Chapter 106: A Special Prize?
(Rodova Military Academy, The Basics of Assassination Class)
Three weeks into the academy, the class that Leo enjoyed by far the most was Professor Severus's lecture on assassination and poison concoction.
Unlike other subjects, where knowledge was often vague, theoretical, or bogged down by unnecessary history, Severus's lessons were direct, practical, and undeniably lethal.
The man didn't just teach about poisons—he lived and breathed them, speaking about deadly substances with the same passion that an artist spoke of their masterpieces.
And today was no different.
—-------
Severus strode into the lecture hall with his usual erratic energy, his dark robes billowing behind him as his eyes gleamed with twisted excitement.
In his chained hand, he held a tiny glass vial, the liquid inside swirling with a sickly, iridescent hue—a color that seemed to shift between deep green and inky black with each flicker of light.
"Class—" he began, his voice carrying that familiar, unsettling glee that made students uneasy.
"Today… I present to you one of the most elusive, most catastrophic, and most EXPENSIVE poisons in the known universe."
He lifted the vial, tilting it slightly so the light caught its shimmering contents.
"This—" he said with a grin, "is the venom of the Ancient Swamp Frog."
A ripple of unease passed through the class.
Some students had clearly heard of it before, their expressions shifting from curiosity to deep discomfort.
Leo, however, simply narrowed his eyes, intrigued, as Severus chuckled, clearly relishing the effect his words had.
"Now, I know what some of you might be thinking—" he continued, pacing slowly before the class. "What's so terrifying about a frog?"
He suddenly turned on his heel, slamming the vial onto the desk, making several students jump.
"Oh, you ignorant little children," he sneered playfully. "The Ancient Swamp Frog is not just any frog. It is a creature that even dragons fear. It has been ranked the single most untamable beast by the Beast Tamers Association for three years in a row, as upon maturity, it can reach the strength of a Transcendent-Level Warrior."
Severus paused, letting that fact sink in before continuing.
"The reason?" he asked, his grin widening.
"Because the Ancient Swamp Frog is the only species in existence that evolved to kill dragons for sport."
He let those words hang in the air, watching with satisfaction as students stiffened.
"They are mentally unstable, unpredictable, and violent to the extreme. Their venom is so powerful that it can melt rock, and even when diluted at a 1/1000 concentration, a single drop is enough to kill a Grandmaster-Level warrior in under ten minutes."
He twirled the vial between his fingers.
"The venom of an Ancient Swamp Frog doesn't kill through physical toxicity like most poisons do. No, no, no. This venom attacks the mana pathways—severing them, rupturing them from the inside out—before producing such an unbearable heat within the body that all internal organs fail one after another."
Severus leaned forward, his voice dropping slightly.
"A fully grown, elder dragon? If spat on by an Ancient Swamp Frog?"
He smiled wickedly.
"Dead in under ten minutes."
A deathly silence gripped the class.
Several students swallowed hard, their faces paling as Severus let out a delighted chuckle.
"Ahh, I love that expression of fear. It really is beautiful, isn't it?" he mused before waving a gloved hand dismissively.
"Of course, acquiring this venom is next to impossible. In fact, it's easier to retrieve a dragon's scale than a single drop of this venom."
He tapped the vial lightly.
"This—this tiny amount right here? Costs more than a fully enhanced, military-grade warship."
Gasps echoed through the classroom.
"Which is why, we must be grateful to the Rodova Military Academy for giving you all this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how to neutralize this poison today."
Severus declared, as shock and murmurs spread through the class.
Then—
With a flick of his wrist, he gestured toward the front of the room, where a row of microscopes and alchemy kits had been neatly arranged.
"Each of you will receive a small, diluted sample—one that won't kill you, even if you accidentally consume it, but will cause agonizing mana blockages if mishandled."
He clasped his hands together, his smile widening.
"Your task?" he said, eyes gleaming.
"Create an antivenom. And make it perfect. Because if you fail—"
His grin turned absolutely wicked.
"I won't be giving you the very special prize I have for those who succeed today."
The class stiffened.
Because a Severus excited about something was never a good sign.
Leo, however, simply smirked, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward, already eager to begin.
Because while everyone else saw this as a terrifying challenge…
Leo saw an opportunity.
A chance to understand a poison feared even by dragons.
