Chapter 40: Boss – Toxicology Scholar Ian (5)

The poisonous fog thickened with each breath, and Felice’s mind grew ever more clouded. She no longer knew whether she was running or walking—just trudging forward blindly, unable to see anything around her.

“Yuhong… Yuhong… Yuhong… huh?”

“I’m… here.”

“!?”

A faint male voice came. Felice immediately ran toward it.

But it was Booker.

He lay collapsed on the ground, coughing relentlessly. His expression was dazed, his gaze unfocused; he’d clearly inhaled a large amount of poison mist and was now teetering on the brink of death.

“Haa… ha… you… eh… Felice… fuck… thought you two ditched me. Where’s Yuhong?”

“I’d like to know that too!”

Felice flared with frustration. Why was it so impossible to find the one person she needed? Sure, Booker was a companion, too—but—tsk! Not all companions were equal. But what should she do? Leaving him here didn’t sit right, yet finding Yuhong was more urgent.

“Gah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!”

A familiar sound suddenly pierced the mist.

A grotesque, ragged breathing.

Acting on pure instinct, Felice lunged and stabbed toward the source. At the same moment, a shadow darted through the fog. It was Ian. Her rapier collided with its claw, and the force sent her stumbling several steps back. In the blink of an eye, Ian vanished again into the poisonous haze.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

“Gah-hah-hah-hah…”

Felice’s ragged breaths mingled with Ian’s wheezing chuckles, the massive shadow flitting in and out of sight within the fog. Where would the next strike come from? The front? Behind? The left? The right? Or—

—Above!

In a split second, Felice sprang backward—just as Ian crashed down onto where she’d just been standing, his claw slamming into the ground mere inches from Booker’s head. Before she could even counterattack, Ian let out another eerie cackle and melted back into the fog. He was toying with her, like a cat playing with a mouse, determined to draw out her death.

“Huff… huff… this is bad…”

Felice tried to stay alert, forcing her nerves taut—but her vision swam, and even her grip on her rapier began to slip. In this condition—

Thud!

A sudden impact from behind sent her sprawling. She crashed to the ground, her rapier flying far out of reach. Gritting her teeth, she rolled over only to find herself staring directly into Ian’s eyes.

A towering monstrosity loomed over her, wrapped in bandages, bristling with eyes, spewing toxic fog. It was the size of four or five grown men.

And it was close. Far too close.

Such an overwhelming opponent.

In comparison, Felice could only lie there helplessly as Ian closed in, inch by inch.

For the first time in her life, Felice truly felt how near death could be.

She couldn’t win.

There was no way to win.

The gap between them was just too vast. Far too vast.

Was there really a hero in this world who could defeat a creature like this?

If… if such a person truly existed—

“Someone… please… save me…” she whispered in despair.

At the same time, Ian let out a shriek and raised his claw, aiming straight for Felice’s head.

Clang!

Boom!!!

“Roooooaaarrr!!!”

In that instant, a blinding white light erupted in front of Felice’s eyes, and Ian screamed with an ear-piercing screech. This was no hallucination, no trick of the light, but real—pure, radiant light, cutting through the poison mist like the dawn itself. So fierce, so warm, so sacred—it felt as though it could cleanse the world of all evil and corruption.

It was the natural nemesis of unclean toxin.

Bathed in the brilliant white light, Felice felt sensation rushing back to her limbs. Her head cleared, the burning sting of corrosive venom on her skin faded, and the toxic miasma inside her seemed to evaporate entirely. This light… could it be the power of purification?

“Sorry, I’m late!”

A man’s voice.

The moment that familiar silhouette appeared before her, Felice felt her heart surge with emotion, full to bursting.

With nothing but his thin frame, the man stood between her and the monstrous threat, alone, facing the most powerful creature they had ever encountered.

The radiant light came from the object in his hand.

It was the Iron-Vine Staff once wielded by the chieftain.

At the tip of the staff, the vine-like branches had unfurled, gripping a gleaming gem, fixing it securely in place. That radiant gem was none other than a Lustrous Core, now fused with the staff to become a single, divine weapon.

Lustrous Core was an extraordinarily hard and razor-sharp mineral, and this particular one was especially fine.

