Chapter 227
“So that’s how the Hanar flower affects the sympathetic nerves. The respiratory poison exchanges air in the lung chambers…”
Time flew by as quickly as the pages turned.
For over a week, Chris had been buried in the library’s books, and finally, he set the last volume back on the shelf.
“Done.”
He had devoured every single book!
Chris reflected on the vast amount of self-taught knowledge he had accumulated over the past week.
“This should be enough, knowledge-wise.”
Of course, this didn’t mean he had mastered all of poison arts.
The books in this library were textbooks for ordinary poison users.
In other words, they covered the knowledge that a 2- to 3-star poison user would learn.
The deeper secrets—the true essence of poisons that only high-level poison masters of 5 stars and above knew—weren’t found in these library books.
“Those can only be learned through secret scrolls or oral transmission.”
But Chris was firm in his conviction.
“There’s no need to go that far.”
After all, the deepest secrets of poison arts ultimately stem from the basics.
Chris already had the capacity of a master.
There was no reason to borrow someone else’s secrets.
“I’ll develop my own poison techniques.”
He moved on to the next step.
Before creating his own poison, there was a stage he had to clear first.
“You want me to teach you ‘Ma-Dok’?”
Marisa asked, clearly taken aback.
Chris nodded.
“I have to reach 4-star in poison arts.”
He was now filled with knowledge, but knowledge alone made him just a poison scholar.
He needed to elevate his poison arts to a higher level.
“No need for detailed explanations, just give me the gist.”
Marisa sighed.
“…Ma-Dok isn’t something you can learn easily. It’s different from Black Sword, which is the dark magic art of the Dark Mage.”
For reference, Ma-Dok is the stage where you create poison using magical energy.
It’s similar to the 3-star Black Sword, which creates swords from magic energy.
In other words, Chris was attempting to reach the 3-star level just a week after starting poison studies.
“Your Dark Mage clan handles all kinds of dark magic, but poison is rarely used. There’s a reason for that. First, you need green magic energy, which symbolizes life force.”
Green magic energy writhed and blossomed from Marisa’s hand.
“Also, you need a perfect understanding of the poison you want to transform. Not just knowing what it does, but understanding its origin, how it works in the body—everything. You have to see through it all and then manifest it with magic energy.”
In other words: green magic energy, deep insight into the poison, and the ability to manipulate magic energy to realize it.
…All things Chris already possessed. Perfectly.
“Is this how it’s done?”
A flicker.
Magic energy bloomed from Chris’s hand.
It wasn’t green.
It was a beautiful darkness, deeper than any black, pure dark magic energy at 100% concentration.
Pure dark magic energy is superior to any other type.
Magic energy aligned with specific elements? They pale in comparison to pure dark magic energy.
Naturally, it also had a superior affinity for poison compared to green magic energy.
“Let’s start with nerve poison.”
Knowledge about poison flashed through Chris’s mind.
He had learned poison based on perfect medical knowledge.
His depth of understanding far surpassed that of ordinary poison users.
“Transforming poison… isn’t that difficult.”
Chris’s mastery of magic energy was so advanced that even high-level dark magic was at his command.
Creating poison was nothing.
Whoosh!
“!!”
Marisa’s eyes widened in shock.
Nerve poison formed in Chris’s hand.
But that wasn’t all.
Flare.
The poison shifted.
From nerve poison to hemorrhagic poison, then corrosive poison, respiratory poison, and in an instant, it swirled through every kind of poison before—
Flash.
They merged into one.
In a single instant, Chris created a 3-star upper-level ‘Composite Ma-Dok.’
“W-what…?”
Marisa stammered, stunned by the insane display.
“I spent over ten years just to reach 3-star upper level.”
But Chris’s marvels didn’t stop there.
“So, for magic poison, you just mix in some dark magic?”
This was the 4-star level of poison arts.
Even Marisa had only recently reached this stage.
“Magic poison isn’t easy. Magic and poison are completely different forces, so if you just mix them, they collapse… You have to conceptually unify them so they blend into one.”
In other words, you need to establish a conceptual framework that treats poison like magic and magic like poison.
Then—
Swish.
Magic infused the poison flickering in Chris’s hand.
There was no backlash, no collapse—just perfect fusion.
“Not that hard, huh?”
“…”
Marisa was speechless.
Only one phrase came to mind.
“…You’re insane.”
He had only just reached 4-star.
“This part’s easy. I already have the foundation.”
Usually, reaching 4-star wasn’t difficult for any sect.
Because up to 4-star was still a matter of skill.
With the foundation he had built, it was possible to reach it in no time.
The real challenge started at 5-star.
“I have to learn ‘Dokgang.’”
Dokgang, or ‘Poison Reinforcement.’
It’s the stage where you infuse your will into poison, similar to Black Reinforcement.
“It’s similar to Black Reinforcement but different in method. Once I get the hang of it, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Luckily, Chris was already adept at controlling his will.
Once he grasped the key points, mastering Dokgang would be straightforward.
“Marisa’s still 4-star, so I’ll have to find another teacher.”
