Absolute Regression

“What kind of agreement?”

The Poison King seemed to be guessing my intentions.

“An agreement where you write a note and I teach you one poison technique each day? Something like that?”

“No.”

“Then is it an agreement stating that even if you steal my poisons or secretly learn my poison techniques, I won’t hold you responsible?”

“Poison King, your poisons and techniques are terrifying to me. I actually want to stay as far away from them as possible.”

“Then what kind of agreement is it?”

The agreement I intended to write was something the Poison King could never anticipate.

“It’s an agreement stating that if you lose this bet, you will leave your world.”

“What kind of world do you think mine is?”

“A world where you research alone, mix alone, think alone, laugh alone. A world where you dig into the ground alone. That very world.” 1

He leaned his face close to mine, absurdly youthful as it drew near to my nose.

But at that moment, I could feel it. Even though his body came closer, the person known as the Poison King had retreated from me. Standing at the boundary between his world and the outside world, he had stepped back and hidden away. 2

“All you have to do is take me to the Cult Leader and get his approval, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m here.”

“Then it doesn’t matter to you whether I stay in such a world or not, does it?”

“It matters.”

“How so?”

“Because I am destined to become the Heavenly Demon. As the next Heavenly Demon, I hope that our cult’s Poison King won’t be a lonely figure confined to himself, but a Poison King who wanders the world freely.”

“!”

“So, will you write and sign the agreement?”

The Poison King didn’t respond for a moment. He was probably curious about my true intentions. Wondering what I was aiming for by setting such conditions.

But he wouldn’t be able to know. He could never know that I was trying to prevent that dreadful event in the future.

“Why are you hesitating? It’s something that would only happen after you’ve lost, anyway. It shouldn’t matter, right?”

I had even added the condition that it would only happen if he lost the bet.

Even though he thought there was no way he could lose, he was still hesitating. Leaving this place seemed to be quite a burden for him.

I didn’t push him any further and picked up the brush.

“Anyway, it’s fine. I’ll write it. There’s so much I can learn from you, Poison King. Of course, I’ll write the agreement.”

I wrote an agreement stating that if I were to be poisoned by anything here in the Thousand Poisons Forest, it would be my own responsibility for coming here voluntarily, and not the Poison King’s fault. I sealed it with my signature. ℝΑ₦ꝋᛒĚS

The Poison King was genuinely surprised when I actually wrote the agreement. Even when I first brought it up, he hadn’t expected that I would really go through with it.

“Are you an idiot? Now, if I poison you and make you die a painful death, I’m not responsible.”

“That won’t happen.”

“And what makes you so confident?”

“Only the smartest people can master poison techniques. Among all the Demon Supremes, you’re the smartest, Poison King, so you wouldn’t do something so reckless.”

I glanced around as I spoke.

“Seeing this place, I understand now. The person who masters poison techniques is the smartest. You have to memorize all these poisonous herbs and toxins, and to make a poison, you need to combine and mix hundreds, even thousands, of elements, right? Not to mention, you have to create antidotes, too. And that’s not all—you have to truly master the art of poison crafting, right? Someone at the pinnacle of such intelligence wouldn’t do something foolish like that. You might dig the ground alone and laugh, but you wouldn’t do something that stupid.” 3

The Poison King’s eyes widened. His reaction was as endearing as he looked. His big eyes blinked a few times before he spoke in amazement.

“You’re quite the talker, aren’t you?”

At that moment, the Poison King was genuinely impressed.

Poison King, I haven’t even started yet.

“You won’t be bored with me around. Well then, I’ll get back to what I was doing.” 4

After handing him the agreement, I continued my work. I brought over a sack of poisonous herbs and began sorting through them. As he watched me organizing the herbs, the Poison King suddenly spoke up.

“So, what should I write? You wrote one, but I didn’t. That would make me look petty, wouldn’t it?”

In the end, he had decided to write the agreement.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just write that you’ll leave the Thousand Poisons Forest once every ten days. That’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

“Can I just stand at the entrance and then come back in?”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you step outside.”

“And what difference does that make?”

“The view from inside here and the view from just outside the gate are different, aren’t they?”

The Poison King stared at me in silence. Confused, aren’t you? If you’re a crazy person, then I’m known as one too. Let’s see who’s crazier, Poison King. Let’s have a contest. 5

The Poison King wrote the agreement and sealed it with his signature.

“Young Master, you’ve lost. I won’t be persuaded no matter what, so this agreement is just a piece of scrap paper. With my resolve, how do you think you can break it?”

In truth, I didn’t have any special plan to persuade him. As Gu Cheonpa had said, I was simply dealing with him the way I had always done with all the others.

“I’ll just have to do my best.”

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would bark in the middle of the Grand Martial Arena?”

“At least once in your life.”

“How did the other Demon Supremes fall for someone as sloppy as you? I don’t get it.”

