Chapter 7: A Fresh Perspective (2)

“It’s kind of fun, like picking fruit,” I said, wiping the sweat from my brow as I clung to the thick stem of the Venom Spore Mother. I then dropped the essence stone I had extracted from the 99th Spore Junior.

Thunk!

The fist-sized blue rock rolled across the pile of essence stones that had already accumulated on the ground. Now only two remained: one within easy reach on the last Spore Junior, and the other hidden deep within the flower bud at the very top of the stem of the Venom Spore Mother.

“Alright, let’s just push a little harder.”

As I began climbing the stem again, a message window suddenly appeared.

It was understandable.

He’d been clinging to the over-60-meter-long sporangium for nearly half an hour, maintaining his balance on the swaying stalk like he was surfing through waves while collecting essence stones.

In fact, it would have been strange if he hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

“Not tired at all,” I replied, grabbing the last unopened bud of the Venom Spore Jr.

Thud!

I plunged my gloved hand into the center of the still-closed bud.

RIIIP!

At the same moment, thick, greenish toxin drenched my forearm and shoulder.

Last time, even a slight graze of this toxin resulted in second-degree burns and nerve damage.

But now…

“Phew, feels so refreshing.”

It was just cold water, cooling down my overheated body from exterminating monsters.

I shook my head, flicking off the toxin, and stirred the tightly closed flower bud like a shell. Soon, I grasped a fist-sized rock embedded within the pistil.

Crack!

As I tore it free, the flower bud unfurled on its own and drooped limply. Before me lay a shimmering blue rock—an essence stone.

Right.

Just a little struggle, like riding an amusement park ride, and I’ve got a million-won essence stone in my hands.

Who has time for dizziness or exhaustion?

“This is the 100th.”

After dropping the last essence stone below, I glanced down at the stalk I had climbed so far.

All the Spore Juniors lay limp, their essence stones harvested.

“That’s true.”

“Absolutely.”

As Management Mi had said, tearing out the Mother’s core would make the remaining Juniors clinging to the stalk wither away automatically.

But if I did that…

“I wouldn’t be able to harvest the essence stones.”

The moment the Mother is slain, the essence stones of the parasitic Juniors transform into ordinary rocks.

Of course, knowing all this, most hunters immediately target the Mother in their extermination efforts. It’s simply impossible to remain in the same space as the Mother—a massive mass of pure poison—for long.

But I’m completely unaffected, even after bathing in the venom. For me, such limitations are utterly meaningless.

Management Mi’s disgusted message flashed in my mind. Instead of replying, I smirked and raised my gaze toward the enormous flower bud.

Now, it was time for the main course.

”------!”

As if sensing my burning gaze, the colossal bud convulsed and emitted an unearthly howl. Simultaneously, a volcanic eruption of pollen—comprising countless Poison Spores—exploded outward and rained down upon us.

For the mother plant, it was her last line of defense.

“Hmph.”

Amidst the pollen cascading like volcanic ash, I rapidly climbed up the stem, swinging like Tarzan.

“Thanks, Management Mi.”

It wasn’t sudden at all.

The reason I could climb this slippery stem so nimbly—

The reason I could extract essence stones from a hundred Spore Juniors in less than thirty minutes—

The reason I could sing a tune while being doused in Poison—

It all came down to the upgraded Status Window I’d gained today and the free skills that came with it.

Management Mi weakly displayed a message window.

“Yes, yes. Just a moment.”

With that, I leaped up through the wide-open petals and landed on the edge of the pistil.

I had been planning to descend anyway, after extracting the essence stone embedded deep within the flower’s center.

”--------!”

As I observed the stamens and stigmas swaying like a field of wheat, the mother entity, which had allowed an intrusion into its core, let out another shriek.

Whoosh!

Immediately, the massive petals curled upward, reforming the flower bud.

I found myself completely trapped inside.

Fortunately, sunlight streaming through the petals prevented the surroundings from darkening.

Suddenly, the pistils and stamens, reaching up to my height, began to vibrate.

Fshhh! Fshhh! Fshhh!

Simultaneously, a pungent, toxic fog began to fill the flower bud.

This time, something was different.

A constricting sensation in my chest was accompanied by sudden, rapid breathing.

But before I could panic, my Status Window, having detected the anomaly, flashed a warning:

It seemed that since direct toxin application had failed, the flower bud was now attempting to trap me and suffocate me by cutting off my oxygen supply.

“Hmm.”

[ Taejun! What should we do?! In this situation, there’s nothing I can do to help you! ] Management Mi hastily sent a message, the urgency of the situation clear in her voice.

To be honest, this development was unexpected. Without the toxin working, I’d assumed the flower was merely a large vine.

He even knew how to apply his abilities in his own way.

This was undeniably a clever method. It was also a foolproof way to kill a creature immune to toxins.

“Hold on.”

That was why he had almost succeeded.

Right.

