The Poison Demon’s Strategy for the Martial Tower Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

The Poison Demon and Bungeoppang (2)

The servant 'Jang Pilsam' was a servant of our Sacheondang Family.

Having survived, he t by chance.

Jang Pilsam followed throughout his life in the martial world, volunteering to be my attendant.

One day, he asked .

"My lord, you have created countless poisons."

"……."

"Since my lord's ti, the types of poisons in the world have tripled. What is the secret?"

I brushed off the dirt on the poisonous herb and answered.

"dicine."

"Pardon?"

"What do you think is the standard that distinguishes poison from dicine?"

"I'm not sure."

"The lethal dose. A poison that's below the lethal dose can beco dicine. Conversely, dicine can beco poison if taken in excess."

"Aah."

Jang Pilsam nodded.

"People see what they don't know and call it poison. Thirty years ago, Yellow Grass was poison. But now, if you take the right amount, it's used as an herb to reduce fever. What about Prevention Mushroom and Fragrant Return?"

Seuweuk.

I held out the Yellow Grass, having brushed all the dirt off, to Jang Pilsam.

"You said your child was ill? Discard the roots and cut only the stem and leaves the size of a pinky fingernail, then boil and feed it to them. The fever will drop quickly."

"Th-thank you, my lord!"

Jang Pilsam smiled brightly.

"How does it feel to be a father?"

"I'm both nervous and excited."

"Is that so? I'm envious. I've never married in my life, so I wouldn't know."

"If my lord also finds a good spouse—."

"Take this, too."

I smiled and gave him the Thousand Year Green Ginseng I had dug up in advance.

"With this, you and your children will have enough money to live comfortably for life. If you need more, co dig so up here anyti."

"What do you an by that? It sounds like you're leaving!"

I patted the shoulder of the loyal servant Jang Pilsam, who was choking up.

"I'm leaving to do my last task. I probably won't return."

"M-my lord!!"

Jang Pilsam grabbed my hand and cried.

"All I'm leaving behind are these dicinal and poisonous herbs. Think of them as and take care of them from ti to ti."

"That can't be, my lord!"

"Don't look for from now on. I entrust this field of dicinal and poisonous herbs that I've cultivated my whole life to you."

That was my last conversation with Jang Pilsam.

***

"Huuuu……."

I finished circulating my energy and exhaled a long breath.

Tiring!

【Congratulations. Heavenly Poison Blood Divine Art lv3】

"Success."

I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fist, savoring the stronger internal energy.

I opened the warehouse door and ca out.

I walked straight to the bushes next to the warehouse…….

"Uweeek."

I vomited.

"Ptwee ptwee. Ugh, it tastes disgustingly bad."

Chemical waste dumped by a factory couldn't possibly taste good.

Stating the obvious, I looked up at the sky.

Warm sunlight.

Indeed, the warst is winter sunlight.

Seuweuk. I wiped my mouth.

"The effects are less than I thought."

I had steeled myself and drank the waste from the factory where Father works.

For ordinary people, it would be poison requiring more than just a stomach wash, so I thought I'd level up at least two stages.

But it stopped right at level 3. And the continuous vomiting.

"Uweeek—. Uuugh…… I shouldn't just eat anything."

The IV drips and various nutritional supplents given by the hospital when I was hospitalized definitely had better effects.

That's why I continued my hospitalization, but it didn't increase anymore.

I kept asking the nurses to give more nutritional supplents, but they looked at strangely, so I was discharged.

Of course, the mounting hospital bills were also a burden.

So what I chose was chemical waste.

Searching on my phone, I carefully selected waste that seed relatively weak.

Due to Kim Tae-yang's limited knowledge, I didn't know which waste I could consu now and which I couldn't.

Unlike my past life's perfect Immunity To Ten Thousand Poisons, I had Immunity To Ten Thousand Poisons lv1, a level where I didn't yet know the exact capabilities.

"I can't gamble."

Eating this kind of trash is definitely insane.

But.

If you removed the madness from , what would remain?

"……."

【Congratulations. Immunity To Ten Thousand Poisons lv2】

The realm increased.

Not being too greedy was also a good choice.

Seeing that I vomited, it might have been dangerous if I'd gone further?

Aah! I miss so much the dicinal and poisonous herbs I poured my heart into cultivating.

Even during energy circulation, that field ca to mind.

My field where I planted all sorts of precious things.

If I had what was in that field, becoming stronger would be instantaneous.

