Chapter 261: Need an Antidote?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261: Need an Antidote?
“Gek…”
I struggled to move my bloated tail.
To exaggerate a little, it felt like I'd eaten more elixirs now than all the ones I'd consumed before.
And their quality was just as good, if not better.
I could tell just by how the status window kept offering me some kind of ‘Supreme’ benefit.
If I accepted, it would probably spin a roulette and enhance one of my skills.
My mouth watered, but I deliberately ignored the status window's message.
I had no intention of accepting that benefit right now.
The status window tried to offer me some ‘Supreme’ benefit, but I forced myself to ignore it.
I knew it instinctively.
This power would be more helpful to my Master if I didn't digest it.
For my Master's recovery, it was right for me not to covet this power.
Besides, these were elixirs I never would have gotten if not for Seol-hwa.
I don't know how serious my Master's internal injuries are.
She looked fine on the outside, and considering Seol-hwa came to the Black Cloud Faction alone, it was unlikely to be a life-threatening situation.
I heard she'd been suffering from them since before we first met, but her ki never seemed dangerously weak.
Even so, I couldn't just let it be.
Why would Namgung Yeon try to mess with a Master as powerful as her?
That Ferocious Beast, once a god, is Namgung Yeon—Al-Yu.
It meant that even an injury that seemed trivial looked like something he could exploit.
After all, he tried to kill me and my followers to provoke my Master into rampaging.
In other words, my Master is not safe right now.
It's a bit funny for me to be worried, but I have to protect my Master.
If I can heal those damn internal injuries, Al-Yu wouldn't dare think of touching her.
With that in mind, I was gathering the elixirs' energy into my tail without digesting them.
My species isn't a gecko, but my tail was becoming plump and round like one.
It hindered my movement slightly, but it wouldn't be a problem if I used Gigantification or returned to my original size.
It only looked so prominent because my current body was so small; if I got bigger, the difference would likely be negligible.
“Gek…”
Swoosh.
Thump.
My chubby tail felt like it was moving on its own.
It might be a good thing my followers aren't here.
I don't know why, but I have a feeling they wouldn't just stand by and watch if they saw my tail now.
They'd all rush me, aiming for my tail.
After all, it's a tail that makes Tus and Pus drool and leaves Swish-Swish and Parsil in awe.
Soyeong would obviously drool and start fiddling with it too.
“Hui's tail is quite strange, isn't it? Even for a spirit beast, this characteristic is inexplicable.”
Seol-hwa gently stroked my tail.
You're not after it too, are you?
“The energy from the elixirs is flowing to your tail, not your dantian. Hmph, this will waste all the effort of eating them. Are you sure about this?”
I can't say I'm not disappointed, but it has to be done.
Besides, it's not like I'll lose all the elixirs' effects just by cutting off my tail.
Just then, I heard someone rushing over.
Pitter-patter-patter!
It sounded like hundreds of feet moving at once, but ironically, the source wasn't large.
It wasn't hard to guess whose footsteps they were.
“Young Master! I think I've found it, but…”
It was the sound of Mr. Centipede.
“Boss, I've done it!”
There was also a mantis, flapping its wings.
Good job, good job.
While Seol-hwa and I were messing with the Faction Leader, a separate unit had been dispatched.
Their mission was to find the location of the hidden elixirs while the Faction Leader was distracted.
The ones meant for Jin-ryong, said to be especially effective for restoring true ki.
I had to get my hands on those, no matter what.
If I couldn't get them, I had to make sure he couldn't use them either.
Because if those things were offered to Jin-ryong, they would aid his recovery, however little.
“The main building? I think that's what you'd call it? There was a very suspicious-looking room over there. The security was so tight I couldn't get any closer… but my instincts are telling me that's the place!”
It wasn't certain, but it seemed they'd found the general location.
All that's left is to raid the place.
“Young Master, I think there's something more important. The humans are moving about busily. I saw them arming themselves and gathering their forces.”
Mr. Centipede had also brought back some useful information.
“So the Faction Leader isn't a complete idiot, huh?”
It seems the Faction Leader figured out Seol-hwa's identity.
Even if he didn't know who she was, he must have realized she wasn't the Ice Palace Lord.
“Or maybe he's just lashing out in anger?”
That was also a possibility.
Just how much financial damage had I caused?
It might not even be about the money.
With things having come to this, the Faction Leader might have to offer up his own head.
In fact, even if Seol-hwa really were the Ice Palace Lord, he might have done this to frame someone else.
“Mmm. He's acting fast. Not bad.”
Seol-hwa said, stretching.
Her enormous internal energy pouches responded to the movement, so I held my breath and watched for a moment.
“Gerong…”
Now that I've seen that, I should be immune to honey traps for a while.
“Hui, what will you do?”
Rolling her shoulders, Seol-hwa seemed to show she was ready to fight.
Despite her status as a Priestess, she didn't seem to have any qualms about fighting.
Then again, considering how ferociously she acted when I first stole her dango, that made sense.
