Chapter 241
“An ancient mechanism-type ruin, huh.”
It seemed designed to test mastery of poison techniques through intricate formations, traps, and mechanical devices.
“This doesn’t look easy.”
Chris scanned the interior with sharp eyes.
True to the sanctity of the Deadly Poison Clan, the poison formations here were on a whole different level from the ones they’d dealt with during their previous conflict with the clan.
“Quick question. Does the poison formation here on the Path of Poison share its core with the guardian poison formation in Jin Nokseong?”
“…That’s our family’s top secret.”
“It’s necessary to save your father.”
Marisa hesitated, then cautiously spoke.
“You’re right. The poison formation here and the one in Jin Nokseong do share the same core.”
“I see.”
“But why? The guardian poison formation in Jin Nokseong can’t be manipulated arbitrarily.”
Chris didn’t elaborate further.
“…But you really can save your father with this?”
Chris nodded.
“Yes. Don’t you want to come along? I know it’s a difficult request.”
Marisa’s face flushed bright red.
Chris was asking for nothing less than a “fake engagement”!
“It’s just a ruse, so don’t worry. Once this is over, it’ll be like it never happened.”
“There’s no need to cancel it… Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean…”
Marisa stumbled over her words.
“But why pretend to be engaged?”
“To gain the right to intervene in the clan head’s succession battle, I need to become kin to the Deadly Poison Clan.”
“!!”
Marisa’s eyes widened.
She’d caught on to Chris’s plan.
“You’re planning to step in yourself during the clan head’s succession battle and stop your uncle?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible! You can’t do it alone! You’ll die too!”
Marisa’s voice rose in alarm, then she froze.
She saw the unwavering determination burning in Chris’s eyes.
“I can do it. Trust me.”
Chris smiled faintly.
“I’ll save your father and make the Deadly Poison Clan my personal plaything.”
Marisa bit her lip hard.
It was hard to believe, but for now, she had no choice but to trust the miracle Chris was about to create.
“Promise me you won’t die.”
“Hmm, worried about me?”
“I’m just a friend! Now go, I don’t want to see you!”
Chris chuckled softly and turned away.
“Alright then, I’m off.”
Left alone, Marisa let out a low sigh as she watched Chris disappear.
The Path of Poison was a labyrinthine ruin.
Inside, relentless trials awaited.
“Still, it’s manageable.”
Tests requiring deep understanding of poison techniques.
Trials demanding gentle, precise poison control.
Challenges emphasizing skillful poison manipulation.
Countless obstacles blocked the way, but Chris advanced without hesitation.
“This is a test designed for a sixth-rank poison master. There’s no way I can fail.”
Among those with the same sixth-rank mastery, Chris’s abilities were unmatched.
“The fact that no one else is paying attention to this test works in my favor.”
Normally, the Path of Poison test was a major event, drawing the full attention of the Deadly Poison Clan.
But thanks to the chaos caused by Marquis Goras, no one cared.
This allowed Chris to use various powers along the way, making the path relatively easier to navigate.
“The Path of Poison is just a mid-level gate. The real goal is the Poison Core.”
He had to absorb the Poison Core perfectly to obtain the Heavenly Poison.
“Better hurry. It’ll take time to complete the Heavenly Poison, and if I’m late, I might miss the clan head’s succession battle.”
With quick steps, he reached the center of the chamber.
Beyond this point lay the Poison Core.
“I heard the final guardian tests the poison techniques here.”
Chris looked around.
A high-ranking poison master of the Deadly Poison Clan was said to serve as the final examiner.
“Given the situation, maybe I can skip the last test? Though honestly, no one could stop me now.”
Just then, soft footsteps echoed behind him.
Tap, tap.
Chris flinched.
Clear.
Light as a feather.
The sound had a different tone from ordinary footsteps.
“Somehow… familiar?”
Before he could finish the thought, his body stiffened.
He recognized whose footsteps they resembled.
“No way…”
Swallowing hard, he turned—and there she was.
With sky-blue hair and a charming face.
Nine tails.
“No way.”
Lena.
The Dark Chatter appeared before him.
The hero’s party had four members.
Hero Evan.
Archmage Lanya.
Guide Chris.
And the Dark Chatter, Lena.
Others like Saint Istanya and Shield William had come and gone, but these four were the core.
Perhaps because both Chris and Lena were outcasts, banished from their rightful places, they shared a particularly close bond.
Especially Lena, who was very attached to Chris.
“Guess what I saw today? Chris…!”
“Chris’s cooking is the best. Can I eat your food forever?”
“Pet my tails more! Don’t tell me to go to Evan or Lanya! They’re scary! I like you best!”
She constantly buzzed around him, endlessly noisy and annoying at times.