By the way, is that guy Jang Pilsam doing well?

He's a good guy, so he'll be fine.

I even helped him develop his skills to peak expert level, and he has quite a bit of knowledge about pharmaceutical production, antidotes, and detoxification.

Above all, he's the only one who knows the existence and location of my field.

"Haaa……."

Irritation surges up.

I don't want to eat waste either.

If there were another way, I would have gladly done that.

But.

There isn't much ti left.

[1 year : 6 months : …….]

I looked at the Murim Tower's clock, visible everywhere.

Since those bastards are all there, I wonder if the herb field and Jang Pilsam are all there, too.

Damn it, I need to climb to the top of the tower and cut off the heads of all those detestable bastards.

But now I can't even enter the tower, so I'm burning with frustration or not.

Ao.

……Should I have another waste?

Anyway!

"This is also good."

It's definitely much easier than my past life.

I, who had no other thods besides training and eating poison. Moreover, a Poison Demon must eat poison to live.

Therefore, I had to continuously eat poison.

Before reaching Immunity To Ten Thousand Poisons, poison kept gnawing at my body.

Even after becoming a Poison Demon, it was the sa.

An infinite spiral of destruction and recovery.

But what about now?

"I can eat poison! And I can eat dicine!"

Whether I use this thod or that thod, I just need to beco stronger!

The secret I learned in my past life.

If you think negatively, nothing gets done.

If I drink one cup of poison, I can trample the Alliance Leader.

If I drink two cups, the Evil Path Alliance Leader will be trampled together.

If I drink just one more cup there, even the Heavenly Demon will be added on top.

Let's smile.

Yes, even if I have to drink poison, let's smile! Let's smile!

"Era shibal!"

Kwajik!

In a mont of surging anger, I kicked a tree with Heavenly Kick, and a tree as thick as a thigh broke imdiately.

"……."

Just yesterday, my footprint only dug deeply into the tree, but today it broke completely.

If I kicked it for real.

It seed like I could break not just one tree but several.

"At this level, I'm roughly around the mid-to-late peak expert level?"

If the unreleased Heavenly Kick has this much power, how much stronger will it beco after being unlocked?

Just then.

"Who's there!"

Walwalwal!

The sound of dogs barking noisily ca from a nearby factory.

Euk. Let's run.

Having gotten far away, I put my hand in my pocket.

Baseurak.

I put in my mouth a lollipop I bought at the convenience store yesterday.

"Haa, I feel alive."

Eating poison was a ans for to beco stronger, but it had one major drawback.

It tastes terribly bad.

"The taste of waste remains in my mouth. Uuugh…… The sll is rising from my stomach too."

One isn't enough.

I put two lollipops in my mouth.

It's sweet. Ah, so sweet!

The reason I'm so obsessed with sweet things is simple.

Because it was too painful in my past life.

After becoming a Poison Demon, I suffered from terrible pain.

My flesh rotted away throughout my life, and the poison energy reached my bone marrow, making even breathing painful.

That pain was sothing I had to endure, but who would enjoy being in pain?

I ate so many herbs with pain-relieving properties that I built up a tolerance, and they didn't work well anymore.

What remained were drugs, but I absolutely never touched them.

Drugs are poison too, but they devour not just the body but also the mind.

Even if I abandoned my body, I had to keep my mind clear.

While searching and searching, I discovered this sweet thing.

When I put sweet confections in my mouth.

Right at that mont.

That was the only ti I could forget the pain.

The mory from that ti created an obsession with sweet things.

Of course, with modern knowledge, eating too much sweet stuff can cause diabetes.

Don't worry. Who am I?

I even had poison flowing in my blood, so sothing like sugar is nothing.

No need to even laugh it off.

Now, let's go back. Of course, the way ho is also running.

"Big Dipper Eighteen Steps."

Because everything is part of training.

***

Kkoreureuk—.

I'm hungry.

In my past life, I didn't eat als well.

Having beco an absolute master, I didn't need to eat as much as before, and above all, I didn't want to eat.

My mouth and throat were all sore, and whenever I ate sothing, blisters burst, so even eating was painful.

But now.

Not a completely broken body, but a 26-year-old young body.

Kkoreureuk.

Nice to et you, hunger.

"Hello. This is Heaven Kimbap."

"One kimbap and ran set…… Is ten thousand won?"

"Why? Everything's like this these days. It's on the cheap side."

The money I have is just ten thousand won. Money Father gave .