And perhaps… a weapon he could one day use for himself.
—---------
Over the past three weeks, Severus had already taught the class how to create anti-venom for any particular venom they had in hand, as the theory of venom neutralization was fundamentally very simple.
Under a microscope, venom could be observed as a highly reactive substance, often containing unstable molecular chains that attacked organic structures or mana pathways on contact.
The key to neutralization was identifying the specific active agents within the venom—whether they targeted nervous tissue, mana channels, or cellular structures—and then applying the correct chemical or mana-based counteragents to break them down.
Severus had drilled the class on this concept repeatedly.
"All venoms share a weakness," he had said in his usual dramatic flair. "They are, by nature, reactive. And what do we do with reactive substances, class?"
"We stabilize them," the students had answered in unison.
"Correct!" Severus had grinned. "By introducing either a chemical compound or a mana-based inhibitor that binds with the venom's active elements, we disrupt its ability to function. The moment the venom loses its reactivity, it ceases to be a weapon and becomes nothing more than harmless residue."
For most venoms, simple alchemical solutions—such as alkaline bases, oxidation agents, or binding proteins—were sufficient to dismantle their lethal properties. However, mana-based venoms, like the Ancient Swamp Frog's, were far trickier to counter.
The students peered into their microscopes, watching as the venom samples writhed like living organisms.
The Ancient Swamp Frog's venom was particularly aggressive, pulsing with a dark green hue, constantly shifting and eroding microscopic mana constructs placed within its vicinity. It was unlike any venom they had worked with before—almost as if it had a will of its own.
Leo narrowed his eyes, carefully analyzing the sample as he recalled Severus's instructions.
Step one: Identify the key reactive agent.
The venom's primary destructive property was its ability to sever mana pathways. It didn't just attack biological tissue; it specifically dismantled the flow of mana within a person's body, making healing near impossible once the poison took effect.
Step two: Introduce a stabilizing agent.
Leo reached for a vial of Lunarvine Extract, a common neutralizing base used to bind with high-grade toxins. He carefully mixed a few drops into the venom under the microscope and observed the reaction.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—suddenly—the venom began fighting back.
Instead of neutralizing, the poison reacted violently, twisting into dark tendrils and burning through the stabilizer like acid.
Leo frowned.
'Of course, a normal base won't work. This poison isn't just a chemical compound—it's an apex-tier mana-based venom. It actively resists foreign substances. If I want to neutralize it, I need to attack it on a mana level, not just a chemical one.' He realized, as he took a different approach.
Activating a small pulse of mana, he carefully channeled it into the sample through the microscopic mana conductors attached to the alchemy station.
At first, the venom twitched at the intrusion, but then, instead of resisting, it briefly lost its aggressive properties, becoming sluggish.
His eyes sharpened.
'It responds to mana interference. That means… it can be pacified before it's neutralized.'
He reached for a second compound—Azure Nettle Oil, a rare alchemical solution that, when combined with mana-infused suppression techniques, could force a reaction.
With delicate precision, Leo dripped the Azure Nettle Oil into the venom sample while simultaneously fluctuating his mana output in a controlled pulse.
The moment the oil touched the venom, the reaction was instantaneous.
The once-violent venom stilled.
Its dark green glow faded, turning into a dull, inert gray sludge.
Leo smirked.
'Got you.'
He leaned back, watching the result of his work with satisfaction as Severus, who had been silently observing the class, suddenly let out an amused chuckle.
"Well, well, well… It seems we have our first success."
Leo turned to see dozens of students still struggling, their samples violently rejecting their stabilizing attempts, as many had yet to figure out that the venom required a dual chemical-mana suppression method to be properly neutralized.
Severus clapped his hands together, his eyes twinkling with excitement.
"Looks like someone in this class actually has a brain."
His gaze locked onto Leo.
"Skyshard, my dear student, you will get your special prize after class! Meet me in my holding cell... and don't be late. You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?" Severus said, as he gave Leo the most creepy smile that Leo had ever seen before.
Sorry if the too nerdy for you.
I think I lost my better sense of judgement while writing this.
Also, if you're wondering why Leo is learning poison neutralization in basics of assassination, it's because learning how to neutralize poisons teaches you how to create ones that can't be easily neutralized.
Finally, There will be only one chapter uploaded on this Sunday, as I think I need a days rest. :cry emoji: