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Chapter 125: Poison Master (2)

A strong poison found on the banks of the Romba River.

Even a single drop causes all mana in the body to reflux, leading to vomiting and dizziness.

... What is this?

Kai was surprised at the sudden activation of the Poison Master skill.

Poison Master was one of the Unique-grade skills he acquired as a reward for defeating Aosa.

[Poison Master]

Grade: Unique

Gain extensive knowledge about poison.

Immunity to poison significantly increases.

When Kai first read the description of Poison Master, he focused on the part about increasing immunity. He thought the main ability of the skill was the increase in poison resistance.

But that wasn’t it.

Gaining extensive knowledge about poisons was the true ability of the Poison Master skill.

He couldn’t believe it allowed him to instantly identify even unknown types of poisons like this!

“What are you doing? Do you actually not know much about poisons?” Parsanax’s voice and eyes grew sharper.

Deadly spells gradually approached Kai.

However, with the effect of Poison Master, Kai said in a relaxed voice, “It’s from the Romba River.”

“What?”

“This poison was collected there. Poison of a Red Acatus Root is the name of the poison in this vial.”

Parsanax, doubtful at Kai’s confident tone, rummaged through the pile of documents on the desk. After a moment, he gave a small nod.

“... Poison of a Red Acatus Root. It is indeed on the purchase list.”

“Normally, you shouldn’t manage it so carelessly. It’s an extremely lethal poison where even a single drop ingested causes all the mana in the body to reflux.”

“Huh, all the mana in the body?”

“Yes. The most ideal storage method is...”

Knowledge about poisons, known only to someone who had studied them lifelong, flowed from Kai’s mouth.

With that, Parsanax dropped his doubts in pure amazement.

“Impressive. You truly have extensive knowledge about poisons. Even better than most herbalists.”

“Hehe, I’ve known everything about poisons since I was young.”

Kai’s chest puffed out with pride!

Parsanax furrowed his eyebrows at the sight, but couldn’t criticize Kai, who had proven his ability.

Eventually, Parsanax shook his head as he handed over a new vial to continue with the analysis.

“... Then analyze this poison next.”

Each poison Kai picked up was immediately analyzed, and information appeared.

Hehe. I see it!

All Kai had to do was pretend to struggle and furrow his brows a few times!

Then, as Kai was analyzing the fifth vial of poison, a message appeared.

[You have successfully appraised a rare item.]

[You feel your discernment slightly improving.]

[Your Appraisal skill has increased to Intermediate Lv. 1.]

There was a sudden level increase in the appraisal skill!

When Kai suddenly showed a dazed expression, Parsanax tilted his head. “What’s the matter?”

“N-nothing...”

Kai, who barely managed to stammer a reply, began to think quickly.

Analyzing poisons increases the Appraisal skill level?

Kai looked down at the poison vial in his hand.

Well, it wasn’t strange. Even if he was borrowing the effect of the Poison Master skill, he was still identifying unknown poisons. In other words, it was an item appraisal.

And the Appraisal skill level increases better with Magic items than with Normal ones, and with Rare items than with Magic ones.

In that case, if these hundreds of poisons Parsanax had diligently collected from across the continent were to be appraised?

Kai’s eyes began to fill with anticipation.

The ones I’ve appraised so far were at least of Magic-grade.

There were still hundreds of such poisons left.

If he had tried to appraise such items outside, he would have had to hunt for at least one to two years or spend a fortune to sweep the auction house!

But I can appraise them for free, no, even get rewarded for it?

It was truly a win-win situation!

If I’m lucky, I might even level up my Appraisal skill to the advanced level.

Thinking this far, Kai couldn’t help but think of an item in his inventory.

Holy Ring, Petra.

It was a sacred item used by the previous Solaric Cleric that had been kept in the merfolk village! It required an advanced Appraisal skill, so he hadn’t been able to check its information until now.

If I’m lucky, with this opportunity...

People always worked more efficiently when they had a clear goal!

Parsanax, seeing Kai suddenly engrossed in his work, tilted his head. “That’s enough for today.”

“Alright...”

“You can go now. You remember the location of the room given to you, right?”

“Of course. I’ll see you again tomorrow morning.”

After leaving the room, Kai tightly closed his tired eyes and massaged around his eyelids with his hands. It was inevitable since he sat in one place for twelve hours, sorting small poison vials.

However, despite his tired-looking face, his eyes were shining brighter than ever.

I appraised two hundred poisons in just one day.

Thanks to this, Kai’s Appraisal skill was now at Intermediate Lv. 3! His skill had leveled up as rapidly as bean sprouts grew!

This remarkable achievement was possible because there were several Unique-grade poison vials among them.

And with the Appraisal skill level up, more detailed observations are possible now too.

For example:

[Shriveled Arectu Root]

Grade: Unique

Induces a very strong sleep state when ingested.

*If the root is finely ground and mixed with holy water in a 9:1 ratio, it can be used as a hypnotic.

Rarity: ★★★★★

Toxicity: ★★★★☆

It now displayed the rarity and toxicity levels of the poison.

I tried appraising other items just in case, but this only appears when observing poisons.

In other words, this detailed observation was also a part of the Poison Master skill’s ability. As the Appraisal skill level increased, it further drew out the main abilities of the skill.

“Phew.”

Entering the small room Parsanax had given him, Kai lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

There are still hundreds of poisons left to appraise. At this pace...

Reaching the advanced level of the Appraisal skill was not a dream, and his expectations weren’t entirely wrong.

***

The next few days passed in a flash. During that time, Kai analyzed exactly eight-hundred seventy-four poisons, and that was also the total number of poisons Parsanax possessed.

“Well done.”

“Thank you.”

In other words, Parsanax’s request was completely finished.

