Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 318: —

Chapter 318: —

Arrow Zhou.

The right-hand of the Guild Master had slayed dragons with the help of his comrades. He trained and became a martial artist whose experience had trumped the darkest of monsters and the deadliest of players. He was once an Inner Disciple, a student of an Orthodox Sect Elder. That was years ago and he had come into his own as a Monster Hunter.

But experience could be trumped by the most fabled of all; the talented and the ambitious. Smoke rose from his scorched face.

"The heart of an Inner Disciple. I will take it."

Quelch!

Dasha stripped the standing corpse of its heart with a single Black Card.

After placing the weak heart inside his inventory, Dasha took a moment to catch his breath, adrenaline and a slithery burn pumping through his veins. His muscles and bones ached, and the poison coursing through his system. Victory had come at a small price. Dasha knew he had one final task ahead of him. He turned his gaze towards the door of the Guild Master.

Victory was not complete. He had one task ahead of him. Raoul, leader of the Monster Hunters. Against a noble, he would have to restore himself to peak condition. A gush of blood imploded from his ear.

Would that even be possible with this poison inside him?

’Symptoms: deactivation of Qi Sense, blurry eyes, bloody ears and nose, and slowed movement after minutes. Deactivation of Qi Sense... It must be a Qi-disrupting poison. Blurry eyes and bloody ears suggest it’s attacking my sensory organs. Slowed movement... that’s a neurotoxin at work.’

These were the distinct characteristics of venom derived from the Basilisk Lizard, a mythological creature known for its paralyzing and sensory-disrupting venom. It was a mid-grade poison and life-threatening if not treated promptly. The circumstances on how the Snake Style incorporated various types of poison was not known to the public. Dasha had a couple theories, not that they bore any weight to solving this issue.

What mattered was that he had identified the poison and neurotoxin mix.

’If there is a poison, there is always an antidote.’

He scrolled through his catalogue of antidotes. Dasha had prepared for this exact situation. He did not make himself a lab solely for the sake of making Dream Meth. He conducted other experiments. As a professor, Dasha was extensively knowledgeable, extensively cautious, and incredibly experimental, leading him to develop over a hundred potions, most of which were stored in his inventory.

’Found it. Basilisk Lizard Anti-Venom and for extra strength, I’ll add in a Qi Replenisher,’ Dasha said to himself, extracting the two vials from his inventory.

He uncorked the vials and downed the contents in one swift motion. The twin liquids were bitter, not that he cared. He swallowed, feeling it spread warmth through his body. Almost immediately, he could feel the effects taking hold. The blurriness in his eyes began to clear, and the ringing in his ears started to fade. His Qi Sense flickered back to life, and the sluggishness in his limbs began to dissipate.

’Good, it’s working.’

He took a deep breath, feeling his strength returning. The poison was still in his system, but the antidote was buying him the time he needed. He focused his Qi, using his internal energy to aid the antidote in purging the remaining toxins.

Ah.

In that moment, he came to an unexpected understanding and with understanding...

[ Internal Healing (Early Stage) upgraded to Internal Healing (Middle Stage) ]

...came an upgraded skill. A stronger degree of healing. He was no longer relying on the potions, his Internal Healing was aiding him too.

"Excellent."

Dasha rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers. The pain and fatigue were mildly there, but they were manageable now. To compensate, he drank one last potion to increase HP and MP regen.

His heart thumped hard and he put a hand over to it. ’I can already feel it. I’m stretching my daily amount thin. Any more and my body and soul will...’

It didn’t matter. Dasha was ready for the final confrontation. The door couldn’t be opened normally. A key was necessary—which the right-hand of the Guild Master, Arrow Zhou, kept in his pouch.

He retrieved the key from Arrow Zhou’s heartless corpse, a simple brass item that seemed almost mundane compared to the grandeur of his next opponent. He approached the door again, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. The door opened with a heavy creak.

Stepping through, Dasha closed the door behind him and sealed himself within the chamber of the Guild Master. The chamber was vast and opulent yet filthy and smelly, as one would expect from the leader of the Monster Hunters. There was professional marred by his work.

In one corner, a small cage held a baby phoenix. The creature looked at him with curious eyes.

Seated at a grand desk at the far end of the room was Raoul, the Guild Master. Aside from his pink hair and eyes, he was traditionally handsome with high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a sophisticated side-part. His pink eyes locked onto Dasha’s and a slight frown played at the corners of his lips.

"Who do we have here? A new recruit?"

Jack’s mask was broken from the nose-up. In a flash, Raoul disappeared and reappeared behind Dasha. The speed was astonishing; Dasha hadn’t even seen any anticipatory movement. No vibration of the muscles or signs in the pupils that he was going to move.

’Even my Qi Sense failed to catch him in time.’

"What’s with the broken mask? A fashion style?" Raoul joked, hovering over his shoulder. "Doesn’t look bad but it’s not good either."

This was Raoul, once a member of the dynasty of kings, of the Yngling. This was a man close to breaking into the looming Class Six. If only he possessed mythical items like the professor did.

Without a word, Dasha brought his hands together, index fingers and thumbs pressed against one another while the remainder of his fingers came together normally. Raoul’s expression turned into confusion as Dasha brought the gesture down.

"————!"