Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Nardan Jungle (2)
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As I stepped into the Nardan Jungle, a sudden curiosity struck me.
How do you tell in real life if you've been poisoned?
In the game, a poison gauge would fill up and trigger the status effect, but here in reality, there's no gauge visible to the eye.
In the end, you just drink an antidote if you start feeling off.
'But if you chug one at the first sign of feeling a bit under the weather, that's wasteful too.'
Ever since acquiring this body, it had only gotten stronger—never weaker.
'Wait until my chest starts hurting or I cough up blood?'
I was mulling this over when—
-Grrrrr!
"A monster's coming!"
Mikel had sensed its approach.
"We'll handle it!"
"Please stay back, Your Highness!"
Gillek and Kirigumo took the front line.
And soon enough, a familiar face from Savior of World appeared—one of the Nardan Jungle regulars.
A Venom Drake.
Twice the size of an adult man, it was a lizard monster covered in tough scales, infamous for spewing poisonous mist from its breath.
'But in the game, these only showed up deep inside.'
Was this the difference between game and reality?
"Gillek, Kirigumo! That thing spits poison mist—watch out!"
"Got it!"
"Poison mist, huh?!"
Gillek leaped forward.
"Then I'll drop it before it can!"
He unleashed Eagle Pursuit, driving his sword into the drake's back.
Spuuuurt!
The Venom Drake bucked wildly with the blade embedded in its back, rearing its head toward us with jaws gaping wide.
"Like hell I'll let you fire!"
Kirigumo dodged in with his evasion-cum-mobility secret technique.
Cloud Mist Step, followed by an uppercut to the jaw.
Crack!
The Venom Drake's head snapped back before it could unleash its poison mist breath.
With its head flung upward, purple poison mist sprayed harmlessly into the air from its open maw.
"Gillek, fall back!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Gillek yanked his sword free and hurried back to our side.
I turned to Amelin beside me.
"Amelin, can you ignite that poison mist?"
"Flame Tornado!"
⟨ Flame Tornado ⟩
"L-Leave it to me, Your Highness!"
Amelin hurled a spark from her hand at the Venom Drake and shouted.
She cast an intermediate fire spell.
Flame Tornado.
Unlike simple spells like mana bullets, proper magic required drawing out mana, weaving a spell formula, and chanting it aloud.
Flame Tornado normally needed a longer incantation, but Amelin fired it off with just the spell name.
Another departure from the game.
There, spells launched without chants—pure chantless casting.
Whoosh!
A whirlwind of flames engulfed the Venom Drake, incinerating the poison mist it had spewed upward.
-Kieeeek!
In agony, it thrashed to escape the fiery vortex.
"Not happening."
If it tried to flee, I could just widen the range.
"Amelin, hold the spell steady."
"Your Highness?"
Even I needed a chant for intermediate magic.
But with sheer mana volume...
'Even a basic spell can pack a punch.'
Wind magic.
Or rather, not even real magic—just blasting a massive amount of mana-fueled air into the Flame Tornado.
A gale might've scattered the flames, but this was pure air injection.
Fueling the blaze harder.
Roooar!
Amelin's Flame Tornado burned fiercer, swelling in size.
"Wha—huh?!"
-Kiii...
Trapped in the enlarged inferno, the Venom Drake charred black and collapsed.
"Tough bastard."
"Dropped in one spell? Impressive work, Lady Amelin."
Gillek and Kirigumo praised her, but Amelin seemed more flustered than pleased as she turned to me.
"Your Highness, wh-what did you just do?"
"Just fanned the flames to make your spell burn hotter?"
"You cast an intermediate spell chantless?!"
"Can't do intermediate chantless. It was basic-level wind, but with extra mana for volume."
"To generate that much wind with basic magic... As expected of Your Highness."
"Yeah?"
I'd just pumped out as much mana as I had on hand.
Apparently, that was groundbreaking by her standards. I'd have to ask for an explanation later.
"At least we took down the Venom Drake quick."
