Chapter 1079: Kundara (12)

“Poisonous Peak Nives, the Arch-Sorcerer, is a Long-lived Being who existed even before the Outer Tribulation City was established.”

A dense, lush jungle, overgrown with thickets.

Grass and trees tangled without a foothold, and leaves larger than a human obscured his vision.

He walked through the jungle, alone, a worn notebook in one hand, listening to the cries of blue frogs, venomous, among purple trees and vines he had never seen before.

“She, a Long-lived Being known as the Seated Viper, is literally viper-born, not moving from her spot for decades.”

Blood-stained words swiftly etched themselves onto the pages of the Blood-Thought Scribe.

This was information the Fearsome Blood King, remaining in the Blood-Veil Palace, was relaying to Lennok via the Blood-Thought Scribe.

He had temporarily handed over control of the Blood-Thought Scribe, judging that she could better leverage its capabilities as a search device.

“Born with venom, and having transcended her rank, she is an Arch-Sorcerer who has completely transformed herself into extreme poison.”

“……”

“The Poisonous Forest (Dokhamrim) where she resides is, as the name suggests, a jungle where the entire forest is saturated with poison, the result of her long-term transformation of the forest into a poisonous domain.”

Reading the words that appeared on the page, Lennok reached out his hand towards a leaf hanging above his head.

The moment Lennok touched the unremarkable purple leaf.

With a acrid smoke, the shield deployed on his skin began to peel away.

Hiss…!!

The bizarre sight of incanted shield magic melting away from mere contact with a leaf.

Lennok stared at the sight, then lightly waved his hand to scatter the rising smoke, speaking.

“It feels like the connections between mana particles are forcibly severed and collapsing. Is this the ability of Nives’s poison?”

“Nives doesn’t use just one kind of poison. She uses various poisons that paralyze nerves, halt metabolism, and even interfere with will-thought operation.”

The Fearsome Blood King immediately replied through the Blood-Thought Scribe.

“It’s impossible to ascertain how many poisons she, who has lived since before Kundara was created, possesses. Don’t expect an analysis on that.”

“Hmm, then it doesn’t seem more helpful than the Blood-Thought Scribe itself…”

“What?”

Lennok, ignoring the Fearsome Blood King’s suddenly sharp reply, fell into thought.

It was clear that a spellcaster wielding poison was a threat to Lennok.

If the opponent directly manipulated mana or spellcraft, Lennok would naturally have an advantage in compatibility.

But what if it was poison that could infect his relatively vulnerable physical body, rather than his magical talent?

‘There’s a high chance my body wouldn’t be able to endure it immediately after being poisoned.’

While detoxification magic exists in Common Magic, it can’t neutralize all poisons.

In WORLD 2.0, high-grade poisons often ignored detoxification magic.

It might even be better to rely on the elixirs and antidotes Lennok had collected from various parts of the continent.

‘I did acquire several useful antidotes and herbs from the Conjunction Spell Master’s Life Domain. But…’

While he had raided the domain of the excellent spell master for useful medicines, it was unknown if they could neutralize a Level 8 extreme poison.

He wished he could test them directly, but given Lennok’s physical condition, such an attempt would be life-threatening.

No matter how willing Lennok was to embrace trial and error, it was excessively reckless.

For now, he could only prepare to avoid poisoning and immediately administer an antidote if necessary.

“Nives’s poisons are dangerous, but what’s more alarming are her means of delivery.”

As if reading Lennok’s mind, the Fearsome Blood King sent another message.

“She is said to possess various methods to poison an opponent through unexpected means, not just ingestion or contact.”

“If you’re going to say that, shouldn’t you at least give specific examples?”

“Well. I haven’t seen it myself, so I can’t give a definitive answer, but…”

The Fearsome Blood King’s message stretched out, as if hesitating.

“I’ve heard she has the ability to poison an opponent just by looking at them.”

“…That’s hard to believe. Does visual poison really exist?”

“So, don’t give Nives any opening to use her spellcraft. If you get poisoned in any way, you’ll lose the initiative and be at her mercy.”

“Easy to say, but I wonder if it’s possible not to give an opening in such a dense jungle.”

