The night passed and dawn arrived.
I didn't sleep. There was simply too much to organize in the meantime.
Since skipping sleep for a few days wouldn't strain my body anyway, I stayed up all night working.
Cheoljiseon would already be moving. The others would be acting the same way.
How Ilcheonggeom would react was still unknown, but since the plan was moved up, I had to keep an eye on the variables.
Since I had set everyone else in motion for that very purpose, I couldn't just sit still either.
Thus, before the sun fully rose, I too took a step forward.
My destination was the Tang Clan.
******************
"Hello."
"...Welcome."
Poison King's expression was subtle as he looked at me, who had dropped by out of nowhere.
From the looks of it, he was just having breakfast.
"Young Master...?"
And with Tang So-yeol, at that. Seeing this, I let out a chuckle. It seemed the worries had resolved themselves nicely.
"Oh my, I apologize for interrupting your meal. It's a bit of an urgent matter."
"Ahem..."
At my words, Poison King glared somewhere with dissatisfaction. It seemed he was looking at the gatekeepers or the Tang Clan's martial artists.
The reason was probably wondering why they didn't stop me from coming in.
I could understand Poison King's dissatisfaction, considering I interrupted his sweet time with his daughter.
'What are you gonna do about it.'
Even so, there was nothing Poison King could do to me.
How much had I done for him, and how much had I helped him? Would he really stop me? Knowing this, Poison King only made a face.
"...So, what is it? At such an early and busy time?"
I let out a hollow laugh at Poison King's tone.
This old man is giving me quite the attitude?
"Yes, I apologize for the early and busy time. But I came because it's truly urgent."
I wasn't going to back down just because of that. My side was genuinely in a huge hurry too.
"It's a bit awkward to say, but..."
"Then don't say it..."
"Since I've already laid my cards on the table, I'll just say it."
I said, looking at Poison King.
"Please give me the Dokcheondan I made."
"..."
"Ah, it's urgent, but I can wait for you to finish your meal."
"You really are a crazy bastard..."
"I heard that."
"I said it so you would hear it."
"Ah, I see."
I nodded.
Well, with a voice that loud, he did say it for me to hear. As I nodded as if that made sense, Poison King let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"...Will one pill be enough?"
Grinning at that sight, I replied.
"For now."
I felt like I'd need more, but one would be enough for now.
******************
After waiting outside for a short while, Poison King appeared with the same expression, having finished his meal.
"Did you have a good meal?"
"Thanks to you, I didn't."
"Good to hear."
"What?"
"I'm joking."
It was really a joke, but Poison King frowned, perhaps not liking it.
Seeing that, I spoke.
"I haven't eaten either, so please don't glare at me like that."
"That has nothing to do with me."
"Haha. You say such disappointing things. I even went through the trouble of setting up the seat for you."
"..."
At the added remark, Poison King shut his mouth for a moment. Then, turning his head away awkwardly, he said.
"...Thank you for that. It's thanks to you."
As always, Poison King was a man who knew how to acknowledge things. Knowing that side of him was why I also viewed him favorably.
"You're welcome."
I answered while keeping my gaze straight ahead. I was curious if Tang So-yeol's matter was fully resolved, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. My business was the most urgent right now.
Walking together, we soon arrived in front of the building we had visited last time.
It was the place where I had sweated for hours to manufacture the Dokcheondan. Entering the room, we went straight down to the basement.
A cool breeze brushed my cheeks. It was already autumn outside, so the temperature was on the lower side, but being underground made it even more so.
'No. It's not because it's underground.'
The surrounding environment had been artificially altered like this to preserve the Spirit Pills. That was the right way to see it.
I'm not sure how they did it.
'I have almost no knowledge in that field.'
I knew absolutely nothing about Spirit Pills. In the first place, I had never looked into Spirit Pills even in my past life.
There was no need to in the first place.
'What meaning would Spirit Pills have when I have the Madocheonheupgong?'
Shaolin's Great Return Pill, Huashan's Purple Frost Pill, and so on. There might be many powerful Spirit Pills, but they were useless to me.
Of course, they would be helpful, but it was better to spend that time hunting and eating red monsters.
'Still, if I had known it would come to this, should I have looked into it a bit?'
Who would have thought that I would be consuming Spirit Pills like crazy, let alone making them.
Even the current me finds it amazing, so there was no way the me back then could have known.
Meaning it was a pointless thought.
