Chapter 71 - Prohibition (1)

Author: Dawn

The giant centipede was the king of this poisonous land.

There was no creature that could withstand its venom, so it lived its days contentedly.

Once, a human with a similar poison resistance to itself entered, but that human surprisingly treated it well.

The human provided delicious poisons and even offered prey.

Because of this, the centipede believed it would live eternally as the king of this poisonous realm.

…Until that fearsome human entered, that is.

* * *

“Kiiiiiyaaaak!”

Frost was swirling all over the centipede’s body.

“Huuuuu….”

Ethan held his Frost Sword – Lea’s, gazing at the red dot on the giant centipede. Its Level 65 and large size required caution.

However, caution wasn’t directed toward the centipede’s attacks.

‘The poison sac is under its head. I can’t record it in Donguibogam if I burst it.’

So, he had to remove the poison sac without bursting it. But it seemed the centipede sensed Ethan’s intentions, as its movements were quick.

‘It won’t work.’

Ethan activated the Eye of Horus. This was his first time using the Eye of Horus in combat since obtaining it.

‘Let’s see if it’s as effective as before.’

He didn’t simply invest 15 likes for educational purposes.

Swoosh-.

In an instant, every movement of the centipede entered Ethan’s sight.

‘Fast.’

The centipede’s rapid movements were chopped up into fine details within Ethan’s field of vision.

Snap!

With movements dissected, Ethan found himself on top of the centipede’s tail.

‘I can see all its movements clearly.’

The Eye of Horus proved even more effective in combat. Ethan was surprised at how detailed he could see the monster’s movements.

‘It’s nearly precognition-level tracking of movements.’

Knowing how the opponent would move allowed him to dodge any attack.

Ethan quickly ascended the centipede’s body.

Squelch-!

Thunk-!

Despite the centipede’s tail attacking wildly, its movements were already seen through by Ethan, who swung his Frost Sword in counterattack.

“Frost Slash.”

Thuuuk-

Thanks to Hero’s Breathing and Giant’s Strength, the powerful Frost Slash burrowed deep into the giant centipede’s body.

“Kiiiiyaak!”

The centipede shook violently.

Even those movements were visible through the Eye of Horus.

‘Here.’

At precisely the right moment, Ethan jumped.

Seizing the moment when the centipede’s movements briefly ceased, he unleashed the Whiskers Swordsmanship.

Swoosh-clang!

“Kyaak!”

Ethan cleanly detached the poison sac hidden beneath the centipede’s head.

“Got it!”

After removing the poison sac, Ethan landed and unfolded the Donguibogam.

-The venom of the Giant Growth Centipede has been recorded in the Donguibogam!

As he touched down, Ethan gave his Frost Sword a shake.

“Now, time to finish you.”

Having obtained the poison, there was no reason to spare the centipede’s life.

* * *

“I’ve finally found it.”

Navigating through the toxic fog, Ethan spotted a stone house instead of a wooden one. However, he didn’t hastily move forward, recalling his previous experience.

“These aren’t regular monsters.”

Upon opening the door and entering, a more intense toxic odor assaulted Ethan’s senses.

“Kiiyaaak!”

“Kkiik!”

“Chyaruruk.”

“Oh.”

This was Poison King’s hideout was unmistakable.

Sounds of various living organisms inside were audible.

“These are monsters carrying venom.”

They weren’t just ordinary monsters. They were extremely rare, including tiny creatures resembling mice.

‘A 0.25% spawn probability monster.’

They possessed deadly venom, but their occurrence rate was incredibly low.

“This one is at 0.5%.”

And the one beside it was a monster with a 1% chance of appearing.

Such rare monsters filled the large room.

“No doubt these are the venoms that can be recorded in the Donguibogam.”

To Ethan, this place resembled a treasure trove.

“Are there more?”

Ethan thoroughly searched Poison King’s hideout, now intrigued by the possibility of finding something even more exceptional.

Specifically, the monster that possessed the most potent venom, the one he had found in the Poison King’s body.

