What rose from the floor was a platform.

On it lay a flat box draped with green cloth.

Both Seodaeryong and I gasped simultaneously at the dazzling object resting on the box.

It was a Night Bright Pearl. But unlike the other Night Bright Pearls we had gathered so far, this one was larger and shone more brilliantly than the highest-grade Night Bright Pearls.

“This is the Supreme Night Bright Pearl!”

It was known as the king of Night Bright Pearls — the finest of them all.

Seeing the object that had existed only in rumors, Seodaeryong’s eyes widened in awe.

“So this really existed!”

At that moment, a groan echoed from the floor. Jisaeng’s eyes were bloodshot red. The shock was so great that he was on the brink of madness. Even if all the other Night Bright Pearls were combined, they couldn’t buy one like this. Not because it shone so brightly, but because there was only one of its kind.

I calmly watched Jisaeng’s suffering.

The pain wasn’t enough yet. He was paying for his sins, but those he harmed had their lives struck by sudden calamity. If he made hundreds or thousands of lives miserable, he deserved this much suffering.

For him, dying might have been a mercy, but even the phenomenon of “returning light before death” appeared. He had to endure the last pain of his life with a clear mind.

I carefully took the Supreme Night Bright Pearl into my hand.

“You, Master Gakju, are now holding the most expensive object in the world by value. Let me touch it just once. Oh no, wait — I might drop it. I’ll just look at it with my eyes.”

At that moment, as I gazed at the radiant light, I clenched my hand.

Crack.

A fissure appeared on the Supreme Night Bright Pearl.

It was enough to wake the dying Jisaeng with a start. His eyes widened painfully, and a scream was let out — by Seodaeryong.

“Waaaaaah!”

Even a stab wound wouldn’t have caused such a scream.

“Don’t touch it! Why are you doing this?”

I applied a bit more force.

Crack-crack-crack.

The Supreme Night Bright Pearl began to shatter in my hand.

“Waaaaaah!”

Seodaeryong screamed again. If he reacted that way, imagine how Jisaeng must have felt — tears were streaming down Jisaeng’s face.

In a trembling voice, Seodaeryong said,

“Even if you want to cause pain to that man, how can you break the Supreme Night Bright Pearl?”

His voice trembled, and his expression said, This isn’t right.

“Hurry up and take off your clothes!”

“You really sound crazy!”

Though he said that, Seodaeryong quickly took off his upper garment.

“Spread it out in front!”

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Pieces of the broken Night Bright Pearl fell onto Seodaeryong’s clothes.

Among the shards, I found something.

“It’s here!”

I picked up a small object lying among the fragments.

Black and lustrous like a black pearl, it was a single pill.

The Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination.

It was the most potent medicinal pill made by combining every extreme poison.

“This Supreme Night Bright Pearl is fake. It was made to hide this Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination.”

Before the regression, I’d heard news that the pill was found inside a Supreme Night Bright Pearl. Among the martial outlaws, a fierce fight over the pearl broke out, and this was discovered by chance.

I knew who possessed the real Supreme Night Bright Pearl, but I hadn’t known that this fake one was kept in Jisaeng’s hands.

“This is the safest place in the world to hide it. No one would have the courage to break this.”

Seodaeryong and Jisaeng looked greatly surprised. It must have been unimaginable to them.

“How did you know?”

To Seodaeryong’s surprised question, I answered as always.

“Is there anything I don’t know?”

As always, Seodaeryong shook his head and didn’t ask further.

“If it were any other pill, I’d share it with you, but this is one no one else but me can take. Only the Invincible One Against All Poisons can consume it.”

Seodaeryong is the only person who knows I am the Invincible One Against All Poisons.

“Even if it’s something I can take, Master Gakju should consume it.”

Seodaeryong’s gaze shifted to the corpse of the fake Jisaeng.

“If I’m threatened like that man, I’d immediately run to you and tell everything. Beg to be saved. Ask you to take responsibility. And for that to happen, you need to be stronger.”

