Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 99: Toxins & Fire - The Trials of Revenge

As the venomous neurotoxin seeped into his bloodstream, a chilling numbness spread from the point of impact, rendering his limbs immobile in its icy grip.

"Hahahaha!" Ziddian's laughter boomed as he slapped his hand against his face in sheer delight. "After all that bravado you showed earlier, is this truly the best you have to offer? Pathetic!"

Daisuke's form remained still, his head lowered, his visage hidden beneath the veil of his bangs. With a confident stride, the man approached, a smirk playing on his lips as he unsheathed a short sword from his waist.

Like countless others before, Daisuke had now fallen from favor, and Ziddian was known to dispose of his playthings once they no longer entertained him. "Can you feel it?" he mused, a hint of sadistic pleasure in his voice. "The flames raging through your veins? That's the poison ravaging your body, corroding your nerves, and annihilating your chakra pathways."

"...Is that right?" murmured Daisuke.

Ziddian's eyes widened in stunned disbelief.

DING!

[A toxic substance has been detected within your body. Αφινίτη's Blessing has neutralized the threat and restored your health.]

Before the rogue could move an inch, Daisuke swiftly retrieved the needle from his shoulder and stabbed it into the side of the bastard's neck. Swallowing down a curse, Ziddian retreated in a panic, frantically rummaging through his garments for a special antidote.

Time was of the essence; Siren's Kiss was the deadliest poison he had ever brewed, so potent that he had yet to fully develop immunity to its effects. Devoting his entire focus to the antidote, Ziddian tilted his head back, ready to down the bright green liquid in one gulp. But before he could even make a move, the glass vial vanished from his fingertips in a blur of speed, leaving him empty-handed.

The villain's forehead creased darkly, bloodshot eyes ablaze with fury as he turned his wrathful gaze towards the silver-haired nuisance. Meanwhile, Daisuke had already shattered the vial containing the antidote onto the Lipanthyer's Fang, allowing the thick liquid to coat the lower end of the blade.

Before Ziddian could unleash a torrent of rage, Daisuke seized the back of the bastard's neck in a vice-like grip and yanked him closer, driving the weapon into the left side of his chest.

"Guagh," Ziddian choked, spitting up a mouthful of blood.

With deliberate slowness, Daisuke pressed the blade a few inches deeper, drawing himself nearer to whisper into the man's ear. "Let's play a game," he muttered with a devilish smirk hidden behind his mask. "Your beloved poison is busy liquefying your insides. On the lower half of this blade lies the serum that could save you.

But here's the catch: I'll keep pushing this dagger in slowly. Your task is to resist the strength of my arm and control the pace at which the blade enters your body. Too slow, and the poison might finish you off. But if you're too hasty and careless, the blade could pierce your heart. And in the midst of that delicate balancing act, you'll have to endure excruciating pain.

Good luck."

"...Y-You sick bastard!" Ziddian spat furiously, his voice trembling even as crimson red blood began to ooze from every orifice.

Daisuke snickered, his golden eyes wide and filled with a psychopathic glint. "Funny you should mention that," he mused. "Weren't you just lecturing me about lacking creativity in my revenge? Don't be a hypocrite now—or maybe you've just never considered being on the receiving end of such a fate?"

Ziddian menacingly bared his blood-coated teeth and hissed, "YOU!"

"Maybe it would've been in your best interest to invest in some protection for yourselves as well," Daisuke mocked casually.