Chapter 16: An Unyielding Heart

Thump!

The strike of his great staff against the floor made the Hall of Great Illusion within the spirit jade tremble.

Suddenly, the chamber began filling with tendrils of inky darkness, like living vines. This was the Thousand Hands Vine, a plant-type monster.

When one lay upon it, the body felt as if supported by a thousand gentle hands, lulled into comfort.

But beware this sweetness.

The Thousand Hands Vine carries a toxin potent enough to cause subcutaneous hemorrhages after only five minutes of contact.

And that’s not all.

Hidden within its tendrils live microscopic creatures called Thousand Hands Worms, invisible to the naked eye.

These creatures might appear beneficial at first glance, cleaning our bodies by feeding on dead skin cells.

However, prolonged exposure to them harbors a potent toxin capable of causing various lesions.

?

Taejun, utterly bewildered, found himself supported by the vines that had suddenly sprouted, a confused expression on his face.

“Since you enjoy lying down so much, why don’t you try relaxing on this new bed for a change?”

With the Heavenly Vine and the Thousand Hands Worms, that madman will surely abandon his struggle and beg for release.

Ilcheon Dangsa’s eyes gleamed triumphantly beneath his thick eyebrows.

“What is this?”

I muttered to myself, groping at something that had suddenly sprung up from the floor.

Judging by its texture, thickness, and the way it felt in my hand, it seemed like the stem of some plant.

The room was so dark that it was difficult to discern its true nature.

All I could tell was that these suddenly sprouted stems had filled the entire room in an instant.

I considered using the ‘Flash’ function in my Status Window but abandoned the idea.

In this illusory room, the use of both items and skills was prohibited.

There was no need to blatantly use Status Window functions and risk being caught by Grand Master Thousand.

Moreover, as Manager Mi had said, these tentacles…

The vines didn’t seem intent on harming me.

In fact, the moment they sprang out and wrapped around me,

“What the—? This is incredibly cozy!”

An unbelievable wave of comfort washed over my entire body. It felt like sinking into a bed made entirely of feathers.

And that wasn’t all.

Squelch… squelch.

The vines around me began kneading my back, legs, and other areas, like a professional massage device.

“Ooh-ah.”

My body swayed slightly as an involuntary exclamation escaped my lips.

This was insane.

This level of comfort put those massage chairs you pay 1,000 won for 10 minutes at the sauna to absolute shame. It felt like surrendering my body to the expert hands of a thirty-year veteran masseur.

Ah, was this heaven?

As I was reveling in the blissful tranquility, the chat window beside me grumbled.

“Thanks for your hard work. Only ten more days of this.”

“Hmm, well…”

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

I crossed my arms, completely entrusting my body to the vine that was meticulously drumming against my back.

“But this is too absurd to be a trial. If you think about the essence of trials…”

There’s no reason to provide such an ultra-high-performance massage device for that purpose.

The physical pain had grown almost unbearable, far beyond what I could endure in silence.

My body status.

Lee Taejun’s vital signs are currently within the normal range for a human.

For now, my physical condition remains optimal.

But soon, I noticed something peculiar.

Experience Poison Immunity is active, isn’t it?

Experience Poison Immunity is a passive skill. It activates automatically without any notification when its conditions are met.

Which means…

“Aha.”

My eyes narrowed.

After all, even if Ilcheon Dangsa had lost his mind, there was no way he could have missed this.

He wouldn’t have installed a massage chair just to make me more comfortable.

This stem must be designed to gently ensnare prey, lulling them into relaxation. It’s undoubtedly a creature that slowly kills with toxins.

By now, I should be twisting in agony, contorting all over.

Since I’m completely immune to plant-based toxins, that won’t happen.

Suddenly, an information window flashed into view, confirming my deduction.

Immediate hypertoxic herbal venom.

A plant-based toxin that, if absorbed, would turn the entire body a livid blue like a bruise, causing respiratory distress and internal bleeding.

I narrowed my eyes at the information window.

If I didn’t have Immunity to All Poisons, I would have been ejected immediately.

It was beyond willpower to withstand the virulent toxin engulfing my entire body.

Yet Ilcheon Dangsa apparently deemed this insufficient.

Currently, the Thousand Hands Worm’s toxin is invading the user’s body.

No wonder my toe had been feeling so itchy earlier.

But there was no cause for great concern this time either.

Once again, the Current Status Window provided its analysis:

Ah, I see.

Could this be an opportunity to gain immunity to the toxins of worm-type monsters?

It was actually a perfect chance to upgrade my Experience Poison Immunity.

However, I couldn’t simply enjoy the situation and rejoice.

“I have to be careful here.”

Ilcheon Dangsa must be furious that I’ve survived ten days unscathed. It seems he’s shifted his strategy to inflict physical pain instead.

