Into the Poison Swamp

As I raised my hand and spoke, the gazes of the surrounding Night Insect soldiers who'd jumped at the mission turned toward me.

"……."

"What……."

"Is that guy nuts?"

"Pfft."

They all looked utterly baffled. From those staring in disbelief to others stifling laughs.

I got it—their reaction made sense. A mantis volunteering to dive into the Poison Mire that even venomous bugs hesitated to enter?

"Hey, Aleck! What the hell? How do you plan to get in there?"

Rawung, who'd been gaping at me speechless, finally found his voice.

"Don't pull this reckless crap—apologize quick, you idiot! If you're just trying to grab attention, you've screwed up big time. Captain Jip hates that kind of stuff."

Rawung whisper-yelled dramatically, trying to talk me down so no one else would hear.

"It's fine."

"Fine my ass……."

As he started to retort with a dumbfounded glare, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"What a blockhead…… He's gonna get himself killed."

"Rawung, don't bother. If he's walking to his own grave, he must have a plan. Or he's just gonna die."

The Night Insect soldiers who'd first spoken to me and Rawung chimed in. Unable to argue with them leaving it to me, Rawung finally threw up his hands.

"Haa…… Whatever."

He sighed, looking at me with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conflicted eyes.

We've only known ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each other half an hour, and he's already this worried.

Rawung seemed genuinely kind at heart. I could feel his sincere concern for someone he'd just met not even 30 minutes ago.

I'd heard Night Insect soldiers needed a tough, tenacious streak to survive long-term…… Could someone with his personality last in this life?

"The one who raised their hand, step forward."

Just as Rawung's protests died down, Captain Jip called me out.

Thud. Thud.

I walked up to Jip under the stares of the Night Insect soldiers.

"Hmm…… A lesser mantis clan, huh."

Jip eyed me up and down suspiciously.

"You really have enough poison resistance to go in there?"

"Yes."

I answered without hesitation. Voices rose from his aides nearby.

"Captain, that's nonsense. Don't bother hauling a corpse—send him back."

"Or what, did you absorb a poison resistance rune or something?"

I paused at the question before replying.

"Yes, I have a poison resistance-related rune."

"……!"

"Hoh!"

"Hmm, even so, you'd need at least A-rank to withstand that miasma. Looks like you're confident, so probably higher."

The mood shifted. Poison resistance runes—especially attribute resistances—were rare even among runes. No one had expected me to have one.

Well, technically it's not a rune—it's the Immunity to All Poisons trait.

Either way, once they saw me emerge unscathed from the mire, questions would fly. Easier to just say I had a poison resistance rune than explain the details.

"Good! We'll leave it to you. Do you know how to break the formation?"

"Yes. Destroy the medium anchoring it, right?"

"Exactly. You know your stuff. Let's see what you've got."

Jip's gaze sharpened. The other Night Insect soldiers followed suit, staring intently with curiosity about this rare poison resistance rune and its power.

Under ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their intrigued eyes, I took my first step into the Poison Mire.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

A supply depot perched atop a small hill overlooked the Poison Mire formation. Poison Centipedes stationed there watched the Night Insect soldiers halt before it.

"Supply officer! Some guy's heading toward the mire!"

"Hm? A Poison Scorpion from our clan?"

A middle-aged Poison Centipede lounging with his chair tipped back sat up and asked. To withstand the miasma, you'd need to be a Poison Centipede at minimum—or a Poison Scorpion.

No traitors in the clan, so maybe a scorpion had shown up.

"Nah…… Looks like a mantis?"

"……What?"

The supply officer blinked at his subordinate's words.

A mantis?

"You mean mantises like the ones I know?"

"Yes, sir. See for yourself."

Taking the spider-eye viewing orb from his subordinate, the officer spotted Aleck standing before the mire.

"Ha! A real mantis?"

He burst into incredulous laughter. For a moment, he'd tensed thinking they might break the formation—but now he relaxed into a smug smile.

"Ignore him. Looks like he scored some poison resistance gear or rune…… Even if he endures the miasma by luck, stepping in means he's dead meat."

"But sir, if he can handle the miasma, couldn't he break the formation?"

"Tch tch. Why do you think our garrison is half the size of others? It's all thanks to that formation. The miasma's not the only threat. The real killer…… is the hidden poison thorns inside."

"Poison…… thorns?"

"Yeah, poison thorns. Lethally venomous ones lurking within."

The officer smirked.

"Don't sweat it. The chance of that mire getting breached is less than an ant's shit!"

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Burrble! Pop, pop.

The miasma intensified as I approached the Poison Mire, like needles pricking my skin.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Even with Immunity to All Poisons, it's this bad. Impressive.

