A Bitter Pill's Reward
First-rate.
It was the realm where a martial artist was finally recognized by the public as a master.
It was the stage where the internal energy of the dantian truly began to permeate the physical body.
And with that physical reinforcement, it was a turning point that allowed for explosive growth.
By channeling greater power into one's weapon of choice, one could cut what was once uncuttable and shatter what was once unbreakable.
That was the realm of a First-rate master.
Yet, paradoxically, there was a saying: The First-rate realm is the grave of a martial artist.
The reason was simple.
The limit of talent, they called it.
It was generally believed that the First-rate realm was the absolute limit a fool could reach even if they spent their entire life striving for it.
A mediocre talent had to train for decades and cultivate their mind just to touch its threshold.
The reason the Seven Great Talents of the current generation were held in such high esteem was because they had already bypassed the First-rate realm at a young age, bordering on the Peak realm.
It was the same reason I had gained a strange sort of fame after shattering Socheon's sword.
Claiming victory against a Peak master...
In a world where realm and honor were everything to a martial artist, that feat alone was enough to make one's name echo across the land.
And now, I'm First-rate.
The realization brought a flood of complex emotions.
I had jumped from Third-rate to First-rate in a matter of months.
Moreover...
I don't think I just barely scraped into the First-rate realm either.
I couldn't be sure since I had never experienced this level of power before, but my instincts told me this was different. This wasn't just a basic entry into the First-rate realm.
"Hmm..."
I stretched and moved my body around. With every motion, the realization sank deeper.
"Wow. This is insane. Why am I so light?"
My body felt weightless, and the chronic fatigue that usually dogged me was entirely gone. How could someone who hadn't slept a wink feel this refreshed? It was downright uncanny.
As I kept moving in sheer amazement, a voice interrupted me.
[...What a stubborn brat.]
Yu Cheongil was staring at me with a bizarre expression.
[Look at this stubborn little bastard.]
"Why are you picking a fight first thing in the morning?"
[You went through that hell in the middle of the night, and you didn't let out a single scream? Does that make any sense?]
It had certainly hurt. In fact, "hurt" was an understatement—I thought I was going to die. I couldn't even scream; I had spent the entire night struggling just to breathe. But still.
"Weren't you the one who told me not to open my mouth?"
He was the one who told me to keep my mouth shut and endure it. Now that I actually did, he was calling me stubborn? I stared at him in disbelief. Yu Cheongil cleared his throat dryly.
[Well... I didn't think you'd actually do it.]
"...What?"
[Who knew you'd actually keep your mouth shut just because I told you to? I was just teasing you a bit.]
"Are you out of your mind? You said the energy would escape if I opened my mouth!"
I had endured that agony purely because I didn't want to waste a single drop of that precious energy. When I demanded an explanation, Yu Cheongil quietly averted his gaze.
[...Once the energy is stabilized, opening your mouth a little wouldn't have caused any issues. I have more than enough skill to manage that much.]
"...Old man."
[Hmm?]
"Do you hear a dog barking outside?"
[No? It's quiet. Why would the Dang Clan keep dogs?]
"Right, of course they wouldn't. Then what is this sound I'm hearing?"
I scowled deeply at Yu Cheongil.
"Ah, it must be because your words are such utter bullshit that I got confused. That has to be it."
[Oh...]
Yu Cheongil clapped his hands with an impressed look.
[Look at you. That was a good one.]
"This damn old man, seriously..."
I sighed, rubbing my face. Man, I really want to quit.
I grit my teeth, suppressing my rising anger. I could let it slide, though. The result was good. Even if I was furious at being toyed with, the fact that I had reached the First-rate realm made it tolerable.
First-rate...
It was a level I never expected to reach in this lifetime. I thought I'd be lucky to hit Second-rate.
But it actually happened.
Before I knew it, I had crossed the threshold. A strange emotion welled up inside me. Reaching a height I once deemed impossible brought a faint, inexplicable thrill. I thought I didn't care about such things, but it seemed I had been harboring a hidden ambition all along.
Tsk.
I shook off the complicated thoughts and stood up.