Parsanax seemed pleased that the categorization of the poisons was neatly completed.

Hmm.

On the other hand, Kai’s expression wasn’t as bright as expected.

Over the past few days, his Appraisal skill level had steadily increased. However, after reaching the threshold of Intermediate Lv. 9, the skill’s progression had slowed significantly. And now, with the appraisals now finished, how could he not feel disappointed?

Just a bit more, and I could have appraised the Holy Ring...

Parsanax, seeing Kai feeling disheartened, said, “Thank you for successfully categorizing the poisons. Now, it’s time to discuss your reward.”

“... Oh, reward?”

Kai, who had been worrying about how to raise his Appraisal skill to the advanced level, reacted instantly at the mention of a reward.

Come to think of it, Tardal said the reward for this task was generous.

Now that everything was over, he could understand why. Firstly, the amount of work was draining. Analyzing eight-hundred seventy-four poisons one by one required not only persistence but also specialized knowledge.

In short, it wasn’t a task just anyone could do. And above all, it was a personal request from the Crimson Tower Lord Parsanax.

The reward for the request was directly tied to his honor, so he wouldn’t offer a low-value reward.

In fact, Parsanax’s words made Kai doubt his own ears.

“Is there anything in particular you want? Money or a Magic item. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

“... Can I really ask for anything I want?”

Kai’s eyes began to shine brightly like someone at a high-end buffet, unsure of where to start!

I need to choose a Magic item no matter what.

Even if he had money, Magic items crafted by the magic tower were so rare that they couldn’t be bought.

As Kai pondered what to ask for, he noticed the ring on his finger.

Oh, right.

The Depraved Knight’s Ring was obtained after defeating Lynel. It was a Unique-grade ring imbued with a knighthood skill that evolved all his Skeleton Knights to Dullahans.

But I’ve never been able to use it because I couldn’t find a way to gather skeleton knights.

If Parsanax could solve this issue for him it would dramatically increase his combat power.

Kai, with a face full of expectation, asked, “Do you have an item that can summon skeleton knights by any chance?”

“... Summon skeleton knights? What do you mean?”

“Hmm, it’ll be faster if I show you.” Kai took out the Staff of the Undead Gnoll Chieftain from his inventory and showed it to him. “This staff has the ability to summon gnoll skeletons.”

“Hmm. Judging by the engraved sigils on the staff, it seems so. So, you want equipment similar to this?”

“Yes. I assumed it would be possible if it were you.”

Kai\'s subtle remark made Parsanax furrowed his brows.

“Arrogant little... Nothing is impossible for me.”

At any time, asking if something was possible scratched a person\'s pride! As Parsanax was the lord of the magic tower, his pride was even higher than others.

This guy completed the analysis of the poisons I requested, yet I can’t provide the reward he wants?

He could become a laughingstock in the world.

“Hmm.” Parsanax, who had closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, stood up. “Get up.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Kai stood up with a bright expression, Parsanax unexpectedly grabbed his shoulder.

“Teleport.”

Their view changed simultaneously, but the place they arrived at was far from what Kai had expected.

This isn’t the treasure vault of the magic tower.

It was an ordinary office, much like Parsanax\'s room. The only difference was a woman sitting in a chair with a bewildered expression.

A woman?

She had long, wavy black hair that reached almost to her hips. But in contrast to her dark hair, her pale skin made her look frail.

The woman asked, “Why have you come?”

She spoke to the Parsanax, the Lord of the Crimson Tower, without hesitation!

Kai was shocked, but Parsanax replied with an indifferent expression, “Do you remember the favor you owe me?”

“...Are you talking about seven years ago on the Dead Plains?”

“So you do remember. That’s right.”

“I thought you might\'ve forgotten about it.”

“I might forget what I owe, but I never forget what I’m owed.”

“Wicked old man.”

“Shut up,” Parsanax lightly dismissed her gloomy voice and extended his thick hand to pull Kai forward. “This kid wants equipment to summon skeleton knights. Do you have anything?”

“... Who?”

“Tardal’s subordinate. A poison expert.”

“I see.” The woman, who had briefly expressed her impression of Kai, furrowed her brows. “An item to summon skeleton knights... I don’t have anything like that.”

“Tsk.”

When Parsanax clicked his tongue and glared at her, she defended herself with an aggrieved expression.

“I-I have a skill book though!”

“But isn’t that only usable by Dark Wizards or Necromancers?”

“Yes, but...”

“Can’t you tell by his attire? He needs skeleton knights that a Cleric can command.”

“Hmm.” Her already pale face turned even whiter.

As Parsanax watched her suffer for a moment, Kai cautiously asked, “Um... Lord Parsanax. Sorry, but who is she?”

What he really wanted to ask was, \'Who is this woman that she can speak so informally to you and get away with it?\' but he didn\'t dare to do so.

“Huh? You don’t know? You recognized me instantly the first time you saw me.”

“Well, that’s because...”

Knowing the face of a walking natural disaster beforehand was essential for escaping when one encountered them. That was why most adventurers knew Parsanax’s face.

Of course, Kai wasn’t foolish enough to say that out loud. “You are quite famous, after all.”

“Hmm, I am quite famous, unlike this snotty brat of the Ebony Tower.”

Snotty brat of the Ebony Tower?

Kai repeated the words a few times for a moment before asking with a hesitant heart, “Is she...?”

“You probably guessed right.”

“She’s Korona, master of the Ebony Tower?”

“Yeup.” Parsanax, nodding briefly, added, “You wanted skeleton knights, right? Then it’s best to leave it to an expert.”

“But it seems even Master Korona doesn’t have a solution...”

“Don’t worry. Wizards, when pressed, always come up with results.”

It was a painfully unfortunate reality, but ultimately, his words were true.