"Our [Combat Power] is high enough that none of the monsters here can really threaten us," Leon said as they moved deeper into the forest, his eyes scanning the green haze around them. "But that’s not why I ca here. I want to head toward the deepest part of the forest. That’s where things actually beco dangerous."
"Alright," Emilia replied without hesitation, nodding as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
At so point, she had stopped questioning Leon’s decisions.
Every ti he proposed sothing that sounded reckless or unnecessary, it sohow ended with them becoming stronger, richer, or better prepared for the future.
She didn’t know how he did it, but she trusted him. Completely.
The mont they fully crossed into the [Poison Forest], the atmosphere changed.
The air beca thick and heavy, carrying a sharp, bitter sll that stung the nose.
A faint green mist drifted between the twisted trees, clinging to their trunks and pooling near the ground.
The forest was unnaturally quiet, as if even sound itself struggled to survive in this place.
Then a panel appeared in front of them.
Ding!
[You have been infected with "Low Poison". It is not imdiately harmful, but prolonged exposure without an antidote will result in poisoning.]
"Oh no..." Emilia whispered, her entire body tensing as she read the ssage. A visible shiver ran down her spine.
Leon glanced at her reaction and sighed inwardly.
"You can drink the [Poison Antidote] I gave you now," he said calmly. "It’ll suppress the poison effect for a while. I’ll manage on my own."
Emilia hesitated for a mont, clutching the small vial in her hand.
"I’ll wait," she said after a second, forcing a weak smile. "It cures poison completely anyway, so I might as well save it."
Leon nodded. "Fair enough."
They continued forward, stepping carefully between the gnarled roots and moss-covered stones.
The poison effect lingered in the background, a subtle pressure constantly reminding them that this place was hostile by nature.
It didn’t take long before movent caught their attention.
A faint rustling ca from the bushes ahead, followed by a sharp hiss.
Several long shapes slithered out from the shadows, their bodies glistening with a sickly green sheen.
"A-ah—!" Emilia let out a small shriek and instinctively stepped back.
Leon noticed it imdiately and almost smiled, though he kept his expression neutral.
A group of snakes had erged, each about a ter long, their eyes glowing faintly as they locked onto their prey.
---
[Toxic Snake]
[Level: 15]
[Combat Power: 6,000]
[Details: A snake corrupted by the toxic power of the forest.]
---
The snakes didn’t hesitate.
The mont they sensed Leon and Emilia, they lunged forward, fangs bared and bodies coiling with surprising speed.
Slash!
Leon stepped in front without any sign of panic and swung his sword once.
The motion was clean and effortless.
In a single arc, all the snakes were cut apart, their bodies collapsing onto the forest floor before they even had a chance to strike.
The green glow in their eyes faded instantly.
Leon didn’t even slow down.
"These things are weak," he remarked casually.
Emilia stared at the corpses, then let out a shaky breath.
"...I know that logically," she said, "but I still hate snakes."
Leon found that harder to argue with.
Their fangs wouldn’t have pierced his skin even if they had landed a bite.
His constitution was far too high for that. Compared to the enemies they had faced during the Shadow Horde event, these monsters were laughably fragile.
Even the [Dark Sentinels] had been more dangerous.
The reason was obvious: the [Poison Forest] was a mandatory zone.
Everyone, no matter their race or background, had to pass through it to advance further into the [Lower Domain].
If it were too difficult, most players would simply be stuck here forever.
That ant the zone was balanced around what the system considered an "average" player at this stage.
Roughly 6,000 or 7,000 Combat Power. Anyone below that threshold would struggle to survive.
And anyone far above it, like Leon and Emilia, could walk through almost unhindered.
Those who couldn’t reach that level? The system wouldn’t save them.
They would either stagnate here, desperately grinding weak monsters, or eventually die to a mistake, an ambush, or a lack of preparation.
Leon’s expression darkened slightly.
’Sothing terrible is coming in the future,’ he thought. ’Sothing that will wipe out anyone who isn’t strong enough.’
Even in his current state, he knew there were enemies he couldn’t face head-on yet. That was why he needed to keep growing. Why he couldn’t afford to slow down.
Only after enduring what was coming would the path to the [Higher Domain] truly open.
