Chapter 612: An Antidote That Doesn't Exist

TL: FoodieMonster007

"But where did you get this?"

At Geom Mugeuk's question, Geom Muyang gestured to a subordinate who was standing far in the distance.

"Where did you get this counterfeit Blitz?" Geom Muyang asked.

The subordinate provided his answer. "We received intelligence that a member of the Black Hand Sect, a dark path group, was secretly looking for a Blitz. We recovered this item from them."

"And the ones who sold it?"

"They used an escort agency to deliver the item."

This meant they had used the agency specifically to hide their identities.

"What about the payment?"

"They said they would come for the money after the item was confirmed to be received."

Hearing this, Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang exchanged a look. These were not ordinary individuals. Demanding payment afterward showed they were confident in their ability to collect it.

"Collect the steel needles inside and find out what kind of poison was used on them!"

"Yes! I'll have it sent to the Thousand Poisons Forest immediately."

Geom Muyang took the Blitz and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To the smithy. If it's Craftsman Gwak, he might know who made this."

"I'll go with you."

Geom Mugeuk followed his brother.

"Slow down!"

Geom Muyang's steps were rushed, a clear sign that his mind was racing. His expression was hard, not because a fake hidden weapon had appeared, but for another reason entirely.

His heart belatedly pounded with the realization that he had almost killed Geom Mugeuk. That shock had now curdled into anger.

Hire the one who made this? Not a chance. My younger brother almost died. I won't let them get away with it, whoever they are.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, to be so angry that his younger brother had nearly died. There was a time when he had even wished for his brother's death.

He thought that human emotions were truly as fickle as the wind. He wondered what kind of feeling he would have at the end of this particular gust.

The two of them entered the smithy. A blast of fiery heat washed over them, carrying the sound of hammering steel.

CLANG! CLANG! CLAAANG!

Inside, hundreds of bare-chested men were hard at work melting iron, hammering steel, and carrying goods. The smell of their sweat mixed with the scent of iron and rode the intense heat.

A man near the entrance recognized Geom Mugeuk and bowed his head respectfully.

"We're here to see Craftsman Gwak."

"Please wait a moment."

While the man went to find Craftsman Gwak, Geom Mugeuk waited with his brother.

"I won't die from a shallow trick like this."

I'll kill you properly next time.

It was a joke meant to get a reaction, but Geom Muyang's stiff expression didn't change. Geom Mugeuk could feel that his brother was truly surprised and angry.

He was grateful to his brother. It was good to know that the incident that almost killed him meant so much to him.

He also learned another lesson. He must always be careful. Accidents like the one that just happened always occur when you least expect them and when your guard is down. Since it all happens in an instant, he had no choice but to live more cautiously, even if it made life tiring.

A short while later, Craftsman Gwak came out.

"You've both come together."

"Greetings, Chief."

After they exchanged greetings, Geom Muyang handed him the Blitz he had brought.

"It's a Blitz."

Craftsman Gwak took the weapon. The organization that designed hidden weapons was a separate entity within the cult, and the smithy simply manufactured them based on the provided blueprints.

Craftsman Gwak tilted his head, examining the Blitz again.

"It's a bit light."

He immediately noticed the difference in weight. As Craftsman Gwak inspected it more closely, he found several other discrepancies.

"It's a counterfeit Blitz."

"That's right."

"It's so exquisitely made that it's impossible to tell at a glance."

Craftsman Gwak called a subordinate to bring disassembly tools. He then skillfully took the Blitz apart to inspect its interior. After looking inside, Craftsman Gwak was even more surprised.

"Not only the exterior but the interior has also been almost perfectly replicated. I believe the power would have been nearly identical."

It was a testament to how well-made it was.

"That's right. I almost died."

At that, Craftsman Gwak asked with a serious expression, "Was there by any chance poison applied to the steel needles?"

"Yes, there was poison on them."

"Preventing the inside of the hidden weapon from being damaged by the poison is the core technology of the Blitz. This is so well made I'd believe we made it ourselves. For someone with this level of skill to be making counterfeit hidden weapons?"

Craftsman Gwak let out a sigh that was part lament, part anger.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

Craftsman Gwak named a few people. "There are a few who come to mind, but they are all highly renowned individuals. Craftsman Hong of the Murim Alliance, or Craftsman Ju of the Evil Alliance. Craftsman Yang of the Continental Smithy. However, those people are not the type to make forgeries like this."

They were all famous craftsmen. In other words, the forgery was made by someone of that caliber.

"There could be someone unknown," Geom Mugeuk suggested.

Craftsman Gwak nodded. If this murim was a place where masters were as numerous as sand on a beach, then the same was true for craftsmen. There were surely people with innate talent who could astonish the world, still hammering away somewhere, unaware of their true worth.

"If you happen to think of anyone suspicious later, please let me know."

