The Poison Demon’s Strategy for the Martial Tower Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Grow, Hair, Grow

Bong Ju-min reported for work at the Red Dragon Gate.

‘This feels strange.’

To think he was now showing up to work at the very Red Dragon Gate that he had been so desperate to dismantle during his ti at the Gukmubon.

Bong Ju-min rode the elevator up with an indescribable, peculiar feeling.

The female receptionist at the counter asked him,

"How can I help you?"

"I'm Bong Ju-min. Today's my first day—"

"Alright, please wait over there."

A receptionist who cut people off mid-sentence.

This was clearly different from an ordinary sect.

She wore a suit, but had a piercing in her lip. And tattoos on her fingers.

'Quite the rough crowd.'

Having co from the Gukmubon, where only elites gathered, he found it difficult to adjust to sights like these.

The pride that Bong Ju-min carried within him.

'I'm at least better than these people.'

Could thugs possibly compare to soone who had served in special forces?

He was a man who had even earned a master's degree in order to get promoted.

'Indeed, I am a section chief of the Gukmubon.'

His promotions had been passed over repeatedly, and he'd feared he would end his career as a permanent section chief—but he was, nonetheless, a section chief of the Gukmubon.

'I'll show them what I'm capable of! Everyone's going to be shocked.'

Bong Ju-min sat down in a chair along the wall and waited.

The Red Dragon Gate he rembered and the Red Dragon Gate of today were worlds apart.

When he'd co here in the past, the place had been crawling with thugs, filled with cigarette smoke and profanity—a genuine gangster den.

But now—

'It looks like an ordinary company.'

Except, of course, for the fact that everyone here was built and covered in tattoos.

He spotted Jo Je-bin.

"H-hey!"

Bong Ju-min raised his hand.

Jo Je-bin glanced briefly in his direction, then turned away to issue instructions to soone with a grave expression.

Jo Je-bin looked extraordinarily busy.

Even with a half-cast on, he moved around without a mont's rest.

The sa was true of the others at the Red Dragon Gate.

He'd assud gangsters would lounge around like idle layabouts, but out of nowhere they all looked hurried and deeply engrossed in their work.

'And their expressions—they all look so motivated.'

Even the receptionist at the entrance was taking and forwarding calls non-stop.

On top of that, there were familiar faces.

"Oh? That person is from our Gukmubon……"

"Do you know them?"

At that mont, Jo Je-bin approached him and asked.

"Yes. That person used to be at the Gukmubon. I heard they quit last week……"

"We've got quite a few Gukmubon people here. That one over there, and the one sitting in the back too."

"I see……"

"Apparently they ca running the mont we offered good pay."

Jo Je-bin turned his head to look at Bong Ju-min.

Bong Ju-min said, slightly flustered,

"Your leg seems to have recovered quite well."

"Yeah, yeah. They say I won't need the cast from tomorrow. The Master's acupuncture really is sothing."

"Excuse ? The Master?"

"Never mind. Don't worry about it."

His recovery was suspiciously swift.

'Already? He's not even limping anymore. In just a matter of days.'

The strangeness continued.

Since only a handful of people knew that the Naless Hero had taken over the Red Dragon Gate, these were words that Bong Ju-min couldn't make sense of.

'He must an Lee Won-ryong by Master. Anyway, thugs.'

"Hand over what you brought."

Jo Je-bin held out his hand.

The casual banmal and informal treatnt continued.

Bong Ju-min felt irritated but didn't show it.

He carefully reached into his briefcase and handed the docunts to Jo Je-bin.

What Bong Ju-min had brought was classified intelligence from the Gukmubon.

Jo Je-bin checked the docunts, nodded, and said one thing,

"Sa as ours."

"Pardon?"

His tone was nonchalant.

Bong Ju-min asked in confusion,

"What do you an, the sa?"

"Section Chief Bong, did you think we wouldn't know about this much?"

"……"

It was then that Bong Ju-min understood. The instruction to bring the classified intelligence had been a test from the Red Dragon Gate.

The notion that they were simply a gang of thugs vanished from his mind.

"There were one or two new things. Pass them along to the Master."

Bong Ju-min asked,

"What role will I be taking on?"

"Don't know."

"……"

"Still, look forward to it. When our Master decides soone is his, he pours out an enormous amount of affection."

"Is that so."

"Though he also extracts every bit of that affection back, and then so. Everyone's busy."

Tap tap. He patted his cast leg.

"That must be tough."

Jo Je-bin turned to look at Bong Ju-min and said,

"No, not at all."

"Pardon?"

"It's actually good. When tasks are assigned one by one, there's no room for distracting thoughts—you just have to work. It feels like I know where I'm going. And it makes feel trusted."

Bong Ju-min felt like he understood, and yet didn't.

The Red Dragon Gate had taken in soone cast aside by the Gukmubon and had even given him a bundle of cash.