Should I just eat one roll of kimbap?

[Kimbap 5,500 won]

Why is it so expensive?

I took out the crumpled ten thousand won note from my pocket.

Its value felt different, so I didn't feel inclined to spend it readily.

Perhaps this money was Father's lunch money.

He said he eats lunch at the company, but would that shabby factory even provide a proper lunch?

"……I'll co next ti."

In the end, I just left.

Haa.

I briefly missed my past life when I had enough wealth to buy a province twice over and still have money left.

Kkoreureuk. I'm hungry.

Baseurak. This money is too precious to spend.

Then.

"Huhuhuh……."

***

"You brought friends?"

At the playground, there were Delinquent A, B, and Short Skirt.

And they even brought more delinquents.

As expected, my guess was right.

The cigarette butts I saw at the playground yesterday were of various types.

It ant at least 10 people hung around here.

"That must be those guys."

When I appeared at the playground, Delinquent B pointed at .

"That bastard. That bastard is that crazy guy!"

Seuweuk.

The delinquent with the biggest build glared at .

Hoho. A total pig.

He has a face that looks like beef soup flows in his veins, too.

"Hey, you over there, co here."

The pig called .

If you call ? I should go.

"Nice to et you."

"……Nice to et you?"

"You should greet people when you et them."

Even Kim Tae-yang would know that.

"He really is crazy!"

The pig looked at Delinquent B.

Then Short Skirt said.

Sohow her skirt seems shorter than yesterday.

"Mister! You extorted money from us yesterday, right?"

"When did I?"

"You did! 89,000 won!"

"Wasn't that a gift from you?"

"Ugh, really!"

When I tilted my head as if baffled, Short Skirt clutched her chest as if frustrated.

Delinquent A pointed at the pig and said,

"Mister, this friend here is the real boss."

"You said it was him yesterday."

I pointed at Delinquent B. You said he was the boss.

Then Delinquent B stuttered and yelled.

"Wh-when did I!"

"Are you the real boss?"

I looked at the pig and asked, and the pig smirked.

"Boss? What kind of old-fashioned talk is that?"

As I thought…… 'boss' was old-fashioned language.

It's unfair. They were the ones who said it.

When I made a sullen expression, thinking I was scared, the pig tapped my chest.

"Mister. What are you going to do?"

"Well."

"You have to pay back."

"I never borrowed anything."

"Ugh, fuck! You extorted money!"

I said to Short Skirt.

"Did I snatch your card from you guys?"

"Well, not that……."

"You guys made the paynt too."

"Fuck! It's the sa thing!"

The pig threw a fit.

Cute things.

They say you beco younger playing with kids?

In my past life, at this age, I was killing people, but being with kids like this again makes feel younger.

"Aihyu……."

Playing word gas with these kids makes feel pathetic.

These things are cowardly.

They think everyone gets scared when they yell, but real masters aren't like that.

'Draw your sword.'

They start with this.

In my past life, I often played with ruffian bastards, too.

Ah, I miss those tis.

Quickly.

……I want to et a real master.

The corners of my mouth went up without realizing.

"Funny? Fuck. Really."

The pig grabbed my collar and pulled.

But.

"……Wh-what?"

I didn't budge at all.

Instead, I slowly reached out and twisted and gripped the pig's right hand.

Eudeudeudeudeuk.

"Kkweeeek!"

The pig made a squealing sound and started trembling.

I grabbed it lightly, yet he's screaming.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes! Yes! Aaaak. It hurts!"

"That's what you're supposed to do."

They're not good at fighting; just have terrible personalities.

Guys who can hit and bully people without any qualms.

I slapped his cheek.

Cheolsseok! Tuk.

The pig fainted from one hit.

Too weak. I was planning to hit him twice.

The hand I raised feels embarrassing.

Showing them there's soone worse than themselves,

The delinquent guys' faces turning pale were quite a sight.

"Let's see. One, two, three, four……. Eight in total."

Hmm, not bad?

Yesterday was a triangle, today is an octagon.

If I do well, I can earn over 2,000 points.

The delinquents who turned pale wore terrified expressions.

As a mature adult, there's only one thing to say to them.

"You brought cash, right?"

***

Kkieuk. Kkieuk.

I swung my legs on the swing and counted the money the guys graciously gifted .

"One, two, three, four……."

300,000 won.

"What? That's all?"

I thoroughly shook down eight delinquents, and only 300,000 won ca out.