Its slender, gleaming shape, tapering to a deadly point, now merged with the Iron-Vine Staff, transforming the weapon into something akin to a lance of light blessed by the gods.

For the first time, Ian recoiled—step by step.

It feared this radiance, this purifying force emitted by the Lustrous Core. It wouldn’t even draw close to Zhou Yuhong while he held the gleaming spear.

“Kept you waiting, huh, Ian?”

“Hrrrhhh… ssshhhhh…”

“Round two starts now!”

==========

Purifying Staff-Spear

Type: Special Spear / Staff – Composite Weapon

Weight: Heavy

Background: Crafted by the elder of the rotted-face people, this weapon is a modified form of the traditional Ironvine Staff. At a critical moment, the tip of the staff unfurled, allowing its entwined metal branches to grasp and merge with the previously untouchable Lustrous Crystal. Through this fusion, a makeshift spear was born—its tip forged from the radiant crystal and its shaft formed from the ironwood staff.

Because Lustrous serves as a spellcasting catalyst, this spear can also function as a magic staff, allowing both physical thrusts and spellcasting through one weapon.

Acquisition: Iron-Vine Staff + Lustrous Core

Special Ability: Energy Storage · Discharge

==========

Purifying energy that’s too strong will burn even a person—that’s what the chieftain had said. That was why he had used the iron-vine staff’s grasping function to handle the Lustrous Core, rather than touching it directly. Purification could dispel poison, cleanse filth. Under its protection, the rotted-face people had managed to survive these past ten years. Even if less than half of the original energy remained, it was still formidable.

The staff itself was already no ordinary artifact. When combined with this gem storing vast purifying energy, it might just be the ultimate weapon against Ian. 

Come, Ian.

Round two has begun!

“Raaaaahhh!!!”

I thrust the purifying staff-spear forward with all my might. As if resonating with my will, the Lustrous Core burst forth with brilliant light. The thick clouds of toxic mist were blasted away in an instant. Waves of purifying power surged down the staff and into my body, washing away every last trace of poison within me. 

“Guooooohhh!”

Ian flinched for a moment, but then roared and charged, slashing down with his massive claw. 

The moment the spear tip met Ian’s claw, it let out a thunderous crack like a lightning strike. Ian howled, staggering back several steps—his forward right arm now laced with glowing white fractures. The purifying force was like acid to him—any physical contact resulted in irreversible damage. 

I didn’t know how to wield a spear properly, but right now, I didn’t need refined technique. As long as I got close, Ian would be scorched by the radiant light. It had no means of counterattack whatsoever against the purifying staff-spear.

It lashed out with all four arms, striking down in rapid succession. I widened the gap, then thrust from a safe distance, taking full advantage of the spear’s reach. The effect was immediate—wherever the weapon pierced its arm, cracks began to bloom, and its movements visibly slowed. I pressed the attack, gripping the staff tightly, and swung hard

“Screeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Its forward right arm was cleaved clean off. The Lustrous Core was razor-sharp to begin with, and Ian’s flesh disintegrated on contact with it. I barely felt any resistance—it was like slicing through wet paper. This was the first time it had suffered a wound of this magnitude, and panic overtook it for the first time as well.

And I wasn’t about to give it any room to breathe.

I stabbed relentlessly, again and again. The spear struck its shoulder, its chest—each impact releasing clouds of foul, black smoke. Ian howled and stumbled backward, and I gave chase without pause. Cornered, it suddenly leapt back, mouth gaping wide, firing several streams of thick toxin straight at me.

But I swung the spear with all my strength. The radiance exploded outward. The moment the toxin reached me, it was dissolved in the searing light.

I had no idea how much energy I had left—but I had never felt more alive.

The Lustrous Core carved dazzling white arcs through the air. Ian’s claws swept out, creating blasts of shadowed wind. But every time black met white, the black was driven back in force.

I lost count of how many blows I had exchanged with it. Ian’s massive body was now covered in wounds, both shallow and deep. The purifying force had significantly weakened it, slowing its movements—like a powerful all-around debuff had been inflicted upon its very core.

“Roaaarrrghhhhh!”