But maybe because her chatter was so loud, after she disappeared, Chris felt an unusually deep sense of loss.
“I’m fine. Chris, you have to live.”
“Still, I’m glad I met you.”
“I’ve been good, so if we meet again in the next life…”
Chris recalled Lena’s voice echoing in his ears, then snapped back to reality.
“Why is Lena here?”
This was no time to be happy.
Something was wrong with Lena.
“Is she… gone?”
The lively sparkle in her eyes from their past life was completely gone, replaced by emptiness.
“She’s under mental control. Puppetry? No way.”
A chill ran down Chris’s spine.
A chilling laugh echoed.
“Long time no see. You’ve become even more beautiful since we last met.”
“!!”
It was Elder Merhen of the Demon King’s Castle!
She licked her lips as she looked at Chris.
“I couldn’t resist my feelings for the Grand Duke, so I came to visit.”
“…I have no interest in the disgusting obsession of a corpse-loving pervert.”
Chris’s expression hardened.
“How did a dog of the Demon King’s Castle crawl all the way here?”
“Heh heh, well, I think you can guess.”
Chris swallowed hard.
“Marquis Goras is in league with them.”
It wasn’t just Marquis Langham who had ties to the Demon King’s Castle.
Marquis Goras was secretly working with them behind the scenes.
“Here, no one can interfere with my love.”
Madness filled Merhen’s eyes.
“I’ll make you my puppet, gazing only at me. Just imagining the Grand Duke as my doll makes my heart race.”
“Shut up, that’s disgusting.”
“Heh heh, your tantrums are adorable. Don’t worry. Soon, you’ll be forced to look only at me forever.”
Merhen snapped her fingers downward, as if manipulating an invisible marionette.
“Now, Lena. Bring me Grand Duke Christian.”
They planned to control Lena with puppetry magic to subdue Chris, leaving no trace of the Demon King’s Castle behind.
It was a desperate crisis.
“At this point, I don’t know exactly how strong Lena is, but she’s probably above seventh rank. The level of a shed nine-tailed fox is usually around there.”
And Merhen herself was a top-tier seventh-rank poison master.
No one was coming to help. Hope was slim.
Then Chris said something unexpected.
“If you don’t want to die, back off.”
“…What did you say?”
“I’m saying if you retreat now, I’ll show mercy.”
Merhen’s face registered disbelief.
“Did I hear that right?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. If you want to live, get lost.”
Merhen chuckled.
“Even now, your spirit is impressive. But I think you need a lesson about your place.”
She snapped her fingers.
“Kneel.”
Flash!
Lena surged at Chris like lightning.
Dark poison energy shot from her fingers, sweeping over Chris’s body.
Chris drew the holy sword Ernhilt and met the attack with the power of holy light.
“How do you wield holy light? The radiant mana said to be granted only to legendary heroes?”
Merhen’s eyes went wide.
“No wonder. The miracles you’ve performed so far, impossible to explain by dark magic alone, were because of this secret.”
“……”
“But are you sure you’re okay with this? If it’s revealed that the Grand Duke of the Dark Poison Clan uses the power of light, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Chris answered shortly.
“You’re going to die here anyway.”
“!!”
Merhen’s smile finally vanished.
“You really need proper education. First, I’ll imprint some respect for your new master.”
She snapped her fingers again.
Lena moved once more.
Chris braced himself, his face set like stone, and met Lena’s attack head-on.
“It’s clear I can’t take on Rena with my current strength.”
Unlike Evan or Lanya, who were still growing, Rena was already halfway to fully becoming a gumiho.
Merchen’s puppetry was another problem.
Usually, a puppet under control can only use a fraction of its true power.
But Merchen’s ability was different—his puppets could unleash their full strength even while being dominated.
“There’s still a way.”
It was a thought that didn’t make sense, but it was genuine.
“Merchen might not realize it, but this fight is absolutely in my favor.”
The first advantage?
The fact that the opponent was Rena—the dark chatterbox.
Chris had been with Rena for over three years.
He knew all her habits, how she reacted in every situation, inside and out.
Dodging Rena’s attacks by a hair’s breadth, Chris suddenly thrust his left hand—empty of any weapon—toward her throat.
Rena quickly tilted her head back to avoid the strike, then opened her mouth wide, aiming to bite down on Chris’s hand.
“Gotcha!”
Dark magic began to swirl around Chris’s hand, transforming into poison that slipped right into Rena’s mouth.
“!!”
Merchen hurriedly pulled Rena back.
“What kind of poison was that?”
“Who knows? We’ll find out soon enough.”
No sooner had he said that than something unbelievable happened.
Rena lunged straight at Merchen, who was standing right beside her.