Chapter 223: Dealing with Poison-Mongers Is Always Like This
Chapter 223: Dealing with Poison-Mongers Is Always Like This
Did the two of them actually look alike?
They didn't share a single similar feature—not even enough for the Poison King to jump in protest. It was merely a comment I threw out in the moment to shift the True Poison Recluse’s attention toward me.
The goal was achieved. The True Poison Recluse’s interest shifted from the Poison King to me. Good, deal with me instead.
“Doesn’t it just put you in a foul mood for no reason when you see someone who looks just like you?”
The look in the Poison King’s eyes upon hearing this was unmistakable: Me, and this ugly brat?
The True Poison Recluse shared the same doubt. “Where exactly do you see a resemblance?”
Even to him, there was clearly no likeness at all.
“To my eyes, you look very much alike. Even your gaze and the atmosphere you project are identical. Somewhat rebellious, yet possessing a certain depth.”
The True Poison Recluse furrowed his brow. His expression said it all: You’re saying this now? In this situation? Rebellious? Depth? In this underground dungeon where people are dying?
“Weren’t you just as handsome back in your youth?”
Who would be upset at being told they look like a handsome person? The problem was that he didn't believe a word I said.
“Cut the nonsense. Tell me why you stepped forward to save this man.”
The True Poison Recluse openly radiated killing intent. He looked ready to poison me as an example if I uttered one more word of drivel.
“He helped me in the dungeon.”
“How much help did he give you for you to risk your life?”
My gaze turned toward the Poison King. “When I was fighting like a dog, he jumped into the fray and fought like one right beside me.”
The Poison King hadn't expected me to give that as the reason; a flash of surprise and intense emotion crossed his face. Fortunately, that explanation worked better on the True Poison Recluse than any long-winded excuse would have.
“Prisoners prattling on about loyalty? If you step out of line one more time, you’ll be reduced to a puddle of blood.”
“Yes! I’ll be careful.”
The True Poison Recluse looked back and forth between the Poison King and me with a dissatisfied gaze, but he didn't escalate things further. Every single person here was a precious experimental subject.
After locking the Poison King back in his cell, the True Poison Recluse left the area. I sent a message via Voice Transmission to the Poison King.
— You did well to endure that.
— Why did you step in? I could have handled it myself.
— I know.
— You did it because you thought I’d cause trouble, didn't you?
— No.
— Don't lie!
After a brief pause, I spoke to him again.
— Actually, I did it because I was afraid you’d endure it.
— !
The Poison King looked at me with a startled expression.
— I was afraid you’d just take it. That you’d endure being slapped and humiliated by that bastard. You probably would have endured it for the sake of our plan.
The Poison King’s clear, large eyes grew even wider.
— What if your flattery about me looking like him didn't work and he tried to kill you?
— Then we would have had to flip the table. We’d make it look like he killed everyone here due to the side effects of Wild Rage, and then we’d leave.
— What about Aecha? He’s the type to stay holed up in his den and rarely comes out.
— We would have found a way.
— The reason you took such a risk... was just because you didn't want to see me being mistreated?
— What do you mean 'just'? It’s a very important reason. It’s a big enough deal to scrap everything and go back.
Seeing the look in his eyes that asked if this was more flattery, I revealed my true feelings.
“Between flattery and sincerity, the weight of sincerity keeps growing.”
The Poison King, who had been staring at me, vanished from the small window.
*
Prisoners died every day.
Each time, the True Poison Recluse would come to the dungeon to confirm their deaths and glare at the Poison King. It seemed the Poison King’s presence remained a thorn in his side.
He should have trusted his instincts more—questioned why that clear gaze bothered him so much. However, he was exhausted from the continuous experimental failures and failed to heed the sense of crisis that kept signaling him.
In fact, he was being poisoned by Wild Rage every single day. The Poison King’s administration of the poison was so sophisticated and masterful that the Recluse couldn't perceive it, especially since he had no reason to use his internal energy violently in his daily life.
Once he left, the Poison King asked me:
— If things go according to our plan, will Aecha show up here?
— He definitely will. According to Strategist Go’s investigation, Aecha and the True Poison Recluse don't get along. If he hears the experiment was a success, he’ll want to come and see it for himself.
— Based on the current trend, we’ll have a conclusion within ten days.
The end was finally in sight.
*
For those ten days, I immersed myself solely in the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art.
Sometimes, we find unexpected focus when our surroundings are chaotic. That was the case for me. In this cramped, wretched dungeon where prisoners died every day, I focused on my training more than ever before.
And finally, there was progress.
It was the result of the changes in my body from my recent increase in internal energy combined with my training here. Slowly but surely, the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art was moving toward Great Achievement.
As I ascended a level, the technique felt distinctly different. It reacted to danger faster and more sensitively, feeling more closely integrated with my being.
Meanwhile, prisoners continued to die.
Listening to the conversations of the martial artists who came to deliver food, I learned they planned to continue the experiments by kidnapping ordinary martial artists if they failed this time.
These people didn't care about human lives at all to achieve their goals. No, they never considered the lives of others to begin with.
