How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 94: The Power of Poison

I closed my eyes gently. Having earned a sweet reward of 300 trial points, it was now time to pay the inevitable price.

“Ugh…”

My tongue began to swell, and my throat prickled. A burning sensation coursed through me, like drinking extremely high-concentration alcohol.

“Hehe. Don’t be so afraid,” the old man chuckled. “From what I can tell, this isn’t that strong a poison. In my day, I drank acid strong enough to dissolve metal with a smile on my face.”

The old man placed his hand on my back. Though he was only a ghost, it felt surprisingly warm.

“Now, chant the phrase I taught you.”

Ki began to stir in my lower abdomen.

“Remember, a true technique reveals its power only when you can fully control your mind. Trust in the clear energy of your Heart Technique. Trust it and expel the wild poison within your body.”

Purging poison was something I’d never done before. Since meeting the old man, I’d never once been poisoned.

But…

The energy within me felt stable, as if urging me to stop worrying about this small threat and to confront the poison head-on.

“Oh?” A smile spread across the old man’s face. “You’ve practiced diligently, it seems. For a novice, your energy flows smoothly.”

“Except for when I was eating, sleeping, or training… I never stopped practicing it,” I replied, my voice rough with pain.

“Is that so? Well, it shows. Although your speed of improvement is nowhere near mine, I can see the trace of your efforts. You’re almost at the point where you don’t even need my help…”

“No, Elder.”

“…”

“Please assist me. I want to move forward as quickly as possible.”

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I clenched my fists.

Trial points…

I wasn’t sure exactly what they were, but the more I collected, the better off I’d be. I wanted to gather them as fast as possible.

Opportunity knocks, but only once.

Eating poison gave me a bonus, and I could purge poison—it felt like an opportunity tailored for me.

Furthermore, I recalled the notification from earlier.

[Bonus for poison.]

[‘Death Devil’ is classified as a Grade 2 poison.]

[You have gained an additional 300 trial points.]

Grade 2 poison, it said.

The existence of a grading system meant there were even higher levels of poison. I couldn’t help but wonder just how many bonus points would be rewarded for a higher-grade poison.

My heart raced with anticipation. Maybe I was a bit of a masochist. Even though I was in pain, the prospect of gaining a little extra thrilled me. This was why I needed the expertise of the old man who had achieved immunity to all poisons.

“Still as impatient as before, I see. Alright, keep at it,” he muttered, clucking his tongue, though I sensed pride in his voice.

Perhaps my genuine desire to master All Techniques and make it the best in the world reached him.

“Pay attention to my movements. I’ll show you the heaven above the heavens.”

I could feel the old man’s hand touch my back as he guided the energy in my body, showing it where to go.

“You mustn’t fight the poison recklessly.”

The energy that had surged with confidence hesitated for a moment, then began to follow the old man’s guidance. It was a gentle, flowing interaction.

I shivered.

Wait, but this is my energy…

It felt like watching my child ignore me to obey their grandparent instead. My energy fully aligned with the old man’s touch.

“Poison is like an intruder in your home. A burglar intent on stabbing you and wrecking your house.”

Before I could realize it, my energy reached my throat, splitting into smaller streams. One by one, these streams softly encased the poison.

“If you try to beat the intruder senselessly or use explosions to defeat him, you’ll not only fail to subdue him but also destroy your own house in the process.”

Ah… I instantly understood what he meant. Don’t fight poison directly and embrace it instead.

“Absorb only as much poison as you need and expel the rest. It takes only a tiny amount to build tolerance.”

—Pshhh…

A blue liquid bubbled out from my skin and evaporated into the air. After that, the pain subsided, and the prickling in my throat disappeared. The swollen sensation in my tongue also faded away.

It was a complete victory over the death devil.

“That was… great!” I opened my eyes slowly.

Not bad. If this was all it took, I could handle it. My goal now was to achieve Absolute Poison Immunity. Step by step, I’d build myself up just like the old man did and eventually reach his spot. Thinking of it filled me with a strange, thrilling excitement.

As darkness receded and the sun began to rise, I was already preparing for the day’s exploration before Olena, James, and Capu woke up. My skeletons had been dispatched far away for another round of gathering.

They were a significant part of my strength, but I could always summon them back if needed. Wherever they were, I could call them to me instantly, so I wasn’t too worried.

—Yawn…

As I was finishing up preparations, Olena rubbed her eyes and let out a small yawn as she stepped out.