The Poison King’s eyes were filled with confidence and sharpness. He was a different person now from the one who had been digging into the ground with dirt all over his face.

“Be careful. From now on, if you die, I’m not responsible.”

* * *

The next day, I worked diligently as if nothing had happened.

The Poison King thought that every action I took was calculated. Whenever I spoke, he habitually said this:

“I know you’re just trying to get on my good side. It’s all in vain!”

But I didn’t care what he thought.

If there was one plan within my planlessness, it was this:

Focus on the work, not the person.

I genuinely learned the tasks. Not because I intended to use the poisons for some purpose. Working here was a first for me, an experience unlike any I’d had before. There’s always something to be learned from a first experience. 6

“When else would I get the chance to carry sacks of poisonous herbs, sort them, and live a life like this? This is a valuable experience for me.”

I was living in a way that was different from anything I had done before. Even before my regression, I had never experienced anything like this.

I thought differently and used my body differently.

I hoped that this would positively influence both my life and my martial arts. Sometimes, no matter how hard you focus, you can’t come up with the thoughts you’re looking for. But then, while taking a bath or walking down the street, suddenly, they come to you.

It’s the same here. I hoped that this unfamiliar work in the Thousand Poisons Forest would bring a fresh perspective to my life and martial arts. I hoped that while sorting poisonous herbs, the Wind God’s Four Steps would attain Twelve Star Greatness. I hoped that while mixing poisons, I would gain new insights into life.

With that mindset, everything I did here was neither stressful nor boring; it was enjoyable.

I believed that eventually, an opportunity would arise to move the Poison King’s heart. That opportunity would come when I truly immersed myself in learning the poison techniques.

“Be careful! This time, pour exactly half!”

When else in my life would I have the chance to mix the fifteen ingredients of Soul-Severing Acid?

“That’s it! Perfect!”

I followed his instructions precisely. With my level of martial arts, how could I not do things accurately? I was probably the one who could best please him with my work among everyone in the Thousand Poisons Gate.

“By the way, do you usually do all this work by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“That must be exhausting.”

I already knew why he didn’t allow others into this place carelessly.

His dwelling was filled with fatal poisons, and if he took in disciples who mishandled them, having no corpses to bury would be the least of his problems.

In fact, the Thousand Poisons Forest was under the strict surveillance and investigation of the Heavenly Communication Pavilion. Whenever poison was used, it had to be reported, and its stock was constantly monitored. 7

After finishing the mix for the Soul-Severing Acid, I expressed my honest opinion with a satisfied look.

“This is fun! What poison will you mix next?”

Of course, he didn’t trust me.

“You’d probably be better off as a street performer than the future Heavenly Demon.”

“How about joining a performing troupe with me when we go to the Central Plains? With your looks, Poison King, you could even aim for a leading role.”

The Poison King grimaced. His expression clearly said it all. He didn’t even want to leave this place, and now what? Play the lead in a play?

“In your imagination just now, all the actors on stage and the audience were poisoned to death, weren’t they?”

“Do you think you’d have survived, Young Master?”

As he abruptly turned away, I shouted after him.

“The performance has been canceled!”

He didn’t even bother to acknowledge me as he walked off.

* * *

The Poison King wasn’t particularly interested in other people’s affairs.

Judging by the level of attention he gave to someone like me, who had come for such an important matter, it was easy to imagine how he viewed others in general. To him, people probably existed somewhere below the poisonous herbs.

Of course, he would occasionally ask impulsive questions. Just like now, the Poison King suddenly spoke up while grinding herbs.

“Hey, Young Master, be honest. You’re here to secretly learn poison techniques and kill your brother, aren’t you?”

I answered while pouring water into a large container.

“If my brother gets poisoned and dies while everyone knows I’m here with you, who do you think they’ll suspect first? If anything, I should be the one worried about my brother being poisoned to death.”

Thump! Thump! Instead of a rebuttal, the sound of the Poison King pounding the herbs grew louder.

“I have no interest in poisoning. If there’s one thing I could learn from you, it would be something else.”

“What would that be?”

He still didn’t look at me, focusing solely on grinding the herbs. While he could retreat back into his own world at any moment, my answer now was meant to firmly pull him back to this side.

“I want to learn detoxification techniques. The true art of poison isn’t in poisoning, but in detoxification, isn’t it?”

For a moment, the sound of grinding herbs stopped. His gaze was fixed on me. It was the most surprised I had seen him since we met. I had just voiced the very thought he was harboring.

“It’s only been a few days since I arrived, but from what I’ve observed, making an antidote that can perfectly neutralize a poison seems much more difficult than creating the poison itself. So, I thought this: a person who can create an antidote that completely neutralizes their own poison, someone who can swiftly detoxify any poison thrown by an opponent—that’s the true master of poison techniques, isn’t it?” 8

It’s not just about poisoning, but perfecting the art of detoxification that truly leads to mastering the essence of poison arts.

