Reaching the 7th Stage (2) + Side Story
After ascending to the 6th stage of Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong,
Taeju made countless attempts to reach the 7th stage.
He had felt the desperate need for ganggi during the subjugation operation.
After all, he had to pierce through the ganggi barrier somehow to inject his poison, right?
Poison gas emission took too damn long.
Time to hit the 7th stage.
So he scrounged up chemical poisons like pesticides and potassium cyanide from the markets, ingesting them bit by bit to stimulate his poison core.
But the core would react briefly before wilting away.
Wasn't it working because they were chemical poisons?
Too weak compared to enhanced sarin gas?
During the subjugation ops, he even tried unknown poisonous plants and insects he spotted for the first time.
Again, a momentary reaction, then wilt.
The 7th stage was no joke.
He thought he'd shoved in plenty of poison.
Something scorching hot should make it burst—boom!
In reality, Dang Gunak himself had struggled endlessly to climb from 6th to 7th stage.
Any special conditions?
None.
It had just happened suddenly amid steady poison intake.
In the midst of it all, he picked up traces of the elite poison claw civet.
This might be the key to the 7th stage.
True to its feline monster nature, the elite poison claw civet was ridiculously cautious.
Overly paranoid, and as an elite monster, even more so.
That must be why it hadn't shown itself despite the human encirclement.
Taeju crept carefully toward the direction of the sweet scent.
A burrow carved through the jungle underbrush.
The smell was coming from there.
To catch an elite poison claw civet, gotta go into the den.
Click.
Taeju pulled a portable flashlight from his pocket and slowly entered.
The scent grew thicker.
He could hear movement too.
Suddenly!
“Kyaaak!!!”
A guttural hiss laced with the beast's intimidating presence.
A warning to stay away?
It felt like the thing was terrified of him.
For an elite monster, this is pathetic.
He could guess why.
The elite poison claw civet was a poison specialist monster.
Instinctively, it knew the human entering its den carried a far stronger, more vicious poison than its own.
“Grrr...”
Taeju shone the flashlight toward the sound.
“Kak!”
Finally, the creature revealed itself.
A bit larger than a regular civet.
For elite monsters of the same species, size usually doubled or more.
Pointed ears in an isosceles triangle shape, five long whiskers on each side, beautiful white fur striped with deep black across its body, and pitch-black eyes without a hint of white.
The beast was afraid of him.
Tail raised high, belly pressed flat to the ground, warily eyeing Taeju.
As nature's law went, poison-reliant creatures were weak in other areas.
Like body size or physical prowess, while their poison ability was...
“Ah!”
He knew for sure now.
The poison aura permeating the air.
This thing had poison gas emission too—an elite monster perk.
But pathetically weak compared to his.
“You, you're kinda like me...”
Taat!
The elite poison claw civet kicked off the ground.
“You little shit!”
Before he could finish,
Taeju grabbed its thick jowl flesh with his bare hand.
Glinting fangs right in his face.
In an instant!
Dadadadada!
“Fuck!”
Rearing up on hind legs, a barrage of front-paw punches hammered Taeju's face.
Ganggi clung to the claws.
Taking them head-on would shred his face.
No choice—he raised both arms to block.
Papapapapap!
His coat sleeves shredded under the claws.
The leather bracers on his forearms split.
Then the claws grazed bare skin.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
Sticky blood dripped from his hand.
A long vertical gash down his forearm.
So deep the bone showed.
Lucky the ganggi was weak— this was mild.
Excruciating pain throbbed in his arm.
Dizziness hit simultaneously.
Not from the wound.
Poison.
The elite poison claw civet's venom.
But why was a beast with such lethal poison afraid of him?
Sure, his own was no slouch.
But this was the deadliest he'd encountered yet.
Even a master would drop dead from a scratch.
And yet!
Hm?
His poison core twitched.
Oh!
The core reacted.
Meaning it recognized the elite civet's poison as novel.
Now just harvest the poison gland from its body.
Time to catch it.
Taeju bent low, hugged its waist, and shoved.
Pababak!
Its claws tore into his back, but...
“Kuh!”
He pressed tight and unleashed poison gas emission.
Kyaaaak!
His coat soaked red with blood.
But he ignored it.
This was the plan.
Hidden weapons wouldn't pierce anyway.
How perfect.
A bit painful, but its poison was flowing straight into him.
Sacrificing arm and back,
Taeju gripped its fur tight, spun, and mounted its back.
Stay sharp.
“Kyak! Kyaaaak!”
The elite civet bucked wildly to shake him off.
Taeju clung like a cowboy on a rodeo bull,
spewing poison gas all the while.
The Absolute Poison Demon, Kim Taeju.
