Episode 156
Chapter 53: The Reward (Part 2)

The refined Man-dok liquor lived up to its name—it was truly a potent brew. The moment Jin downed the cup in one gulp, darkness clouded his vision.

And then he passed out cold.

When he opened his eyes again, it wasn’t Quikantel sitting by his side, but Enya.

“Ugh.”

“Oh! Young Master Jin, you’re finally awake!”

“Enya? Where’s Quikantel? And what do you mean ‘finally’?”

Jin thought he’d only been unconscious for a short while, so seeing Enya instead of Quikantel felt strange.

“Quikantel is in the other room. And you’ve been out for five days.”

“Five days?!”

“Yes. Honestly, I thought you were dead. Your whole body turned pitch black several times while you were unconscious. But even that looked impressive!”

Because of the blessing of the Runkandel bloodline, it only took five days. For ordinary warriors, digesting Man-dok liquor usually took over a month. Quikantel knew this but deliberately kept it from Jin.

He figured it was better for Jin to be unaware—since he was going to pass out anyway.

“So, you’re saying I’m now immune to all poisons? Congratulations, Young Master. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you getting stronger every day! Hey, everyone! Jin’s awake!”

Enya stepped into the hallway and called out, and one by one, their comrades gathered around Jin—Gilly, Murakan, Quikantel, Alisa, Zett. Everyone except Kashimir.

He was still battling monsters from the Black Sea on his way back from a drinking session with Siron.

“Ah, Your Highness! You’ve been through a lot! Congratulations!”

“Wasn’t it said that Nameless won’t try to assassinate you for ten years? After that, you better watch your back. Man-dok liquor is a recoverable elixir. That’s why the secret of poison immunity keeps getting passed down among Nameless’s top assassins.”

Quikantel perched on the edge of the bed.

“I thought you’d be out for about a week, but only five days, huh? Consider it a sign to get some rest—don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Not at all. Honestly, it’s better I didn’t know. If I had, I’d have been way more nervous.”

“Congratulations, Young Master. Poison immunity… that’s a dream come true for warriors.”

“Hey, kid. Here, drink this to celebrate.”

Murakan handed Jin a cup filled with a mysterious black liquid.

“…What is this? Doesn’t look like something a person should drink.”

Bubbles fizzed and smoke curled up from the cup.

“It’s poison. Zett got it from the Biment black market while you were out cold. Drink up—let’s test your poison immunity.”

“Murakan, are you crazy? Right after waking up, you want to do a live experiment on me…?”

But everyone around the bed looked eager. Even dragons who had lived thousands of years rarely got to witness true poison immunity.

Even Gilly just made a gesture to stop Murakan but swallowed hard.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Gulp, gulp…

The burning sting scorched Jin’s tongue as the poison slid down his throat.

“Ugh, disgusting.”

“So, Your Highness, how do you feel?”

“Wow, I’m totally fine.”

“My stomach feels a bit warm… but that’s it. How strong is this poison?”

Jin rinsed his mouth with water Gilly quickly handed him.

“Just one sip of this can kill a 7-star warrior.”

“Haha. You gave me that? I’m almost moved to tears. What madness.”

“Quikantel said there’s no poison left in the world that can kill you instantly now.”

Jin glanced at Quikantel.

“There’s no poison that can kill you outright anymore. You’re completely immune to what you just drank, and beyond that, if you’re exposed too much, it could be dangerous. But while others might die from a drop, you can handle a whole cup.”

It wasn’t absolute poison immunity—that was a level only Temar, Siron, and the first head of Nameless, Korun, were believed to have reached.

Even that was just speculation. So Jin’s poison immunity was effectively the highest confirmed level.

“From now on, no poison applied to a blade or mixed in food can even threaten you. You know how huge that is for a warrior, right?”

In other words, poisoning Jin was now impossible.

‘Even if I meet Kuzan again, I won’t have to flinch because of poison. No matter how skilled a poison master he is.’

That thought wiped away the bitterness of being used as a test subject. Jin could already feel the poison’s heat in his stomach neutralizing and dissipating with each breath.

“This is satisfying. All the effort was worth it. Now then… let’s eat. No matter how curious you are, who feeds poison to someone who just woke up after five days instead of food?”

It was lunchtime.

Though Kashimir was absent, the table was lively with chatter among the comrades.

Most of the talk centered on Jin’s exploits in Samil, and Enya kept licking her lips with envy.

“Young Master Jin, now that you’re so strong, can I come with you next time? Anywhere you go, I’ll go. I want to grow stronger alongside you.”

