The Forbidden Pill
The swordsman lets his sword slip from his grasp. For a martial artist—especially one who walks the path of the blade—dropping one's weapon is an impossibility. In a life-or-death duel, losing one's grip is synonymous with death. But more shameful than that, it signifies that one’s sword has been utterly crushed and dismantled by the opponent. One might face defeat, but dropping the sword is a line that cannot be crossed. It would be better to die with the blade still in hand. To let it fall is to deny one's entire life and the sect that taught the art.
In that sense, Jin Geuk let out a sound that defied his own misery, even before the genius who had reduced him to this state. The sight before him was simply too surreal. "Huh?" A voice of pure bewilderment escaped the lips of the man who had always been so full of himself. The sword that had been in his hand now floated in the air. Jin Geuk’s mind began to drift, as if he were floating in a dream. And it wasn't just him; everyone below the dueling platform must have been thinking the same thing.
Jin Geuk reached out toward the sword hovering in the void. He felt a presence behind him—Baek-ran. To survive this moment, he had to find a way to escape. But a swordsman could not do that. He had always wanted to reign over others, but before being a man, there was something more important to him as a martial artist. Yet, his attempt was rendered meaningless. A massive wave of pain erupted, and his back grew hot. He had been cut. Jin Geuk’s body collapsed. It was a defeat—as a swordsman, and as a human being.
Everyone gasped at the surreal scene unfolding before them. A heavy, suffocating silence pressed down upon the area around the platform. Just as everyone was catching their breath, the silence was broken by a maid’s cry.
“Baek-ran!! Baek-ak!! You’re amazing!!!!”
That shout, and the heat it carried, began to wake the people swallowed by the heavy silence. One by one, they began to erupt into cheers. Those who had been stifled by the silence were quickly consumed by the fervor of the duel.
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
It wasn't just the twins. People who held a grudge against Jin Geuk, people who held a grudge against the twins, those who envied the talented, and those who had just come because they heard there was a duel—everyone had come for their own reasons, but they all shared one commonality: they were all members of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult, who revered strong martial artists. They, too, were martial artists. As an unexpected powerhouse emerged and claimed victory, everyone began to go wild with excitement. Amidst the explosive heat, the instructor shouted:
“The winners! Wi Baek-ak! Wi Baek-ran!”
The cheering grew louder. The twins looked down at the crowd below the platform with a strange expression, as if they had never received such a massive ovation before. One thing was certain: the expression on their faces wasn't bad at all.
The physicians of the Saengsa-won, who had been cheering, hurried onto the platform as if they had just realized their duty. One physician whispered softly, “Are you alright?”
The loser, with half-dead eyes, did not look at the twins receiving the fervent cheers, but at the sword he had dropped from his hand. His hesitation was brief. Perhaps it was because he had lost too much blood, but his head felt hazy and his body wouldn't obey him. Jin Geuk spoke.
“There is an internal injury pill in my robe... Could you take it out for me?”
The physician pulled a wooden case from Jin Geuk’s robes. “Is this it?”
“Yes. Please... put it in my mouth.”
Inside the case was a pitch-black pill. The physician nodded.
A forbidden pill that burns the user's life force to temporarily grant explosive power.
***
In the closed-door training room of the Gyomaguan, a girl with hollow eyes hugged a doll with a faint smile.
“Boss. Did you sleep well?”
“Me? Of course. And I’m just so grateful that you always care for me this much.”
“That’s right. There isn't much time left, is there? So, shouldn't we work even harder?”
The girl was talking to the doll. The sight of a lone girl with hollow eyes conversing with a doll looked extremely bizarre. Of course, aside from the 'substitute' for the Boss, no one knew this side of her, so it didn't really matter. Sim So-yul continued her monologue.
“It won't be long now. Would you be angry that I didn't come to find you sooner? Would you have been sad? Would you have missed me desperately? I’m not sure about other things, but I hope you missed me desperately. What do you think?”
“No... No... That can’t be.”
Suddenly, the girl’s expression hardened, and dark clouds began to rise around her. “Say that again.”
The girl’s face twisted. Pop! The doll in her hands burst apart. The girl muttered, “It’s a fake... Another fake... The Boss wouldn’t say that. I need the real Boss. I need the real savior. Not a substitute... I need the Boss who saved me and loved me. I need my sister.”
“Calm down... Let’s calm down... It won't be long now.”
She had made a promise to that substitute. To learn martial arts under him and graduate from the Gyomaguan safely. And as promised, she would 'bring' the real one to her side. She had endured well so far. Surely, the Boss must feel the same way. So-yul did not doubt it. She was almost there. After all the time she had endured, just a little bit more was all it took. So-yul carefully controlled her emotions. She chewed over the happy memories. A dark cloud shaped like the Boss stroked her cheek. She felt better. The dark clouds that had gathered began to clear.
“You look much better now.”