Human poison sprayer.
Whose gas emission is stronger—mine or yours?
“Kieek? Kieeee!”
It must have felt it.
Its strength fading.
The outcome was decided from the start.
Lethal poison, but weaker physicals and ganggi than other elites.
Taeju extended one arm, drew the escape dagger from his waist.
And stabbed hard into the nape of its neck.
Pak!
The blade slid off the ganggi barrier.
Not enough poison yet?
He kept stabbing.
Until it sank in.
Finally.
Pook!
It went in.
Pukpukpukpukpuk!
“Kiiii...”
The elite poison claw civet crawled feebly before collapsing with a thud.
Got it.
Only then did Taeju dismount.
“Hoo.”
Lost too much blood?
Dizzy as hell.
Coat was a rag now.
Unwearable.
Buy a new one or patch it.
Pockets torn, hidden weapons spilled across the burrow floor.
Time for golden sore medicine.
Slather it on the arm, reach back for the back.
“Aigoo.”
Exhausted to death, but work to do.
Taeju sliced open the elite poison claw civet's belly.
No elite mana crystal—disappointing.
But that wasn't the goal.
The poison gland by the gall bladder.
No need to process.
Gonna eat it raw.
If this doesn't get me to 7th, I'll try radiation poison next.
Taeju carefully extracted the gland.
Rich poison aroma.
Mouth watering.
Shall I?
Gulp!
The elite poison claw civet's poison gland slid down his throat.
Come on, react. React...
And then.
“Urk!”
Nausea surged.
Guts twisting in agony.
Knees buckled.
Shaking all over.
“Y-yeah. Th-that's it.”
Real poison.
Body screaming—this was effective.
Of course the core reacted.
Wooong! Wooong! Wooong!
Thrashing wildly.
Even hallucinations.
A kaleidoscope landscape unfolded before his eyes.
Prismatic lights flickered in and out.
He felt it.
The core swelling, spinning.
Suddenly!
Paaaat!
“Huck!”
It burst!
Poison core explosion.
The gateway to Hwagyeong.
Agony incomparable to before ravaged his body.
The core had detonated.
All the accumulated poisons overflowed within.
Normal process for reforming a new core.
Mixing, dispersing, remixing.
Compression and decomposition repeating.
His body transformed in sync.
Crack, crack.
Bones dislocating, resetting.
Pop, pop,
Clumps of hair shed, then regrew.
“Eup!”
Teeth pushed from gums.
New ones sprouted.
Fingernails fell out.
Toenails too.
Then regrew.
Skin itched unbearably.
Molting like a snake, old skin sloughed off.
Shedding bones and marrow.
Taeju fell into a trance.
Life flashing before his eyes.
Unknown mother, love-hate father, hellish early twenties.
But meeting his parallel self from another world, the Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak, changed everything.
Are you watching?
Look how far I've come.
Don't I deserve the Absolute Poison Demon title on Earth too?
Then.
Consciousness sucked into somewhere.
This was like that time at Seoraksan Outpost...
Huh?
Suddenly, a man's back appeared.
Young, black-haired.
Who's that?
But something off.
Like facing a massive wall.
Human-like, but not human.
An untouchable, sacred, divine being.
He slowly turned.
Their eyes met.
...Wh-what!
It was him.
No—Dang Gunak.
Ascending to 7th stage brought another encounter with Dang Gunak.
He's younger?
But vaster.
Didn't even feel human anymore.
Maybe that's why.
Though facing in the mental space, no soul link formed like before.
What the hell happened?
※ ※ ※
A world utterly different from Earth.
The murim world of Jianghu.
The Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak, who slew even the dread Heavenly Demon and saved Jianghu, vanished without a trace.
If dead, there'd be a corpse—but nothing.
The clan was thrown into chaos by the supreme patriarch's sudden absence.
An investigation team from the Sichuan Dang Clan—elders, patriarch, direct descendants—convened and reached a conclusion.
His constant refrain before disappearing.
Uwha Deungseon (Feathering to Immortality).
The supreme patriarch had become an immortal and ascended to the heavenly realm.
Undeniable.
Evidence backed it.
Invitations went out across Jianghu.
The Sichuan Dang Clan's supreme patriarch, Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak, had achieved Uwha Deungseon.
Sichuan Dang Clan stronghold, Dangga Village.
The whole village buzzed with festive chaos.
Notable martial artists arrived one after another at the Dang Clan base.
Many invitees.
Excluding the exterminated Jeon Gal Clan, southern Namgung Clan's Patriarch Namgunghun, northern Peng Clan's Peng Dojung, Jinju Eon Clan's Eon Jinmyeong, and guests from the Nine Great Sects.