With every step, his clothes brushed against the surrounding thickets and leaves, and small insects fell.

The suffocatingly hot air stung his lungs and throat.

Leaves and insects fell onto his coat, making Davi, hidden in his arms, tremble in terror.

[Ughhh! Ughhh!]

“I’ll protect my body as much as possible, but if the entire jungle is poisoned, it might be faster to just burn the whole forest down.”

Lennok shrugged and raised his hand.

“Still, I have to do what needs to be done.”

Kiiing!!

The moment he extended his index and middle fingers forward and swung them sideways, Severing Magic activated, guided by Lennok’s will-thought.

[Blade]

Shwack!!

The huge leaves obscuring Lennok’s path were instantly cut away, clearing a path.

“I see. So you’re going to cut down all the bushes and leaves to eliminate any chance of contact?”

The Fearsome Blood King, belatedly realizing what Lennok had done, exclaimed in admiration.

“A good choice. I should have prepared some machetes from the start.”

“No need.”

Lennok said, and began to move forward.

“No matter what equipment you bring, it won’t be as good as what I do myself.”

Simultaneously, dozens of Severing Spells activated around Lennok.

Everything within a 15-meter radius began to be ground up like a blender.

Wiiiing…!!!

Invisible slashes rotated dozens of times in an instant, launching outwards.

They cut the branches and leaves overhead, and sliced through the roots and vines underfoot.

Severed leaves and wood fragments flew wildly, but instead of touching Lennok, they were pushed far away.

Lennok’s figure created a storm of slashes by unleashing Severing Magic, grinding through the dense jungle and carving a path.

Kakakakakak!

“…What in the world are you doing? Are you colliding Severing Spells to increase their range and speed?”

The Fearsome Blood King sent a message, dumbfounded by the bizarre, yet straightforward method.

“It would be difficult to even attempt without precisely adjusting the angle and mana efficiency beforehand, yet you handle slashes strangely well. Wasn’t pure spellcraft-type magic your specialty?”

“On my way to Kundara, I met a Harvester Spell Master who used slashes.”

Lennok replied.

“He was an unpleasant piece of trash, but his spellcraft application ability was considerable, so I remembered his technique.”

“……”

He incanted a Severing Spell, designated its direction and angle, input the firing speed, and launched it.

Just before reaching its maximum range, it collided with another pre-incanted Severing Spell, changing direction, and its recoil increased its power.

The deflected slashes rotated in a circle around Lennok, grinding through the jungle and dissipating.

The principle was simple, defining the angle and direction, so even after the spells collided, calculating the recoil and direction was not difficult.

Using Lennok’s mana manipulation and Davi’s computational power, he could collide and calculate the direction of the [Blade] spell up to 50 times simultaneously.

Kakakakakak!!!!

Strange, cracked eggshells. Poisonous blue frogs. Bright yellow flying insects were all ground to dust.

Everywhere Lennok passed, poisonous liquids, squashed and burst from all directions, spread into acrid, poisonous fog.

“The principle is simple, but that’s why its output is stronger than comparable spellcraft. It seems that even magic dealing with slashes can be quite useful if properly managed.”

It was a simple Common Magic [Blade] spell, not even a unique magic or specialized spellcraft, yet it demonstrated such power when combined with the technique of a Harvester Spell Master.

Its simplicity limited its use in certain combat situations, but it proved remarkably effective in specific circumstances.

“I think it’s about time for you to open the way.”

Lennok, who had instantly traversed hundreds of meters and ground through the jungle, said leisurely.

“You’re not still going to pretend you haven’t noticed my visit, are you?”

It had been 34 minutes since he entered Nives’s Poisonous Forest and began walking aimlessly.

But Lennok knew he wasn’t lost; the path simply hadn’t been opened.

There was no way Lennok’s Mana Perception or memory would lose direction, get confused, or forget a path he had already crossed.

This was the result of the forest’s owner intentionally twisting the paths and distorting directions to prevent him from reaching his destination.

Recognizing this, Lennok had begun his forceful actions after approximately 30 minutes of walking.

