Chapter 227

‘So this “Hanal Flower” stimulates the sympathetic nervous system like this. The inhaled poison affects the air exchange in the lungs…’

Time passed as quickly as the pages turned.

For over a full week, Chris had been buried in the library, devouring book after book. And now, he gently set the final volume back on the shelf.

“Done.”

He had finished reading everything.

Chris took a moment to recall the vast amount of self-taught knowledge he had accumulated over the past week.

‘At this level, I should be well-equipped, at least in terms of theory.’

Of course, that didn’t mean he had finished mastering the entire study of poisons.

The books in this library were intended for ordinary poison users—entry-level material.

In other words, they were textbooks meant for poison users around the 2- to 3-star level.

To reach a deeper realm…

The true essence of poison, the secrets mastered by those at 5 stars and above, wasn’t recorded in any of these books.

‘That kind of knowledge must be passed down orally or found in secret tomes.’

But Chris had already made up his mind.

‘There’s no need to go that far.’

Even the essence of poison arts ultimately stemmed from the basics.

Chris already possessed the aptitude of a true master.

There was no reason for him to imitate or adopt someone else’s techniques.

‘I’ll just develop my own poison essence.’

With that, Chris moved on to the next step.

Before he could create his own unique poison, there was another stage he needed to tackle.

“You want me to teach you Demonic Poison?”

Marisa asked in surprise, her expression showing clear alarm.

Chris nodded.

‘I need to reach the 4-star level in poison arts.’

Right now, Chris had acquired all the theoretical knowledge he needed.

But knowledge alone only made him a poison scholar—nothing more.

He had to advance further in the actual discipline of poison arts.

“There’s no need for an in-depth explanation—just give me the gist of it.”

Marisa sighed.

“…Demonic Poison isn’t something you can learn easily. It’s not like Black Sword, which is on the same level among the Dark Demonic House.”

For reference, Demonic Poison refers to the art of producing poison using magia—magical energy.

It’s a level of mastery comparable to the Black Sword, a 3-star technique used to create a sword out of magia.

In other words, Chris was attempting to reach the 3-star level in just one week of studying poison.

“You folks in the Dark Demonic House dabble in all kinds of black magic, but you barely touch poison. There’s a reason for that. First off, you need green magia, which symbolizes life force.”

A writhing stream of green magia rose from Marisa’s hand.

“Second, you need a complete understanding of the poison you’re trying to convert—not just knowing what it does or how it works, but understanding its origin, how it interacts with the human body… everything. Only then can you reproduce it using magia.”

In other words, you needed:

Green magia.

Deep insight into the nature of the poison you wanted to convert.

The ability to wield magia in a way that could faithfully manifest that poison.

…All of which Chris already had.

And not just had—he had them perfectly.

“Is this how it’s done?”

Fwoosh.

Magi surged from Chris’s hand.

It wasn’t green.

It was a beautiful darkness—darker than any black—pure dark magi at full intensity.

And pure dark magi surpassed all other forms of magi.

Magi aligned with various attributes? Before pure dark magi, they were insignificant.

Naturally, when it came to poison, it also possessed a superior affinity compared to green magia.

‘Let’s start with a neurotoxin.’

In an instant, knowledge of poisons rushed through Chris’s mind.

He had learned poisons based on a complete understanding of medical science.

So the depth of his knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary poison users.

‘Converting it into poison... isn’t all that hard.’

Chris’s control over magi allowed him to freely manipulate even high-tier dark spells that surpassed ordinary ranks.

Creating something as simple as poison? Child’s play.

Flash!

“!!”

Marisa’s eyes flew wide open in shock.

Neurotoxin had formed in Chris’s hand.

And it didn’t stop there.

Whoosh.

The poison transformed.

From a neurotoxin to a hemorrhagic poison, then into a corrosive poison, then an inhalation-type toxin—within moments, it rapidly cycled through a myriad of poison types.

