Chapter 24

I was deflecting the giant claws of the black frog in front of me, feeling somewhat surprised.

This frog, it doesn't have much resistance—so I thought.

No, every time I deflected an attack, a violent shock was transmitted to the wielder of the black sword, and each strike was quite intense, but it wasn't that difficult to handle.

Compared to the goblins from yesterday, it was about the same, or a bit weaker.

If that's the case, this frog, as a monster, would be considered quite weak.

No... it might even be weaker than the goblins, which are called "the weakest monsters." It might not even be a monster at all.

—Then, maybe I can handle it.

It's difficult for me to defeat it alone without proper means of attack, but if I just wait for Leen and Ines to catch up, we can surely take it down.

Alright, then I'll buy some time—.

I have some confidence in my stamina.

Just as I was thinking this and getting ready with my sword, the body of the frog in front of me suddenly swelled up.

Something was wrong, I thought, and the frog's mouth opened wide, revealing something black swirling in its throat.

Before I could even wonder, the frog forcefully spat out a clump of black mist.

I could have avoided it if I wanted to.

But if I avoided it, it would definitely hit the boy behind me.

I couldn't move from my spot and was hit head-on by the black mist, covering my entire body.

A little of it even got into my mouth.

Immediately after, I spat out a large amount of blood.

"Is this... poison?"

My whole body was in intense pain, and I felt dizzy.

I realized it as soon as I was hit.

This is poison.

And it's a very strong poison.

And at that moment, I finally realized.

When I rushed out, Ines was about to say something. She must have been warning me that this frog is a "poison frog" that carries poison.

The fact that each attack wasn't that significant makes sense—this creature's greatest weapon isn't its powerful-looking fangs or claws.

The potent toxins stored in its belly.

This is the creature's greatest attack—.

At the same time—

While spewing blood from all over my body, I thought to myself.

—Well, maybe I can handle this after all.

Back when I was living alone in the mountains.

I once accidentally ate a mushroom that my mother had told me never to eat.

—Its name was "Dragon Slayer Mushroom."

A mushroom with a poison so potent that it could kill a dragon.

I don't know why I picked and brought back such a thing that day.

Maybe I was so excited by the large harvest that I didn't notice the dangerous ones mixed in.

In any case, I put it in a pot and cooked it for dinner.

After a while, my stomach started to hurt terribly, and I vomited a lot of blood.

It was then that I realized I had eaten something I shouldn't have, but it was too late.

Since a lot of time had passed since I ate it, I couldn't even vomit.

The poison seemed to have spread throughout my body, and I couldn't move.

I kept casting the only spell I knew, "Low Heel," on my stomach.

It was the only method I could think of.

I felt my stomach gradually healing—however, if I let my guard down, I would immediately vomit blood again.

A state where I couldn't let my guard down for a single moment.

If I relaxed, blood would spurt out from every part of my body, and I prepared myself for death while continuously casting "Low Heel" on myself.

I suffered day and night, drinking water occasionally, and rolling on the ground while bleeding.

I stubbornly clung to life, thinking I might die many times.

Somehow, if I kept casting "Low Heel," my body could move a little.

So, despite the intense pain, I didn't skip my daily routine.

I decided to do it every day, so I did.

It was also a matter of stubbornness.

I didn't have much strength in my arms.

Still, I swung the wooden sword while vomiting blood.

—I might die like this.

I thought to myself.

But one morning, about seven days later, I noticed something strange.

—My stomach wasn't hurting at all.

The vomiting had stopped.

And my body felt surprisingly light.

Well, that makes sense.

I hadn't eaten properly for a week.

I went hunting to get some nutritious food.

I thought I could catch a wild boar with my current condition, and I was hungry and wanted some meat.

But I made a mistake in the forest.

I was bitten by a large venomous snake.

I prepared myself for death.

I managed to defeat the venomous snake, but I thought I was just waiting to die, so I lay down in the forest with my eyes closed.

But strangely—

The poison never seemed to take effect.

No part of my body hurt.

I got up, feeling curious, and brought the snake back, cooked it, and ate it.

I had heard that the snake was poisonous and couldn't be eaten—but I was really hungry.

The snake's poison didn't seem to affect me, and I thought it probably wasn't that potent.

Maybe it wasn't poisonous at all.

So, I thought it was safe to eat.

I was a child and thought so easily.

But—

I was shocked when I ate the snake.

