Absolute Regression

Chapter 647: Our Poison King, This Is For Him

Geom Mugeuk examined the interior and uncovered a fact.

“It seems this secret chamber was moved here from another place not too long ago.”

How did he figure that out?

Just as Geom Mugeuk said, this was a newly constructed underground secret chamber. It had originally been located beneath a secluded storage room inside the clinic, but a few years ago, it was rebuilt beneath his own quarters. The previous location was simply too inconvenient for use.

When So Jeongrak's gaze silently asked how he knew, Geom Mugeuk responded with a meaningful smile.

“Didn't I tell you earlier? You were probably extremely cautious at first, but over time, you must have let your guard down.”

So Jeongrak couldn’t refute those words. He had indeed become complacent.

By now, he was someone held in high esteem by everyone. Even if this place were to be discovered, all he had to say was that it was a research lab for developing antidotes. Since he handled poisons, the excuse of constructing a secure underground chamber was perfectly plausible.

But with Geom Mugeuk digging deeper, the situation began to shift.

If he pressed the issue with his eloquent tongue, claiming this place was for refining poison arts, then So Jeongrak might truly be branded as such a man.

After all, Geom Mugeuk had brought them all the way here without ever drawing his sword or even furrowing his brow. The key that unlocked this chamber was that three-inch tongue of his.

Soon, So Jeongrak calmed his heart.

‘Stay composed. That bastard must be nervous too.’

His gaze, which had been fixed on Geom Mugeuk, now turned toward the two old demons. The ones who needed to make a decision now were them.

No matter how dazzling Geom Mugeuk’s speech was, it couldn’t possibly be stronger than his poison.

Of course, if—though unlikely—the two old demons refused to listen, he planned to poison them with a lethal dose and use the antidote as leverage to kill them.

“Young Cult Leader’s words are lies. Here, we’ll release the golden seals on you both.”

So Jeongrak spoke as he walked over, gazing at the large stone bed at the center of the room.

“Look at this. Haven’t I even prepared a bed for the Great Technique?”

To anyone’s eyes, the place did indeed look like it was arranged for some grand ritual.

The expressions on the faces of the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon had also relaxed more than before.

But Geom Mugeuk’s eyes remained sharp.

“Looks like it’s a bed used for poison experiments.”

The Demon Flame Lord’s expression hardened as he asked Geom Mugeuk,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Look over at the side there.”

At the spot Geom Mugeuk pointed to, a red stain remained. The two old demons instantly recognized it as blood and their expressions grew cold.

Geom Mugeuk gently ran his hand over the stone bed and said,

“How many people do you think died here?”

The two old demons stared coldly at So Jeongrak.

Just a moment ago, hadn’t So Jeongrak spoken as if he had prepared this bed solely for them?

Yet performing a Great Technique in a place where people had died from poison—there was no way it could feel right.

So Jeongrak was inwardly flustered and irritated, but he forced himself to calmly acknowledge the truth.

“That’s correct. This was also the laboratory I used. Performing the Great Technique in a familiar place ensures there will be no mistakes.”

Though he didn’t deny it, the expressions of the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon remained unmoved.

So Jeongrak quickly changed the subject.

“The Great Technique will proceed without any issues. The basic ingredients are already prepared, and the remaining materials will be brought in on the day of the ritual.”

At his explanation, Geom Mugeuk looked over the herbs and remarked,

“Is that really so?”

The eyes of the two old demons turned toward Geom Mugeuk.

“There’s nothing here but poisonous herbs. Not a single ingredient for the ritual is present. He’s deceiving you again, taking advantage of your unfamiliarity with herbs. Just look—despite a fight nearly breaking out in the place where the ritual materials are supposedly stored, he didn’t even react. Isn’t that proof enough?”

So Jeongrak calmly addressed the two old demons.

“They’re basic ingredients that can be replaced quickly. Please don’t let that cunning tongue deceive you. He’s doing everything he can to sow discord just to stay alive.”

He had to kill Geom Mugeuk as soon as possible.

“Well then, since you’ve seen the ritual site, fulfill your promise and kill the Young Cult Leader. It’s up to you both to decide whom you trust.”

He was convinced that, in the end, they had no choice but to trust him. No matter how much Geom Mugeuk tried to drive a wedge between them, the one who could lift their golden seals was on this side.

But what if—by any chance—they chose to trust Geom Mugeuk?

In that case, all of them would die here. They wouldn’t be able to withstand his poison.

And there was no way those old demons would go down without a fight—meaning he wouldn’t survive either.

In the end, only Geom Mugeuk would walk out alive. So please, don’t think about turning on me, you old bastards.

Geom Mugeuk spoke to the two old demons.

“Since you’ve come this far, how about one last confirmation?”

“What confirmation?”

