The Opportunity of a Lifetime
Silence settled over the room.
The Poison King stared at me, his brow furrowed in displeasure, while I simply returned his gaze with a calm, expressionless face.
As the chilly silence stretched between us...
[Hahahahahahaha—!]
Yoo Chun-gil laughed, thoroughly amused. It was a boisterous sound, audible only to me.
[You rascal. I wondered what you were planning, but to think you would pull such a cute little stunt.]
He kept chuckling as he looked at me, clearly not expecting this. His laughter was incredibly annoying, but I had to ignore him for now.
A brief moment passed.
“Young Master Bang.”
The Poison King called out in a low voice.
“Yes, Lord Dang.”
“Your words just now...”
The Poison King’s cold eyes locked onto me.
“...sounded as if you require our strength to secure your own position. Am I correct?”
At that, the corners of my mouth tugged upward. As expected, the man was quick on the uptake.
No, it wasn't just that he was quick; he was highly capable. Not only as a martial artist, but his competence as the head of a clan was formidable.
He was on a completely different level compared to the head of the Bang family. Man, I really wish I could swap fathers.
Brushing the useless thought aside, I answered the Poison King.
“You are correct, Lord Dang. I do need a bit of strength.”
The right of first refusal with the Cheolgang, the most vital sector within the Dang Clan. On top of that, exclusive trading rights for their lower-tier armaments.
This proposal essentially meant establishing a direct trading and cooperative relationship with the Dang Clan.
It was something no other noble clan or sect had ever managed to achieve.
And for good reason. Why on earth would the Cheolgang be crazy enough to trade exclusively with anyone?
Even without such deals, they had clients lining up out the door.
People from all over the Murim spent months traveling just to purchase a single weapon forged in the Cheolgang.
Under these circumstances, the Cheolgang entering an exclusive contract with me?
There's no way.
I was certain the Poison King would reject the offer.
Even for the Mancheonhaewoo, this is a stretch.
Even if the Mancheonhaewoo was the ultimate symbol of the Dang Clan, they couldn't just hand over the Cheolgang—a place of equal renown and symbolic value.
Then why?
Knowing full well it would be rejected, why did I put it on the table?
The reason was simple.
“I have to become the Young Sect Leader soon. But as you know, I don't have much backing.”
Aside from explaining my situation in plain terms...
“...if you find this unacceptable, you are welcome to suggest alternative terms.”
In any negotiation, it was crucial to start with the highest price and gradually work your way down.
The demand for exclusivity with the Cheolgang was merely the opening gambit.
[I thought you were acting without a plan, but you're playing a rather clever hand.]
Yoo Chun-gil kept laughing, clearly pleased with my maneuver.
Damn old man. Does he not care at all that I just used him as leverage?
I guess all he cares about is whether I become the leader of Cheongwol Gate or not.
Just as I was starting to feel annoyed by his amusement...
[Hahaha. But, child.]
Yoo Chun-gil looked at me with a strange glint in his eyes.
[Your idea isn't bad, but there is one problem.]
A problem? What was he talking about?
[It seems you fail to realize your own worth.]
Hmm?
My worth? What did that mean?
Before I could wrack my brain to decipher his meaning...
...the Poison King spoke up, drawing my attention back to him.
“I do not understand.”
“Which part?”
“I understand the need for a supporting faction, but I question whether someone of your caliber truly requires it.”
“...Excuse me?”
What was he talking about now? I stared at him, bewildered.
“Only those who lack strength of their own require backing. You, Young Master Bang, do not seem to be in such a position.”
“What do you mean by—”
Ah.
I cut myself off mid-sentence. Only then did the words of Yoo Chun-gil and the Poison King click in my mind.
The "worth" Yoo Chun-gil had mentioned.
I finally realized what it was.
The successor of the Sword Saint. And...
I had slain a master far beyond the Peak realm in the Poison King's stead, and just this morning, I had beaten Dongnyong, one of the Seven Great Talents.
And because of those events...
...I gained the moniker of the Young Sword Saint.
To any outsider, I was a young rising star of the Murim possessing undeniable, extraordinary strength.
Perhaps in the Poison King's eyes, I looked like the future leader who would spearhead Cheongwol Gate.
That was likely why he questioned why someone like me would need external backing to secure a mere succession.
Tsk.
I forced myself to cool down. Fortunately, I had realized it before it was too late. I needed to shift my perspective.
“One can never have too much strength. And even setting the Mancheonhaewoo aside, I believe this is not a bad deal for the Dang Clan either.”
“Not a bad deal? How so?”
“If you play your cards right in this transaction, the Dang Clan will gain me as an ally.”
“…….”
[Oh...]
Yoo Chun-gil let out a wicked chuckle at my words.
[Now those are words I like to hear.]
He looked absolutely delighted.
Meanwhile, the Poison King's brow furrowed deeper.
“……Arrogant words.”
Claiming that gaining me was a great benefit to the Dang Clan.
To say such a thing to the Dang Clan, one of the Great Five Noble Families, was the height of arrogance.
But it didn't matter.
“It is not arrogance.”
Didn't Yoo Chun-gil just tell me?
Think of your own worth.
It was advice. I had almost brushed it off, but it was undoubtedly a piece of guidance.
My current worth—specifically, the value the Poison King perceived in me.
Leveraging that was key.
“Not arrogance?”
“Yes. Arrogance is merely the bluff of the unqualified. But I am different.”
“…….”
The Poison King remained silent.
His silence seemed to invite me to keep talking.
So, I kept going.
“I will become the World's Greatest.”
“……!”
“And it probably won't take very long.”
Right in front of one of the Five Kings of the Realm, I had dared to declare myself the future World's Greatest.
