Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Prime Poisoner (4)
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Heavy silence descended upon the underground cavern.
While his companions stared in bewilderment, Jun spoke up.
"There's nothing we can do about the one that got away. I've already asked for help on that front, so it should be fine."
"Help, you say...?"
Jun answered Aiden, who was still piecing things together.
"That guy's a master at slipping away. Dealing with him requires a lot of preparation."
Back when he'd first heard from Dexter how Javier had nearly been poisoned multiple times.
Jun had been keeping a close eye on the situation.
If we clash head-on, our chances of losing are slim. But that guy's not about winning or losing fights.
A slippery bastard who ran over and over, dragging his foes into peril.
It wasn't for nothing that players in the game forums had hunted down his entire family tree with lavish praise.
He'd vanish just when you thought you had him, then poison your party out of nowhere.
Beating him in a straight fight was one thing, but the way he tormented players had the devs eating shit for it.
The key is how fast we can catch him after he bolts.
That preparation was none other than Sword Ghost Aden.
If the guy had tagged along secretly on this patrol, he could snuff out any tricks before they started.
Aden's probably wrapped it up by now.
The thought lifted his spirits.
Taken care of a real pain in the ass for the road ahead.
Poison was terrifying.
No matter how prepared you were, it was a bitch to counter, and with just his [Herbalism] and [Potion Brewing] skills, Jun had been outmatched.
"Now we just head up and it's over..."
He was about to say it's done when—
Gugrrrrrumble—!!!
The ceiling shook violently without warning, dust billowing down.
"......"
Silence fell again. Meeting everyone's gazes, Jun quietly brought a hand to his mouth.
Fortunately, neither Maya nor Eleanor reached for their needles and thread.
"Let's head up before this blows up bigger."
"Sigh... yeah."
Aiden was the only one shooting him a look of pity.
Aden had vanished as suddenly as he'd appeared. And so had his own master.
Alone in the tunnel, the Prime Poisoner stared despondently at the object in his hand.
A gem pulsing with ominous energy.
This was material to strengthen the 'Evil Spirit Orb' implanted inside him.
So I have to use it after all.
The Evil Spirit Orb served multiple purposes in the Heavenly Ascension Cult.
First, as insurance against betrayal. Second, to boost the host's abilities.
I'd hoped to use it someday, but not now.
The third was human-to-monster transformation.
The body mutated uncontrollably by a corrupted spirit, turning the host into a monster.
It carried profound meaning.
No monster in Blackout was unbound by this place, body and soul.
In other words, it meant becoming a being outside Blackout's 'rules.'
A huge boon to the cult's grand ambitions.
Monsterization...
Part of him wanted to just flee like this.
With Sword Ghost gone and no eyes on him now.
He could survive easily by shifting to the clone he'd hidden outside the mine.
But that wasn't what his master wanted.
His master desired his monsterization now.
Fleeing would brand him a traitor, with no future left.
So his master had left him with one choice only.
And Sword Ghost could return anytime.
Feeling cornered once more, he swallowed the gem in despair.
Dexter and Javier eyed the collapsed mine entrance with growing anxiety.
"Big bro. What do you think?"
"Hoo. That mage has never failed a commission. Here's hoping it's the same this time."
"......I see."
Javier was honestly shocked by Dexter's reaction.
He'd never seen the ever-confident man lean on someone like this.
Dexter caught his gaze and gave a wry smile.
"Javier. The throne isn't for someone who can do everything alone."
"Then..."
"If an emperor could handle it all solo, why have retainers? Emperors keep them precisely because they can't."
To Dexter, a true emperor was one who trusted and waited on his subordinates.
"Father did the same. He placed talent in key posts regardless of birth."
"Y... yes, he did."
The nobles grumbled fiercely, but it had greatly benefited the realm—no denying that.
Even nobles had to step down without results.
"And we must carry on his legacy."
"......"
"Even if I don't take the throne. So long as our blood flows, we dedicate everything to the Empire."
"......But if you don't become emperor, doesn't it all mean nothing?"
For the first time, Javier's response dragged on, drawing Dexter's gaze to his half-brother.
"Then the mercenaries risking their lives inside mean nothing too?"
"......!"
"Are they fighting on Father's orders?"
"......No."
Exactly.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps was here on commission from the count—and the two princes.
"Remember this, little brother. The throne listens to retainers' voices and makes choices. Nothing more."
"......"
Dexter smiled bitterly at Javier's uncomprehending look.
