"Ahahaha... Of course not. Why would I?"
Harriet's heart ached.
But when she thought about how sacrificing a little poison could kill Ethan, and then she could strip all the equipment off him, take back everything from the treasure chest, plus everything else he had obtained, her mood instantly improved again.
"Good!"
Without another word, Ethan scooped up another bowl and quickly drank it.
Third bowl poisoned.
As expected, Ethan's Poison Release skill leveled up again.
[Poison Release Skill Level 2: Hiding Poison in the Mouth: EXP 100/100]
[Poison Release Skill Level 2 → Poison Release Skill Level 3: Poison Sac]
[Poison Sac Options: You may choose to hide the poison sac in your abdomen (large storage capacity), in your heart (faster deployment), or in your mouth (better spitting effect)]
"I..."
Looking at these stupid options, Ethan wanted to curse.
'What the hell is "better spitting effect"?'
'And if the poison sac is in my mouth, what if I accidentally bit it open?'
'Wouldn't that poison me to death?'
Back when Ethan watched TV and saw those dead-loyal assassins hiding poison in their mouths, then biting the poison sac when they wanted to kill themselves, he always wondered...
'What if they accidentally bit it while eating?'
Some people said poison sacs were smooth and hard to bite through.
Then Ethan wanted to ask those assassins...
'Don't you eat fish?'
'Have you never gotten a fish bone stuck in your throat?'
'Never had one pierce the roof of your mouth or stab your gums?'
'Look at that.'
'How is that scientific?'
'And now this system actually wanted to put something so unscientific inside him.'
'Heh, ptui!'
'Choose Abdominal Poison Sac!'
[Selection Successful!]
[Poison Release Skill Level 3 — Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP 1/500]
'Five hundred skill points?'
'Not bad!'
'The only question is how effective the Death Fragrance poison is.'
'Hopefully it would be strong enough.'
[Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP +50]
[Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP +45]
[Abdominal Poison Sac...]
[Poison Release Skill Level 3 — Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP 499/500]
"Holy crap!"
After finishing the newly enhanced soup, Ethan froze on the spot.
'This is a one-shot breakthrough.'
'A single bowl of soup pushed my EXP straight to 499 points.'
'Even grinding normally couldn't level this fast.'
'Too awesome!'
"This is way too delicious!"
Ethan couldn't help licking his lips, and then...
[Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP +5]
[Poison Release Skill Level 3 — Abdominal Poison Sac: EXP 504/500]
[Poison Release Skill Level 3 → Poison Release Skill Level 4: Poison Gathering]
[Poison Gathering Skill Options: You may choose to absorb toxins from the air or poisonous gas through every pore of your body and store excess toxins in your poison sac for later use. (Absorption is slow and accumulates gradually, but it can happen anytime and anywhere. Passive skill.)]
[Option 2: You may choose one palm as the toxin absorption point. Simply place your palm on a poisonous substance to automatically absorb its toxins. (Absorption is faster, but it takes more of the user's time. Large poisonous objects must be touched bit by bit, making it rather troublesome.)]
[Option 3: You may choose to absorb toxins with your mouth. Although it looks a little awkward, it combines the abilities of touch absorption and pore absorption, making it the most versatile choice. (This skill also has a special name, One Kiss, One Poison)]
'What the hell is "One Kiss, One Poison"?'
But Ethan realized he didn't have many choices.
Using his mouth actually seemed like the best option.
Holding his forehead, he helplessly chose...
[Option 3: One Kiss, One Poison!]
'Choose One Kiss, One Poison!'
[Selection Successful!]
[Poison Release Skill Level 4 — One Kiss, One Poison: EXP 4/1000]
"Hm?"
Meanwhile, Harriet saw Ethan holding his forehead.
She thought he was finally reaching his limit.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
'So this man isn't immune to poison after all. His level is just high enough that he has greater resistance.'
'So this is it!!'
"Lord Ethan, what's wrong?"
Harriet hurried over, intending to support Ethan.
But Daji suddenly sprang out and bit her hand.
"Meow!"
"Ah!"
Harriet cried out and discovered her hand had been bitten open.
But before confirming that Ethan had been poisoned, she couldn't openly turn against him.
So she could only endure the pain and continue, "I was worried Lord Ethan had drunk too much, so I wanted to check on you. Don't misunderstand! I didn't mean anything else!"
"Meow!"
Even Daji could sense the hostility from this woman.
She bared her teeth at Harriet and refused to let her get any closer!
Helpless, Harriet could only grit her teeth and look at Ethan as she quietly asked, "Lord Ethan? Lord Ethan! Are you alright?"
"It was just a bowl of soup. What could happen?"
Ethan shook his head and looked up at Harriet.
"This soup is just too delicious. I accidentally drank too much and felt a little embarrassed."
"No need to be embarrassed, Lord Ethan," Seeing that Ethan still hadn't collapsed, Harriet suppressed the killing intent in her heart and continued smiling, "As the cook, I'm happy to receive Lord Ethan's praise. If you like it, drink it all. At worst, I'll make another pot. I don't have much else here, but I do have plenty of soup."
"Really? Then thank you very much."
Ethan didn't stand on ceremony.
He immediately filled another large bowl and started drinking again.
[One Kiss, One Poison: EXP +30]
[One Kiss, One Poison: EXP +25]
[One Kiss, One Poison...]
As expected, his poison resistance had increased again.
Same dosage. Same poisoned soup. Earlier it had still given 50 EXP. Now it was only worth 30, and the amount kept dropping.
That made Ethan a little disappointed.
This skill was easily the fastest and most satisfying one he had leveled in quite some time.
He had originally hoped he might be able to max it out with a single pot.
Now it seemed impossible.
A bit disappointing.
"Lord Ethan, this soup is pretty good, isn't it?"
Harriet watched Ethan continue drinking without any problems.
She was beginning to wonder if her Death Fragrance had expired.
'Does this stuff even have a shelf life?'
So, she decided to test him and see whether he had any symptoms.
"It's unbelievably good!", Ethan nodded with a satisfied look, "There's just too little of it. It's not enough."
"Huh?"
Looking at Ethan's clear-eyed appearance, Harriet was almost completely certain.
Her Death Fragrance had definitely expired.
'So annoying!'
Such a huge pot of soup had gone entirely to Ethan for nothing.
Feeling unwilling, she inhaled the incredibly rich aroma of the meat soup and suddenly wanted a taste herself, just to see how good it really was.
'Since the Death Fragrance has expired anyway, one sip shouldn't be a problem, right?'