Injecting Venom

"Mr. Nicholas, where are we going?"

"Find a stone chamber with some special inscriptions. I suspect there are certain special chambers without mechanisms, and where those Kobold Monster wouldn't appear."

"."

Rein led the "Mountain Antelope Squad" through the tunnels, searching for a stone chamber that might be a "safe house".

His suspicion that there was a "safe house" in the maze was not based on mere imagination, but on the "hints" in the stone carvings on the walls of the Underground Palace.

Although the stone carvings were scattered, the "Mind Core" recorded them all.

Then, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they were pieced together in the system to form a huge incomplete picture!

"Trial", "Hero", "Inheritance", "Thor", "Chosen One".

Underground Palace, the same fragmented words appeared repeatedly in the carvings on the walls of the passageways and stone chambers.

This made Rein realize that this was not just a temple Underground Palace, but more likely a "trial Place of Inheritance," the trial site of the Pallas royal family of the Ancient Monkel Kingdom!

Since this is a trial ground, the purpose of this Underground Palace is definitely not to kill all the intruders, but to test something.

For example, observation skills, courage, wisdom, and logical thinking ability.

Moreover, because of the fragment of a map automatically pieced together by the system, Rein was able to guess the structure of the maze.

This is a very large underground project. Its overall shape gives him the feeling of a Rubik's Cube with countless grids!

It doesn't have to be a square "Rubik's Cube"; it could be any other irregular shape.

Those stone chambers are grids, and they move up, down, left, and right according to a certain pattern.

Because they were large enough, no one noticed the movement of these "grids".

Moreover, this maze contains many methods specifically designed to confuse people's senses. You may hear or see things, but your senses may still be deceived.

For example, Rein discovered that the black paint on the wall was actually a light-absorbing material, which is a clear "visual deception"!

He had already advanced to the Third Tier Extraordinary, and was High-tier Extraordinary with enhanced perception. Yet, in this dark passageway, he could only barely see things a few dozen meters away.

One can only imagine that other lower-level Transcendent would probably only be able to see a few square meters of space illuminated by the firelight.

Moreover, having not paid attention before, he has now discovered more "clues" that confirm his thoughts after careful observation.

The wall seams and palace lanterns in the passageway are not actually ordinary decorations, but rather "special reference objects" designed to mislead people's visual perception!

The two bricks appear to be the same size, length, and width, but upon actual measurement, there is a slight difference in their dimensions.

While the distance between each palace lantern appears to be the same, it is actually different in certain specific places.

This might make you think you're walking in a straight line, but in reality, you may have unknowingly deviated in some places, perhaps already walking in an arc, or even turned.

In this environment, visual perception deceives your sense of direction.

The passageway isn't actually straight; it's just that your eyes perceive it as a straight line.

Of course, Rein was able to reach this conclusion entirely because the Mind Core analyzed and compared precise data.

If it were him, even if he realized there was a problem and wanted to measure everything manually, it would probably take dozens of times more effort.

The time taken for this measurement was enough for those "Dog-headed Man" to attack countless times.

Knowing that this Underground Palace was a "Place of Inheritance," Rein began to ponder the hieroglyphs on the rock walls.

In fact, it also records certain patterns. When the system compares these patterns, it derives the general meanings of some symbols, such as: pause, back, forward, up, down, falling rocks, quicksand, crossbow bolts, and poison gas.

Rein guessed that these were clues to leaving the maze and the theoretical basis for his search for the "safe house".

However, all of this is still speculation for now. Before we get out of this maze, all doubts are just assumptions.

Finding the solution requires a large number of clues (stone carvings) before the system can complete the "Rubik's Cube puzzle".

But clearly, now is not the time to wander aimlessly through the maze.

Rein had previously encountered some obscure ancient inscriptions in the passageways and stone chambers along the way, but he hadn't realized what they meant until now, when he encountered these monsters, he immediately understood.

Each stone chamber is engraved with over 90% of the same patterns and texts, but there are also a few different things.

This is somewhat like a game from Rein's past life—"Spot the Difference".

In this dim light, the difference was extremely difficult to discern with the naked eye.

With his "Mind Core," Rein didn't need to compare them one by one. With a glance, the system quickly identified the different characters hidden in the same carvings.

This probably tests the "brave" person's observation skills?

Death to greedy intruders.

The Emissary of Death, Osiris, will silently appear behind you.

Only in darkness can the stars shine brightest.

The world- World-Ending Divine Lightning has descended upon it; only the brave can face it head-on.

[.]

Much of the text was ambiguous, and Rein wasn't sure which room was the so-called "safe house."

However, because tens of thousands of people entered the Underground Palace this time, many stone chambers and passageways were filled with the corpses of those killed by monsters.

This led him to immediately rule out the stone chambers containing corpses and leave quickly.

Then, after another wave of monsters attacked them and one person died, they found a stone chamber that no one had ever set foot in.

