The Poison Demon's Way
If you had to name the safest place in Gurye, it would undoubtedly be the Castle.
A cliff loomed behind it, while an artificial lake stretched out in front.
The entire district was encircled by incredibly high walls.
But the Castle wasn't a place just anyone could enter.
If you weren't a resident, you needed prior permission.
The ways in were two large ferryboats shuttling between the artificial lake dock and the Castle dock—big enough to carry cars, and with the distances short, entry was straightforward once approved.
A small village-sized Castle housed a select few residents.
Most were autonomous committee members, local government officials, high-rank awakeners, entrepreneurs, landlords, shop owners, or established local powers.
The Castle was like a fortress.
Ordinary monsters couldn't scale its walls.
And that was just the start.
There were anti-air defenses for flying monsters, plus shelters inside the Castle.
The walls served as the first line of defense.
The internal shelters were the second.
When a wave hit, residents leisurely retreated to the shelters, waited for the subjugation teams to neutralize the threat, and emerged once it was safe.
Aside from the early days, there had been almost no Castle deaths from monsters in recent waves.
This was how even monster wave responses reflected wealth disparities.
The rich stayed safe; the poor died.
The Castle had all the infrastructure needed for survival.
Its own power plant, smart farms for food production, tunnels linking the underground shelters, satellite comms gear... plus schools, academies, shops, restaurants, and even entertainment bars.
The Castle's one and only entertainment bar.
Named Heaven's Palace.
The entire 10-story building was the Heaven's Palace.
Nearly a hundred women served as hostesses, with an uncountable number of staff.
Right here, in the Heaven's Palace, Colonel Park Cheolgi of the Jirisan Defense Legion's Major Monster Special Forces had infiltrated disguised as staff.
Colonel Park Cheolgi had brought a total of eight subordinates.
They were disguised as janitors, waitstaff, even hostesses.
Operation Trash Cleanup.
Legion Commander Oh Jinhyeong was staking everything on this Jirisan jungle major monster subjugation op.
Estimated duration: one month.
With full preparations, success was highly likely.
Plus, Taehong Bio's Chairman Kim Taeju had pledged support.
If they succeeded in clearing the monsters, the wave threat from Jirisan would vanish, paving the way for growth in surrounding cities.
Population would boom, infrastructure would expand, economy would thrive.
Gurye Free City would benefit most.
But who would that really favor?
If benefits spread evenly to citizens, fine—but most profits would go to the entrenched local powers who'd long dominated Gurye.
Feeding dogs with rice you'd slaved for.
If Gurye's elites had any fairness, maybe.
But look at Min Dongyeol and Ji Gwangin.
Those scum wielded power arbitrarily, checking even the vigilante corps—the core of Gurye security—lest their own influence wane.
Weak security bred slums, crime spiked, and mines slipped in amid the chaos.
Oh Jinhyeong held Min Dongyeol and Ji Gwangin responsible for the mines appearing in Gurye.
Of course, Guild Master Lee Jeonghak, their puppet, was even dumber.
Clean out the trash before the subjugation op.
Thus, Major Monster Special Forces Colonel Park Cheolgi had infiltrated the Castle on Oh Jinhyeong's special orders.
The op plan was simple.
Call the hostesses out, leaving just the two targets alone—then agents enter and subdue them.
Hide them in a modified cleaning cart, take the elevator down, load into the trash truck.
Then board the large ferry and slip out of the Castle nice and easy.
A massively risky endeavor, really.
The military intervening in a free city?
If exposed, it meant not just stripping ranks but a court-martial.
But for the greater good, it had to be done. Park Cheolgi, a soldier to his bones, firmly believed this served the Empire.
Sudden variable.
Why would he show up out of nowhere...?
"You sure? Misidentification?"
Park Cheolgi needed quick judgment.
He issued immediate orders.
"Op canceled. All units withdraw!"
With Kim Taeju Chairman present, the op couldn't continue.
Kidnapping those two would put him under suspicion.
Of all times...
But why was he here?
Report to the Legion Commander first.
Heaven's Palace, Room 1013.
Chairman Min Dongyeol and Officer Ji Gwangin were already thoroughly drunk.
Women on either side, munching snacks fed by mouth, airing grievances.
"That Oh Jinhyeong! Fucking grunt soldier punk! Guns blazing after getting scraps!"
"Kim Taeju's the real problem. Cocky bastard, thinks a few new drugs make him untouchable."
They were chewing so much, no snacks needed.
"Don't worry about Oh Jinhyeong, Chairman. I'll complain directly to Central Command tomorrow."
"...Think that'll stick on Oh Jinhyeong? The guy's got military backing."
"Military has factions. Use the opposing one."
"Oh! Smart. Educated folk think different."
"Smarter than grunt soldiers, anyway."
"Hahaha! Cheers!"
The talk shifted to the Jirisan jungle monster subjugation op.
"Part of me hopes it succeeds, but another part thinks failure might be fine too."
"Same here. If it fails and waves hit..."
"Oh Jinhyeong gets demoted or stripped."
They clicked glasses perfectly.
"Even if waves come, I won't open the Castle gates."
"Right. Last time we let refugees in—what thanks? Just trashed the committee."
"Lowly scum. This time, let 'em die outside for all we care."
"Heh, failure's another chance for us. More ownerless real estate in Gurye."
