The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 124: Poison Master (1)

Sometimes, sincerity wasn’t conveyed, and the other person may not appreciate it. That's how things went at times.

And Kai suddenly realized this truth again.

[Incomplete Core is not happy with its new name, Molkang.]

[Incomplete Core’s loyalty has dropped.]

[Failed to name Incomplete Core as Molkang.]

"... Ugh."

That was truly unfortunate.

The Incomplete Core, which had been sleeping on his lap, slightly lifted its head. Then, it jumped to the opposite seat and tried to sleep there again!

At that point, Kai got the hint.

Seems like it doesn't like the name.

He never imagined he, who was known to have excellent naming skills, would be rejected!

Staying completely silent, Kai began seriously considering a name for it.

It certainly looks like a slime, and its most notable skill is mimicry.

After opening an internet window and searching for various names, Kai clapped his hands.

"Mimic? This sounds good."

Mimic was a creature that became famous in a certain game by mimicking treasure chests and tricking adventurers, and originally, the word mimic referred to an imitator!

Kai cautiously extended his hand to the Incomplete Core.

"Mimic. How about this name?"

The creature silently lifted its head slightly to look at Kai's face and then lowered its body.

Dang it, seems like this one is no good either.

Just as Kai made a disappointed face, it lowered its body as if to gain momentum and then jumped back onto Kai's lap. Settling there, it began to sleep again.

[Incomplete Core's name has been changed to Mimic.]

[Mimic's loyalty has increased.]

Following Blizzard, Mimic became Kai's second pet.

***

Stretching like an old man at a mineral spring, Kai let out a groan.

After sitting in the carriage for a long time, all the bones and muscles in his body had stiffened but they seemed to rejoice now as he stretched.

“Oh, that feels good.”

With a refreshed expression, Kai inhaled the salty sea breeze and walked forward.

Reporting the completion of his mission to Tardal was his top priority now, so after traveling to the village by carriage, he used the teleport gate to return to Aquaria.

With a faint smile, Tardal rose from his seat and greeted Kai warmly, “You've returned.”

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Kai, slightly surprised by his unfamiliar behavior, nodded and replied, “...Yes, sir.”

“Come sit. There are many things I need to discuss with you.”

Kai relaxed his expression as he sat down as instructed.

This is a first.

It was the first time Tardal had stood up to greet him when he visited. This meant that defeating Aosa had significantly raised his value!

He reported confidently, “I have defeated the Blue Plague, Aosa, as you requested.”

“Word travels fast. I’ve been hearing about it from various places. You’ve become quite famous.” Tardal, who scanned Kai with a new gaze, continued, “Did you really defeat Aosa alone?”

“Yes.”

“I guess that would certainly attract his attention,” Tardal muttered to himself and nodded. “I acknowledge the completion of your mission.”

[Level increased.]

[Acquired 5 stat points.]

Kai checked the slight increase in his level and then turned his attention back to Tardal. “But you mentioned earlier that you had many things to discuss?”

“Oh, you may not know, but your name has been mentioned frequently lately.”

“My name?” Kai asked with a puzzled expression.

Where would he hear my name from? It’s not the players, for sure.

Currently, the players only knew about Unknown, not Kai. In short, if his name was being mentioned, it had to be by NPCs.

Kai’s assumption was correct.

“You’re being appointed.”

“...Appointed?”

“Darkness Hunters have the authority to request assistance from those who can help with their missions.”

“Oh, so you mean, other Darkness Hunters are requesting me.”

“Exactly. The Darkness Hunters who worked with you during the Black Lizardman mission seemed to have spread quite a good word about you. Since then, requests for you have been coming in steadily, but after the news of you defeating Aosa spread, the number of requests has exploded.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“It’s not bad.” With a faint smile, Tardal handed him a thick stack of documents. “Read through these and choose the mission you want to undertake.”

“Are you saying I have the authority to choose my mission?”

“Since it’s your first time being specifically requested for a mission, I’m giving you the choice.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking Tardal for his considerate gesture, he quickly began to review the documents. However, it didn’t take long for his expression to darken.

Damn, most of these missions involve hunting named monsters corrupted by the Essence of Darkness or tracking the remnants of the Church of Muldine.

Unfortunately, Kai was currently in no condition to undertake any of these missions.

I still have eight and a half days left with the debuffs.

As Kai flipped through the documents with a grim expression, Tardal noticed and tilted his head.

“You don’t look pleased. Is there a problem?”

“Um... Actually, I’m not in the best condition right now. I sustained some injuries during the battle with Aosa. I’ll need about nine days to recover before I can engage in combat.”

“I see. Then we’ll have to disregard most of these requests.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“In that case...” Tardal, who pondered for a moment, gestured, “Ignore the contents of those documents. They’re all about combat anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Kai pushed the documents aside with a regretful expression, Tardal tapped on the desk and asked, “I heard that you treated many patients with early signs of poisoning in Whitehall.”

“Yes. I treated them until Aosa appeared.”

“Then, do you have some knowledge about poisons?”

“Poisons? Quite a bit, yes.”

Recently, at the clinic, he went through all the books Ayana's parents had written. Thanks to that, his knowledge about poisons and herbs had greatly increased!

I caught Aosa and even learned the Poison Master skill.

Tardal’s face brightened at Kai’s confident attitude.

“Then that’s fortunate.” Tardal pulled out a document, wrote something on it, and handed it to Kai. “Actually, an old friend of mine has been asking for help for weeks, but everyone seems too busy to accept. It’s not a combat mission, and the reward is quite generous, so it should be perfect for you right now.”