—It was incredibly delicious.

More juicy than mountain pheasant meat,

More flavorful than any mushroom I had ever eaten,

And it had a sweetness that permeated my entire body.

Most importantly, it seemed to be very nutritious, and my body recovered surprisingly quickly.

After finishing the snake, I started looking for more.

Once I tasted it, I became addicted.

It was that delicious.

So, I managed to find the snake again—

But when I saw it again, I had a question.

It was the Poison Spike, which my mother had taught me never to eat, no matter how hungry I was.

I was curious.

I had always followed what my mother taught me, as it was usually correct.

But eating the Poison Spike didn't affect me at all.

—Why?

While wondering, I let my guard down and was bitten by the snake again, and I realized.

The snake did have poison, but it just didn't affect me now.

It seemed that the "Dragon Slayer Mushroom" I had eaten before had given me some resistance to poison. The "Low Heel" spell, which I thought was not very useful, had also helped.

It might have some effect in neutralizing poison, even if only a little.

When I realized this, I was overjoyed.

Maybe I could use this to gain a new "Skill."

So, I started testing all the animals and plants in the mountains that were said to be poisonous.

Sometimes I encountered something more toxic than expected and vomited a lot of blood, but most of the time, "Low Heel" worked, and none of them were as bad as the "Dragon Slayer Mushroom."

In the end, I didn't gain the "Skill" I was hoping for.

But I made a discovery.

Poisonous animals and plants are "generally delicious."

There were exceptions, but they all seemed nutritious.

They probably stored nutrients to avoid being eaten because they were poisonous.

So, I started preferring to eat animals and plants that were said to be poisonous.

As long as I could handle the poison, they were excellent ingredients.

Even if I couldn't handle it, I had "Low Heel" to gradually neutralize the poison, and I would eventually build up resistance.

Because of this experience, I am used to being poisoned.

I'm not boasting, but I'm quite resistant to poison now.

It's one of my few strengths.

Now, the black mist this frog in front of me spat out—this is a very strong poison.

It's as potent as the "Dragon Slayer Mushroom."

You can tell by the way it affects the body.

But—

I think I can handle it now.

—Actually, the "Dragon Slayer Mushroom" was also quite delicious.

I cooked it in a pot and tasted it many times.

Each time, I vomited a little blood, but that was all.

Once I knew it was safe, I couldn't resist its deliciousness.

So, this frog's poison—

It won't affect me.

I neutralize and nullify the poison mist with "Low Heel."

At first, the detoxification doesn't keep up, and I spurt some blood, but from experience, this is not a problem.

The wounds heal quickly, and I am almost unharmed.

The black mist has scattered, but it seems that my "Low Heel" has neutralized it in time, and the boy behind me is unharmed.

—That's good.

While thinking this, I deflect the frog's claws.

The black sword I have is probably harder.

The frog's claws shatter each time I deflect them.

—It's really an amazing sword.

It's heavy but incredibly durable.

I thought it was worthless because it looked worn out, but I feel grateful to Leen's father for giving me such a good weapon.

I keep shattering the frog's sharp claws one by one.

Before I knew it, the frog, now without its claws, opened its mouth wide and tried to bite me with its sharp fangs.

But it's the same thing.

I repeat the process of being attacked and deflecting, shattering all its fangs.

It's a truly ferocious frog.

Even after all its claws and fangs are shattered, it still tries to attack.

But it's clearly weakening.

It must have used a lot of energy to spit out the poison.

—If this continues, it might collapse on its own.

Just as I thought this—

The frog's body swelled up again.

It's about to open its mouth wide and spit out another clump of poison, probably even larger than before.

This time, it's a decisive attack—

I can feel that the poison will be even more potent than before.

—But the same trick won't work twice.

I get ready with my sword.

Calculating the moment when the poison frog swells up even more and opens its mouth to spit out the poison mist—

"Crack!"

I struck the frog's lower jaw with all my might.

The frog's mouth closed forcefully, and the large clump of poison and the compressed air had nowhere to go, reversing into its body.

The frog's body swelled explosively—

And it burst from the back, scattering pieces of flesh everywhere.

"—That's terrible."

Even though it was a frog that tried to attack people, it was a truly miserable way to die.

But seeing the frog's flesh scattered with the poison, I realized something.

And once I thought about it, I couldn't stop thinking.

Maybe this frog—

—might be quite delicious.