53: Zephyr Fruit

Caleb studied the bodies of the dead snakes on the ground that died from Jin's Finger Gun carefully.

They were snakes! More precisely, a three-inch snake, despite its small size, looks quite menacing.

This diminutive serpent, measuring a mere three inches in length, possesses an eerie and unsettling presence. Its sinuous body, dark as midnight, is adorned with menacing patterns that seem to writhe and coil with a life of their own. A deep, obsidian black serves as its canvas, adorned with irregular, blood-red markings that resemble ominous, jagged lightning strikes etched by nature's malevolence.

Its beady, coal-black eyes that were now lifeless, set deep within its skull glisten with sinister intelligence that belies its size. They pierce through the shadows, radiating a malevolent aura. A set of needle-sharp fangs rests concealed within its maw, tiny yet potent, harboring a venomous payload.

Caleb sat over one of them and whispered. 

"Just what snakes are these? They look ominous..."

Jin sat beside Caleb and caressed the scales of one of the dead snakes. Then he began to remove some of the bigger scales, causing a colorless liquid to ooze out.

"This snake is called Devil Cry. Well, that's what the captain called it, anyway... They are fast and elusive and like to ambush their prey. Just like earlier, they always coil themselves from branches of trees. They aren't that deadly, but their poison is quite a pain in the ass."

"Yup..." Athena kicked one of the corpses in derision. "They can cause paralysis to their victims. Though, the poison is slow-acting. But what made it a problem was if you took too many bites, the effect would immediately come. So yeah, not deadly, but troublesome."

"Is there an antidote for this?" Caleb asked, which Athena answered in turn. "Yeah, there's a fruit called Zephyr fruit. I don't know much about those fruits, but Jin here should know." She said with a chuckle.

"Well, if you guys are really that curious. I'll gladly..." A sigh escaped from Jin's mouth. Then paused for a moment, as if to recall something. "Imagine a Zephyr fruit as a teardrop-shaped fruit with a twist, like a corkscrew. It's about the size of a small banana. The fruit's skin is a beautiful deep violet color, and when you look closely, you can see tiny silvery specks that shimmer as if they're catching starlight."

'What a weird way to describe a fruit. Didn't expect this kind to be poetic.'

"The interesting thing about Zephyr fruit is that it hums softly when you touch it, like a gentle, soothing melody. When you cut it open, you'll find that the fruit inside is semi-clear and softly glows, almost like it has its own light. It smells sweet, like a garden filled with flowers." He continued and glanced at Caleb and Athena to make sure that both of them were listening. "The Zephyr fruit varies in size, but a mature fruit typically measures around six to eight inches in length. It's the antidote for the poison."

"You really know a lot." Caleb couldn't help but say with genuine awe. "Though I'm quite a bit curious. Why don't you use the poison for your hunts? Or do you actually use it?"

Athena and Jin shook their heads. Athena sighed in exasperation. "You have a lot of questions."

Caleb let out a chuckle and scratched his head, embarrassedly. Yeah, he really has a lot of questions, doesn't he? Now, he discovered as Athena pointed it out. 'It seems I'm naturally curious.'

"Well, let me answer. Don't mind Athena. Actually, asking questions isn't bad. Not asking when you don't know it is what's worse. There's nothing wrong with your thirst for knowledge. It just means you don't want to remain ignorant." 

"Bastard Jin! Are you saying I'm ignorant!?" Athena grumbled.

Speechless, Jin shrugged his shoulders helplessly and glanced at Caleb, looking for support. Unfortunately, Caleb turned his head to the corpse of the snake intently, which made the corners of Jin's mouth twitched.

"I didn't say that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you don't. But that's what your statement implies." Athena snorted with an offended expression.

"Well, can you guys get back to the topic? Why don't you use it? Won't it help you guys if you ahmmm drip your weapons with poison?" Caleb said.

"Well, shit... It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." Athena rolled her eyes. "The poison is slow acting. It takes 13-15 mins to show its damned effects. We don't have much use for it since we can kill most animals we encounter in just 3-4 at most. The poison is also useless to Apokalips because it would only disorient them temporarily. So we don't find the poison of any use in our hunts."

"That's it." Caleb nodded with understanding. He smiled as if satisfied by the answer. Then, under Jin and Athena's confused expression, he stuffed the two carcasses in his backpack while humming.

Appalled, it prompted Jin to ask, genuinely curious.

"What are you going to do with that? Didn't we say that the poison is not helpful?"

A shit-eating grin emerged from Caleb's gaze and he rubbed both of his palms miserly, like a greedy merchant. He licked his lips and answered:

"I might not be able to use it now, but I might be able to sell it when the time comes. It might also come in handy in the future."

Jin nodded, speechless, but satisfied with the answer. "Well, if you say so."

Just like that, Caleb sacked the two corpses in his bag. He intends to extract their poisons later and store them in a small container. Such a good thing... Thirteen to fifteen minutes of fighting might be rare, but that usually happens if you fight an opponent with equal strength. The poison was actually good when you fight with an opponent with an equal strength and the battle becomes a battle of attrition? What's more, it can still affect humans who have reached the highest prerequisite like him.

Sighing, Caleb followed his two companions, who had walked ahead of him and decided to look at his attributes. 'Status!'

***

Name: Caleb

Race: Human

Age: ???

Rank: Taboo Energy (Grade 1) 738/1000

Physique: 10 [Strength, Stamina, Endurance, Agility, Flexibility, Power, Etc...]

Spirit: 6 [Mental Strength, Mental Resistance, Reaction Speed, Perception, Five Senses, Dynamic Vision, Mental Energy, Intelligence, Energy Recovery Rate, Soul Def, Soul Strength, Etc...]

Abilities:

-Passive Skill-

-Active Skill-

Taboo Energy Sensitivity.

Tip: The basic attribute of a normal human is 5.

***

Thanks to the total ten days of hunting training with Jin and Athena, he accumulated another one hundred units of Taboo energy! Gradually inching closer to Grade 2 Taboo Fighter and finally break through the limits of what a human can achieve!