17 Antivenin

Adventurers have been talking about Loki Familia's expedition for a while now. They plan to visit the uncharted floors, specifically the 59th Floor.

They are making a big deal out of it. Loki Familia accompanied by the High Smiths of Hephaestus Familia would be the first to reach that deep since Zeus and Hera Familias. Some adventurers are even betting on whether they'll be able to do it or not.

If you ask me, I'd tell you that they will do it. And they will fight and beat a 'Corrupted Spirit' then come back safely. On the trip back, their Second-tier adventurers will all get poisoned by some monsters found on the Deep Floors.

So, I asked Nahza to prepare a patch of Antivenin (potion used to treat poison) for me. I told her that I would go hunting on the 19th Floor and I fear the poison of the 'Dark Fungus' monster that can be found there.

My 'Immunity' Advanced Ability is still on Level (I). It only can protect me against weak poisons and effects. A fast way to level it up is to get poisoned repeatedly. So, I need to have a few Antivenins on hand just in case. (That's what I told Nahza anyway).

I do intend to level-up Immunity, but it isn't the reason I asked for Antivenins. I can always purchase all the potions I need from the system's Store.

I will give the Antivenin to Loki Familia. All the adventurers on Rivera denied them and asked for outrageous prices for Antivenins. I want to give some out as a sign of goodwill.

Who knows! It might be a means to establishing some business relationship between our Familias. We will need some rich customers if we ever want to sell Nahza's Double Potions.

'Do I really believe myself here?' It's just an excuse to talk to someone.

----

A few days (Quests) later, my Inventory is now almost empty. I take out the Drop Items and Magic Stones remaining with me and sell them all in the Guild.

After that, I tell Miach and Nahza that I'm going on another long trip to the dungeon. I think it's time I go challenge the S-rank Dungeon 'Shadow Catacombs'. They both don't like it because they don't know what I do down there.

Adventurers usually don't spend that much time in the dungeon. The ones that do it are usually those who have businesses on Rivera and large Familias that go on expeditions to the Deep Floors where the journey itself takes days.

Since I belong to neither of the two groups, Miach and Nahza are suspicious of my activity. But they are both considerate enough not to press me on giving them details. But I decided to justify myself willingly, anyway.

I tell them that I stay there to train my tamed monsters. If I leave the tamed monsters alone in the dungeon, they may be killed or even lost. I must either stay with them or rent a storage space for them in Rivera 'which is very expensive'. So, I decide to stay with them for as long as possible.

Since my Taming Advanced Ability is very high and I'm not telling any lies, they just should be satisfied with this reasoning.

I say my goodbyes to Miach and Nahza and head out to the dungeon. As always, Nahza filled my bag with potions and supplies. But she only could prepare half a dozen Antivenins on such short notice.

---

The trip to Rivera on the 18th Floor takes me about 8 hours.

"This took too much time".

Looking at the distance I covered, it was pretty fast. But still, it's an eight-hour raid in the dungeon with barely any experience points collected. The monsters found on the Floors from 1 to 17 are becoming too weak for me.

Anyway, the Loki Familia team hasn't arrived from the Deep Floors yet. So, I pass through the 18th Floor and head to the 19th Floor where I let myself be poisoned a few times. I use the Anti-poison potions that I bought from the Store.

..

A few hours later, I return to the 18th Floor to find the expedition team consisting of Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia have arrived and are setting camp in the forest.

I approach them only to be stopped by two nameless adventurers for Loki Familia.

"Hey! This is Loki Familia's camp. Go away, you have no business here!" The male adventurer said. But aren't they supposed to ask if I have business with them or not?

"Umm, I do have business here. I just need to meet someone of importance. Anyone of your seniors would do." I said.

"What the… no, not now. We're busy, come back later". Said the female adventurer.

Well, more than half of their members are poisoned. They have to take care of them, set up camp, and find a way to get a big number of Antivenins. It's normal to find that they're all busy.

'Should I just give the Antivenins to those two guards and leave?' No, that would defeat the point. I'm not here out of kindness.

Suddenly, I feel two very strong presences approaching from behind. This amount of mana belongs only to first-tier adventurers hence, the ones I'm looking for.

"Well, that's unfortunate. I'll come back some other time". I say to the guards as I turn around. My Sense stat is pretty high, and the presences I sensed are very strong. It means they are still far away hidden by the trees of the forest.

I walk towards them to find that they are Tiona and Tione.

"We spent a fortune jus' to get a bit of bread. Pretty much what we expected, I guess. Rivera's nothin' but a massive rip-off!" Says the flat-chested Tiona.

"Taking advantage of people in need, it's enough to make me livid." Replied the massive-breasted Tione.

I join their chat, "What can you say, it's the whole idea of their business, setting up shops in the middle of the dungeon and all". I sigh as I say.

"But can't they be a li'le considerate here?" Says Tiona.

"I know, right?" I say.

"And you are…?" asks Tione suspiciously.

"Oh, sorry I haven't introduced myself... I'm Rick from Miach Familia. I heard that some members of Loki and Hephaestus Familias got poisoned after the expedition, so I came to help… But the guards shooed me away at the camp." I explain.

"Miach Familia? Haven't heard of them in a while… We dealt with 'em before, never saw you there, though." Says Tiona.

"And what kind of help did you come to offer?" Asks Tione.

"I have some Potions and Antivenins on me. I thought you might need them." I reply.

"And how much does your 'help' cost?" Tione stresses the word 'help' as she suspiciously asks.

