Absolute Regression
Chapter 849 : Had You Ever Asked the Cult Leader
When Cha Iran arrived at Geom Mugeuk’s residence, she encountered someone unexpected at the entrance.
“Huh?”
She was someone who wouldn’t so much as blink even when facing vicious demonic practitioners, yet there was only one person who could fluster her like this—he was none other than the Sword King.
The two lowered their heads and greeted each other.
“The Young Cult Leader said we should have a meal together.”
“The same for me.”
It was clear that Geom Mugeuk had called both of them without saying a word. Since even the Sword King already knew that Cha Iran had feelings for him, meeting like this felt extremely awkward.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
The two stepped into the place from which a delicious aroma was wafting.
“Brother Ak, you’re here? Welcome, Unit Leader Cha.”
Geom Mugeuk was cooking in the courtyard. On the large table, alcohol and dishes had already been set, and beside it, meat was being grilled.
“If you wait just a moment, you can eat.”
At that moment, Lee Ahn came out from inside the building carrying cups, bowls, and chopsticks.
Cha Iran greeted her first.
“Leader.”
“Unit Leader Cha, you’ve come?”
Looking at the dishes laid out on the table, Cha Iran asked Lee Ahn,
“Is today some kind of special day?”
Then Lee Ahn asked Geom Mugeuk the same question.
“Is today some kind of special day?”
“The Drunken Demon gifted me some good liquor, so it’s a day to share a drink with friends. And at the same time, it’s also the day our Brother Ak announces his new life plan.”
At those words, Cha Iran looked at him as if asking what he meant, while the Sword King appeared flustered, as if hearing it for the first time.
Cha Iran quickly grasped the situation.
“Since even the Heavenly Killing Star has disappeared, you must be in need of new prey.”
At her joke, the Sword King nodded.
“We came from that side, didn’t we?”
This time, Cha Iran nodded in agreement.
“Don’t misunderstand! Today’s prey is this meat I cooked.”
Geom Mugeuk cut the meat he had been grilling and brought it to the table.
“This is the first time the four of us are eating together, right?”
It was also a gathering Geom Mugeuk had planned. He had wanted to drink with the four of them like this, and as it happened, the Sword King provided the justification, while the Drunken Demon provided the good liquor.
After tasting the Drunken Demon’s liquor, Cha Iran admired its flavor.
“It’s really delicious.”
It was her first time tasting it—a flavor that naturally lifted one’s mood.
Lee Ahn sent a voice transmission to Geom Mugeuk.
—You set this up to bring those two together, didn’t you?
—No.
—Then what is it?
—I just wanted to hang out with you. Those two were called along as an extra.
Even though she knew that wasn’t true, the pleasant words made Lee Ahn smile.
Watching them exchange voice transmissions and smile, the Sword King shook his head. How could he not know what Geom Mugeuk was scheming? He must be trying to bring up the inn business to Cha Iran.
At that moment, Cha Iran asked the Sword King,
“Do you still wish to leave?”
The Sword King had already completely abandoned any intention of leaving.
“It seems that the place I arrived at, after leaving, is here.”
At those words, Cha Iran smiled. It was the same for her as well.
“Oh, right. You said you would take charge of training our unit’s swordsmanship, didn’t you?”
Geom Mugeuk cut into their conversation.
“That might be difficult. Brother Ak is planning a new business.”
“What kind of business?”
“He’s trying to build the largest inn in the Central Plains.”
Geom Mugeuk explained what kind of inn it would be—luxurious and splendid, with a strict rule that no fighting would be allowed within it.
“He’s currently looking for business partners. Someone meticulous and decisive would be ideal. Our Brother Ak is surprisingly soft-hearted.”
Geom Mugeuk openly revealed his true intentions.
“Unit Leader Cha, are you interested in this kind of business? You must have earned quite a bit to invest.”
When Cha Iran hesitated to answer, the Sword King stepped in.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
He was trying to prevent Cha Iran from feeling pressured. Of course, that wasn’t enough to stop Geom Mugeuk.
“I’m not telling the two of you to date. I’m just giving Unit Leader Cha a chance.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to Cha Iran. She could feel it. He truly was giving her a chance, just as he said.
Not a chance to run an inn business, but a chance to hold onto this man named Ak Gunhak.
Her current relationship with Ak Gunhak was ambiguous. If only he didn’t know that she liked him, it wouldn’t have been this awkward.
If she couldn’t create some kind of change, things would simply end like this without clarity. Moreover, if that inn business truly went forward, they wouldn’t have any reason to meet within the cult either.
Geom Mugeuk’s eyes seemed to be telling her this:
You’re an assassin, aren’t you? Your target is right in front of you. Don’t let it slip away!
Soon, her answer came out.
“I’m interested.”
