Absolute Regression

Do you think the Poison King is trapped in his own world?

“Isn’t he?”

I asked my father back, fully believing that he was. Did Father not think so? What kind of person did Father believe the Poison King to be?

However, Father didn’t bring it up to explain what kind of person the Poison King was or what his world was like. He said it to say this:

“How open is your world?”

Father glanced at me briefly before silently retreating to his quarters.

I stood there, contemplating Father’s words. And then, I realized what he meant.

Father was asking me this:

How is your cry for a new martial way any different from the Poison King? To others, don’t you also seem trapped in your own world? 1

Of course, he wasn’t saying that I was exactly like the Poison King, who disliked meeting people and preferred being alone.

It was about my approach to the Poison King. That if I viewed him from that perspective, he would never open his heart.

The Poison King must have sensed it—that I was seeing him as someone trapped in his own world. Countless others must have seen him that way, too. I was no different. Asking him to leave the Thousand Poisons Forest was a mistake from the start.

“Thank you, Father! As expected, you are the wisest and most broad-minded in the world….”

Before I could finish, the lights in the house went out. 2

“…And cold-hearted, too.”

I bowed my head respectfully toward my father’s quarters and then turned back to my own.

Providing me with a clue could be disadvantageous to Father. But he enlightened me nonetheless. It was the affection of a parent helping a child seeking guidance, despite the wager.

* * *

The next day, when I visited the Thousand Poisons Forest, the Poison King wasn’t in his residence.

I looked for him, scanning the surrounding forest. After searching for a while, I found him deep within the woods.

He was lying flat on the ground, engaged in a staring contest with a snake.

The Poison King, when in conversation, could converse well, but once he got absorbed in something, he wouldn’t notice if someone died beside him.

Even now, he was in a trance, oblivious to my presence nearby. Seeing him like this, I had thought he was trapped in his own world. I considered him eccentric, and without realizing it, I thought myself superior to him.

This was what Father had made me realize. Not to do that. He wasn’t trapped; he was simply living his own life.

As I approached, I realized it wasn’t just any ordinary snake.

It was the Flower King Seven-Step Snake, a mythical serpent with a deadly venom. It was called the Flower King because of its affinity for flowers, and the Seven-Step Snake because even a martial artist with profound internal strength would die before taking seven steps if bitten.

Then, the Poison King spoke to the snake.

“Hey, you’ve been getting cocky lately. Since when did you start raising your head and defying me like that?”

At his words, the Flower King Seven-Step Snake lowered its head. It almost seemed like it understood him, though that seemed impossible.

“And didn’t I tell you not to eat the Guihwa Fruit under any circumstances, no matter what? Why don’t you ever listen? Do you want to be soaked in fire wine to come to your senses?”

The Flower King Seven-Step Snake coiled itself up and tucked its head inside the coil. Could it really understand human speech? It must have been a coincidence. 3

In all my life, having seen all kinds of things, this was a first.

Then, another snake slithered by. This one was equally venomous, known as the Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake. It was another rare sight.

“Wol-ah!”

At his call, the Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake stopped and looked at the Poison King. Flicking its tongue, the Poison King addressed it.

“King here, you know he’s a troublemaker, right?”

The Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake glanced at the Flower King Seven-Step Snake and flicked its tongue as if in agreement.

“If King bothers you, come and tell me, alright?”

Whether the snake understood him or not was uncertain, but as soon as he finished speaking, the Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake disappeared into the underbrush.

“You should go too!”

With that, the Flower King Seven-Step Snake also slithered into the forest.

It was truly an unbelievable sight, even as I witnessed it firsthand.

The Poison King stood up and, noticing me, jumped in surprise.

“Oh! You scared me!”

“I’m more surprised. How can the Poison King, of all people, be so startled just because someone is nearby?”

Of course, if someone had approached with killing intent or malice, the Poison King would have noticed immediately. Those who hold the title of Demon Supreme are not to be underestimated in martial prowess. A Demon Supreme is still a Demon Supreme. When they go wild, no one can predict who will win or lose. They’re simply keeping their true abilities hidden.

“If you asked the assassins which of the Eight Demon Supremes they would want to kill, they’d all line up behind the Poison King’s nameplate! Even a novice on their first mission would succeed.”

“Then they’d get bitten to death by King.”

“You even named that snake?”

“Have you never seen a Poison King name a snake before?”

