Chapter 211: A Bitter Black Lump

Chapter 211: A Bitter Black Lump

When consuming the inner core of the Venomous Horned Black Blood Serpent, two effects could be expected.

The first was an increase in mana, similar to the inner cores of other mystical creatures.

The second was a poison-type trait that you acquire with a certain probability.

There was a 90% chance of acquiring the C-rank trait [Hundred Poisons Immunity].

This trait prevented the user from being poisoned by various poisons, which was extremely useful against poisonous monsters.

The remaining 10% chance was to acquire the D-rank trait [Poison Resistance].

While it didn’t prevent poisoning like Hundred Poisons Immunity, it reduced the rate at which health would decrease while poisoned.

Hundred Poisons Immunity was superior in both rank and effect, but either trait was good.

So then, who would be the best candidate to consume this inner core?

There was no need for difficult deliberation.

“We can just split it.”

I precisely divided the pitch-black inner core into three parts and looked at Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in.

“You may each take one.”

“I am grateful for this opportunity, though I do worry if the effect might lessen.”

“It does drop a little, but not to a concerning degree.”

When consumed alone, the chances were 90% for Hundred Poisons Immunity and 10% for Poison Resistance.

When divided into three, the chances shifted to 50% for Hundred Poisons Immunity, 30% for Poison Resistance, and a 20% chance of gaining no trait at all.

Go Hyeon-woo swallowed hard.

“Hmm... if the opportunity is given to many, dividing it into three parts does seem like the best choice.”

“The probabilities are still quite decent.”

“But if by any chance we fail, the loss would be considerable. Are you sure about this?”

It seemed that Go Hyeon-woo wanted to give the entire inner core to me.

It was indeed the safer choice.

I appreciated his thoughtfulness, but I was determined to go with the three-way split.

I continued with a knowing smile on my lips,

“Just hear me out. I’ve got a trick up my sleeve.”

“.......!”

When the inner core was consumed alongside another elixir, the success rate could be further increased.

It was what you’d call a synergy effect.

And as luck would have it, we recently acquired an elixir.

An elixir we obtained after finding the Golden Spirit Pill hidden inside the formation.

I retrieved a small wooden box from my inventory and opened it to reveal the gleaming golden pellets inside.

[Golden Spirit Pill (C)]

Go Hyeon-woo’s face brightened instantly.

He looked as if he was about to slap his knee in excitement.

“Haha, I was worrying for nothing. There was a plan all along this time as well.”

“I wouldn’t split it into three without a solid plan.”

Although I’ve been consistently paying attention to the growth of Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in, if the efficiency had been excessively low, I would’ve asked for their understanding and taken it all for myself.

This time, sharing was beneficial for everyone.

Go Hyeon-woo asked.

“What are the odds if we add the elixir?”

“With the elixir, the Hundred Poisons Immunity goes up to 60%, poison resistance to 35%, and the failure rate drastically drops to 5%.”

“Seems worth a try.”

The probability of achieving the best outcome is more than half, and the failure rate is only 5%, which is extremely low.

However, Go Hyeon-woo and I couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment.

We both thought of the “future teahouse owner” who always hit rock bottom whenever challenging any odds.

“Let’s not think about him for now.”

“Agreed.”

Dwelling on it might bring us bad luck.

***

To efficiently absorb the elixir’s energy, proper energy circulation right after consumption was important.

And the best environment for energy circulation was, without a doubt, the Mana Cultivation Room.

So we made our way to the training center.

“Kim-hyung, Miss Seo. I wish you good fortune.”

“Come back with the Hundred Poisons Immunity.”

Since Go Hyeon-woo held a season pass, he went to the special cultivation room while Seo Ye-in and I headed to the regular cultivation room.

I spoke to Seo Ye-in while we were standing at the entrance of the cultivation room.

“Eat it and do your mana circulation. Contact me when you’re done.”

“......”

