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That night.

Ethan was outside the academy.

-Great Thief’s Mastery proficiency has increased!

Using Great Thief’s Mastery, Ethan exited the Marquis Rond mansion and headed towards the outskirts of Marquis Rond’s territory.

He had something to do on the outskirts.

‘I should take care of the things I postponed. There are many things to gain in Marquis territory.’

Currently, Ethan was focusing on his life at the academy, but achieving results at the academy wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

There were closed-off areas in Marquis Rond territory.

One of these prohibited areas was once called the Sky Garden, but now it had turned into a completely decayed and dead forest.

And this place was also one of the hiding spots of the Poison King.

‘I heard there was some sort of ruins here. But back then, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I thought that the Poison King would consume everything and only ruins would be left. However…’

The Poison King had been killed by Ethan and was no longer here.

So, treasures left by the Poison King should remain in his hiding spot. And the ruins wouldn’t really be ruins.

Ethan was particularly curious about the ruins.

For some reason, the Poison King had been searching for the ruins.

‘He was definitely looking for the Temple of the Moon Goddess.’

That meant that the ruins here, which he used as his hiding spot, were likely to be the Temple of the Moon Goddess.

‘I should grow when I have the chance to grow.’

Ethan was considering advancing his class by one level.

‘There might be nobles who don’t like this area during the parent observation class.’

Along with that, Ethan was convinced that there were followers of the Moon among the high-ranking nobles.

‘I don’t know who they are, but they definitely exist. I’ve often used information that’s virtually impossible to get, without revealing my sources, while I was active as a First Order.’

This information would be unattainable without followers of the Moon among the high-ranking nobles.

‘They might try to kill me or persuade me. The chances of persuasion are low.’

But killing could also raise suspicions.

He hadn’t fully grasped the strength on this side. In that case, they only had one choice.

‘Mind control.’

Mind control on the followers of the Moon.

Using their power, he could turn this side into pawns that the followers of the Moon could use and then discard.

‘I might end up dealing with things I can’t handle right now.’

That’s why Ethan was on the move.

He would obtain everything that could be obtained from the Poison King’s hiding spot.

Ethan reached the front of the prohibition area on the outskirts of Marquis Rond’s territory.

But the prohibition wasn’t a place one could just enter.

“Indeed, they’re thorough.”

In front of him, skilled knights of the Marquis stood guard, protecting the prohibition.

The prohibition was surrounded by artifacts and defensive magic spells were spread throughout for protection purposes.

‘The Poison King probably made deals with the knights guarding this place, allowing him to come and go freely. With such tight security, even using the Great Thief’s Mastery won’t make it easy to infiltrate.’

Ethan pondered for a moment. If sneaking in was difficult, he could just enter straightforwardly.

“Who’s there! This is a prohibited area! You can’t enter recklessly here! Step back. If you come any closer, I’ll strike.”

The knight spoke in a solemn voice.

Upon closer inspection, the knight seemed quite aged. His beard was slightly white at the tips.

“Hello, sir. I am Ethan Whiskers. I work as a teacher in the Swordsmanship Department of the Ivecar Academy.”

Ethan greeted politely.

When he showed his badge, the knight’s guarded expression quickly softened.

The Ivecar Academy had a very positive image in Marquis’ territory. As long as one was associated with the academy, their status was as good as proven.

“Oh, greetings. You must be a newly arrived teacher? This area is prohibited. It’s a dangerous place where toxin emissions leak. Why have you come to such a perilous place?”

“Ah, I want to talk about this dangerous prohibition in Marquis territory for the topic of the upcoming class. I want to explain how dangerous toxins can be. So, I’d like to take a look at this prohibition. Is there any way?”

“A great teacher, indeed. You want to explain to the students how dangerous this prohibition is. But it’s too dangerous here. You wouldn’t come out alive if you entered. How about listening to what I can tell you and then leaving?”

The knight nodded.

Ethan scrutinized the knight closely.

The knight’s dark circles were quite pronounced. He seemed to have been on night duty for quite a while, and that too continuously.

“You look quite tired, sir.”

“I am tired. Retirement isn’t far away, but they keep pushing me from higher up. Lately, I can’t even sleep properly.”

The knight rotated his arms as if to stretch, and every movement produced a creaking sound of bones, indicating the extent to which he was being worked from above, even causing him to let out a groan.

‘This is it.’

Ethan chuckled subtly and said to the knight, as if whispering a secret.

“Is your back hurting too, by any chance?”

“…!”

The knight looked at Ethan as if wondering how he knew.

“I can make you feel as if you’ve washed away your fatigue. Of course, not just your back. Your shoulders seemed quite sore when you rotated them just now. It seems you’re experiencing pain every time you move them. I can even relieve that shoulder collision pain.”

The knight’s eyes sparkled at Ethan’s subtle suggestion.

He could relieve the pain?

“You can relieve it? Didn’t you say you’re a teacher?”

