"Basilisk? Isn't that a mythological snake?” I might have read about it from one of my favorite fantasy books as a child. “Well, I suppose it's not mythological here, is it? But how can a reptile like a snake survive in this cold?"

Bawu ignored my musings about science in a fantasy world. As she whispered incantations, the runes written on the strips of paper covering the last bottle glowed brightly. The strings untied themselves, allowing her to remove the cork sealing the bottle.

"Children won't be able to open that thing, that's for sure," I mumbled. Then I snapped my finger as it dawned on me. "Warm-Blooded Basilisk! That's how it doesn't get its blood turned into popsicles at this temperature. Where is this not-so-reptilian snake now?"

"Are you afraid of it, youngling?" Mad Brewer Bawu mischievously chuckled. "The King of Serpents is of such size that it can swallow an adult Mardukryon whole! Its petrifying stare causes instant death, turning the living into stone; its venom corrodes flesh and bone!"

"That rhymes nicely. And it sounds like its venom doesn't kill by being poisonous but by straight-up dissolving people."

"Let not worry trouble your youngling mind, for it won't bite you in your sleep. The lair of the Warm-Blooded Basilisk is far from Kurghal Village, and the Great Quake blocked all the paths leading there." She inserted the syringe into the bottle and extracted a small dose. "Enough talk about the majestic creature we may never lay our eyes on again. Let our test continue!"

"From what you told me, won't that burn a hole straight through my arm? Not much of a test, wouldn’t it?"

"Only a single drop of Warm-Blooded Basilisk Venom was used for this concoction," Bawu explained. "Your arm won't fall off," she assured me, laughing as she injected the poison. "But even a diluted fraction of the potent venom from the King of Serpents will cause you great pain."

[ Status| Petrifying Basilisk Venom: Lose 15% of Current Health every second, Unit is forcefully endowed with Earth Element, Petrified Status for 1 second every ten seconds, for 3 minutes ]

"Fifteen percent! What the blazing spicy meatballs?" I exclaimed. But then I continued reading and sighed in relief. "Only of current health. This isn't going to kill me...right?"

With bated breath and narrowed eyes, ready to shut tight if my health got too low, I apprehensively watched my health decrease. Earlier, I'd immediately regenerate any damage from the myriad of poisons swimming in my system. But after Bawu pumped me with Basilisk venom, my health bar couldn’t fill itself back to full.

The poison DoT was overcoming my health regeneration. My health spiked up and down, each tick, there were lower highs and lower lows as if I was looking at a stock market crash in action.

"How does it feel, youngling?" Bawu said. "I can see the poison taking effect this time."

"Yes, it definitely is. But wait—" I suddenly couldn't talk nor move.

Out of instinct, I tried to cast [Greater Pyro Shell]; nothing happened. I could still see, but my vision was hazy, as if I wore fogged-up glasses. Bawu was saying something that I couldn’t understand. Her voice was muted and as if she was talking from far away.

And then everything was back to normal.

"...wait until—what was that?" I looked at my hands, opening and closing them. That was an eerie sensation.

"Marvel at my genius, youngling!" Bawu raised her arms and threw her head back, roaring in insane laughter. "I have infused this brew with a fraction of the Basilisk’s power, causing petrification on the poisoned!"

“I see, that’s what happened,” I said, nodding. Petrification was a powerful crowd control skill—amusing how the term 'CC' was used even if only one unit was disabled, definitely not a crowd.

Under Petrification status, I couldn't do anything, not even communicate with others. It completely shut down my character, effectively turning me into a sitting duck. Actually, a sitting duck was better because it could still quack. In contrast, I literally couldn't do anything as if I was turned into stone but still kept my consciousness—and that was what probably did happen given what Bawu told me about the Warm-Blooded Basilisk.

It only lasted for a second, but the tide of battle could turn in an instant if the tank were out of commission. An out-of-control boss could go after the squishy DPS, or the formation in a group PVP battle could crumble with the frontline giving way to an enemy charge. It'd be even more devastating if several people were Petrified simultaneously.

This negative status had another effect. What in Herald Stone's awesomeness did 'forcefully endowed' with Earth Element mean? Was this another ailment I could spread with [Cloak of the Plaguespreader]?

I was about to search the internet using my WeeCee for more information when I remembered that I was dying. Such a trivial thing to forget, I sarcastically thought.

I shifted my attention back to my health bar. I exhaled seeing that it had now reached a sort of equilibrium at a scooch less than fifty percent—it decreased and regenerated by the same amount at that level.

The more my health went down, the smaller the damage from the Basilisk's Venom because it was based on the current amount. It was reduced to such an extent that my regeneration could keep it in check along with the DoTs from other poisons.

"I win!" I yelled in triumph. This wasn't exactly a contest, but I was claiming victory. Anyone would agree that not dying to ten different kinds of poison was worth celebrating. "Herald Stone is—" I stopped as I was petrified again.

Before it wore off, I quickly tried opening my inventory. It didn't work. I attempted to turn my head. As with the rest of my body, it wouldn't budge. This reminded me of sleep paralysis. I experienced it a few times due to lack of sleep when I used to work three jobs at the same time years ago.

