Chapter 45:

Chapter 45:

Chapter 45

"Brother! Stop it! Why are you doing this?"

"God commanded me to."

Upon hearing these words, a sense of frustration briefly crossed Father Yohan's face. Even the gods seemed bewildered.

【Isn't that guy without a patron god?】

【Yeah, that's what I thought.】

【Did he secretly receive one when we weren't looking?】

【By the way, which god would command someone to eat poison?】

【Could it be a mistake meant for someone else?】

Of course, the god's command was just an excuse. Seo Gangrim continued to quietly slice the meat and put it in his mouth.

"I'm doing this for a reason, you just need to assist, Father."

After eating a certain amount of meat, Seo Gangrim's body began to tingle once again. Blood dribbled down from the corners of his mouth, and the whites of his eyes turned red. Father Yohan had no choice.

[Ability 'Healing Hand' activated!]

[Ability 'Healing Hand' activated!]

[Ability 'Healing Hand' activated!]

[Ability 'Healing Hand'...]

After a while of eating the poisoned meal, Seo Gangrim's hand stopped. An alert window appeared before his eyes.

[Ability 'Toxin Resistance' acquired!]

'Finally, obtained it.'

Seo Gangrim wiped the blood on his lips with the back of his hand. One of the reasons he brought Father Yohan here was for this very purpose — to acquire the 'Toxin Resistance' ability. Accumulating toxin resistance came from fighting poisonous monsters and recovering from them, but it would take a long time. That's why he chose to forcibly ingest poison and cure it. While there was the option of buying detoxification potions from the shop, they were quite expensive. And detoxification herbs were not very useful if not processed.

'Killing two birds with one stone, raising Father Yohan's ability level too.'

By repeatedly using an ability, its level would increase. It was certain that Father Yohan's abilities were also growing. Due to repeatedly using the ability, Father Yohan had almost reached a higher level.

"Brother, how long will you keep doing... this?"

Not just in terms of magic, but mentally too, Father Yohan seemed exhausted. The sight of Seo Gangrim eating poisoned meat while drinking blood made Father Yohan shiver. Seo Gangrim seemed to understand this and handed something over to him from his waist.

"You've worked hard. Please have this."

"What is this...?"

"It's a magic recovery tea."

It was the tea they had during dinner last night. The thermos containing the magic recovery tea still held warmth. With trembling hands, Father Yohan accepted the thermos. After carefully sipping the tea, his magic began to recover, and his complexion improved.

"Is your magic recovering?"

"Yes, Brother. I'm feeling better..."

"Then let's continue, shall we?"

"What?"

Without giving Father Yohan a chance to be bewildered, Seo Gangrim resumed slicing the remaining meat.

'I obtained the ability, but it's still at the lowest level.'

'Toxin Resistance' was currently at the lowest level. To reach the level Seo Gangrim desired, he had a long way to go, and had no choice but to consume more poison to forcibly raise his resistance.

"Uh, Brother... I think my magic hasn't fully recovered..."

Seo Gangrim noticed the lie. He understood. After all, the food Father Yohan had yesterday was all designed to aid in magic recovery. He deliberately fed him only such food. However, he didn't confront Father Yohan about this fact.

"I see, I guess not. When will Seo Gangrim come..."

At a glance, it seemed like he longed for Seo Gangrim much like the pair of twin siblings. However, Shin Sooah, who had a rough idea of his true nature, was looking at him with a cold gaze.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes. Here, take this."

Dokgo Jun took something out of his bag and casually tossed it towards Shin Sooah. Catching it in mid-air, Shin Sooah's expression remained unchanged, revealing no surprise.

"It's fruit from the orchard."

As Shin Sooah held the fruit, a notification window appeared before her eyes.

[Obtained item 'Hundred Fragrance Fruit'.]

[Completed mission 'Tongue Removal' (Difficulty: Low).]

Although the message window popped up, Shin Sooah's expression didn't change. She had seen it before, so there was no reason to be amazed. Shin Sooah tossed the fruit back to Dokgo Jun. He smiled with satisfaction. "Shin Sooah-ssi, did you already know?"

"Yes."

"Why haven't you left?"

"Because it's a low-level difficulty."

If there was one place on this island that stood out, it was undoubtedly the orchard. It was a place worth considering as everyone's food supplies dwindled. Even Shin Sooah had entered the orchard at the beginning to assess the situation. She had defeated a monkey and retrieved the fruit.

"Some people seem to be satisfied with that and have left..."

Dokgo Jun said this while looking at Yoon Bom and Yoon Geoul. They seemed to know about the Hundred Fragrance Fruit as well and their expressions remained unchanged.

"Indeed. That's the spirit. They're just supporting characters. They should settle for something as low as a low-level difficulty."

Dokgo Jun's attitude was oddly cheerful.

"Alright, I'll join you guys."

"What?"

"Seo Gangrim hasn't come yet, and I think you guys are at a level where you could be my comrades."

At this, Yoon Geoul frowned. It was because of Dokgo Jun's arrogant demeanor. He said with a displeased expression, "I have no intention of being a comrade with you."

Even Yoon Geoul's response didn't seem to disappoint or surprise Dokgo Jun. He just looked at Yoon Geoul as if observing him.

"Seems like you have a strong sense of pride. Then I guess I'll have to persuade you with force."

"You want to fight?"

Yoon Geoul glared at Dokgo Jun and reached for his bow. Dokgo Jun responded by drawing his sword. In an instant, the atmosphere became tense. Sensing this, Shin Sooah stepped in to stop them.

"Geoul, stop it. You too, Dokgo Jun-ssi."

"But, Shin Sooah-ssi. Isn't he ignoring my words?"

"Stop before I have to use force to persuade you, Dokgo Jun-ssi."

"Shin Sooah-ssi? Yeah. Fighting you might be more interesting."

Dokgo Jun's expression was one that said he didn't care who he fought. Yoon Bom was the only one bewildered by the grim atmosphere. As she was wondering how to defuse the situation, one of their party members rushed over.

"Shin Sooah-ssi! Shin Sooah-ssi! ...Oh? Dokgo Jun is here too?"

The party member looked at them with a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, Dokgo Jun continued to stare at Shin Sooah with eyes that seemed to be fixated on his prey. He paid little attention to the party member. Shin Sooah momentarily assessed the atmosphere and approached the party member.

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Yes. We had a minor disagreement. But what's the matter? You seem urgent."

"Oh! Someone nearby is cooking."

"...Cooking?"