Since he hadn’t expected Cha Iran to say that, the Sword King was slightly taken aback.
“I want to participate in that business as well.”
The Sword King asked her,
“Were you interested in running an inn?”
Cha Iran answered honestly.
“No. Not even once have I ever thought about running an inn for the rest of my life.”
“Then why?”
Cha Iran looked straight at the Sword King and mustered her final courage.
“I’m still holding onto your right foot.”
The Sword King understood what that meant.
On the day they first reunited at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Geom Mugeuk had jokingly said that he would grab Ak Gunhak’s left leg so he couldn’t run away, so she should firmly hold onto his right leg.
Because of that, he knew just how much courage it had taken for her to say this.
This was her confession.
The Sword King didn’t dislike her either.
It would be a lie to say he disliked someone as beautiful as her—beautiful enough to contend for the title of the greatest beauty under the heavens—but precisely because of that, she also felt burdensome. More importantly, he still didn’t really know what kind of person she was.
“Don’t we not know each other very well?”
Staring quietly at the Sword King, Cha Iran replied,
“Does knowing someone for a long time mean you truly understand them?”
She looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“Did you decide to change your life only after you fully understood what kind of person the Young Cult Leader was?”
At least, she hadn’t.
And neither had the Sword King. Even now, he still didn’t fully know what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was.
Yet despite that, they had become friends. They had seen a single admirable facet of him, been captivated by its intensity, and changed their lives.
When the Sword King gave no answer, Cha Iran emptied the cup in front of her and spoke.
“Don’t feel burdened. I only said it because I felt like if not today, I’d never be able to. I hope your business prospers.”
She greeted Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn as well.
“Thank you for inviting me today. The drinks and food were really delicious.”
She had no regrets. If she had left without properly saying it, she would have regretted it forever.
Just as she stood up from her seat, the Sword King spoke firmly.
“Let’s do it.”
Startled, Cha Iran looked at him.
“Let’s open an inn together.”
The Sword King picked up the bottle, gesturing for her to receive a drink.
“They said no fighting inside the inn, but let’s beat up the bastards who refuse to listen until the very end and run it together. If it fails, the two of us can curse that guy to our hearts’ content. Saying he coaxed us into opening some ridiculous inn and we completely ruined it.”
Cha Iran sat back down, received his drink, and said,
“If I don’t start, I won’t do it at all. But if I do, I’ll make it the greatest inn in the Central Plains.”
At that momentum, even the Sword King inwardly flinched. This must be why he needed her.
Then Cha Iran belatedly looked at Lee Ahn and said,
“Oh, right. I should have gotten your permission first, Leader.”
Lee Ahn replied playfully,
“You should have. Unauthorized departure is a serious crime, you know?”
“How about this? We’ll let you and the Young Cult Leader use our inn for free for life.”
“That sounds acceptable.”
Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk and the Sword King were exchanging voice transmissions.
—This is an unexpected variable. Brother Ak! I think you’ve already had the inn stolen by Unit Leader Cha! Maybe even yourself.
—Don’t think you can push me down this path and slip away alone.
—I’ll have to see whether you live well or not before I decide.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
What had started as a casual thought of “maybe we should try running an inn” had turned into Geom Mugeuk building it into the greatest inn in the Central Plains, and even setting the stage for him to be with the greatest beauty under the heavens.
Both the Martial Alliance Leader and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader had been carefully watching and striving to recruit him, yet this Young Cult Leader was trying to send him away like this.
To live his own life.
‘Thank you, my friend.’
Geom Mugeuk raised his cup high and said,
“Now then, to our lifelong free inn!”
---
The next day, when Geom Mugeuk visited the Heavenly Poison Forest carrying a bottle of liquor, Sangseon—the Poison King’s right-hand man—welcomed him.
“It’s been a while, Young Cult Leader.”
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve been well. Young Cult Leader, congratulations on defeating your great enemy.”
As they walked together while exchanging small talk, Sangseon suddenly said something unexpected.
“Oh, and please don’t be surprised today.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the battle at Maga Village, the Poison King has changed a bit.”
“Don’t tell me he completely shut himself off from the outside world and retreated into his own?”
At that, Sangseon gave an unexpected answer.
“No. The opposite.”
“What?”
“You’ll understand when you see him.”
Sangseon smiled meaningfully.
Soon, Geom Mugeuk arrived at the Poison King’s workshop. The Poison King was alone inside. Sitting on the large worktable, he lifted his head and greeted Geom Mugeuk.
“You’re here?”
At the unfamiliar sight of the Poison King greeting him first, Geom Mugeuk flinched. He had always been someone deeply immersed in his own world.
“Have you eaten?”
Seeing him even asking about a meal, Geom Mugeuk shouted,
“Who are you? Who are you to be inside the Poison King’s body?”
