-Bzzzzzt!

The venomous centipede trembled all over, expressing its intense anger.

Ever since Exa transformed into its mobile form (Booster), it couldn't even come close to brushing against me, let alone keeping up with the tips of my toes.

“Over here, you idiot.” ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel·fire·net

Eventually, I had gained enough freedom to run along its back.

Thump thump thump.

-Bzzzzzzzt!

The venomous centipede twisted its body violently from side to side, and I kicked off its back, leaping even higher.

I couldn't keep wasting my time on this thing forever.

It was one thing for me, but Bisu had a time limit.

The creature's upper body alone was well over 2 meters long.

If I used its head as a springboard, I could gain a much higher vantage point than from the ground.

‘Where is it..…!’

While suspended in midair, I channeled Black Aether into both eyes.

A searing pain surged through them, as if my eyeballs were about to pop out, but it paid off.

Beyond the desert, I saw a faintly shimmering object.

That distinct glow, just like the Cuprum Bloom.

At last, I had found the rare herb.

“I found it!!!”

A cheer burst out naturally.

How many Poison Dungeons had I gone through to find that thing?

I released as much Exa energy as I could while floating in the air.

Whoosh.

As a result, I effectively made another leap in midair.

Launched like a human rocket, I reached the rare herb in one swift motion.

The problem was, I hadn’t thought about the landing.

Thud!!

“Ugh…!!”

As I slammed into the ground headfirst, sand seeped into my mouth, nose, and ears.

It seemed like there was definitely a trial and error process when using 'Poison Steps' or when trying out a new technique (?) for the first time.

-Bzzzz!!

The venomous centipede, which had been absentmindedly watching my airshow (?), suddenly buried itself hurriedly underground.

It must have realized what the object was where I crashed.

My eyes and nose stung, but this thing came before the sand.

Shine.

A rare herb poked its head out, barely visible in the vast expanse of sand.

Compared to the Cuprum Bloom, its leaves were a little more lush and it shone with a noble silver light.

It was the Eternal Silver Bloom (銀永花).

As if proudly boasting that it was a rare herb of a level above the Cuprum Bloom, it shimmered with a radiant glow, flaunting its elegance.

I carefully picked it up.

At that moment,

Crack.

“Ugh…!!”

The venomous centipede’s horn pierced my side as it charged madly.

If it had stabbed just a little deeper, my insides would have burst out.

I could’ve easily dodged if I’d been ready for the attack, but I didn’t have time to use Poison Steps because I was focused on gathering the Silver Bloom.

‘This hurts like hell….’

Pain beyond my tolerable range clouded my mind.

It was something I'd experienced before awakening, when I was suffering from pain.

My head spun momentarily, but I punched myself to not let myself fall into unconsciousness.

Thank goodness it hadn't bitten me, but rather slashed at me with its horn.

If it had sucked my blood, it would’ve been the one heading to the afterlife before me.

Fshhhhhh.

Scatter.

Even that hard-looking horn was oxidizing like dust the moment it came into contact with my blood.

-Bzzzz!!!

The venomous centipede writhed in burning pain.

After coughing up some blood, I commanded V1.

“Back to... lethal mode.”

[Switching to Lethal (Dagger) form.]

Clink, clank.

The two parts of Exa merged into one, transforming back into its former dagger form.

Even though I was looking at it with dizzying vision because of the pain, it felt oddly familiar.

A hunter device that changes its form according to the user's will.

Dr. Jin was far more of a monstrous scientist than I had imagined.

Swish.

As I reached out my hand, Exa flew into my grasp as if it were magnetized.

It seemed the Black Aether infused into Exa responded to my will.

Oh ho.

In that case?

One side of my body was in tatters, making it difficult to use Poison Steps.

Even if I could use it, I might not make it out alive near that frenzied, venomous centipede.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

With one hand clutching my side, I raised Exa with the other and held it behind my head.

Like an assassin unleashing a deadly strike.

I threw it toward the venomous centipede.

Shiiing!

A dazzling white blade.

Exa, in its White Dream state, shot toward the venomous centipede like a bolt of lightning.

‘So fast...!’

There was no way that speed could be achieved by simply throwing it.