It wasn’t difficult.
He swapped roles with Alos and went to the Poison Study Hall himself.
Why? To learn Dokgang.
“I’m here as an exchange disciple. I can just learn from a teacher.”
There was one teacher who could instruct him.
Crunch.
When Chris appeared, a grinding sound was heard.
It was Prince Amar.
His face was barely holding back anger.
Because of Alos.
Alos had been teasing the cowardly Prince Amar, and now Amar was on the verge of exploding.
“Alos, you really should know when to stop. Your temper’s terrible.”
Chris clicked his tongue and spoke in his own way of asking for lessons.
“Hey.”
“…What?”
“I hear your teaching methods are terrible. How about changing them?”
Chris snapped his fingers.
“The best education is always practical. Bring it on. I’ll work hard as your disciple.”
Prince Amar’s face flushed bright red.
But he hesitated, unable to step forward easily.
He remembered what happened to his older brother, Fernand.
Still, who was Chris?
Provoking someone to lose their mind was easy.
“Ah, I guess it’s impossible. You’ve always been the type to bully those weaker than you, haven’t you?”
“…What?”
“You’re famous in the Dark Mage clan. There’s a cowardly prince who picks on the weak in the Extreme Poison Mage sect. Isn’t that you?”
Prince Amar’s face burned crimson.
It was true.
He was a coward, but not a ‘nice’ coward like Alos.
He couldn’t stand up to the strong but was a ruthless tyrant to those weaker than himself.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you pee your pants begging for your life when you met the Dark Mage’s minions a few years ago?”
“I-I never did!”
“You did. Everyone knows. And yet you still torment the minions in the Extreme Poison Mage sect? You should be ashamed of yourself, you little coward.”
“I said I didn’t!”
It was embarrassing, but the other disciples were visibly shocked.
They didn’t dare say it aloud, but their eyes said, “Did he really pee himself?”
Of course, it was a lie.
Chris had never seen Prince Amar wet himself when meeting the Dark Mage minions, but truth didn’t matter in a provocation.
“That guy really is a jerk who bullies the weak.”
Chris said magnanimously.
“This time, since you’re teaching a poison arts disciple, I’ll go easy on you. No need to worry about wetting yourself like last time. Relax.”
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
Flash!
Prince Amar took the bait, and a fight broke out.
Watching the poison reinforcement Amar unleashed, Chris’s gaze deepened.
Another week passed.
For a week, Chris went to the Poison Study Hall every day, receiving ‘instruction’ from Prince Amar.
Because of Chris, Amar was forced to teach until he collapsed every day.
“This is a bit cruel. He was already a coward, and now he seems completely broken. I feel like the bad guy.”
Chris shrugged.
“Well, he’s not exactly someone to pity.”
Compared to Fernand, Amar was less bad, but still a bad guy.
“Anyway, I succeeded in manifesting Dokgang.”
Flare!
A thick, dark liquid shimmered in Chris’s hand.
Poison reinforcement.
“Did it take about two weeks to get here? Luckily, I finished preparations just in time.”
It was an unexpected thought.
He had reached 5-star poison arts by manifesting Dokgang.
Yet he called it just ‘preparation’?
“This is only the beginning.”
At that moment, the door creaked open.
It was Marisa.
“Follow me quietly. The preparations you requested are complete.”
Marisa led Chris outside the Jade Green Castle.
After a long ride, they arrived at a massive tree.
“It’s under here.”
They dug beneath the tree and found a secret passage.
Inside was a large circular chamber.
“This is the secret chamber you asked for.”
And that wasn’t all…
Along the circular wall of the pupil-shaped chamber, countless vials of poison were lined up.
“A total of one thousand poisons,” Chris said.
He nodded. “Perfect. Thanks.”
Even though Marisa was the daughter of the head of the family, this couldn’t have been easy.
But something was off about Marisa’s demeanor.
She was unusually stiff, tense.
“Just answer me one thing. What exactly are you trying to do?”
“What do you mean? I’m studying.”
“Don’t lie! If it were just normal studying, you wouldn’t make such an extravagant request!”
Chris hadn’t simply asked for an ordinary sealed room and a thousand types of poison.
He’d requested a protective chamber that could withstand any internal shock.
And the thousand poisons weren’t just any poisons.
Each one was carefully selected for its unique properties.
It was clear she was planning something dangerous.
“You’re trying to take on the Thousand Poisons Immunity!”
A legendary feat of the Deadly Poison Clan.
To ingest a thousand poisons and transform your body to become utterly resistant to toxins.
Of course, it was just a legend.
“No one in the Deadly Poison Clan has ever achieved the Thousand Poisons Immunity! It’s baseless nonsense—you’ll just lose your life for nothing!”
But Chris tilted his head in confusion.
“Thousand Poisons Immunity? That’s not what I’m aiming for.”
“…What?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Marisa looked bewildered.
Then why had she asked for a thousand different poisons? Especially such rare and unusual ones?
Marisa’s expression showed disbelief, but Chris was sincere.
‘Because what I’m after isn’t some petty Thousand Poisons Immunity.’