Swallowing the Thousand Poison Pill
Every time a bullet slammed into the ground, dozens of bugs exploded. Unlike the usual blue projectiles, these ones—stained crimson like Bloodline: Calione—packed the destructive punch of a heavy-caliber round, shredding the bugs' bodies apart.
"Insane..."
"...Words fail me."
Behind me, the two of them gaped at the sight, mouths hanging open.
Bloodline: Calione
As the bugs dwindled, my aura reserves steadily drained. But the azure-tinged rounds from Al Capone's Tommy still dealt devastating damage, so no real issues there. Once my aura finally ebbed away and the Bloodline: Calione status vanished from view, I released the trigger and stowed the Tommy in my cube.
"Mana burning smells just like gunpowder..."
Sea-a waved a hand in front of her nose as she muttered.
I nodded in agreement.
"So... all the bugs are cleared out?"
Jinwoo scanned the surroundings.
Sea-a closed her eyes and pressed a hand to the ground.
"Yeah, no other lifeforms around besides us. Seriously, though... how'd you survive getting hit by those, Jinwoo?"
"...Beats me."
Back then, I couldn't do this stuff yet, so it made sense.
"Anyway, let's move. With them wiped out like this, the first-floor boss should be alone now."
"Um... Eugene, about that."
Sea-a grabbed my arm as I started forward, pointing to the pile of bug corpses in the center.
"Isn't that the first-floor boss?"
"Huh?"
Looking where she indicated, I spotted a limp centipede carcass. Its once-tough carapace was shattered, luster long gone.
No way—it was mixed in there? The boss?
"...Unbelievable."
That meant we'd essentially cleared all threats on the first floor.
Tension easing, I let out a sigh and turned to the others.
"Let's check the first-floor reward first. On the way back, grab any valuable monster materials."
Their eyes lit up at the mention of loot.
After mowing down this many monsters, leaving the materials behind would be a waste. We could sell them to club members who dealt in that stuff... or supply Inomiya Haru cheap if needed.
"Let's go."
We pressed on toward the end of the first floor. Far ahead loomed a steel door. In a cave like this, it felt oddly familiar.
"Boss, that's it, right? End of the first floor."
"Looks like."
Pushing open the door revealed a room with a touch of civilization: a wooden desk in the center, a note, and a familiar elevator.
"Whoa, why's that here? Didn't we come pretty far in?"
Jinwoo blinked in confusion at the elevator, which should have been near the entrance. Sea-a sighed.
"It's a dungeon. Messing with spatial coordinates isn't impossible. Probably the entrance and exit."
I shared her view.
The Dungeon Maker's powers made it par for the course. The real oddities were the note and small box on the desk. Were those in the game?
I approached and scanned the note.
[To. Junior]
[If you've found this dungeon, you're the head of Club Z, right? And you've cracked all the codes hidden around the academy.]
"..."
[Someone who deciphers every code and clears the first floor must want to uncover the truth of our old 'Dungeon Development Club,' yeah? Great attitude.]
What the hell.
[This dungeon's basically my prototype. Like a senior project. A dungeon that lives off the mana from above-ground academy students! Cool, huh?]
In other words, it spat out rewards from that process. An endless monster-and-loot factory as long as the academy stood—a perfect grinding spot.
I had to make good use of it. Ignoring the fluff, I eyed the end.
[...At the end of this dungeon lies a hint to my whereabouts and an incredible reward. The older it gets, the better the reward might be. Future junior—can you conquer it?]
Yeah, I've cleared it at least ten times. Even know how to contact you.
Did the creator suspect I already knew the endgame? Contact info was secondary—the real prize was the reward.
The final reward varied each playthrough, but after all this time, it was always Legendary-grade.
That should do it.
With an item like that and the conquest story, my suit's core would be set. An A-rank priest dungeon wasn't an exaggeration.
Next, the small box beside it. Inside gleamed a green marble.
"Whoa, what's that? An elixir?"
"E-elixir? For real?"
They rushed over. As I lifted the box, details popped up.
◈ A bead containing a thousand types of poison. Consuming it greatly boosts poison resistance and nullifies specific poisons.
◈ Caution advised, as it's highly concentrated poison.
"Elixir, yeah... but not the kind that boosts physical stats."
"Huh? You have an appraisal skill too, Eugene?"
I nodded at Sea-a's question. Technically, it was my possession perk, but close enough—and convenient.
"Boss, so what's the effect?"
"Boosts poison resistance. Nothing else."
"Poison resistance? Damn... that's why the bugs swarmed like that."
Silence fell briefly. Jinwoo broke it first.
"This one's yours, Boss. You handled the endgame."
Sea-a nodded.
"Agreed. You could've soloed the first floor easy without us."
Prime item, yet they yielded it without greed. Couldn't ask for better.
And it's exactly what I need.
Nullifying all Below-B-rank poisons—Thousand Poisons Immunity—was a godsend for a mafia heir, always at risk of poisoning. Clutch even in my Saber Crow playthroughs against yakuza banquets.
"Thanks. I'll take it."
Physical attacks were one thing, but poison prep was crucial. Perfect timing for this.
The warning meant consuming at the mansion in front of Parnello was safest. I stowed it in my cube, hit the elevator button, and eyed them.
"That's it for today. Rest tomorrow... Monday, sparring training."
Dungeon intro done—good enough.
* * *
Today's haul: 3 million credits. No wonder everyone craves being Awakeners.
I split 2 million—1 million each to Jinwoo and Sea-a.
One million! I can buy gifts for the siblings!
One million! Gacha time!
Jinwoo's would vanish fast... but his call.
The last million went to Youngje as ops funds for Ranger Club intel.
Me? Allowance covers it—no need to share.
Youngje was acing his spy gig. Personnel, abilities, traits, haunts—all gold.
They wined and dined him to stay. I replied: milk 'em dry, then bail. Then home.
Evening playtime with Jiyoon—elixir first.
"Parnello at the mansion?"
A guard nodded.
"Yes. In the garden, assisting Miss Jiyoon's lessons."
"Tell him I need to see him. I'll be in my room."
"Got it."
He'd been subbing for me.
Back in my room, elixir out. Knock soon after.
[You wanted me, Young Master?]
"Yeah, come in."
Parnello bowed, then widened his eyes at the elixir.
"...An elixir?"
"Yeah, dungeon drop. Know poisons?"
He smirked.
"Poisons are a hitman's best tool. This one's laced?"
I nodded.
"Thousand Poisons Immunity elixir. Oh, got what I mentioned?"
"Yes. Natural recovery potion... luckily, some kid-cold meds from your childhood remained."
"Good."
"You plan to mix them?"
"Yeah. Saw in the academy library: 'Pairing poison elixirs with natural healing amps boosts effects.'"
My game trials, really. Poison resistance builds via body breakdown/recovery loops—more healing, more loops.
"Intriguing. Mind if I watch?"
"Not at all. Better that way."
Taking the potion, I swallowed the Thousand Poison Pill and potion together.
Hm? Nothing ba—
Suddenly, blood surged up. Guh!
Black blood splattered the floor. Even knowing it, the gush panicked me.
Parnello's calm voice: "Dead blood. Forces out impurities for better absorption."
Stomach churning, more rising.
"Don't hold back. Let it out. I'm here."
His steady tone soothed. I vomited freely.
Whoa... this is a lot, right?
Glanced at Parnello—still watching impassively.
...I'm not actually dying, am I?