Chapter 2

*Hiss*

Every time the toad spits its opaque saliva, I roll my body to dodge it.

*Thud!*

This is the fifth time.

Even as I dodge frantically, a thick question mark forms in my mind.

‘Am I really dodging this properly?’

Considering my usually weak physical condition, the fact that I can roll like this is nothing short of miraculous.

Despite my body feeling like it’s boiling, my limbs are surprisingly light.

However, even if I’ve become faster, did I really dodge all five of those damn spits?

The toad’s saliva is as fast as an arrow and as persistent as a venomous snake.

Even if I’ve become lighter, is it really possible to dodge all of them?

*Hiss!*

I’m too busy running to even think about hitting the monster.

Anger rises within me, but I keep thinking.

If I didn’t dodge all of them, why am I still fine?

Didn’t the people who died earlier die instantly from even a small amount of the poison?

*Hiss.*

*Thud!*

When I rolled for the sixth time, I remembered the test results from the hospital today.

‘MMPT (Multi Monster Poison Test)…!!’

Right.

I was definitely told that I was poisoned by seven different toxins.

No matter what kind of poison this guy has, it might not make much of a difference if I’m hit with a new one.

So, I came to the following conclusion:

I already have this guy’s poison in my body.

If I’m already poisoned, what’s the big deal if I get hit a few more times?

*Hiss.*

When the toad, filled with rage, spat its saliva for the seventh time, I didn’t move.

I wanted to test my hypothesis, and I didn’t want to roll around on the ground anymore because of this damn thing.

*Whoosh.*

I know from experience that the toad’s saliva always aims for my face.

I covered my face with my palm, and as expected, the saliva flew straight at my face.

*Thud!*

It hit.

My palm felt sticky with the unpleasant liquid.

But that was all.

Unlike the others who bled from every orifice, my body showed no changes.

*Gurgle?*

The toad’s pupils dilate.

It doesn’t seem very intelligent, but its instincts are telling it something.

The man in front of it is different from other humans.

“Just as I thought.”

I smiled strangely and muttered to myself.

The ugly toad in front of me is threatening because it’s a poison type.

Most monsters that come through the gate are large and powerful, but poison types come in various sizes.

Since they don’t kill with physical force, size isn’t important.

But the realization I just had.

I was immune to the monster’s poison.

‘Then…’

If I remove the poison threat from a small poison monster,

it’s less of a threat than a mere dog.

“Was it fun? You damn thing.”

The tide has turned.

I grabbed the cane next to the fallen old man.

*Gurgle?*

The toad’s body isn’t fast, only its saliva is.

I walked steadily towards the toad with the cane.

The toad spits saliva nervously.

*Hiss!*

*Thud!*

But it’s useless again.

The saliva blocked by my palm was scattered by a single gesture.

Do monsters have expressions?

The toad seems noticeably flustered.

“I’ll kill you today, and then I’ll die.”

I raised the cane with both hands and struck fiercely.

*Crack!!!*

*Gurgle!!*

The toad, confused by the ineffectiveness of its poison, was struck on the head.

The wobbling toad soon fell over and died.

I killed the poison monster that had killed dozens of people with just a cane.

“Phew…”

I feel a light dizziness from the exertion.

The smell of poison and blood already fills my nostrils.

*Gurgle?*

*Gurgle.*

The toads gather one by one, seemingly recognizing me as the first target to kill.

“One… two… three…”

I slowly start to count the number of approaching creatures.

They approach with a menacing air, but they are no longer a threat to me.

Since I’m already on a death sentence, isn’t it okay to dance with a sword before I die?

I clenched the cane tightly as I watched the approaching monsters.

* * *

*Crash!!!*

*Clang!!!*

“Huff… huff…”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, trying to catch my breath.

The small poison-type monsters were much weaker than I thought.

Is this what it’s like for a beginner hero to kill a slime?

I just had to hit the toads with the cane.

However, their numbers were more than I expected.

While killing dozens of monsters, I had to take a shower of their secretions.

Even a hunter would find this amount dangerous.

But for me, it only made me feel dirty.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone.

But the signal is blocked by the core energy from the gate.

‘My sister will worry if she hears the news… I need to get out of here and contact her.’

It was usually time to work.

But the gate opened near the hospital.

My sister would have run out of her workplace and come here.

Not knowing where the boundary is, I started moving.

I hoped the last monster I killed was the last.

* * *

*Roar.*

But I realized too late.

The pitch-black gate above my head.

The fact that it hasn’t closed means there are still monsters in the area.

“Damn!!”

I cursed and ran towards my house.

My house was very close to the factory where my sister worked and only one stop away from the hospital, so it was within running distance.

I usually took the bus because of my weak body.

While running home, I had to stop suddenly.

“Damn…”

Why are ominous feelings always right?

I had a feeling this would happen, and my sister was running towards me.

“Hae-seon?!”

Her face was tear-streaked, so she must have cried a lot.

Since this was the outskirts of the gate, it seemed everyone else had fled, leaving only my sister and me.

Seeing my sister wandering alone in the empty neighborhood, anger surged before joy.

Usually, when a gate is created, hunters are on standby, and a safe line is formed to restrict movement.

Movement restriction, my ass.

What the hell are the association guys doing?

“Damn. They can’t do anything right.”

I cursed, but on the other hand, I let out a sigh of relief.

It’s a good thing we met in the middle; if she had met a monster in between, what would have happened…

*Boom!!!*

Then.