Then—flash—

They merged into one.

He had instantly created a Composite Demonic Poison, a technique of the upper 3-star level.

“Wh-what…?”

Marisa stammered, overwhelmed by the absurd spectacle.

‘It took me over ten years of study just to reach the upper 3-star level…’

But the miracles Chris performed didn’t stop there.

“So if I want to make Magical Poison, do I just mix in some dark magic like this?”

He had now stepped into the 4-star level of poison arts.

A realm Marisa herself had only recently entered.

“M-Magical Poison isn’t that easy. Magic and poison are completely different forces. When combined, they usually collapse… you have to conceptually unify them—so that each accepts the other as one…”

In other words, one had to redefine poison as magic and magic as poison, conceptually merging the two.

But then—

Flick.

Magic seamlessly imbued itself into the poison flickering in Chris’s hand.

A perfect fusion. No backlash. No collapse.

“Not that hard, really.”

“……”

Marisa fell silent.

She could only manage one thought:

Unbelievable.

“…You lunatic.”

* * *

He had only just reached the 4-star level.

‘This much is simple. I’ve already built the foundation to handle it.’

In truth, regardless of school or style, reaching 4 stars wasn’t especially difficult.

That level was still considered the realm of technique.

As long as one had the proper groundwork, it could be attained quickly.

The real challenge began at 5 stars.

‘I need to learn Poison Reinforcement.’

Poison Reinforcement—also known as True Poison Aura.

It was the same level as Dark Aura Technique, only that the will was imbued into poison rather than weapons.

‘It’s similar to Dark Aura, but with a different application. Once I get the hang of it, it shouldn’t be too hard.’

Fortunately, Chris was already well-versed in controlling willpower.

As long as he grasped the key concept, mastering Poison Reinforcement shouldn’t be an issue.

‘Marisa’s still at 4 stars, so I’ll need to find another teacher.’

That wasn’t difficult.

He simply swapped roles with Alros and headed directly to the poison training hall himself.

Why? To learn Poison Reinforcement.

‘I’m here as an exchange student anyway. I should be able to learn from one of the instructors.’

There was one teacher who might be able to teach him.

Grit.

The sound of someone grinding their teeth echoed the moment Chris entered.

It was Prince Amar.

His face was stiff with barely restrained fury.

It was because of Alros.

Alros, thrilled by how nervous Amar was around him, had relentlessly provoked the prince—and now Amar was at his breaking point.

‘Alros really doesn’t know when to stop. That guy’s attitude needs serious work.’

Chris clicked his tongue, then spoke—his own way of “asking” for guidance.

“Hey.”

“…What?”

“Your teaching methods are garbage. Mind switching things up?”

Chris casually curled his finger, beckoning.

“After all, the best kind of education is through real combat. Come on, let’s go. I’m ready to learn—as your student, of course.”

Amar’s face flushed bright red.

But he hesitated, unable to step forward easily. The memory of what had happened to his older brother, Fernan, still haunted him.

But Chris was, well—Chris.

Provoking someone into losing their temper? Child’s play.

“Oh, wait—maybe it’s too much for you? I forgot, you only know how to throw your weight around with people weaker than you.”

“…What did you say?”

“You’re pretty famous in the Dark Demonic House, you know. Everyone knows there’s a pathetic little prince in the Venomous Demonic House who only bullies the weak. That’s you, isn’t it?”

Amar’s face flared up with fury.

Because—it was true.

He was a coward—but not the kind-hearted coward like Alros.

Though he’d cower in front of the strong, he was a complete tyrant toward those weaker than him. The worst kind of bully.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you meet one of our Dark Demonic House’s devils a few years back and end up wetting yourself, begging for your life?”

“T-That never happened!”

“Oh, come on. Everyone knows. And now you go around throwing your weight at the lower-ranked devils in the Venomous Demonic House? For someone who pissed himself, you should know a little shame.”

