Power Through Poison

"I guess the issue that's troubling you now is how to balance the expenditure of spiritual energy between protective skill and the poison attacks, isn't it?"

The old man put down the paper, piercingly pointing out the gap between Ash's theoretical strategy and the reality of execution.

"Your Larvanine has no ranged attacks. Against agile Spirit Beasts or flying Spirit Beast, even if the ranged attack you're developing succeeds, it's likely to miss due to the opponent's speed, leading to wasted spiritual energy."

"And the more spiritual energy you waste, the less you'll have left for your protective skill."

"In the case where your Larvanine's poison abilities cannot incapacitate your opponent in a short time, as long as your opponent can endure until your spiritual energy is exhausted, this tactic will fail on its own," the old man said.

"So your biggest issue right now isn't rushing to develop the core techniques of your tactic, but rather finding a way to strengthen your Larvanine's poison abilities."

The old man paused, his gaze locking onto Ash's eyes. "But this is something you're powerless to do, because you cannot provide your Larvanine with the two resources needed to improve its poison abilities. Am I right?"

Ash nodded, not denying it.

Even though spirit fruits rich in toxic spiritual energy only cost a few hundred each, relying on them to enhance a Spirit Beasts poison abilities was likely impossible without hundreds or even thousands of them.

With Ash's current resources, being able to buy a few to let her Larvanine try them was already a good start.

Hundreds or thousands?

That was a pipe dream!

The old man understood this, so he continued, "Actually, there's no need to worry too much, because this issue is easily solvable."

Ash's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked, "How do I solve it?"

"Eat."

The old man only gave Ash one word.

Ash was left utterly confused.

Eat?

Eat what?

"Eat poison insects."

Seeing Ash's puzzled expression, the old man smiled and explained further.

"Do you know of an animal called the poison dart frog?"

Ash thought for a moment before cautiously replying, "Are you referring to the frog known as the most beautiful and the most poisonous in the world?"

"Yes, that's the one." The old man nodded. "Do you know why its poison is so strong?"

This question immediately stumped Ash.

She wasn't a biology enthusiast, so how would she know why the poison dart frog produced such powerful toxins?

The only reason she knew about it at all was because she had once seen a documentary about primitive tribes using its poison for hunting.

"Could it be... because it eats poison insects?" Ash asked uncertainly, thinking about the old man's previous question.

The old man smiled at her, offering an explanation.

"The poison dart frog itself isn't poisonous, nor does it have the ability to produce toxins."

"Simply put, the reason it has that terrifying poison is because it can convert the alkaloids, or toxins, from the food it eats into protective venom through glands on its back."

"And this 'transporting' of toxins from other creatures works on certain Spirit Beasts as well."

The old man paused, looking at Ash without continuing his explanation.

But Ash understood his meaning. "You mean..."

"Exactly." The old man nodded, affirming Ash's thoughts. "This method is applicable to your Larvanine as well."

"Spirit Beasts with the secondary attribute of Venenum-type are not classified as Venenum-type Spirit Beast simply because they contain Venenum-type spiritual energy. This is a common misconception people have about how Spirit Beasts' attributes are categorized."

"Take your Larvanine as an example. The common attributes for its species are typically Terra-type + Lignum-type or Lignum-type + Venemun-type combinations."

"But in reality, it's not because they contain Venenum-type spiritual energy that their secondary attribute is classified as Venemun-type. Instead, it's because Larvanine, when attacked by flying Spirit Beasts, can secrete a gas containing a mild toxin through its poison glands to drive them away, which is why it's categorized as a Venenum-type Spirit Beast in the Spirit Beast Compendium," the old man explained.

"Much like the poison dart frog, they possess poison glands capable of converting alkaloids. However, because Larvanine typically feeds on harmless plants, its toxicity isn't as apparent as the poison dart frog's, leading many to mistakenly believe that its ability to poison other creatures is due to Venenum-type spiritual energy in its body."

"In reality, Venenum-type spiritual energy only makes up a small part of Larvanine's poison abilities. The way it poisons enemies that threaten its safety is mostly due to its own biological toxins..."

The old man stopped, smiling at Ash, who looked stunned, and added, "Surprised? It's completely different from what you saw in the Spirit Beast Compendium, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Ash nodded.

Not just different—it was like a complete overhaul of her worldview!

"Hahaha, don't be too shocked. This is the fascinating part of Spirit Beasts," the old man laughed heartily before shifting back to the previous topic. "Now, let's go back to the 'eat' I mentioned earlier."

"There's a method to this 'eating poison insects' to transport toxins from other creatures to enhance yourself. Not just any poison insect will work to extract toxins and turn them into your own for use."

"Spirit Beasts are different from ordinary animals. What might be highly toxic to normal animals may have almost no effect on them. So the best approach is still to have them consume toxins from creatures of the same kind."

"The same kind you're talking about... doesn't that refer to Spirit Beasts?" Ash asked cautiously.

The old man glanced at her and smiled without speaking, but the meaning was clear.

Ash pursed her lips, her expression a bit conflicted. "But I remember that hunting wild Spirit Beasts, except in emergency situations... isn't that illegal?"

To prevent powerful Beast Master from hunting weaker Spirit Beasts endlessly for their crystal cores, Montis has strict regulations about hunting wild Spirit Beasts, even establishing a special position for patrol officers dedicated to protecting weak Spirit Beasts in the wild.