“If it weren’t for something truly urgent, I wouldn’t have come all the way here.”

I hurriedly told the Poison King.

Since it was the first time one of my subordinates had come to see him, the Poison King immediately ordered his attendant to bring Seo Daeryong here.

After a short while, the attendant returned with Seo Daeryong.

“Master, you need to leave immediately.”

“What happened? Investigator Seo.”

“There’s been a major incident in Maga Village. A warrior who was drinking peacefully suddenly swung his sword and killed or injured dozens of people.”

I was shocked and shouted,

“Where?”

“At Yanghwa Pavilion.”

Yanghwa Pavilion was one of several pavilions in Maga Village.

“Was it a drunken fight?”

“No. Suddenly, blood started flowing from the assailant’s eyes and nose, and he went berserk. He was also an exceptional martial artist, which made the damage even worse.”

Hearing that, I immediately recalled the incident before my regression.

I quickly bade farewell to the Poison King.

“Poison King, I must leave first today.”

Seo Daeryong and I hurriedly left that place.

When we arrived at Yanghwa Pavilion in Maga Village with Seo Daeryong, the execution warriors were controlling the area. Even before entering, the stench of blood was overwhelming.

Among the bystanders was a boy who caught my eye. He looked about thirteen and shouted at the execution warriors,

“My mother and younger sibling are inside! Please, check on them. They’re working in the kitchen! Mom! Suya!”

Ignoring the boy, I went inside with Seo Daeryong.

The interior was a sea of blood. Corpses were scattered everywhere, and the execution warriors were checking if any survivors remained.

“Everyone was intoxicated, so the damage was even worse.”

The dead were not only warriors. There were also courtesans and kitchen staff who prepared food.

In a corner of the kitchen, a middle-aged woman lay dead, holding a young girl in her arms. The child looked exactly like the boy shouting outside.

I silently looked down at the mother and daughter’s bodies and sighed. The child must have been running around helping her mother in the kitchen.

Seo Daeryong, standing beside me, could not bear to continue looking and turned his head away.

“Where is the culprit?”

“On the third floor.”

I resumed walking. The horrifying scene unfolded all along the way.

The culprit lay dead, leaning against the wall at the end of the third-floor corridor. A young man who looked to be in his early thirties. Blood that flowed from his eyes and nose had dried, reaching down to his chin. His eyes were rolled back, and the white parts of his eyes were stained red like blood.

Seo Daeryong, following behind, spoke in a trembling voice.

“I’ve never seen such a horrific sight before.”

I knew the cause of this incident.

“Berserk!”

The internal power enhancer taken to temporarily increase one’s internal energy was called Berserk.

Depending on the dosage, the enhancer could temporarily increase internal energy from level one to about half a level. Normally, the increase ranged between one-tenth and two-tenths. Of course, it wore off over time.

Berserk had explosively gained popularity because it increased internal energy much more significantly—sometimes from three-tenths to as much as half.

But along with its benefits came deadly side effects. What I was witnessing was a result of those side effects.

The ones selling Berserk were the Satanic Alliance. The San Gongdok Black Poison that I suffered during the martial arts competition after my regression was also one of their products. Berserk, Black Poison—these were the two main products they sold.

“What about the identity of this man?”

“He was one of the demon swordsmen affiliated with the Northern Sky Sword Clan. He was known for causing no trouble. He even got promoted last year.”

That was probably the problem. To get promoted, he must have secretly taken Berserk.

“Send his corpse to the Medical Division immediately. Take care of the aftermath here.”

“Master, whatever the cause of this incident, I want to find out the truth.”

The look in Seo Daeryong’s eyes now was the same as when I first met him as an investigator at Hwangcheong Pavilion—the look of someone determined to uncover the truth about his senior’s death.

I nodded to Seo Daeryong.

“Take good care of that boy who was outside earlier.”

Seo Daeryong nodded firmly in return.

I watched the medical examiner inspect the bodies.

Examining the corpses carefully, the medic predicted the cause of death.

“The dantian was greatly swollen and damaged, so a powerful internal energy enhancer was likely used. The loss of reason that caused the stabbing seems to have been a side effect.”

