The first dungeon raid went incredibly smoothly

To the point where I wondered, ‘Is it really okay for it to be this easy?’.

Poison monsters with only an ‘E’ physical rank posed no threat to me at all.

Far from being a threat, some monsters even seemed to slowly back away from me.

"When it comes to poison, Haesun, you're like a king. One day, you might even be able to command them as your loyal subordinates."

Dr. Jin had said.

Back then, I thought it was just a joke, but it did seem like some of the monsters could recognize the poison I carried.

But still, I need to be able to communicate with them to give orders.

And right now, there was only one thing they could do for me.

Offering up the cores, the source of Black Aether.

I carried out that task diligently.

Srrr...

Another strand of Black Aether was absorbed into my body.

The number of monsters I've taken down since coming here has already surpassed fifty.

Was it tiring?

Not at all.

The battles ended in one-sided massacres, and some of them were such lowly creatures that I didn’t even need to use ‘Poison Steps’ on them.

On top of that, as long as I absorbed Black Aether, my condition returned to normal, so there were no physical issues either.

Haha.

At this rate, I could easily reach around 300BA before the day’s over…..

“Grrrrr……”

Oh.

This is exactly why people should watch what they say.

As I pushed deeper through the forest, a large creature I hadn’t seen before appeared.

A four-legged beast, with a towering stature taller than me, along with a sturdy jaw.

Even at a glance, I could sense it was no easy opponent.

“V1.”

As I called the device, information about the creature appeared before my eyes.

[Polluted Hyena

Type: Poison

Elimination Difficulty: 2 Stars (★★)

Physical Level: ‘C’

Other Attributes Level: ‘B’]

“That thing is...!”

The Polluted Hyena.

I had heard of its reputation before.

I think it was two years ago.

When a Poison Gate opened in a provincial city, five C-rank hunters reportedly lost their lives to a single hyena.

They approached carelessly, seeing its physical level was only ‘C,’ but got infected by its poison and died before they could even do anything.

Although it happened because the healer arrived late, it was a dangerous creature notorious enough that even someone like me, a civilian, had heard its name.

It was not just its vicious teeth and claws, brushing against its sharp mane alone can cause fatal poisoning.

For a monster with a physical rank around ‘C,’ defeating it without even brushing a single hair was no easy feat.

The hunters who died so tragically likely didn’t lose because of inferior combat power, but rather because they got poisoned from being grazed by various attacks.

- Grrrrr…

It scratched the ground with its front paw as if revving up a car.

It looked ready to leap at any moment.

Considering the dungeon’s average physical rank was ‘E,’ this guy was probably the physically strongest here, aside from the boss monster.

I activated Black Aether throughout my body and lowered my stance slightly.

Bang!

So fast...!

Before I could even register the leap, it had already reached right in front of me, and I barely managed to twist away to avoid having my neck bitten.

Scratch!

However, the hyena’s claws struck my shoulder, and blood gushed from the left shoulder where my T-shirt was torn.

“Ugh…”

I see.

So this is what a ‘C’ rank really means.

My physical enhancement level, as confirmed through the V1 device, was ‘E.’

Simply put, there was a two-rank difference between me and that hyena.

A tingling pain spread around my shoulder.

If I were a hunter who had just awakened, the pain alone would probably send me into a panic, but not me.

Having spent my entire life fighting the poison within my body, I've become immune to most pain.

- Grrrrr…

After completing a leap, the hyena stared intently at me.

I couldn’t read its expression, but I could guess what it was thinking.

‘Must be thinking why am I not going down.’

Not just the wound, by now, symptoms of poisoning should have already appeared.

But instead of foaming at the mouth and collapsing, I suddenly vanished from its sight.

Thud!

My physical enhancement level of ‘E’ was probably measured as ‘whole body.’

However, if I limit it to my legs, that level would rise dramatically.

Because my legs contained Black Aether equivalent to a whopping ‘1,000BA,’ bestowed to me by Kiril.

A technique born from the concentration of Kiril's energy, ‘Poison Steps’.

The speed was so fast that even a physical rank ‘C’ hyena couldn’t react.

Swish.

Using ‘Poison Steps’, I lightly scratched its back near the shoulder with Exa.

The hyena sprang up, its mane bristling across its entire body, but the fight was already as good as over.

The Poison King.

With the world's most potent poison infiltrating its body, it no longer mattered whether the monster was normal or poisonous.

- Grrrrr…..