“I said that never happened!!”

It was an embarrassing accusation.

And although none of the other disciples dared to speak up, their expressions gave them away—‘Wait, he really wet himself?’

Of course, it was a lie.

Amar had never wet himself after encountering a devil from the Dark Demonic House. But truth was irrelevant when it came to provoking someone.

‘He really is a scumbag who bullies the weak. That’s all that matters.’

Chris spoke as if he were being generous.

“This time, I’m here as a student to learn poison arts, so I’ll go easy on you. Don’t worry, you won’t piss yourself like last time. Just relax.”

“You bastard!! I’ll kill you!!”

Flash!

In the end, Prince Amar fell for the provocation, and the fight broke out.

As Chris watched the Poison Reinforcement flaring up from Amar’s body, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

* * *

A week passed.

Every single day for that week, Chris showed up at the poison training hall and received instruction from Prince Amar.

Thanks to Chris, Amar was forced to teach him daily—until he literally collapsed from exhaustion each time.

‘I feel a little bad. The guy was already a coward to begin with, but by the end, he was completely broken. Kinda makes me feel like I’m the bad guy here.’

Chris shrugged.

‘Well, it’s not like he deserves any sympathy.’

He might’ve been less vile than Fernan, but Prince Amar was still rotten to the core.

‘Anyway, I finally succeeded in manifesting Poison Reinforcement.’

Fwoosh!

A dark, ominous liquid shimmered from Chris’s hand.

It was Poison Reinforcement.

‘So it took about half a month to get here? Good—I’ve wrapped up preparations just in time.’

That was an unexpected thought.

He had manifested Poison Reinforcement, meaning he had officially reached 5 stars in poison arts.

And yet, he referred to it as merely “preparation.”

‘Because this is only the beginning.’

Just then—creak—the door opened.

It was Marisa.

“Come quietly. The preparations you asked for are complete.”

Marisa led Chris out of the Jade Green Citadel.

They rode for quite a while after leaving the estate until they reached a massive tree.

“It’s down here.”

After digging beneath the tree, a hidden passage revealed itself.

Once they entered, a vast, circular chamber appeared before them.

“This is the secret chamber you asked for.”

But that wasn’t all.

Lining the circular walls of the chamber were countless vials.

“A total of one thousand different poisons.”

Chris gave a nod.

“Perfect. Thanks.”

Even if Marisa was the daughter of the house head, this couldn’t have been easy to arrange.

But something felt off about Marisa’s demeanor.

Unlike her usual self, she was tense—visibly stiff.

“Just answer me one thing. What exactly are you planning to do?”

“What do you think? Study.”

“Don’t lie! If it were just regular studying, you wouldn’t need something this extreme!”

Chris hadn’t just asked for a simple secret chamber and a thousand poisons.

He’d requested a reinforced chamber—a sealed room strong enough to withstand any kind of internal shock or magical backlash.

And those thousand poisons weren’t ordinary either.

Each one had been specifically selected—rare, unusual toxins with unique properties.

It was obvious he was planning something dangerous.

“You’re trying to attempt Thousand-Poison Immunity, aren’t you?!”

It was a legendary tale within the Venomous Demonic House.

The idea of ingesting a thousand poisons to transform the body into one with ultimate resistance—a constitution immune to all toxins.

Of course, it was only a legend.

“No one in the entire history of the Venomous Demonic House has ever achieved Thousand-Poison Immunity! It’s a baseless, reckless myth that’ll just get you killed!”

But Chris tilted his head slightly.

“Thousand-Poison Immunity? I’m not doing that.”

“…You’re not?”

“Nope, not at all.”

“…Really?”

“Really.”

Marisa stood there, stunned.

Then what was the point of requesting a thousand different poisons—especially rare and peculiar ones?

Marisa looked unconvinced, but Chris was telling the truth.

‘Because what I’m aiming for… is far beyond something like Thousand-Poison Immunity.’