okay," the Naga princess finally said, then closed her eyes in silence for a full ten minutes.

When she opened them again, her gaze settled on Zarek once more.

Her pupils had changed, no longer split between crimson and blue, but now a seamless blend of both in each pupil separating by a thin line.

Zarek, struck by the strange light, felt his skin turn a sickly shade of green.

His muscles writhed in agony, twisting unnaturally as he gritted his teeth just to endure the torment.

Ahhh—

Veins bulge across his entire body as a howl of pain tore from his throat, the sheer agony sending shivers down his spine.

He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood, again and again, it splattered onto the ground beneath him.

’This curse poisons the enemy so intensely that even high-ranked dragons can die from the pain alone, though it takes too long to prepare,’ she sneered inwardly.

’You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now, you’ll suffer an agonizing death.’

The gravity still held her down, her body continuing to break apart under the strain. She couldn’t move, at least, not yet, but she was confident she would be able to in a few moments.

Her slitted pupils stared at Zarek, watching intently as his condition worsened.

But then, before her stunned eyes, Zarek began to recover.

"H... how?" she whispered, her lips dry and cracking.

Something that potent, strong enough to kill even high-ranking Dragons, and yet...

Zarek was standing there as if nothing had happened.

"Hmm? I thought my Poison Resistance would block it from the start, but that poison really was something else," he muttered, flexing his muscles with a grin.

A faint blue panel shimmered into existence before him.

[You have adapted to the Nagatryx Poison, the most deadly poison in this world.]

[You have gained an exclusive skill through Adaptation: Poisonous Body]

...

Poisonous Body

Your entire body is composed of pure poison. Any form of contact, physical or otherwise, will poison the target. The user can control the intensity and nature of the poison.

...

Zarek’s eyes lit up as he read the description. Not only had he gained Stone Skin, but now he had a Poisonous Body as well.

He turned his gaze back to the Naga princess.

"Any more curses?" he asked, his voice calm but filled with an eager edge.

"There is... only one left..." she stammered, her body trembling under the intensity of his gaze.

"Good, good. Show it to me then," Zarek said, grinning with anticipation.

"..." The woman looked at him. "Human, why are you different from the others? Most of your kind would burn us the moment they saw us."

Zarek paused, thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged while speaking honestly. "Well, I’m not from this world and I don’t carry prejudice toward your kind. Or any kind, really."

Her eyes lit up, hope flickering within them as she opened her mouth to speak—

But Zarek’s cold voice cut her off.

"However, you did attack me," he said, his gaze sharp. "Use your final curse."

"Very well," she murmured, a faint smile of resignation crossing her lips as she closed her eyes.

Zarek could feel it then, a strange energy beginning to gather within her. It was thick and dense, so much so that even he could faintly make it out its overwhelming presence within seconds.

Although he couldn’t identify what this energy was, Zarek was undeniably intrigued. Unfortunately, the sensation was faint and ethereal, like a whisper in the wind. If he could grasp even a single clear strand of it, he might be able to decipher it, but he had no such luxury.

This time, the woman kept her eyes closed for nearly an hour. With every passing breath, Zarek felt his heart pound harder, like a motor revving at full speed.

He knew something big was coming.

Then, in an instant, her eyes snapped open, unleashing a blinding flash of purple light.

Both her pupils had turned completely violet.

A slow, eerie smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"You’re a dead bastard," she whispered.

Zarek froze on the spot, no twitch of muscle or flicker of his pupils. The oppressive gravity abruptly ceased, and the collapsing cave, mere seconds from total collapse, halted in suspended ruin.

The Naga princess snapped her fingers right in front of him, but Zarek didn’t respond at all. It was as if he had become a statue, frozen in time itself.

"Haha, the Naga race’s strongest ability..." she sneered, lashing her tails through the air and sending him whizzing through the cave.

"Temporal Suspension."

"These eyes freeze a single moment of reality for the target. They remain fully aware, but cannot move, speak, or even blink, while the world moves on without them."

"I already gave you a chance, and you, foolish human, wasted it." Her body slithered fluidly as she reached out and brushed away the piles of dust and debris.

Zarek remained utterly frozen in time, powerless. Even as she lifted him high into the air, he was just as vulnerable as before.

Her tails coiled slowly, creeping up around his neck...