She was my Master's younger sister, after all.
“Will you stay with me?”
I shook my head at her words.
It was best to leave the fighting to Seol-hwa.
Even the Faction Leader wouldn't be stronger than her, and it wouldn't matter how many martial artists of lower realms gathered.
So, what was I to do? Raid the elixir storeroom meant for Jin-ryong amidst the chaos.
In his final moments, he might try to use all those elixirs in a desperate struggle.
If that happened, annihilating the Black Cloud Faction wouldn't be very satisfying.
That's why our plan was a feint.
While Seol-hwa drew his attention by fighting him, I would steal the most valuable prize—the elixirs.
Then, when the Faction Leader rushed to enhance his power with the elixirs, I would get to watch the look of despair on his face when he realized they were already gone.
I felt bad for Taotie, who was raring for a fight, but she should have come sooner.
*
Mr. Centipede, the mantis, and the millipede were tasked with protecting the other poisonous insects.
Excluding the millipede, the other two were mediocre, but thanks to the elixirs they'd eaten while with me, they had grown exponentially.
They'd reached a level where they could adequately protect the other poisonous insects.
Using the poisonous insects could be helpful in battle, but I decided to save them for now.
It wasn't like I desperately needed their help, and it would be better to keep as many of them alive as possible to recruit into the Gaegaek Cult.
I wasn't sure if Soyeong would like it, but creating a poisonous insect unit under my command seemed like a good idea.
Using the Gecko Wall-Walking Art art, I slowly crawled along the walls and ceilings.
I could see martial artists moving about busily.
They were probably the ones meant to attack Seol-hwa.
I could just leave them be, but there seemed to be more of them than I expected.
Ssssp.
After taking a small breath.
Fwooo.
I breathed out.
“Huh? Where is this warm… Keok!”
A human who inhaled my breath clutched his throat.
It was only natural.
Because what I had exhaled was poison.
Most spirit beasts were resistant to poison, so I couldn't use it often, but it was a different story against humans.
Especially low-realm humans.
“What's wrong with him?”
“Gurgle… Hck!”
One of the martial artists' faces turned sickly yellow as he foamed at the mouth.
It wasn't a lethal poison.
Am I pursuing a path of non-killing now?
That wasn't the reason.
This was all related to my Master; I had no time to worry about such things.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Keeeeuk!”
If you assassinate one person with poison, you lose one soldier.
But what if one person is merely incapacitated?
The people needed to carry him would lead to additional losses in manpower.
The best method would be an assassination with no witnesses, but spilling that much blood would attract some nasty vengeful spirits, so this was the best way.
“Gaaak!”
“What's wrong with you now?!”
Like that, I moved along the walls and ceilings, spreading poison among the faction members.
“Gyaaaaak!”
Should this be enough?
Not that many had collapsed from the poison, but it would be perfect for instilling fear in them.
If Seol-hwa showed her overwhelming martial prowess now, they would surely lose their will to fight.
Faced with a mysterious plague and the sight of an enraged Transformation Realm master, anyone would tuck their tail and run.
Just as I was about to finish up and leave.
“Hah!”
I heard someone let out a sharp cry.
“Don't be fooled by the enemy's petty tricks!”
Oh, isn't that the bald guy from before?
He seems pretty skilled, though.
He managed to counter my poison arts.
“Using poison arts is proof that you lack confidence in your own skills!”
Indeed… Is his body immune to poison, to the point where he wouldn't suffer any damage even from a hair-loss poison?
“Leave the unconscious ones! We're going to the vile bitch of a spy who infiltrated our great Black Cloud Faction! We'll make it easy for the Faction Leader to deal with her!”
I was going to be satisfied with this and leave, but now it looks like I have to do a little more.
“Gekek.”
I let out a small lizard's cry.
“A-a lizard?”
But they wouldn't be able to see me.
A poison cloud, now thick enough to be visible, had formed.
“Get behind me! Hah! This measly poison cloud will disappear in an instant…”
It didn't disappear.
Sssss.
Just when it seemed to be dissipating, it gathered once more.
Fwoosh.
Because a sudden wind had blown.
“Wh-what is this…”
Poison arts are powerful, but they are also easy to counter.
First, you have to find a way to administer the poison.
For assassinations, mixing it into food or water is effective, but the situation often doesn't allow for it.
Like right before a battle.
In cases like this, the only methods are to coat a hidden weapon with poison and strike directly, or to spread it into the air.
A hidden weapon can be blocked, and airborne poison can be endured with a kiai shout, like that bald man did.
It's similar to the Lion's Roar, pushing away the poisoned air.
But what if the poison user could also control the wind?
Unless one has cultivated a resistance to poison, it would complete a poison art that no one could block.
“Keeeeup…”
One by one, the martial artists began to drop to their knees.
Even the confident bald man fell to one knee, breathing raggedly.
Thud.
I slowly walked and stood before him.
“Gekek.”
This is Formless Poison.
Need an antidote?