Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 77: Dark thorns

Chapter 77: Dark thorns

Liam’s fingers tapped idly against the wooden table. His gaze lowered briefly to the cup, the golden liquid inside untouched.

For a second, he considered taking a sip—just to see the old man’s reaction—but he dismissed the thought.

"It’s nothing," Liam finally said.

Ratna’s face squeezed into a frown. His fists clenched.

His reaction was far too exaggerated for such a simple response. His eyes twitched slightly, and Liam noticed the subtle shift in his breathing—shallow, uneven.

"You refuse the drink I bought for you?" Ratna asked, his voice slightly strained.

Liam said nothing.

Ratna scoffed, shaking his head. His fingers drummed against the wooden surface of the table before tightening into a fist once again.

"That’s a terrible way to treat hospitality, traveler," He muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance. " I brought you to this tavern, got you a drink believing we could talk like men... yet you won’t even drink what I bought for you?"

Liam finally smiled, resting his chin against his palm.

"Is this how you always welcome visitors, Ratna?" He asked, voice calm but a strange glint flashing across his eyes.

The old man blinked.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"By poisoning their drinks?"

Ratna’s body stiffened. His pupils shrank.

For a few seconds, he remained frozen, his mouth slightly open as if struggling to process what he had just heard.

Then, suddenly—

Thud!

His chair tipped backward, and he crashed onto the wooden floor.

A few heads turned toward them, but no one seemed particularly surprised. If anything, some of the other patrons snickered at the sight, their laughter blending into the noisy atmosphere of the tavern.

Even the fat woman at the counter let out a chuckle as she wiped down a mug.

Liam, however, wasn’t paying attention to them.

He watched Ratna closely.

The old man’s hands trembled as he pushed himself up slightly, his breathing ragged.

’H-how does he know my name?’

Though he had been conversing with Liam for several minutes now, he never once mentioned his name.

He had avoided giving any personal information, keeping the conversation strictly about the kingdom and, more importantly, about Liam himself.

Yet, Liam had spoken his name so casually.

’This man... who is he?’

Sweat rolled down Ratna’s forehead. His legs shook beneath him.

Liam sighed.

What the old man didn’t know was that from the moment they met, Liam had already scanned him with [Eye of Truth].

Everything about him—his name, his blessing, even his stats—was already displayed in front of Liam’s eyes.

Even now, as Ratna sat frozen on the floor, the information floated in front of Liam’s vision.

[Name: Ratna Nera]

[Race: Human]

[Health: 100/100]

[Blessing: Glow; Elemental Nature: Light; Grade: Common]

[Mastery: Beginner-level]

[Mana Pool: 50/50]

[Magic Power: 70]

[Strength: 15]

[Agility: 16]

[Stamina: 10]

[Constitution: 20]

[Charm: 9]

[Intelligence: 20]

[Additional Information]

[Current Emotion: Fear, Worry]

[Weaknesses: Wrists, Forehead, Neck, Head, Back]

A common-grade blessing.

His stats weren’t particularly impressive. No real combat power.

He was an ordinary old man.

Yet, despite that, he had the audacity to try poisoning Liam.

Liam’s gaze flickered toward the drink in his hand.

He had scanned it earlier, and the results had been predictable.

[Apple Fruit Drink]

[Current Status: Poisoned]

’Pathetic,’ Liam thought.

What he didn’t know was whether Ratna had poisoned it himself or if the fat woman behind the counter had laced it before handing it over.

Liam doubted it was the former.

He had been watching the old man closely from the moment he bought the drink, and he doubted he could somehow slip through his senses and plant a poison in the drink.

He believed the juice was already poisoned even before the woman served it for him.

That meant there was a possibility that everyone in this tavern was working together.

His gaze drifted across the room, watching the other patrons.

They were still drinking, laughing, talking.

Even the fat woman at the counter was grinning, thick arms moving rhythmically as she polished another glass.

Yet...

No one reacted to Ratna, who was still shivering on the ground.

That was odd.

If this was some kind of planned assassination, at least one person should have reacted upon seeing that something had gone wrong.

And yet, no one even glanced their way for more than a few seconds.

’Strange...’

Liam’s fingers drummed against the table.

He turned his gaze back to Ratna.