“There’s always a way.”

That is, if his target hadn’t been a porter and janitor who carried every conceivable support item.

I pulled a mask from my crossback.

This seemingly ordinary mask was called KF-185, a piece of “cleaning equipment” used for handling the carcasses of highly venomous monsters.

The mask was equipped with a small oxygen tank that could provide oxygen for about ten minutes.

“Haa…”

The moment I put on the mask, refreshing air flowed into my lungs.

I used to desperately hope I’d never need this back when I was just a cleanup porter.

Even with this mask, the stench from highly toxic monster corpses was unbearable.

But who would’ve thought I’d end up using it as such a lifesaver in this situation?

“Quite the turn of events.”

I continued, wading through a field of pistils and stigmas nearly as tall as me.

“So, what now?”

”-----!”

The Venom Spores’ dying cries scattered like a final scream.

I smiled faintly, adjusting my poison-encrusted cotton gloves.

Thud!

I slid down the stem and placed the radiant red rock next to the pile of essence stones.

Behind me lay the withered Venom Spore Mother, its body embedded in the barrier.

And right across the magic barrier, practically nose-to-nose with us:

”…”

Lieutenant So Yeonwoo and the Mobile Unit members stood frozen, speechless.

“Are you… alright?”

As I brushed the green juice off my clothes, Lieutenant So asked first.

“I’m fine.”

“Why are you fine?”

”?”

“Ah, no. That was a question that could be misunderstood. I mean… weren’t you constantly exposed to the Venom Spore’s poison and powder?”

I shrugged in response.

“As I mentioned earlier, I possess the Poison Resistance skill. On top of that, I took a potent antidote.”

“Ah.”

“Therefore, never deactivate this barrier until the Detoxing team arrives.”

I alone remain unaffected.

This entire area is now practically a radioactive zone.

“Yes. But I understood that Resistance Skills…” Lieutenant So Yeonwoo paused, seemingly deciding it would be impolite to pry, given how much I had helped him. He quickly lowered his head.

“Thank you, Hunter Lee Taejun. Thanks to you, we were able to seal the gate without any casualties.”

“It’s nothing. I simply did what needed to be done.”

“Hardly. What you did was something no ordinary person could have accomplished. Honestly, I don’t even know if my superiors will believe me when I report this.”

The lieutenant continued with a bitter smile.

“After accounting for the harvested essence stones, we will deliver eighty percent of the quantity to your residence.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of the detoxing separately before leaving.”

“You can handle the detoxing yourself?”

“I have plenty of experience with it.”

“Someone as capable as you… even takes care of the cleanup himself?”

Lieutenant So Yeonwoo muttered, his eyes filled with admiration.

Indeed, most hunters wouldn’t bother with cleaning up the detoxing mess afterward.

But I was the one doing the cleaning, not the one being cleaned up.

Seven years of lugging baggage in the gutters had prepared me for this too.

After pulling equipment from my backpack, it only took a few minutes to begin detoxing my poison-drenched body.

“Hey, you little #$##^#! So… %! like that!”

A sudden commotion erupted from beyond the partition.

“Wait, Hunter! The gate’s already sealed!”

“Let me through! I need to see which bastards swooped in and took our share!”

Pushing past the restraining riot squad members, a man with a distorted expression forced his way through.

And the moment our eyes met across the magic barrier, his mouth fell agape, and he called my name in a daze.

”…Lee Taejun?”

Choi Jinho.

“What are you doing here?”

He was part of the Bicheon Guild’s extermination team, arriving a full hour after the gate had been activated.

“What are you doing, Lee Taejun?”

Choi Jinho repeated, his voice sharp.

I held up the Detoxing brush in my hand.

“What do you think? Detoxing the Venom Spore.”

“So, why are you Detoxing the Venom Spore there? Never mind. Which guild is it?”

“Which guild?” Choi Jinho leaned against the magic barrier, jabbing a finger at the withered corpse of the Venom Spore. “Which group preemptively exterminated that thing? You were helping them Detox it, right? You must know.”

Ah, so that’s the misunderstanding. I brushed the Poison Spore off my shirt’s shoulder and replied, “I caught it myself.”

“What?”

“That Venom Spore Mother behind me? I caught it. I also harvested those essence stones piled over there.”

Choi Jinho blinked his eyes.

The other Bicheon Guild members standing behind him did the same.

A snort of laughter soon escaped from their ranks.

“What the hell is he talking about?”

“Hey, cut it out. He’s still our senior. Show some respect.”

“No, Junhyun. That bastard doesn’t even deserve to be called a senior. He’s just a pack mule.”

“More than that, is he claiming he took down the Venom Spore Mother all by himself?”

“The guy who ended up crippled after messing with a junior? The drugs must have fried his brain.”

But their gossip was cut short.

“Shut your mouths and stop muttering behind my back.”

Choi Jinho’s single command silenced them instantly.