Seo Ye-in looked down at the pitch-black inner core fragment in her hand, then poked it with her fingertip and brought it to her tongue.

Her pupils slightly dilated.

“...Bitter.”

“Something sweet.”

We went down to the first floor of the training center and each got a sweet drink from the vending machine.

I gulped it down and let some linger in my mouth; the sweetness gradually pushed away the remaining bitterness.

Seo Ye-in too pulled her slightly sticking tongue back in and stared directly at me.

“One hour pillow.”

“Yeah, a deal’s a deal.”

I nodded readily.

The bitterness of the inner core was beyond imagination.

Even for someone like me who rarely complained about food, it was unbearably bitter, so I couldn’t even imagine how much worse it was for Seo Ye-in.

Since she had absorbed it all just as instructed, an hour of Kim Ho pillow was a small price to pay.

Around the time I finished off the vending machine drink, Go Hyeon-woo sent a message.

[Go Hyeon-woo: It’s done.]

[Kim Ho: Hundred Poisons Immunity?]

[Go Hyeon-woo: Luck was on my side.]

[Kim Ho: Congrats, congrats.]

I had expected at least one of us to get poison resistance, but fortunately, all three of us managed to acquire Hundred Poisons Immunity.

[Go Hyeon-woo: But it’s more bitter than I thought.]

[Go Hyeon-woo: I need something sweet to drink.]

[Go Hyeon-woo: (licking cat emoji)]

“.......”

I replied with a straight face.

[Kim Ho: (scolding monk emoji)]

[Kim Ho: You weakling!]

[Go Hyeon-woo: !?]

***

Seo Ye-in wrapped herself up in a blanket and was dozing off with her head resting on my shoulder.

I let her be and decided to take the opportunity to check a few of the items I had on hand.

They would be used in the next dungeon.

The [Rainbow Lake] we were about to enter was a multi-element dungeon.

Fire, lightning, ice... The more elements you could handle, the better.

Usually, the best approach would be to enter with a party of various elemental mages, but since we were sneaking in, such a luxury was out of the question.

It’s not like I could drag Song Cheon-hye into the underground just because we needed lightning attribute.

Still, there was a way to borrow a bit of the lightning attribute.

[Heart of Thunder (E)] *2

Two jagged orbs that looked like they were forcibly packed with lightning.

These were forbidden items I had acquired during the temporary storage infiltration.

Heart of Thunder embeds lightning into the heart, or [Core], for a limited time, which turns all spells the user casts during that period into lightning-type magic.

If I used Heart of Thunder and then cast Inferno Fist, my fire fist would turn into a lightning fist.

Hearing this far, it might seem pretty useful, but there was a reason Heart of Thunder was designated as a prohibited item.

When continuous electric shocks are applied to the heart, there’s a risk of an accident occurring. Even at a low probability,

Your heart could just stop.

A temporary attribute switch wasn’t worth gambling your life for, given the risk.

But of course, I was an exception.

I’ve got solid elemental resistance.

I could use Heart of Thunder without worrying about elemental penalties.

That was the reason I grabbed it from the temporary storage in the first place.

As a result, I secured fire, lightning, ice, and wind attributes.

Next were the items to be used in the deal with the Crow Tailor.

Jewels like rubies and emeralds for the tailoring fee were a given.

On top of that, I planned to add one more item.

[Material Selection (C)]

▷Acquire your desired C-rank material.

It was a reward I got from a side quest after successfully completing the defense strategy battle with Song Cheon-hye.

It’s about time I put this to use.

The material rank was fixed at a maximum of C-rank, so it was a bit lacking for selecting main materials like ingots or fabrics.

Even if I made equipment with it, I would have to replace it before long.

So what I aimed to obtain with my choice was something secondary.

A consumable material.

A material that doesn’t go directly into item crafting but provides a sort of bonus.

I quickly scrolled down the list and soon selected an item.

[Acquired ‘Mutant Reagent (C)’.]