Using the lantern as a guide, we went down a little further. The end came into sight.
Poison King went down the stairs and grabbed the doorknob of the door blocking the way, opening it.
Creak.
As the door opened, a faint breeze blew through the crack.
'Oh.'
Like before, the wind passed by, but this time it was different.
A fragrance was mixed in. A very fragrant and deep scent at that.
It was like well-processed medicinal herbs, overlapping with the freshness and earthiness unique to spirit herbs.
Following Poison King, I stepped inside the door.
Only then could I understand the cause of this fragrance.
The temperature of the room, colder than before. And the fragrance permeating the air.
All of that was the scent coming from the Spirit Pills piled up ahead. The Dokcheondan.
"Are you keeping them here?"
"Rather than keeping, it's aging. I said they need to age for at least four months."
"But why in a place like this...?"
"A place like this!"
Whether my choice of words was wrong, Poison King burst out in frustration.
"This is the bloodline of the Tang Clan. A sacred place where only direct descendants can enter."
"...Here?"
To me, it just looked like a somewhat cold, narrow room.
At that moment.
"Yes, it is a space created by Dokjeolcheon a long, long time ago."
"Oh..."
With the following explanation, it looked strangely different. If it was a place made by the great and beautiful senior Tang Je-mun, there must definitely be a noble meaning to it.
"...It's an amazing place. Hearing you say that, it does indeed feel sacred."
"Of course. You recognize it after all."
"That's right. If Dokjeolcheon made it, everything would have a meaning... But. Is it okay to bring me to such a great place? You said only direct descendants can come here."
Thinking about it, it was strange, so I asked. I just asked for the Dokcheondan, so why did he drag me all the way here?
Moreover, if it was a place where only direct descendants could come, no matter how much of a benefactor I was, it wouldn't be fair for me to come.
To my question, Poison King answered calmly.
"It's fine."
"Pardon?"
"Anyway, if you think about it, it's roughly similar. It'll be even more so later on, won't it?"
"...What are you roughly thinking about? Don't think roughly, you have to think exactly."
It was quite a strange thing to say. Why roughly think about it?
And what about later?
I asked out of sheer absurdity, but Poison King feigned ignorance and walked forward.
This guy?
"Patriarch-."
"Let me ask first. Which one do you need?"
"..."
He didn't seem to have any intention of answering. I sighed and gave up.
"...I need the one I made."
The Spirit Pill that was awkward to call Dokcheondan. The one where I had poured my energy into, allowing the fire attribute to seep in.
"Funny, there's exactly one left."
Poison King flips over a tray.
On the other side, three Dokcheondans made last time were stored, and next to it, one was placed separately. That must be the Spirit Pill I made.
Poison King pointed to it and said.
"Take it."
At the light tone, I asked in surprise.
"Huh? You're just giving this to me?"
"...Why are you surprised?"
"Well, it's still a Spirit Pill."
"You made it, and you asked for it, didn't you? And. If I didn't give it, would you not take it?"
"No. I'd hesitate for a moment, but in the end, I'd steal it if I had to."
"Then why ask... Sigh."
At my confident remark, Poison King sighed this time. It seemed that old man had given up too.
"Alright, if you don't just want to take it, you could always become the Tang Clan's live-in son-in-law-"
"I will gratefully take it."
I snatched up the Spirit Pill without even listening to the rest. There was no need to hear any more of that nonsense.
I felt the texture of the Spirit Pill in my hand. It was the same as last time. The same, yet somewhat different.
"Gu Gongja."
"Yes."
"I'll ask even if it's late, but where are you going to use that?"
Poison King's words made me realize my mistake. Come to think of it, I asked for it without even explaining why.
But in this situation, Poison King just handed it to me?
Thinking about it, it was amazing. That old man wasn't the type to just give things away.
'As he said, is he giving it because I made it?'
If so, the justification was there, but it still felt a bit iffy to me.
As I just said, Poison King wasn't an easy person. Even if I was a benefactor, he wouldn't act like this without wanting something in return...
'...It's scary for no reason.'
What could he want from me to act like that? Doubt crossed my mind, but the Spirit Pill came first right now.
"Where to use or not. It's a Spirit Pill, so naturally I have to eat it."
"...Hmm?"
At my answer, Poison King tilted his head.
"Didn't you just eat one yesterday?"
"Yes."
"But you're going to eat another...?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Don't worry. I'm not crazy."
