The Central Plains are vast.

Even within this immense expanse, do you know which region is considered particularly closed-off?

That’s right. It’s Sichuan.

Whether it’s because of its geographical characteristics or due to the schemes of the Tang family, no one knows.

Of course, every year there are people who try to uncover this secret.

But strangely enough, those people’s lives were usually cut short.

Their bodies would turn blue, they’d gasp for breath, and die in a horrific manner. So, who would dare to ask about the Tang family?

Only a highly skilled spy like me could manage it.

I succeeded in infiltrating Sichuan.

I’ve written down the information regarding the poisons and hidden weapons they use on a separate document.

And I’ve gathered some additional information.

Normally, I’d require an advance payment, but given the situation, I’m sending this letter first.

As you’re probably aware, poison can sometimes be medicine.

These Tang family bastards inject poison into themselves, claiming it helps them reach enlightenment.

Don’t even think about trying it. If a person from Namgung were to die imitating the Tang family, what a disgrace that would be.

Though I know you’re not one to be caught up in such ideas of enlightenment.

The reason I’m bringing this up is that a high-ranking member of the Demonic Sect has infiltrated Tangjia Tao (唐家陀), their main residence.

It’s a major event. However, the news won’t leak out.

That’s because they failed to catch the intruder and lost something of great importance to the Tang family.

Yes, the reason the intruder broke in was to steal something.

That "something" was spiders. Not just any spiders, but ones with the potential to become Human-Faced Spiders.

Whether they plan to use them as ingredients for poison or to enhance their internal energy, it’s a significant loss. They practically lost a spiritual creature.

While investigating the incident, I also heard stories about a sacred creature from Sichuan.

I don’t think you’d accuse me of trying to boast about something as obvious as a mythological creature.

Even I hadn’t heard its name before.

Dalopo (狚露暴)

The Fierce Dew Wolf.

For the Tang family, "dew" means poison.

So the name means "Fierce Poison."

It’s a sacred creature over 2 jang (about 4 meters) long, weighing over 70 gwan (roughly 260 kilograms).

It’s said that it has a large flower-shaped organ around its neck that spews ten thousand types of poison. Rumors even say it has reached the level of a Poison Master.

Do you understand what I’m implying?

The situation is becoming unusual.

Just like Mount Hua has its Dragon Man, the Tang family has something similar.

(The passage skips here.)

Anyway, this letter has gotten quite long.

I’ve also obtained a rare bottle of fugu sake. Let’s drink it together when I return.

「From the Final Secret Letter of Cheong Mu-rin (Translated Version)」

A tearing pain ripped through my entire body.

It was nothing like the ant venom.

It wasn’t overwhelmingly more powerful.

The HP drain was about the same.

Back when I was affected by ant venom, I was in the heat of battle.

With adrenaline pumping, I didn’t have time to register the pain.

Now, I was completely lucid.

And I knew the poison was coming.

The pain of flesh tearing and poison seeping in was beyond anything I could imagine.

Would this be the end of me?

Right now, I could fix everything by cutting off my tail.

The poison hadn’t spread through my body yet.

I raised my hand.

I lightly pressed down on the spider’s head, which was trying to remove its fangs from my tail.

“Kieeek!”

Crunch.

I could feel more poison being injected through the already-embedded fangs.

If I can’t withstand this, what can I even do?

It was hard to even breathe.

But somehow, my mind felt clearer.

My body was heating up.

I felt something flowing out from the area I could call my danjeon.

This feeling—I had felt it once before.

It was when I coughed up blood after being struck by the turtle.

It was the sensation I nearly experienced when I almost succeeded in ungijo-sik (Breathing and Circulation Technique).

I removed the spider from my tail and sat in the lotus position.

Maybe because I was poisoned, my senses were sharper than usual.

The body of a green basilisk.

I knew how this body had been constructed.

When I evolved, my bones were reconstructed, and then flesh and skin wrapped around them.

I remembered how each individual cell was structured.

The heat spread through my entire body.

The energy that had spread from my danjeon circulated through my body and returned to its starting point.

Yes.

This is ungijo-sik.

Once.

Then again.

I continued to circulate the energy.

After completing twelve full circulations,

[You have acquired 「Small Heavenly Circulation (小周天)」.]

[Level up.]

Countless messages appeared.

[You have acquired 「Poison Resistance LV1」.]

I had obtained the skill I initially sought.

But that wasn’t the end.

[「Paralysis Resistance LV2」 reacts with 「Poison Resistance LV1」.]

[「Acid Resistance LV4」 reacts with 「Poison Resistance LV1」.]

[「Poison Resistance LV1」 evolves into 「Tenfold Poison Immunity」.]

Just like how Webbed Feet evolved into Dragon Ascension Steps, my poison resistance had evolved.

[Level up.]

Is this what it feels like when blocked meridians are suddenly cleared?

The levels I hadn’t been able to raise all at once skyrocketed.