Even if it were an ordinary medicinal pill, Seodaeryong would have yielded to me with words like these. I give one, and he returns ten. What about you?

“This pill, I wouldn’t have /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ gotten it if it weren’t for you. Thank you, Investigator Seo.”

Had I not noticed Jisaeng’s longing gaze at the wall, he might have remained buried here underground forever.

“Let’s call this pill ‘Investigator’s Keen Eye.’”

“In introducing you, I’ll add ‘keen-eyed’ to your description.”

“My introduction is so long I can’t even remember it now.”

Seodaeryong smiled happily. Who would dislike someone assigning such meaning to their existence? In life, it’s hard even to gain one meaningful label.

“I will guard you, so take it quickly, Master Gakju.”

I sat down cross-legged right there.

Seeing that, Jisaeng groaned again. He was genuinely in pain. Though the pain was worse than being seared by hot iron, the heavens would not let him go easily.

I swallowed the Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination.

Becoming the Invincible One Against All Poisons and obtaining this miraculous pill here felt like destiny.

The heat and intense energy flowed down my throat stronger than any pill I’d ever taken. The energy was so potent it felt like my internal organs were burning up.

I controlled my body with breath regulation and started melting the pill’s energy. The energy raced through my meridians and spread to every tiny vessel in my body. Without the ultimate refinement techniques and my poison-resistant body, I could never have endured this energy.

After fully melting the pill’s energy and circulating my vital energy through the world, a grand and pure internal force settled into my dantian.

The fullness I felt in my dantian was different from previous pills. It wasn’t just, “Ah, I have a lot of internal energy,” but rather a sense of stepping up to the next stage of internal energy.

It was as if my internal energy said, “I am now ready to meet a new world.”

“Congratulations, Master Gakju.”

“Again, it’s thanks to you. Thank you, right hand.”

I felt truly good. I had to become stronger. Only then could I protect everyone.

I carefully folded the green cloth that wrapped the Supreme Night Bright Pearl in the box and tucked it into my bosom. Later, it would be revealed that this was also a very important item.

At that moment, Jisaeng, whom I thought dead, suddenly opened his eyes wide. He was tenaciously alive and begged with desperate eyes.

“Please release my acupoint just once.”

He had many questions and much he wanted to say. But I was resolute.

“Have you ever fulfilled even one plea from a person begging you?”

Regret and resentment peaked, then life left Jisaeng’s eyes. His lips moved one last time.

“It’s all mine.”

With those words, he breathed his last.

He might have been expected to realize the futility of greed and prepare for his final moments, but he never let go of his greed. Even in death, he bore all the Night Bright Pearls and swallowed the Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination, boarding the ferry to the afterlife.

This is why the righteous path can never endure such fierce desire and the malice it contains. Someone will be deceived by those desperate eyes and grant another chance. Because they plead so, because death is near, because they are still human.

Evil doesn’t just grow. It feeds on the goodwill of others while it grows. Even in death, it sows seeds of malice in the hearts of those who showed kindness — that is true evil.

Anyway, with this, all the villains related to the Night Bright Pearl enterprise met their end.

“I don’t think I could do what you do, Master Gakju. To punish villains so decisively.”

“You mustn’t do like me.”

“What do you mean?”

I looked straight into his eyes and said,

“You have to be yourself.”

A faint smile appeared on Seodaeryong’s lips.

“Yes, I will be myself.”

Seodaeryong gathered the sack containing the Night Bright Pearls, and I hoisted the fake Jisaeng’s corpse onto my side.

Looking down at the real Jisaeng’s corpse, I said,

“Your death is only the beginning.”

Everything vanished.

The lives of villains, their greed, their shallow faith, betrayal, regrets, their lifelong hoarded wealth, and even Seodaeryong and I — all the tangled threads disappeared.

“Since Master Lee is so outstanding, we probably aren’t needed.”