This was no ordinary poison. If Jip had tried entering with an ether barrier…… he might never have become Night Insect King in this lifetime.

Luckily I stumbled on them while passing by.

Fate? Or just good luck?

Pushing aside the profound thoughts, I pressed on into the mire.

A tingling sensation crept up from my toes, and system messages scrolled before my eyes.

I can handle it.

Even with Immunity to All Poisons, the poison melted my skin—but I had more than that.

Transcendent Regeneration!

Thanks to it, I regenerated my melting skin on the spot and fully entered the mire.

Burrble!

The mire's depth was impressive. My feet couldn't touch bottom even after diving—far beyond just murky; the floor was immeasurable.

Despite my considerable size……

The deep parts must be several times my height.

Up close, the scale of the poison formation around the depot hit home. Or rather, it was melting and corroding me.

Finding the medium will take time.

Searching this whole area……

Tsking to myself, I surfaced and scanned around—

"Whoaaa!"

"He really went in?!"

"Not melting!"

"He's walking around fine!"

"Whoa, that lesser mantis wasn't bluffing!"

Cheers erupted from the distant Night Insect soldiers, amazed to see me casually strolling inside as promised.

They're really shocked.

Smirking at their fuss, I ramped up the search. Blind poking around was like finding a water beetle in the desert, so I expanded my senses.

Something tugged—and then—

Burrrrrrble!

The surrounding poison liquid suddenly churned.

"What the—!"

"Back up! The miasma's spiking!"

"Ugh, crap! It's an enhancement formation?"

Enhancement formation. One where the array's effects intensified over time.

Here, the mire's poison grew fiercer. From a sharp sting to full-on burning.

Whoooosh!

My skin momentarily melted faster than regeneration could keep up—but balance restored.

The reason? Immunity to All Poisons had grown stronger against the intensified virulent poison.

At this rate, full Immunity to All Poisons isn't far.

My skin tingled as poison resistance leaped levels. Eyes gleaming—already potent, but exceeding expectations was pure luck.

I'd planned to hunt venomous habitats to train it, and here was the perfect spot.

Good call stepping up.

I swam effortlessly through the now-stronger mire.

"Ooooh!"

"He's holding!"

"Damn! Tanking that too."

"Wait, is he a lesser mantis or a Poison Scorpion?"

"Kyaa! So cool, Aleck!"

"Aleck! Aleck!"

The soldiers, who'd recoiled from the spiked miasma, cheered my name again upon seeing me unfazed.

Quiet down, I'm focusing.

Not that the cheers sucked. Smirking, I dove deeper, senses wide, scouring fast—

That it?

Quickly spotted a suspected medium: a head-sized jade stone glowing murky brown, screaming "I'm important!"

Can't be anything else.

No hesitation—I approached to smash it, posing—

Whiiiirrr! Glorp, glorp.

Vibrations from the mire's depths, bubbles rising—a sharp object shot at me.

Kwoooooong! Bubble.

I instantly partial primalized my arm for defense.

"He blocked that?!"

The attacker? Shockingly ordinary.

Entry-level Complete Body Poison Centipede.

My hyper-senses had rung alarm at the ambush; easy block. Predator's Eye confirmed it.

Chatting from inside the mire, huh.

Their defense wasn't just the formation. The poison array's ultimate weapon revealed: not a standard Poison Centipede—sleek, slinky for mire mobility.

Like…… a thorn.

To subdue easily, I needed shallower water—postponing the stone, I retreated swiftly.

"Pha!"

Surfacing, it followed out.

"What the hell……?!"

"Crazy, a Poison Centipede was hiding!"

"Look, it's primalized. At least Complete Body."

"But…… doesn't look like any Poison Centipede I know?"

"Skinny as hell, like it starved."

"Doesn't matter—Complete Body in there is bullshit!"

"Aleck, run! You can't win!"

Chaos outside; they'd spotted it too, yelling at me.

"Kehhehe, where to? Come easy, leave hard."

It flicked its long, thin tongue lewdly, charging fast despite the slime—even with poison ether coalescing on its spear, intent on skewering me. Eyes full of certainty I'd fail to block.

Perfect.

Since learning Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship, I'd itched for real combat testing. Perfect chance.

"Kehhehe, given up?"

It sneered at my smile.

Ignoring it, thunder essence gathered in my partial primalized right arm.

CracklecrackleCRACKLE.

Lightning bolts surged, vaporizing nearby poison liquid in intensity.

"What the—!"

Watching its face loom larger in panic, I thrust my arm.

Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship.

First Form: Thunderclap Flash.

Kraroom!

A thunderclap echoed from clear skies as blinding white lightning grazed past it.