Ghislain had been attempting to control the sinister energy that had seeped into his mana through his training, but he ultimately failed. The energy was so faint that it was barely noticeable unless he consciously tried to sense it. "It's clear that the nature of my mana has changed," he grumbled as he made his way to the training grounds. Even though he had cloaked himself in mana, the venom of the Blood Python had eventually penetrated that barrier and entered his body. No matter how small the amount, there was no way such a potent poison could have been completely neutralized by merely chewing on a few antidote herbs. It was clear that the venom of the Blood Python had somehow reacted with his mana, creating a mysterious synergy. "Looks like there's only one way to find out." The method of confirmation was simple: drink the Blood Python's venom directly. He would recreate the same conditions to observe how his mana would react. "If my theory is correct, this could be a new opportunity." Ghislain swallowed dryly as he discreetly shook the small bottle he had secretly taken from the storage room. It was early morning, and everyone was still asleep. He had intentionally snuck out, avoiding everyone's eyes. Even if something went wrong, it wouldn't be discovered until morning. If he were to collapse now, both Fenris Territory and Ferdium would be trampled by enemies in no time. It wasn’t a situation where he could afford to gamble with his life, but he couldn’t leave it alone either. Ghislain had carefully considered this several times, weighing the chances of success as he repeatedly checked his mana. "If I control the amount properly, I won’t die. If my hypothesis is correct, I could grow stronger much faster—this is a gamble worth taking." Despite being sent back in time, he had less time than he did in his previous life. Even knowing the future, it was just a possibility. No one knew when something might happen. He needed to grow stronger, and quickly. And now, a new opportunity had presented itself. Though enormous danger loomed, Ghislain had no intention of letting this chance slip by. "Nothing in this world comes easy." His instincts were screaming at him, stronger than ever. This venom would make him even more powerful. "Come on, I won’t actually die from this, right?" Suppressing his anxiety, Ghislain opened the bottle. He placed a drop of the venom on his tongue, and his face immediately turned pale. But without hesitation, he emptied the entire contents of the bottle into his mouth. "Urgh!" His complexion turned purple in an instant, and then it began to darken as if it were being scorched. Ghislain gritted his teeth. The pain was like having his insides slashed with a blade. His muscles seized up, rendering his limbs immobile. This was a powerful venom, capable of corroding nearly anything, regardless of the material—metal or stone. Even the specially enchanted bottle had barely contained the venom, and now Ghislain had taken it into his body, raw. In a situation where any lapse in willpower, physical strength, or mana would mean death, Ghislain was determined to endure. ‘Stay conscious!’ There was a stark difference between accepting the venom filtered through his mana and drinking it directly. Had Ghislain not had his mana, the moment the venom touched his tongue, he would have died. Guoooooong! His mana clashed with the venom coursing through his body. His three cores whirled furiously, releasing mana, but the venom flowed through that mana and spread throughout his entire system. Mana and venom began a fierce battle within Ghislain’s body, each trying to devour the other. "Ughhh!" Ghislain’s eyes widened. Blood vessels burst in his eyes, and blood tears streamed down his face. As if his internal organs had been damaged, blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Every vein in his body swelled to the point of bursting. "Not bad... Not bad at all." Despite the blood tears, Ghislain grinned. The pain was excruciating, but so was his growing anticipation. This was it. This was the power. If he could absorb it, he would become exponentially stronger. "Ughhh!" The new force inside his body raged, trying to break free. With his mind teetering on the edge, Ghislain continued his mana practice. His three cores spun violently, their efforts aligning with Ghislain’s will as he struggled to control the energy. Guoooooong! The mana that had once swept through the venom now merged with it. Ghislain could feel his mana increasing, albeit slightly. All that was unnecessary had burned away, leaving only the pure essence of power within him. "I knew it. My theory was right." As he had predicted, his mana had fused with the venom of the Blood Python, absorbing its energy. The absorbed energy seemed to have contributed to his improved recovery ability. After all, poison, when properly harnessed, could become a medicine. "The increase is good, but..." Even though his mana had increased and his recovery rate had improved, it would be useless if he couldn’t calm the surging energy. ‘Just a little longer! Just a bit more!’ The overwhelming mana gradually fused with the venom, altering its nature. In a situation where losing consciousness wouldn’t have been surprising, Ghislain clung to hope. Guoooooong! He had no idea how much time had passed as he endured the pain, but gradually, his complexion began to return to normal. ‘Did I... succeed?’ The poisonous energy lingering in his mana seemed to have disappeared completely, and the paralysis in his body was fading. Ghislain calmed the flow of mana within him, pulling the escaping energy back into his body. Letting his guard down now would be dangerous—if he passed out, the rampaging mana would tear him apart. Once all the energy had settled, he collapsed to the ground. ‘I did it... I succeeded!’ The moment he confirmed his success, the tension left his body, and he could no longer move even a finger. He had no strength left to hold on to his fading consciousness. Lying in the middle of the training grounds, Ghislain finally lost consciousness. Ghislain slowly opened his eyes, unsure of how much time had passed. As soon as he did, Belinda cried out, her voice trembling with concern. "Young master! What happened to you? You look like a corpse! Look how pale your face is!" Belinda was always the first to check the training grounds in the early morning, ensuring that everything was ready for Ghislain to focus solely on his training. It seemed she had been the first to discover him lying unconscious on the ground. Ghislain struggled to sit up, glancing around the room. He was lying on a bed, surrounded by key members of the estate, all gathered around him. "What’s with the crowd? What’s the big deal?" Gillian, looking serious, asked, "My lord, did you drink the Blood Python’s venom? We found an empty bottle in the training grounds." "Yeah, I did. It had quite the kick. Spicy stuff," Ghislain replied nonchalantly. His casual tone left everyone in the room gaping in disbelief. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 The venom of the Blood Python was notorious for its potency. Given that it came from a creature in the Beast Forest, it was likely even deadlier than the usual cases known to the world. And yet, here was their lord, treating it like a casual drink, even going so far as to rate the taste. Belinda, trembling with barely suppressed anger, asked, "Why... why would you do something like that?" "It was just part of my training," Ghislain answered casually. "Drinking venom counts as training now? The mana technique of the Ferdium family doesn’t involve poison!" she retorted. There were indeed some who trained by consuming poison or who used poison in their magic. Typically, they would build resistance by starting with weaker toxins and gradually increasing the dosage. No one simply gulped down an extreme poison like Ghislain had. Belinda, unable to hold back her words any longer, finally snapped. "Young master, do you have a death wish?" "What? No!" "If you didn’t want to die, you wouldn’t drink something like that! Are you so stressed from all the work lately that you’ve gone mad? Or... are you missing Lady Amelia so much that you’ve given up on life?" "Why are you bringing her up? I don’t even like her anymore!" "Then what? Are you doing this because of the bet? Do you think it’s better to die than be embarrassed?" "What? Why would I die over a bet?" Ghislain looked around, realizing that everyone seemed to be in agreement with Belinda’s theory. They all thought that he had drunk the poison because he couldn’t stand the idea of losing a bet and being humiliated. Claude, looking dejected, shuffled forward and said, "I had no idea you were so distressed. I’ll call it a draw. We’ll pretend none of this happened and even lighten your workload a bit. I couldn’t bear to drive my benefactor to his death. Really, I feel awful." "What the... what are you even talking about?" Ghislain muttered in disbelief. But the others nodded, their eyes glistening with emotion. Even Alfoy, looking gloomy, mumbled, "If the lord dies, it’d be troublesome for me too. Let’s just forget about the whole thing." Ghislain, now thoroughly bewildered, let out a hearty laugh and waved them away. "Come on, what nonsense is this? The results are right in front of us. Why cancel it now?" Belinda, frustrated, clutched her chest. "Why can’t you just accept it? Your pride isn’t worth this! Why are you being so stubborn? It’s driving me crazy!" Feeling as though he had swallowed a stone, Ghislain sighed deeply. The one who was truly frustrated here was him. "Alright, enough! Everyone, get back to work! The bet continues as planned!" Claude looked around at the others, shrugging helplessly. "Well, I did what I could. The lord refused." Alfoy nodded in agreement, "I told him too. Not my fault." It seemed they had all taken turns trying to persuade him to call off the bet. After all, their lord had drunk poison, and they were probably afraid they’d be blamed for it. Ghislain chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all and waved them out of the room. "Alright, I’m up and about, so everyone go on. Haven’t you heard that time is money?" "But young master, at least rest a bit more. You’re still not thinking straight because the venom hasn’t fully cleared from your system, right?" Belinda’s tone had softened, as if she were trying to coax him. She thought that Ghislain was still out of his mind from the aftereffects of the poison, and that was why he wasn’t agreeing to stop the bet. "My lord, the head maid is right. You should rest a little longer. You don’t look well at all," Gillian added, stepping in to support her. But Ghislain got up and resumed his duties. He couldn’t afford to waste any time lying down. As long as he could move, he had to make the most of it. "Ugh, my body’s really not in good shape. That venom was no joke," he muttered to himself. He looked as gaunt as a skeleton, as though his very life force had been drained away. Still, despite his creaking joints, Ghislain wandered around the estate, checking on the progress of various tasks. The sudden change in the lord’s appearance shocked the townsfolk. "What... what happened to the lord? Why does he look like that?" "Must be from overworking. He’s always doing too much." "Is he dying of some disease? What’ll we do if the lord suddenly dies?" The people were worried, fearing what might happen if Ghislain died. After all, whoever succeeded him wouldn’t be as kind-hearted. Despite their concerns, Ghislain trudged along with a smile, even though his body could barely keep up. "I can feel it. There’s immense power within me... cough, cough! And... blood. Lots of blood too?" "Young master, please just rest already! You’re so tired you’re talking nonsense now! Why don’t you ever listen to me?" As usual, Belinda trailed behind him, scolding him relentlessly.