It howled in frustration. 

Before this purifying light, its toxins were utterly powerless. Worse, its body—saturated with poison—was unraveling with every strike, unable to withstand direct contact with the radiant force!

It started shifting sideways, circling as though testing me. But with one arm gone, its movements were sluggish. It crawled, trembling, its defenses full of holes.

Of course, I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

I lunged, spear leveled—

“Scree-hee!”

But in that instant, Ian let out a sly, gleeful screech—as though its trap had finally sprung.

It suddenly launched upward like lightning. Even as the sound reached my ears, it had already landed behind me.

Three claws slashed through the air, coming at me from behind.

But, sorry.

I knew you’d do that.

Because if I were you, I’d do exactly the same.

The moment Ian swung its claws, I had already turned and ducked low.

My perception slowed; every frame was crystal clear.

Its rear right arm swept past above my head.

The purifying staff-spear swung wide, striking its rear left arm.

The left arm cracked and snapped mid-swing under the flash of purifying light.

Its front left claw came crashing down, slamming into the ironwood grip of the staff, splintering it in half.

Unable to stop its forward momentum, Ian’s upper body tumbled toward me.

And I gripped the broken half of the staff-spear and drove it forward with all my might, aiming straight for its chest.

“Skreeeeeee!!!”

Ian let out the most piercing scream yet. The shattered half of the staff-spear in my hands trembled violently as the Lustrous Core plunged deep into its chest. The purifying energy, like fire meeting gasoline, surged wildly—rays of blinding white light flooded straight into Ian’s body. Thick black smoke poured from its entire form, and its flesh began crumbling like brittle shale. Gray-black bandages scattered across the ground. Beneath its fur and skin, the brilliance of purification glowed through.

“Aaaaahhh—Skree—gagaga—Roooooaaarrr!”

It writhed in agony, thrashing wildly, but I braced myself and drove the broken spear deeper, refusing to yield even an inch! I didn’t know how long this moment lasted. I didn’t know how much longer the searing pain in my body would go on. I only knew the blinding light was finally beginning to fade.

Fainter and fainter, and as the radiance dimmed, Ian’s thrashing weakened, too.

At last, when both were nearly spent, drained of all strength—

“Rrrgh… rrrh… rghhh…”

Hisssssss…

—I collapsed to the ground.

The Lustrous Core, having finally exhausted every ounce of purifying energy, lost its glow. It faded into a dull, translucent crystal—no different from ordinary glass.

And Ian’s monstrous body had shrunken dramatically. Most of it had disintegrated into black, crumbling remains. What was left was barely the size of a normal human. Its many eyes were dim and lifeless. Two of its four arms had been severed. A third was broken. What remained of it looked almost human.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Was it over?

Was it dead?

With trembling hands, I pulled the spear from its chest—or rather, what remained. It was no longer a staff. The grip had snapped in half. Now, it looked more like a long-handled dagger. And with its purifying energy completely spent, it could no longer be used as a weapon.

It had served its purpose—a single-use weapon, meant for the toxicology scholar Ian.

“Yuhong!”

Felice came running toward me, breathless. The wave of purification had cleansed the poison from the others as well. Though she looked utterly exhausted, there were no signs of lingering venom.

“Is it… is it over?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Thank goodness—”

Crack!!!

Suddenly, a strange noise echoed from behind.

My heart leapt into my throat.

Slowly… I turned around.

Ian.

Its body—ravaged by purifying light, its toxins spent, its frame broken and contorted, reduced to a frail, humanlike silhouette—suddenly twitched.

Drip.

Something fell from the wound in its chest.

It wasn’t venom.

It was blood. Deep red blood, not unlike that of any ordinary beast. But the instant that blood hit the ground, it burst into flame—orange-red fire roaring to life, consuming the dry grass in an instant.

“W-What… the hell…”

Its body shuddered. Staggering, swaying, it rose to its feet again. Blood dripped from every wound on its body, and every drop ignited the moment it touched air.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

The seeping, burning blood poured freely now. The flames roared higher, fiercer—brighter than any poison mist before it.

Within that wall of fire, its head turned.

And within its hollow eye sockets, flames flared alongside a murderous gleam.