The Poison Demon’s Strategy for the Martial Tower Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Kill Kim Tae-yang (1)

[Republic of Korea—Blue House]

The Blue House was shrouded in the atmosphere of a house of mourning.

Moody's, the agency that evaluates national credit ratings, had just made a new announcent.

And they had slashed the Republic of Korea's credit rating by a whopping 8 grades.

Park Jae-yeol flew into a rage.

"Are they out of their minds?! An eight-grade drop is unheard of!"

Since the appearance of the Golden Tower, the Republic of Korea's credit rating has been Aa2.

But now it has plumted all the way down to Ba1.

The credit level of Guatemala.

Korea's Ba1 was the exact sa grade it had bottod out at during the IMF crisis long ago.

Park Jae-yeol erupted at the Deputy Pri Minister for Economic Affairs.

"What exactly have you been doing?! You should have stopped Moody's from pulling sothing like this!"

The Deputy Pri Minister bit his lip once and carefully replied.

"It was originally Ba2."

"……What?"

The Deputy Pri Minister's words—that the initial drop had been 9 grades.

"We lobbied Moody's enormously just to barely hold it to an 8-grade drop. Your Excellency."

Park Jae-yeol could only stare at him in silence.

Ba2.

They had nearly been given the sa rating as Azerbaijan, an authoritarian state.

The Deputy Pri Minister let out what he had been holding back.

"This isn't where it ends. The foreign companies that had agreed to establish large-scale energy industrial complexes in Gyeonggi-do have all requested contract cancellations."

"……!"

Park Jae-yeol felt as though the breath had been knocked out of him.

The energy industrial complexes.

Along with the Golden Tower, they had been considered one of Park Jae-yeol's greatest achievents.

He asked in a trembling voice.

"That's a project the governnt poured enormous money into. Sa with the foreign companies. We lifted all the regulations, broke ground—what are you talking about?"

"That is how matters stand."

"Are you playing gas? Go warn them right now!"

"I spoke to them directly!"

The Deputy Pri Minister's voice rose.

He explained.

"But they wouldn't even pretend to listen. No—that would actually be better! Compared to what's coming."

"……And what would that be?"

"The foreign companies are actually demanding penalty fees, claiming breach of contract."

"What is that supposed to an?"

The Deputy Pri Minister sighed and said,

"It's because those foreign companies had rated the Republic of Korea as the safest nation. And the reason for that was……."

He turned to gaze out the window.

Where his eyes landed stood the Republic of Korea's Murim Tower.

The Murim Tower, golden only up to the 33rd floor.

"Ghost and the Naless Hero—the Golden Tower they were building was one of the key conditions for the complexes' occupancy and investnt. But now…… as you know, the situation is difficult."

"These bastards……. Just recently they were bowing down and saying how grateful they were—and now this……."

Park Jae-yeol squeezed his eyes shut and asked,

"How much are the penalties?"

"20 billion dollars."

"That's almost 30 trillion won!"

"That's only the first round of lawsuits. The 2nd and 3rd rounds will co flying in too."

Park Jae-yeol suddenly felt dizzy.

"Wa-water, bring so water."

Park Jae-yeol pressed his hand to his forehead.

Now that he had heard all this.

He was beginning to feel in his very skin just what it was he had done.

* * *

【Entering 35th floor of the Murim Tower (France).】

【This is your first entry.】

【Mission (35th floor): Rob the Wunbo Trading House's Treasure Vault (Secondary).】

—Ti Limit: 3 days

—On Success: 500,000 Happiness Points awarded

【A bonus mission is given for first entry.】

【Bonus Mission: Rob the Wunbo Trading House's secret vault.】

—Ti Limit: 10 minutes

—On Success:

① Mission (35th floor) considered complete

② Happiness Points tripled (×3)

③ 1 Eight Great Extre Poisons 'Blood Pigeon Plasma' fragnt 1/3 will be awarded.

—On Failure: The Wunbo Trading House's elite guards, the Ice Gold Guard, will appear.

