Free Web Novel“Cough!”
The man with the dog ears dropped to one knee.
Gyeonsul thought in shock.
'Poison? How could this affect even me, who has resistance to most poison arts......?'
And.
As Shin Youngjun began walking toward the fallen Gyeonsul.
“Sarin!”
“We’ll hold him back, so take care of Junior Brother Gyeonsul!”
The rooster-crested man with the twin swords, Gyeyu.
And the sheep-horned woman clad in shield, hammer, and heavy armor, Miyang, charged toward Shin Youngjun.
“Junior Brother Gyeonsul!”
While they held Shin Youngjun in place.
Sarin hurried over and examined Gyeonsul’s condition.
Then she could not help but break into a cold sweat in shock.
'A poison even this lady does not recognize......?'
Sarin.
Even she, a master of poison arts.
Could not identify the brown substance that had just melted into Gyeonsul’s body.
'The symptoms are vomiting, abdominal swelling, stiffness and convulsions, seizures, neural excitation....... A poison that acts upon the heart and nervous system.'
But among the poisons she knew, there was nothing like the brown substance that man had used.
The only thing she had sensed was.......
'A sweet scent.'
To a degree impossible to believe had come from poison.
[Dark Chocolate Infused with the War Chef’s Care]
Nothing more than a sweet fragrance.
'A unique poison native to this world?'
She could not determine its identity.
But she thought she understood why that man had deliberately used such a poison.
'He realized I was skilled in poison arts and tried another method......!'
The deadly poison flowing through that man’s body was certainly powerful.
But it still fell within a range Sarin, a master of poison arts, could detoxify.
Even if her physical abilities had weakened, her knowledge of poison had not.
In fact, the poison that had seeped into Shin Jong’s chest after cutting him had been neutralized by her almost instantly.
That was why.
The moment that man realized his poison could be detoxified.
He had abandoned the idea of coating his blades in poison and changed tactics to target Gyeonsul another way.
With a bizarre poison even Sarin could not identify!
'Unless he predicted Junior Brother Gyeonsul would willingly give up his shoulder...... that kind of poisoning would have been impossible.'
He had predicted exactly how Gyeonsul would attempt to break through him.
And had used poison tailored to that action.
From the receiving end, it was chilling.
***
“For now, I will try medicines suited for nerve poison and heart poison.”
“I’m sorry, Junior Sister.......”
A complete detoxification was impossible.
The best she could do was suppress the symptoms somewhat.
And during that time.
Hududuk!
“Kkiyoooooot!”
The man with the twin blades leaped into the air with a bizarre battle cry.
The feathers attached to both his arms acted like wings, lifting him even higher.
“Kgh......!”
Overwhelming mobility.
A slash carrying that full speed rushed toward the man.
An attack so fast it was hard to properly see, yet precise.
Separate from the strange battle cry.
The rooster-crested man’s attacks were powerful enough that even Shin Youngjun found them difficult to handle.
Enough to make him frown and click his tongue.
'Very few could defeat Junior Brother Gyeyu in a one-on-one duel......!'
Gyeyu’s twin swords crossed against Shin Youngjun’s two kitchen knives.
Shin Youngjun was clearly being overwhelmed by Gyeyu.
Even though Shin Youngjun possessed superior physical abilities.
There was an obvious difference in skill that could not be overcome by that alone.
While pressuring Shin Youngjun alongside him, Miyang thought Gyeyu would subdue that man at this rate.
But then.
Swoosh.......
At some point.
Instead of trying to deflect Gyeyu’s attacks.
That man dropped something onto his blades.
'......Danger!'
Seeing that, Gyeyu’s eyes widened.
Like what he had done to Gyeonsul, before he could attempt something suspicious.
Gyeyu immediately pulled away from him, but.......
At that moment.
Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!
Something the man had dropped onto his blades melted into them.
And a tremendous radiance burst forth from the blades.
[Sacred Jerky of the War Chef’s Radiance]
The battlefield was night, after sunset.
Everyone fighting on the battlefield flinched at the sudden overwhelming burst of light.
“Kkiruk.......”
However.......
One person could not stop at merely flinching.
“Junior Brother Gyeyu!”
As that tremendous light surged out.
The red-haired swordsman who had been pressuring Shin Youngjun at incredible speed.
Gyeyu’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° body froze.
He had been the one among all his fellow disciples who rose earliest and began training first.
That was not because he was exceptionally diligent compared to others.
'Light.......'
Unlike others.
He did not perceive light only with his eyes.
The pineal gland seated inside his head, another sensory organ.
Through that organ, he absorbed more light than ordinary people.
He was more sensitive to light than others.
That was why even the slightest sunrise would wake him and set him into motion.......
And at the same time.
Stagger.......
Faced with too much light all at once.
Unable to endure it, his body froze.
Paak!
The moment Gyeyu’s movements stopped.
Shin Youngjun aimed for that opening and swung his blade at him.
“Don’t bully Junior Brother......!”
Kaaang!
The sheep-horned woman.
Miyang hurriedly stepped in front of him.
Shin Youngjun’s strike was blocked by her shield and failed.
'Even if Junior Brother Gyeyu’s senses have been numbed, it is only temporary.'
If she could just hold out a little longer.
He would adapt to the light and resume fighting.
......That was what should have happened.
Puhwaaaaaaaaaak!!!
“......!”
The moment Miyang stepped in front of him.