I had slightly higher expectations.

I need 10 million won for the Murim Tower qualification exam fee, but at this rate, when will I gather 10 million won? Ehyu.

"W-we don't carry much cash……."

The pig lowered his head and answered in a crawling voice.

"So you want to take your cards and use them? If I use cards, the governnt tracks everything, you punk!"

"That's not it."

Not true?

According to Kim Tae-yang's twisted internet knowledge, it's true, though. Anyway!

"Does hyung need to be in and out of the police station?"

"I'm sorry……."

"Is being sorry enough?!"

"Th-then what should I do?"

"You should say 'I'm really sorry!'".

"……Yes?"

"Fine. Keep hitting."

"Yes."

Chalssak. Chalssak.

【Kim Tae-yang is enjoying this. 10 Happiness】

【Current Happiness Points: 2,900/999,999,999】

"Ten more."

【Current Happiness Points: 2,995/999,999,999】

"Damn it. Five more!"

Chalssak! Chalssak!

【Current Happiness Points: 3,000/999,999,999】

"Stop!"

The eight delinquents stopped, covered in tears and snot.

"Why does it take so long?"

"I'm truly sorry……."

It took longer than I thought.

Since there are eight of them, I thought taking turns hitting would quickly gather about 2,000 points.

It's hard to even gather 1,000 points.

Not 100 points, not 50 points, but 20 points, 10 points…….

Toward the end, it barely went up 1 point at a ti.

Kim Tae-yang, you bastard, got used to it.

You want bigger stimulation?

What was it, dopamine addiction?

Hiya, seeking dopamine even after death. You're really twisted beyond belief.

Kkoreureuk.

Thanks to that, my hungry stomach kept crying out.

I identified their personal information and saved their phone numbers.

Kim Tae-yang's phone contact list, which had been completely empty, started filling with delinquents' numbers.

"Let's go."

I left the playground with an indifferent expression.

"Wh-where to?"

Delinquent B asked.

Where else? The convenience store.

"Bring your card."

What fruit should I buy today? What does Mother like? I think she eats oranges well.

The guys followed with tearful faces.

Sa path. Sa route.

But.

"Keung keung."

There was a sll I hadn't experienced before.

A sweet and savory sll spread subtly, stopping my steps.

What is this?

……This fateful feeling?

I turned my head.

"Hiiik!"

Over the shoulders of the startled delinquents.

I ca. I saw.

'Red Bean-Filled Golden Bungeoppang.'

……Gulp.

I hesitantly approached the bungeoppang street stall.

Dalkak. Dalkak. Chiiik.

The owner's hands moved.

Pouring thick flour batter onto the hot bungeoppang mold and spreading it flat, placing sweet red bean paste on top, then covering it with batter again and baking it.

While baking, the sweet, savory sll stimulated the sense of sll.

The great birth of perfectly baked bungeoppang.

"Aaaaah……."

I could tell without tasting it. That would definitely be very sweet. Very attractively so.

"Want one?"

The owner asked.

"Pl-please."

I even spoke in my past life's speech pattern and held the bungeoppang the owner gave in my hand.

"Soft…… And warm."

The savory and sweet fragrance it gives off when freshly baked.

Like a gift that gives a warm and cozy feeling in cold weather.

【You feel cozy happiness. 1 Happiness】

Aah…….

Just holding it in my hand makes happy.

It wasn't just .

Everyone waiting in front of the street stall for bungeoppang to co was smiling.

Even waiting is happiness.

Now, ti to eat it.

Gulp.

When I took a bite.

The crispiness of the edges and the warm red bean paste spread cozily, and sweetness spread throughout my mouth.

【You feel happiness. 500 Happiness】

【Current Happiness Points: 3,501/999,999,999】

Ah, here it was. My happiness.

It was a taste that naturally made feel good.

I finally realized.

It wasn't that I wasn't happy, so happiness points didn't rise.

Playing around with those bastards wasn't as happy as eating bungeoppang.

I asked the owner in a trembling voice.

"H-how much is it?"

"Three for five thousand won."

"Not that."

"What?"

"I an the price of this street stall."

This is it.

Sothing that spreads happiness and makes money, too.

That's when it happened. A notification appeared in my head.

Tiring!

【Happiness Points have exceeded 3,500 points.】

【Congratulations. A new skill is unlocked.】

—Unlocking skill: Poison Demon's dicinal and Poisonous Herb Field lv1 @