“Where did you hear that?”

From the next Poison King, who learned poison arts from you.

“It’s just my own thought. It might be a strange analogy, but it’s like martial arts. Capturing someone alive is harder than killing them.”

I threw my challenge at him. A match that would be most advantageous to me, someone immune to all poisons.

“Choose one poison and teach me detoxification techniques for it. I’ll detoxify it, and you’ll poison. How about it? Let’s have a match!” 9

You’ve spent your life mastering poison techniques; surely you can handle this, right? Isn’t this a matter of pride?

But I didn’t provoke him recklessly. A hasty provocation would clearly have the opposite effect.

Come on, Poison King, just say it. Let’s have a match!

If he agreed, this bet would be mine.

However, the Poison King didn’t give in so easily.

“No.”

At the Poison King’s firm refusal, I asked.

“Why not?”

“You think I don’t see through your ploy? You want me to say something like this: If you can detoxify my poison, then you win the bet. Isn’t that what you want to hear?”

I didn’t deny it. To be honest, if this weren’t my own issue, I would have applauded him.

“Just win the bet, then.”

“How can you be so sure you’d win? The detoxification technique is mine too, after all.”

The Poison King resumed grinding the herbs.

“Go practice barking instead, Young Master.”

* * *

That evening, I went to see my father.

The more I got to know the Poison King, the more frustration I felt. At times like these, you need someone to help you steel your resolve. In that regard, there was no one more suitable than my father.

Since I visited him just before he went to bed, I once again found myself face-to-face with my father in his pajamas.

“That floral pattern is different from the one I saw last time. This must be the best protective armor in the martial world. Enemies will see it and think, ‘No way, would the Heavenly Demon wear such pajamas?’ and just pass right by. It’s the safest outfit you could have!” 10

My father looked at me with a gaze that seemed to ask how long I intended to spout nonsense, but it seemed he had been expecting me to show up at some point.

“You knew all along, didn’t you, Father? That the Poison King isn’t someone who would just come over to my side.”

“Have you already given up?”

“Of course not. It’s just that I’ve never seen someone so deeply confined within their own world.”

The familiar smirk appeared on my father’s lips. Yes, I had come here today just to see that smile.

Seeing that smirk gave me strength. In fact, it even lifted my spirits.

Go ahead, enjoy yourself as much as you want now. I will definitely bring the Poison King before you.

I asked the question I had wanted to for some time.

“Father, you don’t like the Poison King, do you?”

Father neither confirmed nor denied it. He was someone who truly loved martial arts, so it was only natural for him to dislike poison techniques or soul-reaping arts.

“If you dislike him, why do you keep him alive? Why not just kill him?”

“Because he poses the greatest threat to our enemies.”

“But couldn’t he rebel or go mad and poison our own people?”

“If you want to wield the Poison King as a weapon for our cult, you have to accept that level of risk.”

“What if my brother or I end up dead in the process?”

“That, too, is a risk you have to accept.”

“Those are the kinds of things you can say when you’ve got about ten hidden children somewhere.”

“Why do you think I don’t?”

“There better not be. One brother alone is already this much trouble.”

A faint smile formed on my father’s lips. If Sima Myung or the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had said that, he might have burst into laughter. 11

“Like before, whenever I’m faced with a seemingly impenetrable wall, I think of you, Father. It’s enough just to see your face. I’ll take my leave now. Oh, by the way, if things keep going as they are, I might unintentionally disappoint you soon at the Grand Martial Arena.”

After joking around like that, I was about to turn and leave when my father suddenly asked.

“Do you really think the Poison King is confined to his own world?”

1 : Here we go, his usual seducing !!! By forcing him to go out to the world and interact with others, these new relationships and viewpoints might draw him away from his sociopathic ‘Let’s kill everyone for the sake of poison’ plan.

2 : Soma might hide his face behind a mask, but the Poison King hide his heart behind an eccentric mind.

3 : Yeah, one mistake could cause a catastrophic chain reaction and unleash a new Chernobyl (slightly exaggerated XDXDXD)

4 : That’s for sure, you will regret the day where you didn’t know the name of Geom Mugeuk ^ ^

5 : Geom Mugeuk versus an Outer God, who would win ?

6 : His open mindedness is both a prize he worked hard to acquire, and the lifeline that kept him (mostly) sane in his past life.

7 : It’s their equivalent of nuclear waste, I sure hope it is monitored *heavy sweating*

8 : True mastery implies complete control over every part of the processus. Plus, even if he have poison immunity, those around him does not. Having such techniques is better than the reverse.

9 : So reckless lol, I know he have his ace, but still XDXDXD

10 : I mean yeah, who would be reckless enough to spread rumors, or worse, attack him in such attire ??? It’s like attacking someone using the bathroom, only ghosts are rude enough for that XDXDXD

11 : Everyone get the preferential treatment except him XDXDXD

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