I entered the 35th floor of the tower.

A chilling energy ca over .

"Was it this cold back then too?"

There was obviously no way there would be one, but it felt as though soone had cranked the air conditioning up full blast inside the treasure vault.

Just like before opening the secret vault on 34th floor, 35th floor also had goods that appeared to be of little value.

Things that looked impressive at a glance but were mostly worthless fakes.

"So now I know the Wunbo Trading House's guards go by the na Ice Gold Guard."

I clicked my tongue.

‘Truly terrible naming sense.’

Ah, co to think of it—the reason they said the treatnt for those struck down by Ice Energy had been developed in Arica.

It was because of 35th floor.

"Let's just open the secret vault."

On 34th floor of the Wunbo Trading House.

I had opened the secret vault by twisting the neck of the sculpture of Bae Geum-sang's father.

But 35th floor was different.

If you touched his father's sculpture the sa way as on 34th floor, the hidden chanisms would imdiately activate—oil would pour from the ceiling, a Fire Striker would drop, and the place would beco a sea of flas.

"In any case, Bae Geum-sang is a madman."

This ti I stood before the sculpture of Bae Geum-sang's mother and slipped my hand inside the skirt of the sculpture.

"It's a sculpture, but this feels a bit off."

As I felt around, I touched a single chanism to pull.

Clack—. Rumble rumble rumble—.

The sound of the chanism activating, and part of the floor opened up as the door to the secret vault appeared.

"Madman. What a thoroughly unfilial wretch. Go rot in hell."

I shook my head repeatedly as I stepped into the secret vault.

Who on earth could have imagined he would have set up such a chanism?

In my past life, I had captured Bae Geum-sang and learned of this door only after torturing him.

"How's hell treating you? Your parents have probably broken both your legs by now."

The way I had obtained the Blood Pigeon Plasma back then—

I had gotten into the 34th floor and 35th floor vaults through torturing Bae Geum-sang, but the mont I finished clearing 35th floor, I found myself facing the entirety of the Wunbo Trading House.

With no choice, I gave up on entering the final vault.

I first escaped the vault, then threatened them using Bae Geum-sang as a hostage.

In the end, his son brought the Blood Pigeon Plasma.

I had obtained it that way, but Bae Geum-sang couldn't endure the aftermath of the torture and died.

It wasn't intentional.

By now I could freely employ 108 different torture arts even with my eyes closed, but back then I was inexperienced.

’Even thinking about it now, I feel a little bad about that.’

Anyway.

I hadn't known how to open the 36th floor vault.

"Well, I'll think about that once I'm inside 36th floor."

I descended into the secret vault—it was beyond chilly, to the point where even I felt cold.

"What is this."

Even without Cold and Heat Immunity, re cold air shouldn't affect .

The secret vault felt like stepping inside a refrigerator.

No other climber would have ever been down here.

Because touching the wrong part of the treasure vault would send flas pouring down.

In fact, the currently established thod for climbers was to wait 10 minutes for the Ice Gold Guard to appear, deliberately trigger the hidden chanisms to turn the place into a sea of flas, and start from there.

"Now that I think about it, the flas were raging back then."

Flas had poured down from the chanisms Bae Geum-sang had installed.

And I'd been too frantic fighting those absurdly nad Ice Gold Guard to think straight.

From 34th floor, gold ingots and various valuables had co out.

35th floor held things that could truly be called treasures.

"Ah, it's been a while."

I picked up the Life Energy Box first.

It was a wooden chest for storing spirit dicines.

Spirit dicines are typically stored in ceramic flasks.

Because over ti, their spirit energy gradually disperses.

While ceramic made from clay, fire, and water energy does slow that dispersal, this Life Energy Box could completely seal the spirit energy from the very start.

"And that's not all."

In particular, the Life Energy Box was an item already over a thousand years old.

During that ti it had been slowly absorbing the sealed spirit energy.

