Chapter 74: Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons

Raising Dragon Lairs was a game all about drawing Guardians and nurturing them, so there were plenty of events related to summoning.

Events where you could summon Guardians of specific attributes.

Events to draw limited Guardians.

There were Guardians you could only summon during certain periods, and these events always featured a phrase like this:

[Guardian trained by a Legendary Guardian.]

But until the game ended, that Legendary Guardian never showed so much as a glimpse of their face.

“Does that mean I can appoint the Legendary Guardian as my own Guardian?”

“No. To make them your Guardian, you have to become the True Successor.”

“Then isn’t drawing their cards pointless?”

“You can’t appoint the Legendary Guardian themselves, but you can appoint those they’ve trained as Guardians. Simply put, think of it like the pickup events in the game.”

The Guardians drawn from those pickup events mostly had outstanding abilities, so they weren’t bad at all.

Still, the Legendary Guardian drew a bit more attention.

“How do I become the True Successor?”

“You have to defeat all Seven Apostles descending on Earth, then become the Administrator of Earth. That’s when you qualify to challenge.”

“Administrator?”

“That’s information I can’t reveal to you just yet. Ask me again after you become Saint Dragon level or defeat all the Seven Apostles.”

Rose shuffled the cards and spread them out fan-like on the table.

“I can probably take one more question. Anything you want to ask?”

“Is it better to hatch Dragon Eggs quickly?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

Her serious tone made how important it was clear.

I looked down to check the cards.

They had a golden background with seven colors representing the attributes, all drawn as weapons, and at the center was a dragon with its mouth wide open.

The shape of the cards was exactly the same as before.

“Hmm.”

As I calmly stared at the cards, a tingling sensation ran through me.

Like something was touching my senses.

Focusing on that feeling, I noticed some cards oddly pulling me in.

“Five cards again this time?”

“Yes.”

I reached out toward the cards that called to me.

The second from the left, the fifth.

The tenth and twentieth from the right.

And finally, the card in the center.

Swish.

Swish.

Swish.

Rose took the cards I selected and set them aside, organizing the rest.

I watched her hands.

“Well, shall we see?”

Her delicate fingers moved, flipping the cards one by one. When the first card turned over, a teapot emitting green smoke appeared.

The teapot had the character ‘毒 (Poison)’ engraved on it.

The second card revealed a giant snake coiled around a planet.

It also bore the character ‘Poison’.

“Isn’t that a mistake? Two cards with the same character?”

“…No, look—the images are different, right? It’s not a mistake. But does this make sense?”

Rose wore a strange expression.

A mixture of wonder and surprise.

Flustered yet happy.

Those complex emotions showed plainly on her face.

“To meet the Legendary Guardian I mentioned earlier, you have to draw five cards, each marked with an attribute like this.”

Rose’s hand moved as she flipped the third card.

A dagger stained with poison appeared.

A third ‘Poison’ card.

Her hand trembled slightly as she flipped the fourth card.

This time, a spider that emitted poison appeared.

“Only one card left?”

“Yes. You flip the last card yourself.”

The final card sat before me.

If poison appeared again, it meant I could meet the Legendary Guardian.

Trusting my instincts, I flipped the card.

A fifth poison card appeared.

This last card bore no elaborate image, only the large character for poison.

“Wow.”

Rose murmured in awe and snapped her fingers.

The five cards transformed into shot glasses filled with a green liquid.

A color that radiated a strong poisonous aura.

She poured the five shots into a golden shaker and began shaking it.

Watching her, I asked,

“This isn’t something that happens often, right?”

“Of course not. Legendary Guardians don’t show interest unless you’re Saint Dragon level. No hatchling-level Successor has ever met a Legendary Guardian. The closest current Successor only met one after reaching Saint Dragon level.”

Rose opened the shaker’s lid and poured the well-mixed liquid into a large shot glass.

The green smoke wafted from the drink.

Instead of the usual brilliance, it felt like a deadly poison you’d die from the moment you drank it.

“Can you tell me what’s different about meeting a Legendary Guardian?”

“Hmm. You’ll understand as soon as you do. But I can tell you this: appointing a Guardian is actually easier this way.”

Rose pushed the glass toward me.

I eyed the grim liquid and reached out, lightly swirling the drink before tossing it back.

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

There really was poison in that drink?

My head spun as a powerful pressure swept through my whole body.

My churning stomach made me feel faint.

And then a message window appeared.

[Entering Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons.]

As my blurred vision cleared, the scene before me came into focus.

Inside a cave illuminated by green flames.

Ahead stood a massive stone gate entwined by two enormous snakes.

Guarding it were skeleton soldiers.

Green smoke that seemed to embody poison curled from their heads.

“Clack… clack… clack…”

“…clack… clack… clack.”

