Chapter 270: Poison Immunity

The fixed pin could wait for later.

For now, getting outside was the priority.

Since the final boss, the Dark Gap-doo, had been defeated, the dungeon had begun to collapse.

Rumble…

The once calm lake trembled violently and the waves crashed chaotically in every direction.

At the same time, an exit appeared on the small island and we steered the wooden boat toward it before landing on the shore.

But before we crossed the portal,

“Take this with you.”

“Mhmm!”

[Trident Lake Random Box (F)]

Although we had defeated the boss, only one drop appeared.

Of course, Song Cheon-hye and Shin Byeong-cheol would have gotten one each as well, so it wasn’t too little.

We passed through the portal and returned to the dungeon building’s underground floor. Shortly after, Song Cheon-hye and Shin Byeong-cheol emerged as well.

Song Cheon-hye looked at us and spoke.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”

“You too. Fortunately, we worked well together.”

In a dungeon split into three groups, if even one had failed to fulfill their role, we would’ve struggled immensely to cover for them.

However, both Song Cheon-hye and Shin Byeong-cheol had carried their weight flawlessly. This allowed us to focus entirely on the boss battle.

I asked,

“What’s next?”

“For today, let’s stop here.”

It was clear that fatigue had piled up for everyone, even if no one outright said it.

We had entered quite a few dungeons and faced two Dark Ooblecks along the way.

Song Cheon-hye, in particular, was lightly tapping her arm as if testing it.

“Is your arm hurting?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

She pretended to act like nothing was wrong, but it was clear that the effort of rowing hard had left her arms sore with muscle pain.

I turned to Han So-mi.

“Give her a massage.”

“Mhmm! I’m good at massages!”

With a swift motion, Han So-mi moved near Song Cheon-hye and began vigorously kneading her arms.

“!!”

Song Cheon-hye jumped back with a yelp as if she was in pain and put some distance between them.

Han So-mi tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? Why?”

“I-I can handle it myself.”

“But I’m really good at giving massages! Even Master said so!”

“No, don’t come near me.”

Han So-mi tried to approach again, but Song Cheon-hye strongly resisted.

She was so adamant that static electricity seemed to crackle around her.

Keeping a safe distance, Song Cheon-hye finally spoke in the calmest tone she could muster.

“Really, it’s fine. I appreciate the thought.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Song Cheon-hye was still wary and approached cautiously. She was clearly reluctant to let her guard down, and she resumed speaking after a brief pause.

“We’ll handle the remaining quota this weekend.”

At that moment, Shin Byeong-cheol who had been quietly lingering in the corner stepped forward.

“So… how are we dividing the rewards?”

“We got five items today, right?”

Two from the Mole Mine and three from Trident Lake.

Song Cheon-hye glanced at Shin Byeong-cheol and continued.

“We’ll take three, and you two can take one each. Does that work for you?”

“Sounds fair.”

Shin Byeong-cheol nodded his head without hesitation.

Given the circumstances, he was already grateful for such an even split during disciplinary action.

Without delay, Shin Byeong-cheol pulled out one of the random boxes.

“Shall we open it now?”

“You really need to work on your patience.”

I scolded him lightly.

Rushing to open the box right after dividing the rewards….it was very typical of him.

However, Shin Byeong-cheol shook his head wildly.

“No, I can’t wait. I have to open it now.”

“You always end up with teacups when you do this.”

“Not today, okay? I have a good feeling about this!”

It was a serious case of random box addiction.

By this point, convincing him with words was no longer an option.

When I glanced around, Song Cheon-hye stood with her arms crossed while Han So-mi was watching us with curious eyes.

She even started encouraging him.

“Open it! Open it!”

Since it wasn’t mine to begin with and the mood was already like this, I decided there was no need to stop him.

“Do whatever you want. But isn’t it just going to be another F-rank item?”

“You never know. I’m telling you, I have a good feeling today. Something big is coming. Something big.”

“Fine. Who knows? Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot.”

“Alright then, here we go. Big one… is it here?!”

With a dramatic shout, Shin Byeong-cheol flung open the box lid.

Click.

The next moment, the random box in Shin Byeong-cheol’s hands expanded ominously before revealing an item.

When we saw it, not just Han So-mi and I, but even Song Cheon-hye muttered a comment.

“It’s big.”

“It’s really big!”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

[Wooden Table (F)]

Shin Byeong-cheol stood there holding the table with both hands with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“This can’t be real. This can’t be real.”

***

After withdrawing from the dungeon building,

I took some time alone to review my gains.

[Activated ‘Fixed Pin’.]

[‘Poison Resistance (S)’ has been fixed.]

[Traits]

▷ Poison Resistance (S)

▷ Copy-Trait [1/2]

1. (None)

2. The Sovereign’s Crown

As soon as I made Poison Resistance one of my traits, a new message appeared.

[You have acquired ‘Poison Immunity.’]

The combination of Thousand Poisons Immunity and Poison Resistance resulted in acquiring the ultimate Poison Immunity.

Its effect was short and simple.

▷Immunity to Poison

Poison attacks couldn’t harm me, let alone cause poisoning.

To penetrate the Poison Immunity, one would need to stack numerous poisoning debuffs or apply a highly rare debuff that restricts traits. However, both options were almost impossible to realize.

Another subtle strength of the Poison Immunity was,

It doesn’t come with a rank.

Just like [Distortion], despite being equivalent to an S-rank trait, it wasn’t assigned a rank.