“I, too, have been quite physically frail since a while ago. I found my own methods and studied, so I naturally acquired this ability. Oh, it’s okay if you don’t believe me. Since you said it’s dangerous, I’ll just go back as it is.”

As Ethan turned his body, the knight shouted.

“Wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“Um… is it really possible to fix it?”

Hooked.

“Of course.”

Ethan nodded and immediately produced needles.

“What’s that?”

“These are needles I use every day. I will insert these needles to release the blocked circulation. If you let me do this, your back will instantly feel as young as it used to be. Your shoulders, even if you had swung a sword thousands of times in a day, will return to normal by the next day.”

“Can sticking those needles really bring me back to those days? How?”

“Just by inserting it like this.”

Ethan gently inserted the needle into his own back.

“Hmm.”

The knight seemed interested in this unfamiliar medical procedure. He had seen and heard a lot, especially given his advanced age.

“Is it really effective?”

“If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t be standing here. I would’ve already died.”

“Hahaha, quite the joke. Can you try it on me?”

“In exchange.”

Ethan smirked.

“I want to enter the prohibited area. I will come out soon without any trouble.”

“Cough, cough, if it’s really effective, well then, I’ll pretend you didn’t come here today.”

When the knight’s permission was granted, Ethan immediately made the knight lie down on the soft ground.

“Let’s begin.”

* * *

“I will insert it.”

“Ugh… ugh, ugh…”

“Hold on a bit. This time, I’ll insert it gently.”

“Ugh, ugh… ughhhh!”

Amidst the struggling screams and groans, a sound could be heard that might be deeply misunderstood if someone unfamiliar with the situation was listening.

But this was a form of treatment.

Ethan was properly inserting the needles, bringing the knight’s body back to recovery. In addition, Ethan administered a decoction he prepared using Heo’s Decoction method.

-Heo’s Acupuncture proficiency has increased!

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t really treated things like frozen shoulder or chronic back pain before. So, could this increase in mastery be due to that?’

The mastery of Heo’s Acupuncture had also risen considerably.

‘When the Hero’s Breathing proficiency exceeded 25 percent, new techniques were added.’

So, there was a high likelihood that a new skill would soon be added to Heo’s Acupuncture as well.

“Now, this is the last part. Just bear with it a bit.”

“I will!”

Even though the treatment wasn’t yet finished, the knight was already experiencing significant effects. His body was being revitalized, and mana was circulating throughout, instilling strength where it hadn’t been before.

“…!”

“It’s done.”

As soon as Heo’s Acupuncture was finished, the knight exclaimed.

“This is truly amazing! I didn’t expect the effects to be this good! Phew, go inside quickly. But you should come out before sunrise. We alternate shifts, so if you get caught, there will be real trouble right before my retirement.”

“Yes, understood.”

Smiling, Ethan left the lying knight and entered the prohibited area.

As he entered the interior of the prohibition, what greeted Ethan was a purple mist.

Ethan furrowed his brows.

“Crazy Poison King. How could he turn a place like this into his hideout?”

Even though he was drenched in poison, Poison King was still a person. It was a risky move since it could lead to his death if something went wrong.

‘I can’t fathom the mind of a lunatic.’

Of course, Ethan’s resistance to poison was so high that he was practically unaffected even in this poisonous environment.

“Kieeeek-!”

“Still, better be cautious.”

Inside the prohibition, monsters were indeed present. Given their survival with poisons, this place could essentially be considered a paradise for them.

“Poisonous Big Frog.”

[Lv 49]

A giant frog with impressive violet markings appeared. Ethan exerted all his strength.

“Bring on some more.”

It was unavoidable.

Shwiing.

Ethan raised his Frost Sword and demonstrated his Whiskers Swordsmanship.

Swish-thud!

Despite being Level 49, the monster couldn’t resist Ethan’s precision strike that targeted its weakness and died in one blow.

Ethan immediately dismantled the Poisonous Big Frog.

“Huff.”

It seemed wise to carry around this frog meat just in case. There might be situations where he needed to utilize his Gourmet trait.

‘Though such a situation should be avoided.’

-The poison of the Poisonous Big Frog has been recorded in the Donguibogam.

Ethan recorded the poison of the Poisonous Big Frog in the Donguibogam and continued moving forward.

Endless expanse of poison mist.

He pushed through that mist, how far he entered was uncertain.

In the distance, there was a wooden hut collapsing. Ethan was certain that this was Poison King’s hideout.

“Found it.”

Just as he was approaching the hut.

The ground trembled, and shockwaves started radiating outwards.

“Kiiiiik!”

It wasn’t a wooden hut.

“Ah, that scared me! What’s this?”

[Lv 65]

It was a massive centipede.

Ethan’s previously furrowed brows slowly relaxed into a smile.

“So, you’re a new poison for me, huh?”

Never would he have imagined that a nourishing meal would come looking for him. Ethan grinned and drew his sword.