Shin Youngjun retreated a single step without hesitation.
Avoided a frontal clash with Miyang and sprayed something toward Gyeyu behind her.
Something sprayed in liquid form.
Even Miyang’s shield could not block every scattering droplet.
And Miyang caught the scent of it as it brushed past her.
'......Alcohol?'
Then.
That liquor reached the motionless rooster-crested man.
Gyeyu.
And was absorbed into him.
Then.
Stagger.......
His face flushed red.
And he began stumbling as if he had lost his senses.
Seeing that, Miyang could not help but stare in shock.
'He knew Junior Brother was weak to alcohol......!?'
Gyeyu’s body lacked the organ needed to purify alcohol.
That was why he never allowed even a single sip of liquor to touch his lips.
“......A grave mistake.”
Because he knew even a trace of alcohol.
Could be more lethal to him than any deadly poison.
Kuung.......
Gyeyu’s staggering body.
Collapsed to the ground in vain.
***
When Gyeyu, who had been fighting beside her, collapsed to the ground.
Miyang protected him and glared at the enemy.
'The brown substance that brought down Gyeonsul, the scent of alcohol that paralyzed Gyeyu...... and even the poison Sarin mentioned.'
An enemy who had subdued two of them in an instant.
But.
That was not because his martial arts were exceptional.
'He’s closer to a poison master with terrifying poisoning techniques.'
None of those struck by his blades had fallen.
Every fellow disciple he defeated had merely fallen victim to the poisons he used.
If so.......
Miyang glared at him while raising her shield.
“No matter how powerful the poison.”
That man was by no means an ordinary opponent.
Most likely a master of poison arts comparable to Sarin before her weakening.
But.
“You won’t be able to pierce my shield......!”
She was a warrior more defensive than anyone else.
No matter what poison that man projected at her.
She was confident she could block all of it with her shield.
Gyeonsul had fallen because he approached the enemy first and gave him an opening to administer poison.
But.
Miyang had no intention of giving him such an opening.
Then.
Shin Youngjun threw something toward her.
'......A slow attack.'
It felt like an attack with no power behind it at all.
But Miyang did not let down her guard and blocked it with her shield.
......However.
“......Huh?”
Stagger.
Her body began to sway.
Horrified, she examined her condition.
'This is...... anemia?'
[Garlic Dish Set Infused with the War Chef’s Care]
She did not know what kind of poison it was.
But the vitality within the blood flowing through her body.
Was rapidly diminishing.
The red blood cells inside her body...... were dissolving.
The problem was.
Not the anemia itself.
'I clearly blocked it...... so how!?'
Even though she had definitely blocked the attack with her shield.
[Force-Feeding]
That something had passed through the shield.
And been absorbed into her body.
Kaaang!
“Kgh......!”
She barely managed to raise her shield and defend.
But because of the anemia, she could not defend properly.
For the moment, she was enduring through sheer willpower, but she would not last long.
And.
“......Even Senior Sister Miyang.”
Watching that scene.
The snake-eyed woman tending to the fallen fellow disciples.
Sarin frowned and muttered.
“I heard he was the benefactor who awakened us, so I wished to avoid using excessively cruel measures if possible.......”
As if making up her mind.
She raised her fan to her mouth.
'Please.'
Their martial strength had weakened.
But that only applied to their physical abilities.
That was why.
If one had to choose the strongest person present.
Every fellow disciple would have chosen her.
Originally, her physical abilities had already ranked near the bottom.
......Because her specialty was not close combat.
'Please endure my poison without dying.'
Poison arts.
The poisons she wielded remained fully potent regardless of her physical condition.
No matter how powerful the poison flowing through that man’s body was.
She wielded deadly poisons capable of melting even that toxic force away.
And.
Just as she was about to swing her fan.......
Paaaaaaaaak!!!
“......!?”
That man.
Shin Youngjun suddenly reached out toward her.
'If you thought I would fall like the others, that was your mistake......!'
She was a master of poison arts.
Unlike Gyeonsul or Gyeyu.
No matter what deadly poison he projected at her, she was confident she could overcome it with her knowledge.
But.......
Unfortunately.
[Elemental Cooking - Ice]
What flew toward her.
Was not poison at all.
“Kgh......!?”
An overwhelming chill swept around Sarin’s body.
For ordinary people, it would have been no more than a slight coldness.
But.
'N-no.......'
She was more sensitive to changes in temperature than others.
Even the slightest shift in temperature was fatal to her.
That chill.
Instantly paralyzed her body.
Thud.
Even the fan in her hand.
Fell to the ground.
Pasasasasak......!!!
Countless tiny needles hidden inside the fan.
The moment the poison coating those needles touched the ground, the earth itself melted away.
“......This.”
And.
Watching that scene, the five men and women broke into cold sweats as they thought.
He pretended to be affected by Sarin’s poison and cut down the careless Shin Jong.
He exposed a weakness in himself to lure Gyeonsul’s attack, then poisoned him.
He paralyzed Gyeyu’s senses with a flash of light and intoxicated him with alcohol.
He even succeeded in poisoning Miyang through her shield.
And he neutralized Sarin by scattering freezing cold around her.
'A man who cares nothing for means or methods.......'
When Gyeonsul first crossed blades with him.
He had looked at those daggers and thought they were not weapons a martial artist would use.
Yes.
That man’s methods were not those of a martial artist.......
'They are the methods of an assassin......!'