‘The Hydra.’

Known as the King of Venom, the Hydra venom was present in the Poison King’s body. This implied that the Hydra could possibly be present in this Poison King’s hideout.

However, the Hydra was an incredibly massive monster.

‘He must have gathered the Hydra venom separately. But even that alone holds significance.’

It didn’t matter if it was a true monster. If he could obtain the venom, it would be worth visiting this Poison King’s hideout.

Ethan continued his exploration and eventually found a suspicious wall. Without hesitation, he punched the wall.

Crash!

“A metal door?”

His fist stung, but he had discovered a concealed area.

“Phew.”

After taking a breath, Ethan swung his Frost Sword.

“Frost Slash.”

He used Frost Slash five times in a row.

The metal door froze entirely.

Ethan put his sword away neatly and kicked the frozen door this time.

Clang!

The metal door shattered into glass-like fragments.

Behind the metal door were numerous cabinets.

With a sly smile, Ethan began rummaging through them.

Before long, he found a leather pouch.

Originally designed for storing wine or water, this leather pouch contained liquid poison that seemed to shimmer.

“Of course, it had to be here.”

Ethan lifted the leather pouch.

“This leather pouch doesn’t just hold ordinary poison, it contains Hydra venom.”

The Poison King’s venom was inherently powerful.

Especially the Hydra venom, even in its raw state, had the power to dissolve almost anything.

So, preservation was practically impossible.

But there was one way to keep it.

‘It’s the Hydra that can use venom right away.’

Hydra leather. This Hydra leather was an armor capable of withstanding the Hydra’s venom.

“It’s the Hydra Leather Pouch. Otherwise, there’s no way to withstand this venom.”

‘It means you can store anything.’

In a pinch, he could probably create armor using this leather.

‘After using up the venom, I can use it as armor.’

Visiting Poison King’s hideout was indeed worthwhile.

Ethan returned to where the monsters were gathered.

“Stay calm and let my proficiency grow.”

Then, he started recording the venom of each monster in the Donguibogam.

-The variety of recorded venoms in Donguibogam has increased!

-Heo’s Decoction skill has reached 50% proficiency!

-The effect of decoction is enhanced!

Breaking through to 50% proficiency.

Ethan’s Heo’s Decoction skill was further enhanced.

“Oh.”

Enhanced effects of decoction.

This was perfect for Ethan, who had recently taken up Potion Manufacturing classes.

Ethan promptly took out the venoms.

“With so many venoms acquired, I should try making poison bombs that I can throw and escape with if necessary.”

-Casting Heo’s Decoction skill!

Ethan used the enhanced Heo’s Decoction skill.

And he could feel it. The Heo’s Decoction skill felt different from usual.

‘The details are different.’

Heo’s Decoction skill was assisting Ethan’s dexterity. The most crucial aspect of potion-making was timing.

Missing the timing meant failure.

Even using the same ingredients and time, the outcome could be entirely different.

‘I can smell it.’

Ethan deeply felt the effects of the enhanced Heo’s Decoction skill.

‘It was worth raising the proficiency.’

Ding-!

-Poison Bomb Decoction has been created!

-Grade judgment in progress…

-Poison Bomb Decoction [B]

What he created was a B-grade Poison Bomb Decoction. It was of B-grade.

‘It’s intended for attack.’

Although it was his first time making it for attacking purposes, it still resulted in a high-grade B due to its intended use.

“When making decoctions, I can perfectly determine the timing.”

Previously, he used his sense to determine the timing, but now it was not only his sense but also the assistance of the skill.

“Something better has to come out.”

With a satisfied smile, Ethan threw the Poison Bomb Decoction at the wall.

Kwaang!

With a loud noise, the wall melted and crumbled due to the poison.

A satisfying result.

“Getting quite a haul.”

But there was one more thing left.

“There’s still the ruins.”

He needed to confirm if it was the Moon Goddess’s temple.

* * *

Amidst the Prohibition Zone.

There was a site that looked like ruins.

“Hmm.”

