Chapter 273: Hydra's Poison... Insane

These days, Bell had been staying active in the middle floors of the Dungeon.

His daily routine was actually quite simple. For someone like him, who lacked any solid foundation, spending his life among monsters was just part of how he lived.

Still, while hunting, Bell would occasionally pause and let himself calm down.

Staying in a constant state of killing didn't benefit him that much in the long run.

The purpose of combat was to help his body adapt to the changes brought by leveling up—adjusting both physically and mentally. But after enough fighting, a shift in mindset was also necessary.

Once he had gotten used to his new body, Bell began lengthening the time he spent training with his blade.

In his downtime, he also started examining the poison properties of the "Hydra Dagger."

On the walls of the 18th floor, Bell held up a small vial and gave it a light shake. As the liquid inside swirled, the purple-black solution immediately devoured the meat scraps placed inside it.

Carefully returning the Hydra Dagger to his four-dimensional storage, Bell turned his attention back to the contents of the bottle.

"This stuff is way more dangerous than I expected."

He'd had almost no experience with poisons before. Most adventurers who chose the "Abnormal Resistance" skill during level-ups treated poison as something easily endured.

'It even devours dead tissue. Calling it a poison doesn't seem accurate—it's more like a virus.'

'If it's a virus, then it could unleash even more potent effects. I remember hearing that Hydra's venom could bring even gods to their knees... though who knows if that's true.'

'I wonder if Hydra's poison can suppress those monsters' regeneration abilities.'

The fundamental difference between monsters and humans was their monstrous vitality, and for some, their ability to regenerate.

The first thing that came to Bell's mind was the Black Goliath from the end of the first anime season. That thing had relied on its regeneration to tank the combined assault of a full adventuring party and still held the upper hand, nearly wiping out the 18th floor's defenders.

From that battle, Bell had learned a crucial lesson.

The biggest challenge low-tier adventurers face when dealing with high-level monsters is a lack of firepower.

If it had been a regular Goliath, the adventurers of the 18th floor might've taken it down with sheer numbers.

Physical attacks didn't work well against a Goliath, but adventurers with magic could break through its tough hide with spells.

Honestly, if the Black Goliath hadn't had regeneration, it probably would've been shredded by the mages long before.

So the core issue really was "regeneration."

That monster-like tenacity was what made floor bosses such a nightmare.

And it was no different for Bell.

His interest in poison stemmed from a simple idea—it could help him take down a floor boss alone.

Not that he was expecting to skip straight to doing that with poison alone, even something as fearsome as Hydra's venom wasn't likely to make that big of a leap.

After all, monsters adapted to poisons far better than humans. Hoping for absolute damage was just unrealistic.

Bell's real goal was to find a way to suppress their regeneration as much as possible.

'Time to find a monster and test it out.'

This was the Dungeon, after all. Finding one wouldn't be hard.

Bell stood up and left the temporary base.

Using the protruding clusters of "blue crystals" along the wall, he slowly descended deeper into the Dungeon.

After passing through the entrance to the 18th floor and the 17th floor where Goliath spawns, Bell arrived at the 16th floor, where ordinary monsters appear.

"Oh!"

The moment he stepped onto the 16th floor, a few Minotaurs charged at him like they'd just seen their long-lost father.

Bell was always curious about Minotaurs. Even when he concealed his presence, their reactions felt incredibly genuine.

Still, it saved him the trouble of searching.

Holding the "Hydra Dagger," Bell didn't dodge. Instead, he ran straight toward them.

The Minotaurs, just as excited—like they'd found a herd of cows—swung their axes at him with wild energy.

Back when he was still Level 2, those axe swings would've been a real threat. But now, to Bell's eyes, they looked painfully slow.

Maybe it was due to his recent level-up. Both his dynamic and static vision had improved dramatically, and his perception of time felt noticeably slower.

The Minotaurs launched a flurry of consecutive attacks, leaving no room for escape. But facing this deadly trap, Bell showed off graceful footwork.

With a simple sidestep, he dodged their strikes, and in that same moment, his dagger cut swiftly across their arms.

In just three or four seconds, Bell had broken through their encirclement, while the Minotaurs collapsed behind him.

"Boom!" *4

All four Minotaurs crashed straight to the ground.

Bell glanced back at the groaning beasts, then sheathed his dagger and walked over.

As he approached, he noticed that while the Minotaurs were still full of energy on the inside, their strong bodies weren't moving at all—only faint muscle spasms remained.

"That was way too effective."

This was the first time Bell had realized how terrifying the "Hydra Dagger's" poison could be.

"Oh, I guess I've only used it on skeletons before."

Skeletons belonged to a class of monsters immune to poison—after all, even the deadliest toxins wouldn't affect a pile of bones.

Until now, Bell had only run some minor tests with the dagger—never on real monsters or people.

Bringing his thoughts back into focus, he silently observed the Minotaurs' condition while taking notes.

[Within three seconds of being attacked, the toxin begins spreading throughout the body.]

After about a minute, Bell noticed the Minotaurs' pupils had lost focus. They couldn't even make a sound anymore, and their breathing had weakened to almost nothing.

[After one minute, the toxin affects consciousness and significantly increases its impact on physical functions.]

By a minute and a half, the four Minotaurs had completely stopped breathing. Their bodies turned into white ash.

[At one minute thirty seconds, all four Minotaurs are dead. Bodies turned to white ash. Suspected toxin impact on Magic Stone.]

After writing that last line, Bell began digging through the ash for the Magic Stones and any remaining materials.

He quickly found the Magic Stone—but its strange appearance prompted him to jot down another note.

[Magic Stone confirmed to be cracked due to toxin exposure. Blackish-purple discoloration present in the otherwise pure white Magic Stone.]

With that noted, Bell moved on to look for other Minotaur materials.

Shockingly, there wasn't a single usable piece left.

'Impossible!'

The "Heaven's Luck" skill had granted Bell unbelievable fortune since the day he became an adventurer. In his experience, monsters always dropped loot—it was practically guaranteed.

After a more careful search, he finally spotted something unusual.

Amid the pile of ash at the center, there was a strange puddle of black liquid fused with the white powder. Its sticky, viscous look made it clear that this wasn't something you should touch barehanded.

Staring at the unknown substance, a thought crossed Bell's mind.

'Could this be the Minotaur's drop item?'

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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