Chapter 213: Because We Are Demonic Cultists.
Chapter 213: Because We Are Demonic Cultists.
“I wouldn't have come all this way if it weren't truly urgent.”
I spoke hurriedly to the Poison King.
Since this was the first time one of my subordinates had come looking for me here, the Poison King signaled Sangseon to bring Seo Dae-ryong in immediately.
A moment later, Sangseon led Seo Dae-ryong to us.
“Pavilion Master, you must come quickly!”
“What happened, Investigator Seo?”
“A major incident has occurred in Ma Clan Village. A martial artist who was peacefully drinking suddenly drew his sword and went on a rampage. Dozens are dead or injured.”
Startled, I shouted back, “Where?”
“At Yanghwa Pavilion.”
Yanghwa Pavilion was one of the many courtesan houses in Ma Clan Village.
“Was it a drunken brawl?”
“No, sir. They say blood suddenly began streaming from the man’s eyes and nose, and he just... snapped. He was a highly skilled martial artist, which made the casualties even worse.”
The moment I heard those words, a specific incident from before my regression flashed through my mind.
I immediately bid the Poison King farewell.
“Poison King, I must take my leave for today.”
I hurried out of the forest with Seo Dae-ryong.
When we arrived at Yanghwa Pavilion in Ma Clan Village, the Enforcement Martial Artists were already cordoning off the area. Even before stepping inside, the thick, stifling scent of blood hit my nose.
Among the crowd of onlookers, a young boy caught my eye. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, and he was screaming at the Enforcement Martial Artists.
“My mom and sister are in there! Please, go check on them! They work in the kitchen! Mom! Su-ya!”
Leaving the boy behind, I entered the building with Seo Dae-ryong.
The interior was a bloodbath. Corpses were strewn everywhere, and the Enforcement Martial Artists were checking for survivors.
“Most of the victims were intoxicated, which made the damage far worse.”
It wasn't just martial artists who had died. Courtesans and even the cooks were among the fallen.
In a corner of the kitchen, I found a middle-aged woman dead, clutching a young girl in her arms. The girl bore a striking resemblance to the boy shouting outside.
I looked down at the bodies of the mother and daughter in silence, letting out a heavy sigh. This child probably spent her days running around the kitchen helping her mother.
Standing beside me, Seo Dae-ryong couldn't bear to look any longer and turned his head away.
“Where is the perpetrator?”
“On the third floor.”
I moved again. The path upstairs was lined with a gruesome trail of carnage.
The man was dead, slumped against the wall at the end of the third-floor hallway. He looked to be a young man in his early thirties. The blood that had poured from his eyes and nose had dried, staining his face down to his chin. He had died with his eyes rolled back, the whites of his eyes stained a deep, bloody red.
Seo Dae-ryong, following behind me, spoke in a trembling voice.
“I’ve never seen anything so horrific.”
I knew exactly what had caused this.
Wild Rage.
It was an internal energy amplifier that temporarily boosted one's power upon consumption.
Depending on the dosage, a standard amplifier could temporarily increase internal energy for anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes. The increase was usually about ten to twenty percent, and the user’s energy would eventually return to normal.
However, Wild Rage had become explosively popular because it offered a much greater boost—anywhere from thirty to fifty percent.
But the side effects were as lethal as the benefits were great. What I was looking at now was the result of those side effects.
The ones selling this Wild Rage were none other than the Unorthodox Path Alliance. The energy-scattering poison, Black Concubine, which I had been struck with during the New Demon Competition, was also one of their products. Wild Rage and Black Concubine were the two main pillars of the Unorthodox Path Alliance's trade.
“What is his identity?”
“He was one of the Demon Swords belonging to the Northern Heavenly Sword House. They say he was a man who never caused any trouble. He was even promoted last year.”
That was likely the problem. He must have secretly taken Wild Rage to secure that promotion.
“Send this corpse to the Demon Doctor immediately. I’ll leave the cleanup here to you.”
“Pavilion Master... I don't know why this happened, but I want to uncover the truth. I have to.”
The look in Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes as he watched me was the same one he’d had when we first met as investigators of the Huangquan Pavilion. It was the gaze of a man determined to uncover the truth behind his senior’s death.
I gave him a single, firm nod.
“Take good care of that boy outside.”
Seo Dae-ryong nodded back vigorously.
*
I watched as the Demon Doctor performed the autopsy.
Examining the body from various angles, the Demon Doctor deduced the cause of death.
“Judging by how the Dantian is severely swollen and damaged, a powerful internal energy amplifier was used. The loss of reason and the subsequent slaughter were likely side effects of that.”
The Demon Doctor accurately diagnosed the state of the corpse.
“Actually, this isn't the first time I've seen a body like this. One was brought in late last year in a similar state. Back then, the man just went on a rampage alone until he died. This time, it turned into a massacre.”