[You have acquired 「White Orchid Heart Technique」.]

With that final message, I ended my ungijo-sik session.

【Green Basilisk LV5】 HP: 70/70 MP: 32/32 【Title】 「Beloved by Spiders」

The spiders stood beside me, striking strange poses.

Were they trying to act as bodyguards? I couldn’t help but laugh.

Thank you, guys.

“Kek kek!”

Crunch.

I moved my body.

My vision expanded.

My body had definitely grown larger.

There were three discarded skins left where I had been sitting.

I gently pushed the skins aside with my tail.

“Kieeek!”

The spiders were overjoyed by the sight of my discarded skins and rushed at them.

They looked like fans receiving their favorite player’s uniform.

Sure, take them. I can’t use them anyway.

The spiders started gnawing at my discarded skin.

I had one task ahead of me.

One of the top three most exciting things to do as a Green Basilisk.

Checking my new skills.

【Skills】 「Tail Severing LV9」「Cold Blood LV1」「Predation LV1」「Eyes of the Wild LV2」「Tail Severing LV1」「Paralysis Resistance LV2」「Acid Resistance LV4」「Dragon Ascension Steps」「Small Heavenly Circulation」「Tenfold Poison Immunity」「White Orchid Heart Technique」 …….

No, they’re not just skills. I should call them martial arts.

I carefully read the effects of each martial art.

「Small Heavenly Circulation」 Circulates energy through six meridians, excluding the Ren and Du meridians of the eight extraordinary vessels. Circulates energy to heal internal injuries and build internal energy.

Small Heavenly Circulation.

It’s a type of ungijo-sik.

To be precise, ungijo-sik is the combination of both Small and Large Heavenly Circulation techniques.

But even just the Small Heavenly Circulation was enough to brag that I could practice ungijo-sik.

Successfully completing the Small Heavenly Circulation is considered a significant achievement.

It’s by no means a minor feat.

It’s just that it pales in comparison to the Large Heavenly Circulation.

「Tenfold Poison Immunity」 Ten types of poison cannot dare to invade your body. You gain strong resistance to poison.

It’s probably a very watered-down version of the legendary immunity known as Mandokbulchim.

Still, it’s a huge improvement. Ten times better than Poison Resistance LV1.

「White Orchid Heart Technique」 A very basic internal energy technique. It has the potential to evolve into any type of technique.

I had obtained a heart technique.

I’m no longer who I used to be.

I’m no longer just a lizard with movement skills. I’m a lizard that uses martial arts.

Toads and turtles.

I’ll take you on.

Before I went after the Star Turtle and the Demon Toad, I moved to a new location.

With Tenfold Poison Immunity, I could now resist the toad’s poison and somehow break through the turtle’s tough shell.

However, they usually lived in groups.

From what I saw, there were at least three of each.

Plus, the unusual relationship between the turtles and toads bothered me.

They seemed to fight with each other but never resolved anything.

It’s like they’d grown fond of each other through fighting.

So, hunting them head-on would mean fighting six creatures of equal strength.

One-on-one would be fine, but taking on a group would be tough.

That’s why moving to a new home was part of my plan for taking down the turtles and toads.

“Kekek!”

A dream I couldn’t fulfill in my past life—owning my own home.

I achieved it here.

A very luxurious modern house.

It even came with an ocean view—or rather, a swamp view.

It was a natural fortress made by weaving spider webs and leaves around the base of a sufficiently tall tree.

Honestly, it looked a bit rough, but it was still a decent place to live.

First advantage.

It was green.

Green, like the color of a Green Basilisk.

Since it was positioned high up, I could hide my presence and sleep peacefully.

It would also be easy to hang from the tree and target prey below.

Second advantage.

There was a water hole right below.

Which meant it was an advantageous environment for me, as I could use my movement technique to travel between the tree and the water. Plus, the abundance of prey was a bonus.

Third advantage.

There were no noisy neighbors.

This was the best part.

Since I moved away from the toads and turtles, this was the greatest benefit.

There was no one to disturb me while I practiced ungijo-sik.

And when I did practice, the small spiders would act like little bodyguards, which was reassuring.

“Kieeek…”

The spiders were lying on their backs, completely exhausted.

…I did put them through a lot.

I made them spin tons of web, and even sent them to places I couldn’t reach.

“Kek kek!”

I tossed the prepared water beetle meat to them.

Still, I provide good benefits, don’t I?

You guys like that, right?

“Keeeeng…”

For some reason, they didn’t seem too pleased.

They barely looked at the water beetle I threw to them and just rolled around.

“Keeeeeeeng…”

Had their tastes become more refined?

Ugh, these guys used to be grateful for just a single water beetle.

Should I catch them some fish instead?

I’m starting to get a bit hungry myself.

Sigh. But I’m getting tired of only eating piranha.

Isn’t there any decent prey around here?

“Kwaeeeek!”

Tus.

Pus.

Get ready for dinner.

Your delivery has arrived.