Kim Seok-hoon continued speaking.
“Well... to be honest, I didn’t expect the first test to be finished today or tomorrow, so I scheduled things for the day after tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Haha... I’m really sorry... Usually, the first test takes at least two days, so I set the schedule like it’s always been done...”
Kim Seok-hoon scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
But he wasn’t lying.
Up until now, tasks like retrieving logistics or sorting them always took at least a day each. But Su-ho had shattered that tradition by completing both tests in a single day.
Su-ho asked, “So, what am I supposed to do now?”
“Well... it seems like we won’t be ready until at least tomorrow afternoon because of the schedule.”
“I understand. Then I’ll wait. In the meantime, I’ll study the theory for the next training department.”
“Oh, you’d do that?”
“Yes, I’ve had a similar experience before, so I studied in the underground library.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. Thank you for your understanding. I’ll contact you as soon as we’re ready. But no matter how fast we prepare, it won’t be before tomorrow afternoon, so feel free to come after lunch.”
“Then, what about today?”
“There’s nothing else to do, so you can head out early.”
“Thank you.”
Grateful for Kim Seok-hoon’s consideration, Su-ho smiled lightly and began preparing to leave.
‘This works out perfectly.’
He had things to take care of after work anyway, and now he not only got to leave early but didn’t have to come back until tomorrow afternoon.
Starting his car, Su-ho dialed a number, the sound of the engine rumbling to life as he made the call.
***
Not Stuck in Traffic, Su-ho Quickly Arrived Home
The house was silent.
Seo Ki-won was away training in Paju, and Nam Hae-won had fallen asleep, exhausted from synthesizing material items.
Thanks to this quiet, Su-ho could focus on his personal tasks without interruptions.
He made his way to the underground training room located beneath the building.
"Looks like everything's prepared nicely."
Inside, the items Su-ho had requested through an external helper had arrived, neatly arranged.
What he had ordered was none other than poisons.
Su-ho picked up the bottle on the far left of the table, which was filled with an assortment of poisons, and checked its details.
[Inferior Miscellaneous Poison]
But it wasn’t just the inferior poisons. As the bottles were arranged from left to right, the poison grades increased step by step. All of this was for the upcoming quest Su-ho had to face.
He opened his quest window and reviewed the "Trial of the Snake" quest he had previously unlocked.
[Trial of the Snake]
The quest’s content was surprisingly straightforward. Simply put, as long as he didn’t detoxify and ensured no break longer than 10 minutes between ingesting poisons, the quest could be completed.
"Alright, let’s get started."
Su-ho took a deep breath.
While the quest seemed simple on paper, the actual task of drinking poison and enduring it was far from easy.
But Su-ho was confident. The key to succeeding in this quest lay in how long he could endure the poison he consumed.
"If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s enduring."
He immediately opened the bottle of inferior miscellaneous poison.
“Hoo...”
Even though it was only an inferior poison, any poison after experiencing Suzuki Endo’s venom was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
"I’ll overcome this."
He had to, if he wanted to deal a heavy blow to that wretched woman.
Like drinking a shot of herbal ginseng, Su-ho downed the poison in one go. The bitterness of the venom coated his tongue and throat, searing its way down his esophagus before beginning to irritate his stomach.
This reaction was only natural—it was poison, after all.
After placing the poison box on the floor, Su-ho sat cross-legged in front of it. Normally, he didn’t meditate like this, but for this battle of mental endurance, he purposely adopted the position.
[You are now in a state of inferior poisoning.]
The poison’s effects began to take hold. Being an inferior poison, its effects were also minor. He took damage in small, gradual increments, while the burning sensation in his stomach intensified.
"Still manageable. But how does the egg respond to this?"
Closing his eyes, Su-ho focused his mind, attempting to sense the snake’s egg somewhere in his body.
That’s when he felt it—a faint, writhing movement near his solar plexus.
It wasn’t a muscle spasm caused by the poison. It was a completely independent motion from an entirely different existence within his body.
"There you are."
The egg twitched for a while before settling down. Then—
[The state of inferior poisoning has been cured.]
The poisoned state was lifted. Su-ho hadn’t used any antidotes or recovery items—it had simply disappeared. This wasn’t due to his Newblood passive ability either; if it were, there would have been a system notification.
No, this was something else entirely.
"So, the egg really is absorbing the poison as sustenance."
That explained why the term "supply" was used in the quest description.
Unfortunately, it seemed Newblood didn’t classify poisoning as a form of contamination, meaning it wouldn’t activate to assist.
"A bit disappointing, but it makes sense."
If Newblood had nullified the poisoning, he wouldn’t need to go through this entire process in the first place.
Finishing his thoughts, Su-ho opened his eyes and drank another dose of the inferior miscellaneous poison. Before long, his solar plexus began to writhe again, followed by another system notification.
[You are now in a state of inferior poisoning.]
The same process repeated. The egg wriggled briefly, then stopped, and the poisoned state was lifted.
Su-ho gave himself a short break and drank another dose of the same poison.
[You are now in a state of inferior poisoning.]
[The state of inferior poisoning has been cured.]