A loud footstep sound mocked my thoughts.

I turned my head towards the sound.

*Gurgle!!*

Not the small creatures I’ve been dealing with, but a giant black toad, easily two stories tall.

It was hopping towards my sister.

“Aaah!!”

My sister’s already pale face turned even paler.

‘Why did you come here without fear?’

I shouted at my sister with all my might.

“Run!!”

But my sister, paralyzed by fear, froze in place and was hit by the toad’s massive body, bouncing off like being hit by a truck.

*Bang!!*

“Sister!!”

My eyes sparkled with anger.

I ran towards the black toad and swung the cane with all my strength.

*Smack!*

A dull thud sounded as I hit the toad’s leg, but the toad didn’t budge.

It was only natural.

The monsters I’ve killed so far were at most 50-70 cm tall, but the black toad was several times larger.

Unlike the other creatures with their shiny skin, this one’s skin was as hard as concrete, and its limbs were as thick and long as logs.

I could suppress the smaller ones with human strength, but now it was beyond that.

*Gurgle!!*

The toad let out a mocking cry and swung its thick arm.

*Crash!!!*

I flew several meters and landed.

“Gah…!!”

My whole body felt like it was breaking.

The pain was so intense that I snapped back to my senses, but then my consciousness started to fade.

In my blurred vision, I saw the black toad.

It was slowly moving towards my sister, as if to finish her off.

My heart felt like it was about to explode.

My blood felt like it was boiling.

These monsters.

Not only have they eaten away at my life, but they’re trying to kill my sister.

She spent her life taking care of me.

She’s about to die because of monsters, because of me.

“Aaaah!!”

*Snap.*

I heard something snap in my head.

At the same time, the boiling rage inside me erupted.

*Roar!*

The energy was so menacing that it made the black toad turn its gaze.

*Gurgle!!!!*

A dark red aura rose from my body and shot into the sky.

The dark red, blood-like gas gathered in the sky and began to take shape.

*Gurgle!!*

Its body was so large that its shadow covered me and the toad.

Its body was covered with sharp, dark red scales.

Its movements were smooth but somehow chilling.

The creature, so large that the toad looked cute in comparison,

resembled a snake.

*Hiss.*

The red-eyed creature, the Crimson Serpent, slowly floated down from the sky, looking down.

*Gurgle!!*

The toad tried to cry out, but it was filled with unmistakable fear.

The fundamental fear of a herbivore facing a top predator.

It felt like that.

How did I manifest such an incredible ability?

I don’t know why, but it didn’t matter.

I muttered in a different voice, as if possessed.

“Kill.”

*Screech!*

The Crimson Serpent began to descend with terrifying momentum, as if responding to the command.

*Crash!!!*

The Crimson Serpent descended headfirst, colliding with the toad’s entire body.

The power was so immense that the ground shook like an earthquake.

“…!!”

A large hole appeared beneath the toad.

It looked like a meteor had fallen from the sky.

The large toad, boasting its massive size, disappeared without a trace.

“Huff…!!”

An overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me.

Even when I was sick from the poison, I never felt this way.

If there were a bed in front of me, I would dive into it.

But I couldn’t do that now.

“Sister!!”

I couldn’t touch her because of the poison on my clothes, so I checked her condition.

“Ugh…”

Her beautiful face was contorted in pain, but fortunately, she hadn’t lost consciousness completely.

Since we were far from the gate, the signal might work.

I urgently pulled out my phone to call 119.

Or, I tried to.

*Boom!! Boom!!*

“…!!!”

Then.

I felt the greatest despair of my life.

A black toad, even larger than the one I just killed, was approaching.

*Gurgle…*

That wasn’t all.

The black toad, as if it were the leader, was gathering the remaining toads of various sizes towards us.

“…Damn…”

I wanted to summon the Crimson Serpent again, but I didn’t know how I did it the first time.

It felt more like it burst out on its own rather than being summoned intentionally.

Most importantly, I didn’t have the strength to even pick up the cane.

Damn.

Is this it?

I barely raised my knee, and nausea rose.

“Ugh.”

Dark red blood, similar to the color of the Crimson Serpent I summoned earlier.

Did she sense the final moments?

My fallen sister raised her hand to grab my collar.

“Hae-seon… ah.”

I slightly moved my body to avoid her hand.

“…Poison. Sister.”

*Boom. Boom. Boom.*

Is this important when I’m about to die?

The large toad seemed to ask.

The size of the approaching creature was truly massive.

I had to crane my neck to see its head.

The large toad and its smaller companions surrounded my sister and me.

It felt like we were about to be publicly executed.

I used all my strength to raise the cane.

*Thud!*

*Gurgle.*

As expected, it had no effect on the toad.

The large toad shrugged as if finding it amusing.

Then, it brought down its pillar-like arm as if swatting a fly.

Damn.

Is this it?

Images from my past slowly passed through my mind like a slideshow.

*Crash!!!*

The impact was so strong that I couldn’t even feel it.

I saw stars before I could even react.

Damn.

This is the end.

What a messed-up life.

But.

*Crack!!*

A roar filled with rage rang out clearly.

Is the afterlife this real?

I opened my eyes slightly.

Strange.

I thought I was definitely dead, but I was still alive.

The boiling heat in my body confirmed it.

“How…?”

When I opened my eyes wider, I heard a strange woman’s voice.

“You’ll exhaust yourself. Puppy.”