At Duke Dok’s words, Geugak Soma glanced back.

The two had once struggled to speak even a single word, but once they started, they could hold conversations quite well.

“Isn’t that right?”

Geom Mugeuk said he would finish things himself and took Seodaeryong alone.

“Did you want to follow?”

“Not necessarily.”

In truth, Duke Dok wanted to follow. He wanted to watch how the task would be completed, but since it was just the two of them, he felt a bit left out.

“There will be many tasks for us to handle going forward. Especially Yalyulhan is not someone Master Lee can handle alone.”

A shadow of worry flickered in Geugak Soma’s eyes. Duke Dok nodded in agreement. Even if they did not go outside, as Majons, they could see and hear much.

“Yalyulhan is the most dangerous and toxic among poisons.”

Geugak Soma’s worry did not end with Yalyulhan.

“I heard there are absolute masters guarding Yalyulhan separate from the Four Generals. Yalyulhan is strong, but those masters are not to be underestimated. We might have to risk our lives then.”

Their opponent was the second-in-command of the Satan Alliance. Hidden blades would surely be there, but how sharp and how many were unknown.

Duke Dok asked Geugak Soma,

“Would you really risk your life for Master Lee?”

Geugak Soma paused a moment before answering.

“I enjoy fighting alongside Master Lee.”

Duke Dok heard that as a declaration of willingness to risk life for Master Lee.

Duke Dok felt envious. He had no one. No one to risk life for him, or for whom he would risk his own life.

So out of frustration, he said,

“I came out because of the leader’s orders and had no choice…”

Geugak Soma looked silently at Duke Dok. His eyes asked, “Is that really true?”

Duke Dok almost said yes but then paused in thought. Perhaps it was Master Lee’s grief, his efforts, and the joy of meeting him that influenced his feelings.

Perhaps other reasons also played a part. So he never answered.

“It’s hot today.”

Duke Dok idly opened a fan and began to wave it softly.

Geom Mugeuk and Seodaeryong returned to their quarters.

“The matter has been well resolved.”

Geom Mugeuk told the Majons everything that had happened and everything gained. Although it was information they didn’t need to know, he told it all honestly without leaving anything out.

There was only one thing he excluded: the Supreme Night Bright Pearl and the Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination. Explaining how he knew about the pill inside the pearl would be problematic, and it wasn’t yet time to reveal that he was the Invincible One Against All Poisons.

“I’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”

At my words, Duke Dok asked,

“Who’s the next target?”

“The one with the black snake tattoo, Aecha. He is also the leader of the True Poison Master.”

“You’ll finally meet that third-rate poison fighter.”

Duke Dok’s insult was something only he could get away with. The True Poison Master was no laughing matter. He was the representative poison master of the outlaws.

Aecha worked with the True Poison Master, selling medicines like Guangpok and Heukbi.

“Have you ever met the True Poison Master, Duke Dok?”

“No.”

Duke Dok shook his head at my question.

“Good. If you knew his face, it would be hard to approach him secretly. We will definitely need your help this time, Duke Dok.”

Duke Dok nodded. He was determined to help actively on this mission. He was deeply displeased with the True Poison Master, who manufactured harmful drugs and sold them on the streets. More than anything, it was a matter of pride for the poison people.

“According to Geodaeryong’s intelligence, the True Poison Master produces Guangpok and Heukbi in the deepest part of Aecha’s residence. Of course, the place is guarded so tightly that infiltration is nearly impossible.”

At that moment, Seodaeryong cautiously asked,

“But is it okay to eliminate Aecha as well? Jisaeng is dead, and if Aecha dies in succession, Yalyulhan might get suspicious.”

“We have to make it look like an unexplainable death. Let them think it’s just coincidence.”

“How?”

All eyes turned to me. I was thinking of one way. Whether it would work or not, I couldn’t be sure.

“Since this began with Guangpok, I intend to end it with Guangpok.”