Chapter 41 - Who is the culprit?

Author: Dawn

On a moonlit night,

The fairy, who felt unusually thirsty that day, headed towards a nearby lake.

And there, they witnessed it.

The Fairy Queen with beautiful wings was attacked by a human dressed in tattered clothes.

-!

The fairy, who tried to escape, was caught by the assailant.

The assailant approached the fairy, but they couldn’t move.

Whether it was due to fear or if the assailant had attacked them, it was unclear.

The assailant pressed his index finger against his lips, gesturing for silence, and sprinkled powder on the fairy.

“That, that was my last memory. Sob, what on earth happened… My face hurts so much. Did that assailant hit me like this? Why is my face swelling like this?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, expressing a doubtful expression.

“The Elder Fairy over here saved you. The assailant probably gave you a good beating. But don’t worry, it won’t be life-threatening.”

“Sob, thank you. By any chance, how is the Queen? Is she alright?”

Of course, since it was Ethan who cured the Queen, he casually reassured them.

“She is recovering at the moment.”

“But, but who was it? The one who attacked us was also a human…”

At that moment, the Elder Fairy slapped the fairy’s face.

“Ouch! Why, why are you doing this?”

“He’s our benefactor! Stop being foolish! This person saved the Queen and you!”

“I-I apologize!”

“No need to apologize. If anything, I should apologize a little.”

Ethan somehow lightly patted the fairy’s small back.

“By any chance, were that guy’s eyes green?”

“…!”

Upon Ethan’s words, it seemed like a memory resurfaced, and the fairy vigorously nodded.

“Yes! Yes, that’s right! His eyes were definitely green! And green smoke even emanated from his lips!”

It became certain.

“What on earth was he aiming for by doing this? It’s unlikely that it was just a test.”

“W- Wait a moment, please. The memories seem to come and go.”

The fairy frowned.

“Wait.”

As Ethan moved his hand, needles formed.

Heo’s Acupuncture.

“I’ll place needles in the area that enhances memory.”

Thuk. Thuk. Thuk.

Three needles went into the fairy’s temple.

Tiny needles suitable for the fairy’s size were inserted, and before long, the fairy’s eyes widened.

“I, I remember!”

‘This acupuncture technique is truly exceptional.’

-Proficiency in Heo’s Acupuncture greatly increased!

Just like Heo’s Decoction skill, this Heo’s acupuncture skill allowed for various abilities as proficiency increased.

This ability that enhanced memory was, in fact, one of the abilities that stimulated blood circulation in the body, making the memory naturally clearer.

“If I recall correctly, he was demanding something.”

“Something?”

“Location! He was searching for the location of a temple.”

“And the Queen refused?”

“That seems to be the case. After that, he poisoned the Queen.”

Ethan looked at the Elder Fairy and asked.

“Is the Queen the only one who knows the location of the temple?”

“Yes, that’s correct. This forest was originally a place that welcomed those seeking the Moon Goddess’s temple. Over time, that role faded away, but the information about the temple’s location has been passed down through generations of Queens.”

‘When the queen wakes up, I’ll know the location of the shrine. then I’ll handle matters before she wakes up.’

“The timing of the Queen’s collapse and the beginning of the forest’s decay seems to align perfectly. It’s likely that he tried to eradicate the entire forest in order to find the temple.”

“That damn human!”

The Elder Fairy, who understood the situation, exploded in anger.

“I will find that bastard immediately.”

“I’ll be the one to find him. Instead, I want you all to do something else.”

“Something else?”

“We need to get proper revenge on that bastard.”

Ethan chuckled.

“Help me so that we can do it properly.”

* * *

The Fairy’s Forest.

Someone was walking through the decaying Fairy’s Forest.

It seemed like they were exploring every nook and cranny of the forest, and their vulnerability was apparent.

Deep within the forest, someone watched from hiding. They snapped their fingers and stepped forward.

Shaaaak!

Numerous venomous spikes flew toward the defenseless intruder in the wind.