Even in rank-restricted zones like the Fixed Zone, its effects remained fully intact,

And when using [Enchantment], there was no rank reduction, so there was no need to amplify it further.

With this, the preparations are done.

I checked the main quest.

[Main Quest 2-7] (In progress…)

▷ Objective: Contribute to the subjugation.

▷ Reward: Varies based on contribution.

Even with such an overwhelming trait, I still wasn’t strong enough to face an A-rank boss head-on.

The actual batle against the Witch of Corruption would fall to faculty members with roughly equivalent skills.

And so, the main quest objective wasn’t to “defeat” the Witch of Corruption but to “contribute”.

The reward would be determined by how much I contributed.

I’ll aim for the maximum reward, no matter what.

Main quests were known for their especially generous rewards, so I couldn’t afford to miss this one.

Just as I had gained [Enchantment] by completing the first main quest with maximum achievement,

If I cleared the second quest with maximum contribution, I was sure to acquire something equally powerful.

So how could I raise my contribution level?

I need to join the subjugation team.

Even if someone else took on the Witch of Corruption, simply participating in the subjugation team would ensure my contribution.

The only issue was whether they’d allow a first-year student to join such a dangerous team.

But I wasn’t too worried about that.

They’ll come looking for me.

When it was just Thousand Poisons Immunity, it was somewhat uncertain, but now that I had achieved Poison Immunity, they were bound to come looking for me.

And not just anyone. Specifically the academy side.

***

At the old school building,

Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong walked silently. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.

After walking a short distance, they saw someone waiting ahead.

The figure was a woman perfectly dressed in a suit.

Her expression was as rigid as her attire, making her seem as if not a drop of blood would spill if she were pricked.

Of course, the two recognized her face which made Seo Cheong-yong greet her with a friendly smile.

“Vice Principal.”

“Teacher Seo, Teacher Lee. Please follow me.”

The vice principal responded with a brief bow before turning to lead the way.

Now, the sound of footsteps in the hallway increased to three.

They continued walking in silence for a while until, unexpectedly, the vice principal broke the silence.

“The first semester is almost over. It’s good to see you both seem to be adjusting well.”

“Haha, teaching suits me better than I expected. If I’d known, I would’ve started earlier.”

Seo Cheong-yong replied with a bright smile.

Lee Soo-dok, on the other hand, gave a curt response.

“It’s just a job.”

After all, it had been none other than the principal who personally visited and persuaded him to take on the teaching position.

Lee Soo-dok was notorious for his brutal methods, yet his reputation for flawlessly completing any task he was assigned was unmatched.

The faculty and staff were well aware of this, though his appointment wasn’t without its controversies.

– Is it right to hire a teacher based solely on skill?

– Can someone nicknamed the “Human Butcher” really teach kids?

– What if he snaps and breaks a student’s arms and legs because they annoy him?

However, contrary to all the concerns and worries, Lee Soo-dok carried out his duties flawlessly without a single problem.

The vice principal slightly bowed her head.

“I look forward to your continued efforts.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Yes.”

Once again, Seo Cheong-yong replied softly, while Lee Soo-dok gave a half-hearted nod.

His mind had long since left the Dragon Slayer Academy behind.

Only one month left in the first semester.

The task he had accepted from the principal was to work as a teacher at the Dragon Slayer Academy for one year.

Initially, the proposal was for three years, but he had firmly refused, reducing it to one year.

Now that he thought about it, even one year felt too long.

Time really does crawl.

For the first time in a while, Lee Soo-dok found himself regretting his decision.

He should have declined the offer altogether.

The only silver lining was the promise of an opportunity to put his specialty to use soon.

Catching and killing bad guys.

The three of them were heading deep into the old school building precisely for that reason.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a door marked with a large sign that read, “No Entry”.

The vice principal retrieved a bundle of keys from her pocket, selected one, and unlocked the door.

Beyond it lay a large empty room.

The only thing inside was a single thick wall, as though it had been torn straight out of some ancient temple.

Mysterious characters appeared and vanished repeatedly on the wall, radiating a faint glow each time.

In front of the wall sat a man slouched carelessly.

He had a scruffy, half-shaven beard, wore a shabby tracksuit, and had slippers on his feet.

Despite his appearance which resembled that of a neighborhood fool, this man was none other than the former hero and the principal of the Dragon Slayer Academy.

“……”

The principal, with a cigarette in one hand, stared intently at the wall.

As if he was trying to read something hidden within it.

The vice principal approached him and spoke sternly.

“How many times do I have to tell you? No smoking indoors.”

“I know, I know, but I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“And that’s your excuse?”

The vice principal let out a small sigh and abruptly handed him something. It was an ashtray.

The principal extinguished his cigarette in it without hesitation, as if this exchange were a common occurrence to them.

The principal then stood up and scratched his back as he greeted Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-ryong.

“You’re here, Teacher Lee, Teacher Seo.”

“Hello, sir.”

“Did you bring it?”

“Yes.”

Lee Soo-dok gave a short reply and pulled out a small briefcase.

When he opened it, it was filled with test tubes containing a dark liquid.

These were samples of Dark Oobleck collected by students who had explored the dungeons thoroughly.

“Is this enough?”

“This is more than enough. Please tell them they did a great job.”

The principal took the samples and stepped closer to the wall, one step at a time.

As if in response, the wall began to emit an increasingly intense light.