The Key to the Secret Vault
Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong looked like they had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Then again, I couldn't blame them.
They had probably been dragged here out of nowhere first thing in the morning.
I guess the Poison King really didn't tell them beforehand.
The reason those two were here was simple.
It was one of the conditions I had set for opening the secret vault.
In exchange for helping open Dok-jon's secret vault, I take Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong with me.
That was one of the terms, and the Poison King had agonized over it.
The vault was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, so he was understandably hesitant when I demanded to bring two more people along.
But he agreed anyway.
Despite his reservations, the Poison King had accepted.
He must have decided that adding two more wouldn't cause any issues.
And that was how the two ended up here.
To be precise...
I needed Do-hyeong.
I needed Do-hyeong of the Sowol Squadron. No, actually, it wasn't even Do-hyeong himself. What I really needed was...
His Guardian Spirit.
The Guardian Spirit hovering around Do-hyeong—that was what I needed.
...That thing is my lifeline.
There was no telling what lay inside the secret vault.
I needed a way to keep myself alive, and after racking my brain, that was the solution I came up with.
With a mountain-god level Guardian Spirit by my side...
At the very least, I wouldn't die.
Based on my past life's experiences, it was a sure bet.
As long as I stick close to Do-hyeong, I'll survive.
No matter what went wrong, the Guardian Spirit would do everything to keep Do-hyeong alive.
And I would simply reap the collateral good fortune by standing right next to him.
That was the sole reason I had brought Do-hyeong along.
...As for Cheon Ui-jin.
The role of Cheon Ui-jin, whom I had summoned alongside Do-hyeong, was simple.
A contingency plan for any unexpected situations.
It would have looked suspicious if I only called Do-hyeong, so I brought him along as cover.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Do-hyeong asked, his brow furrowed. I looked at him and spoke as if the question itself was absurd.
“Senior, I was dragged here against my will too.”
I found it ridiculous that he automatically assumed I knew what was going on, but...
“There's no way you don't know.”
“If it's Young Master Bang, surely you must know something.”
“…….”
For some reason, both of them were absolutely certain.
I mean... they weren't wrong, but...
It's a bit weird how confident they are.
Why did they just assume I would know?
It was a little disconcerting, but...
“……Well, I do know, actually.”
Since I did know, I had no excuse to deny it.
When I admitted it, their expressions immediately shifted to 'I knew it.'
Why on earth...?
A seed of annoyance sprouted within me, but explaining the situation took priority right now.
“The Dang Family Head has given me a request……”
“A request?”
“From the Dang Family Head himself?”
Their eyes widened in surprise at my words.
They turned to look at the Poison King at the same time, and he gave a silent nod.
“Thanks to Young Master Bang's consideration, we are able to carry out this task. I apologize for rudely dragging you two young heroes here without warning, but it is a matter of grave importance.”
“……May we ask what this task is?”
Do-hyeong asked, a hint of tension in his voice. The Poison King glanced at me.
I met his gaze and gave a slight nod.
“We require Young Master Bang's assistance to open the secret vault left behind by the previous Family Head.”
“……!”
The previous Family Head.
At the mention of Dok-jon's secret vault, Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
It was none other than the secret vault of a legendary hero who had lived in the same era as the Sword Saint.
It was only natural for them to be shocked to hear about such a place out of the blue.
“And you need his help to open such a place?”
“Indeed.”
A look of wariness crossed Do-hyeong's face.
It made no sense to him. Why would they suddenly need my help to open Dok-jon's vault?
I could completely understand his skepticism. Honestly, I didn't really get it either.
However...
“To be precise, we need the help of the Sword Saint's successor.”
Do-hyeong's expression shifted at the follow-up.
“……What?”
“The vault was constructed by the previous Family Head, and he was the one who designated the method to open it.”
As he spoke, the Poison King pointed toward the wall.
To the naked eye, it looked like a completely ordinary, empty wall.
“However, there is a problem with that method.”
Only then did I chime in.
“……And I am required for that method?”
“Yes.”
The successor of the Sword Saint was needed to open the vault.
I had expected this much. That was why he had gone out of his way to request my help.
But...
Why is it necessary?
I hadn't known the exact reason why the Sword Saint's successor was required to open the vault.
I was only finding out the reason now.
“To open the vault, the successor of the Sword Saint must be present. That is the instruction Dok-jon left behind.”
“…….”
It was an incredibly straightforward statement and reason.
Furthermore...
He said "successor"?
He specifically mentioned the Sword Saint's successor, not the Sword Saint himself? That was bizarre.
And on top of that...
Why would he go out of his way to require the successor's power to open his own vault?
That was the biggest mystery. Why would he do such a thing?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't wrap my head around it. The Poison King was probably in the same boat.
It made no sense, but...
He's only believing it because Dok-jon said so.
I understood that part. In that case...
“What exactly do I need to do to help……?”
What was the plan? That was all well and good, but what was my actual role?
When I asked, the Poison King's eyebrow twitched slightly.
To my question of what I needed to do to open the vault, the Poison King replied:
“I do not know.”
Huh……? I frowned at his response. Did I hear him wrong?
“……Family Head?”
“I have no idea.”
Ah, so I hadn't misheard him. I had hoped I did, but apparently not.
“You don't know?”
He didn't know how to open it? Then why did he need me?
“Then how am I supposed to help you……?”
When I asked with a bewildered look, the Poison King added:
“The previous Family Head said that if Man-wol and the successor of the Sword Saint were present, the vault could be opened.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“He said the successor would know the method. What do you think, Young Master Bang?”