Can't be helped.
Given Javier's upbringing, it was natural.
Unlike Dexter, who genuinely liked people, Javier had lived by his mother's will alone.
The only ones he could relax around were those unconnected to the court.
Javier's worldview was still narrow.
"Lord Aden's on the move too. It'll be over soon."
"If it ends quietly... that'd be nice."
As Javier nodded, gazing at the village reveling in untimely festivities—
Gugugugugu...!
"......!"
A massive tremor from below.
Growing stronger by the second, the two princes fell back.
The hidden Black Guard and Celestial Dragon Knights rushed to protect them.
The shaking intensified from underground, and suddenly—something erupted from the earth.
Not just where the princes had stood.
Something burst from the ruined mine entrance too.
"W-what the hell is that...?"
"What happened inside?!"
A [Checkpoint], where anomalies only came from human error—now anomalized.
It resembled a tree of human flesh.
Something pale peach-colored rocketing skyward.
At once, Celestial Dragon Knights' vice-captain Banner Tobias bellowed.
"Poison! Protect the princes!"
His cry barely out, the knights activated their artifacts.
A potent barrier enveloped the group, letting them finally identify the erupting horror.
"A mushroom...?"
A colossal mushroom cap blotted the sky.
Myriad smaller fungi sprouted like branches from its massive roots.
Poison spores billowed from them, filling the air like white mist.
"Damn it."
"All of that's poison?"
"What the fuck happened in there?!"
Poison was tricky.
How to tackle one covering such a vast area?
As the Black Guard grimaced—
"I don't know who showed up, but snap to it, everyone."
Tobias drew his sword, flipping the mood.
The Celestial Dragon Knights' eyes burned with subtle fervor.
The Black Guard, rarely interacting with them, watched curiously—what were they up to?
Whooooom—!
Tobias unsheathed his weapon.
A greatsword shaped like crudely hewn rock.
The moment he drew it, mana surged, whipping around him.
"W-what mana!"
"Don't tell me that's all aura?"
"Impossible..."
Mana churned around him.
Infused with his intent, the greatsword swung.
"......!!!"
An aura storm blasted forward, sweeping away the misty spores.
The towering mushroom shredded into fragments scattering everywhere.
"Insane..."
Nature's wrath from one sword!
The Black Guard gaped; the Celestial Dragons beamed with pride, watching beyond the barrier.
But—
Gugugugu...!!
Another massive mushroom erupted from below; fragments on the ground absorbed into it.
"Regeneration too, huh."
Tobias eyed it annoyedly.
"Regrowing something that size ain't easy. Just obliterate it completely—no scraps left to absorb."
Barrier still solid.
Princes safe; no need to hold back.
"No way that last one wasn't full power...?!"
"And it's getting stronger?!"
Concentrating his intent deeper, he unleashed another sword-storm.
Pure might from an early level 8 knight.
This time, the cap vanished without trace.
A new one popped up below, but Tobias ignored it.
Black Guard Captain Tairdin bit his lip watching.
Using aura like that requires more than mana. Needs intent infused.
Pure enlightenment territory.
Someday, me too...!
"Goddamn it."
Inside the mine, Jun scowled, scanning around.
Vibrations from above, then suddenly—poison mist blanketing everything.
More precisely, white spores spreading like cancer cells.
"What now..."
He'd deployed shields to block poisoning.
First, figure out why this happened.
The Prime Poisoner didn't have this ability.
Jun knew—he'd slain the guy countless times in-game.
Some unknown anomaly then.
Where'd it go wrong?
Aden's here. Did he fail to track the Poisoner?
Impossible.
No matter what, he couldn't escape Aden.
Only possibility: unexpected enemy.
Several intel fragments flashed in Jun's mind.
The Prime Poisoner was created by that guy.
The Heavenly Ascension Cult priest from layer 4, Ervantus's contaminated zone.
That one could stall Sword Ghost briefly.
But how'd a lower-layer rule-bound bastard reach layer 3 and block him?
That resolved, huh?
Or maybe the backlash for breaking rules hit differently than he thought.
Assuming the priest foiled Aden...
This phenomenon was likely the Prime Poisoner's doing.
Monsterized him? Shit, that explains it.
The Evil Spirit Orbs empowering cultists.
The Poisoner had grown by devouring one; this was probably the corrupted spirit inside him going berserk.
Cause identified; now to fix it.
Being a Mage in the Hero Party 172