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The energy was so faint that I wouldn’t even notice it unless I paid close attention.

“The nature of my mana has definitely changed, though.”

Grumbling, I made my way to the training grounds.

Even though I had surrounded myself with mana, the Blood Python’s poison still managed to penetrate that barrier and enter my body.

No matter how little it was, there was no way that powerful poison could have been neutralized just by chewing a few detox herbs.

It was clear that the Blood Python’s poison and my mana had caused some kind of unknown synergy.

“Looks like that’s the only way.”

The method to verify it was simple—drink the Blood Python’s poison directly.

By recreating the same conditions, I could observe how my mana would react.

“If my theory is correct, this could be a new opportunity.”

I gulped as I discreetly shook a small vial I had secretly taken from the storage.

It was the dead of dawn, and everyone was still asleep.

I had deliberately sneaked out, avoiding everyone’s eyes. If things went wrong, I wouldn’t be discovered until morning.

If I collapsed now, both the Fenris Barony and Ferdium would be trampled underfoot by enemies in no time.

It was a situation where I couldn’t afford to gamble with my life, but I also couldn’t just let things be.

I had carefully considered this over and over, assessing the chances of success while endlessly checking my mana.

“If I adjust the dosage appropriately, I won’t die. And if my hypothesis is right, I can grow stronger faster. It’s a gamble worth taking.”

Even though I had turned back time, there was still less time than I had in my past life.

Knowing the future was only a possibility, nothing more. I had no way of knowing when or where something might happen.

I needed to get stronger, even just a little bit faster.

And now, a new opportunity had practically walked up to me on its own.

There was immense danger lurking, but I had no intention of letting this chance slip by.

“Is there anything easy in this world?”

Even at this very moment, my instincts were screaming at me, intensely and endlessly.

This poison would make me even stronger.

“Ah, come on. It’s not like I’m going to die, right?”

I suppressed my anxiety and opened the vial.

The moment a tiny drop of the poison touched my tongue, my face went pale.

But I didn’t hesitate. I downed the entire contents of the vial in one gulp.

“Urgh!”

My complexion quickly turned purple, then started to darken, as if it were burning from within.

I clenched my teeth.

It felt like a knife was slicing through my stomach. My muscles were paralyzed, and my limbs refused to move at will.

It was a potent poison, capable of corroding most materials, whether metal or stone.

I had ingested this poison raw, one that even a specially treated vial could barely contain…

It was a situation where, if my will, body, or mana were lacking in any way, death would be inevitable.

‘I need to stay focused!’

Absorbing it through mana was one thing, but drinking it directly was an entirely different matter.

If I hadn’t had any mana, I would have died the moment the poison touched my tongue.

Rumble!

My mana began to battle against the toxic energy that had filled my body.

The three cores were furiously spinning, churning out mana, but the poison instead used that flow to spread throughout my entire body.

Inside me, mana and the poison started a fierce struggle, each trying to devour the other.

“Urgh!”

I opened my eyes wide.

Blood vessels burst in my eyes, and tears of blood started to stream down my face.

Blood also began to trickle from my mouth, as if my internal organs were being damaged.

The veins across my entire body swelled, looking as though they were about to burst.

“Not… bad at all.”

Even while bleeding from my eyes, I managed to smile.

It was painful, but more than that, a sense of anticipation was building up.

This was it. This was the power. If I could absorb this strength, I would become several times stronger.

“Ugh!”

The new energy surged within me, struggling violently to escape my body.

I gripped my fading consciousness and continued to train my mana.

The three cores, aligned with my will to somehow control the energy, spun furiously.

Rumble!

The mana, which had been swirling around the poison, soon merged with it.

I could feel, just slightly, that the amount of my mana had increased.

Everything unnecessary was burned away, leaving only the pure essence of power within my body.

“As I thought.”

As I had anticipated, my mana fused with the Blood Python’s poison, absorbing its energy.

The absorbed energy seemed to contribute to my increased regenerative abilities.

Depending on how it was used, poison could become medicine.

“Increased mana is good, but…”

More mana and improved regeneration wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t calm the overwhelming surge of energy.

‘I just need to endure a little longer! Just a bit more!’

The wildly raging mana gradually began to merge with the poison, changing its nature.

This was why, even in this excruciating pain where losing consciousness would be no surprise, I hadn’t lost hope.

Rumble!

I had no idea how much time had passed, but as I endured the pain, my complexion slowly began to return to its original color.

‘Did I… succeed?’

The toxic energy that had lingered in my mana seemed to have completely disappeared, and my previously paralyzed body started to move freely again.

I carefully suppressed the mana that was still surging outward, trying to gather it back inside and calm its flow.

If I let my guard down and passed out now, my rampaging mana would tear my entire body apart.

Once all the energy had calmed down, he collapsed right where he stood.

‘It’s done… I did it!’

The moment he was sure of his success, all the tension left his body, and he couldn’t even move a finger.

He didn’t have the strength to hold onto his fading consciousness.

Lying in the middle of the training grounds, Ghislain finally lost consciousness.

* * *

‘How much time has passed?’

Ghislain slowly opened his eyes. As if she had been waiting, Belinda cried out with a quiver in her voice.

“Young Master! What happened? You look like a corpse! Just look at how pale your face is!”

Belinda was always the one who checked the training grounds early in the morning and prepared everything so Ghislain could focus on his training.