These were the Absolute Evil. In a place like this, where masters like the True Poison Recluse and Aecha conducted secret experiments, who could possibly stop them?
— Stopping such atrocities is my Demonic Path.
And for the first time since I had uttered those words, I was asked a question about the next generation. The Poison King asked me:
— What about after you die? Can the next Heavenly Demon uphold that Demonic Path? I’m asking if someone like you can ever appear again.
— Why should I worry about what happens after I’m dead? The people left behind will figure it out.
— You’ve worked so hard to establish a new Demonic Path; wouldn't it be a waste if the next generation ruined it?
True, they might ruin it. But I believed that was something beyond my control. No, I thought it was right not to interfere in the first place.
— Even if I gave orders to the next generation, would they listen? Would they listen if I asked? They’ll just look at how we lived, and if it looks cool, they’ll follow it. If it looks pathetic, they’ll change it.
Just as I did.
*
Just as the Poison King predicted, on the tenth day, all the prisoners who had come here were dead. Now, the only ones left were Geom Mu-geuk and the Poison King.
Food continued to be provided for a few more days, and naturally, the two did not die.
A few days after that, the moment the two had been waiting for arrived.
Aecha finally visited the underground dungeon along with the True Poison Recluse. Aecha, who had been secluded in his own den, made his first appearance.
“Did you truly succeed?”
“I did! See for yourself. We have two successful formulations. We just need to research a bit more to make them more stable.”
“Let’s have a look!”
Aecha peered through the holes in the iron doors of the cells where Geom Mu-geuk and the Poison King were held. His eyes, which had been filled with joy, turned into snake-like slits.
“They’re both so young. Does this only work on the young?”
For a moment, the True Poison Recluse almost spat out a curse. It was always like this, but he hadn't expected Aecha to pull this crap today of all days.
“Are you looking down on me too much?”
A cold wind blew between the two.
“I was just saying. No need to get so defensive.”
After that spiteful remark, Aecha looked back and forth between Geom Mu-geuk and the Poison King inside the cells. No matter how I look at them, they seem too young.
At that moment, Aecha’s heart began to throb. His sense of crisis flared violently. What is this? This ominous feeling?
Like a God of Gambling swapping cards right in front of a Gambling Demon, the ultimate principle of the Poison King’s martial arts was being exerted right in front of the Unorthodox Faction’s greatest poison master. A single small hole was enough.
‘!’
Aecha’s expression stiffened instantly. He forced a smile and approached the True Poison Recluse. “You’ve truly worked hard!”
The moment he drew close—Shhh!
Aecha drew his sword with lightning speed and stabbed the True Poison Recluse in the arm.
The True Poison Recluse was caught completely off guard by the ambush. The moment the Recluse reflexively tried to scatter poison, Aecha suppressed his demonic acupoints a step faster.
“Are you insane?!”
At the True Poison Recluse’s shout, Aecha grabbed him by the throat.
“What are you? Did you take Wild Rage?!”
The True Poison Recluse thought Aecha had gone mad from Wild Rage. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to suddenly try to kill him. He couldn't be discarding him now that the experiment was a success; only the Recluse knew the method for creating Wild Rage. He hadn't written it down anywhere; it existed only in his head. Knowing that, there was no reason to kill him.
“The antidote! Give me the antidote!”
Aecha suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face had turned pitch black. Only then did the True Poison Recluse realize that Aecha had been poisoned. Aecha had attacked him under the misunderstanding that the Recluse had poisoned him.
“You bastard! I knew you’d betray me like this someday!”
“It wasn't me! I said it wasn't me!”
If the two had been on good terms, they might have surveyed their surroundings more calmly. But because they were like mortal enemies, they could only think that the other was trying to kill them.
Just then, Aecha’s and the True Poison Recluse’s subordinates, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.
“What’s happening?”
“True Poison has betrayed us! Kill them all!”
Aecha’s subordinates drew their swords and stabbed the Recluse’s subordinates to death. It happened in an instant; shocked by the claim that their leader had betrayed them, the Recluse’s subordinates couldn't counterattack with poison immediately.
Once they were all dead, Aecha’s subordinates ran toward him, only to collapse one after another. Aecha thought the Recluse’s subordinates had used poison, but in reality, Geom Mu-geuk had fired Finger Wind to strike their acupoints and put them to sleep. They were the best witnesses to explain this situation later.
Both the previous poisoning and the current striking of acupoints had been done inconspicuously through the small windows of the cells.
Seeing his subordinates collapse, Aecha’s eyes rolled back. “You traitorous bastard! Give me the antidote before I kill you!”
Aecha gripped the True Poison Recluse’s throat even harder. It was at the point where it would snap with just a little more strength. Gasping for air, the True Poison Recluse wheezed out:
“If I really wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.”
Since that much was true, Aecha was momentarily confused. Right, if he wanted to kill me, he would have used a more lethal poison for an instant death. He wouldn't have allowed me to counterattack like this.
It was then. Slide.
The keys hanging from the waist of one of the True Poison Recluse’s fallen subordinates floated into the air. The Recluse, who saw it first, widened his eyes. The keys flew across the air and opened the Poison King’s iron door.
Clack!