Just as the hyena was preparing to leap again, its limbs suddenly twitched, and then, with a soft thud, it collapsed.

Simply being grazed by Exa’s blade was enough to bring death to a 2-star (★★) monster.

The phrase “death by a mere touch” was made for moments like this.

It was a devastating end, having been turned against the fighting style it had been using.

Slice, slice.

“Oh… this one’s definitely a bit bigger.”

I slit open its belly and extracted a Black Core about the size of a thumb.

It couldn’t compare to the one Kiril had given me, but compared to the marble-sized ones from the lesser mobs, it was quite the reward.

Shrrr…

Black Aether didn’t require any special purification process.

The moment it entered my body, it provided pure energy directly to me.

“Wow…”

The shoulder that had been gushing blood just moments ago began to heal in an instant.

Watching it heal perfectly without leaving even a single scar, I couldn’t help but let out a word of exclamation.

Truly incredible.

It was clear now, I seemed to possess quite a powerful healing ability.

- Kkuwang!

Brie let out a cheerful cry and landed on my now-restored (?) shoulder.

Somehow, it really felt like it was treating my shoulder as its personal perch.

“Hey. From now on, you gotta pay rent for that spot.”

- Kkur?

It may have sounded like a joke, but I meant it.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

* * *

Opposites attract.

It was what Kiril and Dr. Jin used to say all the time.

“Huff, huff.”

Because of that one sentence, I was busting my ass, as they say.

Hisssss!

A giant scythe-like leg came flying toward the top of my head.

Crackle—

A sharp pit over a meter deep formed where I was standing just moments ago.

If I had stayed in place, I would have been split in half, literally.

But its attacks were useless in the face of ‘Poison Steps'.

I circled around the creature like an outboxer, scanning various parts of the nest.

- Kyaaaah!

The creature before me stomped its eight legs, expressing its anger.

Yellow Huge Tarantula.

It looked like the boss of this dungeon was seriously pissed off.

Just wait a little, you bastard.

I’ll send you off nice and easy soon enough.

Whoosh.

A blade shot out from Exa with a distinctive resonant sound.

It was not the jet-black blade from before.

It was a new color, shining white like pure jade.

This was White Dream (白夢), one of Exa’s non-lethal shift modes.

A technique Dr. Jin was so proud of that he named it himself.

It all started from a conversation we had before.

『I need a way to neutralize targets. Without killing them.』

『Hm... Are you afraid of killing people?』

『Not at all. To me, people and monsters look pretty much the same now.』

『Hoho. Then you shouldn't have any reason to hesitate.』

『I'm not hesitating. I'm simply choosing the more rational method.』

Whether it's a person or a monster, sometimes it's just more convenient not to kill.

And it was exactly one of those times.

If this thing were to die, the dungeon would collapse in no time, and the Hunter Association would immediately launch an investigation into the entire area.

That's why I needed to subdue it without killing.

If Exa’s blade touched another hunter or a boss mob, they would immediately end up dead.

In terms of lethality, even most S-rank weapons would have to bow their heads in respect.

Damn it.

To think I have to worry about stuff like this when I was one wrong move away from being split in two.

Honestly, I’d love to drive Exa straight into that thing’s head, but I couldn't.

According to the information Kiril gave me, if the boss monster dies, ‘that thing’ loses its light as well.

‘Damn it. Where is it?’

Pah—

Maybe because I’ve been using Poison Steps nonstop, a light dizziness washed over me.

If I lose consciousness like this, I would undoubtedly die, and that tarantula munching on me would die too.

For the sake of both of our lives (?), I have to find it quickly.

The ‘treasure’ Kiril mentioned.

Sshhh.

A spider web shot toward my head, while its legs slammed in from both sides.

There was no way to dodge by jumping up.

I dove headfirst into its belly, diving under it.

Swish—

The pungent smell and dust made it impossible to open my eyes.

But if I stayed still any longer, those eight legs would shred my body to pieces.

Shaking my head violently as I tried to stand up, the ‘treasure’ I’ve been looking for finally revealed itself to me.

'Found it.....!!'

A single flower standing pitifully.

Its petals shone with a strange bronze hue.

This flower’s name was Eternal Cuprum Bloom (銅永花).

A rare species found only in poison-type dungeons.

“Alright!”

Covered in dust and dirt, I clenched my fist tightly.

How many attacks had I dodged just to find this thing?

Now that I’ve located the target, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.

I quickly yanked the Eternal Cuprum Bloom (銅永花) out by the roots and tucked it into my chest, then slashed a long line across the creature’s belly with Exa in its White Dream (白夢) state.