It seemed she was the first to find Ghislain collapsed there.

Ghislain struggled to open his eyes and glanced around.

He was lying in bed, surrounded by the key figures of the estate.

“What’s this? Why is everyone gathered here like there’s been a disaster?”

Gillian asked seriously.

“Lord, did you drink the Blood Python’s poison? We found the vial that contained the poison in the training grounds.”

“Oh, yeah. It was kind of thrilling. Had a spicy kick.”

Ghislain spoke in a casual tone, as if it were no big deal.

Everyone in the room gaped at him, stunned.

The Blood Python’s poison was already famous for its potency.

Given that it came from a creature living in the Forest of Beasts, it was likely even more toxic than commonly known.

And yet, here he was, downing it like a drink and even giving a review of its taste.

Belinda trembled, struggling to suppress her anger, and asked, “Why on earth would you do something like that?”

“I was just training. That’s all.”

“Since when does drinking poison count as training? The Ferdium family’s mana training method doesn’t involve using poison!”

There were indeed mana training methods that involved consuming poison, and there were even mages who utilized poisons.

Typically, those who trained in such ways would build up resistance by gradually increasing their exposure to very mild toxins.

No one would just swallow a lethal poison outright, like Ghislain did.

Unable to hold back any longer, Belinda finally blurted out what she had been trying so hard to restrain.

“Young Master, do you have a death wish?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you didn’t want to die, why would you go and drink that stuff? Have you been so overwhelmed by everything lately that you’ve just snapped? Or did you start feeling so miserable because you miss Lady Amelia?”

“What? Why are you bringing her name up? I told you, I don’t like her anymore!”

“Then what is it? Was this really all because of that bet? Would you rather die than be embarrassed?”

“What? Why would I die over a bet?”

Ghislain, bewildered, glanced around the room.

Everyone was nodding seriously, as if they agreed with Belinda.

They all thought the lord had been so afraid of losing the bet that he couldn’t bear the humiliation and decided to drink poison.

Claude, stumbling slightly, pushed his way through the people gathered around.

With a resentful expression, he struggled to speak.

“I didn’t realize you were struggling with this so much. Fine, I’ll call it a draw. We’ll pretend none of this happened, so just lighten my workload a little. You’re my benefactor, after all. It doesn’t sit right with me to drive you to your death. Ugh.”

“What kind of nonsense is this…?”

Ghislain was bewildered and tried to swallow back his irritation.

Yet, everyone else’s eyes seemed to glisten with emotion as they nodded in agreement.

Even Alfoi, with a grim expression, mumbled, “It’d be a problem for me if you died, Lord, so let’s just call it off, eh?”

Ghislain, unable to believe what he was hearing, let out a hearty, sarcastic laugh and waved his hands dismissively.

“No, seriously, what’s all this nonsense? We’re right at the end, so why would I cancel everything?”

Belinda clutched her chest as if she was heartbroken.

“It would be better if you just accepted it instead of letting your pride get in the way. Why are you being so stubborn? It’s driving me crazy!”

Ghislain let out a sigh, feeling as if his breath was caught in his throat like he had eaten a raw yam. He was the one truly feeling suffocated.

“Ugh, enough! Everyone, go back to work! The bet continues as planned!”

Claude looked around at everyone, offering a half-hearted excuse.

“I did my best, okay? It’s the Lord who refused.”

Alfoi nodded beside him.

“I said my piece too. Not my fault.”

From the looks of it, it seemed like they had been taking turns trying to pressure him into calling off the bet.

Well, Ghislain drinking poison would’ve scared them, worrying about whether they’d have to cover for such a reckless act.

Ghislain chuckled dryly and waved them away.

“Alright, I’m up, so everyone get back to work. Haven’t you ever heard that time is money?”

“Young Master, please, just take a little more time to rest. Okay? The poison is still affecting you, so you’re not thinking straight, right?” Belinda said, trying to soothe him.

She thought Ghislain wasn’t giving up on the bet because he wasn’t in his right mind due to the aftereffects of the poison.

“Lord, the housekeeper is right. It would be best if you rested a bit longer. You still don’t look well,” Gillian added, trying to dissuade him, but Ghislain got up and started working again.

He couldn’t afford to waste time lying down. If he could move, he had to do his best to keep moving.

“Ugh, my body really is in rough shape. That poison was seriously strong.”

He looked as thin as a skeleton, as if his life force had been drained away.

Yet, Ghislain still moved around the estate, checking on the progress of various tasks, even though his body creaked with every step.

The sudden change in the Lord’s appearance shocked the residents of the estate.

“Wha—what’s going on? What happened to the Lord’s face?”

“Isn’t it because he’s been working too hard?”

“What if he’s come down with a fatal illness? What’ll we do if our Lord suddenly dies?”

The townspeople were deeply concerned.

They knew that whoever succeeded Ghislain wouldn’t be as generous as he was, and that thought worried them greatly.

Despite their concerns, Ghislain forced himself to stand straight and still wore a bright smile, even with his weary body.

“I can feel it… There’s a great power overflowing inside me… Cough, cough! Ugh… and blood, too?”

“Young Master, please rest! You’re so tired you’re starting to spout nonsense! Why are you being so stubborn?”

As always, Belinda trailed closely behind Ghislain, bombarding him with scolding remarks.