The Thousand Demon Sword
"..."
I froze in place upon hearing the Poison Sovereign's words. My brain simply refused to process what had just entered my ears.
...This is insane.
I wondered for a moment if I had misheard him, but I knew deep down that there was no way.
If so...
...What on earth did I just hear?
What did Dok-jon just say?
If my ears weren't playing tricks on me, he had definitely said...
The Thousand Demon Sword?
He had actually uttered the name of the Thousand Demon Sword.
Even for someone like me, who had zero interest in the affairs of the Murim—so much so that I hadn't even known Yoo Chun-gil wielded a greatsword called the Full Moon—that weapon was legendary. I couldn't help but know it.
After all...
It was the sword wielded by the Heavenly Demon himself.
The root of all evil who had instigated the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic factions.
The god of the Demonic Cult.
It was the personal weapon of the Heavenly Demon, and thus, it was called the Thousand Demon Sword.
How many martial artists did he slaughter with that blade?
It was far too many to count, and the list of masters he had slain was endless.
The Sect Leader of Mount Kunlun, known as the Peerless Sword of Qinghai, was one. Even the Green Emperor, who was once hailed as the supreme ruler of the Unorthodox path and the emperor of the Green Forest bandits, had his head severed by that very blade.
Countless other renowned masters had met their ends at the edge of that weapon. Because of this, the Heavenly Demon's blade was revered as a divine sword, its infamy echoing through the ages.
And that legendary sword...
...is here?
Why on earth was a weapon that should have vanished along with the Heavenly Demon sitting in Dok-jon's Secret Vault?
Just as that question crossed my mind, it seemed I wasn't the only one burning with curiosity. Someone spoke up, addressing Dok-jon.
"...What did you just say?"
That someone was, of course, Yoo Chun-gil. He glared at Dok-jon's back as he spoke.
His voice was incredibly fierce and harsh.
"Dang Gyeon. Answer me. What did you say you brought here?"
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the Secret Vault. In that instant...
Clang! The people standing behind us immediately shifted into defensive stances.
"...What is this?"
"...Senior Brother, just now..."
Do-hyeong and Cheon Ui-jin spoke with tense expressions. Both of them had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
Even the Poison King was scanning the surroundings with a deep scowl.
The reason was obvious: the wind.
...A gust of wind blowing inside a completely sealed underground vault.
It was only natural for them to be on high alert.
While they stood guard in the room, tense and ready for anything...
"The Thousand Demon Sword is here?"
Yoo Chun-gil repeated his question, his oppressive aura flaring as he pressed Dok-jon.
"Is that the truth? Answer me!"
Whoosh! The wind howled even louder as Yoo Chun-gil roared.
Only then did Dok-jon stop scanning the room. He frowned and looked back at Yoo Chun-gil.
"Yes, it is here. What of it?"
"What?"
Yoo Chun-gil's face contorted at Dok-jon's nonchalant response.
"What of it? Do you truly not understand the gravity of this?"
"I do not. The owner of the sword is already dead. Slain by your own hands, no less. So what does it matter if I brought his sword here?"
"You bastard..."
"What difference does it make if I brought a mere sword here?"
"A mere sword?"
Yoo Chun-gil let out a hollow laugh at Dok-jon's words.
"You know better than anyone that it is far from a 'mere sword'!"
"No, I do not know. Nor do I wish to."
"You stubborn old fool...!"
"Do not misunderstand, Yoo Chun-gil."
Dok-jon cut Yoo Chun-gil off mid-sentence.
At that moment, goosebumps broke out across my back. The look in Dok-jon's eyes was chillingly sharp.
"I still have not forgotten that day."
"...You."
"You ask why I brought the divine sword here?"
Dok-jon let out a faint chuckle. I couldn't help but grimace at his smile.
It wasn't just scary; it looked incredibly hollow.
Hollow and withered. That was the only way to describe the smile on his face.
"It is my obsession. A stubborn obsession to finish what was left undone."
"Ha."
Yoo Chun-gil let out a dry gasp at Dok-jon's answer.
"You brought that divine sword here just for some incomprehensible obsession?"
"Indeed."
"You would have to be utterly insane to do such a thing."
