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Chapter 14

Okay, let’s see... Something else I can try out is Synthesize Poison, so I activate it.

The same menu from Poison Condensation pops up, and upon further inspection, the same options I remember are there too.

It looks like there isn’t any sort of change.

‘Hold... There is an option labeled “Create.”’

What? I double-check my options after hearing about it.

I only then noticed that there was a “Create” option inside the “Synthesize” submenu.

Well, let’s select it and see what’s there.

> Weak Poison

> Weak Anesthesia

Seems like I can only make the make the two right now.

Surprisingly few too.

It doesn’t even look like I can make swamp toxin.

I hope I’ll be able to perform when it comes to the crunch.

I guess you could say I anticipate seeing myself grow.

Since I’ve just changed my class, if I keep on trying new things, I should be able to do more and more.

‘For the rest of the day, let us go hunting to raise your level. After all, we have nearly finished fulfilling the request we have taken.’

“Yeah, that’s right... Even though I’ve gained as much strength as I did headaches today... No way to go but forward.”

After replying to Veno—though it might have seemed like I was talking to myself—I exited the dungeon. I walked around the pool of poison—my lifesaver in case of emergency.

However, it seems like the monsters seem to have an upper edge.

I didn’t see any of these yesterday, but there are quite a variety of monsters that inhabit this swamp.

I even encountered a pack of Terracotta Poison Zombie Dogs and a two-meter long venomous snake called a Khaki Snake.

While camping in the water, I sniped the Zombie Dogs with my Rapid Feather Crossbow. Shooting them down turned out to be unexpectedly easy.

But, were they here yesterday? These monsters? Perhaps I had not come across them.

And then the Khaki Snake, maybe they’re fine with poison, so it slithered over here. But with my sword, I pierced through its head and defeated it too.

With all its might, it chomped down on me. It only hurt a little, but it was no big deal.

It probably didn’t have any deadly venom. But it’s also plausible that thanks to my Poison Absorption, I healed everything but a wee bit of pain.

I stopped to collect the venom of the Khaki Snake.

Perhaps what it might be is that being poisoned gave me a temporary buff.

Poison Absorption, my clutch skill, is nearly frighteningly all-powerful.

After the fight, I went to retrieve my bolts. A pain, but I’ve got to do my best to reuse them.

After that, I got some herbs from Veno. He taught me to grind it down to a paste and mix in some water to create medicine.

Just in case I need to heal someone else than me, I’ve got it covered.

And like that after my job change, I continue to unexpectedly level up without any problems.

“Blast it! You bastards! After finally making these lands livable, you have come to demand the sapling of the world tree from us?!”

Compatriots of the man from my previous dream stand before me, angrily shouting and slamming fists down on the desk in this assembly room.

“You are going to say that you need the strength of the sapling to power your weapons against the monsters, are you not? I bet you have concluded that it would be easier to steal from us than to defeat the King of Monsters.”

“How you’re honestly under the impression that just by defeating that monster, you can somehow miraculously save the world... I can call it nothing but foolish.”

“To minimalize your losses, you spread rumours all around the world and come stomping in our nation.”

“What are you planning to do?”

They all focus their sights on the man who spoke of his dreams of reclaiming the wastelands.

“In order to protect our nation, we have no choice but to fight. To launch the first strike at the elves would incur many casualties, but it should be possible. However... with a conflict like that, the ruler of monsters would be called into action.”

“... deplorable. Then we would be fighting a foolish battle.”

That voice filled with disdain was from a first-person point of view.

“I know. That’s why we have to get over this difficult hurdle with minimal sacrifices. In order to live a life without war... I know it will be a beautiful thing. And because of that, I don’t want to abandon these dreams of mine.”

The man with dreams of reclamation sympathized and his comrades nod in agreement.

“Their unreasonably demands of us proves that they’ve been driven into a corner too. Their sapling of the world tree is withering and the energy from it is dwindling, hence the excessive orders. If we hold out for a bit more, we should be able to then drag out the negotiations.”

As well, any method we choose to do things, we have to weaken trump card.

The man with dreams of reclamation brandishes his sword and declares.

“From here on, no matter how unreasonable things may be or if an unnecessary war breaks out, just as long as we proceed forward with care for the people in the world, we will find a means of survival.”

He raises his sword to symbolize his determination to end the fighting, consolidating everyone to the cause.

“We have to do our best.”

“Ah, you just keep doing what you’re doing. Just defend this area.”

“Hmph. If you invade my territory, you will break this alliance. And if that happens, I’ll do my worst to you.”

“I know. Now, so that we don’t have to lose anymore than we have already... onwards!”

The world is a complicated place. And because of that, senseless battles are fought over and over again.

In that short amount of time, the mind that I have connected with understood the dizzying change of circumstances.

Having strength alone won’t resolve the situation, and wars start even if you have wisdom.

I might have heard a sigh of lament on how things aren’t going the way he wanted.

It’s now the third afternoon since I’ve come to this world, just after I advanced my job.

I turn up at the village’s part-curio shop, part-apothecary... Arleaf’s father’s place.

“Oh, that you, Cohgray?”

“Ah, yes.”

Correcting him would be a pain, so I let it slide.

After taking a few requests from Arleaf’s dad, I’ve almost become a regular here.

But, I mean, it’s only been three days.

“Didya go to the swamp again today? Remember to take care of your body.”

“Well, I’m good at neutralizing poison...”

I brought in crystallized swamp poison that I created while I was in the swamp water today.

Veno said that I could create poison with water from the swamp, so while I was out trying that out, I went gathering a few herbs.

“By the way, where is Arleaf?”

I haven’t seen her in the past three days.

“Ah, Arleaf’s gone to other villages nearby to sell medicine. She’ll be back in about... three days or so.”