“Wow, did you really stay up all night by yourself…?”

“No, I got some rest.”

“Where? I don’t remember seeing you come back to the shelter…”

“Over by the trees. I wouldn’t sleep soundly while my subordinates kept watch.”

“Impressive…” She looked at me with admiration. “I feel a bit guilty to have slept so comfortably.”

“Think nothing of it.” I smiled and glanced up at the corner of my vision.

[Current trial points: 630]

Ever since trial points appeared, I’d been able to track them in real time. I left the counter visible in the corner of my view.

630 points, huh…

In truth, they had no reason to feel guilty because I’d gained plenty in exchange for sleep.

However, there’s no need to mention it…

I wasn’t sure they could purge poison, and they weren’t exactly allies yet. We hadn’t spent months working together and building trust. We were just a group that had agreed to work together for now. I had to keep cautious.

“Hey, Hoon, thanks. Sleeping on the bare ground again is making my body feel sore.” Soon after, James emerged as well.

“…”

And Capu, with his dark complexion, stretched as he joined us.

I smiled at them. “Did everyone sleep well? Since the night passed without incident, let’s use this spot as our base for now.”

“Hm? You mean to stay here?” James looked puzzled. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to explore other areas? We need intel on what other hunters are up to, and there could be an exit somewhere.”

“James has a point,” I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. “But there’s a reason we can’t leave this spot.”

“A reason?”

“Yes, it’s nothing major, but… I sent my skeletons out this morning to gather resources, and for them to find me, I need to stay here.”

I wanted to avoid resummoning them unless necessary because I couldn’t transport the gathered food through summoning.

“Oh, right… That makes sense. So you’re saying we’ll gather trial points here before moving out?”

James scratched his head, and I grinned.

“Yes, but we won’t just sit around and snack. We’ll gradually explore the surroundings and uncover the dungeon’s secrets.”

“Sounds good.”

“I agree.”

Olena and Capu both nodded.

“Until the food arrives, continue your scouting. Stay within range, and call out if anything happens.”

And so we fell into a routine. Hours passed, and night came again.

Sunny and Eldrin brought in more supplies than expected. The expanse of land was so vast that each batch yielded new varieties. Thanks to that, my trial points increased exponentially.

“Master.” When everyone was asleep, Eldrin approached me quietly. “Here’s what we gathered for today.”

—Thump!

A pile of various poisonous mushrooms spilled from her pouch. There were over 40 kinds.

“Whoa, that many?”

“We can probably find even more tomorrow. This area is massive, and the subtle differences in environment make it ideal for a variety of plants.”

“Is that so?”

Each night, I practiced consuming and purging poison.

[Bonus for poison.]

[‘Crazy Poison’ is classified as a Grade 1 poison.]

[You have gained an additional 500 trial points.]

…

[Bonus for poison.]

[‘Dark Angel’ is classified as a Grade 3 poison.]

[You have gained an additional 100 trial points.]

The types of poison varied from mild poisons to Grade 1 poisons that reacted instantly.

The point system seemed to work roughly as follows:

[Regular food: 10 points]

[Mild poison: 50 points]

[Grade 3 poison: 100 points]

[Grade 2 poison: 300 points]

[Grade 1 poison: 500 points]

Thanks to this, I could rack up points at a staggering, exponential rate.

Another day passed. And then another. Continuously we ate and explored, and every night, I consumed more poison. I was a predator—a true devourer of points.

After about a week of this, I couldn’t help but marvel at my status screen.

“Ah, wow…”

[Current trial points: 24,630]

It was an unbelievable number, considering that my teammates, who had eaten everything from larvae to termites and other revolting creatures, only had an average of about 2,560 points each.

Insane…

That was the power of poison.

But still…

Stacking points was great and all, yet I still didn’t know the true purpose of this dungeon nor how we were supposed to complete it.

Maybe… I should start moving.

One night, just as Eldrin brought in another batch of poison for me…

“Hold on, lad.” The old man looked at me with a serious expression.

I froze. I placed the poison down and looked back at him.

“Shh! Don’t react. Just stay still and listen.” The old man put his finger to his lips—a signal not to respond and to play it cool.

My eyes widened, and I stiffened.

Then the old man spoke, “Someone nearby is watching you. They’re skilled enough that your current Great Blue Heart Technique would never detect their presence.”

“…!”

I felt goosebumps prickle along my arms.

No signs, no hints—yet someone was watching me. Who in the world could it be?