"Then you speak the truth. I lost my mind long ago. And if you ask when I went mad, it was likely on that very day."
"Dang Gyeon."
Yoo Chun-gil grit his teeth as he growled Dok-jon's name.
In the midst of this, I noticed Yoo Chun-gil casting a glance at me.
What was that about?
Dok-jon chuckled softly as he watched Yoo Chun-gil's reaction.
"Tsk, tsk... Do not worry. I have no intention of mentioning it to the boy. However..."
Dok-jon's eyes flashed fiercely as he glared at Yoo Chun-gil.
"Keep your mouth shut as well. I have no intention of interfering with your business, so I expect you to do the same for me."
"..."
Yoo Chun-gil scowled at the harsh tone, but he didn't raise his voice at Dok-jon any further.
Instead, he simply muttered with a dark expression,
"...You will regret this, Dang Gyeon."
"Regret?"
Dok-jon chuckled once more.
"Well, I did more than enough of that before I died."
With those final words, Yoo Chun-gil fell silent, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.
Dok-jon turned his attention back to examining the items around him.
And...
...So, what is it?
I stared at the two of them, my mind racing.
What do you want me to do, you old geezers?
What was the point of all that cryptic talk?
I desperately wanted to ask, but right now, I had no way of doing so.
Time passed.
It didn't drag on endlessly like before; about an hour had gone by.
The search of this room was nearly complete. The room itself wasn't very large to begin with, and since there was nothing but weapons in sight, it didn't take long to comb through.
"...We found no special mechanisms in the room."
The voice of the man reporting lacked confidence. One might wonder why he sounded so unsure after searching for so long, but...
It's probably because of what happened earlier.
If I had to guess the reason, it was because of me.
They had searched thoroughly and declared there was nothing, only for me to find a hidden mechanism in a matter of seconds. Naturally, their confidence in their own abilities had taken a hit.
Well, now I feel a bit bad...
It wasn't intentional, but it felt like my fault, so I felt a tiny prick of guilt.
Setting that aside for now...
I stared at the Poison King. His expression looked even worse than before.
It seemed...
...he didn't find what he was looking for either.
Whatever he was searching for wasn't in this room.
What could it possibly be?
What was the Poison King looking for that brought him all the way to this Secret Vault? Were the countless precious swords they had just uncovered not enough?
...They all look like absolute jackpots to me, though.
Just selling one of those would fetch a fortune.
Even to a layman like me, it was obvious these were masterfully crafted blades.
And yet, he reacted like this after finding them.
Tsk, rich people. This is why I can't stand them.
They have no idea how precious money is.
Just how grand is this thing he's looking for?
I was about to let out a sigh of disbelief, but the Poison King wasn't the only one testing my patience. His father was contributing to it as well.
"...Is it not here? I could have sworn I left it here. Strange..."
Dok-jon had spent the last hour thoroughly searching the room as well, but just like the Poison King, he hadn't found what he wanted.
The only difference between him and the Poison King was that I actually knew what Dok-jon was looking for.
He said it was the Thousand Demon Sword, right?
The sword once wielded by the Heavenly Demon.
Dok-jon kept searching for it, but it seemed he couldn't find it anywhere.
"...If it is not here, it must be further inside. Hmm..."
Dok-jon tilted his head, seemingly having another spot in mind.
There are still other rooms left, so is it in one of those?
According to Dok-jon, there were three main rooms currently in use within the Secret Vault.
Since this was only the first, it was highly likely the sword was in one of the other two.
Just as I was pondering this...
"...My Lord. It is time for us to head back."
One of the men who had accompanied us spoke to the Poison King. Only then did the leader's expression shift.
The faint traces of emotion vanished, replaced once again by a cold, expressionless mask.
I couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
Talk about a perfect poker face.
He really was the head of a great clan. His ability to mask his emotions was top-tier.
The Poison King nodded, his expression completely composed.
"...It seems we should call it a day for now."
At his words, a brief look of relief washed over Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong's faces.
It was understandable why they reacted that way; they had been on edge the entire time.
With so many traps and mechanisms around, they had to stay prepared for any sudden danger.
In the Murim, a secret vault was never just a place to store treasure.
It was a space packed with deadly traps designed to protect those treasures.