The Poison King laughed and looked at the bottle Geom Mugeuk was holding.
“Is that liquor? Bring it here.”
It felt like he was a completely different person. Now he understood why Sangseon had told him not to be surprised.
With a bewildered expression, Geom Mugeuk approached and handed him the liquor he had brought.
The Poison King drank straight from the bottle. He wiped the liquor that had run down his mouth with his sleeve.
“Just now, I unfortunately failed in mixing the Blood Serpent Deadly Poison. I thought I would succeed this time. But what kind of liquor is this that it tastes so good?”
“The liquor tastes good because it was given by the Drunken Demon.”
Geom Mugeuk stared intently at the Poison King’s face.
“Were you always like this?”
“What was I like?”
“You hardly spoke, and you were always deeply lost in your own thoughts.”
“That won’t do. A person who handles poison must be more cold and rational than anyone else.”
Thinking about it, that was true. How could someone who blankly stared at poisonous insects possibly handle poisons capable of killing hundreds, thousands in an instant?
Just as he himself had a solitary side, the Poison King also had another side hidden within him.
“Demonic Buddha! Look at this. You’ve been completely deceived all this time! You were being used as an herb gatherer by someone this cold and calculating!”
At Geom Mugeuk’s shout, the Poison King gave a faint smile and held out the bottle. Geom Mugeuk drank deeply as well before asking again,
“Why did you act like that?”
“It wasn’t an act.”
“Then?”
“You can’t reach the ultimate essence of poison arts by only being cold and rational. You have to go mad over poison, stare at poisonous creatures all day, and think of nothing but poison to complete poison arts.”
There were times one had to completely immerse oneself in one’s own world, and times one had to remain rational like this.
Only by possessing both sides could one reach the final realm of true poison arts.
“If poison is used incorrectly, it doesn’t just kill you. It kills your family, your comrades, even passersby. That’s why, if you’re not prepared to go mad over poison, you shouldn’t learn poison arts in the first place.”
Perhaps, of those two opposing sides, the Poison King had found it more comfortable to remain immersed in his own world.
But now, he had closed the door to that world and stepped out. It felt as though even if he came again tomorrow or the day after, he would remain like this.
“It’s because of my father, isn’t it?”
The Poison King, who had been drinking, flinched.
Until now, the Poison King’s existence had been the strongest deterrent to war. But once war broke out, he would become the most powerful weapon of the cult.
This intelligent Poison King understood it. With the death of the Heavenly Killing Star, a real war would now begin.
Not a battle to protect the Young Cult Leader, but his father’s war to unify the martial world. In the end, this change in the Poison King meant only one thing.
The Poison King had begun preparing for war.
Handing him the bottle, Geom Mugeuk said,
“Please teach me just one method to create an antidote.”
“What kind of antidote is immunity to all poisons?”
Then unexpected words came from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“I mean an antidote that can stop the unification of the martial world.”
The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk. No matter how much his words and actions had changed, the person inside was still the same Poison King who once barked nonsense alongside him.
“You can only make an antidote if you properly understand poison.”
In the past, the Poison King had said it. The flower of poison arts was not poisoning, but detoxification.
“Have you ever asked the Cult Leader about the martial world unification he dreams of?”
“!”
He had never asked his father yet. What kind of world he dreamed of.
“If you want to make an antidote, you must first know exactly what kind of poison it is.”
The Poison King’s advice, like the Drunken Demon’s advice, told him what he needed to do first when he sat at that table.
Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for your words. Thanks to you, I think I understand how to create the antidote.”
But the Poison King didn’t just give him a clue to the antidote. He also left him with a question—whether he should truly detoxify that poison.
“That day, the Cult Leader had resolved himself to die.”
The Poison King’s gaze deepened as he recalled that moment.
“He was determined to save you at all costs. He was sincere.”
Could he even dare to imagine his father’s feelings as he entrusted his safety to the Poison King? Or the feelings of the Poison King who received that command?
“Seeing that you were the one he entrusted his son to at the end, it seems you were the one my father trusted the most.”
The Poison King shook his head.
“That can’t be.”
Perhaps the relationship between the Poison King and his father was like the relationship he himself had once had with his father before regression—blocked by walls of misunderstanding, rigidity, and prejudice.
“Someday, you should speak openly with my father about poison arts. Show him this side of you as well. It might not be as bad as you think.”
Talk with the Cult Leader? That was not an easy thing for the Poison King.
“Just like today, there are days when no matter how much effort and care you put in, you still fail to mix poison.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk spoke casually, for the sake of improving the relationship between his father and the Poison King.
“Shall I teach you one method for making an antidote as well?”
With an expression that said this was a true secret he would only share with him, Geom Mugeuk whispered,
“Starting today, practice fishing.”
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