If I keep lounging around like this, he’ll likely crank up the difficulty.

There are still ten days remaining before the twenty-day deadline Ilcheon Dangsa set. To survive the rest of the time in peace, I’d have to use my head.

Hmm… what to do? Ah!

Suddenly, an idea struck me.

“Manager Mi, I have a question for you.”

“You said that items traded on the Parsley Market can only be used by users with the Current Status Window, right?”

“So, if someone isn’t a user, the item itself is invisible to them?”

[ Can you see the items themselves? ] Manager Mi replied.

“What about weapons or equipment bought from the market?”

Pretty thorough, I thought.

As expected of Parsley Market, a service that’s been running for so long, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious weak point.

I paused for a moment before asking, “Manager Mi, what do you think?”

“Then Ilcheon Dangsa wouldn’t be able to identify the items I bought from Parsley Market either, right?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Manager Mi replied.

That’s because the concept of a “Current Status Window” simply doesn’t apply on Earth. This holds true not only for humans, but also for the monsters and NPCs that migrated from dungeons.

Nodding, I immediately launched Parsley Market and checked one of the sales posts I’d bookmarked during my market explorations over the past ten days:

I’d bookmarked this post without much thought, drawn by the amusing item for sale.

Upon closer inspection, I learned the Jam-Jam Potion was a concoction that temporarily altered the body for a short duration.

It’s like those paint candies I used to love as a kid, I thought. The kind that dyed your tongue bright blue when you sucked on them. This potion seemed to be used for similar purposes—novelty toys or party supplies.

I sent an inquiry and received an immediate reply.

Just as I’d predicted.

“How long does the effect last?”

The other person, who had been nonchalant until now, paused briefly.

Damn it.

What on earth is going on?

What’s the Butterfly Race?

As I pondered this, Manager Mi, who had been watching from the sidelines, subtly opened the chat window.

”…”

Ah.

The sudden lament about reality, the idea of “escaping from mosol after 10,000 years,” and the urgent sale of items…

The seller hadn’t said a word, but I felt like I understood the story behind this sales post.

As I struggled to find the right words with a bitter expression, the seller, who had been ranting about the evils of lookism, sent another message:

Escape from Mosol After 10,000 Years: Ugh, finally. You, on the other hand, I hope you confess successfully.

Shortly after completing the transaction,

I stowed away the potions and tapped on my Status Window.

With those final words, the seller left the chatroom.

But it seemed my heartfelt encouragement had worked.

Almost immediately, a new notification popped up:

I received a warm transaction review.

“Whoa.”

So maybe after being single for 10,000 years, a person can’t help but become warmer.

I should definitely write a glowing review for this trade.

Of course, after I finish my current task.

In the darkness, I pulled out a bottle of Jjaemjjaem Potion and shook it gently.

The bottle had a satisfying weight and produced a clear, liquid sound as it sloshed.

Manager Mi, who had been watching with curiosity, asked,

“Taejun, why did you suddenly buy ten bottles of that useless stuff? Are you secretly planning to confess to the Butterfly Race behind my back?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what’s the point of Jjaemjjaem Potion in this situation?”

“Just watch.”

I popped the cork and downed the entire bottle in one gulp.

About five minutes later, I checked my status screen.

Success.

The effect of Jjaemjjaem Potion was now visible in my status.

“Ugh!”

I spat out the potion I’d been holding in my mouth, the liquid resembling blood as it splattered onto the groun

“Cough! Cough!”

I began hacking, my face contorted in pain.

“Kuh, cough, khack!”

With a pained expression, I collapsed weakly onto the vine.

Manager Mi’s chat window immediately flooded with question marks.

He was monitoring me in real-time, so he must have known better than anyone that there was nothing actually wrong with me.

Ignoring the comment, I cradled my purudin-tinged arm and groaned.

After all, this charade wasn’t meant for him.

It was meant for the “other” who was monitoring me in real-time.

After maintaining this agonizing pretense for about ten minutes, Manager Mi fell silent.

Only then did I bite my lip, slowly rising to my feet. My eyes burned with a fierce determination—I would endure this pain and hardship, no matter what.

“I’ll hold on until the end,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

I sat cross-legged on the vine.

“Master.”

Then, my eyes widening, I glared at the ceiling and shouted, “No matter what trials you throw at me here, I will endure them all!”

“What matters most is an unyielding spirit.”

Of course, no answer came.

But it didn’t matter.

I hadn’t expected one anyway.

Instead, still sitting cross-legged, I reopened Parsley Market and began writing a review for Escape from Mosol After 10,000 Years’s transaction.

I pondered how to craft a warm and positive review.

All the while, even amidst my deliberations, I didn’t lose my solemn, even heroic, air.

Cough.