Having wandered this far into the Poisonous Forest, he had fulfilled the minimum courtesy as a visitor.

From now on, he would simply grind through the jungle as he saw fit, advancing until the desired scenery appeared.

The moment Lennok thought this and tried to draw out mana to increase the number of Severing Spells.

Crackle…!!

With sounds of snapping tree roots from all directions, a path began to open before Lennok’s eyes.

A pure white palace, sparsely punctured with holes, hidden between dense thickets and vines.

A secret sanctuary, glowing roundly as if carved from animal ivory, yet radiating an infinitely pure light.

“Found it. You finally opened the door.”

The Fearsome Blood King’s message appeared on the Blood-Thought Scribe.

“It’s Nives’s snake nest, the Serpent’s Lair Palace.”

“……”

In this jungle stained with bizarre colors, only that palace stood clean and pristine, as if untouched by any defilement.

But that ivory-colored sanctuary was, in fact, the snake’s nest, harboring the most virulent and vile poison in this jungle.

Swoosh…!!

Lennok canceled the Severing Spells rotating around him and slowly approached the entrance of the Serpent’s Lair Palace.

The palace’s grand gate, gleaming with a soft milky white light, was firmly shut, without a speck of dust.

Whoosh!

The moment Lennok stepped before it, the gate naturally opened, revealing the space within.

A long corridor, also seemingly carved from pure white ivory, just like the outside.

Shhh, shhh, shhh…!!!

As he walked down the corridor, a sliding sound echoed around him.

Small snakes, covered in white scales, wriggled and moved across the floor.

Seemingly without intelligence, they merely flicked their tongues and licked the floor.

Are these snakes, gathered here, venomous vipers, the same species as Nives?

As Lennok thought this, he passed through an arched doorway at the end of the corridor and stepped out into a wide-open hall.

“You’ve come.”

A colossal white snake, large enough to fill the spacious hall of the Serpent’s Lair Palace, sat coiled, looking down at Lennok.

Thump!!

The moment Lennok’s image was reflected in the snake’s massive pupils, his shoulders felt heavy, and his body seemed to slow.

A sense of unease, as if the surrounding air was thickening and stiffening from the will-thought emanating from her, transforming into harmful substances.

The Elder Council of the Eighth Tribulation, leading the Outer Tribulation City, Kundara.

A viper who had lived since before the city was founded, a poisonous spellcaster who had transcended her rank.

Poisonous Peak Nives Oroshia.

“You seem several times larger than when I last saw you.”

Lennok took out a cigarette from his pocket and asked.

“And your aura, too. Were you intentionally hiding your presence?”

“Are you speaking of my child, whom you met in the Manor of the Fifth Tribulation?”

Nives laughed.

“That child is already dead. When I sent her down to the Fifth Tribulation, she must have understood her mother’s will, and by now, she would have bitten her own poison glands and committed suicide somewhere.”

“……”

He had wondered why he hadn’t felt any special presence from the snake he met last time, but it wasn’t her at all.

Of course, otherwise, it would be hard to accept the existence of such a colossal snake, but–

“There was another being who was born in the body of a snake and reached a transcendent rank.”

Lennok, gazing at Nives’s enormous body, suddenly spoke, as if remembering something.

“The size is different, but you look quite similar to Ascendant Pyeonram. Is there any relation to her—”

CRASH!!

Suddenly, the white snake’s tail struck down like a harpoon right beside Lennok.

An invisible, supersonic strike. A mere flick of its tail tore through the floor of the Serpent’s Lair Palace, making it violently convulse.

Only the stiff, white scales embedded beside Lennok hinted at Nives’s displeasure.

“Choose your words carefully, human.”

“……”

“Pyeonram was not a Long-lived Being, but a humble Spiritual Beast who became an Ascendant. Her origin is qualitatively different from mine.”

Nives flicked her tongue, displeased, and said.

“I respect her achievement in reaching that state as a spellcaster, but that comparison is a grave insult. If you weren’t an acquaintance of Olivera, I would have torn your flesh here and now.”

“I don’t understand what it matters that Pyeonram isn’t a Long-lived Being.”

