How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

Chapter 9: Herbology (2)

I took a deep breath, feeling my blood pressure rise in real time.

Adapting to this place had been smooth, except for one small obstacle that guy.

He always picked fights over everything. Ever since he heard I had Mystic, he had been like that all the time.

Well, actually, it wasnt to this extent at first.

At most, he would give me a disdainful look of Whats your problem?

But as time went on, it escalated to the point where he would verbally attack me.

I had a rough idea of the reason.

It was probably because my growth rate as a potential holder wasnt as outstanding as his.

Denif also mentioned that my growth is a bit slow.

Of course, that speed was limited to the kids the duke personally raised.

Maybe due to the Worst Condition, it felt like no matter how much I trained my body, my stamina wouldnt improve.

On top of that, due to acquired Mysophobia and my condition, I probably seemed even more detestable.

Denif was straightforward, so I could hear everything without a filter.

He always told me to stop being so gloomy. He even criticized me for being too neat.

But even so, I didnt understand his psychology.

Denif, Orhen, and Rekun just let it slide, thinking it was just the way he was.

Well

One of the things Id learned from living on Earth for 24 years was that you didnt always need a reason to dislike someone.

There was no need for me to come up with my own reasons and tried to understand his psychology.

He was just a weird guy.

As I felt before, I was curious about Mohens talent to the extent that the duke kept him around.

Although it seemed like he was good at it in front of Marhan and the duke

Most likely, everyone knew.

And someday, guys like him will get into big trouble.

Although I hadnt had much social experience, Id encountered guys like Mohen in the military.

Anyway, regardless of my annoyance, I didnt retort separately.

It wasnt because of me that we got lost, and to be honest, we werent even late, so it felt petty.

I was still a newbie here.

There was no need to create trouble with someone who had spent a few years here for no reason. It wasnt beneficial to talk back either.

Hed be gone soon, so the best option was to ignore him for now.

Well, Carlyn is usually good at keeping time, right?

Perhaps to break the slightly tense atmosphere or because he naturally spoke the right thing, Rekun defended me.

Mohen snorted.

You should at least be on time when the only thing you have is Mystic power.

What was he saying? He said we were late because of me earlier.

I sighed inwardly, frustrated by his inconsistency, but Rekun shrugged his shoulders and gestured to me.

It meant to just let it go.

Well, whatever. It was too bothersome to deal with. I was 24 years old, and I shouldnt get angry at a 17-year-old

What a bastard.

Was I being too lenient as an adult?

Why? At 24 years old, in reality, I was not that much of an adult. And right now, I had the body of a 13-year-old.

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And being 17 years old wasnt that young either. You could recognize the nature of a sprout from an early age.

It said he was graduating soon, so Id been ignoring him, but my irritation was starting to exceed its limits.

People naturally became sharp and difficult when they were tired and exhausted. Maybe today was the day it exploded.

Or maybe it was because of the Devils Blood or the influence of my body.

Just you wait.

I couldnt do anything about it right now due to my circumstances, but the revenge of a gentleman was never too late, even if it took ten years.

He was a guy the duke personally raised, so wed meet someday.

By then, I would have grown, and I would have earned Dukes trust with the information I had.

Dealing with that bastard wouldnt be a big deal.

I was somewhat comforted by Denif secretly tapping me on the back earlier in the tense atmosphere.

At that moment, Marhan opened the door and entered.

You all came on time.

What? Was Marhan teaching Herbology too? I was quite surprised because he was teaching a wide range of weapons.

He seemed more versatile than I had imagined.

Well, as expected of an instructor serving under the duke.

Marhan scanned the crowd and narrowed his eyes. It was as if he saw through the tense atmosphere.

Is there a problem?

No, there isnt.

Whether he didnt care about the casual response or not, Marhan nodded in agreement to Rekuns answer.

Although there was a high chance that evaluations would take place behind the scenes if we acted like that.

Then lets begin. Rekun, Mohen.

Yes.

Create the Heavenly Scent.

Yes.

The two answered and moved to one side. It felt like confirming what they knew based on their accumulated experience.

Marhan turned his gaze to us.

Come here. You three will create the dream of salsa.

The dream of salsa?

The Heavenly Scent had some herbal-like name, but not the dream of salsa.

Though, it reminded me of gloydius. (+)^[1]TLN: Gloydius is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Asia, also known as Asian moccasins or Asian ground pit vipers. In Korean, gloydius is called Salmosaga ().

While I was silently questioning it, Denif whispered quietly to me.

Its poison.

Hmm as expected.

I had expectations for Herbology, but I must have been mistaken.

Well, yeah. It was normal for a spy to handle poisonous plants rather than herbs.

Perhaps the Heavenly Scent could also be a poisonous plant.

They say if you smell it, youll go straight to heaven. Thats the Heavenly Scent.

It was more likely to be the case considering the situation rather than a joking remark.

In fact, what piled up on one side could be a pile of poisonous plants, not herbs.

It was a moment when my naive expectations for Herbology shattered into pieces.

I let out a faint sigh and headed toward Marhan.

* * *

People commonly distinguish between herbs and toxic plants, but that is a misconception. Herbs can also be poisonous, and toxic plants can be used as medicine.

I nodded my head. It had some similarities with common knowledge on Earth.

After all, even too much of a good medicine could become poison.

However, the reason toxic plants are called toxic is that they have a high potential to cause fatal consequences due to minor carelessness. Always handle them with caution.

Marhan emphasized.

In fact, this place was not the apothecary I had imagined. Just looking at the items inside the mansion confirmed that.

Everywhere was filled with magical tools.

Several ventilation grates, like air intakes, were attached to the ceiling, and there were magical barriers on the desk as well.