I don't even feel like sleeping.
My body felt so refreshed that sleeping felt like a waste of time. I didn't know if I was losing my mind, but...
I actually want to train.
Oddly enough, I felt an intense urge to practice.
My schedule for today...
I had to visit the Secret Vault with the Poison King again, but since I didn't know when that would be, I could probably train until then. The thought made me chuckle.
I've really gone mad.
Wanting to train, of all things. If this wasn't madness, what was? Training had always been a chore to me. I had never done it out of desire, only dragging myself through it like a student forced to finish homework.
How strange.
Was I just putting on airs because I had advanced a realm? Even if I was, the feeling wasn't bad. I began to walk, carried by this newfound motivation. Now that I could speak freely, I had plenty of questions for the old man, but the urge to train eclipsed everything else. As I stepped out of my quarters, I was too focused to notice the heavy gaze Yu Cheongil cast upon my back.
The old man watched the youth's retreating back as he walked out of the building as if possessed. His blue eyes glowed, yet they seemed somewhat faint. As he watched the young man depart, another voice spoke.
[Yu Cheongil.]
The other old man beside him, the Poison Sovereign Dang Gyeon, called out. Yu Cheongil turned his gaze toward him.
[Explain yourself.]
Dang Gyeon's eyes were fierce, burning with intense curiosity. Yu Cheongil met his gaze.
[Explain what?]
[What you did earlier when you entered the boy's body. Explain that.]
[Ah, that.]
Yu Cheongil chuckled. He had expected Dang Gyeon to ask about this.
[It is exactly as you saw. It would have been a waste to let the energy of the Great Pill scatter. So, I lent a helping hand.]
Since the boy's original realm was only Second-rate, absorbing all of it should have been impossible. Yet, Yu Cheongil had managed to gather and store it safely in the boy's dantian. The amount retained was far greater than expected. Normally, half of it would have gone to waste.
[His body was in better shape than I thought.]
It was only possible because of the effort Bang Seongyeon had put in beforehand. In truth, even Yu Cheongil had been surprised.
[He is quite the stubborn one.]
Bang Seongyeon was a stubborn bastard. Yu Cheongil hadn't called him that for no reason. Though the boy always complained with a sour face, his actions painted a different story.
[He pushes his body to a desperate limit.]
When he trained, he did so until his limbs refused to move. No matter how grueling it got, he never compromised. Even when stumbling, if he could stand, he stood. The only time he stopped was when his body physically shut down. It was relentless. How could someone be so stubbornly persistent? Yu Cheongil had designed the training regimen, but he had fully expected the boy to cut corners at some point.
[...I never expected him to actually complete all of it.]
Bang Seongyeon had followed every instruction to the letter. Normally, a weak body like his shouldn't have been able to endure it, yet he had pushed through. Was it because he had obtained a miracle like Yu Cheongil? The old man didn't think so.
[He was always like that.]
Bang Seongyeon had been the same even before receiving the Cheongwol Mind Method. Yu Cheongil had watched him train back when he was still a Third-rate. At first, he had wondered why the boy trained so desperately. Had he suffered some great tragedy? Was he trying to change his fate? Such questions had crossed his mind.
[But that's just who he is.]
It wasn't because of some tragedy. Bang Seongyeon was simply that kind of person. A guy who lived so desperately that even the Sword Saint found it absurd. He claimed he wanted an easy life and wished to avoid trouble, but those were nothing more than self-deprecating grumbles. In Yu Cheongil's eyes, Bang Seongyeon was incapable of living that way.
That was why. That was why the old man had chosen him. While it was true he had no other options, Yu Cheongil believed this was a twist of fate meant for him. But that only made it stranger.
[Why on earth...]
Why had a guy like him remained a Third-rate for so long? The question grew more puzzling the more he thought about it. Of course, it would make sense if he had started martial arts late, but...
[Looking at his internal cultivation, that isn't the case either.]
It bore the marks of at least ten years of practice. He had clearly been training since childhood. Yet he was still Third-rate? It would make sense if he was completely devoid of talent, but...
[He isn't untalented either.]