“…….”
What did I think? Well, obviously...
How the hell should I know?
How could I possibly know that? I had never heard of such a thing in my life.
Since I wasn't even his real successor to begin with, this would normally have given me a massive headache.
But I didn't need to worry.
……Hmm.
I rolled my eyes slightly and glanced up at the empty air.
Floating there...
...was the actual Sword Saint, not just some successor, and...
...the owner of the vault, Dok-jon, having a casual chat.
When Yoo Chun-gil asked why the Sword Saint's successor was suddenly being brought up, Dok-jon clapped his hands as if suddenly remembering.
Excuse me?
Both Yoo Chun-gil and I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
...A fake?
“…….”
I quickly rubbed my face with both hands.
What on earth was I listening to right now?
“Young Master Bang?”
“……Just a moment. I have a sudden headache.”
I cut the Poison King off and took a deep breath to steady myself.
Even then, the two old ghosts were still bickering.
They were incredibly loud. They weren't making any progress, too busy arguing with each other.
“……Ahem!”
I let out a loud, forced cough. At the sound, the Poison King and everyone else in the room turned to look at me. I gave a sheepish smile and waved my hand.
“Ah, sorry. The air is a bit dusty in here.”
Of course, I did it on purpose.
Thankfully, it silenced the bickering ghosts.
I gave them a subtle look.
So.
What do you want me to do?
I asked with my face, demanding to know how to handle this situation. Only then did Dok-jon speak to me.
Oh, come on.
I thought they were going to start fighting again, but fortunately, Dok-jon didn't engage further.
“…….”
Taking a deep breath at Dok-jon's reassurance, I spoke to the Poison King.
“I'll give it a try.”
“Do you know something?”
“Well... my master didn't leave any specific instructions, but……”
I trailed off, buying time as I stared at the wall.
“I think I'll only know once I take a closer look.”
With those words, I took a step forward.
I approached the wall.
Did he say the location was directly beneath the Family Head's study?
Just how far down are we?
It was obviously quite deep underground.
I could tell just by the sheer scale of the cavern.
It was truly fascinating how they had managed to excavate such a deep and vast cavern right beneath the study.
...The old man's vault was the same, but it's amazing no matter how many times I see it.
The cavern that connected to the foundations of every single building in Cheongwol Gate.
I had felt it back then too, but it seemed Dok-jon wasn't just skilled in metallurgy; he was also highly capable in this kind of engineering.
Keeping that in mind, I continued toward the wall.
“……Is this the correct spot?”
I asked the Poison King.
“Yes. This is the location of the secret vault left by the previous Family Head.”
“Have you ever opened it before?”
“No. It was impossible since the conditions were not met.”
“…….”
It could only be opened if the Sword Saint's successor was present.
So they hadn't opened it all this time because of that fake condition Dok-jon left behind?
Was it out of respect for their ancestor's final wishes?
But that felt a bit off.
“……Did you ever try to force it open?”
Even if the conditions weren't met, they could have still tried to break in. If they hadn't even attempted it, that would be hard to believe.
“We did try, but...”
Surprisingly, they had attempted it.
“……And you couldn't open it?”
I asked, scanning the cavern, and the Poison King replied flatly.
“Eight people exploded and died while attempting to force it open.”
“…….”
...Well.
That was something I really shouldn't have asked.
“…….”
Should I back out now?
I had a strong feeling that a single mistake would get me killed.
...Exploded?
What did they even do to trigger an explosion? Looking around, I couldn't see any traces of such an event.
There were no traces, yet the incident had definitely occurred.
That made it even more terrifying.
As I stood there silently staring at the wall, the Poison King spoke to me.
“Dozens of formation masters and engineers couldn't figure it out. Although I requested your help in accordance with the previous Family Head's words, if you need more time...”
Just then.
Dok-jon spoke to me.
Hearing his instruction, I walked backward without hesitation.
A strange gleam flickered in the Poison King's eyes at my sudden movement.
Exactly eight steps. As soon as I finished backing up, Dok-jon continued.
I looked down. There really was a tiny pebble.
I picked it up.
The ground close to the wall.
I tossed it lightly. It landed with a soft click on the ground right next to the wall.
Everyone watched my bizarre actions in silence.
The Poison King watched with an expressionless face.
Do-hyeong looked utterly confused by what I was doing.
Cheon Ui-jin, for some reason, looked full of anticipation.
I followed his instructions.
I reached out.
A rough texture met the tip of my index finger.
Trace, trace.
I traced a cross along the rough surface.
At that exact moment...
Screeech—!
Ruuumble—!
“……Hmm?”
The cavern began to shake violently.
Patter! Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling.
The Dang Clan martial artists inside immediately went on high alert.
“What is happening……!”
“Why is the cave suddenly……?”
As the chaos unfolded, the martial artists rushed to protect the Poison King, but...
“Calm down.”
The Poison King calmed them instead.
Even as he spoke, he kept his heavy, intense gaze fixed on me.
……Is this really going to be okay?
Just as I was starting to panic from the escalating commotion...
*Thud.*
The violent tremors finally subsided.
Creaaak—!
Suddenly, the wall in front of me shifted, changing shape as if a door were opening.
It was, without a doubt, an entrance.
“…….”
“……Huh?”
“Th-That is……?”
While everyone stood frozen in shock at the newly revealed entrance...
Dok-jon spoke cheerfully, clearly pleased.
“…….”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Seriously, should I just run away?
I contemplated it with absolute sincerity.