"I will."

After bidding farewell to Craftsman Gwak, Geom Mugeuk left the smithy with his brother.

"How are you going to handle it?"

"I'm going to handle this matter myself. I'll take care of it, so you don't need to worry."

Geom Muyang strode away. After walking some distance, he turned back to warn him.

"Don't even think about meddling unnecessarily!"

Because he had almost killed Geom Mugeuk, he felt he had to handle this alone. To nearly kill him and then accept his help was something that didn't sit right with Geom Muyang's personality.

"I'm busy too. I wish I had the time to meddle."

Geom Muyang started walking again.

Geom Mugeuk watched his brother's retreating back, then started walking in the opposite direction. His own steps were just as urgent as Geom Muyang's had been.

"Absolutely not. You especially cannot leave with the First Young Lord."

When Geom Mugeuk said he would go out with his brother to handle this one matter, Sama Myeong was adamantly opposed. There was a clear reason for his opposition.

"It is because those who are to be successors cannot leave the cult together for such a matter. It is a provision in the cult's rules."

This rule was to account for the possibility of something happening to both of them at the same time.

"So the reason I could roam around freely until now was because my brother was in our Cult."

Sama Myeong's expression seemed to ask if that was the only reason, but he didn't deny it.

"But why are you trying to leave with the First Young Lord?"

"This is entirely due to my anxiety."

Sama Myeong asked cautiously, "Do you perhaps think that they are behind this incident?"

"My heart was startled by a turtle, you see, so now it's startled by a pot lid."

Geom Mugeuk had continuously overcome near-death situations entangled with them. He couldn't send his brother out alone when he didn't know where or how they might appear. Of course, this incident could simply be the work of an organization that makes and sells counterfeit hidden weapons.

"Can't I just go and check whether it's a turtle or a pot lid?"

"You cannot."

It would have been easier to persuade his father. Persuading Sama Myeong seemed impossible.

Father must have felt this way when he sent me out.

"With all due respect, the Cult Leader was not worried about the Young Cult Leader at all."

Knowing his father's personality, he probably just didn't show it. How could he not have been worried? In the past, he might have snuck out, but he couldn't do that now.

Sama Myeong offered a solution. How could he neglect the First Young Lord?

"Why don't you send a Demon Supreme with him?"

Of course, Geom Mugeuk had been thinking the same thing. But there was a problem.

"My brother will refuse. He even warned me not to get involved."

"So you're not going to send one?"

Geom Mugeuk shook his head. "I can't do that. I will send a Demon Supreme."

"If you give the order, any Demon Supreme will go."

Geom Mugeuk had already decided who to send.

"The one I intend to send is someone who will not listen to my orders."

The place Geom Mugeuk arrived at was the Thousand Poisons Forest.

The Poison King was in the woods near his residence. He stood alone with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at a tree. To others, he might have looked lonely, but Geom Mugeuk knew it was a moment of supreme happiness for him.

"Poison King! I'm here!" Geom Mugeuk shouted cheerfully.

He had left the cult last time without seeing the Poison King after his return, so it had been quite a while since they had seen each other.

"……"

The Poison King told him to be quiet and went back to looking at the tree.

Geom Mugeuk quietly approached and stood beside him. On the tree, two poisonous insects were coupled together, seemingly in the middle of mating.

He turned his head to look at the Poison King, who still had the appearance of a beautiful young boy.

You're wasting this handsome face. Shouldn't you, Poison King, be the one to go out into the world and find a woman to be your lover?

However, the Poison King seemed to find more joy in the growing number of poisonous insects in the Thousand Poisons Forest than in such worldly pleasures.

"Sangseon told me on the way here. The poison on the hidden weapon was the Painful Bone Dissolving Poison."

According to Sangseon, the Painful Bone Dissolving Poison was developed to apply Bone Dissolving Acid to hidden weapons. It was a terrifying poison made by mixing various toxins with Bone Dissolving Acid as the main ingredient, capable of instantly melting the affected area and even the insides upon impact.

As powerful as it was, the Painful Bone Dissolving Poison was also very difficult to handle. This was because it had to be prevented from melting the hidden weapon inside its case, and its effect had to manifest only when it was launched externally.

The Poison King was still silently watching the poisonous insects.

"My brother will be leaving the cult himself to investigate the counterfeit hidden weapons this time. I would like you, Poison King, to follow him secretly."

This made the request even more difficult. It wasn't a request to go with him, but to protect him in secret.

"Since they are people who use the Painful Bone Dissolving Poison, they might use other poisons."

He thought the Poison King wasn't listening, but he refused at once.

"I don't want to."

"The opponent might use poison!"

"Tell Sangseon to pack an antidote for him."

Geom Mugeuk hadn't expected the Poison King to agree so easily. He had always hated going outside the Thousand Poisons Forest.