“That’s great. Oh, the destination is the Crimson Tower? Is that where your friend is?” Kai asked while checking the document.

He became curious about this Wizard friend who was the friend of the Sage of Water and former chancellor, but Tardal never gave easy answers.

He just raised one corner of his mouth with an amused expression, saying, “You’ll find out when you get there.”

***

There were a few types of magic towers in MID Online. The Crimson Tower specialized in offensive magic that swept away enemies. The Azure Tower researched defensive magic that protected allies and oneself. The Ivory Tower studied support magic beneficial to everyone. Lastly, the Ebony Tower was called the sanctuary of Necromancers and Dark Wizards.

These four magic towers were the ones that represented MID Online. Of course, this was the only knowledge the non-Wizard players had.

Only Wizard-class players know the names of the tower lords by heart.

Nevertheless, there was one tower lord whose name most players remembered.

The Crimson Tower Lord, Parsanax.

Players referred to him as a walking natural disaster! The reason for his nickname was easily found on the internet.

“Because he felt hot, he cast a blizzard, causing nearby adventurers to get frostbite... When the kingdom issued an order to exterminate bandits, he found it bothersome and just erased the mountain?”

He was a named oddball among oddballs in MID Online, incomprehensible by common sense!

Kai deeply ingrained the advice he found on the internet.

Hmm. If Parsanax is nearby, the best course is to run away without looking back.

Kai treasured his life above anything else, but sadly, he was currently near Parsanax and couldn’t run away.

“You look so weak... Did Tardal really recommend you?”

Because Tardal’s old friend was Parsanax!

Swallowing hard, Kai tried to think positively.

R-right. I visited the Crimson Tower as a member of the Darkness Hunters, and I have Tardal’s recommendation letter.

No matter how much of a walking natural disaster he was, he wouldn’t treat him recklessly.

Kai firmly believed in the common sense that existed between people.

“So... what should I do?”

“The recommendation letter says you have deep knowledge of poisons, to the point of being proud.”

“I’ve been thinking it over on my way here, and I believe that was my arrogance.”

“What?” Parsanax glared fiercely; his angular jaw clenched tight.

He had a solid physique that felt more like a mercenary who had spent a lifetime on the battlefield rather than a scholar Wizard!

“Always remember. Words once spoken cannot be taken back.”

“Uh... like spilled water, right?”

“What an amusing thing to say. Spilled water can be collected anytime.”

At this moment, Kai’s belief slightly wavered. He felt that common sense wouldn’t work with Parsanax!

“Anyway, remember this, there’s nothing I hate more in this world than liars.” With a stern warning, Parsanax’s eyes narrowed as he turned back to the recommendation letter. “Hmm? The document says you were the one who dealt with Aosa. Is this true?”

“Oh, yes, it is...”

“Huh. Interesting.” Parsanax asked with a very intrigued expression, “Did I mention, the reason I’m starting to research poisons is also because of Aosa.”

“Because of Aosa?”

“Yeah. The Church of Muldine has a past of creating Aosa, and there’s no reason they can’t do it again. They might even create a more advanced being next time.”

“That’s certainly true. So, starting research on poisons is all for future preparation...?”

“Correct. Because a Wizard is someone who prepares.”

Parsanax wore a very proud expression, and Kai genuinely admired him at that moment.

He might have a strange personality, but his preparation for the future is top-notch. Something to learn from.

If there was something to learn, he learned it. That was one of the aspects Kai was most confident in, having learned everything through effort so far.

“Feeling threatened by the Church of Muldine’s poison, I collected rare poisons from all over the continent. That part went smoothly. However...”

Parsanax’s expression became fierce.

“When the collection was complete, there were over hundreds of types of poisons. By then, it was impossible to distinguish them. I summoned local herbalists to identify them, but they couldn’t distinguish all the types.”

Groaning, Parsanax grumbled, “I’d like to experiment directly on bandits to learn about the effects of the poisons, but... His Majesty absolutely refuses to allow it.”

Of course, the king wouldn’t allow it. What kind of monarch would permit a magic tower lord to conduct human experiments? Especially a king with a strict personality like King Beoruk; he would never allow something like that.

“I see. So, what exactly is my task...?”

“No need for long explanations. Just categorize all these poisons. I’d like you to organize them by their effects.”

“Th-that’s nonsense...”

Even at a glance, there were hundreds of types of poisons. How could he possibly distinguish all of them?

As Kai broke into a cold sweat, Parsanax’s expression turned cold. “Are you saying it’s impossible? Then, all that talk about your deep knowledge of poisons must be lies as well.”

Electric currents crackled around Parsanax, and fireballs floated around him.

Despite Kai’s high magic resistance, levels were most important in the game!

If it’s an attack from an NPC as strong as a tower lord... it would be pretty bad. I could even die.

Ultimately yielding to his threat, Kai forced a smile and tried to calm him. “O-of course, it’s possible. I can do it. Trust me...”

“Then start categorizing. Right in front of my eyes, now.”

Parsanax stared at Kai with his eyes wide open as if to monitor him.

Swallowing hard, Kai bit his lower lip and picked up a vial.

“So, um... This poison here...”

His voice lacked even the slightest bit of confidence!

However, as Kai stared intently at the vial, an unexpected message appeared before his eyes.

[Poison Master skill activated.]

[Analyzing...]

[Poison analysis complete.]

“... Huh?” Kai blinked with a dumbfounded expression.