Namgunghun, Peng Dojung, and Eon Jinmyeong were Dang Gunak's peers—comrades against the Demonic Cult, friends or rivals.
Namgunghun snorted disdainfully.
“What a load of bullshit. If he's dead, say he's dead. Feathering to immortality? Please.”
Peng Dojung chimed in.
“We all know who killed the most people among us. Gunak. I still can't forget—in that great battle at Wuhan, how many did that bastard take out alone?”
Peng Dojung shook his head as if the memory was nightmare fuel.
The Absolute Poison Demon's aura, his poison gas pouring out, charging solo into the enemy heart—Demonic Cultists fled without approaching.
Then Myriad Heavenly Rain.
Hidden weapons raining like downpour.
Peak experts, Hwagyeong masters—grazed and dropped dead.
“Right. We beat the Demonic Cult thanks to Gunak, but slaughter karma is slaughter karma. How does that fit immortality?”
Eon Jinmyeong snapped back, face sour.
“Enough. Without Gunak, you two wouldn't be alive to hold chopsticks. Bitching now is petty.”
“...What? Y-you done talking?”
“Plenty left, but if you want, I can show you with actions.”
“Urk!”
“You ingrates who got elixirs from Gunak—can't even say thanks without shame.”
Peng Dojung just flushed, no fight in him.
With Dang Gunak gone, Eon Jinmyeong was among Jianghu's top masters.
Suddenly.
“Elders.”
A middle-aged man approached, greeting with a respectful clasp.
Current Sichuan Dang Clan patriarch and Dang Gunak's son, Dang Cheolhwi.
Eon Jinmyeong welcomed him warmly.
“Cheolhwi. You improve every time I see you.”
“Haha! Too kind. This way, please. Everyone's waiting.”
Namgunghun grumbled.
“Where to?”
“The humble thatched hut where Father stayed until his ascension. The other honored guests are there.”
“I see. Lead on.”
Namgunghun inwardly scoffed the whole way.
Feathering my ass.
Deep in Dangga Village stood a ramshackle thatched hut.
Various-robed people gathered before it.
One Taoist with a tall hat and fan spoke.
“Seems everyone's here. Let's begin.”
Mount Wudang's supreme elder, Cheongheo Jin-in.
He'd come to verify if Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak truly ascended.
Dang Cheolhwi had personally invited him.
“I'll open the door.”
Creeeak,
The hut door swung open.
The sight within.
An empty room, no furniture—save a lavish red robe in the center.
Dang Gunak's favorite garb.
Namgunghun sneered.
“Tsk tsk, what theatrics? Leave a robe and call it ascension?”
But Dang Cheolhwi remained serene.
“Jin-in, please inspect it.”
“...Ah... ahh.”
Even Cheongheo Jin-in faltered at the urging.
“G-Good heavens!”
He'd sensed it the moment the door opened.
The heavenly energy filling the hut.
Especially the aura on the red robe—dizzying just to behold.
“M-May I touch the robe?”
“Please do.”
Cheongheo Jin-in lifted the fallen robe, examining it closely.
“Infinite mercy, it's real. Dang Gunak, you truly became an immortal. And this robe has transformed into a treasure.”
“Yes, we'll pass it down as the Dang Clan's heirloom.”
They claim no proof of ascension, but that's wrong.
Ascending immortals leave explosive heavenly energy on their daily items or weapons.
Turning them into supreme treasures.
After long scrutiny, Cheongheo Jin-in's eyes widened.
“...Could this be?”
He reached into the robe's inner pocket.
“Hoho! A bottomless pouch? Endless storage.”
“...How did you know?”
“Heavenly energy pooled there strongest. Sorry for casually naming a treasure's power.”
“Hahaha, no issue. Even if known, who'd dare covet the Dang Clan's treasure?”
Arrogant words, but all nodded.
The Sichuan Dang Clan was Jianghu's strongest.
“I've heard immortals' final wishes imprint on items...”
“You're right, Jin-in. It's an infinite pouch. This tiny thing holds ten thousand hidden weapons.”
“Hoho. Fitting. Infinite pouch—pure Dang Gunak.”
Dang Cheolhwi smiled faintly.
Father always said:
More hidden weapons, never running out, easy carry, no bulk...
Anywhere like that?
“In any case, the Dang Clan's supreme patriarch Dang Gunak has ascended. This poor monk vouches.”
Shaolin's abbot, Ilwon Seon-sa, clasped hands in agreement.
“Amitabha, excellent, excellent.”
Namgunghun and Peng Dojung gaped in horror.
That murderer really ascended? Ridiculous...
But they felt it too.
The profound, sacred energy filling the hut—undeniable.