Startled by the sound, Aecha also looked that way. The keys flew across the air again and opened Geom Mu-geuk’s iron door. At the sound of the second clack, the hearts of Aecha and the True Poison Recluse sank.
As the doors opened, Geom Mu-geuk and the Poison King walked out of their cells. Aecha was dazed for a moment. Am I seeing things because of the poison?
Geom Mu-geuk and the Poison King walked toward the two of them side by side. The True Poison Recluse was the first to grasp the situation.
“Kill them! They’re the ones who did this!”
Snapping back to his senses, Aecha lunged his sword toward Geom Mu-geuk.
How could an attack that wouldn't have worked even if he were prepared work now? Aecha’s sword thrust uselessly into the air, and Geom Mu-geuk, closing in with Underworld King Step, suppressed Aecha’s demonic acupoints.
Aecha stared at Geom Mu-geuk with a shocked face. He finally realized it. Things had gone wrong—terribly wrong. He shouldn't have suppressed the True Poison Recluse and stabbed him in the arm.
The Poison King strode over and opened the poison pouch hanging from the True Poison Recluse’s waist. In that moment, the Recluse cheered inwardly. You dare touch my poison pouch so recklessly? Fine, go ahead and die!
He would surely die. If it could be touched so easily, it wouldn't be the True Poison Recluse’s poison pouch. However, his opponent handled the poison even more skillfully than he did.
Riding a gust of wind, the Recluse’s own poison flew into Aecha’s face.
“No!”
Aecha’s desperate cry soon turned into a horrific scream. “Aaaaaaaagh!”
Since it was his own unique poison, the one who killed Aecha would be the True Poison Recluse. Then, who would kill the True Poison Recluse?
Aecha’s hand, still holding the sword, moved on its own as if by an invisible force. Thuck! It plunged into the True Poison Recluse’s chest.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
“Ugh...!”
The two let out agonizing screams simultaneously.
Geom Mu-geuk went over and thrust his fingers into the area below the True Poison Recluse’s eyes and flicked his nose. Blood began to stream from his nose and eyes. Since his body already contained a sufficient amount of the Wild Rage the Poison King had administered, the conclusion would be drawn that the True Poison Recluse had gone on a rampage due to the side effects of Wild Rage, and the two had ended up destroying each other.
“...Why... exactly?”
To the True Poison Recluse’s labored question, the Poison King gave a short answer. “Because you made the medicine like a dog.”
Geom Mu-geuk added nothing more. He didn't say that because of his medicine, a bloodbath had occurred and many innocent people had died, or that a child who lost his family was left all alone. Such words wouldn't have meant anything to a man like him. They wouldn't have left even a small scratch on his conscience.
However, to a man so full of pride, the Poison King’s words must have been a deep wound.
This time, Aecha, whose face was half-melted by the poison, asked Geom Mu-geuk with great difficulty. “...Who are you? Who are you people?”
Geom Mu-geuk stared at him silently before speaking softly. “That gentleman is Wild Rage, and I am Black Concubine.”
He gave the names of the two representative drugs they sold. Aecha wanted to say something, but his life ended there. Not even fifteen minutes ago, he couldn't have imagined his life would end so futilely.
Watching Aecha’s head drop, the True Poison Recluse said to the Poison King: “...I have something to say.”
The Poison King leaned in close to him. The True Poison Recluse bit the inside of his cheek and spat out blood. It was blood mixed with extreme poison.
Snap!
The Poison King unfurled his Avici Fan to block it. The blood trickled down the fan. In addition to the Recluse’s blood, the fan bore many marks of past battles. It seemed the Poison King left those marks as they were, without cleaning or replacing the fan.
“It won't work. The poison of a third-rate poison-monger.”
Having been thoroughly mocked until the very end, the True Poison Recluse trembled with agony and humiliation before his head finally slumped.
Geom Mu-geuk looked down at the two dead men in silence. This wasn't just about killing one of Ya Yul-han’s four subordinates. It was the moment that saved countless lives that would have died from Wild Rage, and the moment that achieved revenge for the boy who lost his mother and sister.
He could now go to Seo Dae-ryong and tell him. Tell him to go back and tell the boy that his revenge had been carried out. That no evil could prevail before the Main Cult. So now, he should live happily, at least for himself. Their deaths held that meaning.
Geom Mu-geuk bowed politely to the Poison King. “You truly worked hard.”
He had truly suffered in this cramped, suffocating place. While Geom Mu-geuk had spent his remaining time training, it must have been incredibly stifling for the Poison King, who usually lived amidst the nature of the Thousand Poison Forest.
“Dealing with poison-mongers is always this difficult and filthy.”
“I enjoyed it. Because I was with you, Lord Poison King.”
“Stop releasing the poison. It’s already enough.”
“Pardon?”
Leaving behind a confused Geom Mu-geuk, the Poison King strode out first.
Just before leaving the area, Geom Mu-geuk fired Finger Wind to release the acupoints of Aecha’s subordinates he had put to sleep earlier.
A moment later, as the sounds of chaos erupted behind them—shouts that True Poison had gone mad, that he had betrayed them, that the higher-ups must be informed—the two vanished silently from the scene.