Chapter 16: Antidote!

In the expansive azure hall, armies of wooden puppets silently clashed.

A numerical advantage was apparent in this battle, with one side rapidly drowning their enemies, leaving only shattered wood in their wake. Each passing second, the raised clouds of sand were lessening with the diminishing magnitude of movement.

From the initial thousands, only a few hundred puppets were remaining. Faint flashes of light still spawned new puppets, albeit at a snail’s pace compared to before.

Carl’s fate was set in stone. He was inflicted with an amalgamation of aether exhaustion, a severe injury, and a fatally wounded, or possibly dead, spirit pet. It was only a waiting game now.

Ain remained seated silently, away from Carl’s struggles. The white sand beneath him was chilly, another layer of sensation accompanying the numbed pain and accumulating exhaustion. The Chronarch Precept was circulating steadily, constantly recovering his aether while suppressing the toxins slightly.

Like sand in an hourglass, grain by grain, time flew past.

The purple hue suffusing Ain’s skin had grown more conspicuous. The effects of the snake’s gallbladder were unknown, and the Scarlet Healing Pills didn’t truly alleviate toxins. Only his aether still served to suppress the symptoms.

Aware of his worsening state, Ain anxiously commanded the Rank-1 puppet to expedite Carl’s departure from this world, leaving only a fortification of Rank-0 puppets for safety.

“Come on…” He mumbled while peering through the crowd of puppet legs. Carl’s wasn’t visible; he was observing the opposing puppets for signs of Carl’s demise. The seconds seemed like hours, hopelessness gradually engulfing his heart. Just as desperation was about to drown him, his hopes finally came true.

The puppets abruptly vanished!

This indicated Carl’s death, as was the case with Mason!

“He’s dead…They’re both dead now.” Ain muttered dazedly. His tense nerves finally relaxed, a cool and refreshing sensation replacing the anxiety. His facial muscles slackened, and his expression loosened.

The two spirit masters were like immense mountains weighing heavily on his mind. Internal encouragement alone couldn’t banish the fear and apprehension they’d imbued inside him. Consumed by the desire to survive, Ain hadn’t perceived the vast shadow they’d cast over him. Only after their demise did clarity and recognition manifest.

The joy of survival brought a smile to his face. However, now wasn’t an appropriate time to celebrate. There were pressing matters requiring attention.

After straining to his feet, Ain glanced around. His surroundings were now empty.

Alongside the enemy puppets, his own puppet army had also vanished. Even the Puppet Command Token had abruptly disappeared from his hands. The chaotic sounds of battle were no more, bringing about an eerie, unnerving silence.

“Wooo…” Nox expressed its bewilderment at the puppet’s disappearance. It’d recovered a great amount of aether, reflecting the Prismatic Void Stone’s excellent effects. Ain noted it down before tossing it to the back of his mind.

After the brief survey, he turned in a certain direction before walking over briskly. With prudence, he approached Carl, or rather, Carl’s corpse. With Mason’s parting gift serving as the best cautionary tale, he paused at a safe distance before throwing one of the empty pill bottles he’d brought along.

The small bottle struck Carl’s head, bounced off, and landed atop the pearly white sand. There was no response. After a brief pause, Ain repeated this action with the remaining bottles.

There were no unexpected surprises.

Next to Carl’s corpse lay his lifeless spirit pet, the gray ferret. Its appearance was hideous, a testament to its tragic death from corrosion and decay.

Having confirmed his safety, Ain proceeded to sift through Carl’s belongings. After searching the bags, four Scarlet Healing Pills appeared in his palm. This failed to bring him any joy; instead, his expression turned unsightly.

“There’s no antidotes…” Ain gritted his teeth, anger suffusing his helplessness. He stared at Carl’s corpse with resentment. “So, he wasn’t just taunting earlier, but also lying… Hmm?”

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His words were cut short by a sudden discovery when his eyes swept past Carl’s hands. The left hand lay open while the right hand was clenched tightly. Ain’s eyes narrowed at the sight. “Could it be…”

This sight instantly reinvigorated his hopes.

If he was allowed only one word to describe Carl and Mason, it’d be ‘wretched.’ The two were utterly deplorable and vile. They’d betrayed years of friendship over treasures they’d yet to see. They’d both used despicable means against each other and Ain.

Upon Carl’s command, the ferret delivered a fatal strike when Mason least expected it, causing his demise. On the brink of death, Mason responded in kind by spewing corrosive light at the gray ferret, commencing Carl’s downfall in tandem. The blinded Carl divulged his possession of the antidote, following it with jeers and ridicule that served as taunts. This was all bait to lure Ain over to finish him.

From what he’d understood, it was improbable for Carl to not possess antidotes. With his treacherous personality, how could he not take precautions against Mason? Therefore, when the distant shores were visible, Carl likely tried to pull one last trick!

