### Chapter: 319
Amid the thick fog of smoke,
Kraush, Haring, and Ebelasque made their way in together.
Ebelasque hid within Kraush’s shadow, while Kraush concealed himself using Haring’s invisibility.
Thanks to this, even though Kraush had entered the Lagrain estate, none of the World Eroders had shown up.
The Lagrain estate, filled with mist-like smoke, was eerily quiet.
Members of the Lagrain family, accustomed to handling poison, were all masters of stealth.
So, while it seemed calm, they were undoubtedly moving swiftly behind the scenes.
“Haring, let’s head straight to the workshop.”
Right now, the most pressing matter was resolving Kraush’s inner core issue.
If that wasn’t settled, there would be no way to confront the World Eroders head-on.
Haring nodded and began leading Kraush to the workshop.
As they made their way there, the quiet hallway seemed endless.
Occasional sounds could be felt, but everyone was clearly holding their breath on purpose.
‘The World Eroders must be lurking around.’
Kraush, shrouded in the miasma of refinement, didn’t entertain any thoughts of encountering the World Eroders.
So, he stayed as close to Haring as possible.
Thud—thud—
Suddenly, a loud thumping sound reached Kraush and Haring’s ears.
As they locked eyes, they immediately pressed against the wall.
Then, from another corridor, a gigantic, bear-like man appeared.
He was exactly as described—a bear.
His face looked just like a bear’s head.
Aside from having a humanoid shape, anyone would recognize him as a bear without hesitation.
‘Black Bear.’
Kraush immediately recognized the identity of the bear-like man.
A World Eroder, the Black Bear.
He was known for his exceptional fighting skills, relying on his robust physique.
“Sniff, I came expecting a fight, but it seems I won’t even catch a sniff of one. How irritating!”
The Black Bear grumbled, snorting loudly.
Since entering the smoke of refinement, he hadn’t encountered a single member of the Lagrain family.
Ever since getting mauled by the previous World Eroder, the Glorious One, the Lagrain family had concentrated their strength on the main house.
As a result, even the average maid in their household was well-versed in the arts of concealment and secret passageways.
So, as soon as this crisis broke out, everyone immediately hid themselves.
“At this rate, this smoke from the refiners is becoming a real hindrance.”
No matter how good the refinement was, with such a thick fog it could detect outside intruders but not what was happening inside.
Therefore, the World Eroders present in the smoke had to find trouble themselves.
“Let one be caught. I’ll dismantle them limb by limb.”
The Black Bear, visibly frustrated, banged his fist against the wall.
The ground shook throughout the entire Lagrain estate.
“Why can’t I just demolish this whole building?”
Just as he was harboring these dangerous thoughts, the Black Bear’s head turned back.
He sensed a presence behind him.
There was a snake slithering nearby.
The Black Bear recognized the snake’s identity.
And so did Kraush.
“Yumsa, what did you find?”
Yumsa, also known as the Sound Snake,
Was a World Eroder who specialized in handling snakes.
With exceptional sensory abilities and assassination skills, Yumsa typically coordinated with the Black Bear.
Yumsa would locate the enemy, and the Black Bear would smash them to pieces.
That was their combination.
“Hiss.”
The moment the Black Bear asked, the snake flicked its tongue, conveying something.
Although Kraush and Haring didn’t understand, the Black Bear’s eyes lit up.
“So, those nasty little things are hiding over there!”
The Black Bear spread his enormous hand wide.
A murderous grin glimmered on his lips.
“Lead the way. Let’s go right now.”
Upon hearing the Black Bear’s command, the snake quickly turned and slithered ahead.
The Black Bear eagerly followed close behind.
But he had no idea how much it affected those around him.
‘No, I’d probably just overlooked it.’
Remembering the time he fought with Agares,
Kraush recalled Bianca’s tear-streaked face.
He had struggled to find the words to tell her to stop fighting, as she, too, began training to lighten his burdens.
Just like Bianca, Haring was also working so that Kraush wouldn’t have to suffer as much.
So, he had said something so careless to her.
Scratching the back of his head while watching Haring intensely focused on preparing,
Kraush realized he was no longer dealing with it all alone.
‘The Sky Generation isn’t just me.’
With that realization, Kraush looked at Haring.
“I’m sorry, Haring.”
Upon hearing Kraush’s apology, Haring flinched.
“Because of you, I can endure more.”
Thanks to Haring, Darling, and Dorma working together to make those potions, Kraush had overcome countless crises.
So, he figured he ought to express gratitude for Haring’s efforts today, prompting her to dive into serious production.
Her eyes were filled with resolute determination.
Haring’s work was faster than expected.
Thanks to all the trial and error she had experienced with Darling in making potions,
She rapidly combined various materials based on the entries in the arts of refinement.
And soon, Haring produced a small green pill.
The Inner Well Pill.
The Inner Well Pill glowed with a peculiar flow of light.
It resembled a bead that reflected light differently, depending on its angle.
Haring approached Kraush, holding the completed pill.
“Kraush, there will be a shock when you directly touch your soul.”
No matter how much she tried to minimize side effects, it was impossible to erase all effects.
“After you take it, the inner core will exit from your fingertips. You mustn’t move until that inner core escapes.”
Haring warned him as she placed a bowl in front of him.
This was the bowl to catch the exiting inner core.
“Got it.”
Kraush nodded to Haring, who looked tense, before handing him the Inner Well Pill.
Without hesitation, Kraush swallowed the Inner Well Pill.
Putting it in his mouth felt like rolling a bead on his tongue.
Swallow—
Once he made up his mind, he felt the pill slide down his throat.
After a while, Kraush felt a tightness in his body.
It felt like something was swirling within him.
“The effect of the Inner Well Pill is kicking in. You need to focus.”
Listening to Haring, Kraush concentrated intensely.
He sensed the energy from the Inner Well Pill nudging his aura core.
The aura core, which he had kept motionless until now, began to roll on its own.
It was seeking a way out.
If this was the case, he could definitely extract it.
‘The only issue is—’
Time.
The aura core swirling within Kraush had a total of 19 cores.
If it took this long to move just one, it was evident it would take a while to extract them all.
‘But I have to do this.’
In that moment, as Kraush drew up all of his focus,
Boom!
A loud explosion erupted from outside the workshop.
It sounded like a clash was taking place somewhere.
“Kraush, keep going.”
Haring spoke hurriedly to ensure Kraush remained focused, turning to face the commotion outside.
Kraush didn’t even have a chance to stop her.
With a flash, Haring activated her invisibility and dashed outside.
Until Kraush extracted all his inner cores, it was her responsibility to protect him.
‘Absolutely no one will enter the workshop.’
To protect the one she cherished with her heart, Haring honed her poisonous needles, which would later earn her the nickname “Poisonous Spike.”