It resembled the safety measures in laboratories and research facilities that I had seen on TV on Earth.

Nevertheless, I paid attention to Marhans words.

Come to think of it, Herbology must involve the study of toxic plants as well. There was no need to be disheartened at all.

Even if I didnt get a trait, I still didnt know how I could utilize the knowledge later.

Today, we will create the dream of salsa, a potion that induces eternal sleep. It is difficult to obtain the ingredients and requires careful storage, but it receives favorable reviews for being relatively easy to make and leaving no traces after use.

Marhan added.

It can also be used as a sleep aid when administered in extremely small doses, but considering the cost of the ingredients, it is not cost-effective. Do you understand so far?

Yes.

Marhan nodded as he heard the childrens response and turned his gaze to the ingredients on the desk.

There are a total of six ingredients: comfortwood branches, salam mushrooms, moonflower, flame eagles horn, ironclad whales organs, and dandelion roots.

Marhan continued to explain the individual characteristics and effects of each ingredient.

When consumed alone, salam mushrooms cause severe abdominal pain and dysentery starting from eight hours later. They resemble edible mushrooms like gamon mushrooms in appearance, so they must be handled with caution in the wild.

Saying that, Marhan picked up a mushroom that looked exactly the same.

This is a gamon mushroom. The only difference between them is the smell. Gamon is bitter, while salam is sweet.

They looked so alike that it seemed difficult to tell them apart. Bitter was the edible one. I reminded myself.

By the way, it caused severe abdominal pain and dysentery when consumed alone?

It was a perfect mushroom to tease someone. It would be perfect to feed it to Mohen.

But he wouldnt eat what I give him.

In fact, even if he did eat it, it would be a problem. It would be a self-incriminating act since I would be admitting to being the culprit.

Moreover, the cooking here was brought to the dining table, so it was ambiguous whether I could sneak it in.

First, we will start by grinding salam mushrooms. Although there are safety measures, be cautious as inhaling the powder can have the same effect.

Each of us took a mushroom and stood in front of the desk. Marhan spoke with a serious expression.

Grinding itself is easy, but consider it as if there were no safety measures and handle it carefully.

Yes.

Marhan demonstrated, and we followed suit.

Although I was unfamiliar with mushrooms, it was fascinating to see them turn into powder without any juice coming out.

Marhan, wait a moment.

While doing so, Lena opened the door to the herbology room and called Marhan.

After instructing us to continue grinding a few more mushrooms and wait, Marhan briefly went outside.

As I finished grinding one more mushroom and collected the powder in a container next to it, a clever idea came to mind.

What if I used Winds to inhale this powder into Mohens nose?

It seemed like a good way to give him a hard time. Of course, I was worried about the aftermath.

If I got caught, it would be a big problem.

With the evaluations here and Mohen already becoming extremely hostile toward me, I wondered if it even mattered.

But my Stratagem level still had too much risk.

However.

I couldnt hold back. Desire had taken over my body. I was irritated earlier, but it wasnt the cause of it.

I felt like I was going to lose my mind wanting it so badly.

Was this because of Eccentric Actions?

Apart from that, the sudden occurrence couldnt be explained. Even now, my hands were restless.

I swiftly turned my head. The influence of my trait, having experienced Mysophobia, was substantial.

Perhaps Id end up doing it. I didnt have any particular resistance in my mind either.

I wasnt sure what the outcome would be, but upon reconsideration, I didnt think it would be too bad.

I realized that I had been looking at it from too much of an adults perspective.

I possessed Mystic powers. Id only recently arrived in this unfamiliar world.

Even if I got caught, it probably wouldnt end with just a reprimand.

Looking at it positively, everything seems it would be fine.

Of course, avoiding it altogether would be the best option.

So, I needed to minimize the risk as much as possible.

Hmm

When I used mystic powers, I was aware that there was a movement of magical energy, even though I hadnt learned about it or fully grasped it.

I could sense something unfamiliar, despite not knowing about magical energy.

The reason I could use mystic powers without knowledge of magical energy was because of my trait Winds.

Anyway, the movement of magical energy at that moment was subtle.

This place was filled with otherworldly energy from herbs and magical devices.

I couldnt be sure, but it didnt seem too noticeable.

Mohen and Rekun had turned their backs, engrossed in their own activities.

Heavenly Scent seemed to be something done by older kids, so it appeared challenging to recreate.

However, there was something I needed to do before attempting that.

I had to convince Orhen and Denif who were beside me.

Putting aside the movement of magical energy, the kids beside me could only see what I was doing.

I wondered how long it would take for Marhan to come back.

While keeping an eye on the door, I whispered to Denif and Orhen.

Hey, guys.

Yeah?

Denif responded in a soft voice as I gestured to him.

I told you that I could feel the movement of magical energy when I use mystic powers. Do you think we can sense it here too?

Hmm. Unless were focused and actively observing, we might not notice. The surroundings have a significant flow of magical energy.

Orhen agreed.

Lately, the wavelength of magical energy doesnt seem as strong as before.

It seemed like I had become more proficient in handling Winds during that time.

Considering the ceilings ventilation devices, the flow of winds was quite dynamic, so there was a possibility.

From behind Denif, I manipulated the winds.

Now. Can you feel it?

Huh? Feel what?

Take another look.

Denif furrowed his brow and concentrated before nodding.

At this level, its hard to tell unless theres something obvious. But why all of a sudden? Youre surprisingly proactive, unlike your usual self.

I grinned mischievously.

Im planning to play a trick on Mohen. Want to join me?

• 1. TLN: Gloydius is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Asia, also known as Asian moccasins or Asian ground pit vipers. In Korean, gloydius is called Salmosaga ().