These thoughts were just an instance. In a hurry, Ain pried open Carl’s right hand, revealing a small vial containing a clear liquid. The tiny crystal vial was unlabeled but Carl’s attempt at hiding it alluded to its identity.

“The antidote.” Ain’s eyes sparkled with excitement and relief. He’d finally found the antidote after all the twists and turns.

His physical condition was still gradually worsening. Strenuous effort and immeasurable willpower were required to even move. If Carl’s ploy had succeeded, the outcome would’ve been tragic.

For reassurance, and to settle his curiosity, Ain used Scan.

[Name: Pious Forest Spider’s Venom]

[Aspect: Poison]

[Rank: Rank-2]

[Aspect Traces: Poison 93.2%, Wood 4.5%, Water 0.4%, …]

[Description: A deadly venom extracted from a Rank-2 Pious Forest Spider. This venom is extremely lethal to anyone below Rank-2.]

“F*ck!” Ain’s body twitched as he cursed under his breath when the information from Scan emerged.

This wasn’t the antidote!

A trick within a trick. Great deception!

“What a despicable bastard. I almost consumed a Rank-2 poison.” Anger surged within him, accompanied by hints of bone-chilling dread. This dread was like a bucket of cold water pouring down his spine.

If not for Scan, he’d have confidently consumed the Pious Forest Spider’s venom, believing it to be the antidote. This form of cognitive bias, although easily overlooked, could be fatal. Ain fearfully contemplated his mistake.

“A clenched right hand doesn’t mean anything by itself, but I connected it to the previous clues in such a way that I arrived at the most desirable conclusion… an antidote…”

“I could’ve been correct, but I didn’t even entertain the possibility of being wrong…” In retrospect, the root cause for this lapse became evident to Ain. It was largely due to his inexperience. He’d already judged Carl to be wretched and treacherous. He should’ve maintained his skepticism and vigilance throughout.

“This means there’s really no antido- cough- cough!” Ain’s dismayed voice was cut short by an intense coughing fit, followed by mouthfuls of dark, tainted blood spurting out of his mouth.

“Wooo…!” Nox panicked upon witnessing this sight. It could sense his emotions. The helplessness and despair gradually infected it as well. As it flew around anxiously, its gaze landed on the four Scarlet Healing Pills that’d fallen from Ain’s hands. With a simple thought, it swiftly tossed the pills into his mouth while transmitting its intentions, “Wooo…!”

A few seconds later, the coughing finally subsided. A dark bloody smear appeared on his mouth after he wiped it with his dirty sleeve. Just as he recovered his bearing, intense tremors suddenly swept the ground, almost tumbling him onto the white sand.

Despite his declining condition, Ain’s reaction was swift.

“Nox!” Nox instinctively used Possession following his shout. The surge of strength swept away some of the weakness, allowing him to retreat quickly. Not far from their previous location, sand suddenly erupted like an exploding volcano!

With thunderous roars, a thick pillar of white sand was ejected into the air, obstructing their vision. The tremors intensified as sand continued to be displaced. Amidst the downpour of sand, a large dark shadow was vaguely visible, gradually emerging from the ground. Two meters, four meters, eight meters…

Ain could make out an obscure triangular structure hidden beneath the carpet of white sand. The structure continued enlarging as sand cascaded down along its sides like a raging river. After a couple minutes, the vast disturbance settled, finally revealing the structure that’d emerged.

“It’s a pyramid…” Ain mumbled. Before entering the black monolith, he’d already witnessed the sea of white sand ‘falling’ towards the sky. In comparison, this ‘small’ movement wasn’t as astonishing.

What emerged from the white sand was a dazzling azure pyramid. Ain effortlessly recognized the glowing azure marble comprising the pyramid as Crescent Azurlite. Most structures he’d encountered in the black monolith were comprised of Crescent Azurlite. Its rank was too high for him to retrieve anything other than its name.

The majestic pyramid’s peak was a wide square platform, lacking a pointed tip. A comfortable staircase was carved into its surface, connected to the smooth platform at the top. There was a giant ceremonial archway at the base of the staircase, far surpassing the stairs’ width. A large word was chiseled onto the head of the giant archway, its azure glow exceeding the Crescent Azurlite.

“Rewards…?” Ain was taken aback at the sight. The bright word carved onto the archway was indeed ‘Rewards.’ While he focused on the giant archway, a distinct sound of knocking and rolling was suddenly heard. At first, it was barely audible; however, it progressively grew louder.

Ain traced the sound’s origin with his eyes. Possession granted him a comprehensive boost. His perception was much greater in this state. On one side of the tall pyramid, there was a small crystal bottle rapidly rolling down the slope.