The medic precisely described the corpses’ condition.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve seen such a body. At the end of last year, a corpse with similar symptoms was brought in. Back then, he went berserk alone and died. This time, it caused a disaster.”

Berserk had not yet spread completely throughout the martial world. At first, the side effects were hushed up, but as more people used it, the problem became serious.

“When the incident occurred, he probably wasn’t in his right mind. This person should have trained to increase his internal energy, not be greedy.”

The medic spoke as if scolding the corpse, then turned away. One reason Berserk had spread so widely was this attitude. Users were primarily held responsible for the consequences, and the Satanic Alliance exploited that mindset to profit.

After the medic covered the corpse with a white cloth, he washed his blood-stained hands. The news of so many innocent deaths weighed on his spirits.

Trying to change the mood, the medic asked me,

“How are things with the Poison King?”

“I’ve been meeting him every day since that day.”

The medic was surprised.

“Every day? Really?”

“I’m learning the craft at Cheondokrim.”

“Of course. You really are different. So, how is the Poison King when you meet him?”

“He was brighter than I expected.”

The medic nodded. He must have sensed that bright side too.

“I only realized it after quite some time, but you noticed right away.”

“Nowadays, we spend almost all day together.”

“Do you really want to win the bet with the sect leader that much?”

I looked down quietly at the body covered with the cloth.

“Now there are even more reasons why I have to win.”

At Cheonmajeon, my father and General Sama Myung were waiting.

I strode down the blood-soaked path and reported to them.

“The medic determined the cause of the incident to be the side effects of an internal power enhancer.”

Neither of them was surprised by my report. They already knew about the side effects.

“You already knew?”

I asked, and Sama Myung answered.

“Yes. Several large and small incidents have been reported in Jungwon.”

“The work of the Satanic Alliance, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I suffered from San Gongdok at the last Divine Martial Competition. Upon investigation, it turned out to be Black Poison made by the Satanic Alliance. I suspected this was their doing too.”

“The Berserk sold by the Satanic Alliance is an internal power enhancer.”

Sama Myung was aware of Berserk.

I asked him again.

“Who is the person in charge of producing Berserk at the Satanic Alliance? You know who it is, don’t you, General?”

Sama Myung looked at my father. After a moment, my father nodded at me.

Then Sama Myung revealed who it was.

“Aecha (哀侘).”

I knew who Aecha was.

“The Black Snake.”

“Correct.”

He was one of Yaryul Han’s four subordinates. If Jisaeng had sworn loyalty by tattooing a golden pig, Aecha had done so by tattooing a black snake.

This was the moment to speak.

As you can see, Yaryul Han does all sorts of evil deeds. He is absolute evil.

But I did not say anything. If I lost the bet to bring the Poison King before my father, I wouldn’t be able to deal with the Black Snake either.

I fell silent for a moment. My silence expressed my anger and strengthened my resolve.

“A detailed report on the incident will be submitted to the sect headquarters. I will inform you °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° if anything else is discovered.”

I walked along the blood-soaked path and left Cheonmajeon.

Probably the first time I ever left after meeting the two without cracking a joke. Quietly, I piled the anger over Berserk on top of the anger over Jinsaeng.

My father and Sama Myung silently watched my back.

I was engraved with the lesson my father had taught me.

From someone else’s point of view, my world is a closed world.

Yes, I admit it. Establishing a new demonic path and eradicating absolute evil is still my personal mission.

That night, I stood alone before the Kwonma cliff.

Just like Kwonma once looked up at the cliff, I stared at it.

Clenching my fist, I injected internal energy.

Whooosh!

The air swirled around my fist as thunderclouds gathered.

Shhhht!

I was about to strike the cliff but stopped at the last moment.

Because I knew I still could not break it. I would only throw a real punch at this cliff once in my life.

Then a familiar voice came from behind.

“Trying to hit it with those baby hands will only hurt your own hand.”

I smiled and turned around.

Kwonma was walking toward me.

“Master!”

Seeing him after so long made me happy. After seeing the Poison King’s fresh face, seeing this terrifying face and huge body reminded me that this was indeed the demonic sect.

Kwonma’s gaze landed on my tightly clenched fist.

