#063.
“This.”
“That.”
“And this.”
Thanks to the all-seeing eyes of the appraiser, I was able to find the remaining keys in an instant.
Hero had Zhanlu (湛瀘).
Yale had Tai’a (泰阿).
Jeong Do-hwan had Yuchang (魚腸).
William had Chunjun, so that made four out of the eight keys.
Even counting the one I possessed, three remained.
Did that mean it was impossible to possess all eight keys?
Like hell!
“Elder.”
“….”
Jeong Do-hwan nodded silently.
Ziiing-
I used the summoning circle to summon Yoon Seo-young and the Death Knights.
‘They said one per person, but they never said the dead were excluded.’
Of course, they were helpful in a fight, but the reason I’d brought them to the Immortal Palace was specifically for this moment.
The reason I especially needed Jeong Do-hwan was because he could command the Legion of Death, which included thirty knights and soldiers.
Since there were no explicit restrictions on who could claim the treasures, the dead qualified to take them as well.
“Take this, and that.”
With that order, I had them take Chixiao (赤霄), Ganjiang (干將), and Moye (莫邪).
They were all legendary swords from Chinese mythology, corresponding to lower-grade treasure weapons.
That made seven.
If I obtained just one more, I could complete the plan I had conceived long ago.
‘But obtaining that one won’t be easy.’
There was a trap here.
A trap that only a regressor like me could notice, and even if one knew of it, it was absolutely impossible to break without Jeokhwadan.
The report stated there were two mountains of gold and silver treasure.
A massive mountain on the left, and a slightly smaller one on the right.
‘The key is right here.’
It was buried within the left, massive mountain of gold and treasure.
This was a trap you couldn’t avoid even if you knew about it.
Why?
Because of the rule that if you touched even a single piece of the gold and treasure, you could obtain nothing more.
But I had Jeokhwadan.
Sssss-
Using Jeokhwadan’s ability, Jeokhwa, I became a gaseous body.
“Huh?!”
Hero shouted in surprise.
But without caring whether he was surprised or not, I headed straight for the treasure mountain.
My body was currently in a gaseous state, so I could pass through the treasure mountain and dig into it.
Like swimming, I went down, deeper and deeper into the mountain.
And.
‘Bingo!’
I finally found it.
A single sword embedded in the deepest part of the treasure mountain.
The moment I thought to grab it, physical force generated from my gaseous body and grasped the sword.
Squeeze.
Holding it with all my might so as not to let go, I emerged straight from the treasure mountain.
“Haa—”
Exhaling the breath I’d been holding, I dispelled the vaporized state.
I looked down at what I held in my hand.
It was a sword with a golden tassel.
『Qixing Longyuan (Seven-Star Dragon Abyss)
Classification: Sword
Grade: Intermediate Treasure Weapon
Durability: 100/100
Unique Effect: Damage increases the more honorable one’s actions are
Current Honor: 0
Description: Forged jointly by Ou Yezi and Ganjiang, two great swordsmiths. When this sword was being forged, Mount Zishan was excavated and the mountain’s valley waters were drawn in.
Thus, seven ponds were created beside the furnace where the blade was tempered, and the ponds were named ‘Qixing’ (Seven Stars).
Later, looking down upon the completed blade, it was like climbing a high mountain and gazing into a deep pond.
Its magnificent depth resembled a crouching, reclining dragon, so it was named ‘Longyuan’ (Dragon Abyss).』
One of two intermediate-grade treasure weapons existing here.
I had fished out a treasure weapon from the treasure mountain that was absolutely impossible to obtain without Jeokhwadan.
‘With this, I have them all.’
Eight keys.
I had obtained every last one of them in my hands.
Of course, I couldn’t touch the treasures right away, so I couldn’t execute the plan yet, but the objective was achieved.
‘But this isn’t the end.’
I had gathered the eight keys, and one thing remained.
I turned my gaze to the right.
One remaining treasure mountain.
And the last remaining intermediate-grade treasure weapon.
‘I knew of its existence, but gave it up for other treasure weapons.’
Before the regression, I had known of its existence.
But back then, I had needed other weapon-type treasure weapons more, so I gave it up despite knowing it existed.
But now was different.
‘It’s what he needs most.’
If I had used a different method back then, he might have met a different future than the one he now had.
Well, looking back, it couldn’t be helped, but the regret was unavoidable.
But now, I had obtained a chance to undo that regret.
Sssss-
Without hesitation, I used the final Jeokhwa.
Inside the slightly smaller treasure mountain was a small gourd bottle.
Just like before, I held it in my hand and escaped the treasure mountain.
“That’s the end of that.”
I had used both of the two Jeokhwa permitted to me.
“Now then, shall we sweep up the remaining treasures?”
What remained was to use the Legion of Death, who had yet to claim any treasures, to take the most valuable treasures and treasure weapons.
「Treasure!」
「Claiming!」
I had the Death Knights, who somehow seemed happy, sort through and collect the most valuable treasure weapons and treasures in the treasury.
*
“Uuunngh—”
Groaning, I opened my eyes.
But.
“Mph?!”
For some reason, my hands and feet weren’t free.
