Chapter 106
Chapter 106: I’ll Make It a Draw. (1)
I had tried my best to train to control the ominous energy that had seeped into my mana, but I failed.
The energy was so faint that I wouldn’t even have noticed it, had I not been paying attention.
“The properties of the mana have definitely changed.”
He grumbled as he headed toward the training ground.
Even though mana surrounded him, the toxicity of the Blood Python eventually pierced through his mana barrier and entered Ghislaine’s body.
No matter how small the amount, there’s no way that a few chewed-up detox herbs could completely erase such a potent poison.
It was clear that the poison of the Blood Python had produced an unknown synergistic effect with his own mana.
“Is there really no other way?”
There was a simple way to confirm this: directly drinking the Blood Python’s poison.
To create the same conditions as before and see how the mana would react.
“If I’m right, this is a new opportunity.”
Ghislaine slyly shook a small vial he had sneaked out from the storeroom and swallowed hard.
It was the early morning hour when everyone was fast asleep.
He had intentionally slipped out of sight from others. If things went wrong, they wouldn’t find out until morning.
If he collapsed now, Penris Territory and Perdium would be trampled by enemies in the blink of an eye.
It was a situation where he couldn’t recklessly gamble his life, yet he couldn’t let it be either.
Ghislaine had pondered cautiously several times, checking his mana countless times to gauge the possibility of success.
“If I adjust the dosage right, I won’t die. If my hypothesis is correct, I could become stronger faster. It’s a gamble worth taking.”
Even though he had clearly turned back time, he felt he had less time than in his previous life.
Knowing the future was just a possibility. Anything could happen at any moment.
He needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a new opportunity had presented itself.
Despite the immense danger lurking, Ghislaine had no intention of letting this chance slip away.
“There’s no such thing as easy work in this world.”
His instincts were shouting wildly at this very moment.
This poison would make you even stronger.
“Psh, am I gonna die or something?”
Ghislaine suppressed his anxiety and opened the vial.
As he allowed a tiny droplet of the poison in the small vial to touch his tongue, his face turned a shade of pale blue.
But he wasted no time, emptying the entire contents of the vial into his mouth.
“Kah!”
His complexion turned a vibrant purple almost instantly, and then began to blacken.
Ghislaine gritted his teeth.
He felt like his insides were being sliced open with a knife. His limbs felt paralyzed and wouldn’t move as he wished.
It was a powerful toxin that could corrode most materials, be it metal or stone.
He had just introduced this potent poison directly into his body, even though the vial had undergone special magical treatment to barely withstand it…
If any of his will, physical strength, or mana fell short, he would be done for.
“Get a grip!”
Filtering it through his mana was a whole different level compared to just drinking it straight.
If Ghislaine had been without mana, he would have dropped dead the moment the poison touched his tongue.
Rumble!!
Ghislaine’s mana began to clash against the energy of the poison filling his body.
The three cores spun feverishly and emitted mana, but instead, the poison spread throughout his body alongside the flow.
Mana and poison began a fierce battle within Ghislaine’s body as if they were trying to devour each other.
“Grrr!”
Ghislaine’s eyes widened.
Veins popped in his eyes as blood tears began to flow.
It felt like his insides were being torn apart, and blood began to seep from his mouth.
All the blood vessels in his body swelled to the point of bursting.
“Quite… impressive, isn’t it?”
While shedding blood tears, Ghislaine laughed.
Though it was painful, excitement surged within him beyond that pain.
This was it. This was the power. If he could digest it, he would become exponentially stronger.
“Grrr!”
The newly infused energy was flailing inside him, desperately trying to break free.
Holding onto his dizzy mind, Ghislaine continued to circulate mana.
The three cores spun aggressively, trying to control the energy in sync with Ghislaine’s will.
Rumble!!
The swirling mana had completely fused with the poison.
Ghislaine felt a slight increase in the amount of mana he possessed.
The useless parts had all burned away, leaving only the pure essence of power in his body.
“My thoughts were right.”
As expected, his mana fused with the Blood Python’s poison, absorbing its energy.
The absorbed energy seemed to contribute to his increased recovery rate.
Poison could become medicine, depending on how it was used.
“It’s great that it’s increased, but…”
The added mana count and improved recovery rate were of no use if he couldn’t calm the raging energy immediately.
“Just hold on a little longer! Just a little longer!”
The explosively surging mana gradually blended with the poison, shifting its properties.
Even in this painfully precarious situation, where losing consciousness at any moment would be normal, Ghislaine never lost hope.
Rumble!!
How much time had passed? Completely forgotten in his battle against the pain, Ghislaine’s expression began to return to its original color.
“Is this… success?”
The energy of the poison remaining in his mana seemed to have completely vanished, and his formerly paralyzed body started to move freely.
Ghislaine began to gather the mana surging out of him, gradually settling the flow of it.
If he relaxed, thinking the poison was gone, the rampaging mana would tear him apart.
Only after all his power had settled did he collapse in place.
“It worked… I succeeded!”
With the certainty of his success, all tension released, rendering him unable to move even a finger.
He didn’t have the strength to cling to his fading consciousness.
Ghislaine lay unconscious in the middle of the training ground.
*
“How long has it been?”
Ghislaine slowly opened his eyes. As if waiting, Belinda cried out with a quivering voice.
“Young Master! What on earth happened? You look completely like a corpse! Just look at your pale face!”
Belinda always inspected the training ground first thing in the morning to prepare for Ghislaine’s training.
It seemed she was the first to find Ghislaine collapsed on the ground.
Ghislaine struggled to open his eyes and looked around.
He found himself lying in a bed, surrounded by key figures in the territory.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered here like there’s a big affair?”
Gillian asked seriously.
“Lord, did you drink the Blood Python’s poison? We found a vial with poison in the training ground.”
“Uh, yeah. It was kind of exhilarating. Spicy flavor, you know.”
Ghislaine nonchalantly replied, brushing it off.
At his answer, everyone in the room gasped incredulously.
The Blood Python’s poison was notorious for its potency.
Given that it was the toxin from a creature living in the Forest of Monsters, it would be far more toxic than known.
To just down it like it was a beverage and then rate the flavor? Unbelievable.
Belinda trembled with repressed anger as she asked, “What on earth are you doing?”
“I was just training, you know? Training.”
“What kind of training involves drinking poison? The Mana Circulation Method of the House of Perdium doesn’t use things like poison!”
Sure, there were mana-circulation methods that involved drinking poison, and there were wizards who utilized it.
Usually, those who trained would build a tolerance to the poison and use its energy for training.
But even those who used poison didn’t recklessly gulp down the strongest poison; they started from weak toxins and graduated up.
Not like Ghislaine, who swallowed the deadliest poison without a second thought.
With her patience finally worn thin, Belinda blurted out what she had held back.
“Do you want to die, Young Master?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you didn’t want to die, you wouldn’t drink that! Are you suddenly losing your mind because you’re overloaded with work? Or is it that you miss Young Lady Amelia so badly that you don’t even want to live anymore?”
“Hey, why is her name being brought up? I don’t like that woman anymore!”
“Then what is it? Is it really because of a bet? Would you rather die than face embarrassment?”
“Wha—why would I die over a bet?”
Ghislaine exclaimed, looking around as if bewildered.
It seemed everyone agreed with Belinda, nodding their heads solemnly.
They all presumed that the lord must have drunken the poison out of shame for likely losing a wager.
Claude stepped through the crowd, his expression one of outrage as he finally spoke.
“I didn’t realize you were this troubled. I’ll make it a draw. Let’s consider it a wash, but do cut back on some work. It makes me uncomfortable pushing a benefactor toward death. Ugh.”
“What kind of nonsense….”
Ghislaine gawked in disbelief at the absurdity.
But everyone else’s eyes glimmered with moisture as they nodded in agreement.
Even Alfoy looked serious, muttering, “If the lord dies, it’s trouble for me too, so let’s sweep this under the rug, okay? Ugh.”
Left dumbfounded, Ghislaine started to laugh in disbelief, waving his hands.
“Hey, what kind of nonsense is this? The result is right here, and you want to overturn the whole thing?”
Belinda hit her chest, looking upset.
“Stop being so proud and just accept it. Why are you being so stubborn? It’s driving me crazy!”
Feeling suffocated as if choked with sweet potatoes, Ghislaine let out a sigh. The frustration was his own.
“Ah, enough! Everyone just go back and do your jobs! Haven’t you heard that time is money?”
“Young Master, please rest a little longer and think it over, okay? Right now, the poison is still affecting you, and you can’t think straight, right?”
Belinda said soothingly.
She thought he wasn’t in his right mind because of the aftereffects of the poison and thus wouldn’t drop the bet.
“Lord, the Butler is right. It would be wise to take a little more rest. You seem to be in poor condition.”
Gillian also stepped forward in advice, but Ghislaine stood up and resumed his work.
There was no time to waste lying around. When he could move, he needed to give it his all.
“Ugh, my body is a wreck. That poison must have been really strong.”
He looked gaunt, almost skeletal.
As if some life force had been drained from him.
Despite that, Ghislaine stubbornly wandered around the territory, inspecting the progress.
The sudden change in the lord’s appearance startled the territory residents.
“W-what happened? Why does the lord look like that?”
“Isn’t he working too hard?”
“Did he catch some deadly illness? What if our lord suddenly dies?”
The residents were deeply concerned.
After Ghislaine died, the next lord would probably never be as generous as him.
Contrary to the residents’ worries, Ghislaine managed to hold himself up with great difficulty, a smile plastered on his face.
“I can feel it. A powerful energy is surging inside me… coughing! Hough! Bleeding too?”
“Young Master, please rest! You’re only babbling nonsense because you’re tired! Why are you being so defiant?”
Belinda trailed closely behind Ghislaine, pouring out her complaints.