Wild Rage had not yet fully permeated the Murim. At first, the side effects were hushed up, but as the number of users grew, it was beginning to become a serious problem.
“He probably wasn't in his right mind when he committed those acts. Foolish man... he should have increased his internal energy through training. Why let greed get the better of him?”
He spoke to the corpse as if scolding it, then turned away. This was one of the reasons Wild Rage continued to spread. People argued that the user shouldn't have taken it in the first place. Since the primary responsibility fell on the consumer, the Unorthodox Path Alliance capitalized on that sentiment to rake in even more money.
After covering the body with a white cloth, the Demon Doctor washed his bloodstained hands. He, too, seemed somber after hearing that so many innocent people had died.
As if trying to change the mood, the Demon Doctor asked me, “How are things going with the Poison King?”
“I’ve been meeting him every day since that first time.”
The Demon Doctor looked surprised. “Every day? Truly?”
“I’m learning the trade in the Thousand Poison Forest.”
“I see. You really are different. So, having met him, what do you think of the Poison King?”
“He’s a brighter person than I expected.”
The Demon Doctor nodded. It seemed he had also sensed that spark of light within the man.
“It took me quite a while to realize that, but you’ve already figured it out.”
“I spend almost the entire day with him lately.”
“Do you really want to win this bet with the Cult Leader that badly?”
I looked down at the cloth-covered corpse and spoke softly.
“I have one more reason why I must win now.”
*
My father and Chief Strategist Sama Myeong were waiting for me in the Heavenly Demon Hall.
I strode across the Path of Blood and delivered my report.
“The Demon Doctor has identified the cause of the incident as a side effect of an internal energy amplifier.”
Neither of them looked surprised by my report. It meant they were already aware of the symptoms.
“You already knew, didn't you?”
Sama Myeong answered my question. “Yes. Several incidents, both large and small, have been reported in the Central Plains.”
“It’s the work of the Unorthodox Path Alliance, isn't it?”
“How did you know?”
“I was hit by an energy-scattering poison during the last New Demon Competition. When I investigated it then, I found it was a poison called Black Concubine, manufactured by the Unorthodox Path Alliance. I suspected this was their doing as well.”
“It is an internal energy amplifier called Wild Rage, sold by the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
As expected, Sama Myeong was already familiar with Wild Rage.
I asked him again, “Who is the person in charge of manufacturing Wild Rage for the Unorthodox Path Alliance? You know who it is, don't you, Strategist?”
Sama Myeong glanced at my father. After watching me for a moment, my father gave a small nod.
Only then did Sama Myeong reveal the identity.
“It is Aecha.”
I knew exactly who Aecha was.
“The Black Snake.”
“Correct.”
He was one of Ya Yul-han’s four subordinates. While Ji-saeng, who created the Immortal's Debt, bore a golden pig tattoo, Aecha had sworn his loyalty with a black snake tattoo.
This was my chance to speak up.
As you can see, Ya Yul-han is behind all these atrocities. He is absolute evil.
But I didn't say it. Unless I won the bet by persuading the Poison King and bringing him before my father, the Black Snake was beyond my reach to deal with anyway.
I remained silent for a moment. I let my silence convey my rage, and I let it bolster my resolve.
“A detailed report from my pavilion will be submitted regarding the incident. I will report back if any further information is confirmed.”
I walked out of the Heavenly Demon Hall, back across the Path of Blood.
This was likely the first time I had ever turned and left without sharing a single pleasantry with the two of them. In that way, I quietly piled the rage from Wild Rage on top of the rage from the Immortal's Debt.
My father and Sama Myeong watched my retreating back in silence.
I carved the lesson my father had taught me into my heart.
From someone else's perspective, my world is also a closed one.
Yes, I admit it. Establishing a new Demonic Path and eradicating absolute evil is still something that exists only within my own world.
*
That night, I stood alone before the Fist Demon’s cliff.
Just as the Fist Demon used to look up at the cliff, I stared at the rock face.
I clenched my fist and channeled my internal energy.
Whirrrr!
The air swirled around my fist, sounding like the approach of a storm.
Swoosh!
I was about to throw a punch at the cliff, but I stopped at the very last second.
I knew I couldn't break it yet. There would be only one time in my life when I would truly throw a punch at this cliff.
Then, a welcome voice drifted from behind me.
“Hitting it with those baby hands will only hurt you right now.”
I turned around with a smile.
The Fist Demon was walking toward me.
“Master!”
I was genuinely glad to see him after so long. After seeing the Poison King’s youthful face, seeing this terrifying visage and massive frame made me truly feel like I was back in the Demonic Cult.
The Fist Demon’s gaze fell upon my tightly clenched fist.