By now it could actually strengthen the efficacy of the spirit dicines stored within, converting them into the finest grade of spirit elixirs.

"There's a Cold Ice Pillow too."

This was a sleeping mat.

It was among the most prized treasures for those who cultivated Ice Energy.

Since the mat itself emitted extre yin-type Ice Energy, simply lying on it while circulating energy—or even just sleeping—would naturally strengthen one's Ice Energy internal energy.

Not only that, it blocked fire energy with its extre Ice Energy.

The reason this secret vault had survived even when the Treasure Vault (Secondary) beca a sea of flas—it was all thanks to this Cold Ice Pillow.

"Add the Dream Pillow to this and it'd be perfect."

The Dream Pillow was a pillow.

Even a brief nap would grant deep sleep and maximized recovery effects, and it lowered body temperature to calm the body.

Masters who had reached a high realm could substitute sleep through circulating energy alone, but they were still human—they needed at least 1 to 2 hours of sleep daily, and at least once a week, they needed a full 7 or more hours of deep rest.

This Dream Pillow had the effect of maximizing that recovery.

"Back then I just passed it by—I wonder if Bae Geum-sang had a sleep disorder?"

I murmured as I slipped the Peaceful Mind Pouch into my pocket.

It was an item that dispersed worries with a soft fragrance and aided in ntal cultivation.

The Cold Ice Pillow, the Dream Pillow, the Peaceful Mind Pouch.

Setting aside the Ice Energy aspect, it was basically a complete 3-piece deep sleep focus set.

"Ah, here it is."

I picked up what I had been looking for.

【Kim Tae-yang asks 'What is that?' 1 Happiness】

"It's called a Snake Wind Whistle—it makes a hissing sound when the wind blows."

Like a snake hissing—it had been used for a very particular purpose.

"It's an item for catching a special kind of snake, one of the ingredients for the Eight Great Extre Poisons."

【Kim Tae-yang urges 'Let's hurry and check the rest' 1 Happiness】

"The Blood Energy Bead, the Soul Mirror, the Fire Cloud Stone. There are 3 Yin-Cold Beads? Let's see……. Looks like I've got everything important."

And that wasn't all.

The Green Soul Vessel I had purchased at the Black Market auction had naturally been gathered, and on top of that, I found Poison-Warding Beads.

Pearls that, when held in the mouth, automatically purify poison.

And not just any kind—they were the highest-grade Poison-Warding Beads.

Azure Spirit Poison-Warding Bead, Crimson Violet Poison-Warding Bead, Dragon Scale Poison-Warding Bead. 3 in total.

"Good grief! Dangerous things have appeared."

Poison-Warding Beads.

Items a Poison Demon should keep far away.

I'll just smash them.

I instinctively moved to break the Poison-Warding Beads as I had done countless tis in my past life.

【Kim Tae-yang asks 'Is there really any need to do that now?' 1 Happiness】

……That's true.

‘In my past life I would have kept the Poison-Warding Beads at a distance. But now things are different.’

—soone who freely crosses between poison and dicine.

There was no reason to feel the sa aversion to Poison-Warding Beads as before.

And they were even the highest-grade kind.

"37th floor's Poison Valley could be cleared easily just by keeping these Poison-Warding Beads in my mouth."

Since there are 3, that ans at least 3 people can climb without needing my antidotes.

Limited to the current situation, of course.

Practically priceless value.

"Good. I'll hold on to these for now."

Slip.

I lightly pinched the Poison-Warding Beads between my thumb and index finger and swept them into my pocket.

【Kim Tae-yang says 'I wonder what would happen if we applied the Great Law of Reversal to the Poison-Warding Beads—I'm curious about the result' 1 Happiness】

‘Good thinking.’

‘I'll give you 1 praise point.’

At the very center of the secret vault were treasures that made my mouth water.

Alcohol.

Heavenly Drunken Dream Wine, Phoenix Fire Wine, White Blossom Spirit Wine, Red Cloud Intoxicating Wine, Infinite Immortal Wine—the finest premium liquors.