The Poison King strode off confidently.

Of course, I hadn’t! I followed after him, still in awe of what I had just seen.

“When did you start getting close to the snakes?”

“I’ve been catching snakes since I was seven. King and Wol were around even back then.”

“You were quite young.”

“In our time, that’s when everyone started.”

There was a mix of sorrow and nostalgia in the Poison King’s eyes as he recalled his childhood. It was a glimpse into why he was so reluctant to leave this place.

“If you’ve been here since you were seven, then this place is truly your world.”

The Poison King stopped in his tracks and glanced at me.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to take me out of this world?”

“No, not anymore. I regret saying that now.”

“Why?”

“I still want to show you the outside world, but I realize now that I shouldn’t have put it that way. I was being arrogant, and I’m truly sorry.”

When you’re sorry, you apologize sincerely. I didn’t try to justify my actions or explain why I behaved that way. The reasons are for the one granting forgiveness to consider, not for the one asking.

But whether he heard me or not, he was already absorbed in looking at a poisonous insect on a tree.

Seeing the Poison King once again engrossed in something, I couldn’t help but smile.

What could he be thinking now? Maybe he was even trying to have a conversation with that insect.

This was his world, and this was an open world.

* * *

Several days passed again.

I focused quietly on my tasks, and the Poison King continued to enjoy immersing himself in his own world.

The only thing that changed over those days was my attitude towards the Poison King’s world. Now, I was trying to understand it—the world of a seven-year-old child who went around catching venomous snakes.

Today, the Poison King was staring thoughtfully at the poisonous mushrooms growing in a wooden box.

Then, he casually turned his head and suddenly shouted.

“You scared me!”

I had been quietly standing beside him, looking at the same wooden box he was staring at.

“Are you trying to keep startling me?”

“Seeing those poisonous mushrooms grow well puts me at ease. Does that mean I’ve also become a poison expert?”

“How long have you been here to start calling yourself a poison expert?”

“Maybe I should just live here. The Thousand Poisons Forest feels like home now.”

“If you think getting close will change anything, you’re mistaken.”

“It’s better if nothing changes. I like you just the way you are, Poison King.”

“What?”

The Poison King shouted as he looked at me.

“That won’t work! These little tricks won’t work on me!”

His voice, rejecting me, grew louder and louder. But that was proof that I was getting closer to him.

* * *

From the entrance of the Thousand Poisons Forest to the Poison King’s residence, Sangseon always guided me.

“I can go in alone now.”

“There could still be dangerous poisonous creatures lurking around.”

But that wasn’t the only reason. Sangseon continued to lead me down confusing paths and never let down his guard around me.

I sensed that this was due to his deep loyalty to the Poison King. The eyes of someone who genuinely likes and is loyal to another always show it, one way or another.

“I have something to ask the elder.”

“Go ahead.”

“When did you first meet the Poison King?”

“I’ve known him since he was a child.”

“What was he like in his youth?”

Sangseon paused.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

“He wasn’t much different from now. Intelligent, thoughtful, cheerful, and bright. He had the qualities of a leader.”

I bit back the words, “Isn’t that completely different from now?”

It seemed Sangseon wouldn’t take my joke as just a joke. His affection for the Poison King was more than mere loyalty—it was akin to that of an uncle or even a parent.

Looking at him reminded me of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

* * *

I couldn’t say for sure whether the Poison King was intelligent, thoughtful, cheerful, bright, or had leadership qualities, but one thing was certain: he was charming. Not just because of his youthful appearance, but for small details like this.

The Poison King wore twelve pouches on his belt, each adorned with a drawing. They depicted the twelve animals of the zodiac, rendered in a vibrant and cute style that might appear on children’s clothes. At first, I had overlooked them, but now I understood. 4

“You chose these yourself, didn’t you?”

“I drew them myself.”

I was startled. He had drawn all of these?

“No one would ever guess that the Poison King’s lethal poisons are stored in such adorable pouches.”

You’d expect the Poison King’s poison pouches to be adorned with images of demons, or inscribed with ominous characters like 魔 (Ma), 殺 (Kill), 惡 (Evil), or 死 (Death). When all those pouches were opened, it would be like unleashing hell itself. In fact, that’s why it felt even stranger and more terrifying.

“Which pouch contains the deadliest poison? Surely not the one with the cute little rabbit?” 5

“Shall we find out?”