“Didn’t he say he’d show you the person who would perform the ritual with you? Let’s see that person too, shall we?”

So Jeongrak couldn't understand why Geom Mugeuk was so fixated on this place and that person.

“Don’t fall for his schemes.”

As if waiting for that line, Geom Mugeuk countered immediately.

“If this were a scheme, I wouldn’t be suggesting we bring in someone else. That just means another enemy for me, doesn’t it? Don’t you agree?”

Since his logic wasn’t wrong, the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon slightly nodded their heads.

So Jeongrak was puzzled.

Right—he’s making sense. If it means gaining another formidable foe, why would he keep pushing to show that person?

In that moment, a chill ran down his spine.

So Jeongrak’s trembling gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk.

‘You… don’t tell me! Are you planning to gather everyone in one place and kill us all at once?’

The thought that it might be true crossed his mind. How else could one explain the composure so deeply embedded in that face?

And with that came one inevitable question.

If he was so confident in his skills, why didn’t he just kill him back at the clinic? Why insist on coming all the way here?

‘Whether there or here…’

At that very moment, So Jeongrak realized there was one crucial difference between the two locations.

Something that was present there but not here.

The sleeping physicians, the patients, and their guardians.

‘Was that the reason he insisted on coming here?’

To avoid a fight in that place?

Had a battle broken out there, many of those sleeping would have been injured—or worse.

It would’ve been the same even outside the clinic. The whole area was packed with patients.

Only this place offered a space where no innocents would be harmed. And he had thought that far ahead?

‘Ah! Come to think of it!’

Earlier, Geom Mugeuk had cut the thread connecting So Jeongrak to the patients to show that he possessed inner energy.

During the entire conversation in the clinic, Geom Mugeuk had never once shown concern for the patients, so So Jeongrak hadn’t noticed. Even as they left, he hadn’t spared them a single glance.

‘Was he trying to hide the fact that he actually cared about them?’

That wasn’t what shocked him the most.

He already knew that Geom Mugeuk wasn’t some ordinary Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. It was entirely possible that he genuinely valued human life. So Jeongrak himself had lived such a life—at least on the surface.

But what mattered now was the situation.

When everything was going smoothly, anyone could wear a mask. But this wasn’t a time to sit back and enjoy a masquerade.

In a moment where his own life was on the line, Geom Mugeuk had worn a mask of indifference—and still cared for the lives of others?

So Jeongrak found it hard to believe. Even he, who had been treating those patients just this morning, hadn’t considered their safety when things turned dangerous.

“Did you bring us here… because of the patients?”

Instead of answering, Geom Mugeuk posed a question in return.

“Weren’t they supposed to be your responsibility?”

“What?”

“You’re a physician. They’re your patients. I figured that’s why you agreed to bring us here without hesitation.”

So Jeongrak could tell—Geom Mugeuk was reproaching him.

He wasn’t someone who protected them. He had used them as hostages. He had even tied their lives to his own, threatening that if he died, they would die with him.

Now, Geom Mugeuk was striking at the very nerve of a man who had lived his whole life being respected as a doctor.

“That’s enough mockery.”

Geom Mugeuk silently stared at him. Those deep eyes felt as if they were peering into the darkest depths of So Jeongrak’s soul. Into that pitch-black hole.

“I think the same goes for Hwa Yulcheong. Just like how you satisfied your repressed desires by killing innocent people down here, he must have something of his own.”

Feeling a strange sense of shame, So Jeongrak urged the two old demons.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch?”

At that, the two old demons stepped forward.

They had already decided to kill Geom Mugeuk. From beginning to end, that had never changed.

It wasn’t because they trusted So Jeongrak. It was because they trusted the one who had come to persuade them.

The Demon Flame Lord looked at the White-Bone Soul Demon and spoke.

“I’ll handle this one.”

But the White-Bone Soul Demon shook his head.

“Let’s do it together.”

“A joint attack?”

Surprisingly, the White-Bone Soul Demon nodded. The Demon Flame Lord knew just how prideful the old man was—possibly even more so than himself.

‘And yet he wants to attack together?’

The Demon Flame Lord also knew that ever since the White-Bone Soul Demon had used the Dark Heart Eye to observe Geom Mugeuk, his words had become fewer, and his actions more cautious.

“What did you see in that Young Cult Leader?”

A deeper darkness flowed from the White-Bone Soul Demon’s eyes as he looked toward Geom Mugeuk.

The figures the White-Bone Soul Demon had seen before through the Dark Heart Eye always came in different forms.

Some had the visage of savage beasts. Others appeared as children lost and weeping. He had seen finely honed blades. He had seen darkness.

And what he saw in Geom Mugeuk… was Geom Mugeuk himself.

Geom Mugeuk stood above a pit, looking down at him. And he—he stood inside a grave, just large enough to fit a coffin, looking up at him.