Kim Tae-yang's consideration was, in one way, sothing he felt grateful for.

"Where is Kim Tae-yang?"

Jo Je-bin answered,

"Who is that?"

"Pardon? Wasn't it Kim Tae-yang who placed here?"

"That's what I'm asking—who is that?"

His manner made it clear he had no idea whatsoever.

If anything, it was Bong Ju-min who was flustered.

He quickly changed the subject.

"Would it be possible to et Gate Master Lee Won-ryong?"

Jo Je-bin snorted and stood up.

"Is Gate Master Lee a friend of yours? You think you can see him just because you feel like it?"

"……"

"Wait until you're called. Soone will show you to your seat."

By now it was entirely banmal.

Bong Ju-min could hold back no longer and frowned slightly. Jo Je-bin then said to him,

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all."

"I'm an Elder here. So what are you?"

"A staff mber, presumably. With section chief-level treatnt?"

"We take in soone who got kicked out, and they want section chief? Big dreams."

His tone dripped with contempt.

Bong Ju-min let his shoulders slump and asked,

"Then…… An intern, perhaps?"

"Intern? We don't have those."

Jo Je-bin patted Bong Ju-min on the shoulder.

"You're the junior."

"……"

"Got a lighter?"

Bong Ju-min rummaged around and held one out.

"I'll put it to good use."

Jo Je-bin accepted the lighter and casually pocketed it.

"Oh, if you want to smoke, go up to the rooftop. Smoke indoors here, and—kkk!"

Jo Je-bin drew his finger slowly across his own neck.

"Yes……"

It was undeniably a strange place.

Bong Ju-min muttered inwardly.

He was assigned a single desk with only a laptop on it.

No work was given to him.

He sat there idle until boredom set in, and just as he was getting antsy—

He finally received a summons from Lee Won-ryong.

Knock knock knock.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

"It's Bong Ju-min."

"Oh, give a mont. I'm in the middle of shaving."

Lee Won-ryong was shaving in his private office.

He was reclined in the plush leather chair known as the executive chair.

His face was not visible.

Only his solid legs, his imposing fra, and his broad chest could be seen.

Near his face, nothing was visible but the foam lathered into Lee Won-ryong's thick beard, where a barber worked.

Tap tap.

Lee Won-ryong pointed a finger toward the sofa, and Bong Ju-min sat down.

Swish.

The barber produced a straight razor in a practiced motion.

'Rather rude.'

Bong Ju-min thought to himself.

He could tell it was ant to crush his spirit, but his spirit had already been crushed beyond recovery.

There was no need for this level of disregard.

Only Lee Won-ryong's voice reached him from the reclined chair.

"Section Chief Bong, we've t before, haven't we? At the Gukmubon."

"Yes……"

It was not a pleasant mory, so Bong Ju-min lowered his head.

"Let's forget the past and start fresh. Neither of us is who we used to be."

"Yes, Gate Master."

"I had actually ant to make ti and talk over a al, but it seed like you were eager to see ."

"Yes……"

"You knocked, I noticed. That was rather unusual. People at our Red Dragon Gate rarely knock."

"……A habit."

"Hehehe."

For so reason Lee Won-ryong kept laughing—his voice sounding deeply pleased for no apparent reason.

"We're changing a great deal right now. You could say everyone is growing."

"So it appears."

"Those whose bones were broken are healing stronger, and those whose growth had stalled are preparing to leap higher."

"Yes, congratulations."

"……You don't quite believe it."

"Not at all, Gate Master."

A brief silence passed.

Bong Ju-min glanced around the room.

He noticed the red Carapace Armor on Lee Won-ryong's desk.

It appeared to be a remarkably expensive item.

Even Bong Ju-min, who was a climber himself, felt a twinge of covetousness at the sight of sothing so clearly top-tier.

Lee Won-ryong's voice reached him again.

"Section Chief Bong, at the Gukmubon you handled security work and climber qualification assessnts, correct?"

"That's right."

"We have many people from the Gukmubon at the Red Dragon Gate. Most of them are handling work for the foundation we recently established—caring for the families of our fallen mbers. We don't exactly have a background in doing good, so Gukmubon people are the better fit."

"Yes, I'll do my best as well."

"You've misunderstood. Section Chief Bong will be doing a different kind of work."

"Pardon? Then what would that be?"

"Training new recruits. Since you're from Gukmubon, you'd be good at keeping the new ones sharp and disciplined, wouldn't you?"

"Ah…… Yes."

Swish swish swish.

The barber worked quickly, shaving Lee Won-ryong.

The cut hair piled thickly on the white towel.

'Strange.'

Bong Ju-min watched and found it slightly puzzling.

The barber was not just shaving Lee Won-ryong's beard—he was trimming all the hair across his entire face, including his eyebrows and nose hair.