“Well, she does need some real battle experience. If you want to pull your weight someday, right, Quikantel? Your contractor should be a bit more serious.”

“It’s frustrating, but you’re right. We can’t afford to be complacent.”

“Isn’t Enya training magic with Quikantel and Murakan? I heard she’s about a 4-star mage now.”

Jin’s own achievements were so impressive they overshadowed others.

Becoming a 4-star mage at sixteen was a feat only a national treasure-level prodigy could manage. Enya wasn’t just a scholarship student at Biment Academy because she was Olta’s contractor.

“Without real combat, her growth is slow. And she’s never killed anyone.”

“Hm, murder? Does Enya really need to experience that?”

Thwack!

Quikantel slammed his fork down loudly.

“Jin Runkandel, everyone here is your comrade. When you lead the Runkandel brothers into battle, we fight alongside you. There will be tough fights. Do you want Enya to just be a burden then?”

Though he spoke as if scolding Jin, Quikantel was really reprimanding Enya. Since arriving in Tikan, Enya had done little besides training magic and playing with the kids.

Of course, she was only sixteen.

But now that she was involved in major incidents and factions, she needed to be capable of protecting herself—and eventually, someone you could rely on.

Quikantel also secretly envied Murakan. As fellow guardian dragons, it was natural Murakan’s achievements stood out alongside Jin’s.

“Despite appearances, this girl is a genius Olta contractor. And the enemies we’ll face are Runkandel and Ziphl. Enya has to get stronger. So that even after you become the lead, you can proudly call her a comrade.”

Jin understood Quikantel’s point and nodded quietly.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Fine. I was planning to face some mages next time anyway. I can refine my Reflux magic with Enya’s help.”

“Woohoo!”

As always, Enya pounded her chest and sparkled with joy—her own unique way of showing happiness.

“An adventure! Just the two of us! When should we have the wedding then?”

Jin spat out the water he was drinking, and Quikantel sighed deeply. Gilly had to hold back Murakan’s amused laughter.

“Enya, I won’t tell you to behave with dignity. Olta already gave up on that… Just please act reasonably. And remember, I wasn’t scolding Jin just now—I was scolding you, okay? Got it?”

“Haha, just kidding! Sorry!”

Though it seemed sincere, Jin just laughed it off. Enya had been like this for a while. Somehow, she reminded him of Yona.

“Since she grew up facing discrimination and isolation in Biment, Enya must have some emotional scars. Her overly cheerful personality probably comes from that.”

Jin himself had faced harsh discrimination and isolation in his past life. While at Runkandel, he lost count of how many times he’d considered suicide.

So whenever Enya put on a bright face, it didn’t always feel entirely pleasant.

“Oh, and Young Master, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll have to visit my family for a while. I don’t know why, but the head of the family gave the order personally.”

“Your father…?”

What could require summoning the caretaker of the prospective lead? Like the prospective lead, the caretaker was essentially a complete outsider for the time being.

Jin thought for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Gilly.

“Could it be that they’re planning to give me a reward?”

“A reward? But you’re still just the prospective lead.”

“Because of me, some of Joshua’s knights ended up dead this time. Killed by nameless assassins. It’s not certain, but I think that’s why he sent Gilly in my place—to deliver some kind of reward. After all, as a trainee knight, I just won an unofficial rank battle against the family’s second knights.”

As Jin laid out the story in detail, his companions couldn’t help but widen their eyes in surprise.

“No way… Miss Yona was involved in something like that? And she even made such a bold demand to the Nameless King… And you anticipated that Joshua—that bastard, no, Master Joshua—would spy on you?”

“I didn’t expect it completely. But after killing Kidar recently and leaving a warning, I figured they might send someone. So after helping the Nameless King, I subtly asked him to take care of those people.”

“I’m sorry, Master.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I should have thought ahead and taken action, but I just waited for you to come back safely. As your nanny, I have no excuse.”

“Don’t say that. Just make sure you come back safe. If they were going to punish me, they would have called me directly. It’s definitely a reward. And you know what it means to win a rank battle in Runcandel and receive a reward.”

“Yes. If it’s truly a reward, then the head of the family will take something from Master Joshua and grant it to you.”

When knights fight and one wins, the family head confiscates the loser’s belongings or troops and gives them to the victor.

It doesn’t happen every time—only when the victory is especially meaningful. And since Jin, as a trainee knight, defeated the second knights, it was definitely a special win.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what he takes from that bastard to give to me.”