The old man was still on the ground, sweat rolling down his face, his hands trembling.

Liam exhaled slowly.

"Now tell me..." He said, his voice low but firm.

"What is really going on here?"

Ratna stuttered. His lips quivered. He opened his mouth slightly, finally summoning enough courage to speak.

But then, his throat suddenly bulged.

His mouth stretched open, and a long, dark thorn slowly protruded from his throat.

Spurt!

A burst of blood splattered onto the wooden floor.

Ratna choked. His entire body convulsed violently as his pale hands clawed at his own neck.

But his efforts were futile, as even more blood kept spilling from his mouth.

Liam’s eyes widened.

’What...?’

He hadn’t done anything.

He had only asked a question.

Yet—

A thorn had suddenly pierced through the old man’s throat.

The old man’s veins bulged, the blood vessels in his eyes bursting, turning them completely red.

His body kept twitching, his lips moving as he he was trying to say something.

But no sound came out.

And the strangest part of it all was the way those in the tavern reacted.

They simply kept drinking, laughing out loud to themselves.

Almost as if there wasn’t a man choking on his own blood right in front of them.

Liam’s brows knitted into a frown.

This wasn’t normal.

Something was very, very wrong.

Ratna’s body twitched one last time before falling completely still.

The pool of blood beneath him spread further, staining the wooden floor in deep red.

Yet, the tavern remained unchanged.

The fat woman behind the counter let out another loud laugh, slamming her hand against the counter as she moved to another mug, wiping it.

The other patrons continued chatting, their mugs clinking together.

Liam’s gaze darkened.

The sound of their laughter echoed ominously in his ears, almost drowning him out.

"Agh..." He grunted, placing his hands his ears.

’How annoying.’ He thought, the frown on his face deepening in frustration.

His gaze then drifted back to the old man lying in front of him, and his eyes narrowed.

’That thorn... it’s kind of similar to my dark tendrils!’ He thought, his eyes widening slightly.

’Darkness element...’ He mumbled inwardly, his brows knitting.

Without doubt, the person who killed the man was an heretic, or even worse... a demon.

Suddenly, dark smoke started seeping from the thorn poking out of Ratna’s mouth.

At first, it was just a small trickle, curling upward like wisps of fog.

But within seconds, the black vapor thickened, spilling out in dense waves, rapidly swallowing the surrounding air.

Liam’s eyes widened.

’What the hell is this...?’ He thought, gnashing his teeth in annoyance.

The smoke rapidly spread, crawling up the walls, slithering across the wooden floor.

The people drinking and laughing in the tavern were quickly swallowed up by the thick smoke, their laughter drowned in the darkness.

’The way it’s moving... it’s like the smoke is alive!’ Liam thought, the frown on his face deepening.

Shluk! Shluk!

More thorns suddenly erupted from Ratna’s mouth, piercing through his skin and spreading all over his face.

The dark thorn tore through his forehead, his cheeks, his scalps and even the white part of his eyes.

His entire face was transformed into a horrifying bleeding cactus, with the grotesques thrown jutting out at all angles, dripping with his own blood.

However, that seemed to only be the beginning.

With the new set of thorns, the dark smoke thickened even further, rapidly expanding.

Within moments, the entire tavern was swallowed in a thick, suffocating mist.

Liam instinctively held his breath, his hands flexing at his sides as his vision darkened.

’Shit...’ He mumbled inwardly, snapping his head to the side.

Though his eyes were wide open, he couldn’t see anything, his vision enveloped in darkness.

Liam narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze, but no matter how hard he tried, his vision refused to pierce through the darkness.

A bad feeling began creeping up his spine.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Suddenly, a booming laugh exploded from within the darkness, reverberating across the walls in a distorted echo.

The strange laughter vibrated through his bones, sending shivers down his spine.

His heart pounded against his chest, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t pinpoint where the laugh was coming from.

It felt like it was coming from everywhere at the same time.

’The darkness is not just affecting my vision, but my senses as well.’ Liam thought, clicking his tongue.

Having never been in a situation like this, he was quite confused on how he was supposed to act.

He didn’t know where his opponent was, or who they were supposed to be.

’This is bad...’ He thought, his lips curling into a wry smile.

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