Reading my anger, he calmly said,

“Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“When you’re truly angry, open your clenched fist like this.”

Kwonma’s large palm unfolded in front of me. It was bigger than my face.

“And!”

Clap!

Kwonma clapped loudly.

“Clap once and then clench again. Your fist will hurt more.”

“You won’t need to clench again. If there was an enemy between those claps, it would be like getting hit by your fist anyway.”

For Kwonma himself to tell me to open my fist—this deep and great teaching I etched in my heart.

And the joke I couldn’t tell in front of my father and Sama Myung, I told to Kwonma instead.

“When you stand here, Master, I thought you stood only with the resolve to break the cliff.”

“And?”

“Did you just stand here whenever you were angry? Right?”

Kwonma couldn’t deny it and laughed.

I bowed to him and walked away from there. Both fists that were tightly clenched were now wide open.

The next day, as usual, I went to Cheondokrim.

The Poison King was wandering the nearby forest holding a collecting basket.

“About the incident yesterday...”

At that moment, a surprising word came from the Poison King’s mouth.

“Berserk?”

The Poison King also knew yesterday’s side effects were caused by Berserk.

“You knew?”

“Of course. As you know, the Poison Sons roam all over Jungwon collecting poisonous herbs and toxins. The Satanic Alliance also collects herbs to make their drugs. So we know their movements best.”

The Poison King furrowed his brows slightly.

“We even warned them not to make such drugs.”

“Do you know who makes it?”

“I do. There’s an idiot named Jin Dokgosa.”

Jin Dokgosa. He was a poison expert notorious in the heretical faction. The Poison King grimaced as if recalling him was unpleasant.

“Even poison users have taboos, but this guy plays at a third-rate level.”

“This third-rate play caused many innocent deaths. There was even a woman who died holding her child. That fact won’t even be in the sect’s report. Just a line about the total deaths! The deaths of a mother and child will be buried. If their spirits watch over this world, the child will ask the mother why no one cares about our death.”

The Poison King seemed to be staring at a poison insect clinging to a tree, seemingly not listening to me. He no longer got angry. As I live in my world, he lives in his.

“What’s the name of that poison insect?”

I asked about his world, and he answered about mine.

“What meaning is there in revenge?”

“I recall it being an ingredient in Blue Killing Poison, but I can’t remember the name.”

“It’s hypocrisy. It’s self-satisfaction from pretending to help others.”

We ignored each other’s words and only said what we wanted.

“Ah, what was it? The name is on the tip of my tongue.”

“The dead are dead. That’s the end.”

The Poison King looked at me, and I looked at him. It was the longest time the Poison King had ever looked at me since we met.

Then we returned to our own worlds again.

“Su. That’s the name of the girl who died in her mother’s arms today.”

“That poison insect is Baekjeomchung (White Spot Bug). It’s not an ingredient in Blue Killing Poison but in Five Poison Incense.”

The Poison King asked me with the most serious expression I’d ever seen on him.

“Tell me. What is the real reason you are like this?”

“When I say it, everyone says, ‘Are you righteous?’ ‘Are you a hero of justice?’ Then, like a restless spirit, I too ask questions. A powerless woman dies, children die, young people die. We are the demonic sect, so we should not care? If that’s what the righteous think, then what are we supposed to think and live by?”

The Poison King said nothing.

I didn’t press him further. Clapping once, I said firmly,

“Let’s go. There are many poison insects to catch today.”

But he didn’t move. Instead, he sat down right there.

I had no choice but to sit beside him.

The Poison King stared at the poisonous ants passing by our feet, and I, sitting down anyway, said the rest of what I wanted to say, whether he listened or not.

“The dead girl has a big brother. Outside the blood-soaked pavilion, he was shouting to see if his mother and sibling were safe. I want to tell that boy we killed all those who murdered his family. They were originally people no one could kill, but because we are demons, we were able to.”

Still staring at the ants, the Poison King said,

“You are truly incomprehensible.”

“Do not ever support me. At worst, such a person will be the next Cheonma.”

“I’d never support you, even if I died.”

But the truly incomprehensible one was the Poison King, because he added,

“Do you really have to bark five times?”