My hands and feet, bound by rope, were tied to a chair.
“…….”
Anxious eyes scanned the surroundings.
No, I didn’t even need to look around.
“Hello?”
Directly in front, someone waving cheerfully.
“W-who?”
“Who do you think? You threw the first punch.”
“…H-hurk!”
“What’s with the gasping? Dude, that’s my line. What do you mean acting surprised when you’re the one who threw the first punch?”
“…….”
Bound before me was Liu Yan.
One of the seven who would survive until the end, later called the Demon of Poison.
After the battle with Qin Shi Huang, we rested at a rural house prepared by Chairman Kang.
Ah, of course, everyone except me was resting.
And here I was running around like this despite having used steroids and even drugs.
“Let me ask one thing.”
I spoke, dropping the playful tone.
“Did you make a contract with a god?”
A fact I’d learned while fighting the Black Moon.
It was that there were those who had contracted with a god and those who hadn’t.
If this guy had obtained a trait by contracting with a god, things would get a bit complicated.
“…….”
But he remained silent.
I couldn’t tell if the silence was due to a contract, or if he just didn’t want to talk.
There was one way to check.
“If you haven’t contracted, I can grant your wish.”
“…How do you know my wish?”
He reacted.
He couldn’t help it.
For someone who had awakened the trait called Demon of Poison, there was only one goal.
I had spent a long time with him, so I knew very well what it was.
“I know it very well. Control over poison.”
“…….”
His eyes widened.
“When you awakened your trait. Due to the poison you couldn’t control….”
“S-stop!”
“Your family was massacred.”
That was a tragedy I had only heard about five years after getting to know him, after he’d opened his heart to some degree.
He had caused his beloved family to die from the poison that burst out the moment his trait blossomed.
Watching his dying family, he had wanted to stop it but couldn’t control the poison bursting out uncontrollably, so he had no choice but to watch.
[It’s okay, son. Mom is okay, so… live. You have to live, okay?]
The words of his mother, dying from poison, to her son who blamed himself and tried to die with her.
At that moment, Liu Yan made a resolution.
He would survive and find out why he had been given such a cursed power. He would definitely gain control over it. That alone was the reason he would live.
Those were the last words his poisoned mother left before dying.
If not for those words, he would have ended his own life.
But he had wandered for a long time searching for the reason behind his power.
‘This time, he seems to have ended up in the Black Moon by coincidence.’
Before the regression, he had belonged to the Rivers and Lakes.
The reason was simple.
The Rivers and Lakes had risen to prominence from the early days of the apocalypse; he had judged that if there was anywhere he could find a way to control his poison, it was there.
That was probably still true now.
Because he must have thought that the Black Moon, with its many awakeners, could help him achieve his wish.
“So speak. Did you contract with a god?”
“…No.”
“Music to my ears.”
Whew.
If he had been in a contract with a god, things could have gotten complicated. It was a fortunate turn of events.
“Then that’s settled.”
“What is?”
“What do you think? Become my comrade.”
I threw a fastball.
“…What?”
“Didn’t hear me? I said become my comrade.”
“What is this…?”
“Become my comrade, and I’ll grant your wish.”
“….”
Silent again.
When he gets lost in thought, he goes quiet. Same as ever, then and now.
“Don’t overcomplicate it. I need your power to end this coming apocalypse. You want a way to control your poison. We combine them and it works out. The sister is happy, the brother-in-law is happy; we fix the ditch and catch the crayfish. Truly a win-win for both sides, isn’t it?”
“…….”
No answer, as expected.
“Hey. I told you not to worry. And are you even in a position to worry? If I just flick my hand right now, you’ll die without ever achieving your wish.”
“…How the hell do you know that?”
“Is that important? Right now, you’re at a crossroads. Die futilely here, or stand upon a new path where you can achieve your wish.”
It was a bit forceful, but I had no choice since this guy was so indecisive and passive.
“….”
Look at him now.
Isn’t it obvious he’s agonizing over it even more than before?
For someone filled with negative thoughts, I had to push him before he assumed the worst.
I couldn’t give him time to think.
“…So I just have to become your comrade?”
“Yeah. Simple, right?”
“It does seem simple….”
“Then what are you hesitating for? It’s not like I’m doing anything nasty to you. You just have to become my comrade. Ah, and if you’re thinking comrades like in the Black Moon, that’s not it.”
Someone who handled poison, and couldn’t even control it properly, must have been an outcast.
That much was clear from the previous battle.
“I consider you a true comrade. Of course, I intend to teach you how to control your poison as well.”
A method to control poison.
“Understood. I don’t know why you want me so badly, but with those conditions.”
I finally got his approval.
“Great!”
The moment I heard his answer.
Swish.
I swung the sword with a strange belt and cut the ropes binding him.
“Before becoming your comrade, I’ll have you grant my wish first.”
“Of course.”
“Then, shall we begin right away?”
“What…?”
To the guy full of questions.
Pop.
I opened the prepared gourd bottle.
Glug, glug, glug!
And poured it straight out.
Formless Poison (無形之毒).
One of the most powerful poisons in the world.