Approaching the jaw-moving skeleton soldiers making clicking sounds, they lowered their weapons and stepped back.

As if signaling me to pass.

Like they were clearing the way.

“Can I go in here?”

“…clack… clack.”

The lone skeleton soldier wearing a helmet at the far end nodded in response.

I stepped forward to the huge stone gate.

Without me doing anything, the door slowly opened.

Rumble rumble rumble.

Creak!

The stone gate split in half and slid aside.

Inside was a passageway.

A dark corridor lit by green flames.

The poison drifting from within triggered my Dragon God’s Body.

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

I exhaled deeply and stepped inside.

The path wasn’t complicated, so there was little chance of getting lost.

Creak!

The door closed behind me, but I didn’t mind.

It was expected.

More importantly,

This place was one no uninvited person could enter. Since I was invited, the risk to me was low.

“I wonder what’s inside.”

The Legendary Guardian I’d only known by name in the game.

Curious about their existence, I walked deeper along the corridor.

The tunnel stretched in a straight line.

The deeper I went, the thicker the poison became.

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

It wasn’t just that the poison grew denser—the types seemed to increase as well.

Messages kept appearing without pause.

‘Most people wouldn’t even be able to get in here.’

I pushed through the relentless poison as I proceeded, soon reaching the end of the tunnel and entering a wide chamber.

In the center stood a fountain carved in the shape of a snake.

Beyond it was a sealed door.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

Looking around for clues, I noticed a message on the fountain.

[Drink Purified Water and enter the Stage 2 test.]

I brought the fountain’s mouth to mine and took a large gulp.

A cool, refreshing sensation spread through my body.

Rumble rumble rumble!

The blocked door opened.

“This time it’s a battle.”

The passage had widened threefold, packed with skeleton knights.

They flashed green eyes, green smoke drifting from between their helmets.

The skeleton knights charged, swords drawn.

I used mana from the Dragon Heart to cast a spell.

“Fire Buster.”

An explosion erupted from the magic circle before me, engulfing the rushing skeleton knights.

Kraaaang!

Broken bones scattered across the floor.

I stepped forward, dealing with the attacking skeleton knights.

Bam!

Kraaaang!

Clearing the skeleton knights blocking my path, I moved forward and soon reached what looked like the entrance to a massive temple.

[Prove your qualification and enter here.]

To reach what appeared to be the final gate, I had to cross a narrow path between cliffs.

A path barely wide enough for a single person.

The cliffs on either side dropped out of sight, appearing pitch black.

Whoooosh!

A violet poisonous mist drifted in like fog, obscuring my vision.

“Here goes.”

I stepped onto the narrow path between the cliffs.

Suddenly, dizziness hit me, my head spinning.

[The poison’s potency has exceeded Dragon God’s Body’s self-purification.]

Poison spread throughout my body.

My stomach churned, and a burning heat flared through my throat and chest.

My breath constricted slowly.

My whole body trembled from the agonizing pain after so long.

‘Is the poison affecting me because I’m not Saint Dragon level?’

Just as I thought that and considered giving up, my Dragon God’s Body began absorbing the poison.

[Poison resistance increased.]

[Poison-related Skill power increased.]

Like when I took the elixir Freya gave me.

My Dragon God’s Body began using the poison to gradually boost my resistance and immunity.

[Poison resistance increased.]

[Poison-related Skill power increased.]

[Poison resistance increased.]

[Poison-related Skill power increased.]

…

…

[Poison resistance increased.]

[Poison-related Skill power increased.]

As my resistance grew, the side effects faded one by one.

My trembling ceased.

My breath cleared.

The burning sensation disappeared.

My shaking vision returned to normal.

[You are immune to poison due to Dragon God’s Body.]

My poison resistance had risen so high the violet mist was powerless.

‘Should I call this a fateful opportunity?’

I didn’t know what this poison really was.

But now, it seemed like almost any poison would be powerless against me.

Slowly, I stood and checked my condition.

Then I stepped forward to the final gate of the temple.

The moment I stepped on the spot, the violet mist vanished and the temple doors opened.

Creeeeak!

The sound of the doors opening shook the floor deeply.

The ground trembled as if a massive earthquake had struck.

I used mana to firmly plant my feet on the ground.

Not long after, a strong presence came from behind.

More precisely, from beneath the cliffs.

Gooooo!

Two snakes appeared, their power intensifying.

Two completely different-looking snakes.

They flicked their long tongues and opened their mouths.

“You actually passed the final gate as a hatchling-level.”

“As expected of the Dragon Lord’s Successor chosen by that person.”

I tried to see with the Golden Dragon’s Eye, but it was useless.

“Who are you?”

“Kuhuhuhu. I am Basilisk.”

“I am Jormungandr.”

“We are the previous owners of the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons, former Guardians of the first Dragon Lord.”

Previous owners?