Having read my anger, he spoke calmly.
“Disciple.”
“Yes, Master.”
“When you are truly angry, take that clenched fist and spread it wide like this.”
The Fist Demon held out his massive palm before me. It was larger than my entire face.
“And then!”
Clap!
The Fist Demon gave a thunderous clap.
“Clap once, then clench it again. Your fist will carry more weight that way.”
“I won't even need to clench it again. If an enemy were caught between those palms, it would be the same as being hit by a fist anyway.”
The Fist Demon, of all people, was telling me to open my hand. I etched this deep and profound lesson into my soul.
And the banter I couldn't manage in front of my father and Sama Myeong, I directed at the Fist Demon instead.
“When you used to stand here, Master, I thought you were driven solely by the singular thought of collapsing this cliff.”
“And?”
“Weren't you actually just standing here whenever you were angry? Am I right?”
Unable to deny it, the Fist Demon laughed.
I bowed to him and walked away. I walked with both of my tightly clenched fists spread wide open.
*
The next day, I went to the Thousand Poison Forest as usual.
The Poison King was wandering the woods near his house with a collection container.
“Regarding the incident that happened yesterday...”
Before I could finish, a surprising remark came from the Poison King’s mouth.
“It was Wild Rage, wasn't it?”
The Poison King had known it was because of Wild Rage just by hearing about the side effects.
“You knew?”
“Of course I know. As you are aware, my Poison Fangs travel across the entire Central Plains searching for poisonous herbs and creatures. The bastards from the Unorthodox Path Alliance also travel around looking for ingredients for their drugs. We know their movements better than anyone.”
The Poison King frowned slightly.
“I even warned them. Told them not to make such garbage.”
“Do you know who is making it?”
“I do. There’s a fool who calls himself the True Poison Recluse.”
The True Poison Recluse. He was a master of poison arts famous within the Unorthodox Faction. The Poison King looked disgusted just thinking about him.
“Even among those who use poison, there are lines you don't cross. That bastard is playing in the gutter.”
“A lot of innocent people died because of that 'gutter play.' There was a woman who died clutching her child. Such facts won't even make it into the Cult's official reports. The death of that mother and daughter will be buried under a single line reporting the total number of casualties. If they were to watch this world as vengeful spirits, the child would ask her mother: 'Why does no one care about our deaths?'”
The Poison King was staring at a poisonous insect on a tree, seemingly indifferent to my words. I didn't get angry anymore. Just as I lived in my world, he was living in his.
“What is the name of that insect?”
I asked about his world, and he answered with mine.
“What meaning is there in avenging them?”
“I remember it being an ingredient for the Blue Killing Poison, but I can't recall the name.”
“It’s hypocrisy. It’s just self-satisfaction derived from the act of helping someone.”
We spoke past each other, each sticking to our own thoughts.
“Ah, what was it? The name is on the tip of my tongue.”
“The dead are dead. That is the end of it.”
The Poison King looked at me, and I looked at him. We stared at each other in silence. Since the day I met him, this was the longest he had ever looked at me.
Then, we both returned to our respective worlds.
“Su-ya. That was the name of the little girl who died in her mother’s arms today.”
“That insect is called a Hundred-Dot Bug. It’s not an ingredient for Blue Killing Poison; it’s used for Five Poison Incense.”
The Poison King looked at me with the most serious expression I had seen since meeting him.
“Tell me. The real reason you’re doing this.”
“Whenever I speak, everyone asks me the same thing. Are you from the Orthodox Faction? Are you some hero of justice? When that happens, I find myself asking a question, just like that child’s spirit would. Powerless women are dying, children are dying, young men are being slaughtered... and we’re just supposed to ignore it because we’re the Demonic Cult? If that’s how the Orthodox bastards think, then what on earth are we supposed to think?”
The Poison King didn't answer.
I didn't push him any further. I clapped my hands once and said energetically, “Let’s go. We have a lot of insects to catch today, don't we?”
But he didn't move. Instead, he sat down right where he was.
I had no choice but to sit down beside him.
The Poison King watched the poison ants passing by his feet, and since I was already sitting, I decided to finish what I wanted to say, whether he was listening or not.
“The dead child has an older brother. He was outside that blood-soaked pavilion, screaming, wondering if his mother and sister were safe. I want to be able to tell that boy that I’ve returned after killing every single person responsible for his family’s death. I want to tell him that while normally no one would be allowed to kill them, we could—because we are Demonic Cultists.”
Still watching the ants, the Poison King spoke.
“I truly cannot understand you.”
“Don't you dare support me. If you’re not careful, someone like me will become the next Heavenly Demon.”
“I wouldn't support you even if I died.”
But the one who was truly incomprehensible was the Poison King. Because he added this:
“Must you always bark five times?”