Exa was quite literally ‘flying’, fueled by the Black Aether as its nourishment.

-Grrrr!

The venomous centipede, now missing its horn, thrashed its head toward the oncoming Exa.

But Exa gracefully dodged the venomous centipede’s attack, then slashed its neck from behind.

-Buzzz......

As if resisting the onslaught of sleep, the venomous centipede flailed its legs.

But even the strongest warrior cannot lift their own eyelids if scratched by White Dream once.

The creature slammed its head into the ground and sank into a deep slumber.

"Gasp... Gasp..."

My self-healing ability was supposed to be above average, but this time I had encountered a serious injury.

If there were similar monsters nearby, surviving would be far from guaranteed.

‘If I could absorb that guy’s core, I’d recover instantly…..’

I wonder how much Black Aether I would accumulate if I could absorb the core of a 4-star monster.

It was a tempting thought, but if I kill it right now, the Poison Dungeon will disappear.

If a dungeon I was never authorized closed, the Hunter Association will launch an investigation.

I couldn't trade the chance to become a hunter just to avoid a moment of excruciating pain.

Maybe I should have saved some of the cores when it attacked my back earlier.

It wasn’t until I reached the dungeon’s entrance that I was able to return to my normal body.

I was seriously wounded, and the venomous centipede had lost its horn.

The only thing that still retained its original form.

Was a single silver flower, radiating an elegant light.

* * *

My injured side was completely healed.

Without even activating any special healing ability.

At this point, wasn't my body practically that of a monster?

However, my whole body was weak, making it difficult to use Poison Steps.

Since I was moving at a pace no different from a civilian, it took quite a while to reach the entrance.

“Huh?”

In front of the entrance, I could see a figure crouched down with her head buried in her arms.

It was Bisu.

She said she’d leave after two and a half hours, so why was she still here?

“Hey! Why are you still here instead of leaving?”

When I checked the time, three and a half hours had passed.

The antidote’s effective period was already over.

“…Why are you so late?”

Bisu grumbled as she looked at my face.

But the veins were bulging in the pupils between her provocative eyes.

It was a sign of poisoning.

“I got injured, so I couldn’t come quickly.”

“But you look way too fine for that?”

Bisu scanned my body up and down.

Hmm. This was a bit unfair.

Since my self-healing was already complete, I must look perfectly fine on the outside.

My healthy pale skin peeked out through the torn holes in my clothes.

Judging by the fact that she was waiting at the entrance, it looked like she was done with her work.

But why was she waiting here even while poisoned?

I hurriedly hoisted Bisu onto my back.

"Explanations later."

"Gah! What are you doing?"

“Don’t say a word, just stay still.”

Her complexion was pale, and her voice came out hoarse.

Carrying Bisu on my back, I ran toward the dungeon entrance.

“Brie.”

-Kkwang!

As if he knew without me saying a word, Brie swallowed all the poison in my body.

It was to heal Bisu.

Moreover, in such a poor condition, even familiar poison could become a hazard if she were this close to me.

-Kkwuk.

Brie burped and flapped his wings.

It seemed like he was digesting.

Seeing him behaving like that, it really didn’t seem much different from human behavior.

“Ugh...”

Bisu’s consciousness began to fade, perhaps because her poisoning symptoms had worsened.

Even though there was an antidote, I couldn't understand why she frequented such a dangerous place so often.

I wondered if there was anyone like me with healing abilities in the black market as well.

I remembered the ruthlessness of Yaksha, and focused my healing power at my fingertips.

Shaaaa...

With my Black Aether, the poison, and even my healing power all depleted, my body felt hollow inside.

It would have been nice to absorb the goblins on the way back.

Luring them all out at the start turned out to be a bad move.

Unless it’s an emergency, I need to keep some spare Black Cores on hand, like potions.

It was a valuable lesson learned from this dungeon.

"Hmm~"

Bisu’s healing was complete.

Perhaps thanks to the antidote she'd consumed beforehand, her poisoning symptoms weren't as severe, and she stretched, her face refreshed as if she'd just had a nap.

“You look pretty comfortable, huh?”

“Well, you should’ve come faster.”

“You said you were leaving first, so why were you still waiting?”