'Lee Won-ryong is famous for being bald.'

There had been rumors that his hair had started falling out since middle school.

At the Gukmubon, when people wanted to mock Lee Won-ryong, they called him the bald little serpent.

And Lee Won-ryong had apparently hated his baldness so much that a few years ago he'd had his entire scalp tattooed solid black.

Which earned him a new nickna.

The bald earthworm.

'He may not have hair on his head, but it seems his whole face is covered in it. Not yet fully evolved, perhaps.'

Bong Ju-min chuckled inwardly.

He himself had an M-shaped hairline creeping in, but he'd been taking his dication faithfully and was still holding on.

'At least I've got that over Lee Won-ryong.'

Fwap fwap!

The barber snapped the towel loudly and wiped Lee Won-ryong's face clean.

The shaving was done.

The barber straightened the executive chair Lee Won-ryong had been reclining in.

Lee Won-ryong cracked his neck loudly and rose.

"Ugh—!"

Bong Ju-min looked at Lee Won-ryong and nearly leapt out of his skin.

"B-Beethoven?!"

Lee Won-ryong swept his full, flowing long hair back with both hands.

He looked extrely pleased with himself.

It appeared he'd even gotten a perm—his hair curled and rippled in waves.

The hair that had been completely invisible at the reclined angle.

Or more precisely—the angle at which one wouldn't even think to imagine it was there.

"Didn't I tell you? We are no longer who we were."

Step step step.

He walked over and extended a hand to Bong Ju-min.

"Pleased to work with you, Division Manager Bong."

"Yes, yes…… Pardon?"

"You need to get out of being a permanent section chief. Jo Je-bin, the Elder, specifically requested that you be given the division manager title."

"Th-thank you."

"It is ti to grow. Bones, and hair alike."

Thud.

Lee Won-ryong pressed sothing into Bong Ju-min's hand and said,

"You as well."

Bong Ju-min opened his hand—it was a luxury lighter.

Lee Won-ryong said to him,

"The Elder Jo Je-bin asked to give you that too."

They were freshly printed business cards.

‘Red Dragon Gate, Division Manager, Bong Ju-min.’

"And the division manager position."

"Aah—!"

Lee Won-ryong smiled, pointed to his own hair, and finished with:

"This is not a wig."

* * *

[The dicinal and Poison Herb Field]

"It's fine that the hair is growing, but the hair is growing all over the body."

I muttered as I tended to the Wind Fur Moss.

Whether it was because the power of the Wind God Sacred Jade had been applied just right, the Wind Fur Moss had already grown to the point of covering the entire valley of the herb field.

The Wind Fur Moss, which normally blasts away all body hair, had—through the Reversal Secret Arts—been made to grow hair instead.

The extent of it, however, was excessive.

"At this rate I'll turn into an orangutan."

Does Reversal roll back evolution?

It was fortunate that I had used Lee Won-ryong as the test subject.

Hair had grown thick across every part of his body, and Lee Won-ryong had needed to shave all of it.

But he had looked happy.

Ting!

【A man once suffering from a life lacking in nothing has, having found satisfaction, sweeps his hair back while gazing into a mirror. 5,000 Happiness】

"Well, if the man himself is pleased, that's good enough."

Hair can always be cut.

Lee Won-ryong had gotten a perm and even dyed his newly grown long hair.

He probably hadn't been able to stop himself from braiding it alone at ho too—though I hadn't witnessed it firsthand.

"Still, if I'm going to comrcialize and sell this, I'll need to develop it further."

It'll improve eventually.

The dicinal effect isn't permanent.

The hair-growth formula I'd given him had an effective period of around 3 months.

Once that ti passed, the hair would start falling out again in clumps.

[M-Master……]

When that mont ca, Lee Won-ryong would co to tearfully.

I'd smile and bestow it upon him once more.

The Happiness Points would keep accumulating too.

Since it was still in early developnt, the strength hadn't been calibrated yet.

The duration needed to be extended, and the area of growth needed to be limited to just the head.

The herbs and poisonous plants I had on hand naturally suggested themselves for combination.

The fortunate thing was that the formula I'd tested on Jo Je-bin was working well.

This too would beco one of my major ventures going forward—and more importantly—

"I need to fix Father's legs."

Looking at Jo Je-bin, I felt confident that with just a little more refinent, I could fully cure the limping that had plagued Father's legs.

"Who should I bring in to test it on next."

The world was wide, and there was no shortage of people who lacked things.

Pat pat.

I brushed the dirt off my hands.

It was ti to climb again.

"Huu."

I let out a long breath and stood up.

This climb carried more worry than anticipation.

【Entering 31st floor of the Republic of Korea's Murim Tower.】

【Mission (31st floor): Break through the ruins of the fallen Sacheondang Family.】

After decades.

It was ti to return ho.