“From the beginning, you weren’t my target. I planned to tidy up here first and then slowly come to kill you. It’s absurd that a nobleman’s heir like you would interfere with me.”

Emerging from the darkness was the Poison King.

His eyes were green, and emerald smoke emanated from his mouth.

“Ethan Whiskers, the pathetic young master of a noble family sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. You’ve willingly come to die by my hands, isn’t that utterly foolish?”

The Poison King burst into a wide, manic laughter, his mouth tearing open.

With each laugh, a foul stench spread around.

“Who are you?”

Ethan, with a grim expression, asked.

The Poison King laughed even louder when he saw Ethan’s reaction.

How ignorant and rigid he appeared, unaware of his own poisoning.

“Poison was spread all along the path you took. And as you emerged, I released even more poison. You’ve been trapped in my trap since you entered this forest, though you probably didn’t realize it.”

The Poison King flicked his finger mockingly.

“If you foolishly wander around, this is what happens. You should have paid attention to where you stepped.”

“Poison?”

“Yes, it’s the poison I’ll use to bring about the destruction of the world. With this poison, I will obtain what I desire.”

Ethan trembled, fear evident on his face.

“If-if you kill me here…”

“Sure, Count Whiskers will probably come after me in pursuit. But what can they do? You’ll die here in an accident, an unavoidable one, not me killing you.”

The Poison King waved his hand.

Then the surrounding branches and leaves began to tremble.

“This poisoned forest now obeys my command. Try to escape!”

The Poison King shouted with arrogance.

He thought he had trapped Ethan perfectly.

Ethan drew his sword, raising it toward the Poison King.

Shaaaak!

It was the Frost Sword, radiating a chilling white aura.

“Oh, ho! You have a good sword. It’s a shame for a lowly local Count family like you to possess such a valuable weapon.”

The Poison King licked his lips with his tongue.

“Let me put it to good use.”

With a greedy gleam in his eyes, the Poison King pointed his finger directly at Ethan.

Then, the trees near Ethan began to creak and raised their roots.

Sswoosh!

The tree roots attacked Ethan, while at the same time, a shower of venomous powder fell like rain from the leaves.

“Farewell, nobleman’s scum.”

The Poison King exaggeratedly bowed, as if performing in a play.

And he didn’t see it.

Ethan was smiling.

Kugugugugung!

A thunderous sound erupted, a sound that shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

The Poison King quickly stood up.

“What, is this?”

The Poison King’s eyes trembled.

The trees that were supposed to follow his control, tainted by poison, were being purified.

“My, my poison… It’s being purified? What on earth is this…”

Shaaak!

It was a breathtaking sight.

The once poisonous and pitch-black trees were regaining their original green color.

Not just one or two trees, but every single tree seemed to be undergoing purification as if the entire forest itself was being cleansed.

The Poison King stared at Ethan with a hardened expression.

“What have you done?”

“Detoxification.”

“Detoxification? Don’t spout nonsense! This forest has already been thoroughly poisoned under my control! It’s a forest under my command!”

The Poison King shouted, his face contorted in disbelief.

But soon, he felt a sense of unease.

Ethan, who should have been affected by the poison, was moving unharmed.

He should have fallen multiple times more, but he was unscathed.

Instead, his gaze was intense.

“You, you clearly consumed that poison, so how can you stand there unharmed?”

“I told you. I detoxified it. It seems the title of Poison King needs to be stripped away. Your poison can now be completely neutralized.”

“Nonsense!”

The Poison King shouted so loudly that the surroundings trembled. His poison was his pride. No one could detoxify his poison.

“I mixed dozens of poisons using my own method. It’s a poison I created by skillfully blending them with my exceptional intellect! Analyze it? Detoxify it!? Nonsense! What the hell did you do?”

That was why he couldn’t acknowledge it.

He couldn’t accept that Ethan had truly created an antidote, detoxified the forest, and even detoxified his own poison.

At that moment, fairies emerged from among the detoxified trees.

“It’s you! You’re the one who made our queen like this!”

“Your rotten smell is vibrating!”