The voice of the substitute reached her. A faint vitality returned to So-yul’s eyes, which had looked no different from those of a dead person. So-yul turned around. Standing there was a middle-aged man in black robes, gently waving a fan.
“Master. What brings you here?”
“Does a master need a special reason to see his disciple?”
“We have that kind of relationship, don’t we?”
The head of the Gyomaguan. A powerhouse considered the next Demonic Monarch. The eyes of the Dark Cloud Scholar crinkled. He was covering his mouth with his fan, so she couldn't see his lips, but he was likely smiling. The Dark Cloud Scholar said, “Jin Geuk. Do you remember him?”
“...”
“I thought as much. That guy who followed you around like a madman last time, asking for a duel.”
“Ah. That stalker.”
“Stalker?”
“You don’t need to know.”
So-yul smiled as if she were happy. It wasn't Jin Geuk’s fault. Yes. No one else knew this phrase. It was a word only the Boss used. It was a bond between me and the Boss that ordinary people didn't know about. Perhaps even the twins didn't know this word. Ah, I miss the Boss. Anyway, the fact that only me and the Boss knew this word had been proven to the world once again. It felt good.
“That guy... he touched the twins. They are supposed to have a duel... today.”
So-yul’s expression hardened rapidly. The twins were people the Boss cherished. The Boss had to part with the twins against her will. If they were hurt, the Boss would surely be sad. She couldn't bear to see the Boss sad. As an elder, the Boss might have expected me to protect them. But if I failed to protect the twins, the Boss might be disappointed in me. That was a bigger problem than the twins dying, or even my own limbs being torn apart. No. What should I do?
So-yul’s expression twisted like a vengeful spirit. “I told you to kill him back then.”
“...If you kill someone from the Sword Family carelessly, it will become quite troublesome. After we leave this place.”
“Is that important? If... if those children get hurt... Ah, I can’t. I have to go out now and kill that bastard.”
As So-yul jumped up, the Dark Cloud Scholar said soothingly, “Don’t worry. They won't be seriously hurt. I’ve already instructed the instructor, a Peak Master, to keep a close eye on them.”
“...”
“Above all, isn't it our deal that you cannot leave this place until you have fully entered the Dark Cloud Demonic Art?”
“...”
“You are the only disciple who will inherit my martial arts. There is no way I would neglect someone you care about. I’m not that unreasonable. So, don’t worry and stay put.”
As the Dark Cloud Scholar coaxed her, So-yul gradually calmed down. The Dark Cloud Scholar added as if he had just remembered, “Oh. And... I heard the twins took in a maid.”
A maid? They were children who preferred to be alone, saying it was more comfortable, so they didn't even have a maid, and they were even distant from me. As So-yul showed interest, the Dark Cloud Scholar continued, “Come to think of it, I believe the reason they ended up dueling that Jin Geuk guy was because of the maids they took in this time. I believe their names were Shin So-so. And... was it Seo-ah?”
Life filled So-yul’s eyes. “Who?”
***
The duel ended safely. Since the twins were unharmed, it would be correct to say it ended safely. “The winners! Wi Baek-ak! Wi Baek-ran!” The instructor’s shout concluded the duel with the twins' victory. However, Seo-ah still felt uneasy for some reason. Even though it had clearly ended safely.
‘Is this what they call a nervous breakdown?’
Well, too many things had happened in the last week. Learning martial arts. Reuniting with an old connection. Actually realizing that I had talent. Suddenly having my life threatened. It wasn't quite like experiencing everything I would in a lifetime, but it was definitely not something that should happen in just a week. So, it was only natural to be exhausted. Seo-ah thought so and tried to put her mind at ease as much as possible. She tried to stop fiddling with the dagger in her robes, until the shout of the physician who had gone to treat Jin Geuk reached her ears.
“Demonic Explosion Pill?!”
The gazes of everyone who had been cheering turned toward the physician. Demonic Explosion Pill? That thing I know? The pill that explodes the Innate True Qi to borrow power at the cost of one’s lifespan? Of course, it was a forbidden item that could never be allowed in a duel. Seo-ah didn't know this fact, but she noticed that the situation was taking an ominous turn. Jin Geuk’s state, shedding tears of blood with half-crazed eyes, was certainly not normal.
Jin Geuk jumped up, grabbed the sword scattered on the floor, and rushed at the twins. Time slowed down. The instructor, caught off guard by the sudden outburst, jumped up to subdue Jin Geuk. The twins turned around belatedly. Seo-ah threw her dagger without a moment to think. Just before the dagger could pierce his throat, Jin Geuk stepped back and dodged it. However, the time that one step bought—that slight moment—saved the twins.
Time began to flow quickly again. The instructor easily suppressed Jin Geuk. At first glance, it looked like the instructor had easily subdued Jin Geuk and saved the twins, but the martial artists present all knew the truth hidden behind it. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the maid who had collapsed on the floor, powerless, her internal energy drained after throwing the dagger just once.