Arranged neatly in a display case placed right at the center of the secret vault.

"Any drinker would lose their mind over this?"

I had already heard news that the liquors dropping from the Murim Tower were being traded at truly astronomical prices.

A famous liquor from the martial world called the Eldest Daughter Red had sold for 4 billion won.

"Even a single bottle of the Macallan 1926, which didn't even co from the Murim Tower, once sold for 3.5 billion won. Seems like a fair price."

The Eldest Daughter Red was a fine liquor in its own right, but it was nothing compared to the premium vintage I had just discovered—the Heavenly Drunken Dream Wine.

If the Eldest Daughter Red was like a Ballantine's 30, then the Heavenly Drunken Dream Wine was more like a Romanée-Conti.

"A single bottle of this would be more than enough for admission to the auction being held in 2 weeks."

Even I felt my mouth watering at the thought of the liquor.

‘I'll have to keep a few without selling them.’

【Kim Tae-yang shouts 'Chicken and Heavenly Drunken Dream Wine!' 100 Happiness】

‘Looks like you're excited too.’

In my past life I had been too frantic fighting the Wunbo Trading House's masters.

And of course, all the liquor had ended up smashed to pieces.

I'd been too busy just snatching up the precious valuables amid the chaos.

‘To think they'd gift all of this to .’

"Mr. and Mrs. Bae Geum-sang's parents! Your Geum-sang actually seems like quite a decent fellow. I think you can stop punishing him now."

I counted and there were over 45 bottles.

"That's strange."

A brief question crossed my mind.

"The Heavenly Drunken Dream Wine is an extraordinary vintage, but it's not quite the sort of thing to be kept in this secret vault."

In terms of value, 34th floor would have been more fitting.

With so many bottles it could go on 35th floor, but in the secret vault itself?

I picked up a few bottles from the upper left and examined them.

‘Was there so secret?’

"These are old. They look like they've been aged for several decades……."

And conversely, the further toward the lower right of the shelf, the newer they were.

"He must have been collecting one each year."

‘So he'd been carefully saving them up.’

I looked around again.

The position of the liquor shelf was peculiar.

The Cold Ice Pillow and the Yin-Cold Beads.

Ice Energy-type items were arranged in a circle around the display case as if embracing it.

"Could it be that this secret vault has so many Ice Energy-type items because of this liquor?"

And 3 highest-grade Poison-Warding Beads on top of that.

It was clear he had been scrupulously maintaining it all to keep the liquor from deteriorating.

I filled my pockets to the brim.

Ti to leave.

The Cold Ice Pillow was too large an item to fit in the Infinity Endless Storage Pouch the strange old man had made, so I had to drag it out.

"Here we go again."

I had searched every corner thoroughly, yet the bonus mission completion ssage hadn't appeared.

To avoid making the sa mistake as on 34th floor, I had even proactively collected all the Night-Glow Pearls on the ceiling beforehand.

"What have I missed?"

Since there was still more ti remaining than on 34th floor, I sharpened my vision.

And then I clapped my hands together and focused on the reverberating sound.

"The floor?"

Through the rebound of the sound, I faintly sensed sothing in the floor.

I stomped my foot a few tis to verify—there was definitely sothing there.

Schhing—!

I drew the Iron Instrunt God's Dagger and extended sword energy from it to stab into the floor and pry it up.

Crack—!

The floor shattered and a single stone chest erged.

And then.

Ding!

【Bonus Mission Success!】

【Ti elapsed for mission completion: 8 minutes 40 seconds】

【Overwhelming completion (GOLD)!】

【35th floor of the Murim Tower turns golden.】

【The entire world turns its attention to the tower in France.】

The ssage finally chid.

"What's this stone chest? A secret vault within a secret vault."

I decided to think about it once I was outside, piled all the treasures onto the Cold Ice Pillow including the Endless Storage Pouch, and dragged the Cold Ice Pillow out to the poison herb field.