"Hahaha! Exactly!"
A warm, boozy vibe.
The humiliation from days ago seemed washed away.
Then—
Bang!
The door flew open.
One man entered,
Thud!
Door slammed shut.
"Gasp!"
"Y-you...?"
It was Taeju.
"Overheard from outside—quite the spectacle. You guys have no conscience."
Ji Gwangin and Min Dongyeol were stunned.
Never imagined.
Why's this punk here? How'd he even know...?
"Mind stepping out for a bit?"
Taeju smiled at the hostesses.
They did.
"Ah, sure. I'll go."
"Me too..."
"Was gonna leave anyway."
"...Honestly, doing this for cash, but those guys? Total human trash."
They filed out.
Ji Gwangin and Min Dongyeol trembled, bellowing.
"Y-you bastard! D-do you know where this is?!"
"...G-get out now, and we'll call it even. G-go!"
Taeju smirked.
"Shaking like leaves but acting tough."
"H-how dare you...!"
"Anyway, looks like you hope the monster subjugation fails. Won't happen."
"...We never said that."
Shameless, indeed.
Lying was basic gear for them.
"Yeah, figured."
Today, Taeju hadn't come as Taehong Bio Chairman.
He came as Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak.
Means and methods be damned for his goals—a Poison Demon crueler than any Heavenly Demon.
Even upright faction warriors called Dang Gunak "Demon" for a reason.
Taeju grabbed two clean empty glasses from the table, poured liquor.
Glug glug.
Golden liquid filled them.
Ji Gwangin and Min Dongyeol just stared.
What's this punk up to? Here to drink?
But when Taeju dropped a black pill into each, their faces twisted horribly.
"Here! One shot each."
They just glared, hands nowhere near the glasses.
Kim Taeju made great antidotes.
Obviously deep in poisons too.
"Not drinking?"
"...Drink poison you spiked right in front of us?"
"It's fine. Take the antidotes I give periodically—no issues."
"Hah! As if! Won't touch it."
"M-me neither."
Forcing it down? Too much hassle.
"Then die here."
"...Gonna kill us? You won't get away clean."
"Plenty saw you. Think you can escape?"
Taeju calmly set his smartphone on the table.
"Hmm, really?"
"Investigation starts, you're suspect."
"Suspect, got it. Let's ask now."
Beep beep beep...
Taeju dialed.
Click!
Connected.
Silence fell.
Gulp!
Just swallowing sounds.
Finally.
"Wh-why do this to us?"
"You know why."
"That was just anger talking. Not our real hearts..."
"If you really won't drink..."
Taeju casually drew five leaf-edged daggers from his coat.
"Five claw marks, huh..."
Suddenly, a scene flashed in Ji Gwangin and Min Dongyeol's minds.
Three mines, brutally slain in the pitch-black shantytown.
That could be them.
"N-no! We'll drink."
"M-me too..."
Gulp gulp!
The drug spread fast with the booze.
They downed the glasses.
"Gahk!"
"Agh!"
Clutching chests in agony.
"Heart'll sting. Miss antidotes, acute myocardial infarction..."
Taeju pulled two more pills, handed one each.
"But this fixes it."
Min Dongyeol and Ji Gwangin snatched and swallowed them desperately.
"One pill monthly, regular. Fine after a day or two, but stick to schedule."
"You delivering next month?"
"See Guild Master Lee Jeonghak. I'll leave it with him."
Time to change Gurye.
"Listen up. From today, Castle fully opens to all civilians."
They flinched.
"...Impossible."
"Residents will riot."
"Don't want antidote? Do whatever."
"..."
"..."
Opening alone wasn't enough.
"Also, build a bridge over the artificial lake with committee budget. Fast and sturdy!"
No discrimination tolerated in Gurye, at least.
Inheriting wealth? Fine.
Empire was capitalist.
But human lives?
Absolutely not.
"Opening Castle risks internal security. Need more vigilantes then."
"B-but committee budget..."
"Money? Use your own. You've hoarded plenty."
Taeju chuckled.
"Lucky I came. Bit later, you'd be dead."
"Wh-what?"
"Ask your escorts later. Curious why they're quiet?"
"Uh..."
He'd seen on the way up.
Staff, janitors, hostesses around Room 1013, watching...
Disguised, but fooled no one—his eyes saw through.
Some faces familiar.
Jirisan Major Monster Special Forces.
Soldiers from the shantytown encounter.
Probably meant to handle them, like Jo Hoonseok.
Another unwitting act of mercy.
Major General Oh Jinhyeong received Colonel Park Cheolgi's report on the Castle infiltration.
Op ultimately failed.
"So, the two got out fine?"
"Faces sour as hell... but no injuries visible."
Why'd Kim Taeju meet them?
Not compromise or alliance.
Did the reason even matter?
If Kim Taeju intervened, pull back.
And a good sign besides.
He was wielding direct influence in Gurye.
Should've from the start.
No need to push reenlistment.
Part of him wanted to hand it over as a true fief.
But taking a territory meant donning stars and joining Imperial Army.
Would Kim Taeju, uninterested in military, reenlist?
Anytime he wanted, he could.
The planned Jirisan monster subjugation.
Kim Taeju Chairman's contributions were set.
His antidotes and restoratives made the op possible.