“Oh, is that right?”

She even goes around peddling... what a hard worker.

I haven’t seen a single bad thing about her yet.

“What’s up? You interested in Arleaf? Well, she’s real friendly and she can take care of others, so she’s popular with adventurers. I’m right proud of my daughter.”

That’s for sure. She’s pretty and nice.

It’d be weird if she weren’t popular.

Also, quit bragging about your own daughter!

There’s something annoying about that.

“That other time, you had a spat with her. Was there something wrong between the two of you?”

“If I said anything, I’d be revealing her secrets and we’ll end up fighting again. Shouldn’t you ask her about it directly?”

“Certainly...”

“Actually, Cohgray. You come here everyday bringing those items I request. Aren’t those all pretty difficult to get for you, eh?”

For me, it’s the opposite. My suspicions on what he actually deals in this apothecary grow.

From poisonous moss that will send you to the afterlife to highly addictive ingredients to be used in tobacco, all his requests are strange and worrisome.

As well, my level has gone up and so has the number of poisons I am able to create. The stuff I made during my experiment with Synthesize Poison would mesh well with all the poisonous stuff in this shop, so I brought it along.

It’s an instantly-effective slow poison... Once hit by this poison, it slows down the target’s neurotransmission, causing temporary sluggishness and delayed reflexes.

I could use Poison Enchantment on my crossbow arrows—err, bolts... stick them with a few of those and I’ll have an easier fight with fast-moving monsters.

For some reason, this apothecary seems to deal in poisons, so I sold it to him.

And, about money... well, I’ve saved up quite a bit, I thought... but when I went to the equipment store, my eyes popped out of their sockets.

An iron sword is still affordable.

But anything else is in a totally different league.

And furthermore, the oil for maintaining my sword is kinda pricey too.

Jumping into the swamp really makes my sword rust up quick, putting me in quite the unfortunate plight of having to constantly polish it.

“And more than that, you’ve even brought some mid-grade potions. There’s no way I wouldn’t be interested.”

“Well, you know, I’m learning from an acquaintance how to make them.”

After switching jobs, Veno recommended me to buy a pot, a mortar, and a pestle so that I can learn how to make potions.

Though I can heal myself with poisons, I could fulfill any requests for medicines.

Maybe it’s because Veno himself is a dragon poison or perhaps it’s his never-ending curiosity, but medicine is something he’s familiar with.

Veno stored a whole lot of roughly-prepared potions for me, but he told me that I should refine and finalize them. With his support, I keep on producing more.

Poison and potion begin the same anyway.

“Cohgray. What about the mana potions that I’ve personally requested you to get me?”

“Oh, that stuff. I’ve already made some yesterday.”

I made some of the exact medicine—err, potions—that speeds up magic recovery appear right on his counter.

I made it from poisonous herbs in the swamp that Arleaf didn’t pick.

It was relatively easy to make for how much money it sells for.

Two days ago, Arleaf’s dad showed me a way that I must make it, but it was quite the pain in the ass way to do so.

When I probed into it, all I knew I had to do was to make a different concoction with the same effects.

With me stuck between that and the pain in the ass method, Veno called out to me.

‘Though it is an easy process, I am a fool for not having realized sooner...’

Veno tells me that this process isn’t something that he found out by himself.

I didn’t ask further, but does that mean it’s the method of someone hiding somewhere out there in the world?

Or maybe it’s something like a recipe book written by an old witch who’s now in retirement.

Whatever the origins may be, a complete novice like I was able to make a decent potion using the techniques I learned from back in home-ec class in school with this method.

All I had to do was to grind poisonous herbs down to a paste with a mortar and pestle, boil it, reduce it, stir it, and strain it through some cloth.

Well... if you were to handle it with bare hands, you’re likely to develop a rash. But since I had Poison Absorption, I was perfectly fine.

“Alrighty, then, I’ll buy it from you. Lookin’ forward to the next time too... I know you said you’re good with poison, but don’t get cocky, eh? There is stuff out there that no one can handle.”

“That is something I have got see then.”

I’d also want to test out the capabilities of my Poison Absorption too.

It’s important to know your limits and to stay within it, right?

“Seeing you bein’ so composed, no wonder you don’t need no buddies.”

“Was that sarcastic?”

The adventurers in the plaza and the tavern all seem to be looking for more party members, but it’s hard to join an already established group. So that’s why I can’t help but to do these quests all on my own. It’s not by choice!

“You don’t have a Warrior above level 30, do ya? We’re recruiting people to defeat a Tiger Ohm.”

It feels like he’s saying that just to see if I have a party I adventure with.

It’s just that... most people are higher level than me. And the ones who are low-levelled all claim to be a great class.

Moreover, we’re in such a deserted village; there aren’t many people here.

From what I can tell from the three days I’ve been here, all the parties seem to have a fixed lineup already.

I’ve been asking here and there to join a group... but I’m a Poison-Wielder! I can’t say tell people that.

Maybe I should lie about my job. I’d be such a chicken though.

“Poison-Wielder” just doesn’t sound good and plus, I’m being pursued... Because of that, I’ve been going for quests that I can complete alone, such as ones in the heart of the poisonous swamp.

Besides, the swamp feels like an onsen; soaking in it takes away my fatigue.

By the way, I’m level 17 right now.

I feel like I’m levelling up quite quickly.

It seems like the monsters in the swamp aren’t exactly weak either.

It’s a dangerous place for monsters who can’t do a thing to counteract the poison.

And partly because of the miasma, adventurers in this empty village don’t go out that way much. The rare ones that do go, I haven’t met yet.

That’s why there are so many plants to harvest over there with lots of monsters still alive too.

Because of that... there have been rumours saying that I might be some high-level, high-rank mage or something like that.