There were no corpses here, but instead many gold artifacts and burial objects!

"Wait. It looks like this place."

Rein's gaze swept quickly across the room, then landed on a line of text carved on the wall of the stone chamber. "[The Land of Thunder God's Protection, where heroes venturing into the trials of hell can find respite.]"

Commander Bart watched as Rein stopped in the stone chamber and asked, "Mr. Nicholas, is this the place you're looking for?"

Rein nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and said, "Not necessarily. But we can only give it a try."

Since Rein had already said to stop, the members of the "Mountain Antelope Squad" naturally had no objections.

Now that they know there's a "real big shot" in the team, they all naturally want to cling to him.

The group of men, each carrying a musket, stood back to back in pairs, aiming their guns at the darkness, their expressions tense and wary.

Fortunately, they stayed there for almost fifteen minutes without encountering any danger.

Finally, everyone's anxiety gradually subsided, and the feeling of being plagued by misfortune faded away.

"This stone chamber... seems safe?"

"That seems so. If such a Kobold Monster existed, it would have shown itself long ago."

"Shh, keep your voice down"

"."

The conversation was conducted in hushed tones, but it was clear that the tension was gradually easing.

Everyone felt increasingly fortunate to have a "Dr. Nicholas" in their team who could understand symbols of ancient civilizations.

Otherwise, Bart felt they wouldn't have noticed anything "secret" about these stone chambers.

They'll probably wander around the passageway like headless flies.

In that case, all of them, a dozen or so people, will probably be wiped out by those monsters sooner or later.

Rein was studying the murals on the wall carefully, and no one bothered him.

Bart also tried to discern what was strange about these almost identical stone chambers, but gave up immediately. It was simply not something that could be figured out in a short time.

Finally hearing Rein breathe a sigh of relief, Bart asked, "Mr. Nicholas, are we safe now?"

"It should be fine."

Rein nodded.

It now appears that his guess was correct; this is indeed a "safe house." The inscription on the stone suggests that it is safe here.

"Call"

Bart breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Rein nod.

Not only him, but all the members of the "Mountain Antelope Squad" were the same; their stiff fingers on the triggers of their muskets could finally relax.

After waiting a while longer, and sure enough, no danger occurred, Rein breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced at the "Mountain Antelope Squad" members, who were staring nervously at him, waiting for his words, and said, "It's safe here for now. We might stay here for a while. Everyone can take a good rest."

Bart and the others beamed with joy. "Great!"

The "Mountain Antelope Squad" placed the wounded in a corner, unloaded their burdens, and then began to organize the equipment that had been messed up during their hasty journey. They ate, drank water, and bandaged their wounds.

The deadly sense of crisis that had been weighing on their hearts could finally ease for a moment, and everyone's thoughts drifted away with their gazes.

The stone chamber was about 20 to 30 square meters in size and contained several golden coffins, some of which were unsure if they contained corpses. No one dared to touch them.

But the gold artifacts and treasures around them, which looked like burial goods, shimmered with an alluring golden light under the firelight.

The young hunters looked at the room full of gold artifacts with increasing envy, but dared not speak up.

They exchanged glances, and the older players nudged the blond young man next to them with their elbows. Then, the young player named Paul, looking slightly nervous, stepped forward and spoke timidly.

He asked, "Um, Commander, may we collect the burial items here?"

Four people have already died, and they don't know if they'll get out alive. But if they survive this, they'll keep earning money.

The hunters risked their lives for this "get rich overnight".

Battalion Commander Bart naturally knew what the team members were thinking.

But he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned to Rein, who was studying the murals, and asked, "Mr. Nicholas, what do you think? Will collecting these artifacts now cause us trouble?"

"It should be fine."

Rein nodded, naturally not stopping everyone from making a fortune, and said, "You can take the treasures, but it's best not to touch the coffin. Be careful, and if there's anything you don't understand, it's best to tell me."

"Good!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and they were ready to take action.

At that moment, Bart glared at his anxious teammates, and everyone immediately realized what was happening, their expressions turning slightly awkward.

Bart spoke again, turning to Rein and asking, "Mr. Nicholas, would you like to choose first?"

The strongest member of the Scavenger Gang has the right to choose the spoils first; that's the rule.

Moreover, if we're talking about distribution according to work, no one would say anything if this "Dr. Nicholas" took 80% of the treasure here.

Before Bart could finish speaking, Rein interrupted him, shaking his head and saying, "No, I'm not short of money. These stone carvings are more interesting to me. Of course, if you find anything strange, like ancient scrolls or something, you can show them to me."

These yellow and white items were indeed of little use to Rein, the "Lord of Black Dragon City," except for taking up storage space.

For him now, making money is much easier, and there are many more ways to do it. There's no need to compete with a bunch of low-level Transcendent for food.