"Please don't lump me up with the opportunistic bunch of Rivera! I ask for no money. I'm just helping fellow adventurers in need." I say. But Tione is still looking at me suspiciously.

Okay then, she's asking for it. "However, if you wanna consider visiting the Blue Pharmacy next time you need potions, I wouldn't stop you. We seem to have fewer and fewer customers lately." I say.

Tiona pushes me suddenly and says, "Then come, come, Riveria'll be delighted by your help".

"What help? I'm supposed to hand out some potions and leave!" I ask.

"You're from a pharmacy Familia, surely ya'll know a healing spell or two." Says Tiona as she pushes me into the camp.

"Please let me go, I don't know any healing magic" I plead.

"Your words won't go through anymore. Also, lying won't help you here." Tione says with a wicked smile as separates herself from us inside the camp.

"I'm not lying. I REALLY DON'T!" I scream as I'm being pulled away by Tiona. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

----

Tiona handed me to an Aki, told her to 'take good care of me', and left. Aki's name is Anakitty Autumn. She's a cat-girl with black eyes and hair and is one of the best level-4 adventurers in Orario.)

Aki is the one in charge of the infirmary shift schedule. She took the antivenins from potions from me then she fit me a place in her schedule.

Under all circumstances, my being here is wrong. They shouldn't let me be inside their camp or near their ill comrades. But it seems that they're too understaffed to care about rules.

Anyway, my rule in the infirmary is to take care of patients, check their general condition, take their temperature, bring them cold water, make compresses, and casting healing spells to dampen the effect of poison until there is antivenin to use.

Wait a second! cast healing spells? Why does no one believe me? I'm not a frigging healer!

….

Well, Damn… It turns out that I CAN use healing magic!

Well, I watched Loki Familia's healers cast healing spells as I worked with them in the infirmary. It seems that most healing spells are light magic.

For some reason, I understand the essence of light magic. When I see a spell being cast, I can see the mana being produced, formulated, and shaped.

Maybe because it's I can use all light magic. Anyway, the end result is that I can copy any light magic spell I see. All I have to do is memorize the process. I'm an A-class nerd, memorizing a few healing spells is nothing to me.

And so, I started casting healing spells on the poisoned members of Loki and Hephaestus Familias.

The awesome part is that I don't need any incantation to cast my spells. Once I see a spell being cast, I can replicate its effect using my mana.

Not only that, but I can also mix the effects of different spells the way I like it. After a few hours of being in the infirmary, I could cast healing spells of the highest class.

The better the effect of the spell I cast, the higher the mana consumption. But there is no problem, I have a huge amount of MP.

Anyway, I was very careful while trying out spells. I cast them on sleeping patients while no one else was around.

And whenever I had to cast a spell in front of someone, I always cast the simplest one. And while casting, I always mumbled some rhyming words like:

"Brilliant Light, heed my word. Particles of light, heal this wound… Light Recovery!" And shout the last part to make it sound like a real spell. XD

I will not lie. As a huge weeb, saying words like these out loud and be taken seriously for doing it feels like heaven. I can't wait until I get to say some glorious crap as an incantation on a battlefield somewhere.

----

Half a day later, I'm finally freed from infirmary duty by Riveria herself.

The High-Elf Princess is absolutely gorgeous. She looked nothing like this in the anime and manga. But in the novels, the author said her beauty is second only to Freya. He also said that she even made some goddesses jealous of how beautiful she is. I can see that.

She came to check on the infirmary and saw me. She asked about my identity and the reason for me being worked to the bone. When Aki told her, she immediately released me and insisted to escort me out of the camp herself.

Walking next to me, she stopped apologizing for her comrades' actions.

"Instead of thanking you, they force you to work! I'm deeply sorry about this." She calmly apologizes.

"N-no… really, it's okay. You have apologized for more than enough already!" I frantically say.

"I'm afraid that I haven't apologized enough. Did my apologies make you uncomfortable? It seems that I have made it worse!" She calmly says.

'Looking at you is what's making me nervous…' How can someone be so beautiful?

"Then make it two and we're even… Buy potions from our place on two different occasions and I'll forget what happened today." I suggest.

"Okay then, you have my word." She says as we reach the end of the camp.

"With this matter done, can I ask you something personal?" I say. "Are you currently seeing anyone?"

"Huh?" Riveria's eyes widen in surprise.

It's the first time for her to make an emotion today. It seems like I've really taken her by surprise just now.

Come to think of it, there was no mention of her being in a relationship at any stage of her life. From her background story, she was always someone that men can't approach.

For someone of this beauty to not have a relationship until now… 'Life isn't fair.'

As a child, she was the princess of the High Elves. Then she left and became a part of the esteemed Loki Familia, a Familia that normal people and adventurers from other Familias wouldn't dare to approach.

And relationships inside the Familia was no good too. Because male members are scarce due to Loki's tastes and preference for cute girls. Riveria's fortune made the male members of her generation Finn and Gareth who at first couldn't get along with her and argued with her a lot.

And now she is the esteemed vice-leader of the strongest Familia in Orario. She has a paparazzi of young elven adventurers who worship her and would kill anyone that dares to approach her. Speaking of which…

Ring~

[Killing intent is being directed towards the player!]

I look around to see the two sets of eyes glaring at me. It seems that the guards have overheard me asking her out.

"Ooops, It seems that this time you won't find anyone to apologize to… I have to scram!" I say it then run away with all my speed.

My destination is the "Shadow Catacombs" entrance on the 1st Floor.