Chapter Sixteen: Carried Away by a Tycoon

“Let me think, let me think… why does this feel so familiar…”

Linus paced back and forth in the room, chewing the cigarette butt until it was crushed, his brow furrowed so deeply it seemed as if sweat might seep through.

That crimson greatsword—it sounded familiar, but from whom had he heard of it? For a moment, he couldn’t recall.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the greatsword in the long case—it once belonged to Aganzo!

At the same time, a figure long buried deep within his memory resurfaced on his lips—a name that stirred sorrow and tears… Luxi!

“So, it was you who wielded the weapon, Fury of the Mad Dragon… sigh.”

A long, wistful sigh escaped him, evoking the tragic love story of Aganzo and Luxi.

———

Nightlin and Siat did not recklessly charge into the Glen Forest. Instead, they chose to seek the advice of the local rulers, Seria and Tana.

“Poison Cat King?”

Tana raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Unlike Keno’s random lightning strikes, the Poison Cat King constantly emits a faint purple poison mist. Inhaling even a small amount causes dizziness; prolonged exposure leads to death by poison. The mist blankets the entire territory. What do you intend to do there?”

Nightlin shrugged and recounted Linus’s trial, realizing that obtaining a divine weapon wasn’t so simple.

“Maybe we should just forget it…”

Siat tugged on his sleeve, a hint of embarrassment on her face. She had only been momentarily angry and eager to claim the greatsword, but she hadn’t expected the Poison Cat King to cover his domain entirely with poisonous fog. It was terrifying.

Even an elite imperial armored squad sent to exterminate it would be utterly wiped out.

Nightlin smiled confidently. “Don’t worry. The Poison Cat King has underlings. If they’re alive, there must be a way to resist the poison!”

Seria sipped her milk delicately and pulled two small purple pills, each the size of a pinky knuckle, from her pocket. “These are made from herbs found in the Poison Cat King’s territory. They provide temporary immunity to the poison mist. The goblins and cat spirits have survived by taking these herbs for an extended time.”

“How long does it last?”

Nightlin took one pill and handed another to Siat, tilting his head back with a smug expression. So, there was a solution after all.

“Shameless!”

“About five hours. There is also a purplish-red flower, palm-sized, that offers temporary protection but tastes awful.”

“Oh, and each pill costs one hundred gold coins!”

Seria extended her pale hand, her smile pure and untainted, gentle and charming.

Pay up!

Nightlin: …

“Once immune to the poison mist, the Poison Cat King loses one of its claws. With my restored half strength, one sword strike will finish it off!”

On the way to Glen Forest, Siat grasped a high-quality greatsword and swung it through the air with a whoosh. Despite its bulky size, the greatsword in her hands was no different from a regular katana—she could strike swiftly.

———

“It’s not that simple. Seria has sold these pills for 150 gold coins to some, but the Poison Cat King is still thriving. There’s clearly something strange going on.”

Adventurers heading to Glen Forest today had noticeably increased, spurred by the mysterious death of Keno the Lightning Striker. Many eager to explore the Elven legacy were now flocking toward the Thunder Ruins.

The Poison Cat King’s domain bordered the Thunder Ruins to the north, making their destination clear and saving them the trouble of searching.

The Venomous Thunder Ruins—a strangely silent forest suffused with faint purple mist. Behind the bushes, whispers could be heard, and beyond the towering trees, mournful wails echoed faintly.

Sniff sniff—

Siat wrinkled her nose. “There’s a faint sweet scent… like freshly baked cream cake.”

“That’s the poison mist. Without Seria’s herbs, you’d already be poisoned.”

Nightlin gripped the heirloom katana and casually sent a cat spirit lurking in the bushes into battle, letting it hunt enemies on its own.

The bounty on the Poison Cat King rivaled that of Lightning Keno, especially due to its deadly venom sacs, which attracted many hunters.

Along the way, they spotted small purplish-red flowers, palm-sized with six petals—these blossoms allowed other creatures to resist the poison mist and survive safely.

Magic Sword Secret Technique!

Lightning Stornbringer!

Man and sword united!

Illusory Sword Art!

A shadowy clone dashed into the bushes where the cat spirits hid, wielding a long sword with wide, sweeping strikes. The lightning-infused sword technique unleashed crackling electricity that dealt lethal damage.

Siat was right—if it weren’t for the deadly poison, these cat spirits wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

“Why do I feel like I’m just here to follow a pro’s grind? Five thousand zombies?”

Nightlin was silent, feeling like a freeloader—picking up materials and shouting praise from behind.

He envied the Magic Sword Secret Technique’s power—whether wielding a greatsword or a blunt weapon, the skill forcibly reshaped the weapon’s form, catching enemies off guard with sheer force.

The secondary explosive attribute often left foes defenseless and dead.

But the Magic Sword Secret Technique was a blend of the Power of Transference and Sword Mastery, something no one else could learn.

Siat flung a cat spirit away with a sword strike, but suddenly stiffened and restrained her somewhat reckless fighting style.

The cat spirit, about as long as a person from head to tail, was thrown onto a seemingly ordinary bush covered in flowers.

In the blink of an eye, blossoms erupted, vines twisting wildly, and within a minute, the cat spirit was wrapped up like a dumpling, only a few drops of blood seeping out.

Truly, one must never underestimate anything in Glen Forest—not even the plants.

Whoosh—

A cold wind blew. From the bushes behind Siat came rustling sounds, as if mysterious eyes were watching them.

———

Rustle—

The bushes parted, revealing a massive purple-black cat spirit, the size of a calf, lunging swiftly at Siat.

Parry!

Siat instantly deactivated the Magic Sword Secret Technique and assumed a defensive stance. The slender Lightning Sword was ill-suited to parry such a large beast.

Scratch—

The cat spirit’s claws scraped sparks off the greatsword’s surface. Seizing the moment, Siat kicked the creature away, exclaiming, “Such a huge cat spirit! Its claws are longer than my fingers!”

“That’s not a cat spirit—that’s the Poison Cat King! It actually came out!”

Nightlin frowned in surprise. He had expected to encounter the Poison Cat King only deep within the Venomous Thunder Ruins, yet it appeared at the outskirts.

His certainty came from the fact that the poison mist deepened in color once it showed itself.

Creak—

Suddenly, the greatsword in Siat’s hand felt light. She looked on in shock as the sword, just clawed by the Poison Cat King, was corroded and snapped by a black energy wrapping around it!

“Huh?”

Though it was just a high-grade weapon borrowed from Linus’s rack, it was still metal!

Run!

Without hesitation, both took off running. They finally understood why Seria had sold the herbs but the Poison Cat King remained alive.

This overwhelming dark energy could corrode metal—touching it might be a death sentence. What a nightmare!

“Didn’t you say you could kill the Poison Cat King in one strike?”

Nightlin glanced back at the pursuing Poison Cat King, which had gained a bit more speed.

“I can, but it destroyed my sword. This thing is too sinister. Its most valuable asset isn’t the venom sacs—it’s those claws!”

“Quick, take the Overdrive Capsule.”

[Overdrive Capsule]: Attack speed +30%, Movement speed +30%.

“You’re supposed to be a professional!” Nightlin teased.

“Even an Awakener can’t endure a strike from it. Poison is the hardest to deal with. Have you heard of Paris, the princess of the slums in Hedonmar? She uses poison—no empire dares provoke her.”