"Oh, I see."

Although it was an expected answer, Bart still felt a bit dizzy, as if he had been hit on the head with a pie.

These burial items were a fortune that would make them incredibly rich.

If we can manage to get him out alive, then this gamble with our lives will have been worthwhile!

But the other party doesn't intend to share even a little bit?

Seeing how easily "Dr. Nicholas" could consume over 100,000 doses of medicine, Bart guessed that he was no ordinary doctor.

Hearing this again, Bart could tell that the person in front of him was probably a very important "big shot"!

He didn't say much, but said with a hint of excitement, "Then we won't stand on ceremony."

After a series of depressing losses, the "Mountain Antelope Squad" finally reaped a great harvest.

This stone chamber was filled with various burial objects, including gold and jewels.

The royal family of this Ancient Monkel Kingdom seemed to have a particular fondness for gold artifacts; everywhere you looked, there was a dazzling gold glitter—cutlery, plates, candlesticks, kettles, and basins.

There are also various brightly colored gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires, cat's-eye stones, jade, taffise, and diamonds. They are set in magnificent crowns, or in various necklaces and rings.

The firelight illuminated the entire stone chamber, reflecting a dazzling light like a peacock spreading its tail.

Within the entire "Mountain Antelope Squad," only their leader, Bart, possessed Storage Ring with a volume of only one-fifth of a cubic meter. Yet, the various gold artifacts, large and small, piled up in this stone chamber would likely fill several cubic meters.

While studying the murals, Rein was also drawn to the clattering sound of gold coins beside him.

Turning his head, he saw everyone busily filling animal skin bags with handfuls of food, then preparing to carry them on their shoulders.

Since everyone here is Transcendent being, such a large amount of wealth, weighing several tens of tons, can probably be carried away by human labor.

But with all those bags and packages, it was practically as if they had "I'm rich" plastered on their foreheads. Even if no one knew, if they encountered any malicious hunters in the tunnels, they'd probably end up in a fight.

Rein smiled, then took out a few black rings and said to Bart, "Here are a few Storage Ring that I don't need. You can take them and store them. Otherwise, if we run into someone and they see you like this, it might cause trouble."

"Ah, a storage ring?"

Bart stared in disbelief at the ring Rein offered, then asked, "You're giving it to us?"

Before I knew it, the ring was in my hand.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the storage space of any one of the rings was several times larger than that of the one on his hand.

If the ring I'm wearing costs over a million lisos, then these large storage rings must be incredibly expensive.

They just gave it away like that?

Rein nodded. "Yes."

Since they were spoils of war obtained through killing, keeping too many on one's person is of no use.

"Thank you, Mr. Nicholas."

Bart didn't hesitate and accepted the Storage Ring with a sincere expression of gratitude.

He quietly put away the top-quality gems he had just collected, intending to give them to Rein. All the things he had chosen together were worth less than a single storage ring.

The Scavenger Gang received such a generous gift, and Sister Pasha and the other members of the hunting party said sincerely, "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Nicholas."

This is a huge fortune that could change their lives.

If they manage to get out alive, they might be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives on this money, instead of risking their lives hunting in the wilderness anymore.

Rein smiled and replied casually, "You're welcome."

The members of the "Mountain Antelope Squad" were busy tidying up the treasures in the stone chamber. After studying the carvings of Rein in the stone chamber, they seemed to have nothing to do.

At that moment, he glanced at the body attribute panel displayed by the system.

In the section he named "Dog-headed Paralysis Toxin Resistance," the value had increased significantly again.

This is because after being bitten by the "Dog-headed Man" and having the venom injected into the body, the body's immune system was updated, raising the threshold for resistance to this toxin.

Without much thought, he took out a syringe and injected the Paralyzing Toxin he had collected from the poison glands of the "Dog-headed Man" monster's corpse into his body.

The dosage was slightly higher than last time, but still within the range that the body could tolerate.

With a system monitoring his body, he doesn't need to worry about "poisoning." Even if it causes other problems, he is a doctor himself and can handle them accurately at any time.

Injecting toxins is the fastest way to increase toxin resistance.

Of course, it was only because he had advanced to the level of [Voodoo Master] that he dared to do this.

The Transcendent abilities awakened by this Gene Potion allow his immune system to adapt to the toxin in a very short time. With just a few more injections, his resistance to the toxin will increase.

This was done so that Rein would have a better chance of survival in the Underground Palace.

Every poison has a dosage. To discuss toxicity without considering dosage is irresponsible.

The amount of toxin injected into him by a single "dog-headed monster" is not fatal, but if it's from many monsters, or a sudden large amount, he has to be careful.

With his increased resistance to this [Dog-headed Paralysis Toxin], he can easily navigate this maze.

After taking one dose of the toxin, the body felt that familiar numbing sensation again.

I just got here because of a power outage. Only one update today.