I knew why Poison King was giving me that look. Any martial artist would know what it meant to consume Spirit Pills consecutively.
Too much of anything is poison, and Spirit Pills were no different.
The internal energy contained in a single Spirit Pill was immense. The amount of energy a martial artist could absorb at once was limited. That also varied depending on their realm. If a first-rate martial artist consumed a Dokcheondan, they wouldn't even be able to properly digest 30% of its energy.
Even Poison King had consumed one Dokcheondan and couldn't completely digest it, keeping the rest around his body.
He was probably planning to slowly digest the energy to fully absorb it.
At that rate, it would take at least a month. Or two.
It would take about that much time to obtain 80% of the energy.
In that situation, what if Poison King ate another Dokcheondan?
If that happened, the energy would flow and overflow, and he wouldn't even get 50%, let alone 80%.
Moreover, due to the immense energy, it could put a strain on the body, so it wasn't strange for Poison King to see me as a crazy bastard.
Of course.
'That has nothing to do with me.'
Even if side effects existed, they had nothing to do with me.
No matter how much energy I consumed, I digested it and contained it in my body.
That was the reason I was able to grow so rapidly in my past life.
"I have my thoughts, so you don't have to worry."
I said as if to reassure Poison King. But Poison King's reaction was a little different.
"I'm not really worried."
"Pardon?"
"If you're okay with it, Gu Gongja, then you must have some plan. From what I see, you're the type who would rather die than take a loss. Very despicably."
"..."
It sounded like a compliment, but the latter part bothered me. Everything was fine, but why did 'despicably' have to be attached?
"Then why are you looking at me like that...?"
"I wondered what you were up to. But saying you'll eat two in a row is so absurd. Eating such a precious thing consecutively.... Your conscience is just..."
"...Ah, yes. I think you can stop talking now."
If I left him alone, he seemed like he would keep going, so I cut him off.
"Anyway.... Due to some circumstances, I have to eat it."
"Understood. Eat it all."
"Pardon?"
"It's a joke. Hahahaha."
"..."
It definitely didn't seem like a joke, was it an illusion? No, no matter how I looked at it, it felt like revenge.
Revenge against me for interrupting his meal with Tang So-yeol.
These old men were seriously so petty.
'Tsk.'
I clicked my tongue shortly and slowly sent the Spirit Pill to my mouth. At the same time, I said to Poison King.
"Tang Patriarch."
"Why? Don't want to eat it? Then give it back..."
"If I act strange after eating this, please don't interfere."
"..."
Poison King, who was about to speak, stopped and changed his expression. In an instant, his face turned grave.
"I understand."
"Thank you."
He accepted it without asking the reason. Since it was a difficult choice, I expressed my gratitude.
Seeing his reaction, I put the Spirit Pill in my mouth and chewed and swallowed it.
Same taste as yesterday. Same fragrance. And the same energy.
Gulp.
As soon as I swallowed it, energy spread in all directions.
The deep and rich energy instantly took over my body.
However.
'Was I wrong?'
I didn't feel any strange signs.
If my prediction was correct, I thought the Spirit Pill had some mechanism, but if there was no change, it meant my prediction was wrong.
'What a shame.... Was it not this?'
Half disappointment. And the other half was an inexplicable sense of relief.
Feeling a strange emotion, I turned around.
"Tang Patriarch. I'm sorry, but it seems..."
And then I hardened my eyes.
"Ah."
The emotions pent up inside me flipped. I thought I was wrong until just now. Unfortunately, I wasn't.
"Dear me."
When I turned around, the world had changed.
The sky, as well as my entire field of vision, was blackened. It was that place I saw last time.
The difference was...
Unlike last time, I was not outside the door, but inside.
Which meant.
"...It was a bit annoying to look for you, but this works out."
That the bastard I was looking for was right in front of my nose.
A throne of the same black color as the world.
On the throne, perhaps because it was on the verge of collapse, cracked and broken parts could be seen everywhere.
And on top of it.
That bastard was sitting.
"Hey."
When I called him, he slowly raised his head and looked at me.
Sclera dyed black and pupils dyed purple. Along with the vicious killing intent spreading in all directions.
Our eyes met.
A sensation like wanting to vomit immediately rushed over me. I endured it. Barely catching my breath.
"Long time no see, you retarded bastard."
I said to him.
"Want to have a little chat with your hyung?"
Rumble----!!
As if to answer, the ground shook.