Lennok tilted his head.

“Wouldn’t it be far more remarkable to be born as a lowly beast and become an Ascendant?”

“…More importantly, I wish to hear why the task I entrusted to you turned out this way.”

While Lennok was lost in thought, Nives’s white pupils flashed.

Although she didn’t show much emotion, it was clear that her mood was far from comfortable.

“When I clearly suggested the Obaekro tournament to you, you promised to obtain the Elixir of Ascension.”

“……”

“Yet, you not only failed to win the tournament, but you made contact with the Silver Star and then vanished.”

Nives said.

“Thanks to that, I, who proposed the plan, was made to look quite foolish. How do you intend to take responsibility for this?”

“Responsibility?”

Lennok chuckled.

“You, when you first mentioned the Elixir of Ascension, didn’t you say you came at Olivera’s request?”

“……”

“You even told me not to feel burdened about participating in the Obaekro tournament, saying it was an old man’s request, and now you’re asking me to take responsibility?”

“Wasn’t it only natural that I would back you, given that I used my authority to push you into Maleon’s tournament?”

Nives’s eyes flashed.

“You knew that, yet you dropped out midway instead of participating fully and winning the tournament, thus defaming my name.”

“……”

“Furthermore, my intentions were discovered by Maleon even before I could obtain the elixir. You have brought me an indelible shame.”

“You speak as if the Elixir of Ascension absolutely had to fall into your hands.”

Lennok crossed his arms and shook his head.

“So, helping me enter the Ninth Tribulation was just an excuse, and your real goal was to secure the Elixir of Ascension that Maleon possessed?”

“It is not the Silver Star’s, human.”

Nives hissed lowly, flicking her tongue.

“That elixir was something I created. It is the clue to ascension, made by melting my True Blood.”

“……”

“What exactly is wrong with me reclaiming the Ascendant’s shed skin, which was taken away under the pretext of the Silver Star being dangerous?”

Rumble, rumble…!!

With every word Nives bit out, the sanctuary of the Serpent’s Lair Palace began to heavily shake.

From the center where the white, colossal snake sat coiled, the ivory floor turned purple, emitting a strange odor.

“You disregarded my proposal and openly sided with the Silver Star, making a fool of me.”

Nives slowly rose from her coiled position, spitting out her words.

“At this very spot, I shall demand your responsibility and unleash my fury.”

“So you mean to unleash the anger you couldn’t direct at Maleon, on me.”

Lennok shook his head.

“That must be because even a Long-lived Being as ancient as you can’t openly defy Maleon, given his immense status.”

“……”

“The more I hear, the more it seems like refusing your offer and taking Maleon’s hand was the right choice.”

“Speak to your heart’s content until you become a mere puddle of poison.”

Nives said, slowly raising her tail.

Purple drops of poison, like bruises, began to drip from the sharply honed tip of the snake’s tail.

“It was your mistake to come into my Poisonous Forest alone. Here, I can punish you without the Silver Star’s eyes noticing.”

“I see.”

“The Elixir of Ascension you foolishly gave up. I shall demand responsibility for that, right—!!!”

“The Elixir of Ascension. Are you perhaps talking about this?”

The moment Lennok pulled out a small, purple vial from his pocket.

Nives changed the direction of her tail, which was about to strike Lennok’s head.

Creeaak!!!

With a sound of twisting air, she forcibly pulled her tail back, stopping it.

Unable to withstand the force, the tail, fully laden with poison, plunged directly into Nives’s own flank, where she was coiled.

CRACK!

Even though the fully poisoned tail impaled her body, Nives couldn’t even pay attention to it.

The snake, staring at Lennok with a bewildered expression, stammered.

“…You, the elixir. How.”

“It’s true I spoke with Maleon, but I never said I failed to bring the Elixir of Ascension.”

Lennok replied.

“It was you who prematurely declared the plan a failure and tried to kill me.”

“…That.”

“Before discussing that fact, I think there’s something you need to say to me first.”

Lennok shook the Elixir of Ascension in front of the speechless Nives and asked.

“Don’t you think I deserve a clear compensation for all the things you’ve spouted at me so far?”