“Because…” she hesitated, ”I enjoy dragging dead bodies out of dungeons” she added sarcastically, “ you took too long to come out... Ugh, whatever.”

Bisu fidgeted for a moment, then suddenly smacked my chest with her elbow.

“Ow!” she yelped

Was she stupid or what?

What does she think a body reinforced to Physical Level ‘D’ is made of?

Though most of my Black Aether was depleted, I still had enough left to protect my body.

Bisu teared up slightly and blew on her aching elbow.

“Damn. Did you eat cement as a kid or something...?”

“Hehehe.”

“Next time, don’t be late. Outside of the dungeon is no different to me.”

"......"

Ah.

So that’s how it is.

For someone like Bisu, who lived in the black market, there was no such thing as a ‘normal world outside’.

So that’s why she showed a fierce attitude all the time.

“I’ll try. Can you drive?”

“I have to. No matter how hard it is, there’s no way I’m letting you take the wheel.”

“Pretty cocky for someone with an illegal license.”

“Wanna walk?”

“Lead the way, Best Driver.”

Bisu and I exchanged a quick smirk.

“Oh, right, did you find it?”

"Of course."

I pulled today’s haul out from my chest pocket and showed it to her.

“Wow!!!!!”

Bisu’s eyes seemed to triple in size.

Honestly, anyone would be amazed by this thing.

Bathed in moonlight, the Silver Bloom glowed nobly. It is said that it’s more elegant than any jewel in the world.

“This is top-tier, the absolute best. It might even fetch hundreds of millions if we play it right.”

“You bet. After all the hard work, it better be.”

Bisu grinned like it was her own win and slammed the accelerator.

Vroooom.

Her driving skills were flawless, but I couldn’t get used to this damn speeding.

Compared to the Poison Steps I perform, the car actually felt slower.

So why do I get this nervous every time I sit in the passenger seat?

* * *

The two months flew by just like that.

Bisu knew of a total of fifteen ‘untouched’ Poison Dungeons, and I was able to secure one more Silver Bloom and five Cuprum Blooms from among them.

Though I was eager to trade rare herbs along the way, meeting Yaksha wasn’t something I wanted to do.

“Is he so great you even need a reservation for it?”

"I told you. It was a stroke of luck that you met Yaksha the first time you entered the black market."

Well, as long as the rare herbs’ essence isn’t extracted, the flowers won’t wither, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Bisu and I headed to the black market on the appointed date, two days before the Hunter Qualification Test.

She must’ve been feeling uneasy all this time, but before leaving, my sister gently stroked Bisu’s head with a deeply regretful expression.

"Come visit again whenever you want."

"I will... I will, Sister."

Her voice was filled with moisture.

My sister's eyes were as sorrowful as ever, but Bisu's gaze was fixed on the ground.

Tears dripped steadily onto the ground, and my sister embraced her with a tender smile.

Perhaps, meeting again wouldn't be as easy as my sister's farewell.

Bisu was someone caught in the grasp of Yaksha, and chances to be out in the outside world for this long were rare.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel sorry.

But right now, even my abilities as a hunter haven't fully blossomed.

Someday, when I acquire sufficient power and wealth, then...

"We're here."

Maybe seeing the black market helped her come to terms with things.

Bisu’s voice had turned cold again, just like when we first met.

Passing the subway entrance, I caught sight of the square I roamed around when I first came here.

The sprawling mega-market stretched endlessly.

With everyone here paying tribute to Yaksha, its true scale was unimaginable.

Despite being called the black market, this place carried an air of everyday peace.

Still, wasn't it too quiet, considering its reputation?

Whoosh.

Just as I thought that, a large object swiftly passed between Bisu and me.

An object?

No, it was a person.

Someone had just thrown a merchant from the black market.

"Cough...!!"

The merchant who was flung looked quite healthy.

Judging by his build, he must’ve weighed a lot. But someone actually threw that man?

"Ouch!"

The man who had thrown the merchant barged right through the space between Bisu and me.

My shoulder throbbed from the impact, so it must’ve hit Bisu even harder.

…The hell's this guy’s problem?

“Give me the money while I’m still asking nicely. Otherwise, I’ll rip off one of your limbs every minute.”

There it is.

Now that’s the black market I know.