The Poison King's eyes widened.
[Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!]
The moment the words left my mouth, Yoo Chun-gil burst into side-splitting laughter.
He was laughing so hard tears were welling in his eyes.
[Haha! Haha... Haha!!! Saying that with your own mouth... Hahahahaha!]
Stop laughing, you crazy old man.
I was already dying of embarrassment, and he was being absolutely no help.
Suppressing the urge to snap, I ignored him and continued.
“When that day comes, if the Dang Clan and I share a trading relationship... will it be a good thing for me, or a good thing for the Dang Clan?”
“…….”
“I am offering you an opportunity. An opportunity to be on my side.”
And while we're at it, I'll take the Mancheonhaewoo too. Wouldn't that be nice? That was the subtext of my words.
“……Ha.”
The Poison King finally let out a hollow laugh.
“……An opportunity? You speak of an opportunity to the great Dang Clan?”
I was sweating bullets. I wondered if I might actually get killed here.
“It is indeed an opportunity. How could it be anything else?”
But I had to push through. It was too late to back down now.
So, I had to channel it.
What can I show him here?
To stand proud and aloof, even in front of the Dang Clan and its Lord.
Calm and arrogant, as if I were doing them a favor by holding their hand.
I cast my gaze downward. I even controlled the rhythm of my breathing.
What did the gaze of the absolute strongest look like? There was no need to ponder.
The prime example was standing right next to me.
The man who had stood at the apex of the world, hailed as the strongest of all time.
I only needed to mimic him.
“……!”
The Poison King's eyes shifted.
[Hoho.]
Yoo Chun-gil reacted to the change in my posture and gaze.
[What is with that insolent look in your eyes...? It makes me want to smack you.]
Yoo Chun-gil grimaced, seemingly unaware of who I was copying.
Seeing his reaction, I knew I was doing a good job.
“Before long, Lord Dang, you too will realize. That this was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“…….”
The Poison King narrowed his eyes at my quiet declaration.
Hiding my tension behind my back, I waited for his response.
One wrong move, and I could die right here.
Yet, even amidst that fear...
...strangely enough, looking into the Poison King's eyes, a bizarre certainty began to swell within me.
I didn't know why, but I felt it.
As I endured the heavy silence with those thoughts...
...the Poison King finally spoke, his voice carrying a heavy sigh.
“I believe I need some time to consider this. Would that be acceptable?”
Hearing those words, I smiled.
“Take all the time you need.”
It worked.
Left alone in his study, the Poison King recalled the recent exchange with dark, sunken eyes.
Specifically, the image of the young man who had dared to tell the Dang Clan that he was offering them a hand.
...Absurd.
How could he act like that?
Was it because he possessed talent, carried the title of the Sword Saint's successor, and had the backing of Cheongwol Gate?
Those might play a part, but the Poison King believed there was more to it.
“He is clever.”
Exceedingly clever. He put on a show of arrogance, but there was something underlying it that struck a chord within the Poison King.
It wasn't mere arrogance.
It was conviction.
He wasn't arrogant just for the sake of it.
He possessed the absolute conviction that he had the right to be arrogant.
Ridiculous.
How was such a thing even possible?
To the Poison King, the existence known as Bang Seong-yeon was deeply anomalous.
How many geniuses had he seen in his lifetime?
He had observed and met countless prodigies, yet Bang Seong-yeon was undoubtedly the most peculiar among them.
And the reason was...
He doesn't feel like a genius.
He lacked the distinct aura that typically surrounded prodigies.
While his cleverness was undeniable, setting that aside, he felt ordinary compared to the geniuses of the current generation, the Seven Great Talents.
Thus, when the Poison King first saw him, he had doubted whether the youth was truly the successor of the Sword Saint, and whether he had really defeated the Little Azure Sword.
But those doubts had quickly dissolved.
For he defeated Ma Hyeok-chang.
Ma Hyeok-chang was an opponent no young rising star should have been able to defeat.
It was a mystery how the boy had even survived, but regardless, the fact that Bang Seong-yeon had slain him was a monumental feat.
He had even witnessed the aftermath himself.
That was likely why the Poison King hadn't been surprised when he heard the news that his own child had been defeated by Bang Seong-yeon this morning.
“……The World's Greatest?”
A martial artist of the Central Plains had casually uttered words that others wouldn't dare speak.
“Ha.”
Recalling Bang Seong-yeon, the Poison King chuckled.
How many years had it been since he last laughed aloud?
He couldn't remember.
Was it because the youth's audacity was amusing? No.
The Poison King looked down at his open palm. A faint sheen of sweat had gathered there.
This was because of the presence Bang Seong-yeon had exuded at the very end.
“Before long, Lord Dang, you too will realize. That this was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
With those deep, azure eyes wide open.
Looking down at him with the corners of his mouth curled upward.
In that moment, the Poison King had seen the shadow of someone else overlapping with the youth.
An old man who was no longer of this world.
The one who had truly been hailed as the greatest of all time.
Back when the Poison King was young and had watched that man from afar, his father, Dok-jon, had told him:
"That man is a monster. Do not ever think of making an enemy of him."
Even Dok-jon, who was hailed as the most outstanding figure in the history of the Dang Clan, had warned him, calling the man a monster.
"Furthermore, if possible, try to become his friend. You cannot control a monster, but fortunately, creatures like him do not bite their own allies."
"Remember this well."
“…….”
Recalling those emphatic words...
...the Poison King pulled out a sheet of stationery.
“A friend, is it?”
Murmuring the word, he pondered.
It wasn't entirely to his liking, but...
...there was something even better than a friend.
With that thought in mind, the Poison King began to write on the paper.
To the Head of the Bang Family,
The letter began with those very words.