- Gyaaaaak!

The tarantula, as big as a house, shuddered violently.

If it fell asleep like this, I would get crushed right along with it.

Thud—

Activating Poison Steps, I barely managed to slip out just before it collapsed.

"Whew."

Sweat dripped down my forehead.

It was faster and stronger than that hyena I faced earlier.

Well, it was the boss mob, so I guess that was to be expected.

- Grooo... grrk...

"What? Are you snoring?"

A poison monster snoring in its sleep.

There can’t be many people in the world who’ve witnessed something this absurd.

And if I remember right, this thing was rated three stars (★★★), no less.

Once again, I couldn’t help but be amazed by Dr. Jin’s abilities.

Dr. Jin’s White Dream (白夢) was a technique that transformed my Black Aether into a sleep-inducing agent.

As long as the blade of White Dream penetrates the body, the target will fall into a deep slumber almost instantly, just like someone hit with propofol.

There’s probably no better skill for neutralizing a target than ‘sleep’.

I gave a few light taps near the giant spider’s head, but it didn’t even flinch, completely out cold.

As expected of Dr. Jin.

Solid performance, no doubt about it.

“Alright. Got everything I came for.”

- Kkuwang!

With Brie by my side, I started making my way toward the dungeon entrance.

“What a fascinating thing…”

Bronze-colored petals, unbelievable.

They shimmered around the edges as if coated with some kind of special effect.

Just like Brie perched on my shoulder, it was a rare lifeform you’d never find in the human world.

Eternal Cuprum Bloom is a plant that only grows in poison-type dungeons, and it can be found near the boss mob’s shelter.

Typically, a plant’s ‘grade’ is determined by the dungeon’s difficulty, and this one ranks at the very bottom.

The highest ranking flower is Eternal Aurum Bloom, followed by the Eternal Silver Bloom, and right after them came this very Eternal Cuprum Bloom.

Even though Eternal Cuprum Bloom was considered the lowest grade, according to Kiril, its value reaches tens of millions of won.

『It’s really that expensive? For a single flower?』

『Of course. It can cure diseases that are nearly impossible to treat in our world.』

『Wow... Then why don’t other hunters go after these flowers?』

『Because it’s not worth the risk. You’ve got a boss mob spewing lethal poison right in front of you, who has the luxury to calmly go herb hunting while dodging both poison and physical attacks? Most would be suffering from poisoning symptoms before they even reach the boss.』

『True. And unlike us, regular hunters can’t even make use of a boss mob’s core.』

『Heh heh. Exactly. Going into a poison dungeon to search for herbs that might not even exist is basically a suicide mission. There are plenty of other dungeons out there where you can make money without risking your life like that.』

According to Kiril, most people didn’t even know that rare species like this existed in poison dungeons, let alone go in to search for them.

There were only three groups who knew the true nature of this Eternal Cuprum Bloom.

The high-ranking officials of the Hunter Association.

People close to Kiril.

And lastly, the underground world that trades these flowers.

The black market.

『Opposites attract. To survive beside a monster with such a deadly poison, you’d need incredible self-healing abilities, right? Just like you, Haesun.』

『I see..... Huh?』

『Eternal Cuprum Bloom is fundamentally a poisonous herb. It’s quite tricky to handle. But it also contains healing properties as strong as its toxins. The higher the grade of the herb, the greater the effect it provides.』

『It’s hard to understand it all at once… but there’s one thing I’m sure of.』

『Hm? What’s that?』

『Kiril has made a great fortune off this herb all along.』

『What? Hahaha, yeah, that’s right, you little bastard.』

A treasure worth tens of millions for just one flower.

That flower was now in my hands.

It was the moment I truly felt the risk of entering a three-star (★★★) dungeon was worth it.

- Purr...

Brie closed its eyes beside the Eternal Cuprum Bloom, inhaling the scent of the petals.

The expression on its face was like a commercial actor savoring the aroma of coffee.

“If you eat the petals, you’ll get in trouble.”

- Purr…

If things went well, this single dungeon run might cover the cost of my Hunter Qualification Test.

Of course, as a rookie like me, I'd have to be on my toes if I wanted to make a proper deal on the black market.

“Brie, if you spot any suspicious guys in the black market, just bite them.”

- Kkuwang!!

The little guy roared, blowing out a snort like it was saying, ‘Just leave it to me’.

Haha, not bad. Pretty reliable, eh?