Over and over, the cycle repeated. Like taking shots of soju, Su-ho continued to empty bottle after bottle, eventually reaching the 30th and final bottle of the inferior poison.
[You are now in a state of inferior poisoning.]
He waited for the usual reaction, but this time, the egg didn’t move. No matter how long he waited, there was no response.
Even the poisoned state didn’t dissipate.
"Hmm."
It seemed the egg had reached its limit with this grade of poison.
Accepting that the inferior poison was no longer effective, Su-ho picked up a bottle of the next grade—a poison that could cause minor poisoning.
Pop!
As he removed the cap, a much stronger stench assaulted his senses. Grimacing, Su-ho gulped the poison down in one go.
[You are now in a state of minor poisoning.]
The effects were immediate. The irritation in his mouth and throat was far more intense than before, and his stomach felt like it was on fire.
But then—
Wriggle!
The egg finally reacted again. Having understood the mechanism, Su-ho refocused his mind, sitting cross-legged to endure the process.
"So this is how it works."
Now that he knew the process, all that remained was to endure and push through. When the minor poisoned state eventually lifted, Su-ho drank another bottle without hesitation.
***
"Ughhh...."
[You are now in a state of advanced poisoning.]
[The state of advanced poisoning has been cured.]
How much time had passed?
Su-ho had moved from low-grade poisons to mid-grade ones, and now, he had reached the advanced level.
But the advanced poison was unlike anything he had encountered before—it was excruciating.
“It feels like drinking hydrochloric acid,” he thought grimly, barely exaggerating.
Typically, poisoning occurred through the claws or fangs of a monster, with the afflicted area itself becoming painfully inflamed.
But drinking advanced poison directly, like alcohol? That was a whole other level. His mouth and esophagus were anything but intact.
Still, Su-ho endured. He drank bottle after bottle, suppressing his agony every time, because the egg inside him reacted with each dose.
Finally, when he downed the last bottle of advanced poison—
[You are now in a state of advanced poisoning.]
The state of poisoning was confirmed. But there was no reaction.
The egg, which should have responded by writhing, remained completely still. Su-ho bit his lip in frustration.
“Damn it... Is advanced poison not enough anymore?”
He scowled, his gaze shifting to the bottles of supreme poison sitting nearby.
“That’s pure venom...”
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
Supreme poison was no joke. Consuming it could result in immediate death.
For someone without sufficient resistance and stamina, even advanced poison was already near-lethal. The only reason Su-ho had survived dozens of bottles of advanced poison was because of his Red-Grade stamina stat.
But now, retreat wasn’t an option.
Su-ho took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the supreme poison bottle. His skin was already a sickly shade of gray, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips cracked and dry—all classic symptoms of severe poisoning.
Yet, he had no choice.
At last, Su-ho uncorked the supreme poison bottle.
Hiss—
Even the fumes from the poison stung his skin.
Still, without hesitation, he tipped the contents into his mouth.
“Gahhh!!”
It felt as though his mouth and esophagus were melting. And realistically, they probably were—this was supreme poison, after all.
[You are now in a state of supreme poisoning.]
The notification popped up.
And then, it happened.
Drip... Drip-drip... Drip—
Bright red drops began falling to the ground.
Not drops. Blood.
Blood was seeping from Su-ho’s eyes, nose, and ears, a result of the brutal effects of the poisoning.
His breathing grew labored. His heart pounded wildly. His senses dulled, and the burning pain in his organs felt like they were disintegrating entirely.
Even his tongue felt as though it was being severed.
But Su-ho endured.
Because the more he suffered, the more violently the egg inside him began to stir.
However, his stamina was depleting far too quickly. The agonizing pain made him feel as though death was just moments away.
With his vision fading, Su-ho tightly shut his eyes and activated a skill he hadn’t used until now.
[Heal has been activated.]
A warm light enveloped his body.
Healing was fine. It wasn’t an antidote, after all.
The current use of Heal was akin to pouring water into a bottomless vessel—ineffective against the poisoning symptoms, but enough to keep him alive.
And at this moment, that was all Su-ho needed. Heal was his only option to bring the egg to fruition.
“I have to endure. I will endure.”
The warmth of Heal spread through his body, turning him into a living paradox—a warm hell of agony and regeneration.
In that hellish state, Su-ho drank another bottle of supreme poison.
“Arghhhh!!”
The pain was indescribable.
But Su-ho persevered.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The more he endured, the more violently the egg shook within him.
[Heal has been activated.]
[Heal has been activated.]
[Heal has been activated.]
Again and again, Su-ho unleashed Heal upon himself, barely holding onto consciousness. Even as he teetered on the brink of death, he stubbornly clung to life, pouring every last drop of his energy into sustaining himself.
Then, just as his mana reserves were about to run dry—
Crack—
A sound.
Crack-crack!
It wasn’t his imagination.
Craaaaack!
The sound of something splitting open.
At last, the long-awaited moment had arrived.
The venom-eating snake’s egg had begun to fracture.
And finally—
BANG!
The egg burst apart, releasing a radiant light that filled the room.