For now, though—
Ding!
[You have killed x5 "Toxic Snakes" and gained 1,000 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been placed in your storage space.]
Leon opened his [Storage Space] imdiately.
[Poison Fangs x4 (Uncommon Material)]
[Toxic Snake Essence x5: Consuming will increase Constitution by 4.]
His eyes lit up slightly.
’Nice.’
He took four of the essences and tossed one toward Emilia.
She caught it automatically and stared at it, then looked back at him with narrowed eyes.
"Seriously," she said, "your talent has to be related to luck or sothing. You always get essences. And a ridiculous amount of items."
Leon laughed softly.
"You’re getting warr," he replied. "Try again. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually."
"Grr..." Emilia grumbled, but she didn’t push the issue.
They both consud the essences.
A warm sensation spread through Leon’s body as his constitution increased, reinforcing his already absurd durability.
As for Emilia, the effect was even more noticeable.
Because of her [Title], her Constitution was multiplied by five.
That ant a simple 4 increase turned into 20 for her.
At a glance, Emilia didn’t look especially tough. She was a caster, after all. But her actual [Combat Power] was deceptively high. At this point, even level 20 to 25 monsters would struggle to injure her seriously.
If she wanted to, she could probably sprint through the [Poison Forest] without stopping and co out unscathed.
Still, Leon wasn’t about to let her do that. Overconfidence was the fastest way to die.
As they continued walking, Leon observed the surroundings carefully.
The deeper they went, the thicker the poison mist beca. The trees twisted into unnatural shapes, and the ground itself seed to pulse faintly with green light.
And as he watched the monsters lurking in the distance, an idea slowly ford in his mind.
’This might actually be a good place to test it.’
Until now, Leon hadn’t had a real opportunity to use his new sub-talent properly. Against powerful enemies, summoning weak entities would only slow him down.
But this zone was different. It was designed for average players.
Which ant—
Leon stopped walking and raised the hand holding his staff.
A cold, eerie sensation spread through the air.
Fwoosh!
Dark energy seeped into the ground in front of him.
Three figures slowly clawed their way out of the earth, bones scraping against stone as they erged.
They were humanoid skeletons, their fras thin and pale. Rusted armor clung to their bodies, and each carried a simple, worn sword.
A faint green glow burned in their hollow eye sockets. They turned toward Leon and stood still, awaiting orders.
These were the skeletons summoned by his [Basic Necromancy] sub-talent.
They carried roughly 25% of his attributes.
---
[Basic Skeleton]
[Master: Celestial]
[Constitution: 624]
[Strength: 737]
[Agility: 660]
[Spirit: 577]
[Combat Power: 5,196]
[Details: A weak skeleton summoned by a novice necromancer. Limited combat capability.]
---
Leon studied them closely.
They weren’t impressive by his standards. Against elite enemies, they would be crushed almost instantly.
But here? Here, they should be enough.
He pointed forward, silently issuing a command.
The skeletons nodded in unison and rushed ahead into the forest, their movents stiff but determined.
Not long after, they encountered another monster. This one was different.
Its body was thicker, its scales darker, and the green glow around it was far more intense.
---
[Toxic Snake (Mutated)]
[Level: 15]
[Combat Power: 6,900]
[Details: A toxic snake mutated by prolonged exposure to the "Core of Poison".]
---
Leon’s eyes narrowed.
’The [Core of Poison],’ he thought. ’I rember hearing about that.’
In his past life, rumors had spread about a hidden [Secret Dungeon] deep within the [Poison Forest]. At its center lay the [Core of Poison], an object capable of granting deadly poison-based abilities.
Anyone who obtained it would gain terrifying power, regardless of race or background.
It was also the source of the forest’s toxicity.
The closer one got to it, the more poisonous the environnt beca, and the stronger the monsters grew.
That was why most players were advised to rush through the forest instead of exploring it.
But Leon had never been one to follow safe advice. The three skeletons didn’t hesitate.
They drew their swords and moved to engage the mutated snake.
Leon stayed back, watching closely.
"It’s weird," Emilia said quietly, gripping her scepter just in case. "Seeing monsters fight for us."
Leon didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the skeletons as they charged.
"We’ll see," he said at last.
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