"And I'm back," I said, looking down at my body. I put my hands on my hips and smugly nodded at Mad Brewer Bawu. "Seems like I'm still standing. I told you I will not die to that weak stuff."

Bawu pressed together her lips, her eyes bulging in anger. "How dare you, youngling, survive my creations?" With her left hindleg, she kicked the Mandrake Borple behind her. The poor monster dropped all the bottles we had tested. Fortunately, they didn't break. "Even the poison made from the venom of the Warm-Blooded Basilisk failed? Unbelievable! Unacceptable!"

"That's because I'm awesome—that's the secret antidote of Herald Stone."

"How I wish the Great Quake didn't hem us in this small corner of the mountain. Plenty of ingredients to make the perfect deadly brew out of my reach." She turned around and angrily marched to the laboratory's door. "I need to check my stores to see if I have any use."

The Mandrake Borple picked up the poison bottles on the floor and hurried after her.

"Wait, Brewer Bawu! What do I do now?" I stepped forward, but her pets blocked my way. "Don't I—” I got Petrified again. “Don’t I get a reward?"

"I have given you your next tasks, haven't I?" she called out. "Do it, and I will reward you as per my offer. Refuse...and you will help me in other ways." She pointed at the vats containing the village guards before leaving.

The noise of her hoofsteps faded as she hurried away, no doubt to make more poisons.

"What is this? Herald Stone's genius in countering poisons is not recognized?" Accidental genius that isn't a feasible solution in battle. Nonetheless, I felt my 'accomplishment' should be considered a hidden achievement. I turned to the Carrion Golem looming over me. "Here's some free advice for you: find a new place to work for. I'm sure you have an extensive resume as a monster bouncer; some other villain would appreciate your services."

The two quests that Bawu gave me earlier were still on my logs, waiting for my decision.

If I rejected them, that might end my interaction with Bawu. I resolved to stick with this for now and see how it played out. In any case, I did learn many things about poisons from that short experiment, giving me more inspiration for my build.

"Imagine how fun it'd be if I drank that Warm-Blooded Basilisk Venom and spread it to a bunch of enemies in PVP?" I asked the Chimera Borpillar.

I involuntarily paused as I was Petrified.

Then I continued talking to Bawu’s pets, excited about my plan, "People would be suddenly stopping in their tracks every few seconds. It'll look like they're breakdancing—breakdancing used to be this popular thing to do when I was a kid," I explained to the monsters.

"Precious youngling!" A cry echoed from the tunnels outside. Frantic hoofsteps became louder and louder. Bawu burst back into the room, her arms flailing around.

Good Grandma Bawu? Was this a new development? The evil version wouldn't care about me.

"Precious youngling, are you well?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said. "Some of the poisons have already—" Getting Petrified gave me a moment to reconsider. Should I brag to her about this? I should instead pretend to be hurt. "Backtracking a bit on that,” I said. “Oh! My stomach hurts! What should hurt during a poisoning? My lungs hurt! My heart?"

"What a dull-witted question I asked!" Bawu cried out, rapping the side of her head with her knuckles. "Of course, you are not fine after ingesting different poisons. Hurry, drink this healing elixir, my dear youngling."

Her Mandrake Borple servant was right at her heels, balancing a lone bottle larger than previous ones above its fleshy mushroom head.

"This? How do I...?" I looked around for a glass and didn't find anything. I shrugged, held the wide bottle with both hands, and carefully took a sip from it. The liquid tasted like sparkling water. It warmed his body like hot cocoa, an uncomfortable feeling as I usually drank sparkling water cold. "What is its effect? Huh, they're all gone?"

All my negative status disappeared. My health bar stopped going down.

"This is my masterpiece, my most precious creation," Bawu croaked as she rubbed the bottle as if I had dirtied it. "The ultimate elixir that purges all ailments—a secret concoction that little Gula wanted to help her duties as a Healer. But it's such a waste. I keep telling my stubborn sister that she wouldn't be able to save everyone...so she should save none."

"Somehow, I feel safer with the other Bawu," I dryly said.

"I sincerely apologize for testing all those poisons on you, my dear youngling. I have no inkling what came over me. Age has different ways of manifesting itself. You'll understand it eventually."

"I don't think I will," I said. "Anyway, Brewer Bawu, perhaps you could teach me about antidotes since it's a dangerous world out there." I returned to my original plan to convince Good Grandma Bawu to take me as a student.

"You have interesting physical attributes, youngling, a robust constitution unlike any I have seen." Bawu scratched the bottom of her tusk with her unkempt nails as she completely ignored my point. "You'll progress the field of toxicology very far with such a blessing," she said.

“Do you mean to say I should test poisons on myself?”

"I imagine having a feel of the poison for yourself would be helpful. Furthermore, you have also helped me test my beloved healing elixir—it is difficult to find a subject that could survive a multitude of poisons."

"Wait...am I going to be a test subject or a student? Please say the latter one."

"A student, my dear youngling! Little Gula had tried to convince me about this before...before I had to hide away. Perhaps, it is time I shared my knowledge with the younger generation."