"Thanks to you, Your Highness. But please warn me before boosting it next time. The power spike makes it hard to control."
"Gotcha."
"Yes. And... if it gets too strong, even with all the humidity in the Nardan Jungle, it could set the surrounding trees ablaze."
"Noted. I'll call it out properly from now on. If another Venom Drake shows, we'll tag-team it."
"A j-joint spell with Your Highness...? Y-Yes, sir!"
"So that's what amped the power—Your Highness aiding the spell."
"Truly remarkable, Your Highness."
"You two handle the speedy ones. Amelin and I will take the big guys."
"Yes, sir!"
"Leave it to us."
-Grrrr!
"Oh, Mikel says he'll help too."
"Appreciate it, Mikel."
We were about to press on, precautions in mind, when I felt a breeze brush my cheek.
[Harmful poison intrusion detected in the body.]
[Supreme Physique trait activates.]
[Body-invading poison has been neutralized.]
A chime rang out in rapid succession, and for the first time in ages, a translucent alert window popped up before my eyes.
'It detected the poison? Activated the trait?'
This thing only ever showed for expelling impurities—never otherwise.
Not when my body transformed overnight, not during spars with the knights, not even while learning magic from Amelin.
Yet here it was, auto-triggering.
'So all the prior changes were just par for the course—no need to notify?'
As that thought crossed my mind, I recalled the description of Supreme Physique.
To confirm my memory, I mentally pulled up the perk window and checked its details.
A body possessing potential superior to anything in this world. It can accommodate any talent or power, and no harmful element can invade it.
'No harmful element can invade it.'
Poison was undeniably harmful.
'Not just body reconstruction—total poison immunity too?'
Everything I'd experienced so far was so absurd I hadn't pieced it together.
Coming to the Nardan Jungle had yielded this unexpected insight into Supreme Physique's hidden trait.
"Your Highness? Everything alright?"
Amelin's voice snapped me back.
The alerts were visible only to me.
To others, I'd just been staring blankly into space.
"Just taking in the jungle. No forests this dense near the estate."
"I see."
"Shall we take a short break before moving on, Your Highness?"
"Nah, we just got here. Gotta find that Manlenesia quick."
"Understood."
And so we ventured deeper into the Nardan Jungle.
When we hit the poison bog from the game,
"Earth Wall."
⟨ Earth Wall ⟩
Amelin toned down an earth spell to bridge the path, letting us cross easily.
Against the jungle's poison-wielding regulars,
"Hya!"
"Out of the way!"
Gillek and Kirigumo dispatched them swiftly—I barely had to lift a finger.
The bigger ones got Amelin's flames supercharged with my wind boost.
"H-How do you time the wind perfectly for every spell I cast?"
"Just a hunch?"
"Your adaptability and mana control are on another level, Your Highness."
This floored her too.
'Gonna ask about it in our next lesson.'
Deeper in, we reached a zone thick with poison mist.
In the game, no poison resistance buffs meant no entry, and antidotes were mandatory for prolonged stays.
Reality hit different—you felt it just getting close.
"Cough. Poison's kicking in."
"Time for an antidote."
"Your Highness, may I have one?"
"Here."
I pulled antidotes from inventory for Gillek, Kirigumo, and Amelin.
They downed them, coughs fading as relief set in.
"Y-Your Highness isn't taking one?"
"I'm fine. No cough, no discomfort."
"Really? You're not just pushing through...?"
"Why tough it out in poison central? Seems my body's tougher against it since the upgrade."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Could be."
"Huh? What could be? You two buy it too quick. Better safe than sorry—drink up, Your Highness."
Kirigumo alone balked at their ready acceptance, pressing the vial again.
"I'm good, Kirigumo. Trust me, there's reason. I'll explain when you're my tutor."
"...? If you say so, Your Highness."
An hour into exploring the Nardan Jungle,
we spotted the field boss that dropped Manlenesia in the game.
A massive serpent monster.
Venom Anaconda.