Since first using the Dark Heart Eye, it was the first time he had not only seen the other—but also seen himself.

If Geom Mugeuk’s eyes had contained killing intent, hatred, or rage, it wouldn’t have disturbed him so much.

But those eyes carried no emotion at all. Like someone glancing at a pebble on the roadside—completely indifferent. That expression unsettled him. It gnawed at him.

When he finished using the Dark Heart Eye, it didn’t feel like he had looked into Geom Mugeuk. It felt as if he had seen into himself. The only reason he had respectfully greeted Geom Mugeuk was due to that deep, visceral discomfort.

The White-Bone Soul Demon hadn’t told the Demon Flame Lord what he had seen, but the weight of his tension was evident.

That alone was enough for the Demon Flame Lord to not lower his guard.

Watching all of this, So Jeongrak was inwardly pleased.

‘Good.’

As long as the two of them didn’t let down their guard, no matter how impressive the Young Cult Leader’s martial arts were, he could be killed.

Just as the two old demons began to circulate their internal energy in earnest, Geom Mugeuk raised his hand and spoke.

“Wait! Just a moment, please.”

So Jeongrak almost shouted in frustration.

‘Again? Just shut up and fight already! Fight and die, damn it!’

But this time, it wasn’t words—it was actions.

And completely incomprehensible ones at that.

“One step, two steps, three steps…”

Geom Mugeuk paced from one end of the wall to the other, measuring the distance with his footsteps.

“What are you doing?”

A response came that made him wish he hadn’t asked.

“I’ve grown a bit recently. Hard to get a good sense of my space.”

So Jeongrak glanced at the two old demons. His eyes practically screamed, Just kill him already, but they simply watched Geom Mugeuk’s actions in silence. He was that good at arousing curiosity—and they still didn’t fully trust So Jeongrak.

After pacing out the width of the underground chamber, Geom Mugeuk made another request.

“Ah, I have one more thing to do. It’s very important! It’ll help secure your golden years, seniors.”

How could they not be curious when he said that?

Geom Mugeuk picked up a medicinal pouch from the corner and began gathering poisonous herbs into it.

“Qi Transformation Herb can only be found in the Wilderness, and you’ve collected quite a bit. Here’s the root of the Yin Wind Flower too. That’s incredibly rare.”

A sudden sense of foreboding made So Jeongrak shout. He thought Geom Mugeuk was up to something.

“Kill him now!”

But instead, Geom Mugeuk scolded him.

“Then you’ve failed as a physician, and failed as a poisoner!”

“What?”

“You’re fine with these precious herbs being destroyed in the middle of a fight? Are poisonous herbs so insignificant to you? You abandon your patients, and now the herbs too. Just what are you?”

So Jeongrak had never imagined Geom Mugeuk would scold him like this, and for a moment, he was speechless. He couldn't even argue—it was just absurd. Wasn’t it because of him that all this had spiraled out of control?

Geom Mugeuk focused on the most valuable herbs stored separately in the cabinet.

“You just stay there. I might not be able to make poisons, but I sure as hell know what’s valuable. These are things money can’t buy.”

So when he mentioned helping secure their golden years, he had actually meant they should take these herbs and sell them after killing him.

It wasn’t some elaborate ploy. Geom Mugeuk was genuinely collecting the herbs.

He stuffed the medicinal pouch full, as if trying to fit just one more item in. These were truly rare herbs, priceless by any measure.

So Jeongrak, half in resignation, simply watched.

Just as he said—if they got damaged in the fight, it would be a loss. In a way, it was better for him that Geom Mugeuk was organizing them… he could only tell himself that.

After killing Geom Mugeuk, the idea that the two old demons might covet the poisonous herbs? That was unlikely—but even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. They still needed to have their golden seals removed. Would they really act on such greed?

“Pardon me, seniors. Please step aside for a moment.”

Geom Mugeuk moved past them and began gathering the herbs behind them.

So Jeongrak was quietly tense, wondering if he might attempt a sneak attack, but Geom Mugeuk remained solely focused on the herbs.

Watching this, So Jeongrak let out a cold sneer.

“Dragging time like this won’t save you. No one’s coming to rescue you. Still, thanks for sorting out my herbs.”

“Sorry, but they’re not for you.”

“What?”

“They’re for our Poison King.”

So Jeongrak’s face twisted in disbelief. In other words, Geom Mugeuk believed he would win this fight. And with that realization came a surge of anger. He was going to hand over these precious herbs to none other than the Poison King?

Geom Mugeuk tossed the pouch full of herbs at him.

“If you want to live, hold onto that and press yourself up against the wall. Step forward, and you die.”

Then, turning toward the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon, Geom Mugeuk drew the Black Demon Sword.

“Well then, thank you for waiting. Let’s speak now—our Cult’s way.”