He reached toward the rabbit pouch.

“No, thank you!”

I waved my hands and quickly stepped back. Seeing this, the Poison King laughed, then suddenly grew serious. It was the first time I had seen him smile so broadly at me. He seemed surprised at himself for smiling. I pretended not to notice the entire thing, even though I had seen it all.

* * *

The next day, there was an important poison concoction to be made.

Unlike his usual demeanor, the Poison King had a serious expression as he explained the day’s poison preparation.

“This here is the Celestial Heart Poison, one of the key ingredients for the Deadly Soul Severing Poison, one of the most lethal poisons I use. A single drop of this Celestial Heart Poison can kill dozens. Now, you should stand over there… Ah, you’re already at a distance.”

I was already standing by the door, ready to dash out at any moment.

The Poison King searched for something on his desk.

“It was here somewhere… Where did it go?”

“What are you looking for?”

“My gloves.”

He was looking for his green leather gloves, used for handling poisons.

“Are you looking for these?”

I held up the gloves I was wearing.

“Why are you wearing them?”

“You said this poison was extremely dangerous.”

“Then what about me?”

“Why would the Poison King need gloves?”

“Bring them over, now.”

I quickly took them off and handed them to him.

“What’s that in your mouth?”

I pulled out two detoxifying pearls that I had been holding in my cheeks and showed them to him. The Poison King shook his head in disbelief, seeing me with not one but two of those beads.

“With that much, I probably couldn’t kill you.”

Of course, it was a joke. If the Poison King truly wanted to kill me, no amount of detoxifying pearls would protect me from his toxins.

I was playing around, trying to get closer to him. It was part of my efforts to bond with him. If he really had been a bright and cheerful person in his youth, then somewhere deep inside him, those qualities must still be there.

The Poison King put on his gloves and began preparing the poison in earnest.

“If even the slightest amount is off, a blue smoke will rise. That means it has failed. Be very careful and focused. This is a method only I can perform.”

The Poison King demonstrated the process of mixing the Celestial Heart Poison to create the Deadly Soul Severing Poison. Since I couldn’t identify the other ingredients, it wasn’t so much a demonstration of how to make the poison as it was showing how meticulous and cautious the process needed to be.

He could have done it alone after sending me away, but it seemed he wanted to show off.

“Did you see that? How meticulous and careful you need to be.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, blue smoke started to rise behind him.

“Poison King!”

“Get out, now!”

I quickly rushed outside. After drinking the antidote from his pocket, the Poison King poured a nearby liquid onto the smoking area.

Sizzle!

The smoke intensified.

“Poison King! Poison King!”

I hesitated, wondering if I should run back in and rescue him since he hadn’t come out quickly.

Just then, the Poison King emerged, waving away the poisonous smoke as he stepped outside.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course, I’m fine.”

He scattered the cloud of poison smoke from his mouth with a hand fan.

“The path of poison arts truly isn’t an easy one.”

“I failed on purpose. To warn you about how careful you need to be.”

“…” 6

“…”

“Of course, you failed on purpose. There’s no way the Poison King, the greatest poison master in the martial world, would fail at concocting one of his usual poisons…”

“Enough.”

“Yes.”

I smiled brightly at him. The Poison King looked at me, unsure how to react. Oh, Poison King, you still don’t know. No one can tell yet who will stand victorious and who will stand in the Grand Martial Arena.

Just then, Sangseon came running toward us and quickly reported.

“A Special Investigator named Seo Daeryong from the Underworld Pavilion urgently requests to see you, Young Master.” 7

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1 : Hmmm, true, he does have an obsession. At least he’s not letting it control his life like before the fall of the cult. The main difference with the Poison King is that he goes out, builds new relationships, has fun (by plotting deviously about his caught fishes XDXDXD). In contrast, the Poison King never goes out willingly and forgets everyone.

2 : Curse of speeches XDXDXD

3 : Naaaah, you should know better than anyone that coincidences don’t exist around you XDXDXD

4 : It’s both cute, and even more terrifying XDXDXD

5 : Can you imagine your dismay when you die by rabbit overdose ? And not even the MontyPython’s version XDXDXD

6 : *Bruh face*

7 : Wasn’t it a few days ago that he swore he would never put a foot in this forest ? XDXDXD He’s so loyal, it’s cute ^^

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