Bang Seongyeon was no fool. He might lack self-awareness, but he was far from untalented. If so, he should have at least reached the Second-rate realm on his own.
[Hmm.]
It was a mystery. Something was off.
As Yu Cheongil pondered this, Dang Gyeon spoke up.
[...Does this mean you can possess the boy's body?]
Hearing this, Yu Cheongil's gaze shifted.
[Haha.]
Yu Cheongil laughed. In that instant, a chilling draft swept through the room.
[Just so we're clear.]
His smile was not a smile. His lips curled into a menacing sneer, and his eyes flashed dangerously. Dang Gyeon flinched. It was an expression Yu Cheongil had often worn when he was alive.
[Don't even think about touching him.]
When he was truly enraged, or when he faced someone he absolutely had to kill, he made that face.
[That boy is mine.]
[...]
[No matter what regrets you harbor, if you dare lay a finger on him, I will personally erase the Dang Clan from the face of this earth.]
Erase the Dang Clan. The chilling threat made Dang Gyeon furrow his brow. What could a mere ghost do? He knew the dead had no power, yet he couldn't bring himself to dismiss the threat. If it was Yu Cheongil—that mad dog—he might actually find a way to do it. By any means necessary.
[Tsk...]
Dang Gyeon clicked his tongue.
[Who said I was going to touch him? I was merely asking.]
Yu Cheongil's expression softened back to normal. Seeing this, Dang Gyeon continued.
[Then let me ask you something else.]
[Speak.]
[Why did you go out of your way to feed the boy the Great Pill?]
[Hmm?]
Yu Cheongil looked at him, his face asking what kind of question that was.
[I fed it to him because we had it.]
[You know that's not what I mean. I am asking...]
Dang Gyeon locked eyes with Yu Cheongil.
[...why you forced it on him so hastily. That is what I want to know.]
[...Hmm.]
[I went along with it because you seemed to have a plan, but was there really a reason to rush it?]
[Ah, so that's why you were playing along.]
Yu Cheongil chuckled, recalling the events of the previous night. It was rare for Dang Gyeon to help facilitate feeding the Great Pill to Bang Seongyeon. The old poison master had his own calculations. And indeed.
[Yes, I have a use for him,] Yu Cheongil answered honestly. [Normally, I would have had him take it step by step.]
For maximum efficiency, it would have been better to wait until he reached the First-rate realm naturally before giving it to him. But circumstances left him with no choice. He had to force-feed the boy this fortuitous encounter.
[It's a bit of a shame, but the result isn't bad.]
He felt he had made the right call.
[This should be enough.]
With this level of strength, he could make use of him. As Yu Cheongil nodded to himself, Dang Gyeon spoke.
[So you admit it was thanks to me?] Dang Gyeon said in a peculiar tone.
[Thanks? What thanks?]
[I mean the boy was able to consume the Great Pill because of my help.]
[Hmm...]
It wasn't entirely wrong. The problem was why he was bringing it up now in that tone.
[So?]
Realizing the old poison master wanted something, Yu Cheongil prompted him. Dang Gyeon seized the opportunity.
[Then, I have a favor to ask.]
Yu Cheongil immediately frowned.
[If you're going to bring up what we just talked about, remember I've already given my answer.]
He delivered a brief warning, assuming Dang Gyeon was going to ask about possessing Bang Seongyeon again. But Dang Gyeon did not back down.
[Just hear me out first. It won't be a bad deal for you either. In fact, you might actually like it.]
[Oh?]
Yu Cheongil's interest was piqued.
[A good deal...?]
His eyes signaled him to go on. Dang Gyeon began to explain his proposal. After listening to the whole thing...
[Ha.]
Yu Cheongil burst into laughter.
[Hahahahahahaha—!]
His booming laughter echoed through the room. After laughing for a good while, he stopped.
[...You really are a madman too. To think a member of the orthodox faction could come up with such a scheme.]
He liked it. In fact, he loved it.
[Fine. I can do that much for you.]
He was curious. He wanted to see how Bang Seongyeon would react when the time came, and what consequences would unfold in the future. Yu Cheongil looked forward to all of it.