That was why entering a secret vault usually required extensive preparation.
...And to make matters worse, this is the Secret Vault of the Poison Sovereign.
It was built by none other than Dok-jon himself.
It would be stranger not to be tense in a place like this.
In fact, it was bizarre that the Poison King had suggested entering the vault with such a small group in the first place.
Besides, quite a bit of time has passed. He probably wants to head back up and regroup.
Tension and fatigue were piling up.
Time was ticking away, and as the head of the clan, the Poison King couldn't afford to leave the estate unattended for too long.
So, he was calling it quits for today and planning to resume later.
Since the request never specified that we had to finish everything in one go, this wasn't a problem.
...Perfect timing, I was getting tired anyway.
I was already starting to feel exhausted.
Honestly, this worked out great for me.
"Understood," I replied, agreeing immediately.
The moment I agreed, the Poison King turned around and walked away.
He didn't even bother to ask for Do-hyeong or Cheon Ui-jin's opinions.
"...Uh, well."
I debated whether I should point that out, but decided to keep my mouth shut.
And so, the Poison King led the way out.
I worried for a moment that a trap might trigger on our way back, but fortunately, nothing happened.
We exited through the same entrance we had used to enter the Secret Vault.
Outside, members of the Dang Clan were already waiting for us.
They let out collective sighs of relief only after seeing the Poison King and the rest of the party return safely.
"...We are deeply relieved by your safe return, My Lord."
A man who appeared to be the Chief Seneschal bowed respectfully.
The Poison King nodded at him and turned to the men who had entered the vault with him.
"Write down everything you observed inside and hand the report to the Chief Seneschal."
"Understood..."
"And."
The Poison King shifted his gaze to us.
"...Thank you for your hard work today. However, due to safety concerns, we will have to resume the search at a later date. Would that be acceptable?"
"That is fine."
"Thank you for your consideration..."
I wondered what would happen if I said no, but knowing it would only lead to trouble, I kept the thought to myself.
It looked like we would have to search the Secret Vault again next time.
With those final words, today's schedule came to an end.
Guided by the Dang Clan's servants, we made our way back to our quarters.
"...Whew."
Only after returning to my room did I finally let out a long sigh.
Just like the others, I had been incredibly tense, and now that the adrenaline was fading, a wave of exhaustion washed over my body.
The sun had already set by the time we came out.
I collapsed onto the bedding that had already been laid out for me.
...I'm exhausted.
Normally, this would be the time I'd go train, but I didn't have the energy for it tonight.
...Should I have just said no?
If I had known it would be this tiring and troublesome, I probably should have declined.
No, it would have been fine if it was just one request.
The problem was that I was trying to handle both the Poison King's request and Dok-jon's request at the same time.
And where on earth did those two go?
Dok-jon, the one who had dumped this task on me, had vanished the moment we stepped out of the Secret Vault.
And Yoo Chun-gil, true to form, had disappeared as well.
I had no idea where they went after dumping all this work on my shoulders.
...Sigh.
I must have been out of my mind. Blinded by the Great Pill, I had jumped right into this mess.
Should I just quit now?
Maybe that would be for the best. Forget the Great Pill; my body won't survive at this rate.
Honestly, since I already opened the Secret Vault for them, my job should be done.
Should I just let go of my greed and take the easy way out?
Yes. That sounded like a much better plan. I could barely take care of myself, so what was I thinking trying to do all this?
I decided to talk to Dok-jon or the Poison King the next time I saw them.
Mulling over these thoughts, I closed my eyes.
Fatigue quickly claimed me, and I drifted off to sleep.
How long had I been asleep?
"Kid."
A voice whispering in my ear nudged me awake.
"Kid, wake up."
It was Dok-jon's voice. I kept my eyes shut.
What is it now?
I was sleeping so peacefully, only to be woken up by his voice.
I was still exhausted. I planned to just pretend to be asleep and ignore him, but...
"...My, he is not waking up. And here I was, thinking we could go get the Great Pill if he woke up now—"
"...What is it?" I asked, opening my eyes and sitting up instantly.
"..."
It happened in a split second.
Dok-jon stared at me with a bizarre expression before speaking.
"...You really are the spitting image of your master in more ways than one."
"..."
I was genuinely offended.