As Ethan reached it, he observed the ruins.

“There are traces of someone having been here.”

Footprints remained, and there were familiar-looking statue fragments that seemed to have been taken from the inside.

“Has Poison King already checked this?”

Ethan entered the interior directly. Clearly, Poison King had been here before; the temple’s interior was nothing but ruins.

Who would view this place as a temple?

However, Ethan, with his Moonforce class, Heir of the Moon, could feel it. Inside, he could sense the energy of the moon.

“Kuahahaha-!”

“You did well to flee here!”

“From now on, this place will become the stronghold of our demon kin.”

“What? Demons?”

Using Great Thief’s Mastery, Ethan quietly moved inside.

At the heart of the temple.

There, where the colossal statue of the Moon Goddess stood, demons were present. Human-like in appearance, they were monsters of the Demon Realm that considered humans their prey.

‘The portal to the Demon Realm shouldn’t have opened yet.’

The portal to the Demon Realm would only open after a considerable time had passed since the fall of the Ivecar Academy.

The opening would be in the northern lands, where the Sun War would erupt on the frigid northern terrain, and as a result, demons would flood into this realm.

‘Preventing that is one of the main quests.’

Why demons were here was unclear.

‘But one thing is for sure.’

Ding-!

-The goddess assigns you a mission.

-Regain tranquility in the ruins of the Moon Temple.

‘Dealing with these demons is probably a class growth quest.’

Ethan raised his Frost Sword slowly.

[Lv 68]

The demons’ levels were exceptionally high.

‘You can’t judge demon strength solely by their levels.’

Their true threat lay in their formidable magic.

‘I just need to neutralize their ability to cast magic.’

First, Ethan retrieved the Big Frog’s meat from his dimensional pocket, which he had kept earlier.

‘Ugh.’

The taste was horrible, but he gritted his teeth and swallowed.

Immediately, his Gourmet trait blazed even more intensely.

Then he took out the poison bombs he had prepared.

Five in total.

Splat!

Ethan threw the poison bombs directly at the demons.

Kwaang!

“What, what’s this!?”

“What is this!”

“What kind of thing is this!”

As the five poison bombs exploded, a violet mist quickly spread around. The demons were invisible to each other, but Ethan was not.

-Eye of Horus activated.

“I can see.”

Ethan pinpointed the demons’ locations.

Then he activated Hero’s Breathing for an extended duration.

‘I’ll assassinate them using Great Thief’s Mastery.’

This time, he wanted to see how effective the Great Thief’s Mastery was for assassination.

If it proved suitable for assassination, it would be useful in various future situations.

‘And it could also serve as an escape option.’

Amidst the bewildered demons in the poison mist, Ethan infiltrated.

Swoosh!

“Keohok…!”

The demons didn’t sense Ethan’s movement until his sword pierced their hearts.

‘It’s not just named ‘Great’ for show.’

Ethan wore a satisfied smile as he dispatched the rest of the demons in the same manner.

Thanks to the Eye of Horus and Great Thief’s Mastery.

“Quite useful.”

Ethan cleared the demons to the side. With the mist clearing, the overall appearance of the temple became visible.

It seemed like this place was meant for prayer, given the broken chairs scattered around.

And at the center was a colossal statue.

A statue of the Moon Goddess.

A reverent Moonforce user, hands clasped in the center of her chest as if in prayer, was depicted.

“Someone neatly severed the head. Very clean.”

In one corner, Ethan spotted the head of the statue.

“Perhaps the demons did this.”

Ethan carefully put the head back where it belonged.

Ding-!

-Moon Goddess bestows her blessing upon you!

-The temple has been restored to its original state!

-You have cleared the linked quest!

-You have received a new linked quest!

A sparkling blue powder rained down over Ethan’s head.

-Your class has grown.

-All your stats have been permanently raised by ’10’.

Ethan’s once single star had now gained another.

-You have received a reward.

“I wonder what the reward is.”

With anticipation, Ethan opened the reward.

“…Huh?”

And then he froze.