"Now, now, I knew this would happen, so I've prepared something."

Geom Mugeuk cleared his throat and then said in a solemn voice, "I command you as the Acting Cult Leader. Poison King, you will obey the command of this Cult Leader!"

The Poison King turned toward Geom Mugeuk. For a moment, it seemed he would respectfully accept the command.

"But I don't want to."

WHOOSH. The wind swept between the two of them.

"It's the Cult Leader's command, though?"

"You're the Acting Cult Leader."

"This is treason, treason!"

"Then go ahead and arrest me."

The authority of the Acting Cult Leader had no effect at all.

"You're being too much. You would go if Father told you to, wouldn't you?"

"You're not the Cult Leader, are you?"

The Poison King's gaze returned to the tree. The insects that had finished mating were already gone.

"Then I shall reveal my second secret weapon."

A faint smile touched the Poison King's lips. This was why he could say, 'But I don't want to.' He knew Geom Mugeuk would handle it this flexibly.

"This time, there's a reason you absolutely must go."

"What reason?"

"I almost died because of you, Poison King."

The Poison King turned his head back to Geom Mugeuk.

"Do you remember? The man who fled after being hit by your poison back then."

He hadn't yet told the Poison King that the Brawling King had returned from the dead. He had to leave the cult again last time before he could meet him.

"That man came back alive."

Surprise flickered across the Poison King's face.

"That's impossible."

He also knew very well that Geom Mugeuk wouldn't lie about something like this.

"The impossible happened."

A moment of silence passed.

"What happened?"

"It seems they performed a great ritual several times to barely save him. Of course, even so, he wasn't completely cured, and a foul poisonous aura emanated from him when he fought."

It was a moment when the Poison King's pride was cracked. Of course, Geom Mugeuk didn't clumsily try to protect that pride.

"That bastard came back alive and stronger. Thanks to him, I almost died, so you have to grant my request this time."

Of course, he was being unreasonable, but it worked on the Poison King. It was because a man he was certain had died had come back alive.

"You must not trust me, so why are you trying to send me? Why not send your favorite, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon?"

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk answered, "Because I think my mind will be more at ease if you go, Poison King."

"Are you giving the disease and then the cure?"

"A mistake is a mistake, and skill is skill."

The Poison King's eyes glinted sharply. "The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would be disappointed to hear that."

"The Smiling Demon will understand. Not just the Smiling Demon, but the other Demon Supremes as well. None of the Demon Supremes would be able to deny what I just said."

He had said it indirectly, but this was the bottom line.

The Poison King is the strongest.

Geom Mugeuk could feel the Poison King's mood lightening a little.

"……"

The Poison King sighed and sat down on a small rock under the tree.

"They brought him back to life, you say?"

Geom Mugeuk sat down next to him. "I heard it cost an enormous amount of money. I almost died along with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon in the fight against him. This time, even though the Fist Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme were with me, there was still a dangerous situation. So you have to go, Poison King. I cannot overlook even the slightest possibility."

The Poison King's answer still hadn't come. So, Geom Mugeuk brought another person into it.

"If you're reluctant to go alone, why not go with the Demonic Buddha? You can go out and dig up some rare medicinal herbs this time. Have you dug up any herbs with the Demonic Buddha lately?"

The Poison King shook his head. "He hasn't come by at all lately. So it's awkward with him too."

"What, you've become awkward already?"

Geom Mugeuk burst into laughter, and the Poison King, finding his own words amusing, laughed along.

"You asked me to watch him secretly, didn't you? But can one secretly follow someone with that person, the Demonic Buddha?"

That golden radiance and secrecy were far from compatible.

"That's why I came to ask you, Poison King."

"I might just kill them all and come back."

"As long as you bring my brother back alive, that's all that matters," Geom Mugeuk conveyed with sincerity. "You have no idea how much I want to go out with you, Poison King."

And how much I want to hang out with female warriors with you, Poison King, instead of watching insects mate.

The Poison King, who had been staring at Geom Mugeuk, finally nodded.

"I'll go."

Those words were enough. He no longer worried about his brother.

"I'll consider the debt repaid now."

"What debt?"

"The debt of me almost dying because that bastard came back alive."

"Why is that my fault!"

The words Geom Mugeuk had wanted to hear came out. Right, it wasn't the Poison King's fault.

The more a sensitive issue involved pride, the more openly it needed to be discussed. This was done by repeating the story, teasing, talking about it again, and then teasing some more. Trust with another person was built up for moments just like this one. That was why such matters had to be dealt with and resolved immediately. One should never gloss over it awkwardly, only to let it fester in the mind after they parted.

"Do you know? There is an antidote that doesn't exist in the world, and only you, Poison King, possess it."

Geom Mugeuk looked at the man beside him, smiled brightly, and added, "You, Poison King, are the antidote to my anxiety."