“We’ll kill you. Even if it means becoming a corrupted fairy, we’ll kill you!”

Hundreds of enraged fairies flew through the sky simultaneously.

They emitted a variety of colored lights to the extent that the surroundings instantly became vibrant, creating an encirclement.

“These wretched creatures.”

Bubbling green masses started to boil from the Poison King’s body.

“Poison dust.”

The Poison King spewed out poison that shot in all directions.

The spreading poison re-infected the forest.

As the poison approached the fairies, Ethan raised his hand.

Then the fairies threw small glass bottles.

Crash!

The glass bottles shattered, instantly detoxifying the oncoming poison.

However, the approaching fairies stopped in their tracks.

The Poison King’s power was stronger than expected.

If it weren’t for this detoxification decoction, all the fairies forming the encirclement would have been killed in an instant.

At that moment, a single strand of poison, not aimed at the fairies, flew toward Ethan.

Splat!

Ethan didn’t evade it.

Yerica, faster than him, moved first.

Yerica unfolded a barrier and blocked the poison. However, the barrier was pierced.

Crack!

It was only after that, Ethan belatedly scattered the detoxification decoction. If he hadn’t, the poison that pierced the barrier would have poisoned Yerica.

“Phew.”

Yerica’s hand trembled.

“Did you really create a detoxification remedy that can neutralize my poison?”

The Poison King’s eyes widened in disbelief as he witnessed his poison being neutralized.

It was true. Ethan had indeed created a remedy capable of detoxifying the poison.

“How did you do it?”

The first thought that came to mind was pure skepticism.

“Even I haven’t been able to create a perfect remedy for my own poison. I’ve only increased resistance to the poison.”

Even the Poison King himself didn’t possess a perfect antidote for his own poison. That was why he had been sending the poison to various places for testing.

A perfect remedy was necessary for the threat to be effective.

“Curious, aren’t you?”

When Ethan spoke as if he would reveal the answer, all the fairies looked at him simultaneously.

Yerica, too, looked at Ethan.

Naturally, it would be best not to reveal it, but Ethan was someone so difficult to predict that it felt like he might reveal it anyway, thinking that the Poison King would be killed.

However, the fairies were as bewildered as Yerica. They didn’t know Ethan as well as she did.

That Poison King was an incredibly formidable and terrifying being, to the point where it was difficult to measure his strength.

And to offer him the method of detoxification…

“If you tell me, I will grant you mercy.”

“Oh, you offer mercy?”

Ethan took out the Donguibogam.

“Here, everything is written in this book.”

With those words, he threw the Donguibogam toward the Poison King.

The Poison King, too, smiled as if he never expected that Ethan would actually reveal it.

“Ethan?”

Does he really intend to reveal it?

Yerica looked at Ethan with an incredulous expression, and the fairies were equally shocked, radiating bright light.

However, something unexpected happened.

As the Poison King attempted to open the Donguibogam, it disappeared without a trace, accompanied by smoke.

“You damn bastard!”

“Yeah, if you want to be loved by books, you should spend some time in the library. Like me.”

Bang!

The Poison King exploded with anger at being deceived, but soon he had to come to a halt.

Ethan had assumed a stance in an instant.

The blue sword he held emitted a chilling aura.

“Now, try to block this.”

In an instant, the Poison King lost track of Ethan’s movement.

Shack!

A chill ran in a straight line.

“Moonforce.”

The moon’s chill merged with the Frost Sword, and wherever Ethan walked, white frost descended.

“Keohok.”

The Poison King instinctively grabbed his own throat.

Frozen in place, he couldn’t even launch a counterattack.

“That… that human is powerful!”

“A single strike!?”

The fairies looked at Ethan with astonished eyes.

“Huuuuh.”

Ethan slowly exhaled a white breath.

Using Moonforce was effective. It seemed that the unique skill of a good class had considerable power.

However, there was a problem.

The power was so strong that it had a significant recoil. His vision flickered for a moment, and his body staggered.

“Oh no.”

Seeing the poison king frozen in pure white, Ethan fell to the ground.